Today’s Bible Reading: LEVITICUS 25:24-26:46
Leviticus 26:40
But if they confess their iniquity . . . if their uncircumcised hearts are humble, and they accept their guilt then I will remember my covenant . . . .
There is no pit so deep that God can’t pull us out of it. There is no sinner so depraved He can’t deliver. Peter denied Christ and later declared Christ to thousands (Acts 2:41). Paul was the “foremost of sinners” (1 Tim 1:15) and he became a faithful saint. He went from persecuting the church (1 Cor 15:9) to proclaiming Christ. There is no one too far gone that can’t receive God’s grace. There is none so steeped in sin that they cannot be saved.
In the text the Lord sets forth to His children the path of blessing for obedience and that of punishment for disobedience. Their outcome was determined by their decision. Following Him would lead to fruitfulness and forsaking Him would produce failure. The instructions were plain and the results were evident. They determined their destiny. They would receive either blessing or banishment, either prosperity or punishment.
God goes to great lengths in the previous verses to outline the consequences that will come upon His children for their callousness. He tells of the despair, disease, defeat and desolation that will befall all who despise His statutes. He emphasizes that their continual disobedience will incur continual devastation. He repeatedly says, “And after all this . . . .” to declare the waves of wrath that will be poured out upon all His followers who are unwilling to repent. His hand will be heavy upon the hardhearted.
But even in their rebellion there was redemption. There was deliverance for their disobedience. There was a way to return for the wayward. There was mercy for the mutinous. Here God’s grace was offered to the most grievous of sinners. Here the Lord gives hope for the hardened. He proposes peace instead of punishment.
The Lord declares the direction they must go to find deliverance. He sets forth three requisites to be restored. First, they must confess their sin. They must declare that they have been disobedient. Second, they must express contrition. They must come with a humble and contrite heart. There must be real repentance not just regret for their rebellion. They must show a deep sincere sorrow for their sin. Finally, they must admit culpability for their iniquity. They must accept their guilt for what they have done. They alone are responsible for their behavior. By coming before the Lord in this manner they find the remedy for their rebellion.
No matter how far or how long His child has strayed from Him, they can return. Their repentance leads to their return. Their plea leads to His pardon. All that they have done is forgiven. Sin had separated them from Him and repentance restores them. They repent and He remembers. The Lord remembers His covenant with His children and restores His relationship with them. They are brought back.
We have a covenant with Jesus. By His blood we have been brought into an unbreakable unending covenant with Him. We can never be removed from our relationship with Him. Although we stray, we are bound together in Him. As with the Israelites, sin can produce a rift in our relationship, but like them repentance can repair our relationship. Jesus remembers His covenant with us and we are restored.
Today rejoice that the Lord remembers His covenant with us. Thank Him that the covenant that we have in Christ is non-breakable and never-ending. Praise Him that every time we repent, He remembers and restores us.
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