Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18-19 NKJV)
What reason should anyone have to be fearful of death if they believe in God? Oh, but then that belief might not be what it ought to be. In other words, a person could be fearful of death while believing in God simply because they have painted an image of God that depicts Him as vengeful and unforgiving.
I could certainly see how one would be fearful in such a case as this. After all, what are we to do with our guilt if we can’t cast our cares on God, believing that He cares for us, and knowing that He will forgive us of our sins? What are we to do if we believe that God will just throw our guilt back at us, saying, “You made your bed; now lye in it!”?
Is this how God wants us to see Him?
You know, when God’s people were living in open rebellion against Him during the days of Jeremiah–committing the worst of sins–God allowed His people to be taken captive by their enemies as a means of executing judgment on them because they would not turn away from their false gods and repent of their sins. Nevertheless, before He did this He gave this message to Jeremiah to give to His people:
The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees.
And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the LORD. Then the LORD said to me, “Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the LORD; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the LORD; ‘I will not remain angry forever.
Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the LORD your God, And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the LORD. “Return, O backsliding children,” says the LORD; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.
“Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,” says the LORD, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore. “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.
“In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers. (Jeremiah 3:6-18 NKJV)
Does what I just shared with you from the Word of God not cut at your heart and disclose to you that God has feelings too? Can you not see the passion and love that God has for His people?
Of course, one might be inclined to think that by God allowing His people to be taken captive by their enemies that that really doesn’t support the idea that He is merciful. But what was God supposed to do? They were hurting both themselves and each other by living in sin. Was God supposed to allow them to continue doing this with impunity? What kind of loving father would let his children cause harm to themselves and to others without restraint?
Moreover, if it was merely God’s purpose to hurt and punish His people by allowing them to be taken into captivity, then why would He invite them to return to Him prior to that? Doesn’t the very act of God inviting them to return to Him tell you that He never wanted His people to experience this? But God had to allow His people to experience it because their eyes had to be opened to the fact that they took the best that anyone could have and threw it away for something inferior. That is, they rejected God’s blessing for a curse. They chose a moment of pleasure in sin, over a lifetime of freedom and happiness in God. Therefore, God gave them what they wanted in that He allowed them to experience the full measure of their rebellion.
People have a tendency only to see the wrath and judgment of God in the Bible; but what about the pain and sadness that God feels when His people take His blessing and spit on it? That is essentially what His people did to Him in those days; and this is what many are still doing to Him now. Nevertheless, just as He reached out to His people during the days of Jeremiah when they were at their worst, He continues to reach out to us in love today.
The Bible tells us that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 NKJV)
Have you confessed your sins to God? If so, what reason is there to feel guilty? What reason is there to be fearful? The Bible makes it very clear that God is merciful and that He will forgive those who confess their sins to Him. So why is this so hard for some to believe?
Listen, Jesus said,
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:20-21 NKJV)
It doesn’t matter how far you think you’ve gone away from Jesus Christ; for He is the one who is knocking on the door of your heart, which means He never left you. The question that remains then is, will you open the door and invite Him into your life?
No measure of guilt will keep Him from loving you. Therefore, give Him your guilt and He will give you His mercy! When you do this, your life will be secure in Him and your fears will fade away into the shadow of His grace…
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