Sunday: Beyond Reasonable Expectations
Daily Lesson for Sunday 29th of December 2024
God not only asks us, “Do you love Me,” but God Himself loves each person, and does so freely. Indeed, He freely loves you and me and every other person more than we could possibly imagine. And we know this love by the way He has acted in the history of His people.
Read Exodus 33:15-22 and consider the context of these verses and the narrative in which they appear. What does this passage, especially verse 19, reveal about God’s will and love?
Pacific Press at Goodsalt.com
All seemed lost. Not long after God’s amazing deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt, the people of Israel had rebelled against God and worshiped a golden calf. When Moses came down from the mountain, he saw what they had done, and he threw down the tablets containing the Ten Commandments and shattered them. Though the people had forfeited any right to the covenant privileges and blessings that God had freely bestowed on them, God freely chose to continue with them in covenant relationship anyway—despite their unworthiness for the covenant blessings.
The words of Exodus 33:19, “ ‘I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion’ ” (NKJV), are often misunderstood to mean that God arbitrarily chooses to be compassionate and gracious to some, but not others. However, in context, God is not stating here that He will arbitrarily be gracious and compassionate to some and not to others. That is not how God works, contrary to some popular theology in which God predestines some to be lost and to face eternal condemnation.
What, then, is God proclaiming here? Essentially, God is proclaiming that, as the Creator of all, He has the right and authority to grant grace and compassion freely to even the most undeserving of people. And He is doing so in this situation, even after the golden calf rebellion, by granting mercy to His people, Israel, even if they didn’t deserve it.
This is one of many instances in which God manifests His love and does so beyond any reasonable expectations. Good news for us all, is it not?
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In what ways has God continued to reveal and manifest His love to you—even beyond any reasonable expectations? |
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I woke up this morning thinking I have been married to Carmel for 55 years. "No!" she said, "It's 56! And she was right. Where has all the time gone? How does a marriage last that long?
We like to think long marriages are romantic idylls with kisses, soft music, holding hands, candle-lit suppers, walks in the moonlight, and all that other wonderful stuff. But who writes about the floor vacuuming, the shopping, the laundry, the rehoming of spiders, arguments won and lost, rebellious teenage children, and all the shared stuff of real life? Get real folk! 56 years of married life is about tolerance, sharing, forgiving, sharing, compromise, sharing, sharing, sharing.
If I have any picture of God's love worth sharing with others, it is because I have a wife who has put up with a self-centred cantankerous old bloke for 56 years and still loves me, even at my worst.
... and God's love is even better than that!
Happy Anniversary to you, Mr & Mrs Ashton, and may God's richest blessings continue to be showered on you.
Happy Anniversary to you and Carmel.
Happy anniversary to you and yours. 56 years together is not an easy feat. Blessings as you both remain faithful to the Most High God.
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Ashton on your anniversary.
The secret to a long-lasting marriage is the love of God in our hearts. He is always good.
May God continue to bless your lives as you always seek His wisdom and guidance.
I really appreciate your comments.
“Reasonableness” is simply a measure of human limitation. Who can measure or understand the full extent of God’s love? What is the height, length, and width of God's love? How much is the love that made Jesus hang on the cross? God’s love has no limit or expectation. God’s love acts in a “strange” way putting human reasonable expectations into utter shame. This is God's extravagant love “wasted” on undeserving sinners. Can anyone possibly start to imagine what manner of love this is? No wonder God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).
The reasonable expectations were for the Prodigal Son not to receive royal treatment upon his return having squandered his inheritance in wild living. He was not only forgiven but also restored. Even so, his father rejoiced. This mirrors the love of our heavenly Father. This is the love that knows no boundaries. This is living love. This is eternal love.
“Long ago the LORD said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love, I have drawn you to myself” – Jeremiah 31:3 (NLT).
This is the love that made one of the Godhead hang on the cross. This love can be ours by faith. This is the love that has the power to change the world. Dear Jesus, please, give me the smallest piece of this love.
I am happy that God does not judge us as men do. I can find several examples of people we would have condemned, who God showed mercy. Think of Cain, Paul, Nebuchadnezzar, David, the woman caught in adultery, Rahab, Samson, Jonah, Peter, and Zaccheus. Am I missing any? Who else can you think of?
Its funny you should ask that question. Who else can I think of?
Well for starters I can think of me, myself and I.
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ"
Eph 3:17-18
Adam & Eve, Aaron, Miriam, Hagar, The Thief on the Cross, All the Kings of Israel, The Woman at the Well, James and John, and so many others.
Saul, who was named Paul by Jesus.
All who do not commit the unpardonable sin.
If we confess our sins, He is able to forgive us for our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
"ALL have sinned and come short of the Glory of God"
God is merciful to all of us, but His love does not mean we can do anything we want. His passion also exterminates those who freely deny His offer of pardon and restoration. Some Israelites had to swallow the liquified golden calf. Hopefully, our backslides do not lead to a point of non-return.
Hello I need help on Ex 19:33,the author tried to explain that
Well I'm not convinced by the explanation because when I read the verse that's exactly how I understood that verse. Why are we to say no actually He meant this when the literal meaning is there, how do we know that He didn't mean that. Then everyone can have his/her own interpretation. I quite didn't understand the explanation or interpretation either. If there's someone else who can better understand the verse or explanation by the author.
I agree with the author. I think he explained it very well.
