The Bush and the Tree

Jeremiah 17:5-8: "This is what the LORD says: 'Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."


God is the Master of analogy. He loves to use imagery (metaphors, similes, and personification) to teach us invaluable lessons from His Word; and in the citation above, He contrasts a bush in the wastelands with a tree growing by a stream of water to teach us of the importance of trusting not in ourselves but in Him alone.


As we reflect upon these teaching illustrations, we learn several key points:


First for the bush (i.e. the person who sets his heart toward his own strength and turns away from the LORD):


The bush finds itself in a barren wasteland. Wastelands in the land of Israel were arid, infertile places that few plants and animals could grow let alone thrive. As one thinks about this imagery, one pictures a bush standing isolated in the desert. The unimpressive bush fails to fulfill its God-given purpose to produce fruit, because it is planted in soil that lacks the vital nutrients for prosperous growth and it lacks the much needed water that provides and sustains life. It is of no benefit for those passing by; in fact, people will look upon the plant with disdain, for it is such a disappointment in not producing the anticipated fruit for which it was designed.

Whereas the warmth of the climate may have been attractive at first, the bush now finds that the scorching heat and lack of substantive water supplies are starving it of much needed nourishment. Even if an occasional rain shower passes by, its positive benefits are quickly lost as the conditions of the land quickly evaporate the much needed rain, leaving the bush without any relief. Whereas the bush may have thought the setting to be a great place for cultivating itself, it now finds itself secluded and starved. Not only does it lack water and nutrients, but it also lacks the support of other vegetation to help shade it from the ill effects of the arid climate. In the end, the bush withers away, for it is not connected to the perpetual stream that would bring it life and vitality.

In thinking of a plant lacking a harvest of fruit, one is reminded of Jesus' encounter with the fig tree in Mark 11:12f. Jesus had become hungry and looked to a certain fig tree for fruit but found none. From a distance, the tree had green leaves and appeared to Jesus as if it should have fruit; but upon closer inspection, the tree was a major disappointment . . . a lot of show with not much substance. Jesus responded by cursing the tree, so that it would never produce fruit again. When the disciples returned to the tree later, they noticed that it had withered all the way to its roots. Since it was of no use to the Master, it was destroyed.




In contrast, the tree by the stream (i.e. the one who puts his faith and trust in the LORD) has a very different outcome:


The tree is planted next to a perpetually flowing stream, that brings health to the plant no matter the circumstances. Even if the tree finds itself in the same dry, abysmal terrain of the bush, the difference is found in the tree's connectivity to the stream . . . the true source of life. The tree has no fear WHEN (NOT IF) the heat comes. This tree knows that the stressful circumstances of its climate will come each day; still, there is no worry about its condition, for the tree has its life sustenance close by. Its leaves continue to thrive, and it produces fruit to be a blessing to any person passing by. Even in the year of exceptionally impressive drought, the tree continues to grow and produce with noticeable distinction.


And because the stream provides the adjacent soil with the nutrients for vegetation to thrive, the tree is likely to find other productive plants nearby. This tree is not isolated, but enjoys the association with other trees and plants that are connected to the same water source. As the tree enjoys its sense of community, it benefits from the adjacent trees which help to shade each others roots from the damaging rays of the sun.

This is a great story which is analogous to our connectivity to the Lord. It is of vital importance for us to be connected to the Lord, for only He can provide us with the spiritual nourishment for us to fulfill our purpose of producing fruit for His glory. Therefore, we must stay close to the Stream of Life (i.e. the Lord) in order that we might weather the storms of life, and continue to thrive for the Lord in all circumstances.

When we are connected to the Lord, we also receive the blessing of fellowship with other followers of Christ. We are able to mutually encourage and support each other along the path of life, until the day of our glorification, when we forever will enjoy the Lord and each other in a state of eternal perfection and wholeness.

Let us learn from this simile of the Lord that we must never put our allegiances in our own accomplishments and abilities; rather, let us surrender ourselves to the Lord and savor the blessed benefits of His grace and provision for our souls. We then will thrive in our lives, producing a wonderful display of spiritual fruit that glorifies the Lord and contributes to the furtherance of His beautiful Kingdom!

Don't Misuse God's Word

Jeremiah 23:29f: "'Is not my word like fire,' declares the LORD, 'I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. Yes,' declares the LORD, 'I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, 'The LORD declares.' Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,' declares the LORD. 'They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,' declares the LORD . . . . 'If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, 'This is the oracle of the LORD,' I will punish that man and his household . . . . every man's own word becomes his oracle and so you distort the words of the living God, the LORD Almighty, our God . . . . I will surely forget you and cast you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your fathers. I will bring upon you everlasting disgrace-everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.'"

