BREAKING THE CYCLE

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of His wonders, they did not believe. So He ended their days in futility and their years in terror. Whenever God slew them, they would seek Him; they eagerly turned to Him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. But then they would flatter Him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to Him, they were not faithful to His covenant. Yet He was merciful; He forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time He restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.

How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the wasteland! Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power — the day He redeemed them from the oppressor, the day He displayed His signs in Egypt, His wonders in the region of Zoan. He turned their river into blood; they could not drink from their streams. He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them. He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust. He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore-figs with sleet. He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning. He unleashed against them His hot anger, His wrath, indignation and hostility — a band of destroying angels. He prepared a path for His anger; He did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague. He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham. But He brought His people out like a flock; He led them like sheep through the wilderness. He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies. And so He brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country His right hand had taken. He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.

But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep His statutes. Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. They angered Him with their high places; they aroused His jealousy with their idols. When God heard them, He was furious; He rejected Israel completely. He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had set up among humans. He sent the ark of His might into captivity, His splendor into the hands of the enemy. He gave His people over to the sword; He was furious with his inheritance. Fire consumed their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs; their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep.

Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine. He beat back His enemies; He put them to everlasting shame. Then He rejected the tents of Joseph, He did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; but He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved. He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that He established forever. He chose David His servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep He brought him to be the shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

Psalm 78:32-72

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

How many times have we sinned against God, ignoring warnings from the Scriptures and finding ourselves in falling into difficulty? Then after we realize the wrongs of our ways and repent, asking God to help us through our circumstances, how many times has He delivered us through?

I know for me, too many times to count. You would think I would have learned after the first time but for some reason, I ended up repeating the mistakes of my past. Maybe you can relate.

So what is it about us? Why do we choose to live in a twisted cycle like this?

Maybe it’s because we haven’t paid attention enough to our ancient ancestors of the Old Testament and the way they lived.

As I’ve studied the Bible, it’s clear that there is what I call the Old Testament cycle in play. It has four distinct steps:

1. The people of Israel would choose to disobey God’s commands and enter into sin.

2. God would warn His people through chosen messengers (i.e. prophets).

3. The people would ignore the warning and so God would pass judgment on them.

4. The people would cry out to God in the midst of their punishment and God would restore them.

And then they would return to number 1 and it would start all over again.

We see this cycle play out perfectly in the remaining verses of the 78th Psalm. Let’s look at an example using the scriptures:

CYCLE 1

Step 1

In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of His wonders, they did not believe. How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the wasteland!

After the judgment passed on the people of Israel when they coveted more than what God was providing them, you would think they would have learned their lesson. But they didn’t. They kept on sinning and failed to trust and believe in God, rebelling against Him.

Step 2

They did not remember His power — the day He redeemed them from the oppressor, the day He displayed His signs in Egypt, His wonders in the region of Zoan.

Had the Israelites just recalled the plagues that God had sent on Egypt to get them to submit and release His people from captivity, perhaps they would have made better decisions. Perhaps we would as well. For God put His awesome power on display in a variety of ways which striking dead the firstborn of Egypt. Indeed, God had shown His people the ways He could release His wrath, and yet the people of Israel chose to sin and rebel against Him, just as we do today.

Step 3

Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. So He ended their days in futility and their years in terror.

God does not tolerate intentional disobedience. The Bible is clear on this and we should pay attention. The place a person should never want to be is in the midst of God’s wrath and judgment. And yet, Israel again and again chose that path. And we have as well. Life would be so much easier if we would just learn our lesson once and leave it there. But we don’t unfortunately.

Step 4

Whenever God slew them, they would seek Him; they eagerly turned to Him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. He was merciful; He forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time He restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.

Because we don’t get it and continue to fall into our sins, it’s a good thing we serve a God who is merciful and forgiving. For although we are disciplined, we are rarely utterly destroyed although if God did wipe us out, it wouldn’t be as if we didn’t deserve it. But God restrains the full brunt of His anger against us. He understands that we are flesh, caught up in our humanity that will always be at odds with the Holy Spirit. This war will rage within us until we draw our last breath in this worldly life.

God also showed us the deep love for us in that He gave us a way to escape damnation for the way we behave and live. For He was not willing to allow us to have to face Him to pay the price for our sins and instead offered up His one and only Son Jesus as a living sacrifice to die where we should have. And after the penalty was paid and Jesus had suffered and died for all of mankind, God drew Him back home to the heavens and to His right hand, resurrected and poised to return to the world one day in judgment of all people. Those who place their faith and trust in Christ will live with Him and God forever. Those who do not accept His offer of salvation will be destroyed.

In other words, the only way we’re going to break out of this cycle which one day will end in terminal annihilation, is through placing our faith, hope, and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior.

Not only will we have found our way to a piece of the eternal life inheritance, but when we accept Jesus into our hearts, then the Spirit begins to dominate the flesh. We’re less apt to pursue our sins and desires, instead pursuing the righteousness that is in Jesus. He leads us on the right paths in life, the paths that bring joy to the Father, not disappointment and consternation. When we seek Jesus and submit to living as He did, He brings us to a place of favor in the sight of God. That’s good news for all of us.

So what’s your status today when it comes to this? Have you accepted Jesus into your heart, asking Him to direct your ways while receiving His gift of salvation?

If not, I pray you will do so right this moment and experience the amazing grace, mercy and love of God to the fullest measure through Christ. For Jesus is the only way to break the cycle and the only way to God the Father (John 14:6).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to ourchristianwalk@aol.com