Mercy for the humbled

It's been a week since summer break has started, and also since my baptism! Praise the good Lord for all that He has done in my life, transforming my heart from a rebelled, broken, sinful one to one that is renewed, full of hope for the future and one that trusts in the strength of my Saviour. 

Ever since the holidays have started, it's been non-stop doing doing doing. I've struggled to find time to quieten my heart and read His word. Today, I finally have a day at home to organise my thoughts and just spend time with God. 

Just some thoughts for today's Bible reading from 2 Chronicles 12. 

'After Rehoboam's position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord. Because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam.' (v1-2)

My first feeling was sadness. How abandoned God must have felt when His people decided they didn't need Him anymore. Then, I felt convicted because I realised that this situation is painfully familiar in my life. How many times have I prayed with all my heart when the storm gets really bad, but when the skies finally clear, I revert to my old ways of half-heartedly reading His word, struggling to spend time with God because my eyes are so fixed on earthly things. 

Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, "This is what the LORD says. 'You have abandoned me; therefore I now abandon you to Shishak.'" The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The LORD is just." (v5-6)

When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah: "Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving kings of other lands." (v7-8)

When I realise my sinfulness in light of God's holiness, I am humbled and convicted. I am reminded that when we turn back to the Lord, He has mercy and grace for the humbled. The Lord relented against the destruction of His people, but still allows them to endure suffering, serving kings of other lands. I know that it is going through these sufferings and trials that will make me grow deeper in my trust and love for God and stronger in my faith. I will know the difference between serving God and serving the things of this world, because things of this world are fleeting and will always fail me, but God is the only one who satisfies and gives true joy. 

Lord, humble my heart. I pray that you will open my eyes to see your glory and that I need your mercy every single day. I pray that you will remind me of your faithfulness and mercy for me, when I feel guilty and convicted. I pray that through any trials in front of me, you will draw me closer to your heart. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

For His Mercy Is Very Great

1 Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.” (1 Chronicles 21:1-2)

7 This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.

8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”

9 The Lord said to Gad, David’s seer, 10 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”

11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice: 12 three years of famine, three months of being swept away[a] before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

13 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

14 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead. 15 And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the Lord saw it and relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” (v7-14)

Creation, fall, redemption, restoration. This is the story of our God, and here we see this happen once again. David had sinned by taking a census of all Israel so that he may know the numbers of fighting men and see how much power he had. This greatly displeased God because David did not trust in the Lord though He had poured down victories and countless blessings. It reminds me of when exams are nearing and us as uni students scramble to calculate how much we need on the final exam in order to get a certain grade. The root of this comes from self-glorification and a lack of trust in God's mighty hands to provide, and rather relying on our own self-sufficiency. So it is with David. So it is with us. To me, this passage is both a warning and comfort from God. Here are a few thoughts.

1) David knew the Lord's mercy

When David was faced with the choice of three punishments, he chose to fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great. David knew the Lord had mercy and that it was very great. He knew this because he has witness God at work and experienced His mercy. Even after sinning greatly, David still chose God. We, too, have personally experienced God's mercy and forgiveness of our sin through Jesus' death and resurrection on the cross. But when we sin, we are heavy laden with guilt and shame, that we are too unworthy and that our sin is too great for the cross. But Jesus' death on the cross was never meant to condemn us and scare us away, it is the voice of our Father calling His children back to Him. I want to know and be confident in God's mercy, just like David - though sinful and guilty, still choosing God.

2) The Lord's mercy knows no end

Truly, the Lord is merciful, and His mercy is great. When the angel of the Lord drew his sword over Jerusalem, God's heart must have felt for His beloved people. The Lord saw it and relented. This is mercy. This is grace. This is the loving kindness of our God, that when He sees His children in distress, He relents and has compassion on us. The Israelites had done nothing to repent to the Lord, but God himself chose to extend mercy. Truly, his steadfast love endures forever.

3) God wants our hearts in worship and obedience

God did not destroy Jerusalem, instead He commanded David to go up to the threshing floor and build an altar for him. There, David gave burnt offerings and sacrifices, and prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered him. What God really wants is our hearts, in worship and obedience to Him. Let that be our prayer today, that we may give Him our hearts, in total surrender, worship and obedience to God.