OBEDIENCE
The key to overcoming rejection, surprisingly, is to obey God’s commandments. When we slip up, we must run quickly to Jesus instead of hiding and humbly receive whatever consequence God, in His justice, He gives us. When we don’t feel accepted or approval, the ugly thoughts of rejection whisper in our ear, stirring our emotions to tempt us to come into agreement with a myriad of beliefs that are contrary to God’s word. Instead of doing the very thing we SHOULD be doing – repent! – we agree with the enticing thoughts and tend to run in the opposite direction. We believe those whispers are our own internal dialogue, yet often those ugly thoughts are the voice of a Spirit of Rejection. We react to those thoughts and sin is birthed.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF A HARD HEART
Although Cain and Abel grew up outside the Garden of Eden, the LORD still spoke to them. Abel brought a sacrifice that was in accordance with the LORD’s commandments and Cain did not. Cain took offence to the LORD’s disapproval of his rebellion to His commandments. He swallowed the tempting thought that the LORD was rejecting HIM instead of the unacceptable offering and became jealous of Abel. Jealousy led to bitterness. The LORD, who loved Cain, confronted the sin of his heart in mercy but Cain refused to confess his sin and repent. Bitterness grew into murder. That murder led to Cain crossing the point of no return. His hard heart resulted in a curse landing for life because even the prayers of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD. The LORD’s hand was not shortened that it couldn’t save, neither his ear deafened that it couldn’t hear but Cain’s iniquities separated him from the LORD He would be hid from the face of the LORD and was driven from His presence forever.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF FAMILIARITY
Now look at a different scenario. King David was also a man who intimately knew God’s commandments and the LORD regularly spoke with him. He was called a friend of God. Yet as he grew intimacy with both the LORD and His blessings, David started to become a little too comfortable and relaxed his posture of reverence. Dishonor subtly started to breed contempt and David felt no remorse from slacking off from his position of warfare. When he should have been active on the battlefield, he was allowing his eyes to wander then gaze long enough for lust to be birthed in his heart, which led to adultery, then murder. Lust and Jealousy are close cousins that both lead to adultery.
REPENTANCE IS KEY
The Prophet Nathan confronted King David with his sin. King David chose to repent. The LORD forgave him. However, because he willfully despised the LORD’s commandments, his son conceived in adultery would die and the sword would never depart from his house. Instead of getting bitter with the LORD’s judgment, he accepted it and adopted a posture of seeking mercy with his fasting. When the child died, he accepted his judgment and moved on with life. The LORD rewarded his humble heart with another son – Solomon, who would inherit the throne.
EXAMPLES OF GOD”S JUSTICE
Throughout the Bible are examples of people who knew the LORD’s commandments and His presence became too familiar and allowed contempt to harden their hearts to His commandments, reaping holy justice upon their heads. Ananias and Sapphira thought they could lie to the Holy Spirit regarding their finances and they were struck dead by the LORD. Nadab & Abihu, two of the sons of high priest Aaron, thought they could offer strange fire to the LORD as they saw fit without following the LORD’s strict instructions for tabernacle activities and were struck dead by the LORD. Saul thought he could ignore the LORD’s instructions regarding waiting for Samuel to arrive for the sacrifice before commencing battle with the Philistines and again later ignored the LORD’s instructions to kill King Agag. He lost his kingdom and his mind. Eli failed to train up his sons Hophni and Phineas to work in their priestly duties with reverential fear of the LORD and the LORD wiped out his family line. King Solomon, the one who built the magnificent temple to the LORD, allowed his lust to overrule the LORD’s instruction not to multiply wives or horses unto himself and he died at the age of 52 as per Jewish texts.
HUMILITY AND FEAR OF THE LORD
I wonder if they thought their familiarity and proximity to the LORD gave them liberty to bend the rules? How many of today’s church leaders have slipped into the same mindset and lost their holy fear of the LORD? We have heard so much about how loving our Abba Father is that I wonder if we have forgotten that He is FIRST a holy and just God? To ignore justice is failure to love. We are His wonderful creation, not His equal buddy. It’s time we start releasing a balanced message that yes God is love but also that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. When judgment falls due to our complacency, we must guard our hearts from lashing out in rejection and instead humble ourselves in repentance.
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