Honest Reflections on Jeremiah 15 Your [the LORD] words were found, and I [Jeremiah] ate them, and Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by Your Name, O LORD, God of hosts. I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because Your hand was upon me, for You had filled me with indignation. (vs. 16 - 17) Is the Word of God for you a delight to the soul, a delicious full course meal that you are just itching to devour? Or, is the Word of God more like one of those side items on the plate that you push to the side, and eat because you have to? According to the author of Hebrews, The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb 4:12). On the one hand, the Word of God enlightens the soul and refreshes the heart, while on the other hand it convicts and confronts the rebellious tendencies in our lives that God does not tolerate. The Word has proven true throughout the ages, and not a single dot or iota will pass away from it until all of it is accomplished, even though heaven and earth will pass away and give way to something totally new (Mt 5:18). The Word can make and solidify new friendships that will be grounded on rock solid truths and principles. The Word can also end relationships and prevent some relationships from ever developing, because some will find it unagreeable with their lifesyle and convictions and reject it along with you. It is a dangerous ministry being a preacher or prophet of Gods Word. It can be a lonely ministry, and even at times an unbearable ministry for the pain and loss that comes with the ministry. Surely Jeremiah knows the effects of the double edge sword of Gods Word all too well, as the LORD has entrusted to him a ministry that confronts the unrepentant hearts of Gods people and pronounces Gods unrelenting judgment upon them. Just imagine, being in Jeremiahs shoes, confronting all the people of Judah while saying this to them: Send them out of My [the LORD] sight, and let them go! And when they ask you, Where shall we go? you shall say to them, Thus says the LORD: Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who are for the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity. (vs. 1 -2) It must have been a lonely ministry for Jeremiah indeed, for he even says, Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me (vs. 10). Jeremiah has done nothing wrong, and yet Gods people, who ought to be listening to him, instead curse him because they hold thier warped convictions to be more valid than the word of God. Dont we even see that same issue in the church today, by the way people get up and leave or argue and complain, because they hold their unbiblical convictions more valid than honestly searching and agreeing with what the Word of God teaches? Jeremiah pleads for the LORDs intervention, to remember him and visit him, for by now surely, he feels abandoned by all people and it even feels like the LORD has done the same (vs. 15). Have you ever been there? You have given yourself to Gods Word, been seeking His face, been quick to keep His Word and uphold it even in the midst of opposition, but where is the positive response you expected from that? Instead, more heartache and more abandonement, and you begin to wonder, God, are you there? Have you decieved me, even though I trusted in you? Jeremiah confesses how he delighted in Gods Word and even was willing to not join in on all the unrighteousness of the land, but sat alone for the sake of Gods Word (vs. 16 - 17). Yet, Jeremiah questions, Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be heald? Will You [God] be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail? (vs. 18) The LORD responds to Jeremiah, calling him to repent for thinking that way, because he is acting no different than Judah by having that warped opinion about God. He tells Jeremiah to repent, then He will restore Jeremiah, so long as Jeremiah keeps faithful to His Word, even if he is the only one who does (vs. 19). The LORD reassures Jeremiah that those who fight against him will not prevail, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the LORD (vs. 20). You might be called uncool, old fashioned, too rigid, out of touch, backwards compared to todays values and pluralistic belief system. You might find yourself alone and rejected even by close friends that go to church with you. You might not experience the results you had hoped for as you remain true to Gods Word and given yourself to the Kingdom of God. You might be wandering, What did I do wrong; what should I have done better; should have I been less rigid with Gods Word like what everyone else is doing in mainstream Christianity? You might lose everything you once held dear. But at the end of it all, what matters insurmountably more than whether or not people like you or that your personal felt-needs are being met, is this: Are you being faithful to every Word of God, and are you willing to humble yourself and admit error and change, when the Word of God exposes the thoughts and intentions of your heart? Riches, fame, security, prideful - warped convictions, tradition, eduction, and so on will all fade away like the grass in the field. But whoever does the will of God because it is the delight of their soul, will abide forever (1 Jn 2:17). God is not wasting your heartache, your suffering, your lonliness, your pain. Every tear He has placed in a bottle, and He is holding your right hand, as you remain steadfast and true to every Word of His (Ps 56:8)! Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved (Ps 55:22). When I am afraid, I put my trust in You; in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? (Ps 56:3-4) Questions. How precious, how rich, how delightful to the soul is Gods Word to you? Do you desire Gods Word to strike you and expose all warped convictions that are not align with His whole counsel? Are you ready to stand and be immovable from the truths and principles of Gods Word, even if you are the only one? Are you resting and rejoicing in the God who will never abandon you nor forsake you, as you hold firmly to Him? Prayer. Father, like Jeremiah said, Your Words have become to me a joy, and I take great delight in them. The pain of lonliness is hard, even from the rejection from close friends and those whom I have served with is unbearable at times. But it is You I hold fast to. It is you I put my trust in. It is in Your perfect wisdom, I place my hope, even as I cant make sense of my life. I wait for You, O my soul waits for You, my God and my Redeemer. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 11:10:59 +0000
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