REPENTANCE

Before I get into the body of this article let me observe that although there were a few cases of Covid-19 in Berekum. No one suffered any physical distress or life-threatening complications during the course of the illness. All those who contracted the virus recovered fully, and there were no fatalities. I’m constrained to say that living out in the country, far from city life’s water and air pollution has its benefits.

We hear a great deal about God’s wonderful love in many sermons preached every weekend. But we hear next to nothing about God’s wrath. Which is a doctrine carefully and repeatedly taught in scripture. While I don’t plan to dwell too much on that subject today. We are reminded in scripture that God’s displeasure was again invoked against His people on a certain occasion. We read,

“Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.” And Joab said to the king, “Now may the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?” Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.” (2 Samuel 24:1-4 NKJV).

We are not told exactly why God was displeased with His people. We do know, however, that by and large David was a righteous king. Nevertheless, The Almighty felt that because of invisible and unknown sins among his children. Some appropriate pruning of His subjects was in place. However, He does not immediately execute His judgment. Instead, He permits Satan to tempt King David to commit a visible transgression. The king of Israel succumbs and all the fighting men in the nation are ultimately numbered. This would be fine if it had occurred in a vacuum. But God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be innumerable. We read, “Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” (Genesis 15:5 NKJV) In requiring the enumeration of the nation was David guilty of distrusting God’s promise?

Furthermore, The Lord Almighty gave a specific command to Moses pertaining to any census that was taken and in this case, that divine mandate was not followed. We read, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them. This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs). The half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord. Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the Lord.” Exodus 30:11-14.  Historically, David had an extremely sensitive conscience. This is repeatedly displayed when one reads about the life of this legendary king of Israel. After the census of the nation is accomplished. He is overwhelmed with feelings of remorse and guilt. Consequently, he confesses his sin and proceeds to supplicate the divine Potentate for clemency. Since The Almighty never mentions either of these apparent transgressions. I’m fully persuaded that His all-seeing eyes were examining some far more serious, but hidden iniquities, among the people that were called by His name. It wasn’t too long before David received a visitor.

“Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,  “Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” ’ ”  So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.” And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.” (2 Samuel 24:11-14 NKJV)

Agnostics assert that humans cannot know of the existence of anything beyond the phenomena of their experience. Atheists critique and deny the metaphysical beliefs in God or spiritual beings. Skeptics question or challenge all beliefs based upon religious dogma. Today, I assert, upon the authority of God’s word, upon the basis of human experience, and upon the record of history. That not only nations but the entire human race is under divine supervision. The king describes himself as being in “great distress.” It seems to be an appropriate description for intense emotional and psychological trauma. An experience that even the Son of God had to endure when he stated, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” (Matthew 26:38 NKJV). Sorrow and depression are all intricate and inescapable parts of the great fabric of human experience.

“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not, and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before–more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.” Charles Dickens, Great Expectations.

“Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.” Rumi.

Because of who we are and where we are located certain things are unavoidable. This is planet earth. A globe, which is full of imperfect, and sinful people. Let us all pursue and strive for our ideals. But let us not be so naive to expect perfection, or peace and tranquility indefinitely. We are informed, “So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of  Araunah the Jebusite.” (2 Samuel 24:15-16). I know that I’m a vile and wicked sinner; I also know that I’m deserving of God’s righteous judgment. However, I also know that whatever well-deserving punishment He decides to mete out to me, will be done in love, compassion, and mercy. Because that’s who He is. He is merciful and gracious and abundant in goodness and truth. Exodus 34:6

 “Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely. … He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken.” ― Dieter F. Uchtdorf

TO BE CONTINUED