Insecurity can lead to error (Part 2): He who loves a lot is forgiven a lot

In the previous meditation we saw how King Jehoshaphat's trait of insecurity led him to make disastrous decisions that nearly destroyed his life. In these situations, in the midst of the crises that he himself had brought about, Jehoshaphat sought divine help; and God, in His goodness towards that man who despite his weakness had a straight and sincere heart towards Him, freed him from his predicament.

It is important to underline this fact. Even if our bad decisions — whether caused by sin, ignorance, or weakness — get us into serious trouble, God always has mercy on us if we repent and cry out to Him, especially if our mistakes are made in the context of a seeking life. His glory and is subject to his will.

God looks at the heart, not the perfection, of the individual. If God treated us exclusively according to our actions, none of us could expect anything from Him! That is why the psalmist rhetorically asks in Psalm 130: 3: "Lord, if you look at sins, who, O Lord, can stand?" In his infinite mercy, God looks into the depths of the heart. He treats us, not strictly according to our actions, but according to our intentions. Sometimes, however, God will not entirely free us from the negative consequences of our wrong decisions; But if we seek his face and repent, he will use even the negative and sinful in our lives to bless and strengthen us.

In the first campaign against Ramoth-gilead, although Jehoshaphat was delivered by God from certain death, on his return home he was confronted on the way by the prophet Jehu, who admonished him with stern words: “Do you give help to the wicked, and do you love those who hate Jehovah? For he has gone out of the presence of the Lord, anger against you for this. But good things have been found in you, because you have removed the images of Asherah from the earth, and have set your heart to seek God ”(II Chr 19: 2 and 3). Significantly, even in the midst of correction, the prophetic word brings encouragement and comfort to Jehoshaphat's heart: God does not ignore his efforts to bring down the worship of false gods in Judah, nor does he overlook his willing heart to seek God with sincerity.

This humble and generous attitude on the part of the king of Judah caused God to have mercy on him again and again, and to mitigate the negative consequences of his disobedient actions. Ahab, an ungodly man and bound in evil, was not so fortunate. In that same campaign in which Jehoshaphat nearly lost his life, the king of Israel lost his in spite of all the precautions taken, as a result of an arrow thrown at random by an enemy soldier (2 Chronicles 18:33). Jehoshaphat had reserves of mercy toward God that muffled his wrong decisions. Ahab did not possess a similar benefit. Rather, God's judgment was already declared against him. The blind arrow that penetrated him “between the joints and the corselet”, and that took his life, represented the execution of God for the murder of Naboth to take away his vineyard years ago (see 1 Kings 21).

For the individual who loves God and cares for his glory, there are immense reserves of mercy in the day of error or fall. For the indifferent or rebellious there is only naked judgment, without shock absorbers of any kind. In his relationship with us, God is incredibly humble, asking for very little. The prophet Micah expresses it in memorable words: “O man, he has declared to you what is good, and what Jehovah asks of you: only to do justice, and to love mercy, and to humble yourself before your God” (Micah 6: 8).