Exodus 32:14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
The immutable God – the God who cannot change! Sometimes I get frustrated with how we try to put God in a box. We call him immutable, so now he cannot even respond to us in loving, merciful ways because somehow it brings his character and word in question.
I am so glad that God relents, that in his love for me and you, he lavishes his grace upon us. We can do nothing to be good enough to deserve eternal life. We deserve eternal death and damnation. But God, relented. He provided a sacrifice that covered our sins.
And every day, he pours out his mercy on us – as Lamentations 3:22-23 say, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed , because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.”
I guess I only began to understand all of this when I became a parent. I loved my children so much that no matter what they did, I couldn’t stop loving them. It didn’t matter what they did or said, how much those childish or teenage outbursts might have hurt, I loved them and forgave them.
So God loves us; well, better by far than we love. Without condition, regardless of what his children do, he still loves them. And as I think about this passage, and God’s changing his mind, I think about why he did that.
First, God gave the law and commandments intentionally. He had a purpose, to draw his children to himself. When they changed, the things he had threatened no longer were necessary, so he no longer had to carry out his threat. As a mother, there were many times I told my children certain behaviors would result in some kind of discipline. When they understood I was serious, and changed their behavior, so did I.
So, I don’t get all that charged up with the idea that God changed his mind. I just rejoice in his mercy and kindness.
No comments:
Post a Comment