Set Up

Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. [1 Samuel 12:20 NKJV]

Is God gracious and merciful or what? I mean, how could He possibly overlook those things the Israelites had done over the years? Well, they are His chosen people and it is apparent that He intends on keeping His promises to them; no matter what. They asked for a king to rule them instead of Him; He gave them one. After warning them, He still gave them one knowing what tragic consequences they would endure because of their misguided choices. His love for them is such that He was willing to let them have what they wanted even though it would bring hardship upon them. Have you ever been the victim of your own choosing? I have. When I was ten years old my best friend and I decided we wanted to chew tobacco. His mom and dad owned a store and we used to drool when they would cut off a plug of “Bull in the Woods” for some guy. We waited until one day when his dad was in the back and had us watching the store for him. We cut us off a chunk and took off! We hid behind the store and began chewing like cows in green grass. We swallowed as much of the juice as we spit out. When we became ill from it, I remember going home and mom panicking because she thought I had been poisoned! Dad did not seem too concerned though. It was years later when dad told me that he had overheard us discussing our plans and relayed it to my friend’s dad; yep, we were set up. I believe that God will do the same thing every once in a while. No, He never sets us up to fail but He will give us the desires of our hearts; even though they may not always be what we should have chosen. The good news is; He is still there for us. Ready and willing to put us back on the right track. He gave us Jesus in order to reconcile us to Himself following our rebellion. Dad and my friend’s dad never reprimanded us for our little fiasco; they let us reap the consequences as our punishment. God did the same thing for Israel. Just as our dads never quit loving us as sons, God never quits loving His children. Yes, He will allow His children to suffer dire consequences of their actions but He is ready and willing to forgive them if they are ready and willing to repent. Sin brings mortal consequences upon us. Unforgiven sin brings immortal consequences upon us; eternal destruction in hellfire. Have you been making some bad choices lately? Are you suffering the consequences of your actions? Then listen to the words of Samuel today: “Yeah, you’ve done all this junk, but put it behind you, come back to God, and then serve Him with all your heart.” I lost my best friend in 1983 as a result of a car accident; he never chewed any more tobacco though and neither have I.