The Lord Speaks

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.

I wonder if God spoke to a prophet or priest who in turn relayed the message to the people or if he spoke in the hearing of many people at once. Did he take on human form and speak "man to man," so to speak? Did he speak to a prophet in a dream? How many Israelites actually heard the message firsthand? Who spoke the words of complaint and of begging for help?

Even though God was tough on them because of their wicked disobedience in serving other gods, it's comforting to know that even God could only take so much abuse aimed at his chosen people and eventually came to their aid.

So it was then, so it is now.

When we wander off to serve other "gods" (or no gods at all), when God sees how much trouble we've gotten ourselves into, he still is willing to come to the aid of those who change and put their trust in him, and in his Son, Jesus. You'd be hard put to act as wickedly as some of those Israelites did, but even if you've been worse, God doesn't change and is ever so willing and pleased to have you back in his fold.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.