I am acutely aware that my steps are ordered. Therefore, when I experience anything, whether it is a post that I “just so happen to see,” or that I “feel led to comment on”, I am clear that none of this is by chance. The Holy Spirit orders my steps.

So, this particular journey starts with some reading that the Holy Spirit caused me to dig into and ponder in the Old Testament. One book leads me to another which leads me to yet another and I feel like I am navigating a maze. Some things I understand, and some things I didn’t. It is when I don’t understand that the journey becomes crazy amazing. (I love how Father teaches me through the Holy Spirit. )

So here I go…

I am reading the book of Nehemiah and I came to some chapters that I did not understand, it was foolish of me to think that I was just going to be able to keep reading further without having to stop and go back and reread what I did not understand until I got it. I know I didn’t think that this was going to happen.

Father says, “In all your getting, get wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.” – Proverbs 4:7

So at 3:30am when I awakened, I knew that I was going to read in Nehemiah. I thought that I would pick up where I left off, which was in chapter 9; but instead, Father addressed with me whether, or not, I understood what I had read previously and I did not. So back to the beginning I went.

In the process of looking again at chapters 2 and 3 of Nehemiah, something about what I read reminded me of a post I had commented on via social media. It was a post that was done on the personal page of a friend, and I felt drawn to comment on it, not on their page where all of the comments were being made, but by way of inbox. So here was the question that was asked:

If your husband/wife or significant other cheats would you forgive them or would it be completely over?

When I saw the question, I felt alarmed. I felt as if this was a dangerous question. Here is why;

1. It’s really hard to say what a response would truly be unless one actually found oneself in that position. But, because the heart is the seat of motivation, what one would really do would be determined by how invested the heart actually is in the relationship. The heart is treacherous. Who can know it?

2. That question is a very dangerous question because it illicit from us responses that we are quick to answer in the flesh without discerning the spirit. What makes that dangerous is that we can be speaking our own judgment like King David did. (See 2 Samuel chapter 12)

God’s word says that the letter of the law kills, and that is seen in all of the fleshly responses of no (the response to not forgive, ends the relationship), but the spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:4-6)

The more that I considered what that question was really asking, I began to recognize that here is what is not often considered.

God’s Word says that we will be judged with the judgment that we give. Matthew 7:2. God’s word also says that the merciful will be shown mercy Matthew 5: 7.

What does those verses have to do with the question?

This…

God’s issue with the Israelites as a whole (all 12 tribes) was their adulterous behavior towards him. God’s issue with Christians today is our adulterous behavior towards him.

Jeremiah 3:11-15
New King James Version
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say:

‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord;
‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you.
For I am merciful,’ says the Lord;
‘I will not remain angry forever.
13 Only acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God,
And have scattered your [a]charms
To alien deities under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.

14 “Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15 And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

That’s the whole issue that God has with us even in reference to the false worship practices.

Jeremiah 7:16-19
New King James Version
16 “Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you. 17 Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger. 19 Do they provoke Me to anger?” says the Lord. “Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces?”

Jeremiah 7:28-30
New King James Version
Judgment on Obscene Religion
28 “So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the Lord their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth. 29 Cut off your hair and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on the desolate heights; for the Lord has rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath.’ 30 For the children of Judah have done evil in My sight,” says the Lord. “They have set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to [a]pollute it.

This is why God had Hosea marry a prostitute – so that he could show His people how it is that we have treated him, and how he has in turn kept coming for us in spite of this.

Isn’t it funny how we would judge another so harshly if they fell in this area, and yet for ourselves, we would want mercy? What is crazy is that we don’t see this same behavior in ourselves as it pertains to our relationship with God.

As I considered these things I began to recognize that this is what the issue was that the Book of Ezra ended with everyone weeping, fasting, and crying. They recognized their error. This is the very issue that Nehemiah said so many prayers on. But it was what Haggai said that drove things home for me.

Haggai 2:11-14
New King James Version
11 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying, 12 “If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge, he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?” ’ ”

Then the priests answered and said, “No.”

13 And Haggai said, “If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?”

So the priests answered and said, “It shall be unclean.”

14 Then Haggai answered and said, “ ‘So is these people, and so is this nation before Me,’ says the Lord, ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.

All of this has to do with compromise.

Before we can even begin considering rebuilding, we need to remove the offense. We need to put the issue of offense away from us.

When talking about whether or not one can forgive one who falls, or not, consideration is not given to whether or not one is able and willing to turn around, to put the offense away from themselves.

This is what God tells us in Isaiah 1:18,19 when he tells us to come and set matters straight between us and him. He says that even though our sins are red as scarlet that he will make them white as snow. The key is that we must be willing and obedient.

The more that I consider this I realize that this is what the entire bible is showing us. It is showing us the strain that is put on relationships when we don’t put away from ourselves the issue that causes offense. By the time you read Ezra 9 and 10 the people are beginning to understand, and by the time you read Nehemiah you are looking at the work of rebuilding that is now necessary.

This is actually where we are or should be. We need to be rebuilding and restoring from the damage that we caused. But just like Haggai 2:11-14 states, we can’t do that if we are still clinging to the offense. the offense that causes us to be defiled has to be put away from us otherwise the response that we will get is that we will not be forgiven.

It’s a shame that this is not understood so that one will rebuild restore and refresh themselves as opposed to brick and mortar.

This is nowhere near done because as long as we are trying to rebuild brick walls instead of the true temple of God we will be missing the mark and going around in circles on this matter.