2.10.26 – Walking Away, It's Easy to Do

Have you ever considered why our spiritual fathers walked away from God's ways to walk after emptiness and vanity (Jer. 2:5)? 

"Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they have gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and become vain?"
(Jer. 2:5) 

How have we stopped trusting in the Lord, through His Word, and become dependent on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5–7)?

Honestly speaking, we—speaking of me, myself, and I—too often have become pursuers of emptiness and have put God's name on it. Consequently, this leads us to false, or at best limited, worship and separation from the One who really loves us. Guilty as charged!

In this week's Torah portion of Mishpatim (judgments, right rulings) (Ex. 21–24), there are 53 specific commandments given that are clear instructions (but seldom understood at the deepest levels) on how to relate to mankind, how to witness and testify (edut) to the glorious name of the Lord our God (the edut includes Sabbath, Feast Days, Shemittah, Jubilee, etc.), and at least one that we cannot comprehend at all to close out this Torah portion—statutes (chukot).

Let us go back to Jeremiah for a moment. How could our fathers go from the giddiness of Mount Sinai and the intimacy of their wedding day (Jer. 2:2; Ex. 19:8; 24:3, 7) only to drift away from God's ways (Heb. 2:1–3)? How could the place of justice be filled with iniquity (Eccl. 3:16)?

"And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there."
(Eccl. 3:16)

Were they not thinking about the future generations who would inherit their lies (Jer. 16:19)?

Just like the political systems of the world, spiritually we have abandoned common sense and truth (John 17:17), not considering the reality of future generations. It does not take a rocket scientist to look too hard to see that the condition of our world is far from what God intended for His children. We have come a long way, baby, and our modern GPS (God Positioning System) has taken too many of us down the wrong road to the wrong destination.

"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether."
(Ps. 19:7–9)

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, is correct. We have taken a wrong turn. We have turned away from God's mishpatim (judgments) and inserted emptiness. We have gone after vanity and have become vain (2 Kings 17:15). We have pursued worthless ventures and have become worthless (John 6:27). But we are not worthless!

How do we get off this runaway train? We have to go back to the top of the mountain where the water is clean and fresh. We have to go back to the beginning, where the seed was pure (Luke 8:11; John 1:1–3; Gen. 1:1ff)—not GMO'd with man's witty inventions. If the Word that we are proclaiming is true judgment (mishpatim) of God, then it will look like the original seed that reproduces after its own kind—the never-changing character of God.

If we do not, we will just have to keep ordering seed from our spiritual Monsanto each year and enjoy our seedless fruits and veggies at our own celebrations.

Shalom,
Alan

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