Micah 7:18-20 STEADFAST LOVE
No matter what Israel and Judah have done in the past, God STILL loves them. His steadfast love NEVER fails. And it NEVER fails us either!
After ALL that has happened and ALL that will happen, God NEVER stops loving His children. He is not blind to their sins. He doesn’t gloss over them and pretend they don’t exist. He deals with the behavior and then He MOVES ON.
God doesn’t hold grudges. He doesn’t stay angry over an offense forever but neither does He forget the behavior that brought the NEED for correction. In Chronicles, many times we encountered phrases like; “He did more evil than…” or “He walked in the ways of his father.” Sometimes it was a comment of godly behavior, but most of the time it referred to idolatry and sin. God KNEW what was going on and He kept His eyes on it. But once He dealt with it, He let it go.
God let Israel’s sin build up. He reached out to them time and Time and TIME again to deal with it. They kept ignoring Him and His warnings. They didn’t believe He would REALLY act on the negative consequences He promised them. “We are YOUR KIDS. You wouldn’t dare do that. It would ‘tarnish’ Your name and Your image.” Little did they grasp that NOT acting on His word would be even worse!
BECAUSE God LOVES us, He HAS to act; to discipline us. A parent who doesn’t discipline their child doesn’t truly love them. Love demands that ‘misbehavior’ be addressed. If not, the child will suffer for it for its whole life. God said, through Solomon, “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him” (Proverbs 13:24). Discipline isn’t always a stick beating down on someone. It is a guiding hand. A reproving word. Firm boundaries. And, yes, a ‘spanking’ when no other form will do, or all other forms have failed to elicit the proper response.
Discipline teaches lessons that are taught no other way. It teaches that there are consequences for your actions, both good and bad. It teaches responsibility and self-control. It teaches consideration of how your actions affect others. It actually instills in the child compassion towards others. WHEN APPLIED CORRECTLY discipline brings about restoration of relationships and lasting positive lessons. When applied inconsistently or with malice, it brings about confusion and resentment.
God is telling His rebellious people that they have reached the END of their tether. FIRM discipline is required in order to save even a part of them. MANY are beyond saving. He will ‘cut off the leg to save the patient’. But before that moment, He is telling them that this is His LAST resort and it is done out of STEADFAST LOVE. NOT out of malice, vengeance, or hate. Yes. He is angry to the MAX with their behavior, but that anger is NOT what is driving His actions. It is LOVE. If it was hate, He would simply wash His hands of them and move on. But He doesn’t.
His heart is FULLY invested in His children. And it is breaking. If He ‘prayed’ He would say something like this; “I HOPE they understand WHY I had to do this. Let them SEE My LOVE! Let them KNOW how much this HURTS Me too!”
While thinking about discipline and love, two ‘scenarios’ come to mind. They both involve a parent and child. The son/daughter has committed a crime. Their crimes have been uncovered and consequences are waiting.
Parent 1: Hides the child from the authorities and makes excuses for their behavior. ‘But he is a good boy. It must be a mistake. My child would never…’ Resists and resents the legal system once the child is located and captured. Rails against ANYONE daring to say their child is wrong/guilty. Instills resentment in the child by supporting and fostering their anger against those who dared to call them wrong. Then, when the child has fallen even farther in character, the parent is ashamed and perplexed by their behavior. They wash their hands of him.
Parent 2: Walks with the child to the police station. Stays by his side as much as allowed. Supports the child in accepting the just consequences for their actions. Stands by the child through the entire process, including restoring the broken relationships once the consequences have ended. LOVES the child the WHOLE time and seeks their good. And that love continues for the child’s and parent’s entire life. NOTHING can destroy this love; even further ‘falls’.
TRUE love doesn’t wait until situations are dire before being shown. Love starts at the beginning and does not leave. Its expressions change as the circumstances require but it is the foundation that the relationship is built upon. It is the ‘fertilizer’ which grows the garden. It is the glue that holds fast ALL the elements. It is the thread that is woven together to create a BEAUTIFUL tapestry of life.
THANK YOU Father God for Your steadfast love. THANK YOU for teaching me to love my children. For instilling that love for them from the moment I learned of their existence. Thank You for teaching me to love them more and more each day; even when the times were/are tough.
THANK YOU that, no matter what I do, YOUR love never leaves me. THIS IS THE ONLY reason I’m still alive today. YOUR love carried me through the darkest places in my life. And I KNOW that it will be with me the rest of my life, and beyond.
