22The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the LORD, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.
Anytime the LORD brings some kind of judgment He wants repentance to be the result. Even in the middle of judgment, the Lord wants repentance more than vengeance. That is so different that what I typically want. When I am in full-rage mode, almost nothing can stop me. I want to get even. I will even ignore the pleas for mercy. At least that is what we see portrayed in the movies, when the bad guy finally gets his due. Mercy is not one of the traits that we see portrayed by Hollywood. One movie I love is Les Miserables. It portrays grace in action. I shows the power of forgiveness to transform a life, a community and the hearts of others. The main character is a hardened criminal who is released after 19 years of hard labor. He is transformed by the grace given him. I don’t want to spoil the plot, so I will stop. It is a must see movie. The antagonist is very different. I am more like him than I wish to admit. He wants to get the main character in the worst way. He is driven by a blind obedience to the law. He does not believe change is possible in the heart of an individual. The LORD knows that people can repent and change. Of course, He can see a person’s heart and know if they have really repented. We have to watch action and attitude over time in order to determine if the heart has been changed. And even then, we can’t be sure. Only the LORD knows for sure if the heart has been changed.
The Arnold Journey 