Praise the Lord! Greetings to you all in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Once again, the Lord God has proven His love and faithfulness to us as we all experience His presence, protection, and provision in our lives in one way or other. It is an honor and privilege for us to be under God’s mercy and saving grace. From the Scripture passage He has given us for our SftW meditation this week, which is taken from Exodus 34:6b-7a (mentioned above), we can understand that the Lord who is full of love and faithfulness is compassionate and gracious. His love and faithfulness towards all whose sin, wickedness, and rebellion are forgiven reveals His affection and leniency towards those who are lost, as Moses himself experienced in his life by being part of the blessing God promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-3; 22:17-18; 26:2-6; 28:3-4, 10-15). As God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Lord blessed their descendants immensely and increased their number greatly (Genesis 15:5; 26:4; 28:14) and made them into a great nation even while they were in a foreign land where they were enslaved by their enemy masters, as it is mentioned: … the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them (Exodus 1:6-14; also refer to: Genesis 22:17; 47:27; Exodus 12:37; Deuteronomy 10:22; Psalm 105:24; Acts 7:17). However, as per God’s faithful promise to Abraham (refer: Genesis 15:13-16), He delivered the Israelites from the bondage in Egypt by the hands of Moses and led to Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8-9; 7:1-2; Numbers 12:6-8; 13:27; 14:8; Deuteronomy 18:15; 26:9; Hosea 12:13; Acts 7:30-36). They were excited and overjoyed when they were redeemed and delivered by the Lord, the God of their ancestors, from their bondage in Egypt. They followed Him faithfully praising and worshipping Him. However, as days passed by, that is, during the early stage of their wilderness journey itself, the people who witnessed God’s miraculous power and mighty acts during their deliverance from the power of Egypt rebelled and forsook Him and acted wickedly before Him. Yet, the Lord was compassionate and gracious towards them. Despite them being unfaithful to the Lord the God of their fathers, the Lord remained faithful to them and forgave their wickedness, rebellion, and sin against Him (Exodus 34:6b-7a) and led them to the land He promised to their ancestors – a land flowing with milk and honey (Deuteronomy 26:9; Joshua 5:6; 21:43-45; 23:1-8; 24:13; Jeremiah 32:22).

Prophet Ezekiel also had similar message to pass on as he witnessed God’s love and faithfulness and forgiveness in the later generation of Israelites, which he himself heard in a vision all that God was planning to do for His people:

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice (Ezekiel 34:11-16).

We can understand from all that prophet Ezekiel stated in 34:11-16 that the Lord Himself will do the following for His people [that is, anyone who follows Him faithfully], especially for those who are lost and strayed from His fold:

• • The Lord Himself will search for them (34:11a)
  • The Lord Himself will look after them (34:11b)
  • The Lord Himself will look after His sheep just like a shepherd look after them (34:12a)
  • The Lord Himself will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered (34:12b)
  • The Lord Himself will bring them out from the nations (34:13a)
  • The Lord Himself will gather them from all the countries (34:13b)
  • The Lord Himself will bring them into their own land (34:13c)
  • The Lord Himself will pasture them on the mountains and in the ravines (34:13d)
  • The Lord Himself will help them to be established in the land (34:13e)
  • The Lord Himself will tend them in a good pasture (34:14a)
  • The Lord Himself will tend them on the mountain heights (34:14b)
  • The Lord Himself will lead them to the best grazing land (34:14c)
  • The Lord Himself will help them to lie down under His shadow (34:14d)
  • The Lord Himself will help them to feed in a rich pasture on the mountains (34:14e)
  • The Lord Himself will tend them and have them lie down (34:15a)
  • The Lord Himself will search for the lost ones until He finds them (34:15b)
  • The Lord Himself will bring back the strays to the fold (34:15c)
  • The Lord Himself will bind up the injured (34:15d)
  • The Lord Himself will strengthen the weak (34:15e)
  • The Lord Himself will shepherd the flock with justice (34:15f)

During His earthly ministry, Jesus affirmed that He was sent to the lost sheep of Israel, as Apostle Matthew quoted Jesus’ words: I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24). Luke, the author of the gospel according to Luke, also mentioned that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, as it is mentioned: For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10; also refer to Matthew 4:23; 9:35; 15:24). When Jesus sent His disciple to preach the gospel regarding the Kingdom of God and heal the sick during His earthly ministry, he warned them saying not to go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans (Matthew 10:5; Mark 6:7; Luke 9:1-2). However, God’s love and faithfulness and compassion and grace and mercy and His willingness to forgive wickedness, rebellion, and sin is not only purposed or limited to His chosen people Israel but also it is extended to all the people on earth, as God spoke through prophet Isaiah: It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6; also refer to 42:6; 45:22). Although Jesus was primarily sent to the lost sheep of Israel, in His compassion and mercy He also searched out for all the lost and strayed people in the world, as His desire was to proclaim the gospel to all the people in the world, as He stated: I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent (Luke 4:43; also refer to 8:1; Matthew 4:23; 10:23; Mark 1:38). This indicates that Jesus was not only just sent to the people of Israel but also for the entire human race in the world. The Great Commission also refers to such idea as He commissioned His disciples to go and preach the gospel to all nations, saying: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8). And, He promised His presence to go with us to the very end of the age!

Dear brothers and sisters, as we conclude our SftW meditation this week, let us realize that the Lord whom we worship is a compassionate and gracious and full of love and forgiving God. As He had been so kind and faithful to the people of Israel who had not been so faithful to Him, He is kind and faithful to each one of us though we are not so faithful toward Him. As He has revealed His compassion, kindness, and forgiveness toward us, let us also hold fast unto Him and serve Him faithfully as we submit and surrender our life before Him and live a life worthy of our calling. May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!