God's Promise for His People Today, Part One

Grace Moment by Moment-monthly column

Sin+ Exile+ Repentance = Restoration

Introduction
The Bible, like life is made up of many themes. Interwoven throughout is the theme of Grace. We, the elect of God, catch glimpses of Him working behind the scenes, battling Satan to bring humanity to its point of greatest need, the repentance of sin, both national and individual. Moreover, we will see how a return to God’s Grace from exile imposed by sin can happen through a restored relationship with God as a result of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. We will look at Israel’s history of disobedience through the lens of King Saul’s life, Esther’s life in the midst of exile, and Samuel’s life, calling sinners to repentance. Then we will look at God’s promise of restoration to His people today. All Scripture, except where noted differently, is taken from the New King James Version of the Bible.
Saul: Israel’s Disobedience reflects Humanity’s Disobedience
Since the beginning of humanity’s history God’s plan has included a relationship with His creation. In the judgment pronounced on the serpent (Genesis 3:14ff) two things happen, the climatic battle between Satan and God has its beginnings, and God reveals His plan to one day redeem humanity from its fallen sin condition. So when God spoke to Abraham, the “seed” promised earlier in the Garden of Eden is reaffirmed through Abraham’s line. “[Israel was to be] mediators of God’s Grace to all the nations of the earth even as in Abraham ‘all the nations were to be blessed’ (Genesis 12:3),’” (Kaiser, Theology, 109). When the Mosaic Law is given to this growing people, the nation of Israel, we begin to see the cost for sin’s redemption must be met with innocent blood. Through the sacrificial system God instigated at Sinai, we also begin to see that the high standard for holiness required to approach God is too high for humanity to meet or live by. That is where Grace comes in; God knew that alone, humanity could not live up to this standard, so through the tapestry of history, God decided to meet the standard Himself.
By the time Saul arrived on the scene, Satan had exacerbated humanity’s sins to the point of outright disobedience to God’s Covenant Laws. Consequently, Saul’s reign, which reflected Israel’s own character, “was at a low point spiritually” as we see in 1 Samuel 9:5ff, when Saul sought answers through divination, i.e. a seer, to his dilemma about the location of his father’s donkeys (McArthur, Handbook, 90). However, God used this weakness to provide direction for Saul (and Israel) behind the scenes. So after receiving instructions from Samuel concerning what he was to do, Saul went on his way. However, as John McArthur stated in his book, The McArthur Bible Commentary, “he did not tell his uncle the information Samuel gave Saul about becoming king (1 Samuel 10:14-16),” (McArthur, 319). This secretiveness could “reflect Saul’s humility” or it could reflect his fear of it actually coming true (McArthur, Commentary, 319). It could also be an early indication that, though God was honoring the people’s choice for a king, His choice was entirely different (1 Samuel 8:10-19; 1 Samuel 13:14; 1 Samuel 16:13).
Accordingly, it is evident that Saul’s life mirrored that of Israel and her downward spiral into apostasy. This was reflected both nationally and individually through Saul, in spite of his initial attempts to honor God’s laws, and bring deliverance to Israel from her enemies. As we come to see, this is also a key pattern for humanity’s own sinful nature that is reflected in a “me first, God last” view in today’s society.
Samuel’s address to the nation and to Saul about their clear rejection of God as King over Israel, and his warnings as to the consequences for disobeying the covenantal laws proved telling (1 Samuel 12:1ff). In 1 Samuel 13:8-15, we see further evidence that Saul’s weak character, i.e. Israel’s weak character, again took center stage. Saul grew impatient waiting for Samuel to arrive; his impatience led to the sin of unlawfully sacrificing burnt offerings to God. Through this one act of defiance, Saul rejected God’s leading in his life. As with previous wrongs he committed, his intention was obvious, ‘if God won’t move as fast as I want’ Saul figured, ‘I’ll do it myself.’ He was unaware of that sin’s initial impact or the repercussions that would follow the rest of his life, affecting not only him but his family, friends and the nation of Israel. Sin is like that, so subtle, that one decision is all it takes to begin the erosion of moral decay that affects a person’s integrity, their testimony, even the witness they have to others. Israel’s continued unfaithfulness mirrored the repeated failures in Saul’s life, and in battle against Israel’s enemies. When the flush of his original successes had worn off, like Israel, Saul too turned aside, forgot God and sought to please himself first, and God last (1 Samuel 13:11-12; 1 Samuel 14: 24ff).