BLUE VIEWPOINT
Ever heard the phrase "Get over it!"?
Well, we have taken that to a whole new level regarding the Old Testament.
According to Wikipedia:
"in psychology, desensitization is defined as the diminished emotional responsiveness to a negative or aversive stimulus after repeated exposure to it."
Few of us stop to consider what this means because it happens to us every day.
The Good and the Bad
Of course, there are positive sides to being desensitized. If you study the martial arts, you will practice painful routines until you are more able to function when you are in a contest or battle and experience trauma. This is considered a strength and is commonly pursued by those seeking the top awards in the field.
"I've heard it all before..."
However, there are times when being desensitized is not viewed as a plus - especially to those around you. For example, a husband may get into the routine of coming home tired from work, plopping down in his favorite chair, drinking a beer and falling asleep. When he comes home and his wife starts talking to him, he has heard it all before so he tunes her out. He is so tuned out that he does not notice the hurt look in her eyes because he is no longer interested in her days.
"Oh, no you don't..."
Of course, it goes the other way as well. The husband comes home with a complaint about work that is causing him concern about keeping his job, but the wife has heard so many complaints from him that she starts talking about something else before he even finishes. He feels that she is no longer interested in what he has to say, but she feels that she already knows what he is going to say. They have lost their sensitivity to each others' feelings. It's called being desensitized.
"But, I would never..."
The same thing happens in our churches today. Yes, even your church. When anyone reads the Old Testament, they are impressed with how hard and angry it is. Wars, murders, idolatry, incest, thievery, disobedience to God. Many are so tired of it that they read only the New Testament. Then the pastor preaches a sermon that basically says, "Don't worry. Jesus died for you, so you don't have to worry about the rules any more. They are only for the Israelites, and look what happened to them."
Desensitized, without even a fight
So, then we relax. It's not just us that feels that way. We have confirmation from the "top". Soon we have relaxed so much that we don't think any rules apply to us, so we make up our own. In fact, we are so desensitized to any firm rule from God that we don't even make up rules. We just lean on our own understanding of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, freedom, and salvation. We become just like the Israelites. And, look at what we think happened to them.
If you ever get to the point where you think the Old Testament is just a lot of Old news that no longer matters to the New "church" of Jesus Christ, think back to those writers of the first century, right after Jesus died for us. From what library did they get the knowledge that they had as the basis for their writings? All of their brilliant thoughts and examples came from their knowledge of the only Bible available at the time or from Jesus Himself. All their quotes were from the Old Testament or directly from Jesus. And, His quotes came from the Old Testament. So, the next time you get tired of reading the Old Testament, that means you may be getting desensitized to the Source of your Faith.
Remember where all this "new" faith came from. Read it the way it was written - as instructions for the future - that's where we all live.
Disagree? Find an error? Contact us at glenjjr@gmail.com and give us your view.
