“they shall bear their punishment” (44:12)
The context of this passage concerns the Levites. When God renews and restores Israel, the Levites will once again serve the Lord and the people, but with one major restriction. “They shall not come near to Me, to serve Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things and the things that are most holy, but they shall bear their shame and the abominations that they have committed” (44:13). Because the Levites served the idols just as they had served God, they lost this privilege even when God restores them.
Forgiveness of sin does not include removal of consequences! This is a truth that is commonly misunderstood. When God saves us and forgives us, the penalty, guilt, and condemnation of our sin are totally removed. In that respect, it is as if we had never sinned. However, the consequences of our sin most often remain. Sin destroys and disrupts. Sin leaves scars. God does not remove the decay or the scars. When we sow sin, we will reap its harvest. That does not mean God has not forgiven. It only means sin, whether forgiven or not, has consequences.
Why does God not remove the consequences of our actions as well? Only the Lord knows the reasons for each individual sinner, but one could guess at least two reasons. First, leaving us in the consequences of our sin reminds us that sin is terribly horrible. It helps deter us from further sin or adopting a sinful view of Christianity that allows us to live as we please! Second, leaving us in the consequences of our sin reminds us that the Lord is gracious! We reason, how did we get in this mess? Sin. What happened to the sin? It was forgiven and removed. How? Grace!
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