Only believing people praise God while in the
agony of adversity. The
human tendency: To blame God for present situations and our
ancestors’ mistakes.
Amazingly, people tend to be blind to their history of mistakes.
The tendency is to blame God for human shortsightedness.
The psalmist praised God for His overwhelming
goodness! He wanted the
Lord to remember him when God prospered those who found their joy in
Him. The psalmist wanted
to share in the joy and praise of people who were God’s heritage.
The memories turned to Israel’s human failures.
The “then present” Israelites shared in their ancestors’
spiritual failures.
Their ancestors were unimpressed with God’s
acts in Egypt, with His acts of kindnesses in deliverance, or His
provision for their crises. Instead,
they rebelled!
For the honor of His name
He saved the delivered Israelites.
He led them across a dried sea path, redeemed them from
enemies, and destroyed the pursuers.
Not one pursuer survived the ordeal!
The Israelites were profoundly grateful—for a moment.
Quickly, they were headstrong, ran wild, and
tested God’s patience.
The result: God allowed them to have their requests, with the full
consequences. Their
jealousy and envy of God’s leaders consumed some Israelites.
The earth swallowed the leaders, and fire consumed the
followers.
The Israelites made a gold calf to lead them as
they waited at Sinai.
Israelites traded the glorious God for a grass-eating bull!
They forgot their recent past and insulted God.
Had it not been for Moses’ intervention, divine anger would
have destroyed them.
How quickly we forget God’s patience!
Link to other Writings of David Chadwell