The Steadfast Character Of God
BRD REFLECTIONS
Jeremiah 25 and Psalm 29 (NIV)
( Estella Lau, D&N Comms and Publicity; Chairperson, SHAPE)
READ:
OBSERVE:
After Jeremiah confronted the kings of Judah and the false prophets (Jeremiah 21-23) with God’s warnings against their sinfulness, he proclaimed God’s judgement on the people of Judah in Jeremiah 24-25. As the people of Judah had repeatedly refused to heed God’s warning and continued in their evil ways and evil practices of idol worship, God raised Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon to destroy the land and bring the people into exile for 70 years. Judah would not be alone in experiencing God’s wrath, when the 70 years had been fulfilled, Babylon and the rest of the nations would be punished for their wickedness.
APPLY:
Reading this passage about God’s impending judgement on Judah, these questions came to mind:
“How can a loving God unleash His terrifying wrath on His chosen people?”
“In exercising His judgement, can God be both just and merciful?”
God is holy
Judah’s abandonment of the shema “The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) when they worshipped pagan gods and idols was an outright rebellion against God. Sin needs to be punished so that God’s holy standards are not compromised, and Judah’s persistent defiance of God by worshipping “what their hands have made” brought about divine judgement.
God is just and merciful
As Paul pointed out in Romans 1:18-32, humanity has “become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity” and “those who do such things deserve death”. In His mercy, God allows time for repentance. He sent Jeremiah to warn Judah “again and again” over 23 years (25:3), asking them to turn from their evil ways, but His warnings fell on deaf ears (25:4, 7). Although Judah’s sins deserved God’s just punishment, He limited Judah’s exile in Babylon to 70 years (25:11), promising to restore them to their land. Being true to His just nature, God unleashed His righteous anger on Babylon and all the other wicked nations who had rebelled against Him.
I need to be wary of worldly distractions and possessions that compromise my loyalty to God, and guard against being hardened and stiff-necked like Judah, who had persistently refused to listen to God’s word. Pushing God to the margins of my life will result in emptiness, bitterness and confusion (25:9-11) as opposed to the fullness of life promised by Jesus.
In the ultimate act of love and grace, God has provided me rescue from His just judgement through Jesus Christ, who drank God’s cup of wrath on my behalf in order to make me right with God. I need to respond to His lavish grace by making “every effort to confirm my calling and election” (2 Peter 1:10).
Understanding God’s just and merciful character gives me the assurance that He will do right in carrying out His divine judgement. I have peace knowing that in His time, God will confront all the consequences of sin that we currently witness around us – destruction, bitterness, loss, pain, anguish, fear and death – and He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. (Revelation 7:17b)
DO:
Diligently working out my salvation will keep me close to Jesus and help me “to fulfill His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). I need to intentionally immerse myself in the faith environments of CORDS – Significant Circumstances, Scriptural Obedience, Spiritual Relationships, Spiritual Disciplines and Sacrificial Service – to allow the Holy Spirit to do His sanctifying work in me and transform me into His likeness.
PRAY:
Lord, You sit enthroned over the flood; You Lord are enthroned as King forever (Psalm 29:10).
I give You thanks, Lord, that in Your mercy and grace, You have saved me from Your wrath by Your redemptive act on the cross. Help me live my life so as to ascribe to You the glory due Your name, to be holy as You are holy and enthrone You as King in my heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
