The power of God in the lives of sinners

Jeremiah 44:1–46:28, Romans 11:1–10, Proverbs 25:1–28

What happens if God speaks and I don’t listen? The Bible says that God will chasten those who belong to Him. He might use His Word, or circumstances, or another person, but as Solomon wrote, “Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.” (Proverbs 25:12) God is pleased with those who speak for Him as well as those who listen for He knows what my ‘deafness’ and refusal to heed Him will do to me. Again, Solomon says, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” (Proverbs 25:28) God does not want that to happen to me.

But it has happened to His people. Through Jeremiah, He asked the remnant left in Judah after the exile why they took off to Egypt instead of listening to His command to stay put. 

He said, “Why do you provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, making offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to live, so that you may be cut off and become a curse and a taunt among all the nations of the earth?” (Jeremiah 44:8)

Then He told them, “I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, so that none of the remnant of Judah who have come to live in the land of Egypt shall escape or survive or return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return to dwell there. For they shall not return, except some fugitives.” (Jeremiah 44:13–14)

The people defied God and said to Jeremiah: “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you. But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.” (Jeremiah 44:15–18)

This is a huge disconnect. They did not realize the true reason for their chastening. They blamed failure to be good idol worshipers rather than their failure to obey God! Incredible!

Jeremiah told them again, “The Lord could no longer bear your evil deeds and the abominations that you committed. Therefore your land has become a desolation and a waste and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day. It is because you made offerings and because you sinned against the Lord and did not obey the voice of the Lord or walk in his law and in his statutes and in his testimonies that this disaster has happened to you . . . .” (Jeremiah 44:21–23)

Yet in all of this, there was grace. God said, “Behold, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good” yet He also said, “Fear not, O Jacob my servant, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.” (Jeremiah 46:28)

The fate of the Jewish people, obedient or not, has always been in God’s hands. When Jesus came, and they rejected and crucified Him, Paul asked, “Has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.” (Romans 11:1–2) He reminded them of Elijah who thought he was the only one left who trusted God, but it was not so. God preserved a remnant then, and “So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.”

As Paul said, salvation is always by grace, not on the basis of works, but Israel failed to obtain what they sought by their works. Only the elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened. (Romans 11:5–7)

This was illustrated in Jeremiah’s time by the remnant preserved, and is proclaimed in our time by the promise of God that He has not forgotten Israel. As for now, it is “through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!” (Romans 11:11–12)

God was not done with those who disobeyed Him during the exile. He is not done with the Jews who rejected His Son during His incarnation. He will accomplish His plan.

This gives me encouragement and increased faith; the God who can do all this is also taken upon Himself to save this sinner, me, as part of the remnant He has chosen to preserve. Hallelujah!

Staying out of danger may not avoid suffering

Jeremiah 33:1–34:22, Romans 8:1–17, Proverbs 22:1–16

This week, someone drove into the side of a train. Reason? They were not paying attention. While that driver might not have been simple minded, Solomon may have disagreed. One of his proverbs says, “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” (Proverbs 22:3)

Jeremiah gave warnings of danger to God’s people before the exile: “Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known . . . . I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil.’” But that condemnation was not the end of God’s plan.

He continued, “Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it . . . . the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord.” (Jeremiah 33:1-11)

Lest they think they would be scot-free, He also warned them to truly repent: “You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name, but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves . . . . You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.” (Jeremiah 34:15–17)

Repentance and obedience is a mark of faith and of a sincere commitment to follow the Lord. However, those who continue doing whatever they desire as the Israelites did, are marked as unfaithful and destined for severe chastening which could include death. In those days, death was literal as well as spiritual. In the NT, death often means both, or simply separation from God.

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:5–8)

Christians who sin are following the desires of the flesh. Yet because of Christ and the grace and power of God, we are never separated from God: “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:10–11)

That is good news, but that does not mean I am free to do whatever I want. Sin brings with it a sense of exile, a sense that God is not pleased, even that He is not with me. I feel it in my very bones, even though I know He promises to never leave or forsake me. Because He lives in me, His displeasure is real and felt. Soon I am hating sin and wanting to walk in the Spirit as I also feel His desire for me, His child: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Romans 8 goes on to encourage endurance: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Saying no to sin can mean a heightened sense of God’s presence, but it can also mean suffering. Many times, sin involves a choice between personal comfort and obedience. Jesus suffered in the flesh because suffering was part of His obedience. To be like Christ means that I must do the same — or wind up in Babylon.

