Good Afternoon!
Why would anyone in their right mind have a desire to make God angry?
Why would any nation make God angry?
Jeremiah tells of conversations God had with Jeremiah. He uses living props to tell stories of the coming events to Jeremiah. First was the Almond Branch. Simply stated this represented God's watchful eye over the countries and events that were soon coming. The second prop was a boiling pot that was tilted from the north spilling over into their land. This was a signal that the nation to the north of Judah was going to invade and demolish them.
Have you discovered throughout the Bible that the enemy that often invades Israel is from the north? All the way to the end of the church age as Ezekiel described the "Nation to the North." Today that nation to the north that is represented by the "Bear" is recognized as Russia. Even the believers in Russia know they are the nation that Ezekiel speaks about. During the days of Jeremiah, the nation representing the boiling pot was Babylon. A few years before the time of Jeremiah the nation of Israel was taken by Assyria, but, Babylon was the nation gaining power that would overtake the Israelites.
God let Jeremiah know that there would be great devastation but in the end, He said,
"They will fight against you but never prevail over you,
since I am with you to rescue you." 1:19
The next begins chapter two where God tells Jeremiah to announce this message to Jerusalem. Jeremiah...take My word to the people! Jeremiah began his ministry to the Jews. It was not a pleasant message. God intended to destroy the nation. But, it was not without reason. God announces many reasons for His anger and soon-coming destruction. They followed "worthless idols and became worthless themselves." v. 5
God had brought their fathers to a "fertile land...you defiled my land and made it detestable." v7
God said that His people have changed from Him to other gods.
Do you feel the pain that is in the heart of God? He had been abandoned by the people that He loved greatly. Like a judge, God promised to bring judgment against them.
He graphically describes their sin.
"For My people have committed two evils:
They have abandoned Me, the fountain of living water,
and dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns that cannot hold water!" v. 13
Linda and I lived in a house that did not have city water. We were living in the country. A few feet from the north side of the house was a cistern. It has a large opening with a lid over it. We had to have water delivered to fill the cistern every few days. They would put hundreds of gallons of water into it, but, within a couple of days, the water was nearly gone. Why? It was a broken cistern! It could not hold water for a long period of time. Broken cisterns cannot hold water.
My Uncle and Aunt lived in Arkansas. They owned a farm where they raised cattle. One day an excavating firm asked my Uncle if they could begin digging on one part of his farm. They knew there was a rock there and wanted to carry away all the rock they could from the quarry. While digging they hit an artisan well. Water began to flow and had no end. All the water you ever wanted was in that hole they had dug. They dug the hole on one end up to twenty-six feet deep and made a one-acre swimming hole and stocked it with channel catfish. The water never ran dry.
What Israel had done was to dig for themselves cisterns...broken cisterns...that could not hold water and they had abandoned God, the spring of living water that will always have refreshing water and never runs dry.
It begs the question. What are you trusting in for your life? What is America trusting in for their hope and life?
I see this same message on the horizon for America. In today's election runoffs in Georgia, I have prayed for God's will to be done. But, to be honest, I have asked God if this is the time for America to take a huge step in abandoning Him and our nation to experience the judgments of God based on the neglect of God that will occur so rapidly with nonspiritual decisions being forecasted by so many politicians? I know that day is coming. But, just as Abraham prayed for Lot to remain faithful to God and for him NOT abandon God so his city and his family would not be destroyed...I am praying the same for my nation. There are so many believers in America who do not take this sin in our country seriously. God cannot continue to wink at our sin and let things go on as unusual. He cannot and He will not.
Through the sin and rebellion of the Israelite's God remained faithful to Jeremiah and protected him while he continued to speak God's message to the rebellious.
That's our job. When God calls us we say, "Yes." When God leads us we "Go." When God speaks to us we speak to others His message of truth.
Israel traveled in so much sin that God compares them to a "wild donkey in heat!" v. 24. He says that no one can control them.
Do you know that through making other things and people gods in their lives, Israel responded by saying, "I am innocent!" v.35
Well, they were NOT innocent and the wages of their sin were fast approaching. The same is definitely true in our nation. We are not innocent.
There is one reliable message that we know from all that Jeremiah experienced and that is...God will deliver you! Be faithful to Him. Don't be deceived into believing the lies of those around you...especially those who are the loudest. They have the most money and are supported by the wealthiest people and shout their garbage on most media outlets.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are kept in His hand.
"My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish--ever!
No one will snatch them out of My hand.
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all.
No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
The Father and I are one." John 10:27-30
If you are His...He's got you!!!
May God Bless You!
Don Betts
DBEA/campus320
DBEAWINNING.COM
TO GOD BE ALL GLORY!