Josiah’s reforms lead the people back to worshiping the Lord. But God did not prevent them from experiencing the consequences of their generations of sin.
God is gracious. God forgives. And in Christ we can be certain of our salvation. But we need to be careful not to take that grace for granted. Even though God forgives, sin often still has consequences.
If I lie to a friend, God will forgive me; that friend may forgive me too. But I will have a hard time re-gaining that person’s trust. And if we sin, repent, sin, repent, repeatedly, God can still forgive; but we may be hardening our hearts and making it that much easier to sin and that much harder to repent.
We need to be careful not to take sin lightly. Fortunately, God not only can forgive us for our sins; He can also help us to overcome temptation and avoid sin.
Thank You, Lord, for Your grace. May I not take it for granted.