In chapter 11 another aspect of God's dealings with Israel breaks into view- his persistent love. Judgment there must be (11:5-8), but God will not make a final end of his sinning people.
1. How was God's love manifested in Israel's beginnings? See 11:1-4; cross reference Deut. 7:6-8. How was this love still manifested, in spite of all his people's backsliding? See 11:8-11
2. In chapter 11 God has spoken of his attitude to Israel; now in 11:12-12:2 he speaks of Israel's attitude to himself. Then the prophet reminds the people of the very different history of their ancestor Jacob (12:3-4). What is the attitude to himself that God desires (12:6; cross reference 6:6 & 10:12)? What, however, was Israel's response to all God's pleadings (12:7-14)?
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1. 11: 1-4 gives some beautiful illustrations of who God is to us... v. 1 is a picture of a Father. The word loved there is specific to a relationship between a parent and child. It means to desire something so badly for them you verge on coveting. God verging on coveting??? Crazy love!
ReplyDeleteVerse 3 is a continuation of the parent figure... I totally saw a mother holding the hand of her child as (s)he learns to walk. The verb in that verse means to "teach to go" so that seems fitting.
It's awesome how God uses pictures of parents and infants to describe our relationship with Him. It's the reminder of authority that He uses to get our attention. Verse nine says "I am God and not man" which if you think about it is huge because Israel had taken their focus completely off the "divine" and everything they had was now strictly man-focused. God was exhibiting love manifested through hard rules.
2. The attitude simply put here is to love mercy and keep judgment! This says to me that they needed to value mercy rather than selfish desires, and in that they needed to have discernment to know the laws of God and to keep them!
...But Israel's response is once again less than stellar: deceitful, "love to oppress," arrogant, blindness to sin(v8), even the sacrifices were defiled (v. 11). Hmmm.