"And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you." [Joel 2:25]
Three times we are told that God, “the God of [our] mercy,” whose “mercy endureth for ever,” [Psa 59:10; 136:2] does not take any pleasure in those that die. In Ezekiel He says,
“As I live, saith The Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” [Ezek 33:11]
Our merciful Father is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” [2 Pe 3:9] The blood of His Son was not shed in vain, but He desires to receive the most benefit from such a grand sacrifice, from His “indescribable gift.” [2 Cor 9:15] This truth reveals to us the loving and merciful character of our God; as it is written, “for thou, Lord, art…plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee;” [Psa 86:5] and, “He doth not afflict from His heart nor grieve the children of men.” [Lam 3:33] The LORD “delighteth in mercy,” [Mic 7:18] as we are also told, “mercy exults over judgment.” [Jam 2:13] This trait of God is everlasting, as God has said; and it is that mercy and compassion which also provoke God to offer us restoration and healing. In Lamentations, we read again,
“For The Lord will not cast off for ever: but though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.” [Lam 3:31-32]
If The LORD has cast off, if The LORD has hidden Himself, exercised judgment or anger, or any other such thing, He will not retain His anger forever. Even if that anger was spurred on by our sin: for He promises us, “He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy;” and, “He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us…” [Mic 7:18-19] If our God has caused pain in our lives, He must also cause comfort. If He has torn, He must heal; if His hand of anger has seemed to lay heavy upon us, it must be soon complimented with His mercy, grace, and the light of His countenance. It is not possible that we, as God’s saints, redeemed by Christ Jesus, should suffer God’s judgment for any great length of time without receiving mercy, healing, or restoration, for God is “the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation…” [2 Cor 1:3-4] And we are promised, “as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.” [2 Cor 1:5] The LORD, who is “[The God] that comforteth those that are cast down,” has said, “I, even I, am He that comforteth you;” and, “as one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you…” [2 Cor 7:6, Isa 51:12; 66:13]
It is a great encouragement indeed that our God is such. That even in our deepest self-inflicted pains, even in our punishments from God, if we truly be His, we can confidently say: “The LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: The LORD loveth the righteous.” [Psa 146:8] Yes, The LORD loves us and cares for us and will raise us up; we who dwell in Zion, in the church, are the beloved of The Lord’s soul, and “The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.” [Psa 87:2] Ah, so as David said, “blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God of the Rock of my Salvation,” [2 Sam 22:47] for He is good, and His mercy endures forever. For even if The LORD were to send a great army among us and destroy us, as we see in our verse for today, He plans to restore. As The LORD says through Joel,
“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.” [Joel 2:25]
Let us not see our God as an angry man, unwilling to receive us; but let us see Him as He truly is, as The Father, who when he saw his repentant son “yet a great way off…had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him over and over.” [Lk 15:20] Let us say as Israel shall one day, “come, and let us return unto The LORD: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.” [Hos 6:1] If we find ourselves in a grievous state, enduring God’s discipline or judgment, may it not push us further from Him, but draw us close; may we be confident in His love and care, and draw near to Him to receive comfort and restoration. And if we have not sinned, but are experiencing affliction and distress, let us likewise come with boldness to His gracious throne: for if God is so willing to impart mercy to those who have wronged Him, how much more so to those who have not? Therefore, dear reader, dear brother, if you have stumbled; if you have sinned; if you have grieved The Holy Spirit; if you have gone astray; if you have failed God – or if you have merely fallen into despondence or despair, anxiety or sorrow: then, dear Christian, come again to your God, for He is ever compassionate, and “His merciful kindness is great towards us.” [Psa 117:2] In Christ we have been granted “the sure mercies of David,” [Isa 55:3, Acts 13:34] and by Jesus’ standing in heaven on our behalf, by His great mediation and intercession for us, His brethren, we may find at God’s foot, abundant mercy, grace, life, peace, and all good things.
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