Whenever

Psalm 78:34-37 (GNT):  “Whenever he killed some of them, the rest would turn to him; they would repent and pray earnestly to him.  They remembered that God was their protector, that the Almighty came to their aid.  But their words were all lies; nothing they said was sincere.  They were not loyal to him; they were not faithful to their covenant with him.”

Why is it that we try to push everything to the limit to see how far we can go and get by with it?  Simple everyday occurrences in our lives prove that we do this – often.   

We talk about the importance of law and order, yet get indignant when someone passes us speeding. We ourselves will drive over the speed limit – just enough so that if we “get clocked”, we can “get by” without being pulled over and ticketed.  Is their 10 mph over the speed limit truly worse than our 5 mph over? After all, the law is the law.  

We talk about the behavior of other people’s children/grandchildren, yet we will allow our own children/grandchildren to push us to the limit before enforcing the rules and/or punishment – if then.  (“You better stop that!” we shout – possibly even repeatedly; or, when the bad behavior does not stop we may shout, “Okay, I am counting to 3!”  Yet we often just continue to ignore the bad behavior without doing anything – it’s “easier” that way.)

We talk about how other people poorly manage their money and waste it on unnecessary items, yet we will turn around and go spend our own money on something equally unnecessary for ourselves.  Does it truly make a difference that maybe they have less money than we do – that we can afford it, if we’re buying something frivolous?  We all have wants and needs – I guess it is all in how we look at things, right?

We wait until we see the flashing lights and hear the siren; or, until our children get into some kind of trouble; or, until we have no money to pay our bills before we finally wake up and recognize the consequences of our actions.  (Remember, there are always consequences for our actions – whether those actions are good or bad.)

So why, when we read Bible passages like the one above, do we shake our heads and wonder: Why were those Israelites always pushing God to His limit?  How could they possibly behave that way, with all He did for them?

Verse 34 starts with the word “Whenever”, seeming to indicate that they waited until the potential consequences became evident.  Then they would seek Him, remembering who and what He was in their lives.  But even then, their actions/reactions/words were just coming from their minds and their mouths – not from their hearts.

How much like those rebellious Israelites we are!  God has certainly done no less for us than He did for them!  After all, He sent His own Son to die and save each and every one of us!  Although when we fall short and fall into sin, we too can talk a good story – but, many times, just like those Israelites, it is only from our minds and our mouths, not our hearts.  We grieve Him as relentlessly as the Israelites did – yet He continues to love us deeply and mercifully.  Doesn’t He deserve better from us?  

Let us not wait for that “Whenever” moment to show up and cause us regret.  We should prayerfully and with a deep conviction do better each day, trying to live our lives for His glory, thankful for each and every good thing we have in our lives because of His love and mercy.  

Karran Martin – September 28, 2018

Revised August 16, 2025

[All bold emphasis is mine]