SHAMED

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In Christ, Mark

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

Lord, You are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from You will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.

Jeremiah 17:13

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

The people of Israel had it made in Old Testament days. They were God’s gem, the apple of His eye, His pride and joy. He proclaimed Himself to be their God and they were His people. He would remain faithful to them as long as they remained faithful to Him.

Unfortunately, it was that last part that got the people of God in trouble. It did then and it continues to today. For when God’s people choose to turn from Him and forsake His will and way for their lives, then they move from being exalted to being shamed.

Point in case are the Israelites in Jeremiah’s time. Look at this single verse from Jeremiah 17:

Lord, You are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from You will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.  Jeremiah 17:13

God’s people had a hope that would never fade away or fail them. The Lord God Almighty was that hope and in Him, the Israelites could tap into a fountain of life that would spring up within them then and forever. In God, His people had everything they could ever ask for and yet they chose to turn their backs on Him, a decision they would soon come to deeply regret because as we see in the word of God today, those who forsake the Lord will be put to shame.

So how did the Israelites desert God?

You need only look at their worship practices to find the answer for the people of God had become the people of gods, adopting the pagan practices of sacrificing to false idols and gods like Baal. They knew God’s commands, chief of which was to not worship any other gods except Him and yet the Israelites did it anyways. Such was the deep level of obstinate disobedience that had taken root inside their hearts, a stubborn disrespect and disregard toward God that brought His judgment upon them.

They had abandoned Him and now it was time to see how it felt to be abandoned. The nation and people who had been God’s pride was about to feel His wrath and see just how ashamed He was of them.

The Israelite’s punishment started with a massive invasion of the Babylonian forces who laid siege to the holy land and destroyed everything in their path to include the beloved, holy city of Jerusalem. Even God’s sacred temple was left in ruins, a temple that the people had desecrated by performing their sinful worship practices within. As for the people, the ones who were fortunate enough to survive the onslaught were ushered off to Babylon, strangers in a foreign land without their God who had always been there for them in the past. They cried out to the Lord but their petitions fell on deaf ears. The people had to learn a tough lesson and that lesson involved an understanding that no other gods were real outside of God Himself. The Israelites called out to their false gods over and over to bring them deliverance only to never receive any results. This is because the gods they sought were as dead and lifeless as their faith life had become. It was only after seventy long years of captivity that the people would see that the only God who could deliver them was the God who was with them all along, the God they had forsaken so badly. God’s intent was that through their shaming, they would never repeat the mistake again.

And yet as we fast forward to today in the 21st century, I’m not sure we have learned anything from the errors of the people of Israel. In fact, I am sure we haven’t for we are still a people who treat God as if He is a convenience instead of a staple. We pick and choose when God is important to us, crying out to Him when we are in need but forsaking Him when things are going well. We are just as unfaithful to Him as the people of Israel even though God is still our only hope and living water. And we continue to violate God even though we know how this didn’t work out for the people of God during Jeremiah’s time.

Friends, is it time for God to shame us, extending His wrath and judgment so that we learn to trust Him and always remain loyal to Him and Him alone? Are we destined for years of hardship like the Israelites had to endure before we place the Lord where He belongs in our lives and that is first in everything?

It’s time we pay attention to the word of God and respond accordingly. We can live in peace with God, placing our fullest faith in Him for everything and rejoicing is hope while we bask in the glow of His favor. Or we can live in complete disregard for Him, forsaking Him on the way to being shamed by Him for our insolence and sinful behavior?

What’s it going to be?

I’m not sure how you will respond but I know I want to live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord, a way that brings me to a place where He will always be proud and never ashamed.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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