If there is one thing that we learn from the above citation, it is the sacredness of the Word of the Lord. Our Great God has given to us His choice morsels of truth that we are not to distort to satisfy our own wanton lusts; rather we are to revere and obey these Words for they are the timeless, directive proclamations given to us that we might know His ultimate Will for our lives! The problem with the people of Judah during the days of Jeremiah was that their religious leaders were distorting the words of the Lord to condone their wicked ways. They adjusted their interpretation of Scripture into one that justified their defiance of God's propositional truths that had been given to the Israelites 1000 years before (see Deuteronomy 28).

God was very direct with these wayward leaders. He proclaimed that He would severely punish all those who would distort His Word; these religious figureheads would not escape the eternal punishment of the Lord for propagating their wickedness as something encouraged from the Word of the Lord.

This is a good word for us today. We regularly find in our culture many different groups that attempt to purport their sinful ideologies by manipulating Scripture to say something that it has never said or by attempting to discredit the Word of the Lord to a place of insignificance to their contemporary experiences.

Just as God would not hold the person in Jeremiah's day guiltless for distorting the truths of God's Word to meet his selfish desires, so too we will find that our Lord will punish the man today who treats the Scriptures with such contempt. We are not to manipulate the eternal Words of God to satisfy our longings, rather we are to surrender ourselves to the Righteous, Holy Words of the LORD and let them saturate our souls with conviction (leading to repentance) and inspiration (leading to obedience and worship of the One True God).

May we ever treat the Holy Bible as just that . . . HOLY . . . that is "Set Apart" and worthy of our focused attention, reverential fear, and determined obedience. It is only then that the blessings of Our Sovereign Lord will flow to us as we follow His will for our lives.

Looking For Relief From God When It's Too Late

Jeremiah 21:1-5: "The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said: 'Inquire now of the LORD for us because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps the LORD will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.' But Jeremiah answered them, 'Tell Zedekiah, this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in you hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city. I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in anger and fury and great wrath.'"



We can only imagine the setting in which this episode occurs in the life of the people of Judah as recorded in Jeremiah. The mighty Babylonians had encircled the city of Jerusalem and had begun their 18-month siege against it. These warriors would cut off the food supply such that the people inside Jerusalem's walls would eventually resort to most horrid measures for survival (see Lamentations 4:10). When the heat of God's judgment befell Jerusalem, these once wicked people of Judah, who had mocked the warnings of the LORD and had persecuted His prophets, were now sending their religious leaders to Jeremiah in hopes that God's wrath might be averted. Whereas God had been quite longsuffering with these people, desiring that they repent, eventually a point was reached when the day of salvation was past and only the judgment of God remained. Rather than being their Protector and Defender, now the LORD had become their Enemy who would inflict the severest of penalties for their treason against His Holiness and Lordship. God had not forgotten that these people just recently had professed, "Who can come against us? Who can enter our refuge?" (21:13). These people of Judah thought themselves impervious to attack, as their city was fortified with expansive walls for its protection; their fortifications falsely reinforced their belief that their wicked ways were beyond any judgments from the LORD. And though the LORD sent them the prophets to warn them of coming disaster, they only ridiculed such perceived nonsense. Oh how wrong these people were . . . for the Babylonian invasion was a most horrific sight!


Still, God would give these people an opportunity to find remedy from their miserable condition, if only they would respond to His instruction to surrender to the Babylonians and be subject to them for a period of time. God would have His people suffer for their sins, but the severity of their suffering could be abated if they would only listen to His counsel. Sadly, these people would attempt to do just the opposite. They determined to hold out as long as they could; and all that they did was worsen the effects of the siege. Even in the midst of suffering, these Israelites would not listen to the LORD.



There is a good word for us here. Do we believe ourselves impervious to the judgments of the LORD? Do we think that we are beyond any culpability for our sinful ways? Let us renounce such foolishness while the day of God's salvation is upon us. Just as with the people of Judah during the days of Jeremiah, so too do we have a limited time to respond to God's offering of grace. When the fullness of time for His grace has past, nothing remains "but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God" (Hebrews 10:27).

God Sees Everything

Jeremiah 16:17: "My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes. I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols."


