Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 2-3; Psalm 50
The Lord, the Mighty One, is God,
and he has spoken;
he has summoned all humanity
from where the sun rises to where it sets.
From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines in glorious radiance.
Our God approaches,
and he is not silent.
Fire devours everything in his way,
and a great storm rages around him.
He calls on the heavens above and earth below
to witness the judgment of his people.
“Bring my faithful people to me—
those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.”
Then let the heavens proclaim his justice,
for God himself will be the judge. – Psalm 50:1-6
To fully understand God’s plans to punish His people, we need to read the book of Jeremiah and the words God spoke to him as he warned the people of what was to come and why it was happening. Let’s look at the heartbreak of our God as He describes the unfaithfulness of the people He has blessed generation after generation and consider how His words apply today:
“I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness…
“What did your ancestors find wrong with me
that led them to stray so far from me?
They worshiped worthless idols,
only to become worthless themselves.
They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord
who brought us safely out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness—
a land of deserts and pits,
a land of drought and death,
where no one lives or even travels?’
“And when I brought you into a fruitful land
to enjoy its bounty and goodness,
you defiled my land and
corrupted the possession I had promised you.” – Jeremiah 2:5-7
“Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones, even though they are not gods at all? My people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols! The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay,” says the Lord. “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me — the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” – Jeremiah 2:11-13
“O my people, listen to the words of the Lord!
Have I been like a desert to Israel?
Have I been to them a land of darkness?
Why then do my people say, ‘At last we are free from God!
We don’t need him anymore!’
Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
or a bride her wedding dress?
Yet for years on end
my people have forgotten me.” – Jeremiah 2:31-32
God grieved the rebellion of His people, but He never stopped loving them. Out of His great mercy, God gave Israel this opportunity: Acknowledge your guilt, admit that you rebelled, confess that you refused to listen to my voice, return home and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
I WILL BRING YOU BACK HOME.
“I would love to treat you as my own children! I want nothing more than to give you this beautiful land – the finest possession in the world. I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me.” – Jeremiah 3:19
These words reveal the heart of God — that He desired to bless His people, but they wanted to find blessings from another source. They rejected God and rebelled against Him, yet He said — “I would love to treat you as my own children!”
Jeremiah’s advice for the people then is also good for us today. Surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the Lord; cleanse your heart that you may be saved. Listen to the voice of God calling you back home.
“My wayward children,” says the Lord,
“come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.”
“Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply,
“for you are the Lord our God.” – Jeremiah 3:22