Famine, war, captivity…these are all the consequences of rebellion the people of Israel experienced. The Old Testament has example after example of The Lord turning His hand against those who did not obey Him. It can be easy for us to judge these Old Testament citizens, but if we look closely at our own hearts, we will see that there have been times when we have disobeyed and rebelled against The Lord’s commandments. Rather than judging the Old Testament body, we should use their experiences as a guide. Rather than continuing in sin and having God subject us to His wrath, we should seek His face always, Amen.
And we pray:
Dear God, You are holy and You are jealous. When we are tempted to disobey your commands, remind us of the Israelites and the ways they suffered because of sin. Remind me that sometimes I must be disciplined to learn a lesson, but help me to learn this lesson from those who went before me rather than having to walk through it myself. Forgive me for my sin, O Lord. Do not turn Your hand against me. Please extend mercy on Your child. In Jesus’ name, amen.
I am YHWH your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, YHWH your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
— Exodus 20:2-6