National Suffering/Deliverance at the Lord's Hand - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Kings 14:26,

"The Lord had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was suffering; there was no one to help them."

This observation is made of the northern ten tribes of Israel. After having turned their back on the Lord and after a series of twelve kings who had reigned prior to this in Israel, each and every one wicked in the Lord's eyes, the nation was suffering.

I am reminded of Psalm 78:32-35, "In spite of all this, they [Israel] kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe. So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror. Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer." However, when Israel would return to the Lord and he would deliver them, they would eventually turn their backs on him again during their times of peace and prosperity.

Having gone through this cycle with the Lord, Asaph observed that Israel would return to their rebellious ways when their pain was relieved. He goes on to say, "But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant." Psalm 78:36-37. This cycle is on full display in the book of Judges, where we see it repeated time and again. We see it throughout Israel's history.

Following the evil of twelve preceding kings, and the people's penchant for idolatry, they suffered at the hand of the Lord. I note that "everyone" in Israel was suffering bitterly, not just the culprits. As the Lord would achieve his purposes, in his compassion he would bring deliverance to the nation.

Israel is presented to us in the Scriptures so that we might witness the devastating effects sin has on any people. The interaction of the Lord in the affairs of the nation teaches us how the Lord is involved in all the nations of the world. The United States is no exception. When we turn our backs on the Lord we can expect the Lord's heavy hand bringing pain and misery such that we might, as Israel did, turn from our sin back to him and become useful to him in his agenda of building his kingdom.

Unfortunately this cycle gets repeated over and over due to the nature of mankind's sinful heart, and, fortunately, due to the Lord continually drawing us to himself.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com