THE LORD'S PITY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then the Lord was jealous for His land and took pity on his people. The Lord replied to them:

“I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.”

“I will drive the northern horde far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land; its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.”

Joel 2:18-20

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In yesterday’s devotion, we saw how God doesn’t want anyone to show they are sorry for their sins outwardly without an associated change within, calling on His people (and us) to rend their hearts, showing how brokenhearted they were over disobeying and disrespecting their Lord. You’ll recall that God called all the Israelites into a sacred assembly for a communal gathering centered on repentance where there was to be consecration, fasting, and mourning while asking the Lord to relent over the judgment He was considering in response to the sins of the Israelites.

So how would God respond if His people did indeed do as He instructed? Would He relent over the punishment He was considering?

We find the answers as we continue our study of Joel, Chapter 2. Look again at these words here:

Then the Lord was jealous for His land and took pity on his people. The Lord replied to them:

“I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.”

“I will drive the northern horde far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land; its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.”  Joel 2:18-20

Things could have gone one of two ways for the Israelites.

Either God could surrender them to the armies of Assyria and Babylon, allowing the forces of those two empires to invade and destroy the land and carry His people into captivity.

or…

He could be show jealousy for the land, not wanting to give it up to anyone else, and show pity on His people, withdrawing His arm of judgment from them and sparing them harm.

The latter was a great example of the pity of the Lord, a show of compassion and forgiveness that would receive and accept the repentance of His people, a divine consideration that would remove the possibility of consequences in honor of His people choosing to rend their hearts and turn away from their sins back toward Him. This show of sympathy would include returning blessing to His people as we find God promising to send “grain, new wine and olive oil” in such quantity to satisfy His people fully. And with the further withdrawal of attack by the nations to the north, God promised to “never again” make Israel “an object of scorn to the nations.”

All His people had to do was do as He asked and rend their hearts, repenting and returning to Him. That was all that was required to receive the pity of the Lord.

But we know what happened and knowing how little God was asking for His people to do to return to His favor just makes the final outcome seem even crazier. For we know the Israelites decided to remain in their sinfulness and not return to God, opting instead to worship the pagan gods and idols of other nations. And so God removed His offer of pity and instead sent judgment, offering up His nation and its people to the Assyrians and Babylonians and the destruction and devastation they brought.

It could have been so very different. That’s the disappointing and troubling part of this whole story and it leads me to a place where I start thinking about the Lord’s people today and how they respond to His amazing grace that He extends so freely each and every day.

Do we show our appreciation for the Lord’s pity, fully expressed through His deep mercy for us, by turning from our sins, rending our hearts and confessing those sins before Him, and seeking His righteousness in the way we live?

Or do we receive His grace and mercy while continuing to live in our transgressions, unwilling to change our sinful ways in order to pursue His will and way?

If we choose the former, we will once again find ourselves back in the favor of the Lord, enjoying the riches of His blessings while we once again serve Him in obedience.

However if we choose to live in the latter way, then we are no better than the Old Testament Israelites who God sent judgment upon, removing His protection to allow His land and its people to be assaulted before being hauled off into exile for seventy years where they could ponder how much of a mistake it was to not receive the Lord’s pity with thanksgiving and a desire to be the kind of people He desired them to be.

Given these two options, which way are you going in your own relationship with the Lord today?

It’s a question you had better consider because it carries major implications for your life, one for the better and the other for the worse.

The choice is yours as to which way your life goes.

Amen,

In Christ,

Mark
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