PRIMED FOR PUNISHMENT

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Among my people are the wicked who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch people. Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not seek justice. They do not promote the case of the fatherless; they do not defend the just cause of the poor.”

Should I not punish them for this?” declares the Lord. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?”

“A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land:

The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?”

Jeremiah 5:26-31

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever primed a pump?

Let’s say that you have a well and the pump to bring water up to the surface for you to use is not self-priming. What happens is that if you have not pumped water for awhile, air has replaced water in the line that connects the pump to the surface outlet. The pump will not work and could even be damaged if you try to run it with air in the line so you need to prime the pump to help it operate correctly and to avoid harming it. To prime, all you need to do is to pour the same kind of fluid you are pumping (water in this case) into the line connecting the surface outlet to the pump. With the water in the line now, the air is displaced and you can safely operate the pump.

The key thing to keep in mind here is that an action must take place in order for an outcome to occur, in this case, priming before pumping.

As an extension of this, I would like to apply this same premise to our spiritual lives and ask you this:

What are we primed for as a people of God?

In other words, what outcome will come from the actions we are taking in life?

Looking to our scripture passage for today, taken from the closing verses of Jeremiah, Chapter 5, we can see how the behavior of the Old Testament Israelites had primed them for God’s punishment. Look again at these words here:

“Among my people are the wicked who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch people. Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not seek justice. They do not promote the case of the fatherless; they do not defend the just cause of the poor.”

“Should I not punish them for this?” declares the Lord. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?”

“A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land:”

“The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?”  Jeremiah 5:26-31

God’s people had become wicked and deceitful. They had allowed a love of money and power to adversely influence them. There were no boundaries to the evil they chose to do. Injustice dominated as they failed to care for the needy, ignoring orphans and not defending the cause of the poor. Prophets who were supposed to be God’s messengers were propagating lies. Priests, spiritual leaders who were to be the most faithful to God, were ruling by their own authority rather than His. And sadly, the people of God loved the culture and climate they existed in. Sinfulness had become the lifestyle of choice for everyone.

Obviously, God was not going to put up with that. In fact, He referred to the deplorable actions of His people as horrible and shocking.

The Israelites had primed themselves for His punishment and that punishment came to them in a big way as God brought attacking forces first from Assyria and then Babylon to run roughshod over Israel and Judah, leaving a land that was once holy in ruins.

The sad part was that it was completely avoidable. All the people of God had to do was live in obedience to Him and His commandments, surrendering their will for His will and way. If they had, they would have been primed for His blessing instead of His wrath.

Let’s now fast forward to today and our world here in the 21st century. Ask yourself these simple questions:

Are we still committing wicked acts?

Are we still deceitful?

Are we consumed with wealth and power?

Have we failed to defend the least of those in society, ignoring the needs of the less fortunate?

Have our spiritual leaders chosen to do their own thing, ignoring God’s authority and direction?

Have we continued to sin over and over and over to the point where it’s the kind of life we love?

And as you ponder over your answers, consider this final one:

Are we priming ourselves for God’s punishment?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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