God's Repentance

God’s Repentance

7/5/18

Sometimes we have problems with certain words and their usage or we do not fully understand the meaning of the word itself.  Whatever the issue may be it is important that we learn how to use our language or original texts in order for us to grasp the entire content of the word or group of words that an author is using.  The Word of God is no exception to this study and there can be no more important book that needs to be studied that the Bible.  There can be no doubt that its content can be confrontational and this subject today is an example of such orientation, for God is in repentance but it is not as one would read about or think about.  This action of His is a true representation and definition of the word repent and it is how we should take and live under the word for it is a word that we throw around and not adhere to which when we do such atrocity we open doors of great magnitude for our enemy.  We need to truly repent and to stop our sinful actions before God ends this rest period and must show His children unique discipline.

All of us have pushed our parents to the brink at some point in our lives, I know that I tested those waters many times over the years and I must say that a part of my adult life needs to be included in those years.  My parents did an excellent job of raising my brother and I and their guidance and leadership were extraordinary for they had a great Teacher that provided their example to us.  However, there were times that I did not always understand or agree with what they were saying and when those times arrived I reacted according to what was in my life and reflected that attitude with great pride.  I never once stopped and thought about what I had done to make them give their warnings, try to teach me of my errors, or just advise me about life questions and situations, rather I chose to react and to argue my point without any true definition or heart of change.  Most times I had my heart set on what I did as being done and nothing could change that so we must move on and forget about things.  What a death concept I had for I learned that if one does things wrong and does not correct that mistake I would make the same mistake again but the next time I did it would be of a greater magnitude and if continued in this pattern could end up very costly. 

How many times have we called God “our Father” or have cried out to Him as Abba Father” over the course of our lives?  Do we not understand the relationship we have with God and how much He is a part of our lives whether we believe it or not?  How can we sit and talk about God and show Him off to others yet not believe that He is our eternal Father and overall Creator of our existence?  If we say or claim that He is such a figure then we better know that He has every legal authority to see fit to bless us or to judge us, but for some reason we like to keep Him at arm’s length and to try and hide our hearts from Him believing that He will not care or see what we are doing.  Funny, Adam and Eve believed that as well and look what it produced in their lives.  To obey a parent actually means to have direct and constant communication with them for if we don’t then that line of protection and belief in that parent will eventually wane and if not fixed be severed.

The definition of repentance comes from the verb repent.  The definition of the word repent according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is as follows: to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life.  This definition is not a complex one but none the less one that shoots straight and mixes no words about.  Repentance means that we recognize the way that we are doing something, then completely stop the motion and then turn away from such patterns and/or beliefs.  In truth, we must be careful about the entire picture here because the word repentance can be used in such a manner to render what we call in the Christian world backsliding for it becomes apparent that backsliding is present when our repentance status no longer exists in our lives.  To put the importance of such word and condition into perspective we must consider that God is defined by His Word and if He ever withdraws from His Word then He will not be in repentance, do we see the importance of the condition and word now?  It may seem like a contradictory statement and claim but if we know the true nature of God we will have no problem identifying with why God lives in such a manner for if He did not, all of us would have been wiped off the face of the earth so very long ago.

In Exodus 32:11-14 we have a good idea of what God was up to when He began His repentance period.  When we study this passage of Scripture we find that Moses is in direct communication with God and the two are having a conversation concerning the children of Israel and their behavior while wandering in the desert.  At the beginning of this chapter, we find that the people have become bored while waiting for God and Moses to finish their stint together, more specifically they were growing tired of Moses not coming down and explaining what had been said.  In other words, it was like sitting in a waiting room of a hospital and waiting to hear news of a loved one who is in surgery and the procedure should have been completed over two hours before.  And while we may slightly curse the hospital staff for not providing information more on a sound timeline, the people took matters into their own hands and began making foolish choices concerning their anxiousness by desiring to build an idol to appease their appetite for exaltation and self-gratification.  What is most fascinating about this setting is that it was the idea of Aaron who gave in and proclaimed the construction of the golden calf, all the while God and Moses were conversing on the mountain.

God tells Moses to leave His presence and to tend to the people because He has witnessed what they have done.  God describes down to the smallest detail of what the people have constructed and after His words of detail were completed, He told Moses to leave because His anger was very grieved towards the people.  Moses understood these words quite clearly from God and another conversation began between the two but this time it was Moses who took the lead in asking God for mercy.  God was the single entity that had delivered them from captivity in Egypt and had so far provided their every need while trekking through the desert.  At first, it would seem difficult for us to understand why the people would quickly turn from God and then embrace worldly and sinful gods instead of keeping the faith through what they had witnessed for quite some time previous.  But then I have to stop and think about all of the times that I have fallen down in the name of selfish desires and have left God out alone as He watches me fulfill the choices that I had made over Him, it then becomes easier for me to see the resulted dilemmas as well for it is never a good outcome when people choose the world over God.

