relationships (Jeremiah 19:1-15) We Listen When We Care

(Jeremiah 19:1-15) 

This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a potter’s earthenware jar, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests. 2 Then go out to the Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you, 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold I am going to bring a disaster upon this place, at which the ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. 4 Since they have abandoned Me and have made this place foreign, and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and since they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent  5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I did not command nor speak of, nor did it ever enter My mind; 6 therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the Valley of Slaughter. 7 And I will frustrate the planning of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will make their carcasses food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth. 8 I will also turn this city into an object of horror and hissing; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and hiss because of all its disasters. 9 And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh during the siege and in the hardship with which their enemies and those who seek their life will torment them.”’

10 “Then you are to break the jar in the sight of the men who accompany you, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “To the same extent I will break this people and this city, just as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will bury their dead in Topheth, because there is no other place for burial. 12 This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the Lord, “so as to make this city like Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the houses on whose rooftops they burned sacrifices to all the heavenly lights and poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”

14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s house and said to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am going to bring on this city and all its towns the entire disaster that I have declared against it, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to listen to My words.’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

In Jeremiah 17, God talks about testing every deed.  He will judge all of us according to our deeds.  For the unbelievers, they will be judged and punished for their sinful deeds.  For believers, because we have humbly gone to the Lord for forgiveness of all sins, we will be judged and rewarded for our good deeds done with right motives.  

Some people will see this and think that this isn't fair, and will "have compassion" for those who reject God and His word.  I saw a meme recently where a sheep is saying, "But the verses!" and "Jesus" replies back with, "Love over verses."  Sadly, there are churches, pastors and people who "know" all the verses, but ignore them, and/or take them out of context in order to control, manipulate or suit their own desires and agendas.

Let's put this into a human perspective.  Would we want to marry someone who rejects us, mocks us, and doesn't care what we say?  Or someone who tries to manipulate us by being "nice enough" in order to just get what they want?  Or someone who twists our words around so that they can do whatever they want?  What kind of union and relationship would that be?!

God does love everyone, and God does tell us to love everyone, but the definition of the verb "love" does not include "accept" or "tolerate".  God is holy and cannot have a relationship with sin, and so He came in flesh to suffer and die for all sin, to pay our debt to sin, so that He can provide a way for us to be forgiven, and become one of His children.  Our choice.  And so, in our choice to have a personal relationship with the Lord, would we not long to hear and trust in every word that He says?

Jesus has given us all of the verses found in the Bible!  He is very serious about everything He has told us, and we can see in this passage, that He is very serious about us listening to His words!  All of His words!  The Bible is God's infallible word, as He is speaking directly to us.  

To hear, and listen to, and trust in God's words. in context, is to gain knowledge and understanding in order to live obediently in His will.  God never contradicts Himself, so we can KNOW without a doubt - that we can fully trust what He says.  And what He wants for everyone, is to know Him personally, and experience His blessings.  And therefore, because He loves us, He tells us exactly what we need to know.