UNDERSTANDING the ‘INTIMATE LOVE’ that GOD has for us!
August 1 Bible Reading: Isaiah Chapters 49-51
UNDERSTANDING the ‘INTIMATE LOVE’ that GOD has for us!
"Can a woman forget her
nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may
forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My
hands; your walls are continually before Me." (Isaiah 49:15-16)
The above declarations are made by Jehovah God to His beloved
children Israel when they had complained that they were forsaken by God. God
promises Israel that His new covenant with the Gentiles does not negate His old
covenant with Israel. In fact, God will overcome Israel’s destroyer, clothe
Israel in ornaments, multiply her numbers, and cause the nations to help her.
He will indeed be her Savior and Redeemer (see Isaiah 43:1-21; Obad. 15).
Not only that, but God promises that His relationship with
Israel is much more intimate and profound than what they imagine. Could a
mother ever forget her nursing child?
Even if that unlikely event happened, God would be even more faithful and would never forget Israel. In fact, she is
inscribed on the palms of His hands, and her walls are never out of His mind. This
is what God declares: “As for Me, I am
unable to forget you.”
This act of inscribing in the palms of God’s hands may be
compared to the names of the tribes of Israel inscribed on the stones of the
priest’s ephod (see Exodus 28:9–12). When the priest was in the temple, the
engraved names would remind God of His covenant with Israel. In the similar
manner, the Creator God has His thoughts always focused on the welfare of His
people.
There are times when we wonder if God really cares about us
(v. 14), but He assures us that we are never forgotten. We are His beloved
children (v. 15) and He will never forget us (v. 16). Let us be rest assured
about God’s intimate love for us and boldly declare: "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take
care of me." (Psalms 27:10)
When times of discouragement and doubt come, never forget
that God still loves you! We instinctively compare the reference to the palms
of Jehovah’s hands with the love wounds borne by Christ for us. God’s love for
us is as expansive as the open arms of Christ on the cross. In Isaiah 49:15,
God has tried to compare His love, care and compassion with something we can
relate to – the care and compassion of a woman towards her nursing child.
Surely even if a new mother may forget her nursing baby, be assured – God will never forget us anytime…ever!!!
