In law, abandonment means to relinquish or renounce an interest, claim, privilege, right or possession with the intent of never resuming any of those again. When it comes to inanimate objects like land, only the owner can abandon the property. Yet in regard to people, both parties can abandon or be abandoned. All of us have at times felt abandoned by those we love, left alone to fend for ourselves on the seas of distress. Certainly, that is a common feeling with anyone who has either thought about or acted on the desire to commit suicide. Where do we turn when there is nowhere else to turn?
In the Bible, a frequent term for abandon is forsake, which appears 143 times in the Old Testament and eight times in the New Testament, in the King James Version. Jesus spoke the word from the cross in reference to the Father and the Holy Spirit, a repeat of the prophetic utterance of King David in Psalm 22.
45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Matthew 27:45-46
Unlike our legal interpretation of abandonment, or being forsaken, God did not turn His back on Jesus with the intent of not resuming that relationship again. Instead, when the sins of the world were placed upon the shoulders of Jesus, God had to look away. A righteous God cannot be a part of unrighteousness, and for that reason, sin created separation, just as it does when we sin. That separation was wider than the Grand Canyon! We can see that separation in the words of our Savior, as He no longer used His typical term of relationship, “My Father.” Instead, Jesus spoke the words, “My God, My God,” the first referring to the Father and the second referring to the Holy Spirit. The separation from His Father and the Holy Spirit that Jesus felt was the only time in all of eternity that He would experience such utter pain and hopelessness. To Jesus, the separation was devastating. That is the same feeling those in hell will experience, yet the duration will be for eternity, rather than for a moment!
We can lose sight of the fact that we caused that sadness in our Savior. Jesus did not commit any sin to cause separation from God. Instead, that separation occurred when our sin was placed on His shoulders. We can rejoice that as believers, our sin certainly causes brokenness, but it already has been paid for! God told us in Genesis 28:15, Deuteronomy 31:6, Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:5 and Hebrews 13:5 that He never will leave us or forsake us! No matter what depth of duress we find ourselves in, God never will turn His back on us!
Why does it feel like there are times when we are fighting the battles alone? If it is not because God has forsaken us; it is because we have forsaken God! This happens for a variety of reasons, though pride seems to be at the forefront. Often, we forget who is fighting the battles for us, and we let our own arrogance take credit for success. That is the first step of approaching failure, for God deserves all honor. Secondly, that seeming aloneness occurs when we grow complacent in our walks with the Lord, by failing to exhibit faithfulness. Sometimes, one bad decision can start us on a journey that leads far away from the Lord!
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:
Deuteronomy 28:1-2
In the passage quoted above, the word for “diligence” does not refer to a momentary occurrence. We can be diligent one day and not be diligent the next. Instead, this passage describes faithfulness, daily diligence, in hearing the voice of God. Obviously, we cannot hear without listening! The voice of God is most apparent and available in the Bible, so we are to remain faithfully in His Word. Additionally, to obey His voice, we need to be doers of the Word, not just hearers of the Word. When we choose to disobey the Lord, He does not leave us, yet we turn away from Him. When facing darkness, we feel alone in the battle, yet God remains there with us, right behind us, waiting for us to turn around and run into His arms again!
Have you been forsaken? If you have Jesus as your Savior, you never will be forsaken, but in your walk, do not forsake Him! There is not a more painful or lonely place. If you feel that loss, turn around and run back into His arms. God will respond just like the father when the prodigal son returned, having wasted his inheritance. God clothes us, gives us His name and kills the fatted calf to feed us in celebration of the one who was lost, but now is found! Turn, turn, turn!
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.”
Joshua 24:19-20
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