And Still He Loves

Still, the LORD warned Israel and Judah… – 2 Kings 17.13

One word can add so much to a sentence. It’s one thing to know that God warned Israel and Judah. It’s a completely different thing that God still warned them. 

When we read 2 Kings 17, we see how far the people of Israel had gone from following the Lord. Year after year, they abandoned the Lord and his statutes, deciding to follow “worthless idols,” becoming “worthless themselves” (2 Kings 17.15). They decided to follow the detestable practices of the surrounding nations instead of obeying the Lord—about 210 years of rebellion from when Jeroboam became king, leading Israel away from following the Lord, causing them to “commit grave sin” (2 Kings 17.21), and the exile of Israel. 

“Still, the LORD warned Israel and Judah through every prophet and every seer” (2 Kings 17.13). He continued to warn and call to repentance. Year after year, he called them, and they continued to ignore him. They were “bent on turning” from him (Hosea 11.7). They continued in their “secret” sins (2 Kings 17.9), setting up places of worship and sacrifice to idols all over Israel. After every warning from each prophet the Lord sent, they continued in their rebellion.

They abandoned all the commands of the LORD their God. They made cast images for themselves, two calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky and served Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and interpreted omens. They devoted themselves to do what was evil in the LORD’s sight and angered him. – 2 Kings 17.16-17, CSB

Why would he continue to reach out to them? Or, a better question, why would he continue to reach out to us? We seem pretty quick to ditch those who hurt us. We tend to abandon those who wrong us. And I don’t say this, denying that many of you reading this have been hurt in some life-shattering ways. There is no guilt trip to get you to “do better” behind my bringing this up. I’m bringing this up to show the difference between us and the Lord. Why would God continue to call us with arms wide open to a rebellious people (Isaiah 65.2)? 

Because he loves us.

“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I surrender you, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? I have had a change of heart; my compassion is stirred!” – Hosea 11.8, CSB

It’s God’s love that moved him to give his Son so that we might be reconciled to him (John 3.16), taking our cross and dying in our place while we were still sinners and enemies of him (Romans 5.8-11). It’s God’s love that continues to call out to us, to repent from sin, and to come to him. It’s God’s love that compels him never to leave us nor forsake us. Still, the Lord warns because the Lord still loves.

The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell; it goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell; the guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled, and pardoned from his sin.

When years of time shall pass away and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall, when men who here refuse to pray, on rocks and hills and mountains call, God’s love so pure shall still endure, all measureless and strong; redeeming grace to Adam’s race— the saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made, were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill and ev’ry man a scribe by trade, to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; nor could the scroll contain the whole, tho’ stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure: the saints’ and angels’ song! – Frederick M. Lehman, “The Love Of God”