The message of chapter 7 seems to be the inescapability of sin. The sadness of this truth is that often we’re trying to claw our way out of the pit, but end-up sinning again in the process. It’s like stealing a biscuit, and fibbing about it afterwards, hoping to dodge the result of the original sneaky, sinful action. It’s also like being a bit rude to someone because we felt they deserved it, or we don’t feel sorry, or see the need to be sorry, so we remain unrepentant and hostile to our brother or sister. Vv.8-9 describe Ephraim as a flat-bread, with all its energy sapped out of it; unaware of the heated oven it’s in, Ephraim is slowly burning away at the edges, and the heat is working its way inwards. Israel, on the other hand, is arrogant and should know better (v.10). We must be on our guard from senselessness - being led astray is not an excuse when we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, clutching at our soul for the Lord. We must also remember that we lead ourselves astray just as much as by the devil and other people.
Vv.7, 10, and 13 show that God is willing to listen and eager to save but Israel shuns God, prizing the worldly-won opinion of man above all else (v.3). V.13 in particular declares God’s desire to bring His people back to safety, but not only do they refuse, but actually ‘speak falsely’, denying the saving nature of God. Exodus seems rendered as some long-forgotten memory of an age before, belonging to ancestors, but not relevant to this generation. Jesus warns of this attitude (Matt. 17:17, 16:4), and we mustn’t be so arrogant as to assume this isn’t applicable to us. Christ-like humility and vulnerability are counter-cultural, and this is no new story; we need to stop trying to justify ourselves with argument, excuses, and ignorance, and allow God to justify us – for it is only to Him, not man, that we need to be justified.
Do we seek God’s face earnestly? Do we realise that ‘big’ sins and ‘small’ sins all hurt God? Do we, unlike Israel in this chapter, admit that we are truly stuck in sin, and reach out for God to pull us back up, take us home and clean us up? Do we let God be God?
(member of the congregation)