Week 33 Devotions

August 13 - - It must have been difficult for the people of the kingdom of Israel when the pagan nation of Assyria conquered them and deported Jews to foreign lands. Equally difficult would have been the thoughts of those living in the kingdom of Judah when Babylon did the same to it’s people a few years later. God has promised to bless those who are obedient to Him (Deuteronomy 28-30; Psalm 33:12) and curse those who are disobedient to Him. As we read through the history of Israel, it is obvious that God’s patience with His people’s disobedience is far greater than anything we can humanly imagine (Genesis 18:16-33), and His mercy is often extended toward His people much longer than they deserve. But, God’s promises are sure. When He punishes, we can be sure His punishment is fair. When He rewards, we can be sure His blessings are usually more than fair. Sometimes, God allows pagan nations (Assyria and Babylon, for example) to execute His judgment upon His people. But, God is just. And in both cases, the judge soon became the judged. She, who once brought destruction upon Judah, would soon be destroyed, herself. And, “the terror that falls upon the Babylonians will be the work of the sovereign Lord Almighty” (Jeremiah 50:25). On the other hand, God also promises hope to those whom He loves. Punishment is but, for a season. “The day will come,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord. In this new covenant, God promised to put His laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. “I will forgive their wickedness and will never again remember their sins” (Jeremiah 31:33&34). “The time is coming,” says the Lord, “when all Jerusalem will be rebuilt for me” (vs.38). God’s people would, “ask the way to Jerusalem and start back home again. They will bind themselves to the Lord with an eternal covenant that will never again be broken” (Jeremiah 50:5). Our God is a God of hope. “He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does He deal with us as we deserve. For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:9-12). We have no one to blame when the consequences of our sins finally come home to rest on us. And, we have no one to thank but the Lord when His goodness is demonstrated toward us. August 16 - - After Cain had murdered his brother, Abel, the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” (Genesis 4:9). Cain lied. “I don’t know! Is it my responsibility to keep track of him?” That’s the way sin usually works. Rather than face our sins head-on and admit the truth, we oftentimes compound one sin by committing another. Like Cain, we lie to avoid facing the truth of our sins. Apparently, the Lord did feel that Cain bore responsibility for Abel because Cain was severely punished for his sin (4:10-16). God reinforced the responsibility we have for others when He commissioned Ezekiel as a prophet. “I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, pass it on to the people immediately. If I warn the wicked saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible, demanding your blood for theirs. If you warn them and they keep on sinning and refuse to repent, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved your life because you did what you were told to do. If good people turn bad and don’t listen to my warning, they will die. If you did not warn them of the consequences, then they will die in their sins. Their previous good deeds won’t help them, and I will hold you responsible, demanding your blood for theirs. But if you warn them and they repent, they will live, and you will have saved your own life, too.” (Ezekiel 3:17-21). While we must all give account to God for our own sins (Romans 14:12; Galatians 6:5; II Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 16:27), it appears that we, who have been given the Good News, also bear a responsibility for passing it on. There are some facts we learn in life that we pass on to others just to help enlighten them with new news. Most of the time, that new news is not going to change their lives very dramatically, if at all. There are other facts we pass on to others because the news would in some way be beneficial to them. But, the Good News the Lord asks us to pass on to others can eternally change people’s lives. This Good News is that God has sent His Son into this world to bring about our redemption. This Good News is that God loves us so much, He was willing to sacrifice His Son that we might find forgiveness through him. And everyone who receives this Good News and believes in the Son God sent, becomes a child of God (John 1:12) and receives eternal life (John 3:36). That being the case, why would we not want to share this Good News with others? Why would we want to keep this Good News to ourselves?