23"And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me, 24then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins.
These lines are repeated throughout this chapter. God calls the people to heed his voice, to walk the way he told them to. They don't. He punishes them in order to correct their ways. He then tells them what he will do if they continue to walk away from him.
It just struck me at God's patience. He didn't go AH!!! Enough of this!!! and just turn and walk away. He persisted in disciplining and calling his people back to him. How it must have grieved his heart to see his people persist in their evil ways.
This after reading yesterday from Deuteronomy 5 after God had given them the 10 commandments
24And you said, 'Behold, the LORD our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man and man still live. 25Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, we shall die. 26For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire as we have, and has still lived? 27Go near and hear all that the LORD our God will say and speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.'
28"And the LORD heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the LORD said to me, 'I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. 29Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants[e] forever!
The people had PROMISED to follow God, to obey his word. They knew that if they did so, God would have things go well with them. It goes to figure that if they didn't, well then things wouldn't go so well. But all that God did to them was an effort to turn them back to him, an effort to help them keep their promise to him.
I don't know about you, but when someone breaks an important promise to me once, okay, I'll forgive them and try to help them keep it the next time, the second time around I'm a whole lot less likely to do that. And yes, that's the sin in my life, and it just shows the greatness of God. But this just makes me go WOW! God really loves his people. God really wants his people to do right.
It just fills me with amazement at the Lord God that I serve.
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