04/02/2023 - THE UNGRATEFULNESS OF THE CHILDREN

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There is no one to guide her among all the sons she has brought forth; nor is there any who takes her by the hand among all the sons she has brought up. Isaiah 51.18

The Israelites would return to Judah, but the nation that would be reinvented would have a bad and bitter surprise: none of the children born in the captivity would guide it. A people’s lack of spiritual structure leads them to raise children without knowledge of the Lord, thus, ungratefulness will be the norm among them. Now, under any oppressive government, people act irrationally in order to survive.

Where there is freedom and love for God, people seek to know Him and carry out His will. The man who fears the Most High is the best citizen of any country, does not steal taxes and never fails to fulfill his tax and legal duties. He becomes an example to others – what he doesn’t want for himself he doesn’t want for his neighbor, and this goes on multiplying.

The foolish rulers of Judah did great harm to that nation. By despising the commandments of the Lord, they were made slaves, and to their shame, no one would praise them, as the Word had promised: And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? (Deuteronomy 4.8). Without fear of God, there is no honor (Proverbs 22.4).

For having given themselves over to sin, to the easy and sinful life, those authorities gave in to the devil, and as is the king so are the people. Many times, in a family where there are only memories of the good and wonderful times, the members act as if they don’t know the Lord, and ultimately, by their works, one knows the kind of faith they profess. Whoever wants to see the family well should excel in respecting the Word. Now, the promises of God are conditional. If there is sin, they do not come true (Isaiah 59:1,2).

When people seek prosperity outside of God, they fall into the arms of a false system of government, where some live well and others survive at the cost of much sacrifice. The Bible states: Happy are the people whose God is the LORD! (Psalm 144.15b). In a nation without God, people live like madmen or robots.

It’s necessary to learn about God’s patience. Understand: even if we go astray into evil ways, the heavenly Father brings us back to our senses. This will happen to Israel at the end of times. Having refused Jesus, they will see how much it hurts to be outside the protection of Heaven; however, they will convert before Christ’s return:  And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob (Romans 11.26).

For 70 years, the Israelites suffered humiliation in the land of Bel, the god of the Babylonians, but nothing would stop the Lord from giving them the repentance needed to return to the arms of the Almighty. Neither the children of Judah nor those who were grafted into the nation by proselytism were prepared to lead it back to its land. But God provided for their needs!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares