Obey the Lord
A Backyard Neighbor Funeral
Ms. Jackson looked out the back window into her neighbor's backyard, peered, and noticed the neighbor’s little boy in his backyard filling in a hole. Curious about what the youngster was up to, Ms. Jackson approached the little boy and asked, what are you doing, Larry?
Tearfully, little Larry replied, my goldfish died, and I’ve just buried him.
That’s an awfully large hole for a goldfish. Ms. Jackson said.
Little Larry responded while filling the hole with the last bit of dirt, That’s because he is in your cat!
Anonymous
Alexander Pope, poet of the Enlightenment, lent a famous line from his 1711 treatise An Essay on Criticism to the US Institutes of Medicine's report on patient safety: To Err is Human. This line, aptly demonstrated by little Larry’s innocent mistake, reminds us of our fallibility. The remainder of the line, To Forgive Divine
To Err is Human, and To Forgive is Divine.
An innocent mistake, as Little Larry demonstrated in the humorous story above, is unlike the behavior of the post-exile Israelites. Their prioritization of everything except God led to their captivity by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar the Great. In the Book of Haggai, the Prophet decreed that the post-exile Israelites must consider their ways. He mentions it twice in Haggai chapter 1.
5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
In other words, the Prophet Haggai warned people to examine their lives thoroughly and reconsider their priorities. Remember, these people were in captivity for 70 years, and The Persian King, Cyrus, allowed them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. After 16 years, the Temple remained in ruins. Their forgiving God now reminded them to reconsider their ways because their behavior that contributed to 70 years of captivity continued down the same road of neglect.
How often do we, as believers, repeat the exact behavior of misplacing our priorities toward self-centeredness instead of placing priorities with God? Just as the post-exile Israelites neglected to prioritize the rebuilding of the Temple, believers today often prioritize their desires and self-centeredness over their relationship with God. This misplaced focus can lead to spiritual captivity. It is imperative for believers to regularly examine their lives and realign their priorities to ensure they are living under God's will.
Even though we serve a forgiving God, He alone deserves our priority. He created us in His image and likeness. As believers, we must reflect His image and behave like Him, including forgiving others. So, we cannot forget the importance of putting God first in our lives and seeking Him above all else. We should strive to live a life that honors Him and represents His image to others. When we reflect on His image and likeness, we will truly experience the true freedom of forgiveness because forgiveness originates from divine intervention.