Great Plains Daily Devotional for 8/31/2019

Psalm 81:10-16 

I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

“But my people did not listen to my voice;
    Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
    to follow their own counsels.
O that my people would listen to me,
    that Israel would walk in my ways!
Then I would quickly subdue their enemies,
    and turn my hand against their foes.
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him,
    and their doom would last forever.
I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
    and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

If only -- these are familiar words that are often used as an excuse when something doesn’t go as planned. I think of a famous poem/proverb (there are several variations but I’m most familiar with the one about King Richard III and the Battle of Bosworth Field) that usually starts, “For want of a nail …” The point of the proverb is that seeming inconsequential or unimportant acts (or omissions) can lead to drastic and/or unforeseen consequences.
 
What does this have to do with Psalm 81:10-16? Several times in the NIV version of this passage, we read/hear God speaking a version of “if only” about God’s people. If only the people would listen, they would follow God’s ways. If only they would listen, God would subdue their enemies. If only they would listen, they would be fed with the finest wheat.
 
It almost seems as if the consequence of the people not listening is that God has withdrawn. Not at all! Indeed, as a parent who has recently moved her oldest to New York to start her freshman year of college, I see something different in verse 12. I see a loving, connected parent who is unwilling to force their desire(s) on a child/children who are unwilling to listen. Instead this loving, connected parent allows that child/the children of God to “follow their own devices,” even knowing that there will be unpleasant consequences for the child/children. The “if only” part of the passage is a reminder of the consequences, not a naming of a punishment.
 
My understanding of God is that God allows us to face the consequences of our actions/choices. However, God does not leave us to face those consequences alone. Additionally, God is ready and willing to welcome us and treat us to the goodness of relationship with God -- when we listen to God’s voice and follow God (even if we’ve willfully chosen to previously ignore God’s voice!).

Prayer for Reflection

Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 71:1-6
Hebrews 12:18-29
Luke 13:10-17