8:31,32
We now get a series of sins, based on Deuteronomy. The first in the series asks God to judge a case. Why is he asking God to do this? Presumably it is because there are no witnesses, so man is not able to properly judge the case. God is the only one who has full knowledge of the matter. We need to recognise the limits of human judges.
8:33,34
There then follow a number of cases where the nation is under judgement from God. The first example is where the army has been defeated “because they have sinned against you”. Solomon asks God to forgive them when they turn back to the Lord, repenting and praising God. The Old Testament always accepts/knows that Israel would not keep the Law, and so there is provision for repentance and forgiveness. Note that forgiveness and repentance go together. “Teach them the right way to live”. Forgiveness is not “being let off”, but involves learning the right way. The result asked for here is God bringing the people back to the land.
No comments:
Post a Comment