Jeremiah 5:21-22 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears and hear not: Fear ye not me? saith the Lord; will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
I’m amazed at how often the Israelites, supposedly the Lord’s people rejected Him, and the number of times He punished, but never totally destroyed them, always leaving a way for them to return. And return they did. They really had to be His anointed children, cause no other father would put up with their constant betrayal, then the weeping and wailing on their prodigal return. That ungrateful behaviour must have broken His heart several times over, but it just goes to show how magnanimous He is; highlights His never ending patience, mercy and loving kindness: A totally awesome God! Today’s Bit heralds one of those times when He’s meeting out punishment. As usual, the Israelites had strayed and the Lord was allowing another nation to conquer them. He instructs Jeremiah to use these words. ‘Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears and hear not.’ A rather accurate description, won’t you say? How could they have such a good thing going with the One and Only, True, Most High God and blow it over trivial man made idols and fleshly lusts eh? But Friends, let’s not get too cocky and self assured, because those words aptly apply to us today too. We are blowing our God bestowed opportunities the same way, on inane trivialities. Why? The next question the Lord posed through Jeremiah says it all. ‘Fear ye not me?’ Won’t you tremble at my presence, even though it’s I who set the sand as a boundary for the sea, that it will never overcome? Obviously the answer then was no. The same as it seems to be today. But People, judging by the hefty price the Israelites paid, it’s not a very wise decision. And compared to their rough, nomadic existence, we have it rather easy. And above all, we have JESUS! Those Israelites never had Him. We have the Lord’s only Son, who died to redeem our sins. And all we need to do to receive salvation is believe in Him. It’s the most valuable gift ever given…and it’s free, gratis and for nothing! But are we smart enough to accept it? It doesn’t seem so. Then I’ll ask the same question Jeremiah did: Aren’t we afraid of the Lord? And this is the real physical fear, not reverence or respect. Don’t we tremble and quake in our boots when we consider all the unbelievable and seemingly impossible acts He’s performed over the centuries? And what’s our reaction when we especially consider the mighty juggernaut He’s promised to unleash come Armageddon Time eh? Oh Friends, I beg of us, please listen and pay attention. Let’s use our eyes and ears wisely. Our God does not make idle, empty promises. So please, let’s not give future generations the opportunity to say about us, what we’re saying about those disobedient Israelites. Much LOVE!… please remember…that our earthly pleasures and treasures… pale before those that await us in Heaven…
I’m amazed at how often the Israelites, supposedly the Lord’s people rejected Him, and the number of times He punished, but never totally destroyed them, always leaving a way for them to return. And return they did. They really had to be His anointed children, cause no other father would put up with their constant betrayal, then the weeping and wailing on their prodigal return. That ungrateful behaviour must have broken His heart several times over, but it just goes to show how magnanimous He is; highlights His never ending patience, mercy and loving kindness: A totally awesome God! Today’s Bit heralds one of those times when He’s meeting out punishment. As usual, the Israelites had strayed and the Lord was allowing another nation to conquer them. He instructs Jeremiah to use these words. ‘Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears and hear not.’ A rather accurate description, won’t you say? How could they have such a good thing going with the One and Only, True, Most High God and blow it over trivial man made idols and fleshly lusts eh? But Friends, let’s not get too cocky and self assured, because those words aptly apply to us today too. We are blowing our God bestowed opportunities the same way, on inane trivialities. Why? The next question the Lord posed through Jeremiah says it all. ‘Fear ye not me?’ Won’t you tremble at my presence, even though it’s I who set the sand as a boundary for the sea, that it will never overcome? Obviously the answer then was no. The same as it seems to be today. But People, judging by the hefty price the Israelites paid, it’s not a very wise decision. And compared to their rough, nomadic existence, we have it rather easy. And above all, we have JESUS! Those Israelites never had Him. We have the Lord’s only Son, who died to redeem our sins. And all we need to do to receive salvation is believe in Him. It’s the most valuable gift ever given…and it’s free, gratis and for nothing! But are we smart enough to accept it? It doesn’t seem so. Then I’ll ask the same question Jeremiah did: Aren’t we afraid of the Lord? And this is the real physical fear, not reverence or respect. Don’t we tremble and quake in our boots when we consider all the unbelievable and seemingly impossible acts He’s performed over the centuries? And what’s our reaction when we especially consider the mighty juggernaut He’s promised to unleash come Armageddon Time eh? Oh Friends, I beg of us, please listen and pay attention. Let’s use our eyes and ears wisely. Our God does not make idle, empty promises. So please, let’s not give future generations the opportunity to say about us, what we’re saying about those disobedient Israelites. Much LOVE!… please remember…that our earthly pleasures and treasures… pale before those that await us in Heaven…
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