ESOCS Devotional 26 February 2024 – When the Going Gets Tougher
MEMORY VERSE: “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” Jeremiah 12:5
TEXT: JEREMIAH 12:1-6
Uncompromisingly righteous and rigidly just are You, O Lord, when I complain against and contend with You. Yet let me plead and reason the case with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are all they at ease and thriving who deal very treacherously and deceitfully?
2 You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; they grow, yes, they bring forth fruit. You are near in their mouths but far from their hearts.
3 But You, O Lord, know and understand me and my devotion to You; You see me and try my heart toward You. [O Lord] pull [these rebellious ones] out like sheep for the slaughter and devote and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
4 How long must the land mourn and the grass and herbs of the whole country wither? Through the wickedness of those who dwell in it, the beasts and the birds are consumed and are swept away [by the drought], because men [mocked] me, saying, He shall not [live to] see our final end.
5 [But the Lord rebukes Jeremiah’s impatience, saying] If you have raced with men on foot and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? And if [you take to flight] in a land of peace where you feel secure, then what will you do [when you tread the tangled maze of jungle haunted by lions] in the swelling and flooding of the Jordan?
6 For even your brethren and the house of your father—even they have dealt treacherously with you; yes, even they are [like a pack of hounds] in full cry after you. Believe them not, though they speak fair words and promise good things to you.
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Even though he was a prophet of God, things got to a stage where Jeremiah wanted some answers. That should encourage us because we may have felt like that sometimes too. So, what was the problem that Jeremiah put before God? (vv 1-2). It worried him that people who were dishonest and cruel seemed to be doing fine. It was as if they had God’s blessing. In fact, they happily used God’s name even though He was nowhere in their hearts. That’s a sad thought because it means that people today might also use the name of Jesus and yet not be genuine Christians at all. What made the problem worse for Jeremiah? (v 3).
It seems that he could honestly say he was trying to be obedient to God – and perhaps he also knew what it’s like to have that troubled conscience if he let the Lord down. Many Christians experience this. They see wicked people seemingly without a care – yet they themselves often face difficulties, as they try to be faithful to God. What did Jeremiah want God to do about the situation? (v 4).
That might sound harsh. But Jeremiah was looking at the damage these people had caused the nation. He believed it was their sinfulness that had brought God’s judgment to their doorstep; and soon, the Babylonian armies would invade the land. They had thrown off all restraint because they said God can’t be bothered with the nation.
So, Jeremiah is basically saying: “Lord, wouldn’t it be better to get rid of those people rather than letting the whole nation be ruined?” What do you make of God’s reply to Jeremiah in verses 5-6?
Rather than respond to Jeremiah’s complaint, the Lord dealt with his discouragement. It’s as if God was saying that Jeremiah had only begun the work as a prophet, and though he was still in the easier part of the journey, he was already discouraged. What would he do then when the going got really tough? There were signs of that already in that even members of Jeremiah’s own family were starting to turn against him. God cautions Jeremiah to not be taken in by any smooth words they spoke to try and discourage him from faithfully speaking God’s message to the nation. There are lessons for us here.
- Search the Bible passages used in today’s devotion and try to write down the lessons they contain. Learn them and apply the teachings and principles to your lifestyle.
- Lord, please help me to learn to live a holy lifestyle before you always, in Jesus name.
- Further Reading: 1 Samuel 19:1-18; Jeremiah 12:1-6; James 2:14
ESOCS Devotional 26 February 2024
