Psalm 78:40-41 NIV
[40] Oh, how often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved his heart in that dry wasteland. [41] Again and again they tested God’s patience and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
Have you ever wondered how God feels about human behavior? We know that we get upset when people hurt us, and if we cause pain we feel bad about it. But what about the impact of our behavior on God?
In the time of Noah, we are told, “The Lord observed the extent of the people’s wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart”
Human sin apparently broke the divine heart.
Genesis 6:5-7 MSG
[5-7] God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I’m sorry I made them.”
GOD saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil-evil, evil, evil from morning to night. GOD was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. GOD said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds-the works. I’m sorry I made them.”
After the Flood things did not improve appreciably. In the long and tortuous history of the children of Israel, God suffered constant heartache. The cycle of sin, repentance, recommitment, restoration, apathy, decline, oppression, repentance, and recommitment continued in relentless fashion. This revealed the obduracy of man and the patience of God, as man’s behavior subjected the Lord to ongoing heartbreak.
Psalm 78 catalogues for all time the many sins of ancient Israel and the many gracious acts of God. No matter how much good God sent to his people, or how much chastisement, “They did not keep God’s covenant, and they refused to live by his law” (Psalm 78:10-16, Psalm 31-33). Sometimes they did repent and return to God, but their zeal was short-lived and often insincere (Psalm 78:36-37). The writer of this psalm summarized the situation by saying, “Oh, how often they rebelled against him in the desert and grieved his heart in the wilderness. Again and again they tested God’s patience and frustrated the Holy One of Israel” (Psalm 78:40-41).
We will do well to consider the impact of human behavior on the heart of God. Human sin is an affront to God. It is a denial of his sovereignty. It is a statement by one created from dust that he is taking control from the Creator. That breaks God’s heart. When sinful actions predominate in our lives, they demonstrate the extent of human fallenness. When a man’s heart is corrupt, his humanity is polluted. Understandably, God is indignant about man’s condition and actions, so he disciplines his erring children. But even his discipline stems from his brokenhearted love.
A vision of God’s heart may soften and break the most hardened human heart. And that can lead to our hearts being molded into that for which he created and redeemed us. Our lives can be expressions of his love and goodness, rather than examples of human wickedness—for all time!
2 Peter 2:20-22 MSG
[20-22] If they’ve escaped from the slum of sin by experiencing our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ, and then slid back into that same old life again, they’re worse than if they had never left. Better not to have started out on the straight road to God than to start out and then turn back, repudiating the experience and the holy command. They prove the point of the proverbs, “A dog goes back to its own vomit” and “A scrubbed-up pig heads for the mud.”
A true Christian, who turns away from their faith in God and back to the pattern of the sinful world will never find lasting contentment. God loves us too much to allow us to find lasting contentment without Him at our center.
Titus 2:11-14 MSG
[11-14] God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.
Peace with God is the only way!
From an Unworthy servant,
Chris Chloupek
Lead Evangelist