"And his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel"

"And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel" (Judges 10:16).

In the book of Judges you'll find a recurring cycle. The cycle that is repeated over and over again among the Israelites is apostasy, oppression, penitence and deliverance. Although this cycle occurred repeatedly and God did judge them severely at times, he did not give up on His people. When the Israelites repented of their sin, the Heart of God would grieve (break) over the oppression from their enemies, which was the consequence of their own sin. And as a result of God’s merciful heart; He raised up a deliverer.

When others are bearing the consequences of their sin, has your attitude ever been, "Well, it serves them right" or "They're getting what they deserve?" God forbid! When others are suffering because of their sinful choices we should not rejoice over that—we should not find satisfaction at the misery of others. We should grieve and pray that the consequences of the sinful choices of others would bring about repentance and restoration. I'm so glad that God is not like me. How about you?

The Apostle John wrote, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:1-2). Thank God for our faithful advocate and merciful Savior Jesus Christ.