Courtney Gilmore Have you ever had a friend who does not call unless they need something? You may not hear from them for months, then they call just to ask for a favor. They do not pursue any kind of real relationship with you. They probably have no idea what’s going on in your life, and you know they are much more concerned with themselves at the moment. But because they think you have something to offer, all of the sudden, you are their new best friend.
But in actuality, you are not friends at all, because you could never get close enough to them for that. If you can’t trust them to care about your feelings and stick around after they get what they want, then you can never really be friends. So, why should you go out of your way for someone who won’t return the favor and will probably forget about you when they don’t need you anymore?
The Israelites
Well, the Israelites were this kind of friend to God. They chose other gods over Him until they needed help. Then they would turn away from those and back to the Lord, saying they were sorry and begging for His help. Over and over, the Lord rescued His people. But sometimes He would say the thing we all want to say to those friends.
Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, from the Amorites, from the people of Ammon, and from the Philistines? Also, the Sidonians and Amalekites and Moanites oppressed you. You cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore, I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen. Let them deliver you in your time of distress.
Judges 10:11-14
This makes so much sense doesn’t it. Every time, after God rescued them, they eventually betrayed Him again, choosing others over Him. So, why should He keep doing things for them if they weren’t going to do anything for Him in return? Why should He care about them when they did not seem to care about Him?
The Nature of God
God has feelings just like us. He gets jealous and angry just as we would if someone did that to us. They were testing His patience and taking advantage of His love. It was time that He taught them a lesson. If they loved those other gods so much, then they could cry out to them instead.
But these gods had no power. So, like a father who wants to teach his child a lesson but also can’t stand to see him suffer the consequences of his actions, the Lord saved them again.
His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.
Judges 10:16
As I said, God has feelings just like us. He was jealous and angry, but also loving and merciful. These are all a part of who He is. He cannot go against His nature. What a beautiful picture of our Heavenly Father! He cannot stand to see His children hurting, even when they obviously deserve it. The Lord is so patient and kind. He has great compassion and His grace towards us is unfathomable.
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. He relents from doing harm.
Joel 2:13
What About You?
So, think about your relationship with God. Do you push Him away when life is going well, then beg for His help when life is hard? Do you live however you want, with little regard towards Him, until you get in trouble? Then, do you promise you will start following Him again if He will just rescue you from the mess you have gotten yourself into?
Do you push Him away, choosing other things over Him until you need Him? Are any of these things worthy of going to for help when you need it? Where would you be if left to your own devices and solutions rather than the saving power of God? Who do you choose to spend time with and talk to instead of Him? Can they offer you everything He does? Why do we expect Him to help us when we reject Him until we need something?
Why do you call Me “Lord, Lord,” and not do the things which I say?
Luke 6:46
Think of all He’s done for you. Is He not worthy of a continuous relationship? Does He not deserve your faithfulness, obedience, and closeness. We can’t go to Him acting like He’s our best friend when we need Him, then not talk to Him after that. Friends talk, listen, and care about one another. They don’t take advantage or do things to hurt the other. Good friends spend time together and get to know each other. They are loyal and kind.
Pursue a Relationship with God
This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
1 John 5:3
Don’t take advantage of God’s love or test His patience. Return the love He has for you. Spend time with Him regularly. Never let your conversations with Him end. Talk and listen. Get to know Him. The better you know Him, the more you will love Him. The more you love Him, the more you will want to follow Him.
Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror. For he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
James 1:22-25
Look into His perfect law of liberty and continue in it forever. You will not regret forsaking all others for Him.
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This is an excerpt from “Turning to God Only When You Need Him” as taught on YouTube, Podcast, and written on Substack. Read the beginning of the lesson for free. Or read it in its entirety, along with previous lessons over Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges, for $6/month or $60/year. Once subscribed, you’ll receive one lesson each week after that by email. Cancel anytime.
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