A time to rend refers to taking apart or to tearing. In the Old Testament, when someone said something ridiculous, outrageous, or blasphemous, religious leaders would often rend their garments in disgust or as a sign of the seriousness of the offense.
There’s a time to rend; to break away from stumbling blocks. God wants us to rend from things offensive to Him. He wants us to know there’s a designated time-slot, if you will, to take a stand against everything opposed to the Gospel, and tear it off you. Rending unhealthy relationship, isn’t easy. Breaking from everything around us that maybe at some point in our lives made us comfortable, but now cause us to blush, is difficult to part with. It usually means turning away from old friends and acquaintances; even changing our old habits and ways of thinking. In a nutshell, rending becomes a defining moment in our lives. The BIG question becomes: Is He worth giving up all these things for? Or, is He as unimportant as the guru two states over?
Things that hinder our spiritual growth need not continue reigning in our lives. God tells us “I am the True Vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away: men gather them, and cast them into the fire” (John 15:1, 8). It’s time to rend from our lives things that don’t benefit us and ought to be burnt off.
A lot of people think they can sweeten up God with their good looks, suave ways, smooth talk, etc. What many don’t realize is that, just, sweet-talking isn’t going to work with an irate parent, It won’t with God either, because when He shows up at the end of our lives, He’s coming with fire and judgment. The time for sweet stuff is now while we’re under His Grace and Mercy-and comes through by means of repentance on our behalf; not when indignation and destruction will be served:
“They too will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb” (Revelation 14:10)
If He spared not important people, such as King Saul, where does that leave us without Jesus’s intersession? In the previous post, we saw he was disobedient to God-which brought about unexpected results:
“And Samuel said to unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day and hath given it to a neighbour that is better than thou” (1 Samuel 15:28).
Yep, God stripped Saul of his kingdom and gave it to a man of obedience; to a man after His own heart: David.
So, let’s rend with those seemingly unimportant, but life-changing issues which turn out to be important ways which hinder our growth. Remember that He’s on His way with His rewards (Revelations 22:12), and, where will that leave the unsaved and enemies of God?
“Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you” (Isaiah 64:1, 2 NIV)!
YIKES!! You DON’T want to be on that side of the fence! Time to move on!
God Bless,
Sam