Now the angel of YHWH went up from Gilgal to Bokim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” As soon as the angel of YHWH spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. And they called the name of that place Bokim. And they sacrificed there to YHWH. (Judges 2:1-5)
How many times did the ancient Israelites go against the teachings, instructions, and commands of YHWH? How often did they break the covenant with God? The very hand of YHWH inscribed the tablets of the Ten Commandments at mount Horeb, but before Moses had finished coming down the mountain to deliver the commandments, the people had already violated them.
Later, the Israelites entered the promised land and YHWH’s angel went ahead of them to clear the way. God kept his covenant promise with the people, but the people went against His commands and broke the covenant. YHWH’s angel pronounced judgement and discipline on the Israelites, and the people were consumed with grief at the acknowledgement of their sin. The people wept…
How many times do we go against the teachings, instructions, and commands of YHWH today? How do we respond when we realize we failed to obey God and walk in His ways? Like the Israelites at Bokim, we ought to acknowledge our sins with weeping and remorse. It’s when we turn away from evil, humble ourselves before YHWH, acknowledge our sin, and ask His forgiveness that He will respond with mercy and compassion.
Bokim Ministries’ goal is to teach the word of God and encourage all people to respond to His message for salvation. We willingly take the humble position of acknowledging our sin with remorse and seeking YHWH’s merciful forgiveness. This is the correct attitude to approach God, not as entitled children claiming His promises but as sorrowful law-breakers appealing to His mercy. God is merciful to forgive anyone who will humble himself or herself before Him, acknowledge wrongdoing, and receive His salvation through faith in His Messiah.
Sorrow and remorse for our sin is the starting point of seeking YHWH and His salvation. We must first acknowledge our wrongdoing with sincere remorse and a desire to change. When we humble ourselves before YHWH, admitting our fault and asking His forgiveness, then we can have confidence He will forgive us.
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)
We receive God’s salvation through Yeshua (Jesus), our Messiah, who sacrificed himself to pay the penalty for our sins. Anyone who sincerely believes Jesus paid the penalty for our sin, and that YHWH accepts Jesus’ sacrifice as our payment, will not be destroyed but will receive eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. (John 3:16-21)
We prepare ourselves for the Messiah’s return so that we have confidence to meet him and enter YHWH’s eternal kingdom. In the coming kingdom, there will be no more weeping and remorse, because YHWH himself will be our comfort and will wipe away every tear.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)