“Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name, Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”
(Jeremiah 32:18-19)
As the prophet Jeremiah affirms in this passage, the eyes of the Lord are open to all the ways of men, and that truth becomes especially searching when division infects a community of believers. Bitter contention between brethren is no small matter. A broken relationship among acquaintances is concerning enough, but contention among believers breaks apart a bond that should be enduring. Those who out to be willing to suffer for one another can become unable to even live peaceably together.
Scripture reminds us that a brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city (Proverbs 18:19). Once sharp contention has taken hold, suspicions, wounded pride, and settled judgments can harden quickly. Paul and Barnabas parted ways due to sharp contention, and the severity of their separation shows how easily even godly men may be overtaken by relational rupture. The heart must therefore confess not only obvious hatred, but also the stubbornness that allows offense to become division.[1]
The absence of spiritual discernment is a seedbed for division among brethren. Moreover, human nature prefers following and even fanning the flames of a scandal instead of making the effort required to examine the facts. Unity is from God, but division is eagerly exploited by the devil. Envy, ambition, self-interest, and the desire for power often hides behind the language of principle.
This warning is a pertinent opportunity for us to look inside and ask whether pride, harshness, jealousy, rash judgment, novelty, or self-will has contributed to a breach. Our goal should be that of unity in the Spirit that leads to the bond of peace.
Jeremiah’s words remind us that God sees all. No amount of private resentment, hidden ambition, or divisive speech escapes His eye. Confession therefore must be true, because the God before whom division is committed sees both the visible breach and the motives that nourish it.
Contemplations:
- The Pride That Makes Reconciliation Hard. I can so easily defend myself, rehearse another’s faults, and resist the humility necessary to repair a breach. Forgive the pride that makes me more interested in being vindicated than reconciled. Break this stubbornness in me. And make me quick to own wrong, slow to harden myself, and willing to seek peace without sacrificing truth.
- How Easily Difference Becomes Distance. Not every disagreement should end in separation, yet I have often allowed differences of opinion to chill a relationship. Forgive me when I have treated my brethren as though a secondary difference erased every bond of grace. Give me discernment to distinguish serious error from lesser disagreement, and keep me from allowing pride and suspicion to turn every difference into hostility.
- Turn My Heart-Burning into Heart-Breaking. I can become angry over disagreements without being humbled by them. I ask You to change me such that broken fellowship grieves me more than the disagreement itself because it dishonors You and weakens the church. Replace harshness with sorrow, self-righteousness with repentance, and anger with earnest prayer for unity. Make me more concerned about healing relationships than I am about being “right.”
- Search the Hidden Motives Behind My Zeal. Your eyes are open to all my ways. You see whether what I call zeal is mixed with envy, ambition, self-interest, or the desire to rule. Search me deeply. If I am widening a breach for reasons I do not want to admit, expose them. Make my concern for truth real, humble, and evidenced by love.
Prayer (Confession):
Great and mighty God, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, I confess the sins by which division is fed and fellowship is broken.
Forgive me for pride that makes reconciliation difficult, for harsh judgments that widen breaches, and for resentment that allows offence to settle into the heart.
I confess how easily differences in opinion can create distance in relationships. Keep me from making every disagreement a cause for separation. Give me wisdom to distinguish concerns for real truth and holiness from questions where patience and charity are required.
Forgive me for every time I have contributed to division among my brethren through suspicion, harsh words, envy, self-will, or an unwillingness to yield where conscience allows. If self-interest, ambition, or the desire to win an argument has mingled with my concern for truth, expose it and humble me.
Let division in my spiritual family grieve me enough to earnestly seek peace. And teach me to prove all things and hold fast that which is good.
Give me one heart with Your people in the truth, and bind us together in the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References:
Jer. 17:10; Job 34:21; Psalm 62:12; Prov. 5:21
[1] John Beadle, The Journal or Diary of a Thankful Christian, (London: E. Cotes for Tho. Parkhurst .., 1656), 30-33.
