“Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.” (Hosea 3:5)
The sincerity of our repentance is shown by the depth and fervor of our renewed seeking of God. “For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter” (2 Cor. 7:11). What fear? Fear of God and His goodness.
The mercy and goodness of God that leads us to repentance is not to be received lightly. With it comes the expectation that we will bring forth fruit that befits true surrender to God. Because God is good and merciful does not mean He is no longer a God of judgment, whose wrath is “revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18).
When Israel forsook God and His commandments and entered into an adulterous relationship with the gods of the surrounding nations, the judgment of captivity fell upon them. But in His goodness and mercy, the Lord led a chastened people back to their inheritance to worship Him anew. Much to Ezra’s chagrin, instead of loving and honoring God all the more for His goodness, many who were restored chose once again to flout His commands.
“And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?” (Ezra 9:13,14)
God looked toward a day when His people would return to Him fully, seek Him wholly, and worship Him truly. They would not only fear Him, but fear His goodness. God forbid we despise the goodness He shows us. He chastens those He loves to bring us to repentance and mercy; but once back, He tells us to “go and sin no more” – lest a worse thing come upon us. To whom much is given, much is expected.