Morning Thoughts in Jeremiah

This morning I'm reading through the portion of Jeremiah that is foretelling about what will happen to the nations that have not followed the Lord. Nations that He sent the Israelites into because of their unfaithfulness and continued sin. Thus, finding something to glean from is proving to be difficult. Yet, not impossible.

Jeremiah 46:28 says, "O Jacob My servant, do not fear," declares the Lord, "For I am with you. For I will make a full end of all the nations where I have driven you, yet I will not make a full end of you; but I will correct you properly and by no means leave you unpunished."

Within this verse is packed many things.

1. "O Jacob My servant, do not fear," declares the Lord, "For I am with you."

This part of the verse leads me back to Psalm 46. Next to this chapter I have written, "If God is for us, it doesn't matter who is against us." The verse that compliments the verse in Jeremiah is Psalm 46:7, "The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold." If I jump one verse above I come to one of my all time favorite verses, Psalm 46:10 "Cease striving and know that I am God." My NIV says to "Be still". What I have learned about being still is that the word "Still" means "to let go."

I am also lead to Isaiah 43:2, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you."

This part of the verse is a reminder that no matter what's going on in my life or the world around me that God is with me. He is the stronghold I can run to in times of trouble. I love what Isaiah 43:2 says about passing through water, rivers and fire and how none of those things will harm me. Interesting enough, I've always had childhood to adulthood fears about drowning and/or burning in a fire. I am also reminded to not take things into my own hands. But to be still. And by being still I need to let everything go so He can take control and deal with it.

2. "For I will make a full end of all the nations where I have driven you, yet I will not make a full end of you;"

Throughout the Bible we come across God's chosen people continuing to sin and God punishing them through various ways. Yet, He has always promised that through their punishment they would be saved. Amos 9:8-9 says, "Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; nevertheless, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob," declares the Lord. For behold, I am commanding, and I will shake the house of Israel among all nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, but not a kernel will fall to the ground."

This part of the verse reminds me that my sins have consequences. Yet, God loves me and like a loving Father, he doesn't want to totally destroy me. He wants me to come to a full understanding of what He did for me by dying on the cross to save me from my sin.

3. "but I will correct you properly and by no means leave you unpunished."

Being punished really hurts but is necessary for future growth. Jeremiah 10:24 says, "Correct me, O Lord, but with justice; not with Your anger, or You will being me to nothing."

This part of the verse reminds me of the that although I have sinned and God forgave me, that I will still feel the sting of that sin but because of it I will grow and learn from it. Correcting a child is one of the best things a parent can do for them. It shows them you love and care for them. It shows them what's right and wrong. It gives them boundaries. It gives them a firm foundation to base their life upon. But if you correct a child without love that foundation will not be solid but unstable. And if you don't correct them at all the foundation is laid upon sand that will wash away when life throws them a few waves.

The last verse I am lead to from Jeremiah 46:28 is one that was preached to us by Pastor Steve in his, "Do It Again, God!" sermon. "Lord, I have heard of your fame, I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known." Habakkuk 3:2

No matter what we go through by our own sin or from being hurt by others, we want to properly handle ourselves and continue to look towards the Lord. We need to be moldable so that He can change our sinful habits and help us grow into His image. We want to be renewed so that others may see Him in us. That His fame will be known in our time and in our generation.

Krista Jones
8.25.08

Bible Reading Guide:

Beginning to End: Joel
Old and New Testaments Together: Eccles. 7-9 & 2 Cor. 13
Historical: I Chron. 21-23
Chronological: Zech. 1-7
Blended: Ezek 3-4 & John 9:1-23

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible