Could you imagine being in a city when
it came under siege? Could you imagine the famine and the sickness that would
break out? Could you imagine having children not knowing the future of their safety
and if they would have any quality of life? Could you imagine what the scenes
would be like when the enemy finally came through those walls and began
invading your home? These final days of Jerusalem were probably filled with
every horrible thought that entered your mind plus many more.
It is all the result of God’s decision
to no longer offer forgiveness to His chosen people. God chose not to forgive. Read
these words again … “Surly these things happened to Judah according to the LORD’s
command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of
Manasseh and all he had done, including the shedding of innocent blood. For he
had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD was not willing to forgive.”
(2 Kings 24:3-4 NLT). Those final words hit me hard today… the Lord was not
willing to forgive. All the horrible images that filled your mind when Babylon
came in and conquered was because God’s mercy and grace were not being poured
out like they had been so many times before.
Passages and stories like today make
me even more grateful for the cross and what it represents. Jesus died on that
cross. God determined through Jesus that once and for all He was going to
provide the ultimate forgiveness for our sins. No longer does God have to
determine if He is going to forgive another time … He has done it, Jesus is our
mediator! For that we can rejoice!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment