Judges 10:10-16 - Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, “We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals.” The Lord replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!” But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.” Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.
Judges 10:10-16 - Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, “We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals.” The Lord replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!” But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.” Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.
“And He could bear Israel’s misery no longer.” That one sentence speaks to God’s infinite grace. The Israelites had been told on more than one occasion that they should never take to false gods, but they did. They had an on and off relationship with God once Moses died, even though they were fully aware of what God had done to see to it they got established in their promised land. How could they be so thick? Yet when their cries of repentance went on and on, God relented, stepped in, and saved the day for them. Do we understand that as more than just a history lesson? We try to be like Jesus. We work, we pray, we study the Word, and then something happens and we fail. It isn’t the failure our Father sees when we are diligent in seeking His forgiveness, but our willingness to let Him in. God wants our obedience, but to obey also means going before Him with a truly penitent heart. We are cleansed and made new when we accept Christ. He who was blameless took our sins upon Himself. When we find ourselves sullying that cleansing, it is up to us to go to our knees and pray for God’s forgiveness and that He help us stay true on His path for us. Forgiveness must be sought in order to be given, and it is given to the truly repentant. How can we be sure? Because that is His history and promise.
