What Does Mercy Look Like? God’s Faithfulness to His People
“And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor.. . .Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help” Judges 4: 1-3.
Recurring Cycle of Disobedience
Ancient Israel’s history involved a recurring cycle of disobedience, turning away from God, and suffering consequences. They worshiped other gods and ignored and or persecuted the prophets who tried to get them back on track. Consequently, they suffered relentlessly at the hands of their oppressors.
Sin is a cruel taskmaster. But in their oppression, they cried out to God for help. They repented and He sent them a deliverer. Later in this passage we see how God subdued the king of Canaan. Observe the mercy of God.
Even though the Israelites turned away from God every time their situation improved, He still continued to help them when they cried out to Him.
The result was predictable.
What Does Mercy Look Like?
As soon as He helped them, and they were relieved of their distress, they turned away. They abandoned and betrayed Him every time.
This might be similar to a woman cheating on her husband, getting beat up by her lover, going back to her husband for help and getting it.
And this didn’t just happen once or twice. It happened over and over again. It was a cycle.
God must’ve been so hurt. He must’ve felt so betrayed, maybe even embarrassed.
Why can’t He keep His bride happy and content?
God Hates to See His People Suffer
But because He’s so soft-hearted, so compassionate, so merciful, so gracious, He can’t stand by and let her suffer. Even though she deserves every bit of it. This is a beautiful picture of forgiveness.
He helps her. He rescues her when she cries out to Him, only to have her turn away and prostitute herself to other gods yet again.
His wife is a whore. And yet He faithfully rescues her in her distress. She takes advantage of His mercy and brazenly commits the same deeds over and over again. But God is long-suffering. . . and forgiving.
That’s not to say his long-suffering never comes to an end, but that’s another blog post.
To read a related post to What Does Mercy Look Like? God’s Faithfulness to His People, see Why Is It So Hard to Trust God?