And because of the circumstances that we find ourselves in as we read this, we get a sense of the urgency and a desire to hear what God might have to say. Interestingly, God is not full of spite, He’s not like I warned you for 20 years and here it is like, I told you, it’s upon you and now you’re gonna suffer it. I gave you every chance imaginable and this is what you have brought down upon yourself. And those things are true, and God does allude to those things. But the central message here is yes, this has all come upon you. And yes, this is all going to happen, but this is not the end of the story, and don’t think that it is the end of the story. So, now we have some context and I want to reread a section of Jeremiah because of how poignant it is, and what it foretells. And it foretells what we are invited to participate in now. But we have to understand that these words, this utterance from God through Jeremiah is happening when things are blowing up everywhere, right. So certainly, back then they didn’t have the kind of artillery power that we have manufactured over the last several thousand years, but things are blowing up all around them. It’s all falling apart. The walls are about to collapse, the enemy is about to get inside, Jerusalem is about to fall. And in the midst of that this is what the Lord says. I made the earth, formed it and set it in place. My name is the Lord. This is what the Lord says, call to me and I will answer you. I will tell you great and mysterious things that you do not know. Okay, so like right there, God is saying there is more to this story, you don’t understand the whole picture, but I can tell you even as you’re watching everything that you’ve ever known fall apart before your eyes, there’s more, there’s mysteries, there’s things that you do not know, and if you call to me, I will answer you. The houses in the city and the palaces of the kings of Judah have been torn down to be used against the dirt ramps and weapons of the Babylonians. This is what the Lord God of Israel says about this. The people of Israel fought the Babylonians. Now their houses are filled with the bodies of their own people, I killed in my anger and my fury. I will hide my face from the city because of its wickedness, but I will heal this city and restore it to health. Right, so, God is saying, I have warned, and warned, and warned, and warned, and now what I warned about is upon you and you can’t say you didn’t know it what was coming. I’ve been telling you for decades and I’ve been warning you about the wickedness that is growing, and the darkness that is spreading in this land like an epidemic. And I’ve been telling you, I’m going to turn my back on all of that. And now everything that you’ve known is being destroyed around you because it’s wicked. But beyond that there is restoration to health, a restart, I will heal its people, God says, and I will give them peace and security. I will restore Judah and Israel and rebuild them as they were before. I will cleanse them from all the sins that they have committed against me. I will forgive them for all the sins that they have committed against me and for rebelling against me. Then Jerusalem will be my source of joy, praise and honor. All the nations on earth will hear about all the blessings that I will give to Jerusalem. They will be afraid and tremble because of all the prosperity that I will provide for it. This is what the Lord says, you have said that this place is ruined and that no people or animals live in it. It is true, the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are deserted. No people or animals live there. But once again, you will hear the sounds of joy and happiness and the sounds of brides and grooms. You will hear those who bring thank offerings to the Lord’s temple say, give thanks to the Lord of armies because the Lord is good, because his mercy endures forever. I will restore the fortunes of the land to what they were before, says the Lord.
Daily Readings and Commentary from the Daily Audio Bible