Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take with you words and return to the Lord; say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips.
Return. O please return to the LORD.
It is never to late. No matter how far we have fallen He still waits our return. And as we return our words can not be alone. Just an "I'm sorry" doesn't cut it alone.
We must let Him take our sins. We must accept the judgment and punishment He places upon us for our good. We must DO and ACT as we say that we will. Words without action are just makeup on a corpse. Rather come back to life and act on your faith.
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.
Hypokrisis. In greek theater the actors (hypokrisis) all wore masks. The hypocrite played a part that you could recognize from the mask and costumes.
As you go about your daily walk do you wear a mask? Do you wear garments of fasting and weeping that everyone can recognize?
Or ...
Did you rend your heart and not your clothes?
It isn't the face you show the world. It is the heart you show the LORD.
“Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
We return, repent, and rend our hearts because Christ alone is our Savior. Upon Him was the judgment of our sins. There is joy in the knowledge of Christ. There will be no more weeping when with Him we will rest.
So ... weep no more. Take joy in suffering with Christ. Take joy in a creation that cries out to praise our Savior. Take joy in salvation.
I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end."
Some things are not for us. I may have a feeling about when things may happen and what may happen. But, I can never know.
Some things are only for God. So leave them to Him and don't stress it. I'm pretty sure the end times are out of our skill sets.
But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.
Not by man, but by God alone.
That is the message we need to take to heart. We want to control the end times, our money, conflicts with others, our time. No matter what you think you control ... you control nothing but yourself. And rarely even that.
We look to the hands of men to deliver us. Other people's money to bail us out of debt. Soldiers and police to keep us safe. Politicians to give us answers.
The answer isn't with them. It is with Christ alone.
But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.
Worldly people ... devoid of the Spirit.
What a great description of scoffers. Who is the scoffer? You know him already. They are the one that knows the truth, yet denies it. People more interested in their own passions then the Truth.
I look at Proverbs for advice on how to deal with them and what to expect ...
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.
A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.
Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
Condemnation is ready for scoffers, and beating for the backs of fools.
When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
"Scoffer" is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride.
Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease.
The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.
