'Appreciating God's Love'
A) John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Since the Jews failed miserably in trying to keep the Mosaic law God had to send the Word His Son to be made flesh in order to redeem them and also help them to overcome the deceptions and temptations of the devil.
Our Lord Jesus manifested the glory of God with His miracles, signs and wonders and displayed His love for men in His grace and mercy for the sick and needy. The Jews had no excuse of rejecting Him as their Messiah as prophesied.
For God to introduce the New Covenant of His grace to the Jews, resulting to the Old Covenant of Mosaic law being obsoleted, this grace of God must fulfill the law and the Prophets of the Old Covenant so that the Jews accepting the New Covenant were not rebellious nor sinful.
Heb 8:7-9,13 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord... In that He says, "A new covenant ," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
B) Longsuffering of God
John 1:3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Having created the heaven and earth, God created man in His own image and placed him in the garden of Eden. Adam failed Him by eating the forbidden fruit.
Since then men became more and more wicked until God had to wiped them out (except for Noah's family) with the deluge.
Gen 6:5-6 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
Faithless Israel
Jer 31:31-32 "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.
God chose the descendants of Abraham and preserved the Israelites in Egypt so that with a large population He led them to possess Canaan land.
God was a Husband to them. He delivered them from Egypt with signs and wonders, miraculously nourished them with food and water, and gave them the Promised land, respect of neighbouring nations, prosperity, peace and securities.
Yet the Israelites were faithless and rebelled against Him by practicing idolatry and abominations, which really hurt Him.
C) God's Sacrificial Love
Isa 53:3-4 He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
Though God had given everything for the good of the Israelites, yet they were unappreciative, stiff-necked, selfish, proud and rebellious. Men are just too proud to be told what to do and to keep and obey the law.
Still the love of God for men is unfailing. Though the Israelites failed to be God's bride, yet God's faith in men that they will be able to overcome the deceptions of the devil to become the bride of the Lamb.
God manifested His love for us by coming to earth to suffer the punishments meant for sinful men. He was wounded to take away our hurts and pains. By His stripes we are healed. He poured out His blood for the remission of our sins. His death on the cross sealed our peace with God.
Brethren, it is His sacrificial excruciating pain for our healings and salvation, that can soften and change our heart to appreciate and love Him.
Please watch the movie 'The Passion of Christ' again and again to change your heart.
Isa 53:5-6 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
