Passage: You have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and clasp hands with pagans. Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots. Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made. So man will be brought low and mankind humbled -- do not forgive them.
Journal: God has abandoned His people and yet, in actuality, it is His people that have abandoned Him. They have chased after material possessions and idols. They have chased after social acceptance and stature. They have chased after lust and pride. The "they" have become the "we." We still chase. We still attempt to abandon that one thing that lasts.
It is not that God has run out of patience as a car might run out of gas. It is that God fashions His judgment of sin in a manner that manifests His own glory. Thus, it was with great "patience" that God allowed Satan to tempt His creation in the Garden. Thus, it was with great "patience" that God allowed Israel to prosper for a season in the midst of rebellion. Thus, it was with great "patience" that God allowed Assyria to bring judgment on Israel, and allowed Babylon to bring judgment on Judah. ("So man will be brought low and mankind humbled -- do not forgive them.") Yet, it is with great "patience" that God provides Himself as a redeemer for the lost soul, the soul that He makes willing and able to be humbled and brought low.
God's glory was not best manifested in a robotic allegiance and inclusion. God's glory was not best manifested in a perpetual fall from grace and separation. God's glory is best manifested in atonement and redemption, even as the sinner struggles to become the saint, even as the child of God occasionally spurns the inheritance of their own adoption. It is in this struggle within the child of God that the holiness of His creator becomes evident, and during which a dependence on the creator becomes paramount. The remnant of Judah was given hope. The remnant of mankind, the children of God, will never be abandoned. It is the cross of Christ that claims us, as He forever clasps our hand; as He forever walks the path with us.
John Dee Spicer
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About Me
I started the Daily Journal in 2000. I sent it as an email to a few friends (it was a round number, either 10 or 20, I can't remember exactly). It has grown over the years, primarily due to those original few forwarding it to others. During this time, I have journaled through Genesis, selected Psalms, the Gospel of John, Acts, Romans, Galatians, Hebrews, and Peter's letters. (These are the books I can remember for sure this morning, anyway.) I don't have seminary training and don't claim to have special wisdom. Rather, I simply desire that others develop a love for God's word. There is only one interpretation for any Bible passage, and I will rely on the wisdom of scholars through the ages (at least those at my disposal) to help with that one interpretation. I will also attempt some practical application. Somewhere along the way I started sharing some funny things my kids would say, and this became known as "Heard 'Round the House." I will continue to share these priceless nuggets as my kids provide material. The "Daily" Journal is a bit of a misnomer, since I only do it Monday through Thursday. I don't do it on Friday because I attend a 6 am Bible Study. I don't do it on the weekends because so many received it at work (I may revise this approach since I have gone to the "Blog" format). I do read my Bible on a daily basis, and strongly recommend a chronilogical daily Bible - you will read the Bible completely each year, and the events unfold in a historical fashion.
