Brokenness vs Rebelliousness
Dr. Joel Albert, Aurangabad
As believers in Christ, we need to understand that our attitude toward God and His word plays a very important part in our spiritual growth. As we read in Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” A broken heart is what the Lord wants, since it is tender, malleable and receptive to the will of God!
However, on the other hand, Proverbs 28:13-14 says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. Happy is the man who is always reverent, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.” A hardened heart is stony, rebellious, and filled with pride and haughtiness.
We, as believers, have to understand the importance of being broken-hearted. Usually, in the world, being broken signifies uselessness, but praise be to our great God for He, in his marvellous grace and His abundant mercy has used broken vessels to be moulded and made fit for the Master’s use!
As we consider the two words Brokenness and Rebelliousness, let us look at the following:
1. AN EXAMPLE TO PEEK INTO
2. THE EFFECTS TO PONDER UPON
THE EXAMPLE:
When we consider the history of the children of Israel, we notice a series of situations across generations where the hard-hearted, rebellious attitude of the children of Israel is evident. They were so obsessed with their lineage and history that they never believed the repeated messages and warnings of judgement by multiple prophets across the history of Israel, down to the divided kingdom stage. Even after their return from Babylon, the Jews were not only hard-hearted and rebellious but also had the audacity to question God by repeatedly replying, “Wherein?” whenever the Lord pointed out their sins.
When we turn to Jeremiah chapters 18 and 19, we see two very distinct illustrations given by the Lord. In chapter 18 we see the soft clay that is being crafted by the potter into a vessel. And when the potter sees impurities, he ‘breaks’ the soft vessel down into a lump of clay again, removes the impurities and remakes the vessel! (18:4). On the other hand, in Ch. 19 Jeremiah is asked to carry a hard earthen vessel which is no longer malleable and soft but is broken into pieces in the valley of Hinnom, never to be priced back together again!
To know the literal interpretation of both the passages for the nation, we must read both the chapters mentioned above. However, the application is very important for us to carefully look into and understand.
The two vessels speak to us about the two opposing attitudes that we are considering here. One of the major issues with modern-day Christians is the abundance of knowledge of the Scriptures they possess with little to no application in practical living. We have an abundance of preachers, but practising Christians are hard to find! We have an abundance of ministries, but marred testimonies!
The reason for all of this is the fact that we are not ready to accept correction in our lives. We rest on past laurels and on the great work of faith done by previous generations, but we are left with minds that are saturated with the knowledge of the scriptures and hearts that are hardened to the core. We point fingers at preachers and go against the words of the oversight, all for what? The fact that our ego, our self, and our pride is hurt by the words of the men of God!
May we not make a mistake like the Israelites did, but let's rather be like Jacob, David and Isaiah, whose brokenness was a channel leading them to be used for God’s glory.
THE EFFECTS
One of the most apt contrasts in terms of brokenness and rebelliousness can be seen in the lives of Peter and Judas Iscariot, respectively. They both denied the Lord in their own different ways, but the way each of them responded after being convicted of their sins is something that we should pay careful attention to.
Peter:
When he saw the Lord, and their eyes met, this dear man of God was convicted of his sins. When the caring eyes of the Lord pierced through his soft, malleable heart, he responded with tears of repentance. His life turned around, he was restored, and not just that, he was instrumental in the evangelistic sphere and in the oversight, as the Lord directed him in Matthew 16 and John 21, respectively. The keyword here is repentance, which involves confession of sins and submission to the will of God, resulting in a complete turnaround in life!
Judas:
Judas also was convicted of his sins. He knew he did wrong, but instead of repentance, we see him being stuck at regret! His heart was too hard and haughty to repent of his sins. Someone rightly said, Judas was a man who spent years with the ‘Door of heaven’ but went to hell! He stored up wrath for himself because of his hard and impenitent heart (Romans 2:5). If only had he repented, if only would he have gone to the cross instead of the chief priests and elders, the outcome of his life would have been so different! Mind you, he too spent a lot of time with the Lord; however, a study of his life shows us his rebellious and haughty attitude, which ultimately caused his downfall.
How are we today? Dear believers, our attitude toward God matters. Many unconfessed sins and hardened hearts are the reason why ministries and work today are abundant but the fruit is scant. Will we make the right decision in our lives, like the Psalmist in Psalm 51 and Peter in Luke 22?
May we truly live a life of repentance, and with renewed hearts, let us be useful for the Lord and His glory, as broken vessels, shaped by the Master for His use.
Related topic: BROKENNESS: BASIS FOR BLESSINGS
24/08/2023
