God always means what He says.
In his sermon titled God is Reliable, David Moreland says....
Here is the climax of the book. This is the moment that Jeremiah has been predicting from the moment he started preaching as a young teenager. Now everything that Jeremiah had predicted came to pass.
The disaster would come from the north (1:14) and it did.
A foreign nation would attack (5:15) and it did.
The city would be besieged (4:17) and it was.
A horrible famine was predicted (18:21) and it came.
The whole land would be laid waste (25:11) and it was.
Foreign kings would set up their government in the land (1:15) and they did.
The city would burn (21:10) and it did.
The people would be taken into exile (10:17) and they were.
God had said He would bring upon Jerusalem every disaster He had pronounced against them (35:17) and He did.
God means what He says.
That Zedekiah doubted the day would come did not alter reality. Maybe those who listened to Jeremiah could not conceive that God would ever allow all this to happen.
Zedekiah simply did not believe he would ever need God. He was a man who could do it on his own. When this awful day came he discovered that he could not do it on his own.
God means what He says. Whether we believe it or not makes no difference.
God also does not forget us.
Jeremiah was just one of many captives, but God did not forget him. In fact, in chapter 39, 3 royal men ensured Jeremiah's freedom. It appears Jeremiah may have been recaptured again (likely accidentally in the midst of war chaos) and he was freed again by Nebuzaradan who, though not a believer, acknowledged that God had given the Babylonians the victory.
And in Chapter 39 we are also told that God remembered Ebed-Melech who had courageously saved Jeremiah's life after he was thrown into the cistern. It says that God remembered Ebed-Melech because of his trust in God. Not his obedience or courage (though I'm sure he will be rewarded for that in heaven as well), but specifically for trusting God.
That is what we are asked to do. Trust God. When we truly trust Him, our actions will reflect that. When we truly trust Him, we will be obedient, we will be courageous, we will stand for truth even if we are the only ones.
God will not leave behind, or ignore, or forget, or misplace, or lose a single person who belongs to Him.
The king did everything he could to save his life, and yet he lost it. Ebed and Jeremiah took no interest whatsoever in protecting themselves and yet they lived. As Jesus said, “whoever loses his life will save it and whoever saves his life will lose it” (Luke 9:24). (David Moreland)
The fall of Jerusalem reminded me of the coming Day of Judgement, and I was not surprised to read this last paragraph in David's sermon speaking of exactly that...
The fall of Jerusalem mirrors Judgement Day. We have been warned again and again that it is coming. We have been told again and again that it is deserved. We stand where Jerusalem stood. A terrible storm is going to come upon us. Zedekiah represents those who make no preparation for the coming day. Zedekiah represents those who really do not believe such a day will ever come. But the day does come and Zedekiah suffers terribly. Jeremiah and Ebed-Melech represent those who believe the day is coming and who put their trust in God to save them. When the storm hits God does save them, and those who have put their trust in Jesus will find that when the storm of the Day of Judgement rages they will be quite safe.
Tomorrow's passage: Lamentations 2-4
1 comment:
I too thought it was astounding that Nebuzaradan acknowledged such a thing because it was part of the prediction too. God had said he would do this so the nations would know that He was the Lord.
Somehow in this passage, though it is not written from the personal perspective of Jeremiah, I felt like I was seeing it from his view. What a heart wrenching day for him this must have been. For him this was a reality fulfilled, as you said it will be for us. It made me think that we may feel like he did on that day of judgement. I honestly think our hearts will be heavy and wrenched beyond compare for the lost. It may be the last overwhelming saddness we feel before the joys of heaven. It may nearly be too much to bear.
On a lighter note, I also wondered why more baby boys are not named Jeremiah. What a role model. Then of course, there is the bullfrog who ruined it all for many mom's. :)
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