Jeremiah 5:14-31. Today’s reading continues with a response to what we read yesterday.  Yesterday we saw the people of Judah basically ignoring God’s existence.  Today’s reading starts out by telling us that because of that kind of talk, that kind of attitude god is gong to send some real trouble.  We need to keep in mind that God did not “destroy completely” in yesterday’s reading.  This is not about destroying people it’s about helping people deal with the reality of God’s existence and the reality of God’s standards.  The reference to the “words spoken” in verse 14 could also be a reference to Jeremiah’s words that warned the people.  In any case the people are being held accountable for knowing about God and rejecting him.

Verses 14-17 are very clear about a foreign invasion of Judah, one that will be fairly destructive.  We know from history that over a period of about 20 years that the Babylonian Empire did conquer and destroy the southern Israelite kingdom of Judah.  Verses 18-19 make it clear once again that the destruction would not mean the annihilation of the Israelite people.  God is very patient looking for people to respond to him (2 Peter 3:9).  The progressive nature of the Babylonian conquest and the final way in which they dealt with the people of Judah (they exiled them as a group) both point to God’s patience and his faithfulness to the promises he had made to the ancestors of the Israelites; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel, see “What’s in a Name”).

Verses 20-29 revisit many of the ideas from the last few days.  We see God as the creator, who made the sea and set it’s boundaries.  We see too, that he causes the environment to work for us, or sometimes against us as a reminder that he is behind it all.  We are reminded of god’s purity and standards when we see that there are consequences for our stubborn rebellion.  We also see God’s desire for justice (fairness in how we deal with each other).  God is angered that we are like fowlers (hunters of birds) in how we deal with each other.  We take advantage of each other, especially the weak (orphans) and needy (poor) and this offends God.  That leads god to ask, “Shouldn’t I punish these people?  Shouldn’t I deal with the wrong done to me?”  Avenge has the idea of dealing with a wrong someone has done to us.  That means that God has the right to punish (though we have seen that he does not destroy totally; God is merciful as well as just or fair).

IN verses 30-31 we see God’s perspective on the defection of the people of Israel.  The people who should have been most loyal, the priests and prophets were not representing him but themselves, it was a shocking and horrible situation.  Instead of being shocked and horrified though the people were following along with it all.  The end of verse 31 is kind of a warning, “Wait till you see the end of it all!”  There is a day of when God will deal with our cheating and we better look out.  The good new is God has provided a way to escape the judgment we all deserve.  We have all been disobedient and rebellious against God; we are all cheaters.  The price is separation from God forever, but Jesus paid that infinite price.  When He died on the cross one of the last things he said was, “God why have you left me?”  At that moment he and God the Father (see “Three or One?”) were separated.  We don’t know how long that separation lasted but as the infinite God-man any separation from the Father would have paid the price for all mankind; God pure, holy (special) and just nature would have been satisfied that the fine or price for sin (disobedience and rebellion) had been paid.  Although Jesus death was enough for all people (1 John 2:2) it will not apply to all people’s lives.  John tells us (John 1:12) that as man a “receive” Jesus have the right to be called children of God.  He also tells us that “receiving Jesus” means believing in who he is (the infinite God-man, God in human flesh) and what he has done (provided the only way back to God, see John 14:6).  God will deal with evil but the destruction does not have to be absolute, it will not be absolute, many have given their lives to Jesus and will escape.  Are you one of them?  If not acknowledge who Jesus is and what he has done today.

Jesus thank you for dying for me.  Thank you for taking my punishment.  I am glad I get to spend eternity in Heaven with you and the Father.  Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to help me start living for Heaven here and now.  Thank you for caring enough to provide a way out of my sin problem.  You are an amazingly forgiving God.  Thank you.