I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly and to break my covenant with them: for I am the lord, their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.
The statements that come before are the curses that will come upon the Jewish people if they veer off the path and live a disgraceful life full of deceit, choosing not to follow the commandments.
God just got finished saying how he is going to destroy us if we don’t observe the commandments and then immediately afterwards promises not to abandon his people; which one is it?!
I think the answer is yes and!
When we don’t observe God’s commandments, when we don’t follow the rules of our homes and of the land–or rules in general–there are consequences which we must accept. This isn’t God choosing to punish us and this isn’t abandonment, this is a reaction to our actions. If we don’t punish our children when they act out, we create chaos and anarchy. It’s by teaching our children that actions have consequences and the greater the crime the greater the punishment, that our children can learn. Most importantly, don’t blame the punisher, blame ourselves for acting out and veering off the path.
The second part is perhaps the greatest lesson for us.
God is saying that no matter what, even if it seems your actions warrant abandonment, I will never abandon you. I’m right here when you choose to come back, I always have space for you, and this home is your home.
This is a powerful lesson to us who are parents. Sometimes, unfortunately we have to ask our children to leave our homes as punishment, which may seem fierce. Yet always and no matter what, we must show our children a way back and let them know if they clean up their act we are here, we are never leaving them, and that we love them no matter what. Unconditional love doesn’t mean unconditional support, it actually means the opposite. It’s much easier to just give in, to ignore and not hold others accountable; it’s by holding them accountable and most importantly, showing them a way back that we show real love.
Let’s reject the notion of rejection. Let’s remind ourselves that yes, we must repay our loans and pay for our indiscretions, yet that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way back, or what we are not wanted or loved.
