God found the only way possible to save his people. That was not going to happen with the judges model. That was not working, and so he said, I will save you no more. He became weary of this system of leadership. And the system of leadership by human kings didn’t work either. And so he, the good King, did the most amazing thing by coming into the flesh himself. He came very close, in his Son, to deliver those who were in bondage to sin. Yes, when God became impatient over the misery of his people, he sent the deliverer, out of an abundance of mercy.

Jesus Christ came. And he gave his heart completely to his God. He communed in prayer regularly with his God. And there was no false piety coming from his mouth. There was no bargaining with God, Deliver me because I am such a faithful servant of yours. No, Christ went all the way to the cross. Salvation from God was finally secured when his very own Son gave up his life. On the cross, instead of crying out to his God to deliver him from the most intense misery, he suffered in silence, only crying out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you absent? Why are you silent? Christ had to be forsaken, to pay for the sins of his people who had forsaken God.

And having died for our sins, Christ rose from the grave, to give to all who repent and believe a new heart, which desires real fellowship with God.

So we are to find life in the Saviour, who like his Father is not safe, not tame. He’s the one who said, “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Real faith, real salvation, and real repentance can be seen in the fruits it produces in one’s life. God is no mere bomb shelter in times of emergency. But he is a God who is a strong tower, who in Christ gives us safety, gives us life.