Why Me?

This week we have been reading through Jeremiah, the so-called “weeping prophet.” Fairly morose, yes? Not the life of the party exactly.

He grew up in a time of serious decline in Israel, and his job was to tell Israel why. Not a lot of applicants for that gig. This is a man that was hated all of his life, for the sake of warning men and women to repent and obey God, that they might live.

Thus, as his lot in life is to be someone who speaks hard truth, his life is hard. Extremely hard. How many of us would like to have all of our family hate us because of what we believe? Yet, if Jeremiah would remain on God’s side, that is where he must land.

So we could understand him if he felt a little “why me” ish, couldn’t we? This is a popular theme in the old testament, isn’t it? Job defends himself, telling God that He is in the wrong. David, in many psalms, asks the question “why don’t you take away my enemies now?” In the prophets we will hear that as being the popular question, “why are you doing this to us?” Or the very American “why God?”

My pastor mentioned this “why me” theme in a sermon several weeks ago. He mentioned that many men in the old testament say or mean “why me, God?” in the non-grateful way. And yet, in the new testament, only one person says why me. Guess who? Or rather, guess Who. Only the Savior, as He hangs in torment upon the cross. All other men in the new testament (and it follows that it should be true for us) understand that they have no place asking God such a question any more. God has answered that question with a much more potent question; much, much more powerful. He says to us, “why My Son?”

In complete humility we must answer each one of us, “it, it was my sin, Sir.” And He is not outraged at those who take refuge in Jesus, is He?

Suddenly, not so much appears to be that hard for us. This is where we must differ from our friend Jeremiah. He knew only a shadow and an idea. We have seen and have come to know the risen Son and Sacrifice! Our joy must not be like Jeremiah’s (that would be nearly absent), but rather, full and overflowing.

Oh, yeah. We’re talking about real life, aren’t we? Ideally, joy would be that way. But you say, “I’m just not there.” “I have so many problems.” “My father in law just passed away, and I don’t think he was saved.” “My cousin is in a coma from a car accident.” “I had a really hard time in school or basic training or whatever else.” “My marriage is rough, maybe even all but over.” It’s nice to talk about the good things of God, but do they really change us?

Romans 12 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That is not speaking of being born again, but rather of being made more holy on our pre-purchased journey. How much do you meditate on the Substitution of Jesus? How much do you think about hell? How much do you really think about the grand excellencies of Jesus? Is it good to be a Christian today?

Or do you just grumble on your way to work in traffic?
Joy must be a mark of a Christian (see Galatians 5:22). How do you show it? How can you improve? I can think of many ways that I must improve. It is very good to be a Christian today.

One final mention. If you have the question, “have I really been born again?” then you do in fact have a legitimate question that needs to be dealt with. All others pale next to this one. “Do I really believe Him?” Time is short. All of our deaths are only next door. Are you sure? Eternity is very long to be mistaken in. There is no sin in examining your faith, to see if it be genuine. Rather, it is a command:

2 Cor. 13:5 “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”

Shame Full

Now you may think this a bit odd, as I am a single fella, but this week it was brought to my mind that we are being given an intimate look into God’s “personal life”. There are some parts of marriage that are sacred, and are not shared with others (say no if I am wrong you married people). The intimate wooings between lovers are not to be shared, or demonstrated to others. How many married people would like a up close and personal camera shot into their intimacies? I can imagine very few, especially those who are passionately involved.

How about when you have an argument? Who wants the world to see an argument between you and your spouse? Let’s add unfaithfulness—adultery as the Bible calls it. Would you want that shared? Not that you have been unfaithful, but that they have been unfaithful to you. They are finding love somewhere else; you are not good enough for them. How about now? Do you want the world to come see your shame, your insecurities? You hang your head in shame; isn’t it time to be alone? You certainly would feel that way. You would probably want to throw up.

Now bring into mind the words God uses to bring back Israel :”Whom did you dread and fear, so that you lied, and did not remember me, did not lay it to heart? Have I not held my peace, even for a long time, and you do not fear me?” (Isaiah 57:11). Isaiah 43:22— "Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel!” Isaiah 43:24— “You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.” This is only the tip of the iceberg. The graphic stuff will come later, much in Ezekiel and Hosea by illustration.

God has chosen in the Old Testament for Israel to be His chosen people, His bride. And the prophets display the shame of God’s devotion to her. He does no wrong, but His alliance to her heaps her shame upon Himself.

