Wed.’s Devo - God’s Promises Do Come

Read: Jeremiah 19:1-21:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-28; Psalm 82:1-8; Proverbs 25:9-10 God told Jeremiah to go and buy a clay jar and ask the leaders to follow him out through the Gate of Broken Pots to the garbage dump in the Hinnom Valley. There, God prophesied through Jeremiah great destruction upon Judah. They had shed the blood of innocent children and built shrines to Baal. (Sounds like America.) They would be slaughtered by the armies of Babylon and Jerusalem would be reduced to ruins making it ‘a monument to their stupidity.’ The enemy would besiege the city until the people begin to eat one another to survive. Then Jeremiah smashed the jar he had brought and told them that this was what would happen to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. They would be smashed and buried in this garbage dump until there would be no more room for them. Pashur the priest heard what Jeremiah was prophesying and had him arrested. Jeremiah told Pashhur that the Lord had changed his name to “the Man Who Lives in Terror”. Terror would come upon him and his friends. He would watch the people get slaughtered by the swords of the enemy. They watch Jerusalem being destroyed and he and his family would be taken prisoners to Babylon. They would die there along with all the other false prophets that said everything would be okay. Jeremiah had his own pity party, probably while he was in jail. He complained that he couldn’t help but prophesy because God’s words were like fire in his bones and they just had to come out. He mourned that his whole life had been full of shame, trouble and sorrow. When Babylon did begin to attack Judah, King Zedekiah sent Pashhur and his friends to Jeremiah to beg him to pray to God for them for help. Jeremiah sent them back to King Zedekiah with news that it was God who was fighting against them. He would slaughter and them and show them no mercy, pity or compassion. He had warned them for years and they hadn’t listened. Everything that Jeremiah had told them about would happen. Paul warns the people of another coming disaster for the people who refused to repent. It would be the second coming of Christ. For the believer, it will not be a surprise. Their temptation will be to go to sleep while waiting. To stay awake and not weary they must continue walking in love and faith, wearing the helmet of salvation. They must be confident in the fact that God is not going to pour out his anger on them. As we wait on the Lord for any of his promises we are instructed to stay diligent in our work, respect our leaders, be patient with those who are weak and do good to all people. We must always be joyful and never stop praying. We always have something to be thankful for. We need to honor the prophets of our day and not stifle the Holy Spirit. Then, God’s peace will make us holy and our whole spirit, soul and body will be kept blameless until Jesus comes again. God, may your grace be with us to make us holy. May we patiently wait for your promises to come true in our lives. We put all our hope in You.