The Compassion of God

​Zechariah 10:6 ~ “I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.”
 
There are many promises found in this rich text from Zechariah. God will strengthen His people—the house of Judah, from whom the Messiah would come. God will save His people—the house of Joseph, enslaved in Egypt and awaiting a strong deliverer. But for today, let us gaze upon the great compassion of the Almighty. At the end of the text, the LORD says that He will “answer them.” What question are they asking? It is the same question asked during their enslavement in Egypt—who will deliver us from our captivity? It is the question asked by the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:24, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” And the answer is the same: “I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.”
 
How foolish we are when we do not trust the compassion of God. So many promises enrich the Scriptures revealing the LORD’s tender heart toward His people. In Matthew 9:36 Jesus says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” The nation of Israel, delivered into captivity because they were rebellious against the LORD God, was given a tremendous promise of a compassionate restoration. And though the LORD may have sent us into a disciplinary condition to purge our rebellion, yet He will have compassion on His children still. So let us consider this promise from our text today: “I will bring them back because I have compassion on them.”
 
The first thing to note is that it is the LORD who will bring His children back. He says, I will bring them. There is no mistaking that it is impossible for a person sent away in captivity to rescue themselves from God’s discipline. Imagine Jonah for a moment. He ran from the LORD in rebellion against the command to preach to Nineveh. Thrown overboard, Jonah was swallowed up by a great fish and at that point, there is no possibility of rescue unless the LORD deliver him (see Jonah, chapter two). In Isaiah 43:13 God declares, “Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?”
 
Next, let us consider where the LORD restores: “I will bring them back” He says. Back, meaning, returning to a place that had once been. The LORD will restore His people back to the land He promised them. The Nation of Israel was given a garden-like dwelling in the land of Canaan. They enjoyed the blessing and bounty of the Almighty and were delivered from their enemies. But, because of their unrepentant rebellion, the LORD sent them into captivity in Babylon. Yet, the land of promise was still there—waiting and resting until the people of God should be restored. And, for the Christian today, how many times do we lose that sweet connection to Christ and that delightful fellowship with His people when we walk in rebellion. The LORD may have to remove us for a time in discipline, but He will bring us back to Himself. Hebrews 12:9-10 says, “Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.”
 
Finally, let us open our hearts to the tremendous reason why the LORD restores: “because I have compassion on them.” How foolish it is to fail in believing that the LORD has true mercy for His children. We suffer under His rod of discipline, facing the painful consequences of our sins. But let us also remember that the LORD is as the father in the story of the prodigal son. He is waiting and watching for His children to return in repentance and love for Him. Consider the young son’s desire to return to his father, “I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants” (Luke 15:18-19). And when we do return, we discover a restoring compassion from the Father that will embrace us with love and receive us with forgiveness, “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him" (Luke 15:20).
 
So great is the compassion of Christ that it is as if we had never been rejected, as if we were never once rebellious. Consider Jeremiah 15:19, “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me.” Beloved, if you have wandered away from the LORD, even now turn back in repentance. He is ready to forgive you in Christ and receive you. And in His compassion, He will restore you to Himself.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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