They flattered Him with their mouth, and they lied to Him with their tongue; for their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant. But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. (Psalm 78:36-38)
In moments of inspiration as well as desperation, it is our nature as humans to cry out to God and make verbal commitments that, in the moment, we sincerely intend to keep. Unfortunately, it is also our nature to forget or ignore those commitments as time goes on and the moment of inspiration or desperation has passed. Peter comes to mind; when Messiah foretold of His impending death, he enthusiastically vowed, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” We all know how that turned out; and so it is that we have the tendency to flatter God with our mouth but not have a steadfast heart.
When Israel heard the voice of God thundering from Sinai, they pleaded with Moses to speak to God and spare them the death they were certain was to be if God continued to speak. This intense fear and sense of desperation provoked them to pledge, “Tell us all that the Lord our God says to you, and we will hear and do it” Deuteronomy 5:27). Unfortunately, it was a passing sentiment; it wasn’t really in their heart to follow the Lord which is why He said to Moses, “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).
He heard them but He realized they had no intention of keeping their vow. He acknowledged that they “draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me” (Isaiah 29:13). Nevertheless, God forgave them and showed them mercy; being full of compassion, He continued to guide and preserve a people He knew to be double minded and unfaithful. This prompts us to ask, “Why?” Because our God is faithful even when we are unfaithful; He is forgiving even when we are unforgivable. He is committed to perform His Word even when we demonstrate a lack of commitment to keep it.
I dare say He does this with the hope and desire that we will overcome our carnal inclinations and learn to draw closer to Him with our hearts. I will point out that, in the end, Peter had a change of heart and, being strengthened, played a critical role in the spread of the Gospel. In other words, God doesn’t give up on us; when He would be justified in destroying us, instead He keeps wooing us, leading us and guiding us into the place He always intended for us to be. Thankfully, “His compassions are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23) and “His faithfulness endures to all generations” (Psalm 119:90).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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