Pharaoh’s army had (apparently) frightened the Chaldeans away, and king Zedekiah though surely now Jeremiah would prophesy good news. No deal. God’s truth is God’s truth, no matter what is happening. Jeremiah knew that Jerusalem was doomed. Call him a liar, put him in prison, beat him – it does not matter. He would not forsake his message.
LORD, give us the courage to stay true to our convictions regardless of the circumstances.
By burning the scroll of Jeremiah’s prophecies concerning his downfall, Jehoiakim thought he had put an end to the threat. Just as today, popular culture seeks to discredit the validity of the words of scripture, but the word of God will prevail against all attempts to destroy it, and those who seek to discredit it are simply condemning themselves.
LORD, when we read your word, may we not act foolishly as Jehoiakim did. May we respond in repentance, and preserve ourselves from its judgments.
Jeremiah knew that one did not offer a Rechabite wine. They had vowed never to take it. But the LORD told Jeremiah to invite Rechabites into a temple chamber and offer them wine. Of course, they refused. The LORD told Jeremiah to make the offer to show him that it is possible for people in Jerusalem to live faithful to their commitments. Jeremiah commended the Rechabites for this, but condemned the people of Jerusalem for their unfaithfulness.
LORD, make us people who swim against the current. Make us as faithful to you as the Rechabites were to their fathers’ oath.
It appears that there was some kind of attempt at revival among Zedekiah’s kingdom, and God had stayed the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. The people set free their Hebrew slaves, which is something they knew they should have done. They had not been following God’s covenant that required the freeing of all slaves after seven years. They decided to free their slaves, and God honored that. But then they took them back into slavery. So, the LORD proclaimed liberty to the sword, pestilence and famine. Those destroyers were set free to destroy Jerusalem.
LORD, give us the faithfulness to make good our promises, to change, and stay changed.
In the midst of destruction and despair, the LORD calls on his people to believe in a future of restoration, peace, joy, prosperity, healing, forgiveness, cleansing, and righteousness. That takes faith: to look at loss and apparent rejection and still trust the very God who has caused the loss.
LORD, give us the faith to trust in your promises, even as we see examples of your judgment all around us.
If Jeremiah ever doubted that God would make good his promise to restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, all he had to do was look at the jar containing the deeds to the land he purchased. It was a visible symbol of the goodness and faithfulness of God in the time of his wrath. Bad things will happen in this life, and sometimes the LORD will not stop them, because he is the one who caused them for his own purposes. During those times, we need to remember our future, a bright future in which the LORD will restore the fortunes of his people.
LORD, help us to keep the long term in focus, remembering your promises.
The restoration Jeremiah sees for Israel’s future is more than just a political entity, and return to the land. It is participation in a new covenant, which features forgiveness of sins. It is also permanent. What the LORD plucked up, he will replant, and make it as permanent as the fixed order of the moon and stars at night. The God of justice who brought about their exile has a plan for their restoration.
LORD, restore us to a right relationship with you. Make us a city fit for your indwelling.
Jeremiah is instructed to write his prophecies in a book, because the present generation will not understand them. Future generations will see how the LORD punished his people with unbearable pain, and then restored them. Future generations will see and record in their history books how all the nations surrounding Israel will be wiped out of existence, but Israel will be restored. For now, the word is trust, in the latter days there will be understanding.
LORD, many times things happen to us that we do not understand. Help us to trust during those times, clinging to the hope we find in your book.
Verse 11 of this chapter is plucked out of its context and used by those who would insist that God only has plans for good for his people. Why not verse 17? The God of grace who has plans to prosper his people also has plans to destroy the evil from among them. The false prophets in Jeremiah’s day insisted that those who named the name of the LORD were immune from judgment. Jeremiah insisted that the exile would continue until all the idol worshippers and liars would be judged. Jeremiah instructed the people to settle down and live life until the judgment was over.
LORD, we know you have plans for us, and we will trust you to carry out those plans. We will not presume upon your timing.
The anticipated day has come, and the bride and groom enjoy each other, and find peace in each other’s arms. But she remembers the community who guarded her chastity when she was their “little sister.” One of the underlying messages of this poem is how marital love is sacred, and thus should be protected. Real friends protect each other. Real lovers wait until the time is right.
LORD, give us the wisdom to enjoy love as it was meant to be, unencumbered by guilt, unashamed before you.
Jeremiah 37
Jeremiah 36
Jeremiah 35
Jeremiah 34
Jeremiah 33
Jeremiah 32
Jeremiah 31
Jeremiah 30
Jeremiah 29
Song of Solomon 8:8-14
