A Message of Reassurance
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Throughout Jeremiah's
writings, God seeks to reassure His people that in spite of the discipline
they are presently suffering, there will come a time when discipline is at an
end. He chooses themes from nature to show the imperishable, unchangeable nature
of His love for Israel. These must have been assurance indeed in that time! If
heaven and earth do not remain as He made them, then maybe there would be cause
to worry. If the patterns of life on this earth do not remain as He made them,
then there might be a chance that He would let go of Israel.Looking for Loopholes | ||
With the odd weather patterns we have come to know of late, one could almost imagine that the time had come when God would indeed break His covenant with Israel. Almost. Praise God, we know Him better than that! We know that He is faithful even when all men have been shown untrue. We KNOW that! Even so, our weak resolve leads us to see this as an escape clause for God. We're so used to seeking loopholes that we all too easily assume God also seeks loopholes in His law. He doesn't. This passage is not an escape clause, it's an absolute reassurance. | ||
Knowledge, Power, Wisdom, Love, and Holiness | ||
What really strikes me is the evidence in these particular verses (Jeremiah 33:25-26) that God has known for long ages past what would be occurring in our day. He knew a time would come upon the earth when the patterns would change enough that man might begin to think His promises suspect. So, He has covered that once and for all. Looking at the passage, He says that if the patterns of the earth don't remain as He made them, then He would reject Israel, but He will restore them, and have mercy on them! This is our God! Even when it seems like everything is falling apart, even when we see in our nature and in our surroundings every reason to believe that He has withdrawn from us, even knowing He has every right to leave us to our own destruction; even with all this, He speaks to our hearts and says, "I will restore!" Fausset's Encyclopedia points to Providence as displaying God's attributes. His power, His wisdom, His knowledge, His love, and His holiness all come together in His providential acts. Can you see that in this passage? His knowledge extended to the end of time when time hadn't even started yet! He knew this present day would be such as it is! His power is such that He can promise that He will restore, and know that restoration will come. He is powerful to restore us! His wisdom is seen in the way His works always achieve their ends. What He plans happens, and it happens as He plans it to happen! The events of the 21st century have not taken Him by surprise. His plan is simply unfolding in our sight. His love, his compassion, His mercy are all seen in the promise itself: "I will restore!" They are seen again in the fact that He declares this restoration on top of a very solid assurance. Should we ever doubt the permanence of His order on the earth, there remains the permanence of His promise! He has said it. It will be done. His holiness is our assurance that it will indeed be done. He is true to His word, and His word is, "I will restore!" All of His works among man have been to this one end: that His restoration will come to His people, and He will have at last that holy nation He has long been forming. | ||
The Promise Still Holds | ||
This was the word for Israel in the time of Jeremiah, and it has been fulfilled across the ages since. Jerusalem was rebuilt. The temple was rebuilt. Messiah came. Even now, Israel remains a nation, in spite of all attempts to change that. Even now, enemies gather against God's chosen people, hoping to destroy them, and with them, the faithful record of God. But He is faithful! He will restore! In the books of the kings, it was written that His discipline upon Israel would be only for a time. In the records of the ministries of Paul of Tarsis, the promise is shown again: There will come a time when Israel is restored to faith, when they will accept the Messiah they rejected. | ||
God's Providence in Israel's Present | ||
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This, then, is the word for Israel today. He will restore! Though much of Israeli society has wandered down that same secular trail that has led this nation so far from its roots, the time of their return to Him will come. And, through Paul, God promises that in that revival will come a revival upon the whole earth, such as has never been seen before! Ro 11:15 | ||
God's Message for the Church | ||
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So, we have also a promise for the Church of Jesus Christ in this age of humanism, atheism, and pragmatism! Though we may have lost much of our influence due to our inaction, He will restore! Though He has every reason to give up on us, and pass His mission on to another who will do as He desires, He will restore! Though we mangle so much of His message, He will remain faithful to His word, He will remain faithful to teach His children of His ways, and He will remain faithful to sanctify and to save. Praise be to our Maker! Indeed, He has worked through all of history to preserve His children. There always has been, and always will be a faithful remnant that has not abandoned Him for the gods of their own ages. May we be found among that holy remnant! | ||
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©2002 - Jeffrey A. Wilcox |