Broken Hallelujah
You know it's funny the ways the Lord chooses to speak to people; it's probably as individual as people themselves. As for me, the Lord will quite often use modern pop or rock songs to convey His messages. Yeah, He gives Scripture to go with it, but the song usually gives the heart of the word and tends to pack an altogether different kind of punch. Music can be so powerful that way anyway, but when you hear His voice in it, well, it's awesome. Like take the song "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSJbYWPEaxw&ob=av2e
Last night the Holy Spirit sang the familiar word--I recognized the song in four notes! (even though I think I've only heard the whole song maybe once or twice before). It has that kind of melody that grabs you. So I listened to the song again and Googled the lyrics. Even though there seems to be some question over the meaning of those lyrics, I discerned the meaning the Holy Spirit was articulating to me: the song talks about King David's remorse and brokenness after committing adultery. It also expresses the regret and ugly truth King David had to face afterwards: he had been unfaithful in his love relationship with the Lord by his adultery, and now he realized too painfully that the "love" he sought from Bathsheba "was not a victory march, it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah." He had lied, killed, and stolen somebody that was not his to have!
Yes, David felt broken over his sin and the adultery shook his faith to the core. He realized that he didn't "have a secret chord" that "pleased the Lord;" no, he was vulnerable to sin just like anybody on earth. "But You don't really care for music, do You?" No, God desires obedience; He is not impressed with our gifts and successes--the Lord gave them to us! "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 5:6). An obedient life IS a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord!
It was then that David realized all the damage the illicit love had done to his spiritual walk with God: "...she broke your throne, she cut your hair, and from your lips she drew the Hallelujah."
Who is this "she"? It's the spirit of adultery, or "spirit of prostitution" (Hosea 5:4). No Christian is immune to this temptation, and know that, too, it goes beyond a sexual encounter. Yes, it includes all forms of idolatry, false doctrine, and any compromising and lusting after the ways of the world rather than following God's ways.
The adulteress spirit is a cunning one. She uses smooth, deceptive words and tells you what you want to hear. She is brazen, manipulative, gentle and seductive in her ways, always looking for and nurturing her next opportunity. "Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng." (Proverbs 7:26). The Word of God doesn't say that Bathsheba was this adulteress type, but rather we can understand that a spirit of adultery was at work, enticing both into sin. The goal of the spirit of adultery: to take away the 'Hallelujah!' from his lips.
David felt the painful void in his relationship with God as a result of his sin; "There was a time You let me know what's really going on below, but now You don't show it to me, do You? And I remember when I moved in You, the Holy Dove was moving too, and every breath we drew was Hallelujah." David felt lost and abandoned, and he knew it was his own doing--even worse! As he laid before the Lord he re-evaluated his warrior lifestyle and his relationship with the Lord: he knew how to fight for God, so how had "love" conquered him so easily?
Well, we can know for sure that it did not 'just happen'--he had tolerated and embraced a wrong thinking. Maybe he was emotionally vulnerable since he had been in the trenches for so long, enduring all kinds of betrayals and life-threatening situations, even personal losses, that the mental fantasy and fleshly indulgence probably seemed pretty appealing. Oh, the deception!
This song conveys so powerfully the angst and remorse King David felt after his adultery that it teaches us an important lesson: grieving over our sin is not a bad thing...it is necessary for true repentance. And the simple truth is--we don't do enough of it. No, our modern Western culture is pretty phobic of grieving over our sin. We'd much rather say, "Now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..." or to not even acknowledge that our behavior was sinful, rather than humbly submit ourselves to the Lord's correction meant to restore us. We can be a hard-headed bunch at times, huh?"Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am He who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds." Revelation 2:20-23.
So why are we talking about this today? Because there is a rise in the adulteress spirit working within the Church these days and we must recognize and take precautions. Flee from temptation and do not compromise the Word of God--live according to it. To be naive of this temptation is as bad as tolerating sexual immorality and spiritual & sexual adultery. To live like the world, to embrace what they embrace, and call good what they call good is to commit spiritual adultery. It's a cold and broken Hallelujah.
Secondly, we should recognize and embrace the intense suffering we experience after we've committed these sins because it's normal, necessary, and perfect for the realigning of our faith back with Jesus again. To know and acknowledge the depth of our sin will allow us to appreciate the amazing grace and joy that is readily available in Christ Jesus. He delights to get us back on track if we repent and allow him to do the work in our lives! It is the desire of His heart to have a close, warm, and strong relationship with us. We need to just submit ourselves to Him just as we are, faults and sin and all. He is a forgiving God, compassionate to the repentant and has boundless love for us. Soon our lives will sing to God a warm and restored Hallelujah!!
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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