I came across this verse this morning whilst meditating: Deuteronomy 23:5, “However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.”
Moses is here telling the Israelites that the love of God for them motivated, or prompted, what he did for them, namely, turning the curse into a blessing for them. The love of God is never without effect. I understand that the love of God for me is such that he will never allow anything contrary to his will for my life to prevail against me!
Similarly, John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Here also, the love of God for the world is described as the primary motivation or what prompted what he did, namely, giving his one and only Son…. It is not surprising that the same bible talks about the love of God for Israel and the world. God does not love Israel only, he also loves the world. It is not surprising because God is love, the bible says. It is important to understand that the bible says that the love of God is unfailing because love is not one of God’s qualities but his very being. Hence, to think that God does not love you betrays your ignorance of who God is.
I hear people often ridicule the suggestion that God is love in the face of evil in the world. God’s response to evil in the world is John 3:16. Note that the word evil read backward sounds the word live. In other words by giving his one and only Son God is reversing evil’s agendas. Accordingly, evil is anything contrary to the principle of life. Peoples perish on account of evil, but God’s will is that none should perish…. Here is where it becomes clear that the love of God and his will create the way out and peoples need to embrace and follow it in order to escape perdition, just as the Israelites had to be willing to leave Egypt for the Promised Land under the leadership of Moses….
So the bible says, “… Whoever [irrespective of race, gender, religion, social status, or political and philosophical orientations] believes in him (Jesus Christ) shall not perish but have eternal life.
Interestingly, we read (1) “…but [God] turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.” And (2) “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Both verses, one in the OT and the other in the NT speak about what God did out of his love. I am convinced that under the leadership and lordship of Jesus Christ even my enemies will cause God’s blessings upon me, and perishing is not my portion but life and abundant life only. Thank God for his unfailing love and Praise be to His holy name!
The cross of Calvary on which the saviour of the world, the author of life and prince of peace, died is the highest demonstration of the love of God. It shows God’s determination not to lose the object of his love, that is, the one he created in his image (Man – male & female). We note that Adam went to hide from God when he and his wife ate of the forbidden tree. Mankind has been hiding from the presence of God ever since.
Since the cross of Calvary, however, running from God on account of sin is sign of spiritual blindness and ignorance. It is like a sick person running away from the only doctor who can treat him simply because he is sick….
See, the cross of Calvary does not only reveal the unfailing love of God for us but also our utter sinfulness and powerlessness when it comes to sin. I believe that until someone is given the revelation of God’s holiness, she will not understand her utter sinfulness. The prophet Isaiah is a case in order. He saw God’s holiness and spoke like no one else before him: Isaiah said, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the king, the Lord Almighty.” He later on describes “all our righteous deeds as filthy rugs”.
What hope is there for anyone whose righteous deeds, which religion describes as basis for God’s acceptance, are described as despicable to God? Thank God for the Cross of Calvary. It reminds me of the place and time I earned the legal right to enter in the presence of God any time in the name of Jesus Christ. I no longer have to run from God because of my failures. Instead, I feel the urge to run to him because of my failures, as the only Helper.
The love of God is the only thing I can take for granted in the sense that it does not waver nor is it conditional. It does not depend on its object but is rooted in the person and nature of God. God does not change, therefore his love cannot change. It means that no one ends up in hell because God does not love him or her. It also means that God does not love some people more than others.
Only imperfect love can vacillate. Interestingly, the bible says God disciplines or punishes those he loves. Let me quickly say that this does not mean that God does not punish those that he does not love, for saying that God does not love is tantamount to implying God ceasing to be, but God is eternal. Note that it is possible that the Bible relates love and discipline (punishment) to correct the tendency human beings have to view love and punishment as mutually exclusive. Accordingly, the bible tells us that God uses discipline or punishment, even though it does not feel pleasant to us, to show us that he cares. Please note that I would never pretend to fully understand the love of God because I know that God is love. Something about it will remain mysterious because He is Holy.
