Have you been provocatively tempted lately to slam the door on your son or daughter, whether biological or spiritual? Hold it there! Don’t slam that door.
Often, the people we love do not measure up to our expectations. You have advised, interceded, admonished, chastised, etc., yet it seems your efforts are not yielding positive fruits. You are, therefore, tempted to slam the door. You want to shut him or her out. No. Do not take that decision.
There is a parallel in the Scriptures
1 Samuel 12 – The Israelites had sinned against God by asking for a king, when God was their King. Samuel presented their faults to them when he was commissioning the king they chose. Samuel gave the indictment:
“Now stand here and see the great thing the LORD is about to do. You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the LORD to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the LORD for a king!”
So, Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the LORD and of Samuel. “Pray to the LORD your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.” (verses 16-18).
But, God did not slam the door. When the people realized how much they had offended God, and Samuel, being aware of the tendency for Israel to drift further in despondency and self-condemnation, Samuel admonished them not to drift further.
“Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the LORD with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! The LORD will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the LORD to make you his very own people.” (verses 20-22).
For the Children of God, the admonition is – do not give up on yourself and drift further into ungodliness; instead return to God irrespective of how much you have drifted; He will never give up on you. Come back!
In this story God modelled fatherhood. A faithful father does not give up on his children irrespective of their failures. So, do not slam that door!
So, why did God slam the door in the days of Noah?
Yes, God Himself shut the door of the Ark, but that situation is different. In the days of Noah God shut the door to those who rejected Him. Gen.6:11-13 reads,
“Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. So, God said to Noah, ‘I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!’”
“This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.” (Gen.6:1).
“That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons … then the LORD closed the door behind them.” (Gen.6:13-16).
In judgment God saved the righteous man and his family, and shut the Ark against the unrighteous; but, in 1 Samuel 12 God was dealing with His Children, those whom He has chosen. Samuel said,
“The LORD will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the LORD to make you his very own people.” (1 Samuel 12:22).
Is God Partial?
You may say God is partial. No, He is not. There is a difference between those who have deliberately rejected the Word of God and those who, although have come to God, still struggle with sins and unfaithfulness. The former category are not members of God’s family, but the later category are God’s Children.
God is compassionate toward His Children even if they stumble. God’s love cry to all His Children who are struggling with sin and unfaithfulness is, Do Not Drift Further! Come back!!
No matter how far you have drifted, return to God today. No matter how sinful you are; no matter how wicked you have been, do not turn your back on God, rather, return. God will not slam the door on you.
The same admonition goes to every father, mother, spiritual leader, and everyone else who is in a mentoring position. If you have been tempted to walk away and slam the door, rescind that decision. Do not slam the door.
I pray for everyone who would read this and find it applicable. For everyone who has drifted and are about to fall over the cliff, I pray that God would grant you the heart to turn around and return to the Lord your Saviour; and for everyone who is about to slam the door, I pray that the Lord would strengthen your spirit and grant you the grace to love your own to the end.
Amen.