How many things do we do out of habit?
Really think about it. Many activities may have a purpose (like brushing our teeth or taking out the garbage) but do we really think about what we are doing? Are we doing them with a deliberate purpose?
This week I was wrecked. I have been taking a Bible study on the book of Isaiah and had been finding it quite interesting. If you get through this short history lesson I will explain why I have been lamenting. The gist of the book was that the Israelites had been treating God like trash. This book is split into three parts.
Part one: screw you, God
They made their sacrifices and checked the boxes that they felt they had to do to be "good" people, but went ahead and did whatever they wanted afterword. They worshiped other gods and, as a whole, only followed the letter of laws that God gave them.
They missed the point.
Part two: lay in the bed you made
God had given them chance after chance and eventually allowed them to be taken into captivity by the Babylonians. The Israelites were then relocated back to Babylon to become slaves. Life sucked. They were property. General horrible stuff. Over the next generation, it seemed to finally dawn on them that their logic was flawed.
God comforts them in their pain, assuring them that they are still His people. They ask for forgiveness and deliverance and it comes in the form of Cyrus the Great of Persia.
Part three: homeward bound
In a very unusual turn of events, Cyrus pities Israel and releases them of their bondage. This normally doesn't happen. When a king took over a neighboring kingdom he did one of two things. Either he would kill and destroy everything and everyone, or he would take it all for himself. Israel found itself freed. You can hear their hysterical relief and joy in Psalm 126:1-3
1 When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem,
it was like a dream!
2 We were filled with laughter,
and we sang for joy.
And the other nations said,
“What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”
3 Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
What joy!
Isaiah ends with one more chapter. In it, God recaps what has transpired and gives Israel (and us) another warning. This is what has been stuck in my head since I read it. Isaiah 66:2-4
2 My hands have made both heaven and earth;
they and everything in them are mine.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
“I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts,
who tremble at my word.
3 But those who choose their own ways—
delighting in their detestable sins—
will not have their offerings accepted.
When such people sacrifice a bull,
it is no more acceptable than a human sacrifice.
When they sacrifice a lamb,
it’s as though they had sacrificed a dog!
When they bring an offering of grain,
they might as well offer the blood of a pig.
When they burn frankincense,
it’s as if they had blessed an idol.
4 I will send them great trouble—
all the things they feared.
For when I called, they did not answer.
When I spoke, they did not listen.
They deliberately sinned before my very eyes
and chose to do what they know I despise.”
From this passage, I lament. It took this study from a history lesson, to something directly applicable to my life.
I have begun to question my own actions.
When I worship at church but am actually thinking of a new twist in the book I am writing, I am spitting in God's face. When I serve and delight in being recognized, it is as if I punched a baby. When I tithe, listen to a sermon, or do what is right, not to honor God but because it is "habit", it is worth no more than vomit.
Israel checked all the boxes of being good followers, but they missed the point.
Am I missing the point? Are you?
Have we been "doing the right thing", but not for the right reasons? Are we supporting relief in the Philippines not because God tells us to help those in need, but because "it's just right?" (You can give here http://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/philippines-typhoon-haiyan-response/) Do we hope for the individuals in office to screw up so badly that they are not reelected, instead of praying that God gives them the wisdom to do the jobs they have been elected to do? Do I only follow God's word because it is what I learned when I was young? This passage told me it is better to not "sacrifice a bull", rather than do it out of habit; that the reasons we do what we do are just as important as the acts themselves.
So I challenging you like I am challenging myself.
Be present when we go to church.
Be humble when we serve.
Be honest with ourselves when we are upset.
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