183. Lord will not Forsake You
1 Samuel 12:22 For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people.
When Samuel was getting on in years and Saul was installed as king after the desire of the people he gave a speech rehearsing God’s history with warning and promise. The unconditional promise comes in the familiar words, “Not Forsake.” God will not forsake His people. God chose to make this people His People. And He will not leave them abandoned. He is grieved by their continued unbelief, sin and rebellion, so consequences and judgments will come; but He will not forever forsake them for He must be true to His character and His name.
This word comes at a time when Samuel had warned them about wanting a king, because it was an implicit rejection of the Lord as their King. The Lord is displeased with the people because of their choice to have a king rule and fight for them. But He is still pleased with them for He made a promise. We sense a conflict in God’s feelings (if there could be such a thing) between His pleasure and displeasure over the people of God.
So, is God pleased or displeased with Israel for wanting a king? It’s hard to say, and so we say both are true. But then, when we think about our own lives, we are not always so certain about whether God is pleased or displeased with me. The truth is that He is pleased and displeased both at the same time. Our puny minds can’t quickly unravel this question. The “saint-sinner” paradox is not so easy. God is pleased with me as a person whom He loves all the time; while at the same time, He is displeased with my sinful words and actions.“He loves the sinner but hates the sin.” We have a hard time doing that, but for God it is easy.
God resolved His dilemma by sending His Son, “in whom He is well-pleased.” By faith in Christ I identify with Him, become united in Him, and so God is well pleased with me on account of Christ. Since Jesus Christ, the innocent Man and Son of God, died for my sins God can rightly judge my sin and be merciful to me the sinner. Therefore, no matter how badly I may feel, how depressed, how alone, how guilty, how down, I can be sure of this one thing: God will never, ever, forsake me. I can count on that promise, no matter what. When I think about what I’ve done I am downcast and sad; when I think about what Christ has done I am uplifted and overjoyed. That is Gospel Truth.