6. Conclusion: A Burden to Bear

Finally, then I will say this… In the Bible, the prophets often called their messages “burdens.” (Isa 13:1, 15:1, 19:1; Ezek 12:10; Nah 1:1; Hab 1:1; Zech 9:1, etc.) The word thus translated is massa’, which means “something lifted.”  That, to me, is perfect.  It is something that must be lifted to be carried, and it may often be heavy. When we look at the prophets we find them frequently misunderstood, with their words often misapplied.  At the same time “something lifted” gives the beautiful picture of something being offered up to Yahweh, a tribute, an offering – and the word is also translated as “tribute.”

The Christian’s heart is massa’.  It is sometimes heavy with the weight of glory, sorrowful for the lost and anxious for them to accept the salvation we bring to them.  It is an oracle, a message to the world, for the Law of Yah is written on our hearts as a testimony against evil.  It is a tribute, for we offer ourselves as “living sacrifices” upon the altar of this world.  And it must be borne, carried, to all the world that it may know that Yahweh has loved us even as He has loved His own Son.  These things require Victory over Sin, (or there is no testimony) Purity of Doctrine (or there is no truth) and Unity of Faith (or there is no covenant, by which Yahweh has promised to save His people).

When it comes to Babylon Fallen, we have a “burden” toward this as well. And we have been, and will continue to be, misunderstood, rejected, misrepresented, even actively hated, by Laodicea who loves her comforts more than she loves a knowledge of the truth. There are none so blind as those who will not look inward.  And yet, it is to these very ones that we are trying to sell eyesalve.  Yes, we sell eyesalve to those who do not know they are blind. We sell clothing to those who do not know they are naked. We sell gold to those who do not know they are poor.  It is hard work.  We “sell” these things for a very low cost: all they must give in exchange is their life of sin, which would surely destroy them anyway, and our Father consumes that sin, as we saw in last Sabbath’s study, in everlasting fire.  But though our cost is very low, because Laodicea is what it is, we often make very few sales.

And yet, for every soul that is saved, for every sheep that is returned to the fold, for every life rescued from Satan’s grip, we have gained an eternity of praise for our Father. Have you ever considered that?  One individual, praising Yahweh for eternity, is an infinite amount of worship!  It is not about our reward, or our glory; it is about our Father’s, and when we look at it from the perspective of eternity, how very valuable is a single soul?  And it is to this end that we labor, standing up against Babylon Fallen, for the sake of the love of our Father in Heaven, and our fellow men, who are capable of such great things in the world to come.

The task before us is often unpleasant, trying to sell to the unwilling, but as long as we speak “in spirit and in truth,” calling things what they truly are, we know that there will be some to listen.  Let us pray, and then let us go forth seek those who have not yet bowed their knee to Ba’al.