The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 106:6-15, “We have sinned like our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly.
7Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; they did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, but
rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
8 Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name, that He might make His power known.
9 Thus He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up, and He led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness.
10 So He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left.
12 Then they believed His words; they sang His praise.
13 They quickly forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel,
14 But craved intensely in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.
15 So He gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them.”

Regardless of the times, human nature is the same. Only recently, I read the following: The Romans “lived shiftless and grossly indulgent lives, depending for support upon charity, gambling, and theft. In Rome, the emperors fed many thousands of them out of the public treasury, thus encouraging their indolence.” Sound familiar?

So, in the first two verses of our text above, the younger generation of Hebrews admit to the same failures as were then attributed to their fathers. They willfully “forgot” the miracles the LORD bestowed upon them. Nevertheless, the LORD forgave their sins and brought them safely through the Red Sea, through the deeps and through the wilderness. He delivered them from their adversaries! They didn’t deserve to be delivered! Neither do we! But, that’s the kind of loving Savior we have!

Now, in faith they sing His praises! Doesn’t all of this remind us of us? How often we’ve sinned, sometimes shamefully; yet, our faithful, loving Savior delivers us. And again, we sing praises to His Name! But, it doesn’t last! We forget His faithfulness, and lapse back into sin, bringing shame upon Him again– despite the continuance of His faithful, everlasting love.

Does He ever win? Indeed He does! Look at that last verse above –verse 15. “He gave them their request…” Looks like the LORD has given up. Will these people I delivered from Egypt and across the Red Sea –will they ever learn to love Me? Not so fast! The LORD has the last Word: He “sent a wasting disease among them.” It’s as old as the world itself, You cannot do wrong and get by! Either we live by His rules or we die! Which shall it be?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom