DAILY READING
REFLECTION
God is Always Faithful
by David Thompson
While reading the Bible through the years, I have noticed what a disgrace it is when a woman has no children. Older folks depended on their children to take care of them in their old age. In December of 2020, my son, his wife and their son went in together with us to buy a large house with two master bedrooms. The idea was to have Aaron's family take care of our family when we get older and can't do it for ourselves. It has worked pretty well to this point, and I can attest to what the people in the Bible said about feeling assured that the older folks would be cared for.
In this passage, Israel was unfaithful to the Lord. Even though God likened Zion (Israel) to a barren women, verses two and three state, "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities." This shows the everlasting love of God. He is disappointed by Zion's sin and their turning their backs on Him, but he still promises that the nation of Israel will increase greatly and possess the land.
In verses seven and eight, He admits that He abandoned Israel "for a brief moment" but assures all that He has deep compassion for them and will bring them back to Him. To prove His point, God brings up the story of Noah and the great flood. He pointed out that He promised Noah never to cover the earth again and He never has. God finishes the passage in verse ten by assuring them that wild things will happen (mountains shaken and hills being removed), but gives a promise that He will never let His anger shake His unfailing love for us. We sin and this separates us from God, but us asking forgiveness for our transgressions brings us back into a close relationship with Him. Thanks be to God.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, Thank you for this passage where we see the history of your anger with Israel, but also how you brought them back to you because of your unending compassion for them. Thank you for the promise that you will never be angry again and will always allow us to have a way to repair our relationships with you when we stray. Amen and Amen!
