“But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now.” – 2 Kings 13:23
Israel had been deeply disobedient and sinful for years, decades, and centuries. God had used neighboring nations to discipline and punish Israel for their pagan practices and idolatrous worship. However, He didn’t give up on Israel. God remained committed to His covenant promise to their ancestors that He would be their God and that through them He would bless all nations. Though they didn’t deserve such patience and rock-solid faithfulness, God loved them anyway. He was gracious toward them. He was compassionate toward them.
Though we’re far removed from the trials and tribulations of ancient Israel, God hasn’t changed. He is gracious, compassionate, and completely faithful. This is a great comfort! His love for all mankind was demonstrated in the New Covenant of grace that was established at the cross with the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son Jesus. That love and that covenant will never end. God’s compassion toward us, in all our sinfulness and failure, will never end. God is gracious toward us.
He offers forgiveness, reconciliation, adoption, and love to every person who puts their trust in Jesus Christ. We don’t deserve these things, but God pours out grace through faith because He’s fundamentally gracious. Once reconciled and adopted, God’s love and compassion toward us will never end. Even in difficult times and as we’re occasionally disciplined, corrected, or made to live with the consequences of our actions, God will never cast us from his presence, praise be to God!