There are certain times in life where
God passes down “hard words.” These are not necessarily words that are
difficult to understand, but are words that people do not want to hear.
For example, we love to hear that God
is love (1 John
4:8), and it makes us giddy to hear that He has “loved us with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). However, we do not like to be
reminded of the fact that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
We don’t appreciate being reminded of
God being the Righteous Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25) or of Him being a
jealous God (Deuteronomy
6:15).
Elijah was less than impressed when
the brook Cherith dried up in 1 Kings 17. After all, he had been taken care of
at Cherith, had been provided for, and had been hidden from his enemies. When
the brook dried up though, he seemed to have become vulnerable again. He had to
step out in faith when life again became difficult.
Hard words and hard times are inevitable
in life; regardless of how we feel about them. What I want to draw your
attention to today is a particularly hard word that was passed down to God’s
people in captivity.
Jeremiah 29:4-10 - 4 Thus says the
Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I
have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and
dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.
6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your
sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and
daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the
peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray
to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.
8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let
your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen
to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely to
you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.
10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at
Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to
return to this place.
Oh, we love to hear verses 11-14 of Jeremiah 29. We love to hear of the plan and the
purpose God has for us! Why wouldn’t we? Despite it being a promise to that
particular people in that specific time, such a promise shows God’s heart and
we are able to know that He wants the best for us! We know and proclaim that He
has good plans for us and those plans will prosper us! Right?
I feel for poor Jeremiah. As a young
man, he is called by God to spend his life declaring doom and gloom on God’s
wayward children. He had the unpopular message of the day! When all the false
prophets were proclaiming peace and victory, Jeremiah had to stand against them
and speak what God had told him; he had to preach hard words. Words of God
like:
And you, even yourself, Shall let go of your heritage which I gave
you; And I will cause you to serve your enemies In the land which you do not
know; For you have kindled a fire in My anger which shall burn forever. (Jeremiah 17:4)
And:
12 I also spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these
words, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and
serve him and his people, and live! 13 Why will you die, you and your people,
by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord has spoken
against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
14 Therefore do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to
you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy a lie
to you; 15 for I have not sent them,” says the Lord, “yet they prophesy a lie
in My name, that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, you and the
prophets who prophesy to you.” (Jeremiah 27:12-15)
Judah would be enslaved for seventy
years, and there was nothing to be done about it. They wouldn’t be able to
convince God to go back on what He had declared. There was no hope of victory
over Babylon. Exile was a foregone conclusion and it was time to stop listening
to false prophets and stop being deluded.
Maybe you are wondering what my point
is. After all, my posts are generally uplifting or hopeful. Why am I so bent on
depressing you by writing of Jeremiah, the Wailing Prophet, probably the man
with the most depressing message to enter the pages of Scripture?
The answer is no great theological
statement. This will not be some great paradigm changing post, and maybe it
will be seen as anticlimactic. Still, this is why I am writing about Jeremiah:
There are hard words and hard times we
face. Instead of looking solely to the future, instead of lamenting our current
lot in life, there are times when we need to learn to be satisfied with where
we are.
There are times when we need to trust
the Lord and be content with the hardship we are facing. That’s not a popular
idea in our culture that is obsessed with peace and prosperity in all areas of
life, but it is still true.
Judah was told to build homes, plant
gardens, have children, give their children in marriage, and seek the peace of
the city. They were to settle in and make a life in Babylon.
We have such trouble reconciling that
to our picture of God! We have trouble understanding (or don’t WANT to
understand) that Judah was told to make a life where they were because their
circumstances weren’t going to change any time soon.
We can’t imagine being “stuck” in our
troubles. We get the idea that God is going to snap His fingers and
miraculously remove us from every issue, and make everything sunshine and
roses.
It is almost as if we forget that
sometimes we must go through “the valley of the shadow of death” and have a table set “in the presence of our enemies” (Psalm 23).
That is not to say that we will always
have trouble, but we are fools if we think that everything is going to be easy!
We are absolutely blind if we think that God will instantly remove us from
trouble. He CAN, but that doesn’t mean that He always will.
Jesus even said in John 16:33 - These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have
peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world.
We can have peace and joy in God
regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in, but we will still have
trouble in this world! Paul perfectly speaks to my intention in writing this
blog post when he speaks of contentment.
11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in
whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how
to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to
be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)
Don’t turn a deaf ear to what God says
just because it makes you uncomfortable or you don’t want to hear what He says.
Don’t ignore God if He tells you to make a home where you are. As the old
saying goes, “Bloom where you’re planted”.
Yes, God promises: 11 For I know the thoughts
that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to
give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to
Me, and I will listen to you.
13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all
your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back
from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the
places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the
place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
God will not forget His people, He will
never leave nor forsake them, and He does care and love them. Still, we need to
learn to be content with wherever He has placed us, obey Him regardless of
whether or not we feel like it, and be His people.
Don’t serve God or love Him
conditionally; don’t simply follow the Lord when things are good. Love and trust
Him even when told to settle in Babylon. And know that He always has the best
in mind for those who follow Him; even if you can’t see it right now.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love
God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
May the Lord bless you wherever you
find yourself,
Binyamin