When someone fails to yield his life completely to God he makes himself a waste. A life without Christ is a waste. Your attainments and achievements in all spheres of life notwithstanding, if you reject your creator's rule and control you are a waste. Supposing you have all that life can offer and you get everything your heart desire like Solomon, if you don't have Jesus you are equally a waste. What a waste if all your hope, affection and pursuit ends only in this world when the bible says if only in this world we have hope we are of all men most miserable. You may be well-known even with a worldwide recognition, but if you are not known in the courts of heaven you are a waste. What a waste of divine resources you daily enjoy, you have received divine mercy, grace and goodness and after been greatly blessed by God, you now feel too big and decides to manage your life by yourself . You need to know that keeping God out of your affairs is an indication that you are preparing yourself to become a waste. Jesus further elaborated this in His parable about the rich fool (the rich self-sufficient but truly poor man) in Luke 12:13-21. The consequence of sins and rebellion is wastage and desolation (Isaiah 1:2&7, Romans 10:3b & 20-21). Oh, what a waste when divine resources are not appropriately and maximally utilized. The man with one talent hid it and he wouldn't trade with it to make profit (Luke 19:20-23). On the other hand, the prodigal son wasted his portion with riotous living and later he began to be in want. It is a waste to be prodigal with heaven's blessings (Luke 15:13-14). There are various activities and manifestations of waste, so, beware.
Idolatry is like a cancer that predisposes a life to a waste and there's an express command from God against it that's worth noting (Ephesians 5:11, Isaiah 8:19). Ahaz, one of the kings who ruled in Judah sold himself into all forms of idolatry (2 Chronicles 28:1, 6, 17-18 &21). There are several other accounts of idolatry in the bible with its attending consequences. For instance, in 2 Kings 17:9-18, 20, 33, 41, 2 Chronicles 25:14-16, 27-28, 2 Chronicles 21:12-15, Romans 1:25. What a waste! Ahaz bribed the king of Assyria, gave him the treasures of the Lord's house, yet, he did not help him. It was a pathetic situation (2 Chronicles 28:21). Note that in verse 22-23 his practice of idolatry became his ruin and the ruin of the children of Judah. However, God has promised them protection and preservation (Zechariah 2:5). Nowadays, there are many idols we adore even as Christians that are taking the place of God and competing with our time. Hence, there is need for caution and carefulness so that we would not gradually become a waste. When an individual forms alliance and join forces with the enemy in outright rebellion against God this leads to waste (2 Chronicles 25:6-8). Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah nearly lost his life when he followed the king of Israel to battle (2 Kings 18:28-31). He failed to realize that when you're in agreement with an enemy of God, you'll easily turn yourself to a waste. Note that Samson made himself accessible to the enemy because of his unholy desire to be joined in marriage with the Philistines despite his parent's persuasion. He disregarded his Nazarite vow and was eventually wasted with the enemies (Judges 16:16-18 &25). Satan and his agents will toy, maneuver and manipulate you as long as you are in evil union. God strictly warned Solomon but his love for strange women led him to idol worship which became his eventual ruin.
Pride is always known to be a precursor of waste. Pride is a waster! Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18, Isaiah 5:15). Uzziah was a man of great exploit but be became leprous and while he yet lived, his son-Jotham ruled in his stead. Oh, what a waste, he was cut off (isolated) till the time of his death. In 2 Chronicles 26:16, " But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense." His pride was manifested when he assumed the role of a priest and insisted on performing their duty though he was only anointed to be a king. When you engage yourself in an assignment you are not gifted, anointed or graced to perform, you turn yourself into a waste. However, the young man who succeeded him had learnt his lessons, he wouldn't even go in at all to the temple (2 Chronicles 27:2). Also, in 2 Chronicles 32:25 King Hezekiah manifested pride. Though it was noted in verse 26 that he repented and one would think that he's sober but his true identity (his heart) was revealed in verse 31. Besides, boasting, vaunting and vanity are other evidences of waste. When an individual in not delivered from competition, he is a waste. Man of God when you are preparing other for heaven you are not planning to go, you are a waste (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Desire for fame, honour, recognition and accumulation of wealth at the expense of eternity is an indication of a wasted life. Remember, King Solomon later regretted his evil passion for vanities of life which he greatly craved (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11).
