March 22-26, 2010

“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Write down for the record everything I have said to you, Jeremiah. For the time is coming when I will restore the fortunes of my people of Israel and Judah. I will bring them home to this land that I gave to their ancestors, and they will possess it again. I, the Lord have spoken!” Jeremiah 30:2-3

In this day of blogs and journals, to hear God tell Jeremiah to write His words down for the record is quite encouraging. God’s journal is far more meaningful than our normal entries of thoughts and emotions. His journal was to be an official record. God told Jeremiah to write His words in a “book” (Hebrew - “sefer") The root of the Hebrew word is “safar” which means to “count” or “recount.” To recount something is to transfer the information you’ve already been given and pass it on. The Israelites were quite familiar with God’s command to instruct their children by reciting His words. God’s instruction to Jeremiah to write the words for a record so that they could be accurately recounted to the next generation spoke of the surety of His word. His word would come to pass - they could count on it!!! They were not just words of want; they were positive statements of fact, filled with anticipation and promise of their fulfillment!

Our journey this week continues to take us through the familiar territory of God’s promises to deal with the nations He uses to punish Judah and Jerusalem. God says that Babylon is the “ax and sword” in His hand, but the day of their reckoning will come. Although the heavenly Wielder of the these implements of destruction uses them with a heart to correct His children, the ax and the sword have no thought or regard for those on which they inflict the pain. They feel no more remorse than the weapon of a warrior feels for its target. In calling Babylon the ax and the sword God defines them as heartless and cruel.

On Monday we find that an age-old problem that existed in the time of Jeremiah continues to be a difficulty in the church world today. “Thus saith the LORD,” was attached to prophecies to lend credibility to the words of prophets. But unfortunately, the words of the prophets were often spoken from their own desires and dreams. Is it any wonder that Paul the apostle warns us that prophecies are to be carefully judged? Unfortunately, in Jeremiah’s time it was difficult to find someone who would not give sanction to the false prophecies that were spoken. The people wanted to hear the things that tickled their ears. Jeremiah’s prophecies spoke of God’s wrath and His discipline. These are not messages that are readily received by people who want life to go their own way without consequences!

God used every method possible to deliver His word to Jeremiah. He spoke to his heart in a still small voice, He spoke in dreams, He spoke in visions. God spoke with pictures of the heart and mind, as well as visual images that would indelibly fix God’s word in his heart and mind. And God had Jeremiah deliver His message through many mediums. Today we have radio, television, newspapers, and public speeches. Although Jeremiah didn’t have today’s means of electronic communication, nonetheless, he spoke through many of the same methods. Jeremiah was familiar with all facets of communication; drama, the spoken word, and the written page. He was commanded to write public statements to those in captivity, political forecasts and reprimands for those who remained in the land. He placed priests’ names in the obituary column who hadn’t even died yet. His world news section accurately declared the events to come. His words were not relegated to a religious page. Kings and leaders alike subscribed to his front-page stories. Jeremiah often found that there were those who opposed his freedom of speech, even if his words were a direct quotes from God Himself!!! But in spite of the opposition, God protected Jeremiah’s and told him to keep on writing.

On Wednesday we read a very interesting comment:

A cry is heard in Ramah - deep anguish and bitter weeping. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted - for her children are gone. Jeremiah 31:15

We read this quote hundreds of years later when King Herod is informed of the newborn king Jesus and determines to kill Him before He can reach the throne. Through this amazing statement, we discover that prophecy can be interpreted on several levels. As much as the word was for the people in the time of Jeremiah, it was also a prophetic word for the future. The prophetic word clearly speaks of Judah’s coming pain and exile. As true as those words were for the people of Jeremiah’s time, how great was the pain of Jewish mothers whose infants were taken from their arms and executed for not reason, and the 2,000 year exile of the Jews after their rejection of the Messiah.

But let’s consider those words a bit more carefully. Notice that it is Rachel who weeps for her children, not Leah. And look where Rachel weeps - she weeps in Ramah! I could just tell you why I find this so intriguing, but I think it may be good exercise for you to ponder it for a while. Where is Ramah? Why do we hear Rachel weeping there? Who were Rachel’s children? What is so significant about this interesting weaving of circumstances? I am sure if you meditate on these facts, you will find that God is quite creative and clever and His statement quite profound. Hopefully, some of you will take time to post your ponderings on our blog site or Facebook page.

Another statement that is easily read without fully grasping the significance of it is found in Jeremiah 31:21b-22:

Return, O virgin of Israel, return to these your cities. How long will you go here and there, O faithless daughter?

What do you find perplexing about this statement? Who is Jeremiah talking to and what did God say their sin was? Hopefully you have been paying attention to all that we’ve been reading! And what is “her” condition when “she” returns? I trust we will not miss the promised miracle that is shown in these words.

On Friday we hear God’s word to the captives. As God’s discipline is at work in their lives, He directs them to keep their focus on home - Jerusalem! No matter what is happening around them, whether it is prosperity in their captivity or destruction, they are to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” They were not to focus on the land as a whole, but on Jerusalem - the place of God’s government!!! May we take time to consider God’s words and seek to understand their significance. What an amazing journey we are on. May you be blessed as we continue to walk this path together.