God's Compassions Fail Not

In my Bible reading this morning, I considered Psalm 107:17-19:  "Fools, because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted. ¹⁸ Their soul abhorred all manner of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. ¹⁹ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses."  The Bible describes the fool as people who say in their hearts, "There is no God," those who live as if God does not exist, has not spoken and proudly exalts themselves in God's rightful place.  It is a very predictable and guaranteed outcome, that sin embraced brings affliction and trouble we cannot escape.

When we see people experiencing trouble as a direct consequence for their actions, we are less apt to show compassion on them because they "deserved" what they suffered.  A parent who warns their child to not to bring a balloon into the kitchen or swat it towards a burning stove would likely remain unmoved when their child disobeys and cries when their balloon pops.  "That's what you get," a matter-of-fact parent might say.  Now if the child burns themselves on a hot stove or pot, a loving parent will administer first aid and seek to comfort their little one.  If the injured party happens to be a teenager or adult who knew better than playing around with fire, again, we would be less considerate of their self-inflicted wounds that stand to teach a valuable lesson.

God's grace and love towards us sinners is amazing, for even when we have played the fool--knowing better and without any excuse--He continues to extend compassion and help to those who are afflicted as a consequence of their own sin.  When we cry out to God in our trouble, He will save us out of our distress; He will give the word to heal us.  At times in Israel's history when God's people departed from Him and served idols, He told them to cry out to the idols they had chosen so they would learn how worthless and incapable they were to deliver or heal.  The season of their suffering pained God, for His heart yearned to save and help them.  But like a father corrects and disciplines a son in whom he delights, so God is willing to allow self-inflicted wounds to draw sinners to Himself through repentance.

Lamentations 3:30-32 says, "Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, and be full of reproach. ³¹ For the Lord will not cast off forever. ³² Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies."  God is grieved by sin, and He is also grieved when we suffer as a result of our sin.  Because of God's immutable, righteous character, when we are afflicted as God's people there will be an end to it because God is merciful.  Even in the midst of suffering we deserve (and we deserve far worse than we receive as Psalm 103:10 says), God shows compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.  It is because His mercies we are not consumed because His compassions fail not (Lamentations 3:22-23).  Having freely received such compassion from God, let us extend compassion to others--even when they are responsible for their own affliction.