Blemished,
Spotted and Wounded?
Blemished, spotted and wounded, like a sheep or a little lamb who lost
hope completely because of varied situations can find hope.
Strong's Greek: 3470. μῶμος (mómos) -- Blemish, fault, blame
Derived from a root descriptive of a stain, blot, or moral flaw, μῶμοι (Strong’s 3470) evokes the picture of something marred, disfigured, or disqualified. In Scripture such language moves easily from the …[i]
The metaphysical aspects of man, the soul and the spirit and their connection to the body is often blissfully overlooked. Spirit of the person, and the soul (mid, will, intellect, emotions, thought and reasoning) play a huge role in the well-being of an individual. God who formed our inward parts, knows us well more than any human being, as it is written that we are wired individually, fearfully, wonderfully and fashioned specifically, and differently (Ref. Psalm 139).
Questions to ponder?
1.
Who is this that
darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Job
38: 2
2. Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go and say unto
thee, Here we are? Job 38:35
3. Who hath put
wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart? Job 38:36.
4. Can we wrap our
mind around time, space and matter?
5. What is my main purpose
for my life?
6. What is my real
story? What am I struggling with?
7. Do I believe in
God?
8. How is my story fitting into God’s story for me?
Hebrew
word study: lev – לב means, heart- which is
defined as the seat of all passions.
ayakah/ AYEKAH – איכה means “where are you?” (Hebrew word study, Chaim Bentorah).
Ayekah is an ancient Hebrew word that is still used in daily life today. It means, “Where are you?” It is used today when a person, parent, friend, compatriot wants to know about your inner world, the heart experiences of you.
“And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” - Genesis 3:9-10.
After
searching for the heart of God and capturing a few glimpses of His heart, you
may no longer see Him as a task master ready to whip you into submission to His
will, but as a lover who has His arms open, ready to embrace you, to forgive
you, and win you over to submission to His perfect will through His passionate
love for you. - Chaim Bentorah, Hebrew Word
Study- Revealing the Heart of God, (2016).
In this fallen
world offences happen often. Forgiveness is a slow process, but with the help
of God and His word, and by the power of the Holy spirit we can forgive our
offenders. The very act of forgiveness changes the relationship. We are not
condoning the wrong, or acting as if it never happened, but we are letting it
go with forgiveness because we are going to recognize the benefits of
forgiving.
The Flow of forgiveness: Vertical and Horizontal [ii]
a. Confessing our sins to God, and to any other offended party.
b. Forgiveness by God and by the offended party.
c. Establishing a
new relationship between God and the offender, and the offended party. Confession,
forgiveness and reconciliation are very much related and in reconciliation,
enmity and alienation are replaced by peace and fellowship.
Praying for the offenders
*In some hard situations, we forgive as Jesus
forgave us all at the Cross! That is without expecting the other party to ask
for forgiveness, and letting it go; and at the same time learning to put necessary
boundaries. This is total commitment to our Saviour Jesus Christ and releasing
that person in His hands; with the hope that God will work on that person’s
heart the truth one day! This is the total work of the Holy Spirit.
They are plans for good and
not for disaster, to give you a future and hope, Jeremiah
29: 11.
It
is not a promise to immediately rescue us from hardship and suffering. But it
is a promise that God has a plan for our lives, and regardless of our
circumstances and sufferings, and current situation, He can work through our
trials and give us a future and hope. In all things God works for the
good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,
which is to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.
And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose.
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren; Rom. 8: 28-29.
It is very possible that occurring events around us are not pleasing to us. Hebrew word, Tela actually means to be blemished, spotted, or wounded.
The lamb that the Good Shepherd is carrying is one that is not perfect, it is flawed, or has been wounded and cannot keep up with the flock. I see the consuming loving passion of the True Shepherd for this imperfect, blemished, dirty, wounded lamb! The wounded lamb, when they cry out, God does hear their cry. God always hears and answers our prayers. In the book of Matthew, Jesus makes this promise:
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).
Corrie Ten Boom says, “to forgive is to set a prisoner
free and to discover the prisoner was you” (Notes form a crazy soul).
Jeanette
Lockerbie says that “we will never be able to understand or explain the
wonderful alchemy that produces sweetness out of sorrow, beauty from ashes,
peace in the midst of pain.”[iii]
