In this verse, God proclaims His graciousness and, "…when God commands us to return to the right way, our hearts would never be touched, nay, they would on the contrary turn away, had we no hope that he would be reconciled to us. This course the Prophet now pursues, when in the person of God himself he promises pardon, provided [His people] repented…It is an evidence of perverseness, when men answer that they see not that they have erred, and that hence conversion is to no purpose required of them; for this is the meaning of these words, 'Whereby shall we return?' that is, 'What dost thou require from us? for we are not conscious of any defection; we worship God as we ought…let him show in what we have offended; for conversion to him is superfluous, until we be proved guilty of apostasy, or of those sins which God determines to punish in us.'" – John Calvin |