give me a reason
One of my favorite, if not my favorite, verses is Exodus 34:6-7 when God was talking to Moses as he passed by him on the mountain, “YHWH, YHWH, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sins of the parents to the third and fourth generation.
God is describing himself to Moses. Moses asked to see God, and God decided to reveal himself. He revealed a lot.
The one part of this verse that I want to stay on is compassionate, and forgiving. In the book of Ezekiel, God even said he looked for someone to stand in the gap….why? Because He wanted to show mercy. Moses many times prevented the Israelites from destruction just by standing before them…giving God a chance to show mercy. Sin has to be judged, and compounded sin is going to cause a judgment from God. But MERCY IS and aspect of the courts, even the courts of heaven. But God has designed it so that mankind can repent in the place of others. I don’t mean that we can just say all sin is gone from the world, and poof, God let's everyone into heaven.
The reason I am saying this is because of what many people miss in the story of Job. Let’s look; Job 1:4-5 His (Job’s) sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, JOB WOULD MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THEM TO BE PURIFIED. EARLY IN THE MORNING HE WOULD SACRIFICE A BURNT OFFERING FOR EACH OF THEM, THINKING, “PERHAPS MY CHILDREN HAVE SINNED AND CURSED GOD IN THEIR HEARTS.” THIS WAS JOB’S REGULAR CUSTOM.
To fully understand what is happening, Job’s grown sons who had their own houses (revealed later in the story) would have parties of celebration with alcohol, and food. Job was concerned that the drinking and partying would have caused the sons and daughters to sin, so he would take a lamb for each child and sacrifice it to allow forgiveness over his grown kids. In the story God told Satan that Job was upright (or doing right) in all the things that he did.
Why is it important? Because if you have wayward children, grown children, act like Job. Begin to ask for forgiveness for them, ask God to show mercy to them, because as Job you have an active participation in their salvation. We do not think this way in the Western world, but God thinks in generational links, both positive and negative. AND as his nature revealed to Moses in Exodus and to Ezekiel, He is always looking for a REASON to be merciful.
God is saying, “Anyone, someone, give me a reason to save, give me a reason to forgive, give me a reason to bring them into covenant, and fight on their behalf.”
You may argue, “well, that defies free will.” I see the argument, but evidently Job, the upright one, didn’t. Your kids are lost, give God a reason…..give him a chance. Ask the merciful, gracious, forgiving God, to do just that on behalf of your kids.
