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His Closeness is in our Brokenness
In the Old Testament, the command in Leviticus was quite plain: “Ye shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut . . .” Leviticus 22:24
When you read this you think how can I ever worship the Lord when life has been so hard on me I feel so bruised, crushed and broken but as I began to study I see that God is the healer of broken things.
David wrote in the book of psalms, “He healeth the BROKEN in heart and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalms 147:3
In Ezekiel, God commands the prophet to speak against the shepherds of Israel and said, “Thus saith the Lord, ye feed not the flock . . . neither have ye bound up that which was BROKEN...” Ezekiel 34:3-4. And he went on to say, I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was BROKEN, and will strengthen that which was sick: Ezekiel 34:16
And while he said he didn’t want sacrifices that were broken and bruised, I think what he meant was he didn’t want them unless we were willing to let him heal them.
David of old said, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a BROKEN heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” His closeness is in our brokenness. In another psalm it says, “The sacrifices of God are a BROKEN spirit; and a BROKEN and contrite heart, Oh God, thou will not despise.”
Remember the story in Judges, about Gideon and his army. Gideon a man, who like God, used broken things to overcome the enemy. They BROKE the pictures and the enemy fell on their own swords. This shows us that God uses broken things. And He still uses broken things today, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.
One of my favorite scriptures contains a promise, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoking flax he will not quench.” Matthew 12:20. I think what the Lord is trying to tell us is wherever and however you are he will not let you go. He truly is the God of the BROKEN things. BROKENNESS may be the only common bond we share but it truly is enough to bind us to each other and to Him for eternity.
In Jesus Name,
Pastor Hehnke
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