“I will cast you out of my sight, just as I cast out the
rest of your family, all the people of Ephraim.” - Jeremiah 7:15, CEB
I’ll admit, I struggle when it comes to passages like the
one above that are found in the Bible.
They seem more prominent in the Old Testament of course, where God
appears vengeful and wrathful. In reality, the God of the Old Testament is the
same God that we find in the New Testament.
But when it comes to these passages of a judgmental God casting aside my
fellow human beings from centuries ago, it sort of hurts a little bit. I’m no different than anyone else, I prefer
to think about God as loving and caring, a God whose heart breaks when we turn
away, a God who runs like the father in the Prodigal story to greet his wayward
children who return.
At the same time, we cannot escape the fact that God laid
waste to many people in the Bible. We
cannot just throw those stories out.
They are just as much a part of our story as any other part of the story. But, in light of these events, it
demonstrates the depth of love that was poured out upon the world on the cross. The same God, who often cast people out of
sight in the past, loved the world so much that he put on the flesh and blood
of Jesus Christ. And instead of sending
us where we all deserve to go, he opened his arms, spread them out on the
cross, and embraced the whole world for all eternity in grace and love.
That fact should make any day, even a Monday, more bearable.
Have a great week!
B
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1 comment:
Praise God for this message today. While I find myself facetiously wishing God would wipe out a few people who are wholly disobedient in following the Lord, I also rejoice in the mercy that He shows to me when I act ungodly! Thank you for the reminder, and for the delicious soup !!!!
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