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Proverbs 14:13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.
Proverbs 14:13 NKJV reads this way: Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief.
As we know the outward appearance of a person does not always portray the true feelings of the heart. Within this verse given in the Amplified Bible, verse 13 gives the end of mirth is heaviness and grief. Yikes!
Now when someone gets to that place it is as foreign to them as being in another country speaking no English or like being on a planet where no one lives!
Psalm 137:2-6
NKJV …..(2) We hung our harps upon
the willows in the midst of it.(3) For there those who carried us away captive
asked of us a song, and those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying,
"Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
4 How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land? 5 If I forget
you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill! 6 If I do not remember you, Let my tongue
cling to the roof of my mouth— If I do
not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.
Bitterness
describes the complaints of those in exile. God forced Judah, not to harm but
show their way was destructive to them. These
people had been scattered by their continuing to disobey God!
In this
setting people desire to sit by the banks of the river under the many willows
that grew along the banks, and in that coolness of the day, they desired rest
from toil, but their thoughts turned to the home far away and the loneliness of
being on foreign soil. They thought of the lost time in their homeland, their loss of years and heartache due to their own "desires". And while in all this, they are bullied by the nation that took them captive, to scoff and make fun of their instrument the harps and because of their God. The captors desired the captives to play them "the fun song". This period of time they, the captives, mingled their tears with the
waters that ran so freely through the region. Their grief overwhelmed them, and
the present worship was only in laments of the sorrowful.
In this
moment of time, they were far from life that they knew and their instruments was the
bitter reminder of life that what once
was held with festive songs, delight and food in the land they called home. But
in this moment ,grief challenged their hearts. No songs would serve them but the
songs of Zion. What honored God would be truly noted.
Psalm 39:1-6 reminds us about pain and
injustices of life often arousing an amount of indignation. It states: I said, “I
will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a
muzzle, while the wicked are before me.” 2 I was mute with silence, I held my
peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred up. My heart was hot within me;
while I was musing (meditating) the
fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue. 4 “LORD, make me to know my end, and
what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. 5 Indeed, You
have made my days as hand-breadths, and my age is as nothing before You;
certainly every man at his best is vapor. 6 Surely every man walks about like
shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not
know who will gather them.
Repressed
grief, and pent up emotions over man’s broken plans produced a flame that had long
been smothered. Anything causing heat can be built up to produce a “hot” flame.
In the place of the hidden heart, the many rooms contain plans, dreams, and
most likely brokenness from previous relationships or with current ones. People
need to talk about things but not to the extent of hammering others to the
ground. We each are responsible to ourselves. We are to be responsible at the
age we are and not hammer others or badmouth another when our own mouths and
actions got us into that place of “trouble” and possible exile! Being
out of God’s will is like being in the “wrong” land at the "wrong" time!
It is willfully doing our
own things when God has directed us to a certain path and to safety. And when
we do not listen or obey, we find ourselves in a heap of a mess. Surely we must
come to our senses and quickly not to lose the foundation of that which was
placed by God in our youth or in the learning stages of His grace.
There is something to exile, to that scattering, that God finds very good. For
it certainly is not all grief, but stages the Father will take to see us kept safe and to know that we have done “wrong” will be readily before us. And we choose to see repentance is the needed answer, then we are to respond to Him so our relationship
with Him continues.
Proverbs
19:21 There are many plans in a man’s
heart, nevertheless the LORD’S counsel---that will stand.
Jesus
told us of the heart! In Matthew 15:19 we are told that out of the heart
proceeds evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, and all of these kinds of
things. The heart, yes, is your driving force. And some people have them “souped- up, and turbo charged. They have a hidden danger of heat burning within the heart and
without allowing God to lead them through, they thrash others with verbal sword
strikes that can kill.
When they "text' their friend, it appears has the hate message. In posting something, they attack someone, and list their very bad issues of character.
Still
others will take a trip to fantasy land. They will make the required
reservations, check their finances for the availability of the quick purchase, fun-fare,
rides of amusement, fancy dining and the quick snack on-the run thinking they
are having a great time, the "great family vacation or family time together, till they arrive home, and their old “friend bitterness” is there spilling over into grief of lost ones, lost
family dinners with the crowd of loved ones, grief over what might have been
and ending up on foreign soil.
Finding their solitude painful they try silence
only for the patient few days and then the flame of grief is fanned into flame by the tongue of anger
for the lost. Their money spent, their tired from long drives, tired from long days and short nights
with little or no sleep and pretending all the while that the party is still going and growing.
God does
not want us to stop making plans, but He always wants us to understand that
those plans are subject to His will and His purpose. God is judging the
thoughts of our hearts and the plans that we make, and if they are not in
harmony with His plan, then His judgment may result in something that might be
emotionally or physically painful to us in order that we are put back on track.
The word of God is to be our "plumb line". Anger can appear and frustrations can be revealed, but we cannot be led by what we "feel". We must know the Word of God, regard it as the standard and not move off it . Party time is not the answer when a heart is about to blow with frustrations and many questions. And if you or I lust after other things as to what people do, what people wear and to what people have, then we have the wrong thought process. For lust only brings the loss of most likely our good health and life.
Living godly, will bring life that is long and far from the land of exile. The next time something tries to send you into exile, remember God has a plan of good and not evil for a hope in our final outcome. Do not lose focus of His word of truth to lead you out into the light. Turn toward your Father in heaven ask in Jesus name for the expulsion to begin of the grief and pain. Be reminded He lost His Son for our benefit. He lost His first son Adam and His second Son Jesus, but gained life back for us through Jesus. What may be before you should not dictate your life for bitterness as it is harmful and grief can be devastating. It can devastate your life, your home and family.
Remember Jesus came as a human not as God to walk here. He came born into suffering and pain but it was His empathy that made the perfect sacrifice. He is for you and He will help!
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