Skip to main content

19. Not Forgotten


Jeremiah 23:1-8
Key verse: "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous branch, a king who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which He will be called: 'the Lord our righteousness."
Jeremiah 23:5-6

The sign posts pointing to Jesus are few and far between in this section.  We have now moved another four hundred years beyond the time of David.  Do you realize how much time that is?  If we were to go back 400 years in our own nation's history, the Mayflower wouldn't have even set sail yet.  Yet, we have had at least three such spans of time pass for our purposes, 1,200 years and Messiah is still only being talked about and promised, not yet seen.

Israel is steeped in sin. God has already allowed ten of the tribes of Israel, or the Northern Kingdom, to be destroyed due to their extremely corrupt practices. (See 2 Kings16) Now, the last two tribes, Judah, and Benjamin, or the Southern Kingdom, are to face punishment of their own for their blatant disregard for God's law.  All the way back in Deuteronomy, before Israel crossed the River Jordan to possess the land, God had promised a curse if His people disobeyed.  Now, the people are on the verge of learning just how seriously the Lord takes His covenant for blessing and for cursing.

The Lord, through Jeremiah, places much of the blame for Israel's disobedience on the priests themselves.  The priests have not led the people in the ways of righteousness.  They have not instructed the people in the way they should go.  They've allowed the people to scatter their allegiance to other gods and foolish behavior.  Many of the priests are corrupt themselves.

Those who love the Lord will be sent into exile in Babylon.  The rest of the people will be destroyed.  There is, however, still hope for the devoted.  God has not forgotten his promise to Abraham, Isaac, Israel, Judah and David.  There will still be someone, descended from David, a righteous branch, who will still fulfill all of the promises that God has made to His people.  He will lead with righteousness and bring peace.  He will gather the scattered remnant of God's people and make them dwell in safety.

Living in our day as we are, we know this is about Jesus.  He is the king who will reign one day.  Yet we know he came and went and this world is still in turmoil.  A lot has remained the same.  We are waiting for fulfillment of God's promises.  And while we wait, there are blessings and sometimes curses.  There is joy, but suffering and tragedy remain as well.  Some leaders are faithful.  Some are not.  We are also waiting and must be patient and keep the faith.

Fortunately for us, a lot has changed as well.  Jesus is with us by his Holy Spirit in a way that the children of Israel could never experience.  We have their entire recorded history so we might not make the mistakes they made.  We know that they returned from exile later which assures us that God's promises still hold.  One day, surely, Jesus shall reign!


Hymn: "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us" 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

258. "Remember, Always Remember!"

Exodus 12:1-30 Key Verse: "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord a lasting ordinance." Exodus 12:14 "Celebrate the feast of unleavened bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come." (Exodus 12:17) "And when your children ask you, "What does this ceremony mean to you?" then tell them, "It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians." (Exodus 12:27) The original act was an act of worship as the first true act of freedom for the people of Israel. They had been brought to Egypt by Joseph during a time of famine so that through Joseph God could preserve their lives. ( Genesis 37 , & 39-50 ) After Joseph died, however, instead of heading back to C...
Post a Comment
Read more

August 13 What Is Fitting

It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury—how much less for a slave to rule over princes! ~Proverbs 19:10   On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man!” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. ~Acts 12:21-23  Wow! Well, what in the world can there be to benefit us here? First of all, perhaps we should review the first Biblical definition of a fool, penned by no other than Solomon’s Father, David himself. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1) It is not fitting for the fool to live the blessed life. Why should they when they deny from whom all blessings flow?  King Herod was a fool. Now, just to be clear, this is not the Herod who ruled at Jesus’ birth and ordered the slaughter of the male children in Bethlehem. He ...
Post a Comment
Read more

July 26 Time for A Wellness Check Up

This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger. Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work, this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. ~Ecclesiastes 5:16-20  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everythi...
Post a Comment
Read more