Leviticus 26:3+, 14-15+, 40a & 42a
If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, I will...
But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I will...
But if they confess their iniquity...then I will remember My covenant.
God spells out some of the many blessings He will pour out on His people if they obey Him. By contrast, He also spells out some of the consequences for disobedience. The interesting thing I think is that there are progressions of consequences. Interspersed are these little phrases of "if after this you still don't obey, then..." kind of comments. The consequences seem as much about waking the people up as they are punishment for disobedience. God will patiently give them opportunities to respond and come back to Him. If the people continue to reject God, they have made the choice to walk away from the blessings He desires for them. God has not changed. But their lack of turning back to Him is saying that they want the removal of those blessings, despite the dire consequences. Israel knew Whom they rejected. They had seen miracle after miracle.
How many opportunities does one get? It says if we confess our iniquity, He will remember the covenant. I don't believe anybody is beyond God's reach. But is there a point before death where one's choice to reject God, live in disobedience and harden their heart toward Him is honored? Would God force an eternity spent with Him in heaven upon somebody when it is clear by the way that they lived here on earth that that was the furthest thing from what they wanted? Call it "fire insurance salvation" if you will, a "confession of faith" years ago that has little or no relevance to their life now. Somebody I know seems to be riding this dangerous fence. Other than continuing to pray for them and remind them of what is right and true I'm out of options. It saddend me greatly.
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