Hurt the Father?

Good Morning,

What right do we have to hurt our Father?  

Jeremiah 12:7  “I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.”

Israel turned from God to idols. Forsaking the covenant and the most basic precepts of righteousness, Israel turned to the things of the world around them.

The book of Jeremiah is a warning of impending doom. If we add to that the broken heart of God and the suffering of Jeremiah, you have a summary of most of Jeremiah‘s writings.  

I read this passage, and the outstanding element was the heart of God. Usually, when trouble comes, we focus on our suffering. We worry about our children or our financial struggles. Our hardships are almost always wrapped in our feelings and our circumstances. Notice the text: “the dearly beloved of my soul.”  God was going to have to deliver His chosen people to death, to famine, and to bondage. Like most people, the focus in such a context is the suffering of the people. For a moment, let us consider the heart of God. 

Think of the prodigal son as he left home with his pockets full of money. Oh, he was happy. He walked down the street with a light step and more joy than he probably had experienced in his whole life. The wise father stood, no doubt, watching his beloved son, walking off into unthinkable hardship and suffering. Worst of all, he was walking away from a relationship with his father. As the father's heart broke, the son planned his parties.

With that in mind, consider the heart of the Heavenly Father watching His people turn to the world, to the flesh, and to idolatry. How had God wounded His people so badly that they turned from Him to statues of gold and silver?

The passage says, “I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.”  God had to set the dearly beloved (those who are so dear and so loved) on a path of great suffering. For a moment, let us forget about our own suffering and consider the suffering of our Heavenly Father. As we chase after the things of this world and think that money and pleasure will make us happy, for a moment, at least, we should consider the hurt of the Father.

When we choose the world,  “the dearly beloved of His soul” is choosing the world like the Prodigal Son.  The heart of the Father is broken, and we should ask ourselves the questions, “What right do I have to hurt my Father in Heaven?” and “What right do I have to break the heart of the One Who created me?”

Pastor