PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Jeremiah 25-26
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“For twenty-three years… I have spoken to you again and again.” (Jeremiah 25:3)
We may find it hard to read through these chapters describing God’s judgment.
But this is not an isolated prophecy, it is part of an ongoing conversation.
“Again and again” Jeremiah appeals to Israel to return to God’s love.
This is a picture of God’s love persistently calling and calling and calling.
By the time judgment is unleashed, God is reluctantly relenting to their refusal.
God is not punishing them, but “you have brought harm to yourselves.” (Jeremiah 25:7)
God is not cruelly punishing them out of revenge but giving them what they want.
They do not want to live in God’s love, showing love to God and all people.
They want to live like the world around them, so God lets them.
Jesus is God coming to us, loving and pleading with us to join God in his love.
In Jesus we see how far God will go to bring us home, to heal and help us.
For more than 23 years God has spoken to us through Jesus again and again!
This is God’s loving appeal, but eventually God will let us have what we want.
Do I want a world of God-like love, being loved by God and loving like God?
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for patiently loving me and calling me again and again. Help me to listen and turn to you and your love, and to show this love to others!
Not listening for 23 years! And now the priests want to kill the messenger, Jeremiah, but the officials opposed them saying: “This man should not be sentenced to death! He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” I suppose if you don’t want to listen – you can kill the messenger. But God’s word is not stopped. How many believers have died – yet the church remains. There is a day of reckoning – the final “cup filled with the wine of my wrath” – the end will come. Yet Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath on sin – there is salvation in His name! Lord help me to not despair but continue to trust that despite what happens you care about me! Keep my ears open Lord!
God sent His servants to the people again and again with His word but the people did what was right in their own eyes. They did not listen to the word of the Lord. This reminds me of a picture of Jesus standing at the door to be let in. Open my ears Lord so that I not only hear You speaking but also do Your will. To listen is to do. To know You is the love You and doing Your will.
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You
To see You high and lifted up
Shinin’ in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy