For a full description of the (Y3) reading plan, see the “About” page.
- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Jer. 18
I noticed a fascinating thing in this passage this morning that I have never noticed before. In speaking of the consequences of His people’s rejection of Him, God said, “They have made their land a horror, a perpetual object of scorn; all who pass by it will be appalled and shake their heads. I will scatter them before the enemy like the east wind. I will show them my back and not my face on the day of their calamity.” (Jer. 18:16-17). This was part of the punishment for their sin.
When we turn to the book of Matthew, we see something very familiar in his description of Jesus’ time on the cross. As Jesus hung there, “Those who passed by were yelling insults at Him, shaking their heads…” (Matt. 27:39). And some time later He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matt. 27:46b). I think Matthew specifically noted these details to show us that Jesus did indeed take the punishment for our sin on Himself.
Jer. 19-20
I feel for Jeremiah. His was not an easy life. God compelled him, against his own desire, to speak messages of doom and gloom to the people. Nobody wanted to hear it, yet God would not allow him to stop speaking the message. For his efforts, Jeremiah was mocked, ridiculed, hated, hunted, and beaten. Even his own family did not receive him well. No wonder Jeremiah hated his life!
The strange thing to me is that God, when He called Jeremiah, told him, “Do not be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you to rescue you.” (Jer. 1:8a). Well, I’m sorry, but allowing Jeremiah to be beaten and put in the stocks does not sound like much of a rescue to me! Still, they were not able to silence him.
The thing I see in this is that God never promised us, or Jeremiah, that we would be untouchable or that He would keep us from hurt or harm. He never promised us a comfortable, pleasant life. Why follow Him, then? Why sacrifice what makes us happy and strive to do what is right only to receive hardship and evil in return? The answer is because God promises to rescue us. Thus, our hope will never fade, our message will never fall silent, and we will never lose our true life. Therefore we can know, together with Jeremiah, that those who persecute us not only will not prevail, but will suffer, “an everlasting humiliation that will never be forgotten.” (Jer. 20:11b). We can know, “the LORD is with me like a violent warrior.” (Jer. 20:11a), and, “He rescues the life of the needy” (Jer. 20:13b).
Jer. 21-22
God’s people thought they were entitled to His love and compassion simply because they were His people. They expected Him to deliver them regardless of how they lived. They looked to Him for fantastic miracles in their distress, but ignored Him when they felt secure. It is true that God repeatedly expressed His great love for these people, in spite of their hard hearts. And it is true that His lovingkindness is everlasting; His mercy and forgiveness have no end. However, it is equally true that God is holy, righteous, and just. Thus, the fact that He loves someone will not save them from His judgment. It is because of God’s unconditional love and endless compassion that He offers us His complete forgiveness. However, it is because of His absolute holiness and perfect righteousness that there is only one way to receive it.