And now He claims the Church as His bride. Yet every member brings a load of shame to the relationship. God just loves unconditionally, right? He can just forgive and forget? Isn’t that just what He does? Being God= being forgiving?

Nope. Being holy= no shame allowed into the Holy One’s presence. God does forgive us conditionally, and that condition is better than if it were “unconditional.” He doesn’t forgive Israel or the Church/us just as we are, but rather loves us just as we are—in Christ! He is the spiritual Shame-Bearer. The world (mostly the spiritual right now) stares at the grossness of our sin, and God displays His unexaggeratable love and humbleness toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He has borne our shame, guilt, and punishment and having gone to the lowest place, is yet the Highest of all.

Sovereignty and Goodness

Have you seen the view of God that Isaiah has? As we got to around chapter 40, the look at God's sovereignty really began to intensify. He is the One "declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that have not been done" (46:10). That section of Isaiah is one of the best in the Bible for displaying the sovereignness of God. He moves all things according to His plans and purposes.

And He is good.

Hard to believe in a world full of sin, isn't it sometimes? God being both fully good and kind, and yet fully in control and power-full. Does that challenge you? I know it challenges me. It seems easy to say it is one or the other, at least logically. If God is good, then certainly He cannot do anything He wants because sin exists, and He can't like sin. Or God is in full control, but doesn't really dislike sin all that much. The first one seems much more common in the modern U.S.

But Isaiah shows us that He is in fact completely sovereign. And at the same time, His constant pleadings with Israel and later with us display that He is good too. And since He does not sin nor can He, we must conclude that He is fully good. And fully in control. Whether that makes good sense to us logically--or not. I fall on the "or not" side. I don't understand, but I believe. I don't understand fully, at least. But I grow in grace and knowledge as you do, and so we get to know Him better.

It is really good He gave us a Bible to find Him out, isn't it?!

A Call to God

As we will be in the prophets for a good amount of time, it would be wise to understand the basic purpose of a prophet. Last time the call away from sin was focused upon. But we must remember that a call away from sin is a call to something, not just a “don’t do this” sort of statement.

Isaiah 17:10 says: “For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge.” This statement is in a prophecy to the capital of Syria, Damascus, but it corresponds to much other prophecy. It is not just that these nations have gone after sin, but that they have rejected their Creator.

There was an insert in the church bulletin I received this week. A fellow named Guy Dowd (a teacher presumably) was quoted as saying, “What shocked me most was that so many of the students wrote about being lonely. I thought peer pressure and drugs were the most significant problems, but the student who wrote, ‘I feel so alone, like there is no one I can talk to,’ voiced the sentiments of a majority of students in my class.”

That is a sad statement. And though most people do not feel the weight of their greatest problem—being sin—they do feel the longing for what the solution to that problem brings. We ache to be in deep relationships. But our culture is definitely pro-shallow relationships. Beauty is the highest virtue for women, outward success is what is valued in men. We watch TV and live through other peoples’ lives because we have none of our own. Not really, at least. And certainly not what we ache for.

I have heard it said that salvation was made for man, and so it is. Salvation is man-shaped. Not that it is fashioned after a man’s design, but that the Savior has shaped it to fit us just right. He has created us for fellowship and friendships, deep ones. And through the Gospel He grants us forgiveness to the highest of relationships, fellowship with God the Father and His Son, Jesus. And He gives us freedom from guilt, and an opportunity to pursue humility—which opens the door to real, not surfacy or fake, friendships.

God was merciful to my family this week, as all of my immediate family was given the blessing of getting together—even Bobby came in from Kuwait. What a rich blessing it is for a family to live together in unity! But before God took the initiative in my family it was not this way. Not that it is free from all contention; it still has many ways to improve. But the fragrance of God is there, and where once contention ruled, my brothers and I get along and enjoy one another’s company. I could go on and on with recounts of God’s mercy toward us, but this is getting long. And many of you can see the kindnesses of God on your lives. But we can see the gaps, holes, and aches that sin has left in our relationships.

O I charge you, pray for your families! God loves to display Himself through His kindness to us in relationships. And they all point back to that great relationship, the one God called Israel and many other nations to, and the one He calls you to—the one with Him. Not to His good things, but to Him personally. The Bible is not a book to tell us how to live firstly. It is a book about God, and through His Spirit we can move from Book-knowledge to heart and life-knowledge of Him as a Person.

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3