The God of Sorrow

                        " I hate I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.  Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.  Though you bring me choice fellowship offerings I will have no regard for them."

                                                                                                                Amos 5:21-22

                          In the Old Testament there was so much death and destruction!  I used to be so confused about God.  In the Old Testament he seemed harsh, impatient and angry all the time.  Then, in the New Testament he sent his son Jesus down and now he's loving and patient.  Did God really change? Is God hateful or... is it something else?

                                 Listen Please, I beg of you!

                       Hear this word the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel- against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:   

                                                                    Amos 3:1

                      You read that a lot in the first part of the Bible. And even in the New Testament.  God seemed like he was constantly saying, "Listen to me,  hear my words, the Lord has spoken" etc.  Was God being desperate and that drove him to become so angry? I think it's the opposite. 

                  Then the Lord God said to the woman, "what is it this you have done?"

                                                                                                           Genesis 3:13 

                    God was hurting to see the people turning from him.  God could see the good that he had for all those people. The potential, the joy, and bounty.  But they chose sin. They chose the ways of the dark one and condemned themselves.  You may think 'why didn't God give all those people a chance? Why did he have to kill them right away?' When you read your Bible, read closely. At points you can see that God sent prophets to all the tribes in the land and gave them years to tell them to turn back to God and avoid his judgment.  Sometimes the people did turn back. Like the whole city of Nineveh turned back to God through Jonah. 

                       As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it.

                                                                                                                  Luke 19:41

                  

                 In that small verse that was when Jesus entered Jerusalem on the donkey and everyone was yelling Hosanna.  Jesus cried... he was probably sobbing.  It pained him that Jerusalem didn't even know that the one who would give them peace was entering the city right before their eyes!  Look at your own city today. What do you see?  Do you think Jesus would be proud or cry bitterly?  

                God cares for you and me so much.  I do admit that I doubted God's love today! But he never leaves, never forsakes, or never turns us away. God is the same yesterday,today and forever! It may seem like he changed but he never has. God wants to get to know you. He is The God of sorrow. He understands your pain, your heartache.  He also is the God of hope. There is always hope where we think there isn't.