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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do
not be dismayed, Israel. I will surely save you out of a distant place, your
descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and
security, and no one will make him afraid. Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, for
I am with you,” declares the Lord.
“Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”
Jeremiah 46:27-28
This ends today’s reading
from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Jeremiah 46 ends, we find the message of the Lord shift
from the ominous tone used against the nation of Egypt to a softer, more
optimistic tone in the following words given to the Israelites:
“Do
not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel. I will surely save
you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob
will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid. Do not be
afraid, Jacob my servant, for I am with you,” declares the Lord.
“Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.” Jeremiah 46:27-28
Note here that there are actually three main messages that
the Lord wanted to convey to His people.
First, He wanted them to know that He was still with them.
Yes, the Israelites were in the midst of experiencing His judgment, having seen
their homeland destroyed by the Babylonian forces before being taken away to
Babylon for seventy years of exile. They had turned their backs on God and that’s
what got them into trouble in the first place but as we see, God would not turn
His back on them. Once the Israelites had served the sentence that God had
imposed, they would be allowed to return to their homeland to rebuild their
lives, their homes, and their relationship with God.
This leads to the second major message God wanted to share
with His people: He would save them.
Indeed, the people of Israel were going to have a chance to
live beyond exile. There was no need to fear the future because God had already
told them what the future would hold for them. Yes, they had sinned and, yes,
He in turn punished them for their sins but God wanted His people to remember
that He was a God of mercy and grace and forgiveness, a God who pardons, restores,
and ultimately, saves His people. The Israelites would once again experience
peace and security again. God would once again be their God and they in turn
would be His people.
Finally, God wanted His people to know that they shouldn’t
expect to come back from exile and be able to return to their prior sinful ways
without consequence. For God would hold them accountable for any transgressions
they would decide to commit. They would be disciplined as needed in due
measure. God would not completely destroy His nation Israel but He also wouldn’t
let His people go entirely unpunished either. They would be responsible to Him
for their actions, good or bad.
As we look at this passage in a present day tense, I submit
to you that God is still speaking to us with the same messages today.
First, He wants us to know that He is with us and for us.
Indeed, God is just as alive and present today as He was for His people in
Jeremiah’s time. We need to always remember this as we are dealing with the
challenges that life brings our way. We are never alone.
Secondly, God is still a God who saves His people. He
delivered the Israelites from exile judgment and delivered them back to their
homeland where they would experience peace and security once again. Today, God
still saves His people but He does it through His Son, Jesus Christ, the only One
who can bring God’s people salvation because He is the only One through which a
person can come to live with God forever (John 14:6). When this worldly life
ends, glory awaits anyone who places their faith, hope, and trust in Jesus, all
because God out of His deep love for us wished that we would have a way to be
saved from our sins.
Finally, while we are waiting for that day when we enter
into glory through Jesus, we need to know that God is still holding us
accountable for all the things we do, good or bad. Yes, we aren’t facing utter
destruction on that day when Jesus returns to judge the earth because of His
promised pardon, but we will not go entirely unpunished either. God will hold
us accountable just as much as He did His people in Old Testament times.
Friends, the Lord is sending us powerful words today, three
messages we can fully count on.
He is with us and for us.
He wants to save us out of the love He has for us.
and
He will hold us accountable as we live the life He has
granted.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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