Reconciliation

Many times in scripture, God pictures himself as a husband pursuing his wayward wife.

That’s pretty amazing to me. I can’t imagine what I’d do if my wife were unfaithful to me. If she were always pursuing other men in her life.

But that’s exactly what God did with Israel. Though they continually chased after other gods, God continued to chase after his people.

And here he promises blessing upon them. Though the Israelites were to be in exile, though they were like a childless woman rejected by her husband (a great shame in the Jewish culture), nevertheless, God would reconcile them to himself.

He told them,

For your Maker is your husband – the Lord Almighty is his name – the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.

The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit – a wife who married young, only to be rejected,” says your God.

“For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.

In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord your Redeemer. (Isaiah 54:5–8)

And then he said,

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (10)

We live in a world where love is easily shaken. Where it can crumble in a moment. Where husbands leave their wives, and wives their husbands.

But God promises that his love for us will never be shaken. No matter what we do, or how far we fall, his love for us will never be removed from us.

Not only that, but in times of trouble, he will defend us. He says in verse 17,

No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.

Are you feeling deserted by God? That he has abandoned you because of your sin and failings. God still pursues you. His love for you is unfailing. All you have to do is to turn to him.

So let us leave behind the past. Let us no longer simply stand within the ruins of our sin. Rather,

Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. (2)

In other words, having been reconciled to him through Jesus Christ, let us live life to the fullest, knowing that God has something good in store for us.

And let us live each day, trusting him, and resting in his unshakable love.