Many people out in the world are living weariness of everyday life. They are an auto-pilot just going through the motions. In an extreme case of this trend, ten percent of the British people believe they would be better off dead, according to a survey. One in four was unhappy in his or her job, while one in three felt exhausted, unappreciated, or underpaid. Christine Webber, the psychotherapist who did the survey, said, “Sadly, it comes as no surprise to me that so many people are unhappy at home and work. It seems that people’s lives do not live up to their extremely high expectations. It is particularly worrying to see so many people dwelling on morbid thoughts, with a large proportion just plainly exhausted by life.”¹

You have to know that whatever is in the world tends to creep into the church. There are believers in Jesus who are unknowingly combating weariness. We can and should take a hint from the pages of the Bible and fight this challenging and monumental enemy called weariness.

#S2-050: More of Why Renewing the Mind Is Important for Soul Development [Podcast]

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How the Jews Operated in Weariness Concerning the Feasts

John 7:1–2 (ESV) — 1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand.

• The Jews changed God’s intention for the feasts and turned it into something he had never designed.
• The feasts of the Lord became the feasts of the Jews.
• There are more references to this ‘feast perversion’ in John.

John 5:1 (ESV) — 1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

• So, again, you see the words ‘feast of the Jews,’ not the Lord’s feast.

John 6:4 (ESV) — 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.

• Even the Passover was corrupted into the ‘Jews feast.’
• See yet another Passover feast in John eleven and Jesus final Passover in chapter nineteen.

John 11:55 (ESV) — 55 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves.

John 19:42 (ESV) — 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

• In each of these cases, reference is made to the Jewish version of these feasts.
• So, every one of these feasts had gone awry.
• But, what was it specifically that the Jews did?

Malachi’s Testimony

• The book of Malachi testifies to some of the Jewish feast perversions.

Malachi 1:7–8 (ESV) — 7 By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the LORD’s table may be despised. 8 When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts.

• They offered contaminated food to the Maker of food.
• The Jews were offering blind animals to the One who sees all.
• Lame and sick animals, they offered to the Healer of humankind.
• All these offerings were evil things lifted to the Most High and Holy God.
• The Jews were not obeying God’s will in the area of feasts.
• The Lord turned that back on Israel by asking them this question: “Would your Governor accept such offerings?”
• The point is this, whatever you are willing to do for a mere human man, you should be that much more willing to do for a divine all-powerful God.
• If you are faithful to your job, shouldn’t you be faithful to your God?
• Why would you offer the Lord sub-standard service?
• So, we read Malachi 1:7, now drop down a few more verses to verse thirteen.

Weariness to Do God’s Will

Malachi 1:13–14 (ESV) — 13 But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the LORD of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD. 14 Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.

• The priest’s conclusion about obeying God’s will via His offerings and feasts was that it was all just weariness.
• The Hebrew word for ‘weariness’ means trouble, hardship, or toil.
• One Hebrew dictionary defined it as ‘a nuisance.’
• The priests knew that they had to offer sacrifices.
• The Lord had made His desire known to them in the Pentateuch.
• But, obeying God’s will was drudgery to them.
• They did not have their heart into what they were doing.
• The Jews were going through the motions.
• Auto-pilot Judaism, you could call it.
• It’s an example for us of what not to allow in our lives.

Don’t Leave Your First Love

• The New International Commentary of the Old Testament adds this comment.

They are bored with their duties. They have no fervency for or interest in performing the prescribed tasks. Because they are in the habit of despising the altar and defiling the offerings, and deeming it contemptible, they are experiencing their duties as something that causes weariness, as an unbearable burden. “The joy of restored worship at Jerusalem, experienced half a century ago, was gone” (Edgar).²

• I am sure you have heard the ‘left your first love’ verse in Revelation, right?

Revelation 2:4 (ESV) — 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

• The ‘you’ in these verses is a reference to the church at Ephesus.
• The Greek word ‘abandon’ means to abandon cognitively, that means they thought about it leaving the Lord and His ways.
• They entertained it in their thinking.
• The word ‘abandon’ further means to stop maintaining or insisting on; used of ideas or claims.
• They stopped maintaining God’s ways.
• They stopped insisting on the exactness of His Word.
• You have to keep maintaining that God’s ways are the right ways.
• That His plan and His Word is worthy of ‘jot and title’ obedience.
• You understand the phrase ‘jot and title,’ don’t you?

Matthew 5:18 (KJV) — 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

• Jot, or title means the smallest part of God’s Word will stand.

Matthew 24:35 (KJV) — 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

• If the smallest parts of God’s Word will stand, then obedience right down to the smallest iota is the standard.
• That’s where the Jews got off in this area of feasts.
• They didn’t obey God’s Word down to the smallest dot; they changed God’s Word.
• And why did they change it? – because they were weary of doing it God’s way.

Boredom: A Key Indicator

• So, the priests of the Lord were bored with obeying God’s will.
• There’s a hint there for you and me.
• How do you know that your walk with God is headed south?
• Here’s one way you know.
• Are you bored with obeying God’s will for your life?
• Bored is an adjective: it’s a descriptor.
• Similar adjectives include uninterested, unexcited, tired, wearied, exhausted.
• A bored child of God is uninterested in His God.
• He is not excited by Him or by His will.
• I say, ‘him’ but of course it could be ‘her’ also.
• Bored is bad.
• It’s a serious negative sign.
• Believers get slack when they walk in boredom.
• Why the admonition?
• Well, there’s probably many reasons.
• One is because discouragement is a minefield of problems and the Lord in His compassion doesn’t want you to lose your spiritual legs as you walk through it.
• Second is plain awareness.
• To be forewarned is to be forearmed as the saying goes.

#S3-003: How to Minister Healing Like Jesus Did [Podcast]

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