Moses states a wonderful argument against the potential actions from God an act from a great person that loves the people that have been placed under his charge.  Moses understood that God had the eternal authority to wipe them off the face of the earth and would have not had to apologize for doing such action and Moses reminded Him of this potential by readdressing the promises that He gave to their forefathers.  Then Moses asked a question concerning such livelihood of God’s people through God’s own words concerning the blessings of His people through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  God repented of His thoughts against His people and communicated such repentance to Moses.  It is this exchange that provides us with the perfect opportunity for us to understand the importance of repentance and it could not come from any better being than God Himself.  This action by God did not mean that the children of Israel were off the hook for their actions, just that they were going to be able to live another day and thus try to get things straight before anything occurred.

As I have stated many times over, my past actions and some of my recent ones classify as the world’s worst sinner and I have no excuses for those actions either.  I continually struggle against the enemy and close just as many doors to my past as any other person would, but it is this example from God that keeps me going and keeps my faith in Him at all times and for me to continue this fight against the ruler of this world.  The children of Israel had grown to the point where their faith had withered down so much that their anxiety about being patient had disappeared and demonstrated that they had to be entertained while living stagnant.  To be honest and blunt they really did not act any different from people who sit in the pews in church today for when a move of God is promised many believe it will occur immediately and instead of focusing on the real reason and deeper meaning of why it has not arrived they fall away and become bored.  God has perfect timing in all His Ways but it is not our position to push God in any manner for it is He who knows all and is just in every manner.  Can you count how many times God has been repentant in your life and just asking you in return to do the same for Him?

Each one of you has a purpose for your existence and it is built within your inner being to complete this purpose.  But if we act like the children of Israel and fail to cleanse ourselves from the captives and our captivity there will be no blessings unfold in our lives.  There is no question that this nation has been blessed beyond our wildest imaginations and while we know that God is the One who has provided these blessings to our existence we refuse to dig deep into His heart and to understand exactly the reason why He has given us so much.  It is this reason as to why the children of Israel spent way too much time wandering around in the desert for they refused to understand that Egypt was still inside their lives and their journey was the way for God to dry up that sin and to free them from such guilt.  Superficially they were free from their captors, but spiritually they were still slaves to Satan and his kingdom and it was this detail of their lives that God wanted gone.  God gave Moses the perfect example to give to the people when he stepped down from the mountain but we soon find out that even Moses becomes angered enough to allow his emotions to become carried away and even though he conveyed to the people the disgust from God concerning their actions he did not present it in the correct manner or did he?  Covenant measures are of dire importance and since Moses reminded God of His Covenant with His people, he must have had a heavy heart when his eyes saw what had occurred during his time with God.

The question that must be asked now is this: are you praying to God on a continual basis for the true and utter repentance of your life, the Church, and for this nation?  Honestly, how many do this every day or even two or three times a week?  And if you do, how serious of a prayer is it?  Are your prayers comparable to the knowledge Moses had when he was begging for the entire nation that God said would have eternal rectitude over other nations upon its creation and establishment?  Would your knowledge of God’s Word be strong enough to warrant such a prayer or action in time of need?  Or are we destined to throw up empty “help us God” prayers when the times become tough?  Look at the news every night and one cannot deny the fact that we are NOT praying with the correct heart when it comes to our nation.  I do not doubt that some people in this nation do pray continually and with a fervent heart but with the way sin runs rampant through even the unincorporated villages of this nation I cannot seem to believe that many have a deep burden for this nation.

This article may seem harsh to some people but it is a message that God wants us to understand because the time is ripe for this nation to cease its sin against her Creator and to follow the example that God gave us in Exodus 32:11-14.  First of all, we should take the lead in the repentance steps and not gain to the point that God seeks His anger onto this nation.  Yes, He shall show us this awesome ability of His if we refuse to turn back to Him.  In living in this superficial manner, many do not recognize the need for such a step and that the actions of our people and their nation have no need for repentance.  Many spew out a repentance prayer and then feel no obligation to dig deeper and to find out what it truly and eternally means to repent then skip right on down the road like all is forgiven and start the cycle over again within a few moments time.  We have fallen for this lie and have made it our battle cry over the years while we stomp on the Word of God with our feet. 

God gave us the prime example of repentance and it is our responsibility to heed His warnings of repentance for if we do not we will soon see what it means to witness the devastation and destruction of the just and the unjust.  As of this moment, God in all of His gracious blessings has allowed us to continue to thrive in our wickedness, but one day that shall end if we do not repent and follow the example that He has given us in His Word.  I am so thankful every day that God allows me to wake up and to experience His Will for my family and while I do not know how much longer I have on this earth I do know that no matter what occurs my heart shall be steadfast in His Word and under His Covenant.  It is my prayer that my life represents the perfect example of repentance to the world and I humbly ask God for me to be the light that He wishes for all His children to see.  Is that your prayer today?  We cannot forget that one of the first things we must do in following God is to live in repentance as God does for if we do not then our lives will be subject to this world and with it a certain eternal death.

DLB