"Thou feedest them with the bread of tears and givest them tears to drink in great measure."
Psalm 80:5
Part 3
Yesterday: Could God ever Bring Evil upon His Child?
“Thou feedest them with the bread of tears.” (a)
For Israel’s generations of sin and walking away from her God to serve false gods, she has earned this steady diet of bitter “tear–bread.”
Today: The LORD God Is No One’s Lucky Charm!
“Thou feedest them with the bread of tears.” (b)
When necessary, God will bring evil (chastening) upon His own children. Amos, the prophet, spoke to King Uzziah of God’s judgment coming to Israel and Judah.
“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?” (Amos 3:6).
“When judgment comes against the cities of Israel, everyone should know that it was the LORD who has done it. It won’t be an accident, fate, or bad luck. It will be the hand of the LORD”[1] (Guzik).
“That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things” (Isaiah 45:6-7).
The God of the Bible is holy, and He never sins, nor is He ever tainted by evil. The LORD may bring evil down on the head of anyone He pleases, including His own children, if it helps them grow away from their sin and direct their hearts back to Him.
Indeed, in their adversity, Israel is eating the bread of tears and is beginning to understand the depth of her sin against her God. Can we agree that from God’s perspective, Israel’s captivity was not without reason?
“And givest them tears to drink in great measure.” (a)
Not only was her food soaked in her tears as they ran down her face, but her tears became her drink as well.
“The psalmist lamented the fierce discipline God had brought on His people. He cried out to God, asking how long… His anger would be directed against them? … He had brought painful calamity on them so that they wept uncontrollably (expressed in hyperbole that their tears were drunk by the bowlful)”[2] (BKC).
As indescribably difficult as it was for Israel to have to “eat and drink her tears,” this was not the worst part of their correction. It was the incredible embarrassment that the nations who knew her saw her God ignore her, in her need.
Isn’t this something that happens to some “Christians” today? Many are not really that interested in living the way the God of the Bible says to. They will instead do their own thing and “keep God in their pocket.” You know the meaning, by their lives, you would never know that they are “Christian,” but when they get into trouble at work, or the kids get sick, or there’s no money for bills, they are quick to take God out of their pocket and beg Him for help! This is worse than hypocrisy, for they treat God as a genie to be let out of the bottle for their “three wishes” for anything they want. Friends, no one controls the sovereign Almighty! He is no one’s genie, good luck charm, talisman, or slave.
Come back tomorrow when we talk about Israel and her accumulated sins as a nation. Could there be some lessons for America here?
Quote: “What a heartbreak it would be to live an ‘almost Christian life,’ then ‘almost get into heaven.’”[3] (Unknown).
[1] Guzik, David, The Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Amos 3:1-15.
[2] Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 852). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. The emphasis is theirs.
[3] The author of this quote is unknown. Quote Downloaded: Saturday, July 31, 2021. From: https://biblereasons.com/fake-christians/.