Helen, God send His Son Jesus to die for all. "For God so love the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will have everlasting life (John 3:16)." Do you believe those words that He gave us Salvation freely? When God send His Son to die, do you believe He chose to die for some and not others? Judas was given many chances to repent but he choose not to because he (Judas) believed God will deliver Jesus and also that Jesus has eternal power to do wonderful things. He was not blind to the miracles or signs he saw with his own eyes. But he made his choice to do wrong and go against God. Wasn't God gracious and long-suffering to Judas when He kept him among the disciples and not exposed Judas evil heart? Moses sinned when he did not obeyed God's instruction, one time! But nonetheless, he repented and God called Moses His friend for He (God) knows Moses's heart and why he did what he did. But our forgiving merciful God did not abandon His servant He took Moses to heaven, however, Moses did not went into the promised land. Do you believe God loved Moses more than Judas? Try to apply these two stories to your personal life or someone you know and imagine the love of God for you.
Thank you, it's not that refuse all this but only that verse appeared to me as God would be compassionate to some
Helen sometimes you have to read the Bible in context with other verses in or out of locations as you can see in my contribution below Paul used other test to explain God’s love as the reason for his strong faith that we have a reward waiting for us even though we don’t deserve it. That is how much God loves us. Verse 19 is asking us without asking that we search the scriptures.
John Peckham, PhD in his book(God Loves Freely page 16) goes on to say that the phrase, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion to whom I will have compassion” builds on the praise from the burning bush encounter in Exodus 3:14, where God declared, “I AM WHO IAM.” John Peckham, PhD is quoting the Jewish Publication Society Bible Commentary page 214. Accordingly, God’s declaration in Exodus 33:19 may be translated : “I will proclaim you the name of the Lord , and the grace that I grant and the compassion that I show” (JPS).
You can find the book at ItIsWritten.com/shop. Also at AdventistBookCenter.com. Now I listened to John C. Peckham, PhD interviewed by Eric Flickinger on itiswritten.com through YouTube.com today. Don’t let the PhD scare you there is and will be a lot of understanding gleaned from John this quarter. We look forward to you posting your thoughts and questions again.
Thank you for the enlightenment.
Happy Anniversary Mr &Mrs Ashton. May you continue to grow in Christ daily. 56 years and the love still grows.
Today, I am so thankful for the continued patience, compassion, grace and unconditional love of God extended to me every day though undeserving. What a God! What a love!
Why is it "beyond reasonable expectations" for us to believe that God can save anyone?
God is powerless to save those who do not want to be saved.
Is it that God, who claims to be the Savior of the world, must first see or sense in His people a desire to be saved before He actually saves them? Is that the common experience?
Bear in mind Kenny that I am not a semanticist when it comes to salvation. I have seen long arguments about the wording and the order of events that have in the end have been less and less about salvation and more about semantic justification.
I will say this: God wanted to save everyone, but some of us have opted out. That avoids univeralism and at the same time acknowledges our free choice.
The love of God for the Children of Israel was expressed in another story. The story I am thinking about is Balaam and his relationship with God. Also a God for us, not against us, is found in this Storacle. I find the story in Numbers 23 and Numbers 24, I get out of the story that God loved His chosen people so much that He would not let Balaam curse Jacob and Israel. Yes because…now we will find out this quarter of Gods love and how it relates to justice. I see in this story God, our God, loves us freely too. Why you say, because God gave Jacob and Israelites a choice? Does not He give us also that same choice out of His magnificent love.
What did God wrought! Numbers 23:23.
Think about where I am going with this.
In modern times. What has God wrought? Could it be people who are looking, preparing if you will, for the second coming of Christ?
But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
1 Corinthians 2:9.
The lesson title, “Beyond Reasonable Expectations,” invites us to explore the nature of expectations in the context of faith and the divine. It raises the question: Can we, as finite beings, truly conceive of what is “reasonable” when it comes to the actions of an infinite God? While the question may seem paradoxical, it highlights a profound truth: God operates beyond human norms of what is considered “reasonable” or “unreasonable.” His work, particularly in the salvation of humanity, transcends the limitations of human understanding.
God’s redemptive work is singular and deliberate, devoid of capriciousness or arbitrary notions of success. His purpose is neither constrained by human expectations nor subject to human judgment. The Scriptures repeatedly illustrate this, offering numerous examples of His unwavering commitment to His divine plan, despite humanity’s frequent resistance. A poignant example lies in the history of Israel. Time and again, the tribes of Israel displayed a tendency to “return to Egypt” — a metaphor for reverting to their own will and ways, despite God’s guidance and provision. These actions grieved God, yet they did not derail His ultimate purpose.
Nothing can thwart our Creator’s plan to redeem that which fell into the hands of His adversary. From the moment He entrusted authority over the earth to humanity, His plan for redemption was set in motion. The timing and method of its fulfillment, however, remain entirely His prerogative. As Isaiah 10:14-16 reminds us, God’s sovereignty is beyond the judgment of those He created. Human standards cannot confine Him; instead, He offers His standards to humanity, making them accessible through faith.
When faith takes root in the human heart, it transforms our expectations. What we once deemed “reasonable” is redefined in the light of His Love - Justice, Grace, and Mercy. God’s Love meets humanity’s deepest need — a need we often cannot fully articulate or comprehend. In Psalm 103:12, we are assured of the profound extent of His mercy: 'As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.' This promise underscores the boundless nature of His Grace, extending beyond any measure we could consider 'reasonable'.
Thus, the lesson of “Beyond Reasonable Expectations” is not merely a call to acknowledge God’s transcendence. It is an invitation to trust in His perfect will, to align our limited understanding with His infinite wisdom, and to embrace the assurance that His standards, revealed through faith, are far greater than anything we could imagine. Our role is not to measure His actions by our standards but to walk in faith, knowing that His love, justice, and mercy will always exceed our expectations.