ESOCS Devotional 25 July 2024 – Accepting the Bitter Truth of the Word
MEMORY VERSE: “Now it happened, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people that the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You will surely die!”Jeremiah 26:8 NKJV
TEXT: JEREMIAH 26:1-15
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord’s house, all the words that I command you to speak to them. Do not diminish a word. 3 Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.’ 4 And you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: “If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you, 5 to heed the words of My servants the prophets whom I sent to you, both rising up early and sending them (but you have not heeded), 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.” ’ ”
7 So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8 Now it happened, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You will surely die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without an inhabitant’?” And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
10 When the princes of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and sat down in the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house. 11 And the priests and the prophets spoke to the princes and all the people, saying, “This man deserves to die! For he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.”
12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and all the people, saying: “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city with all the words that you have heard. 13 Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; then the Lord will relent concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you. 14 As for me, here I am, in your hand; do with me as seems good and proper to you. 15 But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will surely bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its inhabitants; for truly the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”
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God put Jeremiah in an impossible position. Jehoiakim had just been anointed as king. His father Josiah had been a pretty good king while he was alive. Jehoiakim, on the other hand, was not so good. We read that He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. However, in this instance, God didn’t send Jeremiah to confront King Jehoiakim. God instead sent Jeremiah to the temple. After finally listening to the Word of God, the priests, the prophets, and all the people at the Temple were unhappy.
And what our Lord spoke to Jeremiah then is just as true with us today. We would much rather hear a good story, have an entertaining speaker, hear some solid moral platitudes whereby we can measure how good we are against everyone else.
Why should we listen to someone who says something like that? Why should we put up with someone who would be so negative? Those words aren’t pleasing at all. But they were from God. And they were spoken to not only them, but us as well. And our response is the same; because all we hear in those words is condemnation.
But condemnation wasn’t the intent of God’s Word. Repentance is. Christ speaks His Word to warn us where our actions are taking us. To tell us that this wide path will be our destruction. And our response is the same one Jeremiah heard: “You shall die.”
And you know what, that’s exactly what Jesus does. He dies. If that’s what it takes to turn us from our current path, forgive our sins, then Jesus dies. After all, it’s His house that will become desolate. It’s His city that will be empty. It’s His life that will be given up. And He gives it all up on the Cross.
Jeremiah’s words foreshadow Jesus’ Word. And that innocent blood is upon us. We are covered by the blood of Christ. But instead of that being our condemnation; that blood is on us for our salvation. We are covered with the blood of Christ. And that blood covers all our sins. We are covered with the blood of Christ.
By that blood, the Lord has relented of the disaster that was pronounced against us. That Word we can’t bear to hear. That Word, which accuses us of failing to do what God has asked. That Word, which makes us angry at God, is the same Word that turns us to Him, that proclaims to us our forgiveness and, reaches down to the pits of hell where we are at, and pulls us out.
We must hear it all! For even though we stand accused, we also stand forgiven. For while we were saying to Him, “You must die,” His response to us is, “And by that death, you shall live.” Halleluyah!!!
- Have you been angered or displeased with the word of truth?
- Jesus my Lord, help me to appreciate the finished work of salvation on the cross by the shedding of thy precious blood. Amen.
Further Reading: Deuteronomy 11:1-12; Mark 1:14-20; Luke 1:26-38
ESOCS Devotional 25 July 2024
