FROM THE PASTOR’S HEART
OP-ED DR. ROBERT KENNEDY
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Curse God and die?” Believe it or not, it is found in the Bible as advisement that Job’s wife gave to him after watching him in the grief of their losses, particularly with the loss of their children and the pain of his sickness.
It was tough for Job and very hard for his wife. Her nerves were frazzled, her mind confused, and her spirit depressed. She was desperate. She wished to see Job get out of his misery. She felt that the curses were piling up; she asked Job, “Do you still wish to retain your integrity?” And then she offered the advisement, “Curse God, and die.”
Interestingly, Job did not take the advice. Instead, he responded, “You speak as a foolish woman speaks.” Then he continued, “What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” The writer of Job then comments, “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:9-10 KJV)
Are you surprised by the attitude of Mrs. Job? You have likely heard some persons cursing God, and they did not die. And likely, you have heard of individuals who have cursed God at their death. Yes, some people have used profanities or obscenities of anger and rage and taken oaths against God. They have shaken their fists at God as if they have some extraordinary power over God. They would wish that God be cursed and set for doom or destruction.
Some sophisticated persons have claimed God to be dead. “God is dead.” They think they have cursed God. In dictionary understanding, cursing someone or something means to “appeal to a supernatural power for harm to come to a specific person, group, or something.” To “invoke evil or misfortune” on someone. Can that be done to God?
People who have lost their God-given reasoning have tried to curse God. They have lost respect due to God and have said the most foolish things about or to God. They think that they can curse God and live or die. They do not care for their own lives, as if they can sustain any life. They do not know that if it were possible to curse God, the moment that such would be done, at that very moment, they would die. The reality is that no one can curse God. Any attempt to do so is to bring destruction to themselves.
Thank God that when foolish human beings have made efforts to curse God, by his grace and mercy, he has allowed the attempts to fail. One of the most exciting truths taught in the Bible is that God places the curse of humanity on Jesus Christ, or stated otherwise, his mercy and grace are given to us in Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul says, Jesus Christ redeems us from the curse by being hung on a tree. (Galatians 3:13-14)
I am not going into all of the backstories here. I focus on the simple meaning that Jesus took the curse, which was due to us as sinners and criminals. Through His grace and mercy, He came into the world and broke the curse directed to us in the Fall (Cf. Genesis 3). Of course, the curse cannot be broken for any who fails to accept Jesus as their savior.
Having stated the above, follow me to the point that was intended as the center of this reflection, namely, that there are people who try to curse God, but if they wish to break the curses in their lives, they will need to learn, instead of railing against God, they need to submit to God, learn to accept his mercy and grace, for only thus can anyone be saved from the curse. God is the one who has the power to break the curse(s) of our lives, so instead of cursing at God, we need to ask God for mercy and deliverance.
God has invited us, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (Psalm 50:7 NKJV). The call has been made in several ways in varied Scriptural texts, with an appeal. We are invited to call upon God, and he will hear, listen, answer, deliver and save us from the curse. He will rescue us from the sure doom and destruction that awaits any who are the enemies of God.
If you have ever felt:
- As one of those persons who have been under a curse.
- Like a spell has been put upon you by some enemy person.
- That your family has been under some curse, by your own actions, or by your parents’ actions.
- That everything you have done has turned out to be wrong.
- As if people have shunned you because you are under a curse.
- You have not been succeeding at some things, and in your shadow self, you are in turmoil. Or
- You cannot keep a boyfriend or girlfriend, and you think you are under some curse.
- Your marriage(s) have (all) fallen apart, and the one you are in now does not seem like it is working.
- You are never at a job, and the world seems to be against you
- You always feel sick, not only on the inside but on the outside
- You have a secret addiction to anything, food, substances, sex, porn, or something else, and you have been trying for a long time to break the habit, but it seems that you are not having any success.
Let me offer that you can call upon God to break the curse that is set upon you.
Yes, the God that I serve can break curses. I quoted what he says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” He has all the power and can break any curse on you. He has made this promise to anyone willing to serve him.
No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”Says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17 NKJV)
