The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 21:10,
"I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire."
This is the response Jeremiah gave from God when King Zedekiah sent men to him to inquire of the Lord's help as the Babylonians threatened Jerusalem. The Jews had turned their back on God and now God is sending his judgment of them in the form of the advancing Babylonians who are coming to destroy the city.
The judgment from God was horrific. Listen to what God told the king what he was going to do, "I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath. I will strike down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague. After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion."
I am again reminded of what the writer of Hebrews said, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:31.
All of this need not have happened, as we read in Jeremiah 18:7-10, "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it."
The great mistake the Jews in Jerusalem made is found in the following verses, "This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions. But they will reply, 'It's no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.'" Jeremiah 18:11-12. What fools!
"I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire."
This is the response Jeremiah gave from God when King Zedekiah sent men to him to inquire of the Lord's help as the Babylonians threatened Jerusalem. The Jews had turned their back on God and now God is sending his judgment of them in the form of the advancing Babylonians who are coming to destroy the city.
The judgment from God was horrific. Listen to what God told the king what he was going to do, "I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath. I will strike down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague. After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion."
I am again reminded of what the writer of Hebrews said, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:31.
All of this need not have happened, as we read in Jeremiah 18:7-10, "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it."
The great mistake the Jews in Jerusalem made is found in the following verses, "This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions. But they will reply, 'It's no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.'" Jeremiah 18:11-12. What fools!
I can't think of a more sobering warning for the fools of our day!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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