Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way. (Psalm 25:8-9)
In these first few words, David reaffirms a truth: in everything He does, the Creator is always good and upright. There is no crookedness, evil or underhandedness in Him, meaning that even when He interacts with sinners, He is just and true and full of good intentions. Even if He allows sinners to suffer the consequences of their errant ways, it is for their good if they will regard their suffering as provocation to turn from their wickedness. As it is written, “As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways!”
Therefore, I would suggest that the consequences of our actions is exactly how the LORD “teaches sinners in the way,” that is, the way of repentance. From the very beginning, He has demonstrated this: because of His goodness, He clothed a naked Adam and gave him the promise of a redeemer; because He is upright, He exiled him from the garden to contend with thistles and thorns as a reminder of sin’s consequences and as provocation to turn away from wickedness. Before Cain gave into his evil inclination, God reminded him that if he would do what was right, his sacrifice would be gladly received. Even after Cain ignored the warning and murdered his brother, God tempered His judgment with mercy.
Throughout Israel’s history, and even unto this very day, God’s goodness is seen in how He deals with His people, even when they are inclined to wickedness. He would send His prophets to the people of Israel to rebuke, warn and remind them of the way in which they should walk. Those who didn’t repent suffered the consequences; those who submitted to Him in humility were shown mercy and forgiveness. In fact, it seems to me that the humble are those who acknowledged the suffering as reason to turn back to God in humility, He guided them justly until they recognized the need to abandon the path that leads to destruction and to get on the path that leads to the understanding of His ways.
I am thankful, as I know you are, that He allowed the consequences of our missteps to bring correction and provoke humility that we might be recipients of His mercy and that we might be imitators of Him — people who are good and upright.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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