Friday
Have you ever had to discipline a child? You told them the consequences of their misbehavior would result in some sort of punishment (ie, standing in the corner, taking a privilege away, dare I say it, a spanking) and when the child is caught and they start to plead for leniency, you hate having to discipline them. But, the problem which is presented is that we need to be held accountable for our actions. If I tell my child, “Don’t lie to me or I will take away your cell phone,” when I catch them in a lie, and they beg me to let them off the hook, my response will be in direct relationship with the sincerity of their repentance. (I might show some leniency.) But, if I fail to follow through, then soon they will do whatever they want, because there is no consequences for their actions. What you end up with… is a spoiled child, without any concept of right vs wrong or without any self-control. The other thing to note is that you mean what you say, your word is important.
God has given us many promises and God keeps his promises. For too long the people refused to listen to God and follow His way. The problem with these people is the sincerity of their repentance. I think if they were truly repentant, He would have shown them some leniency (actually I think He does restrain Himself quite a bit, because our just dessert would be to have been wiped off the face of the earth.)
Only God knows the heart, and He is the one who decides what is deserved.
For us that means that when we come to God in sincere surrender to Him, asking for forgiveness, He will keep His promise to forgive and save us from our sins.
Shalom
Pastor Kathy