Don't Take God's Goodness for Granted
Happy new week! I hope you all had an amazing weekend. I’d like to say thank you for engaging with last week’s article, A Tribe Called Judah. Writing movie reviews (in such a manner) is something I used to do a few years ago on my personal blog. So, it was a bit nostalgic to go back to that mode of writing, and I am glad you enjoyed it. You can click here to read the article if you haven’t do so yet, and if you want to read some I have done in the past, you can begin with: Living in Bondage (movie review and summary).
So, I have been itching to share this article with you, and I am glad I finally had the time to write it this morning. Have you ever read a story in the bible and thought, “there is no way this is true!” Or “if I was living during this time, I wouldn’t have done this.” I had such a feeling when I read Jeremiah 44. There is this bible study group I am a part of, where we read and study different books in the bible. We are currently in the book of Jeremiah, and those people are acting way out of line. I said to God after reading one day, “Am I this stubborn?”
So, let me give a quick summary of what was happening during the time of the prophet Jeremiah. God chose him to be his mouthpiece to his people, the Israelites, during a pivotal time in their lives. They were worshiping other gods, sacrificing their children, and doing all sorts of evil things in the sight of God. So, he sent many prophets, including Jeremiah to warn them, however, they refused to listen.
When we got to chapter 44, things got even crazier. God through his prophet warned these people that he was going to destroy them because they were making sacrifices and offerings to the queen of heaven, who is a false god. Verse 2-5 says:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the disaster that I brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah. Behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, because of the evil that they committed, provoking me to anger, in that they went to make offerings and serve other gods that they knew not, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers. ` saying, ‘Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate!’ But they did not listen or incline their ear, to turn from their evil and make no offerings to other gods.”
Jeremiah went on for 10 more verses, and after he had finished relaying God’s displeasure to his people, who had even gone to Egypt against God’s will, verse 15-18 shows us their response: “Then all the men who knew that their wives had made offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, all the people who lived in Pathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah:
“As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you. But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”
When I finished reading this, I was in shock! “These people are bold o!” I said to myself, “they do not even fear God.” That was when I posed this question to God: “am I this stubborn?”
You see, as I pondered this passage of scripture, I was reminded of ways in which I have been this defiant to God, I mean, all of us have. It is easy for us to be far removed sometimes from the narratives we see in scripture, thinking ourselves to be more wise and sophisticated not to do certain things yet, Ecclesiastes 1: 9-10 says to us: “What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.”
So, while we may not have a prophet like Jeremiah who hears the voice of the Lord, and comes back to tell us what God says, we have scriptures, thus no excuse. God’s word has prohibited us from doing so many things, yet each time we break one of God’s laws, we are like these Israelites, or the people of Judah, (to be more precise), who told God to his face, that we are going to do what you have told us not to do.
Each time we lie, fornicate, watch pornography, entertain sinful conversations, or gossip, are spiteful, complain, bear false witness, (and you can include whatever sin here), we are acting like these people did.
What’s more interesting is that they pointed out something which was of significance: in Jeremiah 44: 17 -18 they said, “…For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”
What they failed to realize was that it was God who blessed them even while they were committing great abominations in his sight. As such, when his goodness did not lead them to repentance, but rather they gave credit to a false god for their prosperity and safety, he decided to punish them for their sinful ways. (Jeremiah 44: 21-22)
When we see the wicked prosper, it is not because their “juju” is causing good things to come their way: Matthew 5:45 says, “…For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
When we sin, and still experience God’s goodness, it is not because God is blinded to our disobedience. And so, it is imperative that when you see God’s goodness even amid your sinful lifestyle, that this kind gesture from him shouldn’t be taken for granted so much so that you continue to sin.
Rather, his goodness, and long-suffering nature with us, should drive us to repentance. It should reveal our sin to us, and bring about a godly sorrow, which drives us to Christ to seek his forgiveness. Remember that it was while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He displayed his goodness so that we can come to repentance just as Romans 2:4 says: “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
On the other hand, if we make sin our lifestyle, that is we blatantly say through our behavior – God we don’t care what you say or think, then the end is destruction.
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