Passage Read: Psalm 75-78
Meditation Verses: 78:34-38
Thought
"Whenever God slew them, they would seek Him." That alone is a sad statement. After all the power He had shown on their behalf, not against them, after all the good He did for them, they didn't really seek Him. It was when He killed some among them that they would fear and seek Him, but even then, not in truth. They would perform some of His assigned duties, but they didn't really honor Him. They told Him what He wanted to hear, but they had no love for Him, no loyalty. No matter what He did, they didn't really care. They were happy for His blessings, but didn't want any of His requirements. And they were more than willing to make a go of it without His help. His help was nice, but not so great that they would do anything to gain it. Though the Lord was merciful to them and did not destroy them all, yet that first generation died in the wilderness; it was the second generation that inherited the promise.
Application
If I seek the Lord from the heart, desiring to do His will, simply because He is God, then the Lord will be pleased with me. That is the loyalty that He seeks and deserves. He doesn't deserve my devotion because of the good things He has done for me. He doesn't deserve my devotion because He is powerful enough to rebuke me at any time and in a million different ways. He deserves my loyalty and devotion because He made me, because He made all things; He is God! When He does good to me, I should rejoice and celebrate His kindness; when He brings trouble, I should be quick to identify if I've done wrong, and if so, be quick to correct myself. He deserves my complete loyalty and devotion whether He does any amazing deed for me or not. How evil of me if I expect Him to earn my love! I should be diligent to seek to know His will and do it for no other reason than that He is God my Creator and the creator of all things. I'm pretty sure He would delight to do good to all who seek Him in this way!