The island of Greenland has been in the news a lot lately. It is the largest island in the world, and 80% of it is glacial. According to NASA scientists, glaciers melt and weaken over hundreds of years before finally collapsing in two or three years. The moment when this gradual melting suddenly collapses is called a tipping point, and todays passage shows Israels wickedness building up over 200 years before finally collapsing with a crash. God documents and shows them their wickedness in detail and tells them to turn away from the wickedness that is in them. Today, lets consider what it takes to turn and walk away.
First, we need to recognize the injustice that is gradually being done.
Last week, northern Israel was destroyed. It had been through many wars and suffered many plagues and could think of no tomorrow, but this was a case of despair, of no tomorrow, when both the people and the land were gone. God explains in detail why, and gives a long-winded judgment that begs even one person to listen and turn and leave. In a single sentence, verses 9 through 12 tell us why Israel is doomed and the sins that led to it are numerous. All of these reasons, in one sentence, are attributed to 'unrighteousness'-their rebellion against God, their disobedience to Gods will, and their 'gradual practice of unrighteousness.' Instead of following Gods Word, Gods people imitate the heathen, build shrines and wooden images, and become servants to idols, burning incense before them and serving them. God writes His will on tablets of stone and sends prophet after prophet to tell them, but they dont listen, so He brings about their destruction. He gives us these words so that we, too, can turn away from this gradual unrighteousness. The first thing we need to do in order to turn away is to recognize that we are practicing gradual injustice. The injustice we need to see, especially in todays text, is the kind of injustice that we do in secret, thinking, 'Im not doing much harm to others, so whats the big deal, Im not doing anything wrong, everyone does it,' and then when we dont get caught, we do it over and over again, and we do it gradually and in a big way. The reason the Lord is angry today is because He set us up as pillars of the temple, and we set up and worshiped the pillars of Baal, the up and down pillars. When He set us up as pillars of the temple, its not the pillars that exalt themselves, its the pillars that hold up the temple, the pillars that bear the cross. Its the pillars that build up the home, the church, the nation. Repenting of the injustices Im gradually doing, keeping my place in the mission to which Ive been called, and obeying my part is the way to stand as the pillar God has set up.
Second, we should keep Gods commands.
God allows the wicked to gradually practice unrighteousness. But the one he has chosen does not leave alone, but reveals them.But the elect he does not leave alone, but reveals them. Moreover, he speaks and speaks and speaks through his prophets.We cant do it on our own. So God says, 'Keep my commands and statutes,' and the Israelites didnt listen. It wasnt that they didnt hear.They heard it, but they refused to listen, and they stiffened their necks.Getting stuck in family myths, getting caught up in local feelings or factional logic, taking sides based on school and background, all of these are essentially crooked necks like our ancestors. If we abandon Gods commands, we will only become more vain and continue the vicious cycle, and there will be nothing left.
The way we can break out of this cycle of nothingness is to keep Gods commands, to listen to them and do them, which is QT. Its not a specific action, but rather a redemptive meditation, application, and sharing of a set daily text of Scripture, which is the essence of faith. But the reason why it is hard is because Im stuck with my own ideas and my own ideas that Im right. I dont believe because I dont listen, I dont believe because I dont listen, and my neck is straight because I dont believe. It takes hardships every time to break that down. It requires hardships from the person next to me, and it takes hardship from situations, circumstances, and events to keep me in front of the Word. It takes hardship from the Word to keep me in front of Gods commands.The real victory is to stand before the Word of God.
Third, you become a remnant.
Those who abandon Gods commands live 'for themselves' and aim for worldly happiness. What they do is idolatry. Idolatry is the sin of selling oneself to an idol, stealing what belongs to God. But there is no remorse in Gods gifts and calling. When God chose and blessed Israel, He knew that they would gradually do unrighteousness with those gifts, and then be judged and removed. But even when all seems lost, He works out an amazing salvation through that one remnant. This is redemption, and the reason for this remnant is that Jesus must come. The remnant is the one to whom the Word is heard, the one who meets the Lord who comes in the Word.
To turn and leave the sins, you should know the injustice that is gradually being practiced. To know it, you should listen, believe, and keep Gods commands, so that you may be a remnant in the midst of all that is being taken away.
