forgiveness and mercy – Moment to Moment (Bible blog)

More than willing

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’s knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord! (Luke 5:8)

I found Peter’s words above interesting. He spoke almost like a leper.

Lepers were required by God’s law to say to anyone who came near them, “Go away from me. I’m unclean.” (Leviticus 13:45-46)

But in Luke 5, a leper actually drew near to Jesus and said, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Jesus was willing and cleansed the leper of his disease.

More significantly, by his grace, he cleansed Peter and the paralytic of their sins.

And in Matthew’s case, Jesus was not only willing, he actually went chasing after Matthew.

In the same way, Jesus chased after us. Though we had gone our own way, treating Jesus like a zero, he went to the cross for us, paying the price for our rebellion.

Now when we come to him asking for mercy, as with the leper, Jesus says to us, “I am willing. Be clean.”

Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Hope for those who have been crushed

I’ve always thought this was a passage that was foretelling the fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians during the time of Daniel.

But it’s also possible that it’s referring to the Babylonians joining with the people of Elam and Media to attack Assyria, with the people of Judah cheering them on against a mutual enemy.

Isaiah too perhaps sees hope in this attack. But then this vision comes from the Lord, causing him to weep, as his hope for relief from the Assyrians was completely crushed. (Isaiah 21:3–4)

And with the news of Babylon’s fall, the feasting of the Jews (5–6) would come to a crashing halt, with all hope gone. But Isaiah tells them,

O my people, crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the LORD Almighty, from the God of Israel. (Isaiah 21:10)

The picture is of grain that has been threshed. The heads of wheat were trampled to break open the seeds so that when they were thrown in the air, the chaff would be blown away with the wind, while the good grain would fall to the ground and be preserved.

In the same way, while Israel would be crushed by the Assyrians like grain crushed on the ground, yet God would preserve a remnant who would love and follow him.

Meanwhile, the ones they had depended on to deliver them would be blown away like the chaff they were.

Sometimes, like the Israelites, we get in trouble, but look everywhere but towards God for help.

But when that help is stripped from us, though we may feel crushed, we’ll find that he still has a plan for us and that there’s still hope for our lives. All we have to do is turn to him and place our trust in him again.

Are you feeling crushed? Have you tried looking everywhere for help, yet ignoring what God is trying to do in your life?

There can be healing. Hope can be renewed. All you have to do is humble yourself, turn to him, and repent. And if you put your faith in him, he will restore you.