October 13, 2011

• We have all been unwise, like a mule, Your commandments we have refused

     
  II Timothy 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 14  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (KJV)

  Psalm 1
  1  Blessed is the man
  who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
  nor stands in the way of sinners,
  nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
  2  but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
  and on his law he meditates day and night.
  3  He is like a tree
  planted by streams of water
  that yields its fruit in its season,
  and its leaf does not wither.
  In all that he does, he prospers.
  4  The wicked are not so,
  but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
  5  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
  nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
  6  for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
  but the way of the wicked will perish.

  Psalm 32:9
  Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
  which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
  or it will not stay near you.

  

  We have all been unwise, like a mule
  Your commandments we have refused

  Fallen into blinding pride, by lust consumed
  Your ancient landmarks we have removed

  Your Word is no longer our soul's delight
  No longer valiant for truth, in our own eyes wise

  We bend out tongues like bows for lies
  Call evil good, put darkness for light

  Every thought of our heart is backsliding
  We walk according to our own devices

  We turned away from goodness and grace
  Spurned the true Vine, the pilgrim's way

  Like sheep we have wandered and gone astray
  Foolish and brutish, insisting on our own evil way

  Walking in the counsel of our own imagination
  In the midst of deceit we have made our habitation

  Running headstrong down the path of utter demise
  Drinking of broken cisterns, how can we be wise?

  Undiscerning, carried about by every wind of doctrine,
  Falling prey to devilish schemes and human cunning

  Children, tossed to and fro, now without a single root
  Brazenly declaring, "We are lords, we will not bow to You."

  Jeremiah 9
  3  They bend their tongue like a bow;
  falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land;
  for they proceed from evil to evil,
  and they do not know me, declares the LORD.
  4  Let everyone beware of his neighbor,
  and put no trust in any brother,
  for every brother is a deceiver,
  and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.
  5  Everyone deceives his neighbor,
  and no one speaks the truth;
  they have taught their tongue to speak lies;
  they weary themselves committing iniquity.
  6  Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit,
  they refuse to know me, declares the LORD.

  
  Amos 2:4  Thus says the LORD:
  
  “For three transgressions of Judah,
  and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
  because they have rejected the law of the LORD,
  and have not kept his statutes,
  but their lies have led them astray,
  those after which their fathers walked.
  
  5  So I will send a fire upon Judah,
  and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”

  Hosea 5:10
  The princes of Judah have become
  like those who move the landmark;
  upon them I will pour out
  my wrath like water.

  We thirst, we wither, groan and languish
  No longer do we prosper and flourish

  "Peace, peace!" was the temptress' promise
  But we found no joy, our souls have no rest

  O, God, to this prodigal place, condescend
  Divine grace pour down, bring us to our senses

  By our adulterous hearts You are crushed
  Your Spirit we have grieved and quenched

  Vile sinners against Your light and love,
  We are unworthy to be called Your sons

  

  Lamentations 5
  15  The joy of our hearts has ceased;
  our dancing has been turned to mourning.
  16  The crown has fallen from our head;
  woe to us, for we have sinned!
  17  For this our heart has become sick,
  for these things our eyes have grown dim,
  18  for Mount Zion which lies desolate;
  jackals prowl over it.
  19  But you, O LORD, reign forever;
  your throne endures to all generations.
  20  Why do you forget us forever,
  why do you forsake us for so many days?
  21  Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored!
  Renew our days as of old—
  22  unless you have utterly rejected us,
  and you remain exceedingly angry with us.

  Hosea 6:4
  What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
  What shall I do with you, O Judah?
  Your love is like a morning cloud,
  like the dew that goes early away.

  Our love is as the dew that goes away early
  Your love steadfast, enduring throughout eternity

  Our righteousness is as filthy garments
  Your righteousness pure, undefiled, spotless

  Our way is crooked, vain and stumbling
  Your way straight, profitable, humbling

  We have been plundered, seized as spoil
  You are goodness, wheat, wine and oil

  O, Lord, we confess we have been rebellious
  Flame of Jehovah, for Your name be zealous

  Out of Egypt, You did call us
  O, God, how can You give us up?

  You drew us with bands of love
  O, God, how can You give us up?

  We are as untrained calves
  You are our Passover Lamb

  Divine justice pronounces, "Burn them!"
  But Your mercy yearns, "How can I spurn!"

  But for Your grace, we would be as Sodom and Gomorrah
  If You had not left a very small remnant – utterly destroyed

  Hosea 11
  8  How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
  How can I hand you over, O Israel?
  How can I make you like Admah?
  How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
  My heart recoils within me;
  my compassion grows warm and tender.
  9  I will not execute my burning anger;
  I will not again destroy Ephraim;
  for I am God and not a man,
  the Holy One in your midst,
  and I will not come in wrath.
  10  They shall go after the LORD;
  he will roar like a lion;
  when he roars,
  his children shall come trembling from the west;
  11  they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
  and like doves from the land of Assyria,
  and I will return them to their homes, declares the LORD.

  Chasten us, and we will be chastened.
  Discipline us, and we will be disciplined.
  Humble us, and we will be humbled.
  Break us, and we will be broken.
  Wash us, and we will be washed.
  Circumcise us, and we will be circumcised.
  Breathe upon us, and we will breathe.
  Quicken us, and we will be quickened.
  Revive us, and we will be revived.
  Turn us, and we will be turned.
  Lead us, and we will be led.
  Return us, and we will return.
  Gather us, and we will be gathered.
  Restore us, and we will be restored.
  Reform us, and we will be reformed.
  Renew us, and we will be renewed.
  Satisfy us, and we will be satisfied.
  Rejoice us, and we will rejoice.

