What Should I Do With You?
“You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD: When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return?” Jeremiah 8:4 ESV
Turns away/return – Doesn’t God’s broken heart ache for His children? It’s difficult for us to imagine what that pain must be. The perfect Father who wishes only to provide shalom to those He loves with an intensity that is the very foundation of the universe watches us turn away again and again. A thousand years of patient hope and yet we rebel. And it’s not as if we don’t know what we are doing. Yes, Yeshua asked for forgiveness for those who were involved in the crucifixion, but they were ignorant of the cosmic implications of their hatred. Can we claim the same ignorance? Hardly! To us it has been revealed, that marvelous disclosure of God’s handiwork in preparation for the coming world of joyful obedience. What excuse do we have?
Israel’s obstinacy continues in our own history, both corporate and individual. I am not like Joshua, capable of vowing, “As for my house, we shall serve . . .” I know his path. I see his path. I hear his path, and yet, I falter. “If a man falls, will he not get up?” Yes, but how many times, Lord, must one fall before he can not fall again? The assumption in God’s question is that we will get up, but the reality is that falling damages our chances. Yes, we can get up. Yes, the Father of lights wishes us to get up. Yes, the Spirit hovers over us with anticipation. But bones break. Minds ache. And the reality is that getting up hurts more the one-hundredth time than it did the second time.
Perhaps that’s why this common Semitic word is of such enormous importance. Shuv isn’t particular to Hebrew. It is found throughout the languages of the ancient world, and what is particularly important about this word and all its cognates is that it is a word of the will. It always means, “Get up and turn around again.” In this verse, the verb is used twice in the second question. Shuv is both “to turn away” and “to return.” Both verbs are Qal imperfects. They describe a simple, continuing action. Fall down – get up! Turn away – turn back! The implication is obvious: sin is not supposed to permanently derail you! If you find you are going in the wrong direction, turn around! It doesn’t matter how many times you have to make this course correction. Do it – again!
In other ancient cultures of the Middle East, this action was usually associated with returning to the worship of the pagan gods. Appeasement was required. It was necessary to get the god to turn back toward you. But YHWH is different. He isn’t looking for appeasement. He is looking for the joy of embracing the child who has turned home. It isn’t God who needs to turn around. It’s us! The signpost for a U turn is already in the ground. The RSVP has been sent. All that is required is the will to walk a different way. And one step in reverse is enough to get started.
Ready? About face! March!
Topical Index: return, shuv, repent, teshuvah, Jeremiah 8:4
Skip,
“sin is not supposed to permanently derail you!”
And here is that very idea explained so eloquently in Paul’s letter to the Romans (ch.6):
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
13Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
As you have correctly identified – there is a problem with our will even though it is in progressive conformity to the kingdom of God.
Rom 6:5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
Rom 6:6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin–
Rom 6:7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
Matt 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Hi Ian,
Roman’s 6:5 – 6:7 seems like wishful thinking on Paul’s part and is not logical in my view
Matt on the other hand seems quite logical
Thesis = Father = Spirit
Antithesis = Son = Holy
Synthesis = Holy Spirit
It is that first step after turning around that is difficult. Pride gets in the way. I still want to do it my way. Help me Lord!
In my former evangelical belief repentence was no longer necessary, because all had been forgiven, so as an ultimate consequence, I could no longer sin!
Since my teshuvah to the Hebrew roots I’ve had to repent many times, and I must say: it’s much better to show your remorse to the Lord than to act as if nothing has happened!
I use my ‘tent’ (tallit) to find shelter when I need to repent. Most of the times tears flow. Yes, I know my shortcomings….. And still, He loves me, in spite of my many offenses.
Blessed are You, Yhwh, King of the ages…
This discussion is very timely.
Today I went back to some of the first TW’s I recieved in my e-mail box. I was surprised by the date I found on them. I still consider myself somewhat new to all this, I still say to myself, and others here,”Yikes, how do I start implementing all this stuff!!”. If someone asked me how long I’ve been reading and studying, I think I would have said, “Oh, probably over a year now.”.
But I started the 30 Days of the Hebrew Worldview in JUNE of 2010!!! It’s been just about three years. Lord, help my paralytic legs!!!
‘sin is not supposed to permanently derail you!’
True, but the consequences sometimes stay visible for the rest of your life. That’s what God will not take away, in many cases. As scars that remind you of your sins.
The “thorn”… A possible reminder of the damage sin does and a reminder of the mercy and grace given to those who shuv.
~ Therefore say to the people: The LORD who rules over all says, “Turn to Me,” says the LORD who rules over all, “and I will turn to you,” says the LORD who rules over all ~ (Zechariah 1.3)
~Even now–(today) this is the LORD’s declaration– turn to Me with all your heart.. ~ (Joel 2.12)
Every good and perfect gift is from Above.. this we know- Life (all life) is a gift from God. He is our all powerful-all knowing-ever present-ever loving-ever compassionate Elohim and He has given unto us the Gift of a Son.
~ for unto us a Son is given- another “Gift” from God. But this “gift,” the Gift of the Son was unlike any other.
But like any gift, given from one to another, this gift- this “Gift from God” must be received.
~ as many as received *Him..* ~
We (all- those who are sinners) must welcome the Word.
(We must) ~ receive with meekness the engrafted Word which is able to save our souls! (James 1.21).
A gift, any gift, given from one to another – must be received.
Salvation/deliverance (even sanctification- the process of holiness) is a gift. Our next heartbeat and our next breath is also according to the Sovereign pleasure of the One who gives life unto all.
Because God *SO LOVED* (God SO loved the world), – He gave. Remember our own clear definition of love?
“Love is benevolence towards another at cost to myself.”
Love may be measured by sacrifice. Love is costly. Knowing this, let us turn our eyes (once again) to Calvary and behold Who it is that gave His life’s blood and final breath for the very ones who crucified Him.
Hear today my (very public) confession: – it was *my sin that held Him there- until it was accomplished. I’m the one to blame,- I caused all His pain- He gave Himself, the day He wore my crown. ~ Christ died for sinners (move over Paul) of whom I am chief ~ All we like sheep have gone astray, – we have turned “every one” to his own way, and the LORD has laid on Him- the iniquity (the twistedness) of us all ~
~For you know that it was not with perishable things like silver or gold that you have been ransomed from the worthless way of life handed down to you by your ancestors, but with the precious blood of The Lamb, who has no blemish or defilement in Him, who is The Messiah ~ (1 Peter 1,18,19) ~ I (too) find no fault in Him~
~ And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the One they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son ~
(Zechariah 12:10)
What is tHis Name?
~But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed ~ (Isaiah 53.5)
What is tHis Name?
~ He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification ~
(Romans 4:25)
What is tHis Name?
~ But.. (have I mentioned I love those big Bible “buts?”) – to all who did receive Him, (the ones) who believed in His Name, He gave the right-the power-the authority to become children of God… (John 1.12)
~ “Look, He is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of Him.” So shall it be! Amen. ~ (Revelation 1:7)
What is tHis Name?
Is this the Christ? -or should we look for another?