eating gravel...

It is difficult for those of us who have such a clear "whole counsel" of God, meaning both the NT & OT Scriptures to know God and hear from God as a loving, forgiving, merciful God to read the likes of Jeremiah's cry in Lamentations 3-5, today's Life Journal devotional. Jeremiah describes his own personal experience with a very angry God. He goes into detail of God Himself starving him, aging him, binding him and even force feeding him gravel. The detailed touchier inflicted by Yaweh is very difficult to swallow, let alone read. But all Scripture is inspired and inherent, needed in order to guide us and teach us His Divine will and plan for our lives. Imagine if a parent never showed anger and frustration towards the continual rebellion of a child. We would wonder why this parent is so enabling, babysitting ongoing destructive behavior that will claim the life of the child. Most of us would believe that this parent first of all does not understand their rightful role and responsibility in this child's life. Secondly, we would come to the conclusion that ultimately this parent really does not love this child. Love, we are told, covers a multitude of sins. But love does not enable ongoing, self-destructive behavior. It intervenes. It corrects. It disciplines. It punishes. Lamentations (to lament, mourn) is the cry of a prophets heart in a time of severe Divine discipline in the lives of all his children. Some would say this proves that God has an "angry side," as if he somewhat struggles with mood swings. I do admit that this portion of Scripture is very graphic, very pain-filled in its description of God's discipline methods, but what is God trying to say through His Word?

We know according the "whole counsel" of God, that His Love has no limits. So God is not saying, "OK, that's it, you've crossed the line. I no longer love you, as a matter of fact I hate you and wish you were dead!" God is love! He cannot separate Himself from His own true nature. In other words, God is Himself, all the time. I've often taught, "God is just, and God just is." His existence exudes His entire nature continually. This means there is grace and mercy in His hatred of sin. I hear often people say, "Love the sinner, hate the sin." I believe Lamentations and other portions of Scripture found in a lot of apocalyptic literature in the Bible, teaches us God's everlasting love for his people, but His utter distaste of sin. His harsh dealings with sinners, is not a statement of His hatred and non-tolerance of His people, but it is a statement of His non-tolerance of sin, because it separates, it tears apart His desired relationship with His children. John does a great job in his first epistle teaching us to have the same hatred towards sin and to be sure to utilize the tools of confession and repentance once we are convicted of such sin. We too should have a non-tolerance, a "gravel" grit view of such things overtly remaining in our lives. This is because of sins eventual sole outcome, death. We are told in Scripture that it is a horrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry, jealous God. Lamentations is a declaration of the existence of such a Divine jealousy.

My response to this mornings devotional is to simply confess and repent. Have a more Biblical view of sin, rather than this evolved cultural view of sin, which seems to exalt self-enabling and a "giving in" and "giving up" of some sorts concerning our choices, decisions and behavior that separates us from Him and ultimately leads to destruction. In Lamentations I have images of dust flying, gravel flinging and torture... these are the reality of a life that continues to rebel and resists the call to live justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.

I realize that we are all sinners. The Bible is clear on that. But we don't have to choose to continually ignore the work of the Holy Spirit, convicting us and drawing us to repentance. We don't have to "Love" the sin in our lives and the separation from God. Jesus Christ took full responsibility on the Cross for our sins. In Him, we can be free from our sin, not enable or babysit our sin.

What darkness have you enabled in your life? What today do you need to repent of? Are we today going to choose to eat the Word, or to eat gravel? The choice is ours. Taste and see that the Lord is so good. I may have eaten some gravel in my life-time due to the rebellious nature in my heart, but God help me to never acquire a taste for it.