“I Was Crushed” #1537

9 Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations. 10 And they shall know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them. (Ezekiel 6:9–10, NKJV)

Israel was unfaithful to God by committing adultery with idols. The Lord was crushed by their adulterous heart as their eyes pursued harlotry. Clearly, the rebellion of His people grieves the Lord (Psalm 78:40-42). So, He understands the pain caused when a spouse is unfaithful. He knows the crushing grief of a child rebelling against parental rule and God’s will. Experiencing such pain causes some to compromise God’s will to avoid the emotional trauma of such rejection. But, a temporary “peace, peace” when there is no peace is not a winning spiritual strategy (Jeremiah 6:14-16). Though crushed, God punished Israel for her sins while leaving a remnant to escape and reclaim their faith (Ezekiel 6:1-8). Our sin crushes the heart of God, but He will not abandon truth to win us back. Instead He calls on us to repent and to return to faithfulness, warning us of eternal punishment if we persist in our sin. May we quickly sorrow over what our sin does to the heart of God and to the hearts of our loved ones, and repent (2 Corinthians 7:9-10).

When God Cries #1054

And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24, NKJV)

Jesus was very sorrowful when the young ruler went away “very sorrowful” upon hearing what he still lacked in order to have eternal life (Lk. 18:22-23). Christ’s sorrow is far removed from the blasphemous picture of a God who delights in humanity’s suffering and demise. God is grieved when we choose other things instead of His will. It is also helpful to see that Christ did not change His will to somehow make following Him more palatable for the young man. Neither will He for us; He deserves our full submission. On another occasion, Jesus wept over Jerusalem because He knew she would soon be destroyed because of rejecting Him as the Messiah (Lk. 19:41-44). God cries when we refuse Christ in our lives. An even worse punishment, an everlasting destruction, will come “on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:8-9). We must resolve not to bring God to tears by our sins against Him. God has prepared a New Jerusalem where every tear will cease forever (Rev. 21:4). Be true and faithful and true – His words certainly are (Rev. 21:5).