Self-effort fails doing what only God can do

Jeremiah 32:1–44, Romans 7:7–25, Proverbs 21:13–31, Romans 8:1–4

Before the Babylonians invaded the nation of Israel, God told Jeremiah to buy some property and put the deed in a safe place. This prophet did what he was told even though that property could be confiscated. He didn’t see this as a predictable loss, but as an illustration of God’s promise to eventually restore His people to their land.

“After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch (his secretary), I prayed to the Lord, saying: ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:16–17)

Jeremiah was confident that when all seems lost, God’s promises still stand. Like Abraham who trusted the Lord for a son in his old age, and trusted Him with willingness to sacrifice that son, Jeremiah knew that God would somehow preserve his purchase. The point was not that he would return and enjoy his parcel of land, but that the entire nation would be restored to their home.

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?  . . . . Behold, I am giving this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall capture it. The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come and set this city on fire and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs offerings have been made to Baal and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods, to provoke me to anger. For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth. . . .” (Jeremiah 32:26–29)

Yet the grace of God prevails for He is true to His promises: “Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.” (Jeremiah 32:37–41)

In trying to look at the big picture, this major theme appears: We are the sinners and God is our Savior. Try as they might, the Israelites could not stop their slide into sin. Eventually they stopped trying because they preferred sin over obedience. God sent them into enemy hands and they learned to hate their idolatry. However, they needed the saving power of God to conquer it.

This does not mean that they should sit down and give up. Sin must be battled, but the saving is the Lord’s doing. As Solomon wrote, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.” (Proverbs 21:31)

Paul said the same thing as he described his battle with sin: “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.”

His flesh was prone to sin, just as my flesh is prone to sin. Yet the Spirit of God who lived in him hated that sin and taught him to also hate it. He said, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

I know that struggle and that hatred. But with Paul, I also know the answer. He said, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Romans 7:21–25) Sin persists, but Christ is more persistent!

Though not included in today’s reading, there is more to Paul’s declaration of victory. He goes on to say, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1–4)

God gives victory over sin. This is not to say that I have no part in that: I must yield to Him, fight the devil’s lies, and resist sin, yet I cannot rely on my efforts. He alone saves from sin. If I could have done it without Him, Jesus would not have needed to die.

Disobedience, punishment, and amazing grace

Daniel 9:1–10:21, 2 Thessalonians 2:1–17, Job 42:1–9

Most parents want their children to obey them. When the child rebels, those parents warn them of the consequences. If disobedience continues, the wise parent may even use those consequences to build an attitude of willing submission. This is not tyranny, abuse, or because the child is annoying them, but a wise decision made by a loving parent.

Why then do many people resist and are even angry about the idea that God is a heavenly Father who wants obedience from His children? He also might use the consequences of disobedience to train His children. This is for our good and not because He is riled.

Daniel was one of the few heroes of the Old Testament who understood that discipline is not a mean retaliation but a mercy.

In Daniel’s prayer of confession, he says: “To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice.” (Daniel 9:9–14)

Repeated disobedience brought a calamity. After seventy years in captivity, Israel did learn one thing; they abandoned idolatry and obediently worshiped God only.

Job was not rebellious but he did challenge the wisdom of God. After the Lord spoke to him about what He alone can do, Job answered and said: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1–6)

Then the Lord turned to Eliphaz, one of Job’s ‘friends’ who accused him of sin. He said, “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” (Job 42:7–8)

It is God’s prerogative to judge and punish sin. He tells parents to bring up their children in that same “nurture and admonition” but does warn the rest of us to be careful about making judgments. If what we say is not true, then we are in league with “the accuser” of God’s people, the lawless one.

Paul warned about unrighteous judgment also. He said, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7–12)

There are people who love their sin more than God, and don’t care about the consequences. Daniel and Job were not in that group. Neither are those who have yielded their lives to Jesus Christ. Of them, Paul writes, “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17)

The well-known song, Amazing Grace, says, “Once I was lost, but now am found, blind but now I see . . . .” the way to this blessing is to follow Daniel and Job in their prayers of repentance and submission, knowing and believing the truth and desiring to be obedient to our Heavenly Father, yet the only reason we are able to think or act this way is because of the amazing grace of our God.