Jeremiah 11:1-23 Proclaim It
God tells Jeremiah to go throughout Judah with His words. Proclaim it everywhere that destruction is coming. God won’t listen to their cries any more.
Do you remember me sharing the story of the bear and the atheist with you? Today’s story brings that one back to mind. Judah was ignoring, replacing, and rejecting God when times were good. Yes, there were a few times when they came partway back to Him but never with their whole hearts. God has been telling them that disaster is coming but they are ignoring that too. Until it is upon them. THEN they are ready to cry out to God for help. And just like in the bear story, God was NOT going to help them. It was too little too late. Also like in the story, their enemy would devour them. The story with the bear, he prayed and thanked God for his meal. Babylon will come in like a whirlwind from the north and devour Judah by the arm of God. Jeremiah, who had God’s ear, wasn’t even allowed to intercede on their behalf. God said He wouldn’t listen to him either.
I was thinking also about the covenant God made with Israel in the beginning. We saw just recently that God said they changed it. They observed in only in part. But the MAIN FOUNDATION of the entire covenant rests on the promise and premise of ONE GOD. I’m wondering how they changed it to ‘justify’ getting around that foundation. How could they add serving other gods into ‘their copy’ of the Law? There aren’t any ‘loop holes’ big enough to squeeze that one through.
In that covenant, there is clear and compelling consequences for breaking it. God didn’t leave them wondering what would happen if they introduced other gods. And His time with Israel in the wilderness proved how serious He was. The incident with the golden calf resulted in MANY deaths. The account with the gods of Moab ended in the death of the last of that first generation. God wasn’t playing games. “Choose you this day whom you will serve.” At this present time in history, they were NOT agreeing with the second portion of this verse: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” For Judah, God was in there somewhere with the other gods.
Jeremiah had hard words to share with the people. “God’s not going to listen to your cries. It’s too late. God to your other gods and ask them to save you. Oh. They can’t? Imagine that.”
Apparently, the people didn’t like what Jeremiah had to say. His home town wanted him dead, or at least muzzled. Jeremiah asked God what to do about it. God told him that HE would take care of it. “You just do as I have said, and I will take care of the rest.”
The rejection of the people shouldn’t have been a surprise to Jeremiah. God had told him in the beginning that the people weren’t going to listen to him and that he was going to encounter resistance. Here it was. And this was just the beginning of that resistance. MUCH more would be coming down the pipe. But God would see Jeremiah through ALL of it!
There will come a point where God will not listen to the “Help!” of those who have refused Him. He has said this to our present world as clearly as He said it to Judah. He tells us about it in Revelation as well as several other places. There is coming a time when He will not stop the disaster that is coming. Call on Him NOW to prevent encountering a time when He turns a deaf ear.
Father God, thank You for this time of ‘last call’. I feel You getting ready to call Your people out. Only because of the signs of the times. I do NOT presume to know Your timeline. If You don’t call us away in my lifetime, it doesn’t make Your timeline wrong. It makes me over anxious. I KNOW the time is coming for You NEVER lie. For those who are ‘on the fence’, I pray that they get a little push before it’s too late.
I’m actually glad that I don’t know when the ‘too late’ time will be because I can keep hoping and working now. Sometimes I’m afraid to pray for my nation because I see how far it has gone. I wonder if we are at the point of no return. Help my heart have hope again Father. I know what Your words says about “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (1 Chronicles 7:14). But are there enough of those who are following You to make a difference in my nation? It’s a MAJOR MESS right now. I leave it in Your hands Father.
