August 10 - Miriam

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Jeremiah 16-18 & 35.

There were a few things that stood out to me as I read the above chapters.  As I read the first chapter of today's reading, it talked about the Day of Disaster.  I cannot imagine a greater disaster than having God withdraw His blessing, love and pity from His people.  Jeremiah 16:6 - Both high and low will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, and no one will cut himself or shave his head for them.  I don't know about you, but I sometimes wonder how I will be remembered when I die, as I undoubtedly shall sooner or later.  But we all expect that someone, for at least some period of time, will remember us and think about us after we are gone.  It seems terribly sad and hopeless for someone not to be buried or mourned.  I realize that's only one very small part of the passage, but it made me feel some of the hopelessness and isolation of the curse being pronounced.

There was more talk in today's chapters about making our own gods - lifeless, worthless idols.  There was more about the society then that could just as easily describe our society today.  There was more about the consequences that they would suffer for not obeying God and following his laws. 

The verses that stood out to me most clearly from today's reading were Jeremiah 17:7-10 -

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
"I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."

The human heart is beyond cure.  We've proven that time and again throughout the centuries.  We are faithless.  Easily swayed.  Easily distracted.  Easily convinced that because God is loving and merciful, that He couldn't possibly be vengeful and pronounce such dire judgment.  We want to believe that because no one is perfect and because our sins aren't, say, multiple murders or something we consider horrible and heinous, we're not bad people and we'll be okay, even if we don't REALLY follow God or seek His will.  But the Lord searches the heart and examines the mind.  He knows our motives and the reasons behind why we do and say certain things, even when we may not consciously recognize them ourselves.  And as we've discussed before, there are no degrees of sin.  All sin is equally destestable to God.  Any one sin by itself tips the scales and merits our eternal separation from Him.  And we all have plenty more than just one sin. 

But if we look back at the first part of that passage - Trust in the Lord. Be confident in Him. Send your roots out and drink up the waters of His Word. Thirst to know Him better.  Follow His will and trust in His timing.  Our rewards may not come when we'd like them to or when we feel we deserve them, but God will remember those who repent and are faithful.

Tomorrow's passage:  Jeremiah 49:1-33; 2 Kings 24:5-9; 2 Chronicles 36:6-9; Jeremiah 22:24-23:32.