The Tenderness of God

March 2

Leviticus 19-20

Psalm 29:1-6

Proverbs 6:32-33

Mark 6:21-56

The Tenderness of Our God

“Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.  Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the afflicted and for the sojourner.  I am Yahweh your God……You shall not curse a deaf man nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God; I am Yahweh….You shall rise up before the gray-haired and honor the aged, and you shall fear your God; I am Yahweh.” 

Leviticus 19:9-10, 14, 32 LSB

God gave the children of Israel the 10 Commandments and then He went on to give them specific instructions about how to deal with a variety of issues.  Many of those instructions dealt with how to treat other people.  God knows human nature.  He knows that we are ultimately selfish and sinful and left to our own desires and preferences we cannot be trusted to always treat others well.  Those who cannot benefit us in any way, who cannot “pay us back,” and who don’t have anything to offer us are at risk of being mistreated and overlooked.  In His tender love and mercy, our God put measures into place to protect them.  Throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament, God makes it clear that He expects His children to care for those who cannot protect themselves.  It is God’s desire that His children would love other people and that we would express that love through actions. 

God made specific provisions for the poor, the disabled, the sick, the widows, and the elderly.  He wants us to be aware of the needs of those around us.  The laws in Leviticus can get pretty tedious to read.  The Pharisees had taken those laws and added more to them.  Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their legalism, but He said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”  Matthew 5:17 LSB  Jesus was trying to make them understand that they were missing the whole point of the Law.  God gave them the laws to teach them how to love Him and love other people.  Instead of helping them love people better, they used the laws to control people and lord it over them.   They followed the law but not out of love, so their actions came across as condescending and obligatory and their giving was done so that others could see and praise them. 

God is tender and compassionate to all, but especially those who are less fortunate and He desires that our hearts are full of love and mercy for them as well.  As we experience the love of God in our lives and grow closer to Him, the natural result will be a heart overflowing with love for others.   That love will lead to generous giving and service to demonstrate that love to others. We will not give out of obligation or a desire to follow the law, but from a grateful heart.