There is no doubt in my mind that God chose the Jewish people to be His favored people. From the time of the covenant with Abraham throughout the years that followed, God has not wavered from His commitment to the Jewish people. But that’s not to say that God’s chosen people haven’t had more than their fair share of heartache, trials and tribulations.
In several of the Psalms, we are told about the “hosad” or merciful lovingkindness of God. When the Jewish people moved away from God, and then reached out to Him in anguish, God was right there honoring His people and helping them to restore their faith in Him. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop them from straying throughout the years and, of course, they cried out again to God who once again came to their rescue. You would think that the people of God would learn that they serve a merciful God; a God who longs for obedience to His word and whose awesome nature is far beyond our feeble ability to comprehend.
While this post is about the Jewish people, let’s not for one minute think that Christians haven’t had similar problems in their relationship with God. This has been a universal problem for generations with every people nation that has interacted with the Father. And while we may remember the tragedy of the Christians and the lions from the early Roman Empire, nothing in history compares to the horror of the massacre of the Jewish people in the concentration camps under Adolph Hitler during WWII. That’s not the only time that people have suffered but it is undoubtedly the most horrific example of pain and suffering ever recorded. From the beginning of time way back in the Garden of Eden, evil has been lurking throughout the world. We don’t know why God allowed these war crimes to occur, but the annihilation of almost uncountable numbers of people under the direction of Hitler will forever be remembered. Who could have even predicted that a person could hold out the hope of totally removing an entire people group from the face of the earth?
It is impossible to know why God let this happen. In biblical accounts of prior times that the people of God have suffered, we are usually given some idea as to why. Whether it was idol worship, disobedience or even exile, the Old Testament gives us unusual insight as to why the Jewish nation suffered – and for that matter, Christians. But with Hitler? Why did God let this happen? And what’s the significance of this tonight?
Well, it was 70 years ago yesterday, April 29th, that Hitler married Eva Braun in the bunker just hours before they ended their lives as Allied forces stormed the area. And on that same day, the concentration camp at Dachau, twelve miles north of Munich, was liberated.
After untold numbers of experiments and death, survivors were rescued from what would have been certain death. Historians have reported that the Allied troops who stormed Dachau were so appalled by the condition of the prisoners that they executed up to 300 German guards and made German residents of the town bury more than 9000 bodies that were in various stages of decomposition. So, in a way, April 29th was the end of another chapter in the relationship between God and His people vs. the power of evil. In the end, God always wins…
The verse for this evening highlights the passion and love of God for His chosen people. We are told, in Hebrews 8:10, “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” My encouragement tonight is that God never gives up on His people and he loves us more that we can ever know. That doesn’t mean that we won’t hit rough spots, but God never disappears. My prayer is that you will have a wonderful relationship with God and that you will never have to face the atrocities that generations before us have had to deal with. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…