My Dad has a saying that was always annoying when I was younger but I’ve come to appreciate and respect it: “If you’re bad you’re sad!” Of course it was after I did something disobedient or disrespectful and ended up hurting myself in the process. This saying came to mind when I read a similar passage:
“Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.”
Jeremiah 30:15
Context
Jeremiah is speaking God’s word to a broken, hurting, exiled Israel. They have sinned against their Holy God so much that God finally brought due judgment upon them by sending Babylon from the north to destroy and carry away captive many of the people of Israel. They were ripped from their homes, many were killed, and carried away into a foreign land that they knew nothing of. It is in this place that they begin to cry and complain. To this complaining God says: “Why criest thou…thy sorry is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity”
If You’re Bad You’re Sad
Everything that Israel was experiencing, in short, they had coming. What did they experience that they did not deserve? Like a kid who steals and is punished but then cries because he has to sit in the corner: “What did you think was going to happen?”
In Israel’s case, and in ours as well, it is much worse. God says: “thy sorry is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity.” The sadness we experience due to our sins was incurable. Incapable of being soothed. Comfort was impossible. Nobody, nothing, not anything we can do will bring comfort from our sins and our self-condemning conscience. We are, in a sense, stuck in the corner.
Jesus
And yet there is hope. Just a few verses later God says: “For I will restore health unto thee, And I will heal thee of thy wounds” (verse 17). It is still true that our sorrows are incapable of being healed and our conscience incapable of being cleared – that is – in our own power or by our own works. Jesus says it better: “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matt 19:26. But God came down, and motivated by His love, died for our very own sins. (John 3:16) He bore the punishment that we rightfully deserved. And through calling on the name of His Son, Jesus, and believing in Him as Lord (Rom 10:9-10), we can be saved from our incurable iniquity!
If you have not taken this step then you need to do so right away. You know not when your last day is and God forbid you die in your incurable sin and a dirty conscience. God takes no pleasure in that death (Ez 33:11) and would rather you turn and come to Him and receive life (John 6:37). Try not to clean your own conscience, try not to cure your own hurt. Yes, if you’re bad you’re sad, but oh how Jesus has bore that sadness on His cross! Come to Him. Come to Him.
Action
- Praise God for His atoning sacrifice on the cross. That your sin is now cured!
- Confess to God your temptation to cure your own sin and clean your own conscience.
- Ask God to fix your eyes on Jesus and His cross and your very life.
- Listen to this post’s song: His Mercy is More