Jesus is bigger than my sins

Psalm 106 is amazing. It talks about God’s steadfast love even when Israel was rebellious and unfaithful. It has been an encouragement and a beautiful reminder of God’s grace. This part (v36-39) in particular really blows my mind:

They served idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood, thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds.

The Israelites had become beyond unclean! Their sins against God seem to be the worst of the worst. Not just murdering (as sinful and evil as that is) but murdering children- in the name of idolatry. They were sacrificing their children to demons! How much worse can sin get? Their sin was BIG-there’s no way around it.

Here, anybody caught doing something like that would justly be put into prison if not condemned to death themselves. These would be just sentences for their crimes. It would be right for these things to take place. Concerning the Israelites, God did deliver them to be oppressed by their enemies. But his hand does not stop there. If we read further, God in his grace saved these undeserving, murderous, idolatrous, people (44-46):

Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he had heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive.

God did not have to save them. He would have been perfectly just and perfectly good if he had not relented but kept them in their oppression. They deserved that. But God is a gracious God.

In comparison, we have never sacrificed a baby to an idol, but because God is Holy even the “smallest” of sin offends Him and it is rightly punished with Hell. But God is a gracious God.  He’s so gracious that he sent Jesus to die for sinners. We do not have to be condemned to hell if we will call on the precious name of Jesus.

As I read this story, I’m amazed at the grace of Jesus. If God relents on a whoring, murderous and idolatrous people then we must believe that there’s no sin bigger than His grace in Christ Jesus-not even sacrificing babies to demons. 

This song fits my praise:

Wonderful grace of Jesus

Deeper than the mighty rolling seas…

Bigger than my sins,

Greater than my shame,

O magnify the precious name of Jesus

Praise His name! Praise His name! Praise His name!

Let’s praise His name!

(This song was on the "Village Worship" CD-let it edify you too. It's free. )

Idolatry

The past week I studied the story of Rachel and; Leah with a friend from church. Before reading Idols of the Heart, I never saw this story about idolatry before. Like most women, what I noticed most about this story is Joseph’s love for Rachel to labor for 14 years for her. Though there is a ton to learn from that itself-there is much on the topic of idolatry as well.

What so crazy about the story? Well, not even getting into the idols Rachel initially stole from her father, she was an idolater. But Elyse Fitzpatrick digs deeper by taking a look at Rachel’s desire for children (for Rachel was barren). She points out that we can see Rachel believed that having children would bring her blessing and make her happy because she eventually cries out to Joseph “ Give me children or I die!”

“Wow! Or she dies?” was my immediate reaction. Rachel really thought that that having children is what would bless her-enough that she’d rather die, if she didn’t have them. The ironic thing is, Elyse points out, is that she wasn’t satisfied with just one child, and then when she got her second, she actually did die! Elyse says “It is ironic, isn’t it, that the woman that cried, ‘Give me children or I’ll die!’ died in childbirth?” Yes, Elyse, it is.

Because idols are not filled with the living power of Jesus Christ, they could never satisfy. In fact, they do the opposite as Elyse discusses. Having an idol of praise, a relationship, feeling valued, vanity, etc, will not satisfy. Even good things like desiring a godly relationship, eating healthily, protecting a job, protecting one’s children will all leave us dissatisfied. If they are the source of our joy, the top priority or we feel like we’d sin to get a desired thing or result then it is an idol. Idols leave us dry like Jeremiah 17: 5-6 clearly describes:

Thus says the Lord,

“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind

And makes flesh his strength,

And whose heart turns away from the Lord.

“For he will be like a bush in the desert,

and will not see when prosperity comes,

But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness

A land of salt without inhabitant”

Cursed, bush in the desert, stony wastes, wilderness, salt, without inhabitant. All those words combined does not make for a soul satisfying situation if you ask me. I’m from the desert-I know.

Like Rachel thought that idols, or children would make her happy, what could be some of my own idols? Do I desire praise from others to make me happy? Do I tell myself that I’ll just be happy & mature if my husband did this and that? Yes and yes. It turns out I have more idols than I’d like to think. I’m not so far off from Rachel’s seemingly ridiculous demand.

As I feel the weight of my sin, I am saddened that I would turn my heart to other things than my Jesus. I am saddened as I step back and look how my idols have affected not just me but the people around me.  It’s disappointing and worth lots of tears that my dear husband has endured.

But as I look at my sin, confess and repent, I can only rely on Christ to change me and this sinful heart of mine. For if I confess my sins he is faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Idols. I guess they are not just in Asian temples or the Old Testament. They are also in our hearts, trying to keep us from Jesus the only Soul Satisfier.