- The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not
despise.
I have, as we all have, heard many people ask questions or make statements about God that reveal a complete lack of understanding regarding who He truly is. Since September 21, 1522, the Bible has been the best-selling book in history—yet best-selling does not mean most-read. Some of the questions that seem to span generations are, “Why does God allow evil?”, “Did God create evil?”, and “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?” Ironically, these same individuals can tell you that Lucifer was cast out of heaven, that as Satan he influenced Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and that hell is his eternal domain. However, in the Psalms, we see an epic amount of accountability—even while acknowledging sin.
One of the most profound verses in all the Psalms—perhaps the entire Bible—is David’s confession in Psalm 119:71: “My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees.” The fruit of God’s discipline was not lost on the New Testament writers; in fact, their understanding was just as strong as David’s. James 1:2-4 declares: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” So does God find satisfaction in a broken spirit and a contrite heart because, as some suggest, He allows bad things to happen to good people? Or as time has gone on, have the hard truths about God been sanitized by a modern-day version of Him who exists simply to serve, comfort, and answer prayers?
It is said that time heals all wounds. David—like all the Old Testament writers—understood how
deeply God’s children wounded Him through idolatry and every manner of rebellion and sin against Him. And although separated by generations, the New Testament writers lived in the shadow of those transgressions and understood the debt their ancestors left behind.
Today, separated by thousands of years from biblical writers, we seem to have forgotten the wounds our sins still cause God—and the corrective measures He continues to use toward His children. Where David once cried in Psalm 13:1: “How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”, today, when suffering comes, it is far more common to ask, “Why is this happening to me?” The sense of entitlement that has become customary has replaced the weight of sin in our lives. But Hebrews 12:6 reminds us: “For the LORD disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child.” This is no different than the way parents discipline their children in order to correct them.
In Psalm 51:17 we find the Holy Spirit inspiring David to be vulnerable in order to confront a flaw in the human condition—because God is perfect, we tend to expect Him to make our lives perfect, regardless of our own actions. This is no different than when the person who, in pain, suffering, or loss turns to someone they know will pity them and take their side, even if they are at fault. And should that person refuse to take their side, they quickly become the target of the hurt individual’s anger and frustration. We expect God to understand our pain, but we first must understand the pain we cause God. He sacrificed His only begotten Son, and in doing so poured out the wrath meant for us, onto Him, so that all who believe may have eternal life with Him. And sometimes, we must sacrifice pleasure for a broken heart in order to truly understand the unconditional love God has for us.
Amen.