Day 223 (Jeremiah 14-17) - Year 4
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Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. When today's reading opens, Judah is in the middle of a drought that has come as a part of their judgment. They cry out to God, but as we know, they're not crying out to Him for repentance. They're only crying out to Him for relief.

Their prayer is beautiful, but most commentators seem to think it was actually Jeremiah praying on their behalf again. Here are two reasons why commentators think that. A. We've seen no other signs of repentance from them. And B. After the prayer, God tells Jeremiah again not to pray for them. Regardless of who is praying this prayer, God responds in verses 10-13 and says the answer is no.

God says his plan is to deliver them over to sword, famine, and pestilence. And Jeremiah says, you know those are the exact things their prophets are telling them you won't do, right? Jeremiah seems to be trying to defend the people, because maybe they've just been misled by the prophets.

First of all, they're still guilty of the sins of idolatry and oppressing the poor and slaughtering their kids. So even if the prophets were misleading them about there being no consequences for those sins, they still committed those sins and have hearts that have turned away from God.

Jeremiah seems to forget that altogether. And second, God makes it clear that those prophets are not his prophets. All the things they're saying are things they're either making up in their own minds or hearing from demons. And in an ironic move of justice, God will have them be devoured by the very things they promise won't happen, including sword and famine, alongside the people who believe them.

God grieves over this. And then either Jeremiah or Judah offers up what appears to be another prayer on Judah's behalf in verses 19 through 22.

One reason to think it's Jeremiah is because as a prophet, he represents the people to God and represents God to the people. He's a mediator of sorts. And he still seems to have that priestly heart since he comes from a long line of priests. They're mediators too. So it's probably the most natural thing in the world for him to continue pleading with God, hoping that God will relent.

On the other hand, one reason to think it's Judah praying this prayer is because they get one thing super wrong in the prayer. In verse 21, the prayer says, Do not break your covenant with us. God is not the one who broke the covenant with them. They broke it. But it would be just like Judah to put that spin on it for sure.

In chapter 15, God responds to the prayer by driving the point home a little further. He says, Even if Moses and Samuel asked me to spare these people the destruction, I'd still say no. And of the four possible outcomes, famine, sword, pestilence, and exile, He has already determined the specific end for each person.

Anytime it starts to feel like God's being harsh, it's a good time to zoom out and remember exactly what has happened. In isolation, his response seems extreme. But in the overall story, he's given them everything. And they're not just worshiping false idols. They're sacrificing their own children to those idols. God does act severely, but he always acts justly.

Starting in verse 10, Jeremiah and God have a conversation where Jeremiah himself seems to think that God is being too harsh, not just on the people, but on him. God reminds Jeremiah that he's working out his purposes and plans and that he hasn't forgotten him in the midst of all this or abandoned him.

Jeremiah loves Yahweh and His Word, and he's willing to endure a lonely life to be used by God. But it's hard. Not only does everyone hate him for speaking the truth, but he knows these trials he's warning people about are coming for him too. And it all feels like too much to endure. Then God responds with a bit of a rebuke, but also a promise that He will be with Jeremiah and strengthen him.

In verse 21, God tells Jeremiah, I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless. That means they will have a grip on him at some point. God's people are never promised we'll be spared from trials, but we're always promised that we're not alone in them.

But God is the only real companion Jeremiah will have. God forbids him to marry or have kids. Not because God is cruel, but because God doesn't want any hypothetical family members to suffer. I think it's interesting that people quote God's command to Adam to be fruitful and multiply as though it's a universal command. But I've never heard anyone quote God's command to Jeremiah in that way. Some of us are given singleness and childlessness for God's purposes.

God also says that no one should mourn over the people who will die in Judah. Their deaths are the result of their wickedness. But because they haven't paid any attention to God and His covenant, they'll have no idea why God is doing this. They'll accuse Him of being unfair. But God says after all this, He will bring back a remnant. He will send people to gather them and bring them home. They will repent and fully know who God is. Finally!

In chapter 17, God tells us about two kinds of people. The man who trusts in man and doesn't rely on God. His soul will be parched. Then there's the man who trusts in God. His soul flourishes, even in a drought. Verse 9 goes on to say that the man who trusts in himself is a fool because his heart can't be trusted. He's short-sighted. But God isn't. God sees everything, and his judgments can be trusted.

We close with a lengthy reminder about the importance of keeping the Sabbath as a set-apart day of the week. Why do you think it's so hard for people to take a day off? Why does God have to command that? The people may not realize it, but failure to keep the Sabbath signals greed and mistrust in God's provision. That's also where my God shot came in today.

What kind of God sets up resting as an act of worship? That's incredible. People tend to view God as an angry taskmaster, making demands on his people non-stop. And while God does call his people to work hard, for sure, he also knows our souls desperately need to reconnect with him. And that doesn't happen as easily in the chaos. Sabbath gives us space for intimacy with God. He wants us to slow down and fix our eyes on him.

Yes, he wants constant communication, but he also wants focused time. To put a married life spin on it, he doesn't just want a kiss on the way out the door or a few text messages here and there. Those are great, and they're helpful in staying connected. But he also wants a weekly date night where the kids are at the sitter and there are no errands to run and you can just sit down and enjoy a meal together. I want that kind of time with him. Regularly. He's where the joy is.

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