This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says: Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you say in your own land. But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord’s Temple is here. They chant, The Lord’s Temple is here! The Lord’s Temple is here! Jeremiah 7:3-4

This week we continue our walk with Jeremiah. We continue to feel the heaviness of the message he carries. All his words and warnings fall on deaf ears. People don’t want to hear that judgment is coming. They would rather believe a lie and bask in false security than to accept that God is preparing to send judgment.

On Monday, we hear Jeremiah’s words of frustration. “God, you tricked me!” is his complaint. Jeremiah wrestles with the same thing Job faced. He has followed God as completely and wholeheartedly as he is able, and yet things have not gone well. Rejection and a difficulties have been his plight. How many Christians today are under the wrong assumption that total obedience to God assures a life of pleasure and success? But like Job, Jeremiah knows that, in the end, God will take care of him. He is well aware that he is safer following God with the difficulties he incurs, than to walk with the world and suffer the fate they will face.

This week we see the first siege of Nebuchadnezzar and although he is victorious over Jerusalem and takes many captives, he doesn’t totally abolish all Jewish rule. In this first defeat of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar strips Judah of those things it took pride it - Temple treasures, its wealth and its most prestigious and promising young people. For those who have previously walked with us in our Through the Bible Journey, we meet up once again with four of Judah’s finest specimens. Strong, healthy, good-looking and gifted! I’m sure if Babylonian women hung picture calendars on their walls, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah would be the feature models of the first four months! For them to be in the position they are in, they would have to have been of noble and royal descent. When we first meet up with them, they are spoken of as “young men.” Although this term usually denotes a very young boy, it can also refer to a male in his teens. Their good looks, attitude and wisdom would set them apart from the numbers of boys and teens that had been rounded up and taken to Babylon. But we quickly see that these boys had more than outward appeal. Their relationship with God is even more admirable than their physical attributes. They truly were the whole package and powerful examples to the youth and teens of today!

As they are standing firm in the face of adversity while in captivity, Jeremiah continues to face his adversities amongst the people who are left in Judah and Jerusalem. Obviously their defeat has not convinced them that Jeremiah’s prophecies of the total collapse of the nation are true. False prophets who believe God would never send such atrocities continue to preach false security. On Wednesday one of our section headings reads “Jeremiah Weeps for Sinful Judah,” but if we take a closer look, we will discover that the broken heart described in these verses is actually the heart of God.

My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken. Listen to the weeping of My people; it can be heard all across the land.” Has the Lord abandoned Jerusalem?” the people ask. “Is her King no longer there?” “Why have they provoked My anger with their carved idols and their worthless foreign gods? Says the Lord. (Jeremiah 8:18-19)

It is difficult to imagine the pain with which Jeremiah penned those words. There is a song sung in the church world today that says, “Break my heart with what breaks Yours. Everything I have for Your kingdom’s cause.” I honestly wonder if many who vocalize those words have any idea what they are asking for! Jeremiah understood the reality of God’s heart beating within his. What pain!!! What agony!!! Like a parent who is about to see their child run over by a car, Jeremiah cries out to warn his people of their doom. You can hear the desperation in Jeremiah’s voice as he continues to plead with the people to hear the voice of God in the words he speaks. In spite of all the pain, Jeremiah stands firm in his convictions, knowing that God is righteous and fair and that there is nothing else to do, but follow Him! May we continue to be encouraged by the tenacity of these men and boys who lived their lives following God not matter what the price.