Read: Jeremiah 30:1-31:26; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; Psalm 87:1-7; Proverbs 25:18-19
In reading Jeremiah it is important to know that it is not in chronological order. Yesterday we read of Israel in captivity and today we are reading about the time before they were taken. It can be confusing and I don’t know why it was written this way but it was. One thing we can be sure, because of God’s love for his people, He warned them over and over of what was going to happen.
Today, God gives Israel hope of what will happen after they have been uprooted, torn down, overthrown and destroyed. He will rebuild them, replant them and watch over them and bring them back to their home.
He gave them a promise that the son would no longer die for the sins of his father but he would only die for his sins. In other words, salvation can come to anyone no matter what their background is.
God promised to write his laws on their hearts. His gift was the Holy Spirit to help us live these laws. God also promised to rebuild the city of Jerusalem never to be destroyed again.
Chapter 31 begins with Babylon besieging Jerusalem. Jeremiah had been thrown in prison for prophesying what was manifesting right then. Jeremiah had proclaimed that the king, Zedekiah, would be taken to Babylon and if he tried to oppose the Babylonians he would not win.
God also told Jeremiah that his cousin, Hanamel would come as ask him if he wanted to buy a piece of land since he was the closest living relative. He was to buy the land and it was to be a sign to the people that their kinsman redeemer had bought the land and one day he would give it back to them.
In the natural, this looked like a silly thing to do. The land was about to be burned down and the people taken into exile so it was not a good investment to buy land in a place you were leaving for 70 years, but Jeremiah’s life was a sign. Jeremiah obeyed and bought the land and placed the deed in a clay jar. I have to wonder if this wasn’t one of the documents they found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Jeremiah prayed for his nation and God’s answer was, “I am the Lord, is anything too hard for me.” That is God’s response to our impossible situations and unfulfilled promises. Time and money is nothing to God; if he has promised it, he is faithful to perform it.
Paul gives us the foundation for everything in the government of his kingdom and that foundation is the family. You do that well, then you get promoted to help others outside your family. Our family is our litmus test.
Lord, help us to love our families and take responsibility for building our foundation on truth and righteousness. Help us to get our priorities ordered according to your Word.
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