The concept of free-will is just as muddy in the Old Testament as it is in the New Testament. The Israelites waffled back and forth between the one true God Yahweh and fake gods fashioned by man of wood and stone. But the God is a jealous god and does not desire to share his bride with any other. The one whom he has bought for a price, he intends to keep.
“You say, ‘We want to be like the nations all around us, who serve idols of wood and stone.’ But what you have in mind will never happen. As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I will rule over you with an iron fist in great anger and with awesome power. And in anger I will reach out with my strong hand and powerful arm, and I will bring you back from the lands where you are scattered. I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will judge you face to face. I will judge you there just as I did your ancestors in the wilderness after bringing them out of Egypt, says the Sovereign Lord. I will examine you carefully and hold you to the terms of the covenant. I will purge you of all those who rebel and revolt against me. I will bring them out of the countries where they are in exile, but they will never enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.If God is this jealous over his people in Israel, be assured that the price he paid for us is even higher and his jealousy even greater. He desires that none should perish, but we go on playing the fool. Our destiny is union with God, but we must be holy and faithful and set aside all other gods that would steal our hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment