Adding drunkenness to thirst
“Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and His jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.” (Deut. 29:18-20).
Everyone is dying of thirst. Their souls have dried up. The invitation stands, “The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Rev. 22:17).
The land is full of burning hearts. “The whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger, and in His wrath.” (Deut. 29:23). Why? Because the love of God, faith in His love, is almost non-existent.
We could have perfect fellowship with Him, being led beside the still waters and green pastures. Our souls could be “well watered…even as the garden of the LORD.” (Gen. 13:10). We could have a river of life flowing through us and be full of beautiful fruit as was Eden when the first Adam traversed its paths. The second Adam could indwell us and leave His glory on all our thoughts, hallowing all our meditations. We could know the richness of He acceptance and the beauty of His character of righteousness. We could be lost in love as Jesus was when He walked this earth.
But, alas, this is not our experience. Instead, we have “terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart” because we have despised His statutes, our soul abhorred His judgments, so that we did not do all His commandments—we have lost our first love and neglected His Law and gospel. (Lev. 26:16, 15).
And then, to add to our misery, we have gone to the charismatic churches and learned their method of forgetting God’s commandments through the introduction of celebration , the world’s fix since the most ancient of times and found in the most ancient religions, to help mollify our aching souls. Like them, we are adding drunkenness to our thirst. Rather than doing like the prodigal son who “came to himself,” and recognizing our destitution and torment, we dodge our sin and our duty to repent to God, and strike out for a different path to peace and happiness. This is a “smoke” in His nose “a fire that burneth all the day” “and shall burn unto the lowest hell.” (Is. 65:5;Deut. 32:22).
“For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they [Israel] went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd. Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats.” (Zech. 10:2,3).
But drunkenness doesn’t quench thirst. It only adds to the trouble. Drunkenness puts an extra demand on the body for a greater need of water; and accepting the world’s intoxicating method of laughing and joking in the effort to forget our problems and ignore sin only compounds our destitution of spiritual dehydration.
We must take our sinfulness seriously. We must take our sinfulness to the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. “Thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:21). Why call Him, “Savior,” if you aren’t going to own up to your sinfulness and then bring them to Him?
Doesn’t all this sound all too familiar to Seventh-day Adventists? What I allude to is the 3rd angel’s message:
“If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Rev. 14:9-11).
Sound familiar with God’s warning to Israel first quoted above?
Shouldn’t we as SDAs start to look a little more closely at this angel’s message and apply it to ourselves? Shouldn’t we start preaching to the mirror? We should also begin to see our reflection in everything EGW wrote about the Jews.
Through heathenism, Satan had for ages turned men away from God; but he won his great triumph in perverting the faith of Israel. By contemplating and worshiping their own conceptions, the heathen had lost a knowledge of God, and had become more and more corrupt. So it was with Israel. The principle that man can save himself by his own works lay at the foundation of every heathen religion; it had now become the principle of the Jewish religion. Satan had implanted this principle. Wherever it is held, men have no barrier against sin. Desire of Ages, p. 35.
“Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Lk. 6:46). And what did Jesus say? “Jesus…said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?” (Matt. 20:32). He offers a blank check, all-sufficient provision for the blackest of sins. All we need do is cry out to Him for the help which only He can give.
“For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
But ye said, NO; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.
And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him.” (Is. 30:15-18).
The blind beggars cried out for mercy. And when that got Jesus’ attention and He asked them specifically what they wanted, “they say unto Him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” (vs. 33). “So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.” (vs. 34). If He did that for them, why wouldn’t He take away our anxiety and stress and fill us full to the brim with the gift of His faith, love, and grace? With His grace comes power to keep His Law. Sound good? Do I have any takers? Anyone tired of their sin? Would you like something better than gall and wormwood gagging you, springing up in bitterness and anger every day?
“Hearken to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged,” “the pit wherein is no water.” (Is. 51:1;Zech. 9:11).
“For the LORD shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
Hearken unto Me, My people; and give ear unto Me, O My nation: for a law shall proceed from Me, and I will make My judgment to rest for a light of the people.
My righteousness is near; My salvation is gone forth, and Mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust.” (Is. 51:3-5).
“Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (Jn. 7:37-39).
“Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.” (Zech. 10:1). “And I will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.” (Ez. 34:26).
Everyone is dying of thirst. Their souls have dried up. The invitation stands, “The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Rev. 22:17).
The land is full of burning hearts. “The whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger, and in His wrath.” (Deut. 29:23). Why? Because the love of God, faith in His love, is almost non-existent.
We could have perfect fellowship with Him, being led beside the still waters and green pastures. Our souls could be “well watered…even as the garden of the LORD.” (Gen. 13:10). We could have a river of life flowing through us and be full of beautiful fruit as was Eden when the first Adam traversed its paths. The second Adam could indwell us and leave His glory on all our thoughts, hallowing all our meditations. We could know the richness of He acceptance and the beauty of His character of righteousness. We could be lost in love as Jesus was when He walked this earth.
But, alas, this is not our experience. Instead, we have “terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart” because we have despised His statutes, our soul abhorred His judgments, so that we did not do all His commandments—we have lost our first love and neglected His Law and gospel. (Lev. 26:16, 15).
And then, to add to our misery, we have gone to the charismatic churches and learned their method of forgetting God’s commandments through the introduction of celebration , the world’s fix since the most ancient of times and found in the most ancient religions, to help mollify our aching souls. Like them, we are adding drunkenness to our thirst. Rather than doing like the prodigal son who “came to himself,” and recognizing our destitution and torment, we dodge our sin and our duty to repent to God, and strike out for a different path to peace and happiness. This is a “smoke” in His nose “a fire that burneth all the day” “and shall burn unto the lowest hell.” (Is. 65:5;Deut. 32:22).
“For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they [Israel] went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd. Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats.” (Zech. 10:2,3).
But drunkenness doesn’t quench thirst. It only adds to the trouble. Drunkenness puts an extra demand on the body for a greater need of water; and accepting the world’s intoxicating method of laughing and joking in the effort to forget our problems and ignore sin only compounds our destitution of spiritual dehydration.
We must take our sinfulness seriously. We must take our sinfulness to the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. “Thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:21). Why call Him, “Savior,” if you aren’t going to own up to your sinfulness and then bring them to Him?
Doesn’t all this sound all too familiar to Seventh-day Adventists? What I allude to is the 3rd angel’s message:
“If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Rev. 14:9-11).
Sound familiar with God’s warning to Israel first quoted above?
Shouldn’t we as SDAs start to look a little more closely at this angel’s message and apply it to ourselves? Shouldn’t we start preaching to the mirror? We should also begin to see our reflection in everything EGW wrote about the Jews.
Through heathenism, Satan had for ages turned men away from God; but he won his great triumph in perverting the faith of Israel. By contemplating and worshiping their own conceptions, the heathen had lost a knowledge of God, and had become more and more corrupt. So it was with Israel. The principle that man can save himself by his own works lay at the foundation of every heathen religion; it had now become the principle of the Jewish religion. Satan had implanted this principle. Wherever it is held, men have no barrier against sin. Desire of Ages, p. 35.
“Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Lk. 6:46). And what did Jesus say? “Jesus…said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?” (Matt. 20:32). He offers a blank check, all-sufficient provision for the blackest of sins. All we need do is cry out to Him for the help which only He can give.
“For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
But ye said, NO; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.
And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him.” (Is. 30:15-18).
The blind beggars cried out for mercy. And when that got Jesus’ attention and He asked them specifically what they wanted, “they say unto Him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” (vs. 33). “So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.” (vs. 34). If He did that for them, why wouldn’t He take away our anxiety and stress and fill us full to the brim with the gift of His faith, love, and grace? With His grace comes power to keep His Law. Sound good? Do I have any takers? Anyone tired of their sin? Would you like something better than gall and wormwood gagging you, springing up in bitterness and anger every day?
“Hearken to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged,” “the pit wherein is no water.” (Is. 51:1;Zech. 9:11).
“For the LORD shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
Hearken unto Me, My people; and give ear unto Me, O My nation: for a law shall proceed from Me, and I will make My judgment to rest for a light of the people.
My righteousness is near; My salvation is gone forth, and Mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust.” (Is. 51:3-5).
“Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (Jn. 7:37-39).
“Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.” (Zech. 10:1). “And I will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.” (Ez. 34:26).
posted by David | 6:38 PM
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