It is amazing to think that a person might believe that his sin could go undetected by God. This certainly was the case with the people of Judah during the days of Jeremiah. These descendants of Abraham apparently believed that they were getting away with their evil ways; in fact, one can almost see their shrugged shoulders and puzzled looks at Jeremiah when they asked in 16:10, "Why has the LORD decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the LORD our God?"

This wicked disposition of the covenant people was further evidenced by the Jewish religious leaders in Ezekiel 8. Specifically the seventy elders, whose positions of leadership had been appointed by the Lord nearly a millennium before (see Numbers 11:16-17), were practicing an impressive external worship display outside the Temple, but within the dark corners inside the Temple walls, these religious leaders had set up shrines to pagan deities with drawings of "crawling things and detestable animals and all the idols of the house of Israel" (Ezekiel 8:10). These leaders smugly convinced themselves that the LORD did not see them, and thus they were able to perpetrate whatever their wicked hearts desired. (Ezek. 8:12). Sadly, these leaders could not have been further from the truth!


God told Jeremiah that the people's wicked ways were NOT going undetected; He was seeing all of the sins that they were committing against His Holiness, and He determined to repay them doubly for their wickedness. God would bring harsher judgment, for He previously had given to His covenant people the blessing of the Promised Land; and the Lord had chosen these people from all peoples of the earth with which to dwell. God's very glory was present in the Temple that had been constructed, and He had demonstrated His power, glory, and will with such regularity that the people should have known better. Instead, they chose to treat His love and exclusive devotion with contempt by filling the land and the Temple of worship with the vile, pagan idols that would deflect focused devotion from the One True Lord of Hosts.

This is a good word for us today. We ever must remember that the Lord sees all that we do, and will hold us account for our loyalties, wherever they might be directed. The following passages affirm this conclusion:

1. Hebrews 4:13: "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

2. 2 Chronicles 16:9: "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."

If we find ourselves worshipping vain substitutes for the Lord, now is the time for us to repent (i.e. turn) from such wickedness and worship the Lord passionately and exclusively. Just as the people of Judah had been given so much by the Lord (and for this reason would be held in greater judgment for their rebellion), so too we must understand that the blessings that the Lord has given this nation will bring a fiercer day of reckoning if we do not repent and surrender ourselves to the Lord.

Let us remember the 2 Chronicles 16:9 passage above as well, namely that the Lord has promised to strengthen those "whose hearts are fully committed to Him." This is the way to go! Let's by faith give ourselves fully to the Lord and then watch in excited anticipation what He will do through us for the furtherance of His glory and His kingdom!

Trying to "Pull One Over" on God

Jeremiah 14:11; 15:6: "Then the LORD said to me, 'Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague . . . . You have rejected me . . . You keep on backsliding. So I will lay hands on you and destroy you; I can no longer show compassion.'"

When God turned up the heat of His judgment upon the people of Judah for their chronic rebellion against Him as Lord, the people hastened to the formality of worship and ritual in the hopes of "impressing" God to bring them relief. These Israelites for so long had been the perpetrators of all types of evil, flagrantly displaying their wickedness openly (see Jeremiah 3:6); and instead of fearing the holiness of the Lord, these people had no regard for His Sovereignty. They only saw the Lord as one of many deities that could be summoned for their needs, only to be shuffled back to the periphery of their lives once He had blessed them. Any Word of truth given by the Lord that was indicting of their sin was received with offense . . . they found no pleasure in it whatsoever (see Jeremiah 6:10). They thought themselves so wise that they were not in need of any council that would address their wrongdoings, for they did not see the pursuit of their selfish desires as inherently bad (Jer. 8:8).

Now that these people were suffering for their sin, they soon made their way to the temple to make their burnt offerings and grain offerings to the Lord and to follow up their religious display by committing themselves to fasting. These people thought that if they could impress God enough, He would relent from His judgment and bring relief from their misery. The telling evidence of their spiritual condition, however, was in their willingness to backslide. As evidenced by these people's behavior, they did not want to change their evil ways (which is the Biblical definition of repentance); rather, they wanted to get out of their predicament. Had God relented from His wrath, these people would have reverted back to their detestable ways and mocked the Lord as One who could be fooled by superficial spiritual display. Had the Lord brought a reprieve to the Judeans, they in turn would have smugly concluded that only a few "hoop jumping" acts of spirituality were necessary to appease God. Then they could return to the true wicked desires of their hearts.

Of course, God would not be fooled by such deceptive practices. He knew what was in their hearts; and for this reason, the Lord would not relent from His judgment.

