Denial is a psychological defense mechanism that can lead to real and lasting devastation. Basically, denial is the refusal to acknowledge the existence of an unpleasant reality. Denial was active in the lives of the people of Judah and particularly their king, Jehoiakim of Jerusalem. Jehoiakim absolutely refused to listen to the prophet Jeremiah’s predictions of the coming destruction by the Babylonians. He preferred to listen instead to the lies of the false prophets who continuously declared peace and low-cost deliverance. Jehoiakim wanted to believe that no harm would come to him despite how he lived. He wanted blessing without accountability. He was committed to keeping up the charade that God would not bring correction to His own people who had rebelled against Him. Jehoiakim’s denial was so complete that he even burned the scroll on which Jeremiah had recorded the Lord’s message. “”Whenever Jehudi finished reading three or four columns of the scroll, the king took his knife and cut off that section of the scroll. He then threw it into the fire, section by section, until the whole scroll was burned up. Neither the king nor his officials showed any signs of fear or repentance at what they heard,” (Jeremiah 36:23-24).
Jehoiakim was like so many us who pretend our sins will not catch up to us and who deny the consequences of our actions by ignoring them. As the old saying goes, denial is not just a river in Egypt—it is a force in all of our lives. But to be whole people who live in freedom, we must face the truth about our actions. The only way to overcome our problems is to deal with them squarely before the Lord. Had Jehoiakim heard the words of the prophet and turned away from his sin, God would have spared him and brought healing. We know this is the case because that’s what happened with Johoiakim’s father Josiah. When Josiah heard the words of the Book of Deuteronomy for the first time he tore his clothes in repentance and committed himself to a program of change. Josiah received the merciful love of God because of his heartfelt and true response to God’s corrective word. But such was not the case with his son. Jehoiakim chose instead to listen to the lying prophets and to reject God’s clear warning.
A life of freedom always comes through a commitment to truth. Essentially, committing to truth is committing to God. We must be willing to hear what God’s word has to say about our lives and then respond accordingly. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free,” (John 8:32). Are there any “false prophets” in your life calling you away from the truth? Are you struggling to accept the reality of your actions and therefore living in a dangerous kind of denial? Are you rejecting what God has clearly pointed out to you as sin in your life? May I encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart and help you gain God’s perspective on what is really going on within you. And then honestly turn to the Lord to be healed. Commit yourself to him and ask him to give you the power to change. With God, we never receive what our sins deserve. Instead we receive grace and mercy because God specializes in restoring that which is broken.
upword 