When you live in flagrant disobedience to the dictates and commands of God, you'll become a waste. A man of God was forbidden by God to stay back, eat or drink after his declaration against the altar at Bethel, but he decided to disobey God because of an old prophet's false claim. He stayed back, ate and drank contrary to divine instruction. Unfortunately, it was the same old prophet who lured him that declared his doom (1 Kings 13:21-22 & 26). What a waste when a creature rebels against his creator (Isaiah 45:9). We all know that the word "woe" is not a fun-filled, fanciful or pleasant word but it connotes waste and destruction. Jonah's experience shows repercussion of self-will and rebellion. Jonah depicts a typical example of a disobedient servant of God, who finds out in a hard way that God was serious about His assignment, and that He would not change His mind about using him to preach to Nineveh (Jonah 1:1-17). God severely dealt with him and he realized that he was the cause of the misfortune. There would have been no need for wastage and loses (verse 5) if he had obeyed. But they suffered loss of their goods even after calling on their gods. Unfortunately, despite all their efforts to still the storm, they couldn't, it was all an effort in futility.
However, they acknowledged that Jonah serves the living God. Take note that in verse six they requested that he should call on his God. They thought they could help or salvage the situation, but they couldn't. So, an emergency meeting was summoned to forestall the impending doom and likely destruction (verse11). These people were afraid of the wrath of God (verse 10), but Jonah never realized that his rebellion and self-will will still be used by God to turn souls to Himself. He knew it was needless for him to call upon God because all that happened was as a result of his disobedience. He then proffer a solution for them and it was indeed a perfect one (verse 12). So, there was respite, no more storm, no more loss after Jonah was thrown into the sea (verse 15). And interestingly, these people found their way back to God by themselves (verse16). Fear gripped them, so, they offered sacrifice to God whom Jonah disobeyed. Though they didn't know God, yet, they vowed to Him. What a wonderful event but Jonah was not allowed to lead them in repentance prayers, he was already thrown into the sea and was swallowed immediately by a fish. And there in the belly of the fish he started his marathon fasting and prayer of repentance, rededication and consecration. And when Jonah was ready for the God after his prayers in chapter 2, God just spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah at the shore of Nineveh.
Besides, there is a waste when oppressors triumph over the oppressed (Ecclesiastes 4:1). When injustice seems to prevail, there is a waste (Ecclesiastes 3:16). Had it not been for the timely intervention of Esther and Modeccai, the waster-Haman would have annihilated a whole nation (Esther 7:4-6). Job was almost wasted by the devil who constantly challenged him before God. In a single day, he lost everything he had. It was terrible, his suffering was great because the waster besieged him (Job 1: 13-19). But thank God, the great restorer graciously recompensed him (Job 42:12-17). Similarly, the children of Israel were mesmerized by the Midianites who used to spoil them until God raised Gideon to challenge those Midianites (Judges 6: 3-6, 13-14). Hezekiah sincerely pleaded with God to be delivered form the hand of the waster who was poised and determined to waste (2 Kings 19:17-19). And if there is fainting, doubt, fear, unbelief, there will be a waste like it happened to the children of Israel who cried, complained and believed that they cannot enter into the land of their inheritance because of the giants-the children of Anak (Numbers 13:31-33). Indeed they got what they wanted, truly they were wasted in the wilderness, and their wish was granted by God (Numbers 14: 1-3, 26-29).
To curtail waste, there is a singular provision and that is going back to God as an individual, a group, church, family or a nation. The immense role of the priests, spiritual leaders and the ministers of God cannot be overlooked. The priests must arise against wastage in the land and in the church (Joel 1:4, 6-7, 2:17) then, there would be restoration (Joel 2:18-26). There would be no more wastage for the LORD (the lion of the tribe of Judah) who is stronger than the devil the roaring lion will do His awesome work and perform His unusual acts ( Isaiah 28: 21, Joel 3:16-20, Jeremiah 33:9-10 & 13). It is God and him alone who can deliver form the grip of the wasters. God has a redemptive plan for His people. Not only the spiritual leaders but the physical leaders also have significant role to play like Josiah and Hezekiah. King Hezekiah lamented as he noted and affirmed idolatry as the cause of the evil in the land (2 Chronicles 29:6-9). He purged and cleansed the temple from the effects of contamination of idolatry of the past leaders (2 Chronicles 29:4-19) and he restored true worship (2 Chronicles 29:20-30, 30:12, 21-27, 31:1-21).