  Jeremiah 31
  9  With weeping they shall come,
  and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back,
  I will make them walk by brooks of water,
  in a straight path in which they shall not stumble,
  for I am a father to Israel,
  and Ephraim is my firstborn.
  10  “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
  and declare it in the coastlands far away;
  say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,
  and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’
  11  For the LORD has ransomed Jacob
  and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
  12  They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
  and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD,
  over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
  and over the young of the flock and the herd;
  their life shall be like a watered garden,
  and they shall languish no more.
  13  Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
  and the young men and the old shall be merry.
  I will turn their mourning into joy;
  I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
  14  I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance,
  and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,
  declares the LORD.”
  15  Thus says the LORD:
  “A voice is heard in Ramah,
  lamentation and bitter weeping.
  Rachel is weeping for her children;
  she refuses to be comforted for her children,
  because they are no more.”
  16  Thus says the LORD:
  “Keep your voice from weeping,
  and your eyes from tears,
  for there is a reward for your work,
  declares the LORD,
  and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
  17  There is hope for your future,
  declares the LORD,
  and your children shall come back to their own country.
  18  I have heard Ephraim grieving,
  ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined,
  like an untrained calf;
  bring me back that I may be restored,
  for you are the LORD my God.
  19  For after I had turned away, I relented,
  and after I was instructed, I slapped my thigh;
  I was ashamed, and I was confounded,
  because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’
  20  Is Ephraim my dear son?
  Is he my darling child?
  For as often as I speak against him,
  I do remember him still.
  Therefore my heart yearns for him;
  I will surely have mercy on him,
  declares the LORD.

  
  Divine Justice said, Make them as Admah; set them as Zeboim; but Mercy said, How shall I do it? Hos. xi. 8,9.
  
  

  ~ Matthew Henry on Isaiah 1:9

  Do you understand the grievous offense it is to our holy God to turn away, even in the smallest point, even in the thoughts and intents of the deepest recesses of your heart, from the Word of God and walk in your own way?

  
  Hebrews 4:11  Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

  Saturday, September 22 [1739]. Underwent inexpressible agonies of soul for two or three days, at the remembrance of my sins, and the bitter consequences of them. All the while I was assured God has forgiven me; but I could not forgive myself for sinning against so much light and love. I felt something for that which Adam felt when turned out of Paradise; David, when he was convicted of adultery; and Peter, when with oaths and curses he had thrice denied his Master. At length, my Lord looked upon me, and with that look broke my rocky heart, and I wept bitterly. When in this condition, I wondered not at Peter's running so slowly to the sepulchre, when loaded with the sense of his sin. Were I always to see myself such a sinner as I am, and as I did then, without seeing the Saviour of sinners, I should not be able to look up.

  ~ from "George Whitefield's Journals"

  
  Have you begun know in a real sense the extent of your sinfulness in light of the breadth and length and depth and height of God's love, mercy and grace for you in the Lord Jesus Christ?
  

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  Related:

  What is Biblical mourning? (Ash Wednesday)
  Biblical mourning, assurance and false guilt
  Martyn Lloyd-Jones: Why the Cross? Part 1-The Exceeding Sinfulness of Sin
  Things to Look for in a Church: Humility before God leading to confession, repentance & fruits worthy of repentance
  Lenten Reflections: "all that is talked about the sufferings of Jesus" (Joseph Hart)
  Bible Reading: Lamentations 1:12-Is His Sacrifice nothing to you?
  "I thirst! I thirst!" Whitefield's experience of joy (letter 51 on assurance & fighting for joy)
  Dear children | Hosea 2:5 For their mother hath played the harlot
  Dealing with past sins & guilt: God's good gift of guilt
  sin's cold deception, my Father's warm reception
  the lost treasures of Christianity & the call to pray for revival (Bible reading: Ezra 1)
  never underestimate the prowling lion
  dedication 2010 (reflections on God's Word & God's grace)
  postcards from England: "The Burden for Revival" (ML-J)
  Postcards from England: do you care?
  postcards from England: we're never to give way to false gospels
  Keep your heart with diligence, Take heed, beware the little foxes
  Resolved to be abandoned to God's will
  God's Love in Christ Freely Electing ~ Shall we break Your commands again?
  "Going up?" | Discernment: "God's Breath ~ world's breaths" | my calling
  Two Fountains ~ Where are you drinking? What is flowing? Don't waste your drinking!
  Are you really Mine?
  What is a nominal Christian?
  Half a heart, half a heart (How long? If the LORD is God, follow Him)
  When I fed them to the full ~ Jeremiah 5:7
  His seed (If ye be Christ's ~ He came seeking fruit)
  Blessed Be God for His Kindness Which Leads Us to Repentance
  I asked to know Your love
  Letter 7 on assurance and fighting for joy (remember His love for us while we were sinners)
  Letter 25 on assurance and fighting for joy (a strong craving ≠ His joy)
  true repentance leads to joy (Letter 37 on assurance & fighting for joy)
  

  Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  Photo credit: Juancito found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Juancito.jpg | PD

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