“Thus says the Lord: ‘For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept His commandments. Their lies lead them astray, lies which their fathers followed. But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.’ Thus says the Lord: ‘For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals. They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, and pervert the way of the humble. A man and his father go in to the same girl, to defile My holy name. They lie down by every altar on clothes taken in pledge, and drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god. ‘Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath. Also it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. I raised up some of your sons as prophets, and some of your young men as Nazirites. Is it not so, O you children of Israel?’ says the Lord. ‘But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets saying, ‘Do not prophesy!’ ‘Behold, I am weighed down by you, as a cart full of sheaves is weighed down. Therefore flight shall perish from the swift, the strong shall not strengthen his power, nor shall the mighty deliver himself; he shall not stand who handles the bow, the swift of foot shall not escape, nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself. The most courageous men of might shall flee naked in that day,’ says the Lord.”
- Amos 2:4-16 (New King James Version)
Most things in the universe have limits. You can go only so far with certain things. Even though they have greatly developed, science and technology have their limits. We as humans have our limits. Money has its limits. And the different limits depend on the circumstances, the intended use, or just universal laws.
For instance, I could have a rocket ship, and be able to explore the planets and stars due to its design and speed. But, a rocket ship cannot be used to heal sick people. Money has its value and can be used for a variety of things, but what good is having $1 million dollars cash on you if you are in the middle of desert, hundreds of miles (or km.) from the nearest restaurant, hotel, or water source; and completely alone? What good is it to be in perfect health, with the fitness level of a professional athlete, if you are floating in the middle of Pacific Ocean without a raft, life vest, and no one can find you? Can a college degree help you in the event that you are in an airline jet that is falling to the ground because it’s out of control and the engines aren’t working? I think you get the point.
Incredibly enough, even God has limits with certain aspects. For it is written: “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” Psalm 86:15. The term “longsuffering” implies that God has a threshold of patience. Granted, it may be a significant threshold as we experience in everyday life, but it does have a limit. There is a point where God says, “It’s enough!” No matter how much many people try to believe that “longsuffering” means “unlimited”, the definition of the word still stands. God is longsuffering, and there is an abundance of mercy in Him; but there is a limit. He cannot forget His Holiness for love.
The limit to God’s patience is determined by the attitude and disposition of the person, especially after a person has been exposed to the Truth of God; that with knowledge comes responsibility. For it is written: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” Romans 1:28-32. And if you condone or support such things, even if you don’t do them yourself, you are just as guilty.
So, God’s mercy on our lives is dictated by the intention of our heart; by our response to Him. None of us are perfect, and He knows that; but where there is rebellion and disregard to the Truth of God, there will be judgement. The natural consequences of disregarding God’s love through Jesus Christ, and ignoring the principles of God will sooner or later take effect. For it is written: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Galatians 6:7-8. God is love, but that does not mean that there should be abuse. And there are certain things that He cannot deal with.
We read in today’s passage that He had enough with what was going on. The people took Him to the limit. He had let certain things go by because He was merciful. But things went beyond His threshold. And all of their strength, knowledge, money, courage, etc. was not going to free them from the consequences. This is true today. In the end, there is nothing manmade that can cure death. Nothing can stop time. And we should not mistake God’s patience for permission.
So, are you appreciating or abusing God’s mercy? Lord bless, John