25:3 - Can you imagine? 23 years of ministry...23 years of speaking the Word of God and he has absolutely no success to show for it? If that is not a testament to the incredible faithfulness of Jeremiah - I don't know what is? We support missionaries at Northside that have been on the mission field for 10 years and have yet to see a convert...they are living their lives in a Muslim community that is closed to the Gospel, but they remain faithful to the work that God has called them to. Can we remain faithful to God no matter what the circumstances?
25:31 - All flesh will be judged by God...the vile and corrupt with be cut away so that the good can flourish. This reminds me of pruning in a garden. Sometimes a plant must be pruned, cut back, so that it can grow back more healthy later. Are we living for things that are going to be cut away by God eventually? Meaningless things? Or our we living our lives to bring good to the world - to create relationships that will have eternal implications?
26:3 and 13 - The hope from Jeremiah's perspective (Which comes from God) is that there will be repentance. The punishment that God allows to come down on His people exists simply to bring redemption and renewal. This is always the back story of any discipline that God gives His...the discipline comes to bring change and new life.
26:8-9 - Prophets who cal for change and repentance in the midst of corrupt cultures have never been received well. (See: Jesus) If you choose to live in the way of Jesus...if you choose to follow the radical Prophet, Messiah, Priest, God-man Jesus...you will stand out in this corrupt culture and it may not always make life easier for you (In fact, it will most certainly make life harder on occasion). But isn't it worth it? To be connected to your Creator? To be living for eternity now?
26:24 - So who is this Ahikam guy? Well, he is a man from a family of scribes (With a good deal of authority in their Jewish culture) that is willing to stand by Jeremiah's side as he calls the people to repentance. This passage tells us that it is because of Ahikam's support that Jeremiah's life is spared. I think the person of Ahikam is very important for us to key in on because his choice is so applicable to our lives. Not everyone in the Body of Christ is called to be a prophet like Jeremiah, but everyone is called to stand by the Word of God no matter what. We can choose every day to stand by the truth we know from scripture, even if it goes against everything our culture is trying to brainwash us to believe.
27:2-3 - Here we have another classic object illustration from Jeremiah. God tells him to construct a yoke (A harness warn by oxen when they pulled a plow) and to put it on. I can picture Jeremiah stumbling through town, burdened by the heavy weight of the yoke on his shoulders...crying out for the people to accept the captivity that they are about to go into. He wants them to have a vivid picture to remember his words by...God is going to allow His people to be captured...if they accept the punishment they will be allowed to live in their own lands...if they fight back - they will become a ruin. Accept the yoke! Hope lies in accepting the punishment of God...if they try to fight against His discipline it will not go well.
27:5 - This verse offers a powerful reminder to us...God is in control of everything - everything! God is working everything that takes place in the world into the intricate tapestry of His plan for all humanity. God's will...will be done.
27:11 - Be wary of people who tell you exactly what you want to hear. In my experience these are not people that love you, but people that just want to keep you placated. The people in your life that actually love you and want to help you to become the people that God has called you to be in this world, will be willing to speak hard truths to you. Usually it the people saying the things that we don't want to hear, that are echoing the things that God is already telling us in our hearts, right?
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