The God of Second Chances

The God of Second Chances
Deuteronomy 4
“For the Lord, Your God is a compassionate God: He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which he swore to them.”

The name Deuteronomy means “2nd law”. Forty years have transpired since the first giving of the law to Israel on Mt. Sinai. However, the generation that ratified the covenant had passed away in the wilderness as they wandered 40 years because of their sins. Poised to enter into the Promise Land, God reaffirms the law and covenant to the new generation. Just as God made a covenant with the people at Mt. Sinai, so he again promises to be their God and fulfill his covenantal promises to them.
In chapter 4, God challenges the people to remain faithful in obedience to God’s law. They are to avoid the snare of legalism (adding to the law by making more stringent laws) and liberalism (subtracting from the commands of the Bible by rejecting and not obeying them) (vs. 2). There is no other God like the God of Israel who remains watchful and attentive to their needs (vs. 4). However, even after he warns of the danger of turning away from God, in verses 26-27, God states that they will abandon him. As a result, God will discipline them and cast them from the land. God knows the fickleness of our sinful hearts and how quickly we abandon him.
In vs. 30, we are reminded of the devastating consequences of sin. Sin, no matter how small and insignificant to us, always reaps catastrophic consequences.   Sin promises us pleasure and happiness but delivers sorrow and distress. The word distress refers to that which is narrow or confining and has the idea of being pressured and confined by circumstances because of wrong decisions and actions.
 Indeed, the Israelites deserve their adversity since they abandoned God and pursued idols. God would be utterly justified if he rejected their appeals for mercy. They abandoned him and broke the covenant even though he remained faithful to them.  
However, in a surprising act of grace and tender love, God not only promises not to destroy them but to restore them fully. He is a God of compassion and grace. The word “compassion,” when used of God, speaks of the compassion and love a father has for his children (Psa. 103:13; Micah 7:19). It is a love that is relentless, unconditional, and unchanging. God, in his deep, tender love for his people, demonstrates mercy and forgiveness even though they rebelled and deserve judgment.
Instead of pouring out his judgment and rejecting his people, God responds to their repentance and promises to restore his blessing upon them. God is the God of second chances, willing to forgive, cleanse, and restore us when we seek him. Even though we rebelled against him, he still loves us and will forgive our sins. No matter how horrific our failure or how far we stray from him, if we repent and seek him, he will restore us completely to a position of favor.   Have you failed in the past and previously rejected the grace God offered? Did you sin so shamefully that you wonder if God can ever forgive? Did you show contempt for God’s grace by treating God and his commands with callous indifference? It does not matter how much or how many times you failed in the past; God is ready to forgive and restore. He is a God of second, third, and fourth chances who readily responds to our cry for mercy. No one, no matter how dreadful the past sin, is beyond the grace of God’s forgiveness.