Jeremiah 18:11 says, Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good. God had Jeremiah to call on the people of Judah once more to turn from their evil ways before they suffered the consequences of them. God will always call on people to repent before they suffer the consequences of their sins, and sin will always have consequences. Verse twelve states, And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. The people of Judah said that here was no hope, I believe meaning in being obedient to God, so they would follow their own devices. There are still many people today who claim that there is no hope in God so they follow their own devices to live life. Verse thirteen declares, Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing. God said for them to ask among the heathen, those who worshipped other gods, if they had heard of such a thing. Verse fourteen asks, Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken? God then asked if people would leave the snows of Lebanon which provided cool water for anther place. Verse fifteen states, Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up; God said that His chosen people had left the path that He set for them and burned incense to other gods. We must never allow any other god to come between God and us. Verse sixteen adds, To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. God said because of their disobedience that the land was made desolate, and that the people blamed each other for this. Verse seventeen declares, I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity. God said that the people of Judah would be scattered before their enemies because God was going to turn His back on them. We better pray that we as individuals and as a nation never reach the point where God turns His back on us. Verse eighteen states, Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words. The people of Judah decided to defy Jeremiah, God's prophet. People will always attempt to discredit God's word and will often rise up against His messengers. Verse nineteen states, Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me. Jeremiah asked God to hear his plea and listen to what was being said against him, but God already knew. Verse twenty asks, Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them. Jeremiah asked if good would be repaid with evil, and too often it is. Jeremiah had simply proclaimed God's word, and now the people of Judah were seeking ways to punish him for doing so. The world may recompense our sharing of the gospel with evil, but we still have the responsibility to share the gospel. Verse twenty-one adds, Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle. Jeremiah asked God to punish those who were attempting to destroy him. I don't believe that we should ever pray that those who stand against us when we serve God should be destroyed, but that we should continue to reach out with them with the love of God. Verse twenty-two continues, Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet. Jeremiah continued in his plea to God to punish those who were out to destroy him. Verse twenty-three concludes, Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger. Jeremiah was not in a forgiving mood toward those who were attempting to destroy, but I believe that Jesus set a different standard on the cross.
No comments:
Post a Comment