I’ve heard a lot of arguments over the years about the emotions of God. When the Bible says that God “repented” making man (Genesis 6:6-7), or let His “anger burn” (Exodus 4:14), those are phrases that help us understand and relate to the mind of God. God doesn’t regret making mankind—it’s a hyperbole to show the depths of His sadness.
One of the other emotions that appears sporadically throughout Scripture is that of “remembrance.” Leviticus 26:42 states that when His people are neck-deep in their own iniquity—so much so that they are thrown into exile—they can then repent and turn back to Him.
In response, God says, He will “remember His covenant.”
Contextually-speaking, this does not mean that God will forgive their sins right away. The verse just simply says that He will remember the covenant. As we know, covenants have two directions: Either both parties can stick to it or one can break it. If that happens, the covenant is broken.
But the following verses argue that God’s mercy will shine through even after remembering His covenant. He won’t reject them, abhor them, or destroy them. Why? Because the covenant that He made with Israel has grace built into the contract. Yes there will be punishment, but there is also forgiveness.
Take a second to think about this duality of God. He is a God of justice. His relationship with His people is built on Laws. He can’t commune with His people unless the two agree to operate based on right and wrong (made to His standard).
But He is also a God of compassion—so much so that He included “forgiveness” clauses inside of that contract.
Do you see that type of relationship within any contract you’ve ever signed? If you buy a house and you’re unable to pay the loan, once the bank takes the house, are you able to get it back? Will credit card companies restore you from bankruptcy once you pay the debt back?
No financial institution operates like that—but relationships do. If a close friend broke my trust, our relationship could very well be over. But in the back of my mind, I would always hope that they would come back and make it right. We may be done for now, but hopefully we’re not done forever.
God loves us, and He loved Israel. His desire was not for them to go into exile, but that they would stay faithful to Him. But even when they broke that contract, there was always the opportunity for them to turn back to Him. They had to do so on His terms, however.
God is a God of justice, but He’s also a God of compassion. He’s the father of the Prodigal Son, always hoping that His children will come back down the road home.
