Spiritually Broken

"The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit." (Psalm 34: 18 NKJV)

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise." (Psalm 51: 17 NKJV)

From one perspective, it is not a good thing to be "broken," either in heart, or in spirit. Yet, from another perspective, it is indeed a very good thing. It certainly is not pleasant or enjoyable to be "spiritually broken." It is, however, a positive and constructive experience for the soul that has wandered away from God. We see this principle described by Solomon, when he wrote:

"It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools." (Ecclesiastes 7: 2-5 KJV)

No one is exalted by the Lord who is not first debased by him. No one is justified and pardoned till he is first convicted and convinced that he is a sinner and in need of being saved. No one will take medicine till he sees he is sick and until he is convinced of the potency of the remedy that God offers to men in Christ. Jesus said that "they who humble themselves will be exalted, and they who exalt themselves shall be humbled."

“My spirit is broken, My days are extinguished, The grave is ready for me...My days are past, My purposes are broken off, Even the thoughts of my heart." (Job 17: 1, 17 NKJV)

But, praise God, he not only breaks, but he puts back together, and with superior equipment and spiritual abilities! He "heals" the spiritually convicted sinner by bringing him to faith in Christ, and giving him a "good hope through grace." (II Thessalonians 2: 16 KJV)

"I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel." (Psalm 31: 12 NKJV)

Yes, but unlike "Humpty Dumpty" in the fairy tale, God breaks and destroys in order that he might spiritually re-create the sinner.

"I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart." (Psalm 38: 8 NKJV)

"Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice." (Psalm 51: 8 NKJV)

"O God, You have cast us off; You have broken us down; You have been displeased; Oh, restore us again! You have made the earth tremble; You have broken it; Heal its breaches, for it is shaking." (Psalm 60: 1 NKJV)

"Reproach has broken my heart, And I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none." (Psalm 69: 20 NKJV)

"The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?" (Proverbs 18: 14 NKJV)

"He has aged my flesh and my skin, And broken my bones...He has also broken my teeth with gravel, And covered me with ashes." (Lamentations 3: 4, 16 NKJV)

Who does not understand, by experience, these words of suffering and grief? Who does not see that he has been broken by sin and by God's judgment upon it in his life? Thank God that these heart breakings are not merely judgmental, but merciful too!

"A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones." (Proverbs 17: 21 NKJV)

Many drugs (medicines) are good for us, but they are distasteful and diffifult to swallow. Many medicines also have the effect of easing physical pain and suffering, though not, necessarily, immediately.

To heal spiritual broken-heartedness, and to lift the humble and contrite soul, the Lord has his spiritual medicines, his ointments, salves, and healing balms.

His Spirit, and his abiding presence, and his word, together with his providential interventions in our lives, wherein he has assured us of his love and constant care of us, are all healing remedies indeed! Good news heals and the words of Christ are full of good news for the spiritually broken hearted!

"He heals the brokenhearted, And binds up their wounds." (Psalm 147: 3 NKJV)

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted..." (Isaiah 61: 1 NKJV)

The latter verse is a prophecy of Christ and of his shepherd care over his flock. He sends them words of hope and encouragement so that they are able to press on.

“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew 21: 43, 44 NKJV)

This determines the matter of whether we are broken to utter destruction, by God's just judgment upon our sins, negatively broken, or whether we are broken to full salvation by God's saving mercy upon us in Christ, thus positively broken.

To "fall upon" Christ the Stone is to fall at his feet in humble submission to him, but Christ the Stone will "fall upon" the heads of the rebellious who have not fallen upon Christ.

"Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly." (Psalm 3: 7 NKJV)

"For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD upholds the righteous." (Psalm 37: 17 NKJV)

"Therefore this iniquity shall be to you Like a breach ready to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. And He shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel, Which is broken in pieces; He shall not spare. So there shall not be found among its fragments A shard to take fire from the hearth, Or to take water from the cistern.” (Isaiah 30: 13, 14 NKJV)

"But the word of the LORD was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little, That they might go and fall backward, and be broken And snared and caught." (Isaiah 28: 13 NKJV)

Broken to pieces by God's judgment, yet without any healing or re-construction! Awful destiny! Better that men would be broken now, in heart before the Lord, to salvation, than to be remain forever broken and that "without remedy." (See Proverbs 6: 5 & 29: 1 KJV)

"The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them...I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord GOD. “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.” ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats." (Ezekiel 34: 4, 15-17 NKJV)

"And the LORD said to me, “Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd. For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces." (Zechariah 11: 15, 16 NKJV)

Thank God that Jesus, "that great shepherd of the sheep" (Hebrews 13: 20 KJV), does all that we cannot do for ourselves! What other shepherds cannot do! What no others can do for us! Thank God that he not only "helps those who help themselves," but helps even those who cannot help themselves at all!

"He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble; They shall fall and be broken, Be snared and taken." (Isaiah 8: 14, 15 NKJV)

So, will you "fall upon Christ" or will he "fall upon" you? Will he be a sanctuary (place of safety) for you, or will he become the executor of God's judgment and wrath upon you? Will you be broken to salvation, in a positive way, or will you be forever broken in a supremely negative way?

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3: 36 KJV)