Q & A

"You, O Lord, are in our midst"

Jeremiah 14:9

More thoughts on Jeremiah today... We've been studying the Book of Jeremiah in church, and it reminds me how important it is to study the Bible, not just read it.  To study it means to examine it, with the intent of learning from it.  I just now looked up the dictionary definition, out of curiosity, and it's fascinating!  Course, I generally think definitions are...

Okay, "to study" means "to devote time and attention to something for the purpose of acquiring knowledge."  Isn't that great?  I couldn't say, in any better words, how we should approach God's word.  And it comes from the Latin for "painstaking application"!  Now how many of us can say we approach the reading of the Bible with painstaking application?  There's a goal for us...

The word "study" also means "to investigate and analyze" and this definition, I think is where church and Bible study comes in.  Of course there's nothing stopping any of us from digging deep into the history, cultural reference, and pertinent geography of a passage, but pastors, priests and teachers have more practice at it than most of us.  It's their job to get everything they can out of Scripture, so they have a lot to share, and it can be very beneficial.

But don't think that's reason enough for you not to study it yourself!

I think studying Jeremiah has been especially helpful for me in comparison to just reading.  Reading gives me an overall understanding, but hearing what my pastor has to say, and adding to it with a little study of my own has been very helpful.  It has enabled me to see patterns and repetitions that I might not have noticed otherwise. 

Take, for instance, chapters 14 and 15.

Chapter 14 begins with Jeremiah prophesying of the drought, and then captivity, that is to come.  It is God's punishment to the people for their sin, and their lack of remorse. 

And then starting in verse 7, Jeremiah prays for the people, in a series of exchanges with God.

Jeremiah confesses: "For our backslidings are many, we have sinned against You"

~ reminds: "Do not abhor us, for Your name's sake; Do not disgrace the throne of Your glory.  Remember, do not break Your covenant with us"

~ acknowledges God's power:  "Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain?  Or can the heavens give showers?  Are You not He, O Lord our God?  Therefore we will wait for You, since You have made all these."

~ and appeals to God's mercy:  "You, O Lord, are in our midst, and we are called by Your name; Do not leave us!"

Each time, God listens to what Jeremiah has to say, and then responds.

He insists ~ again ~ that He will not heed Jeremiah's pleas for this hardened nation:  "Do not pray for this people, for their good.  When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them."

He tells Jeremiah why they are deserving: "You have forsaken Me... You have gone backward.  Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am weary of relenting!"

And He tells Jeremiah what the punishment is for their wickedness:  "I will destroy My people, since they do not return from their ways... I will pour their wickedness on them."

It's a hard passage to read.  We'd like to believe that God's mercy extends forever, but He sees the heart, and knows when a sinner ~ or a nation of sinners ~ is never going to repent.  But there are two very positive notes:  First, God's disposition toward Jeremiah.  Jeremiah has done nothing wrong.  As a matter of fact, he has been completely obedient to God's mission for him ~ to prophesy to, and warn the people.  It's not his fault it didn't work! 

Jeremiah calls upon God's mercy:  "In Your enduring patience, do not take me away.  Know that for your sake I have suffered rebuke.  Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart."

And God promises, "I am with you to save you and deliver you... I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible."

The other positive thing is very important for you and me.  Well, not that the warning we are getting in these chapters isn't important for us....

But the other thing we need to make note of, is God's reaction to Jeremiah's questioning, discussing and pleading.  Jeremiah and God went through five rounds of debate in this passage!  And God held His ground.  But the beautiful lesson is that it's okay to challenge and question God.

We see it other places in Scripture.  Abraham pleaded for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  David acknowledged his own sins, and appealed to God's compassion.  Mary, the mother of Jesus, questioned God's messenger as to how the miracle he spoke of would come about.  And my favorite example of questioning God ~ Job. 

God clearly doesn't mind our questions, and our lack of understanding.   We are welcome to come to Him with complaints, questions and comments, with a sincere heart.  He knows that if we are coming to Him with our confusion, we are acknowledging His existence and His sovereignty. 

We may not know everything, but we know He is the one who does. 

~ "Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!

Have mercy also upon me, and answer me." ~

Psalm 27:7