Deuteronomy 10:1 – 5 “At that time the LORD said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the originals, come up to Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood. And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke; and you are to place them in the ark.”
So I made an ark of acacia wood, chiseled out two stone tablets like the originals, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. And the LORD wrote on the tablets what had been written previously, the Ten Commandments that He had spoken to you on the mountain out of the fire on the day of the assembly. The LORD gave them to me, and I went back down the mountain and placed the tablets in the ark I had made, as the LORD had commanded me; and there they have remained.”
The Israelites have really blown it and Moses has had to spend forty days and nights begging God to spare them and to spare his brother Aaron. But God is a forgiving God and now it is time to move on. God orders Moses to chisel out two stone tablets like the originals, and He (God) will write all His Words on the tablets. These tablets are to be kept safe in the ark that the artisans will construct.
Centuries later, the prophet Micah writes, “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago.” (Micah 7:18- 20)
At the time Micah is prophesying, things in Judah and Samaria are deteriorating rapidly. Despite one or two righteous kings, generally people are falling away from the Lord. Micah’s messages are directed chiefly toward Jerusalem, prophesying the future destruction of Jerusalem and Samaria, and the destruction and then future restoration of the Judean state. Micah also rebukes the people of Judah for dishonesty and idolatry. Evidently, there are those in Micah’s day who are taking the position that they don’t need God anymore; their wealth and political might will preserve them. Why keep all those nasty rules anyway? In the face of this indifference, Micah is pleading his people to change their hearts before it’s too late.
APPLICATION: Forgiving is one of the most difficult acts one can commit. It is far easier to remember hurts and to treasure them than it is to let them go. We are sinful imperfect creatures; however, that fails to stop us from rushing to judgment whenever someone utters an opinion or posts something with which we fail to agree. Consider God’s position: of all the beings in the universe, only God truly knows hearts and minds. Given the thoughts many of us think throughout the day, God would be fully justified in just eliminating us on the spot…. and yet He doesn’t. Psalm 103:13 – 14 tells us, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”
One of the most striking aspects of the Old Testament is the countless number of times when the Israelites sin and then God forgives them and delivers them. One of God’s many qualities is His abundant mercy; if not for that mercy, there would be no State of Israel today; nor would any other country exist either. If not for God’s abundant mercy and grace, there wouldn’t be a single human being left on earth.
Why should these assurances of God’s forgiveness matter so much to us? If we are honest, each one of us knows that we can be impatient, rude, or even down right hateful many times a day! Sometimes the more we try to behave perfectly, the worse we seem to become. One friend told of a time when she was cleaning the church and one of the ladies came up to her. “Are you the one who’s been cleaning the church?” this lady asked. “Why yes, I am,” replied my friend, expecting that she was about to get complimented. “Well!” said the lady, “You missed a great big cobweb right there!” Right about then, my friend’s thoughts were anything but holy or kind. But my friend chose to forgive the lady quickly and merely answered, “Why, thank you for pointing that out.”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us, caring for us, and for FORGIVING US, sometimes even before we realize how badly we need forgiveness. Give us the grace and strength to follow Your example and to forgive without recriminations. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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