Welcome to Nick Stevens, long-time member at Hope Church as well as Chair of the Hope Church Leadership Team. He will share his reflections on the readings from Jeremiah 1-6.
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 5:1-19
OBSERVATIONS:
Another chapter in the assignment God gave Jeremiah …the assignment to preach to the people a warning of the impending dome for turning their backs on God.
(ver 1-2) God says to Jeremiah that if he can find even one person who is still serving Him in Jerusalem, He will pardon all. Reminds me of Abraham bargaining with God about the total destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
(ver 3-6) Jeremiah reasons that there must be something that has happened to the people to make them so oblivious to the truth about serving God…..maybe they are unable to respond, or maybe they are just the lowly people and they just don’t know how to respond. Let’s try the elite and knowledgeable people …..but he is even more disappointed …..they have broken loose and lost connection with God altogether…..they even have it so backwards that they have the “fox guarding the hen house”!
(ver 7-13) God is a just God and he cannot and will not allow sin to go unpunished.
(ver14-17) God pronounces the judgment ….an invasion by a mighty nation that will force Israel to serve them and be forced to give them the things that would normally be for themselves.
(ver 18-19) The judgment will be severe ….but God will still show mercy in that he says he will not destroy them completely.
APPLICATION:
We know that there has to be punishment for sin …..the Bible says so and even our morality speaks it to our hearts. Yet I (we) often seem so oblivious to that fact. We must face the truth about sin and it’s consequences. If we do not have Jesus a shield between us and God’s punishment, we are eternally doomed.
PRAYER:
Lord, I know you must and will punish all sin. Thank you for providing me and all who believe, with the gift of Jesus who took my guilt and punishment for my sin on himself. “My I be forever grateful to the cross.”
My random thoughts……
1. Israel is called to be a blessing to all nations but is focused to much on thier own gratification and wealth.
2. Israel ignores the injustices in their society towards the “poor” and they will be punished for it.
3. The Lord’s correction leads to the accomplishment of His original purpose.
4. Israel did not heed the warnings of God through his prophets and they thought the Day of the Lord would be a day they would be exalted not chastised. They did not believe God would do anything to them.
It is almost eerie how this reflects today’s society and to some degrees the “church.” The society is all about instant and self gratification, ignoring social injustice in the world and their is a belief God will do nothing. I know cynicism is a poor man’s wisdom so I will close with a question.
What would be a better service to our King, gather on Sunday morning in a building or gather Sunday or Saturday morning to go into the community and mirror our Lord?
How well we hide behind masks, keeping our real feelings and thoughts from one another. However, the Lord sees through our disguises, our pretense. He knows our hearts and He sees all. From the heart come all our doings. God knows my heart.
O Lord, may I always have ears that hear You and eyes that see You in my daily living for Jesus. Help me to walk with You daily. Thank You for Your mercy in Jesus Christ my Saviour. It is only by His blood that I have life, everlasting life. Help me to be true to You each day.
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.