DAY 298

WRATH…ANGUISH…AND?

Jeremiah 3, 4 & 5 and 1 Timothy 4

Chapters 3-5 are pretty tough to read:

·         God’s Word starts with “divorce” – the analogy is clear – God’s people have been unfaithful to God (3:1-5)

·         It can be hard to read such words, they shock and in some ways God’s prophet is trying to “shock into repentance” the people he, Jeremiah, cares deeply for.

·         Jeremiah, a prophet of Judah (the southern kingdom) even calls the Israel (the northern kingdom) to repentance. (3:6-14)

·         Yet they will not be shocked and so God tells them what they are missing in 3:15-23, and yet in 3:24 we read that they “lie down in their sin.”

·         And so “disaster will come from the north” (4:6) and Jeremiah is in anguish over Judah’s desolation.

With all these words, with all this prophecy of wrath and anguish, what then is Jerusalem’s response? The answer is no response—no change—no repentance. He tells Jeremiah to “run up and down the streets” to try and find one person who is doing justice.

·         Jeremiah tries to “reason with God” by telling God that these are just the poor folks, they do not know any better (5:4). Jeremiah says he will go to the “the great” (5:5) but God says that are all alike, they have broken the yoke (the teaching/law).

·         In fact it is worse than throwing off the law, “they have said, “He (God) will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us…the prophets will become like wind, the word is not in them.” (5:12-13)

What is amazing is that with all that has taken place and all that has been spoken…”Jerusalem” basically says, nothing will happen and Jeremiah is wrong—wrath, anger and hardness of heart.

The story of the people of Israel and Judah is the story of humanity and not just on the scale of a nation, but on the scale of a state, or county, or town, or village, or church, or person. We can all harden our hearts to God. In the text of Jeremiah he keeps mentioning going up to high places or under trees (cf. 3:6). These are the places where sacrifices (including sex) to other “gods” would take place. The people would not leave behind their unholy habits. Overtime their habits owned them and they hardened their heart to God.

Let’s try a real life example. Do you know anyone who is trapped in addiction? The addiction blinds them. All that is wrong around them, all the people who love them, who are in anguish over them, try and point out all that is happening…all to no avail…their heart is hardened. Other phrases include the “alcohol/drugs is blinding them” or the “sin is blinding them.” Whatever phrase you and I use the bottom line is that when we walk about from God’s ways…that evil can hold power over us…as individuals and as nations.

The Good News is that this is not some 50-50 battle between good and evil. No this is a battle between God and all that opposes Him…and He is supreme. This is why we read in Jeremiah that when anyone turns to Him, then He will save. I just went to Annual Banquet for a local organization that helps people trapped in addiction. We heard story and after story of how, when people turned to God, God saved.

The challenge in all this is to somehow break through our hard hearts.