Left to Their Own Devices

Did you know that people who do not respond to God’s call are “left to their own devices” by God? What exactly does that mean?

We read in the Book of Job that God calls every person two or three times; after that, the opportunity is lost—though exceptions prove the rule. I know of cases where God has called people even more often. I attribute this to the fact that there were people who prayed intensely for those involved. I strongly advise against playing with God’s grace. That sounds very harsh, and it is!

The following passage is worth reading:

“For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain : So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat. His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out. Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers. If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness: Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a child’: he shall return to the days of his youth: He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness. He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man, To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.”  (Job 33,14-30)

That’s really shocking! If people don’t listen to God’s loving call, then there’s still the hard way! God leaves no stone unturned to save every person from eternal damnation, but whoever hardens his heart, just as Pharaoh of Egypt did, brings judgment upon himself. Pharaoh hardened his heart three times—that is, he made his heart hard toward God. After that, GOD hardened his heart, so that repentance was no longer possible! This should be a stark warning to everyone. God calls every person to come to Him, but in the end, God doesn’t force anyone. No one is “kidnapped” into heaven—there are only volunteers there!

Let’s consider the case of “Ephraim,” one of the tribes of the Jewish people. Ephraim had sinned grievously against God by turning to pagan idolatry. Therefore, God said:

“Ephraim is bound to the idols; leave him alone!” (Hosea 4:17)

“Abandoned” means “given up”—that’s the worst-case scenario! If God turns away from us, then we’re finished—completely!

How can that be? “The good Lord” can’t possibly do that! Yes, He can; He does it; and He must even do it for the sake of His justice and His holiness! God is engaged in a battle against injustice and sin. The Holy One cannot enter into fellowship or compromise with sin. He would immediately become defiled Himself! Light and darkness cannot coexist.

The prophet Habakkuk recognized the following:

“Your eyes (God’s eyes) are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.” (Habakkuk 1:13)

Sinfulness and God simply do not go together. But now God’s loving heart breaks through, and the unbelievable happens. God says:

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Even if she should forget him—I will not forget you! Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” (Isaiah 49:15–16)

That’s pretty amazing, too!!!

Let’s read on:

“How could I give you up, Ephraim? How could I hand you over, Israel? How could I treat you like Adama, make you like Zeboim? My heart is turned within me; all my compassion is stirred! I will not act out of the heat of my anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again; for I am God and not a human being; as the Holy One, I am in your midst, and I will not come in fierce anger.” (Hosea 11:8-9)

In this case, God had mercy on Ephraim and on all the people of Israel, but later God did something even more incredible: He became human to take upon Himself the sins of humanity!

This was foretold as follows—by the prophet Habakkuk, incidentally:

“Look among the nations and observe; be amazed and appalled! For I am doing a work in your days—you would not believe it if you were told!” (Habakkuk 1:5)

What is this spectacular work that God has announced here? God became human in the person of Jesus Christ and gave Himself up for us! And God knew in advance that people would have trouble believing this! They were also horrified when Jesus was executed on the cross—when the sinless One paid the penalty for sinners.

On that day, God did not sacrifice us, but Himself for us—out of pure love! And God is still calling every single person to Himself, because He simply cannot do otherwise. God is perfect love personified and loves people.

“God is love; and whoever remains in love remains in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:16)

So how does Jesus’ great deed affect humanity? We find a powerful answer in the prophetic words of the prophet Isaiah (ca. 700 years before Christ), who speaks in the first person about the coming Messiah.

For a better understanding of biblical prophecy: The use of the first-person pronoun “I”—even when referring to someone else—is a standard feature of prophetic speech in the Bible. It is also a distinctive feature of biblical prophecy that the term “Israel” in the following text refers to the person of Jesus Christ. This refers to “the Branch from the root of Israel,” which in turn stands for the Savior (the Messiah). (Isaiah 11:1) Genesis 22:18)

We are now coming to the end of this article. The following text makes it clear that “Israel” (meaning here Jesus Christ, the Branch from the people of Israel) calls the people of Israel to God, but then, far beyond that, is also the hope for all the nations of the earth! How do you personally respond to this call? Everything depends on that—and I mean absolutely everything!

“Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God. And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”(Isajah 49:1-6)

God bless you.