Why Would God Give Up the Chosen People to Looting and Plundering?
Scripture — Isaiah 42:24 (NRSV)
Who gave up Jacob to the spoiler,
and Israel to the robbers?
Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned,
in whose ways they would not walk,
and whose law they would not obey?
Focus
Isaiah 42 reveals that God gave up the chosen people to hardship as a result of their sin. Sometimes we also suffer because of sinful choices we have made. This does not mean, of course, that all suffering is a result of one’s own sin. Often people suffer because of the sin of others. Yet when our sin leads to suffering, that is not the end. Rather, our pain can lead us back to God and God’s loving embrace.
Devotion
Isaiah 42:24 acknowledges that the Lord “gave up Jacob to the spoiler.” The original Hebrew of this verse speaks of God as “giving up” Jacob to the looter and Israel to the plunderers. Though the Lord did not directly harm the chosen people, God did allow them to be hurt.
Why? Why would a loving God allow God’s special people to suffer? We can’t find a full answer to this question from one small verse of Isaiah. Indeed, the question of suffering is one of the toughest questions that all Christians face, not to mention Christians who are presently suffering or sharing in the suffering of others. But Isaiah 42:24 suggests one small facet of an answer. In this case, God “gave up” the people to suffering because they had sinned against God, repeatedly rejecting God and consistently failing to repent no matter how much God sought to bring them back.
So, one reason we suffer is because of our sin. I can think of times when I treated people poorly, which led to lots of relational pain. I was suffering as a result of my sin. However, the fact that sin can lead to suffering does not mean that every bad thing that happens to us comes as a direct result of our own personal sins. We are caught in a sinful, fallen world, and we often experience its brokenness independent of our particular sins. Many who suffer today do so as victims of the sinfulness of others.
Though God does at times hand over even the chosen people to hardship, God does not do so forever, but only for a season. When we dishonor God, there are often painful consequences to our behavior. Yet God “gives us up” so that we might realize the folly of our ways and return to God. God’s desire for us cannot be quenched by our sin. Indeed, our merciful God does not wait for us to return to the divine embrace, but pursues us when we are lost, and rejoices when we are found (see, for example, Luke 15).
Reflect
Have you ever experienced God’s “giving you up” in your life?
If so, what happened? What was the result?
Have there been times in your life when the pain caused by your sin has turned you back to the Lord? How did that work out?
Act
Talk with a wise friend or with your small group about how you have experienced the gracious “giving up” of God.
Pray
Gracious God, I must admit that I’m not especially happy about the “giving up” part of your relationship with us. I love the picture of you as the good shepherd seeking the lost sheep. But the idea that you let us get ourselves lost sometimes is not a happy one. Of course, it isn’t happy for you either!
Dear Lord, I am reminded today that my actions have real consequences. You have allowed my choices and deeds to matter. So, if I do things that put distance between us, and if I fail to heed your invitations to return to you, then you may very well “hand me over” for a season. You allow me to experience what life apart from you is like, so that I might come back to you once again.
How grateful I am, gracious God, that you don’t “give me up” forever! Though you allow me to feel pain for a while, you don’t turn your back on me. Because Christ was forsaken on the cross, you will never forsake me. How I thank you!
Help me, dear Lord, to live in such a way that you have no need to “hand me over.” May my heart be ever near yours. May my thoughts and deeds glorify you in all things. Amen.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Where Shall I Go? Psalm 139 and Luke 15 Sermon Notes.
Mark D. Roberts
Senior Strategist
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders,...