Category Archives: Crying

Affection, Affliction, Altars, Apologies, Bible, Bitterness, Crying, Emotions, Flesh, Forgiveness, God's Will, Grace, Relationships, Scripture

WHAT A SHAME!

MALACHI 2:13

“And this is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and sighing, because He no longer gives attention to the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.”

Our sinful behavior has effects on others. Sometimes we are not aware of the effect. Other times we are well aware. We see the damage it causes. We hear the anguish in the other person’s voice. The hurt we cause because of our sins weighs heavy on the Lord. He sees their hurt and holds us accountable.

The Pulpit Commentary says this about this verse, “Not only did they marry heathen females, but they divorced their own legitimate wives to facilitate such unholy alliances.” Thus, the tears that are staining the altar come from the priests’ legitimate wives whom they have divorced in order to marry the foreign, idolatrous wives. It was a travesty that Ezra dealt with earlier, but they had lapsed back into.

APPLICATION

Is this you? Have you caused someone else harm by your actions? If so, repent of that. Ask forgiveness of both God and them. There is nothing sweeter than forgiveness when it is offered and received, when two parties are able to mend their broken relationship. God is pleased by such expressions of agape love.

Look back at today’s verse at the last phrase. It says, “because He no longer gives attention to the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.” Our blindness to unforgiveness and unrepentance leads to this. God will not accept our offerings. God will not hear our cries to Him. Our sin separates us from the very One we need most.

If you have ever experienced such an event, you know how painful it can be. To be unforgiven or to be unrepentant can lead to hardness and callousness. Only God can break through this. Matthew 6:14 says to us, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,” We also read in Colossians 3:13 we read, “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Be like Jesus this week. Make things right with someone whom you have offended or has offended you. That makes God smile.

Lord, forgiveness is hard, it seems. But You sent Your Son to die to forgive me. Now, that’s hard.

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Affection, Bible, Crying, Darkness, Death, Despair, Grief, Mourning, Scripture, Tears

WAILING

ZECHARIAH 11:2

“Wail, juniper, because the cedar has fallen, for the magnificent trees have been destroyed; wail, oaks of Bashan, because the impenetrable forest has come down.”

Have you ever heard someone wail? What is that? It’s a loud scream or howl. It has the sound as if someone is dying. It’s an extreme mournful sound. I have heard that sound several times in my life. All of them came at the scene of death. Someone had died and their loved ones were wailing at the thought of never seeing them again. It’s a gut-wrenching sound.

Zechariah continues the imagery of trees and their representation of Israel, the temple and its leaders. If the temple (cedar) has fallen, then the juniper and oaks (their leaders) would certainly fall. The word for “wail” here is used exclusively by the Old Testament prophets. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, Ezekiel, and Amos also employ the use of this descriptive word.

APPLICATION

What are you wailing about? What has you so upset that you can’t eat or drink? I have seen believers who were so upset they could not function. If that is you, may I encourage you to dry your tears and turn your thoughts towards Jesus. He is the author and finisher of your faith. He can restore what you have lost in His own way.

There have been a couple of times in my life when I found myself wailing from deep, personal heartache. We are told in Revelation 21:4, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” Do you believe that? Then trust Him now.

Instead of tears of heartache, I prefer tears of joy. I would rather have tears of repentance than tears of mourning. So, are you wailing? Let your wails be wails of repentance over your sins. Wail to God for Him to forgive you. Wail to Him over the way you have not followed Him as you should. But trust Him in the midst of the wailings. God never runs out of Kleenex to wipe away your tears.

Thank You, Lord, for wiping my tears. I want to wail only over my sins and trust You with all my life.

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Affection, Bible, Crying, Joy, Scripture, Sorrow, Tears

THE REST OF THESE HORSES

ZECHARIAH 6:3

“with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot strong spotted horses.”

Emotions – they get the best of us, don’t they? I’m a crier. I’ve shared that before. I can cry at the slightest thing. Hallmark commercials make me cry. That old Maxwell House coffee commercial with the young man coming home at Christmas and slipping through the kitchen door, surprising everyone – oh man – waterworks for me, lol.

Why am I talking about crying? Because these last two horses – white and spotted – could cause tears to fall. The white horse can represent joy and victory, two things that bring about tears. It also represented the empire of Alexander the Great, who for the most part was gentle to the Jews. The spotted horse means a mixture of emotions, both good and bad. It also stood for Rome, who in itself was a mixture of all the nations it had conquered.

APPLICATION

What drives your emotions, your tears? When was the last time you cried over a lost soul? The western society manhood card says men cannot cry. Excuse me, but that is just plain baloney. Real men are not afraid to cry. They aren’t afraid to get vulnerable. But we can also cry for those joyous moments. We don’t have it recorded in Scripture, but can’t you just imagine those disciples around the campfire with Jesus after His resurrection? There had to be some tears of joy going on.

Our emotions range from sadness to joy, and both can be expressed through tears. Jesus wept in sorrow over Jerusalem. We know He wept at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35). Do you want to be like Jesus? Then be willing to show your emotions. Cry a little. Laugh a lot. (I just believe Jesus had a great sense of humor.)

Joy and mixed emotions were portrayed by those two horses. That must be important for us. Will you join me in crying tears of joy in knowing all that Christ has done for us? Will you join me in crying tears of sorrow at the estate of our world right now? But let’s not just cry. When we are done and have wiped our eyes and nose, let’s put those tears into action. Let’s tell the greatest story every told to everyone. Let’s get a response out of them. Hopefully, that will bring even more tears of joy!

Tears of joy flow down my cheeks as I think of all You have done for me, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

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