Natural disasters happen around the world all the time. We hear about earthquakes in various parts of the world. There are hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes here and there with great frequency. Are all of these God’s anger and judgment upon the people in the areas where these disasters happened? I will be quick to say - not all the time, that very frequently that is not the case. However, sometimes God does send a natural disaster of one type or another to a certain part of the world in judgment, in order to get their attention, to seek to bring the people to Himself in repentance. In our Scripture today, a message from the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord God had brought a drought on the land in judgment of the people of Judah. Let’s look at what message that He had for the people.
As we open our Scripture, we read that the Lord gave Jeremiah a message regarding a drought that was happening in the land of Judah (vs. 1). This wasn’t just a lack of rain for several weeks. This was a major drought, and as we know, famine will quickly follow a major drought, particularly in the past when obtaining food and grain from other parts of the world was not really possible. In a major drought, with a famine likely to follow if rain doesn’t come soon, people and their cattle, and other animals will begin to die.
Jeremiah observed what was happening around him (vs. 2-6). The people and the land were mourning. There has been no rain for so long. People went to the wells and cisterns for water, but there was none there. The ground had dried up, so the farmers could not plant or water their crops, and the wild animals were suffering. This was a scene of a natural, physical disaster for the country, for both man and animal.
Jeremiah knew why this was happening, and he brought the message to the people. This drought was a manifestation of God’s judgment for their persistent idolatry and rebellion. God had revealed that their sin had reached a point where judgment was inevitable. This was not just a random natural disaster, this was God’s divine chastisement for their sins.
There are times when God uses nature to execute His judgment upon people (Deuteronomy 28:1, 23-24). When a nation turns from God, even the land bears the consequences. The suffering of creation reflects the consequences of human sin (Romans 8:22). We need to recognize that sin has tangible, societal effects.
As we continue, we read how the people of Judah seemingly repented of their sins. However, God, who knows our hearts and minds, knew that this was only a superficial repentance. The people outwardly acknowledged their sins, making a show of appealing to God’s Name and His covenants (vs. 7-10). God responded that He knew that their repentance was insincere, that they “love to wander”, that they had not restrained their feet from following in the path of sin and idolatry, running after the false pagan gods of the nations around them.
The Bible teaches us that true repentance involves turning from our sin, not just giving a verbal confession (Proverbs 28:13). God sees our heart, and knows if we are sincere or not. He is not moved by empty words, but instead by genuine contrition (Psalm 51:17). We need to examine whether our repentance is real, or if we are just going through some meaningless rituals. Remember, God’s patience has limits when people’s sin is persistent and unrepented.
The prophet Jeremiah then turned to the Lord God in intercession for the nation of Judah and the people (vs. 19-22). He pleaded with God, asking if He had utterly rejected the nation. He appealed to the covenant God had made with their fathers, His past deliverances, and His glory. Jeremiah doesn’t deny the people’s sins but he begs God for mercy.
These final verses show us that even when God has brought His judgment, His mercy can still be sought. However, it must be on His terms. The prophet showed us a model of intercessory prayer, but even he could not override God’s judgment (Jeremiah 15:1). We too can pray for our respective nation, but also remembering that revival begins with our own personal repentance. God’s mercy is available, but that does not negate His holiness.
In closing, we must remember that God will not tolerate sin indefinitely. His judgments are righteous and purposeful. When we cry out to God for His mercy, our repentance requires a change of heart and behavior, not just mere words. Intercessory prayer is powerful, but it must be aligned with God’s will and truth. We can trust that even in judgment, God is working to bring people to Himself, however don’t presume upon God’s mercy while still continuing in sin.
No comments:
Post a Comment