Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress." And the people of Israel said to the LORD, "We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day." So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel. Judges 10:13-16
Israel continually wandered away from the Lord when there was no judge to keep them in line. This time God spoke with them, and told them He was tired of their idolatrous ways. However, the Israelites saw how great their evil was in God's sight, and repented of their sin. They not only confessed their sin, but they also took action in putting away the evil idols they were following.
We are prone to wander ourselves with different issues in our lives. When God convicts us we have the choice to obey and put the sin away or harden our hearts and remain in the sin. Eventually there will come a time when God will not tolerate the sin in our lives, and He will chasten according to His will if we truly are His children. The concept in the Scriptures of repentance is very simple - confess your sin and stop doing it. Agree with God's view of sin, turn away from it, and come back to Him. God has delivered us from the power of sin through Christ. We have all we need to live godly lives, so let us rejoice in the deliverance He provides.
Adam, what do you mean by God "tolerating" our sin? It seems counterintuitive that the same God who sent his Son to die to gain victory over sin would have patience for it (which raises the question: Are you, or do you need to, draw a distinction between God's tolerance for sin and God's patience with sinners?). Or are you referring to some kind of 1 Timothy 1:20 thing?
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed reading your posts this week. Looking forward to tomorrow and Saturday's installments!
I'm glad you asked, Robert. In the context of what I was referencing, God did not bring immediate judgment on the children of Israel for their sin. After Gideon died they spent 40 years in open rebellion against God. Many people have lived in open sin against God though they were His children. Patience may have been a clearer word here. God is always separate from sin, and He hates it in all forms. However, often times God uses even sin to bring us closer to Him. Restoration returns joy, and a deeper sense of gratitude to the One who saved and rescued us. This verse applies to the lost and the those struggling with sin.
DeleteRomans 2:4 "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"