153. Return, Compassion, Gathering
Deuteronomy 30:3 That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.
When the people have learned their lesson from the Exile that there is only One God and one right way of believing and living, then the Lord God promises to turn their captivity. We, as God’s people, also need to learn our lesson: that the Lord is the only God and His ways are the only ways, and then we will be turned from captivity. We have been captive to the Devil, the World, and our own sinful Flesh, but the Lord Jesus has turned our captivity at the Cross and the Empty Tomb. And now we are free to live comfortably, safely, and happily in the Land, the Kingdom of God.
We are always in danger of wanting to go back to Egypt (the world and its slavery to Sin) and to Babylon (the world and its captivity to Satan). This temptation is close to us every day, for the world, the devil and our flesh is always around us, never leaving us alone. For this reason, the promise of return from captivity and deliverance from the Enemy is so important. By daily repentance and faith the Lord turns from captivity. Taking hold of the promise we return to the Lord all the time. He is always there to turn our captivity into freedom in the Land. “Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord.
Second, He promise to have compassion upon us. The knowledge of this promise and faith in the Lord moves us to repent and return. We know that “God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance [Romans 2:4].” If we didn’t know that the Lord was going to be compassionate, forgiving, and kind we would not return to Him when we fail and fall. We would pretend God doesn’t exist, or think He doesn’t care, or ignore God’s lessons and reminders and just say, “My God wouldn’t send anyone into captivity.” But God will be compassionate and He will receive you again to Himself.
Third, He promises to gather us from the world of darkness and death. The Holy Spirit is constantly calling, gathering, sanctifying and keeping us in the one true faith by the Gospel. The shepherd calls the sheep. The hen gathers her chicks. The father welcomes home the returning son. There is a place where all is well, where it is safe and secure, where we can live confidently and joyfully, where we are free from every evil force that opposes us.