In the holy book of life, we have numerous examples of God's dealings with the human race. Contrary to what some may think or believe, the everlasting God who made the heaven, the heaven of heavens, the earth and sea, is still seated on His throne ruling the nations. He is the God of all flesh.
We see the mercies of God time and time again in dealing with Israel — a people He delivered from bondage and established in the land He promised their fathers. Yet in their prosperity, they forgot the one who had delivered them with a mighty outstretched arm. The one who led them by a cloudy pillar by day and a pillar fire by night.
"So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Ca'naan-ites and gavest them unto their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards and oliveyards and fruit trees in abundance. So they did eat, and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
Nevertheless, they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee and cast thy law behind their backs and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
Therefore, thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven and according to thy manifold mercies, thou gavest them saviours who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee. Therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them. Yet when they returned and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies. And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law. Yet they dealt proudly and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder and hardened their neck and would not hear.
Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets. Yet would they not give ear. Therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.
Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them, for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests and on our prophets and on our fathers, and on all thy people since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly. Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them. For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them and the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
Behold, we are servants this day, and the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold we are servants in it. And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins. Also they have dominion over our bodies and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. And because of all this, we make a sure covenant, and write it, and our princes, levites and priests, seal unto it." (Nehemiah 9:24-38)
Through the ages, man is still straying away from God. Even those who have tasted of His goodness and have seen His hand of mercy. We are nothing without God. If He gathers up His spirit, we are consumed.
God is still the same, yesterday, today and forever. The Lord is righteous, the Lord is good, the Lord is plentiful in mercy. The Lord is faithful. Let us remember the Lord our Maker and serve Him.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16,17.