This is a good word for us today. If we expect the blessing of the Lord, we must move beyond pretentious spiritual rituals with the hope of impressing God; for these acts, without a heart inclined toward the Lord in a spirit of repentance and surrender will accomplish nothing. Instead, we must submit ourselves to the authority of the One True God and approach Him in a spirit of humility and contrition. It will only be then that His Divine favor will be poured out upon us . . . and we will experience relief from His judgments.

The "Why?" Question

Jeremiah 13:22a, 25: "And if you ask yourself, 'Why has this happened to me?' - it is because of your many sins . . . . This is your lot, the portion I have decreed for you,' declares the LORD."


In over a decade of ministry experience, I have heard the "Why?" question asked many times. Distraught people have sat in my office, crying out "Why has this happened to me? . . . Why has God let this happen? . . ." Whereas we must be slow to ascribe causality to misfortune (for in a fallen world, even those who have lived in obedience to Christ will experience tribulation), there are those times when one's misery is directly related to sinful choices made in life. And whether these sinful choices involve poor relational decisions, compromises associated with such relationships, unethical choices in business or at church or in school . . . we know that the list of painful consequences for sinful behavior seems limitless.


I guess what fascinates me is the perceived naivete of those who have disobeyed the precepts of the Lord and question why they are suffering the consequences of such miscreant behavior. Many will feel as if they are victims undeserving of such painful experiences. With eyes of bewilderment, they look across my desk and wonder in astonishment that God would allow such results to befall them.


Again, I must reiterate that sensitivity is warranted in all such circumstances, for every person anguishing over tribulation is deserving of love and compassion; still, these times can be very instructional for those who would incline their ear to hear wisdom. We all have felt the pangs of misfortune that have arisen from our sinful choices, and we know that some of these consequences will live with us for the entirety of our lives. What we must do is be open to God's Word of correction, and reorient our lives to faithful obedience to Him. We may not be able to remedy the consequences of past sins; however, we can permit God to work redemptively in us through our contrition, confession, and re-commitment to Him as LORD. God is loving and able to restore us to right fellowship with Him. If we determine to seek Him above all persons and things, the Lord will turn our tragedies not only into triumphs but opportunities of ministry for others who are traversing similar paths.


What we must first do is get beyond the shock and presumed innocence that we think we have. Let us look introspectively at ourselves to see if any sin has brought us to the place where we find ourselves. And if God's convicting presence brings such awareness, let us repent (i.e. turn) from our wickedness and seek the Lord. He will work redemptively and restoratively to draw us from the pit of despair into a place of blessing (see Psalm 84:5-7).

What Makes God Hearing Impaired (2)

Jeremiah 11:11: "Therefore this is what the LORD says: 'I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.'"

Seldom do we find in Scripture any mention of God refusing to hear the petitions of a people who are in distress and in need of deliverance. But in the account of the people in Judah during the days of Jeremiah we find just that.

As we have addressed in previous devotions, the Judeans during the days of Jeremiah were a wayward people who were unwilling to repent of their sin of rebellion against the LORD. So brazen had they become in their wickedness, that when God sent to them the prophet Jeremiah to proclaim judgment for their sinful ways, these people determined to kill Jeremiah and his descendants (11:19f).

Now that God was leading the Babylonians to invade Palestine, the people would cry out for relief, but God would refuse to listen. God even instructed Jeremiah not to pray for the people, for it would be to no avail. Whereas we might think this to be heartless of the Lord not to respond to the petitions of His covenant people, we need only to look at the verses immediately following the quoted verse above. After praying to the One True Lord of Hosts, these people of Judah then turned to their false gods and prayed to them asking for deliverance as well. This response of the people leads us to conclude that they were not sincere in their repentance to the Lord; rather, they were looking for relief from their misery. These people were unwilling to turn away from their idolatry which to them justified their sinful behavior; they simply were looking for a reprieve from their persecution so that they could return to their reckless ways. These people were not sorry for what they had done . . . they were sorry that they had gotten caught and were suffering for their wickedness. Were these wicked people to receive relief from their judgment, they would have gone back to the false gods to whom they had petitioned and worshipped them for granting deliverance. These people would not have repented and turned from their sinfulness; instead, they would have intensified their sacrifices to the false gods.

This is a good word for us today. We must remember that the Lord is "compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness" (Exodus 33:6). Still, He is unwilling to listen to our pleas for deliverance, when we are unwilling to confess our sin and turn from our wicked ways. For God to grant our petitions under such circumstances would perpetuate sinfulness in our lives, for we would be apt to conclude our invincibility to any judgment that may come our way when we perpetrate rebellion against the Lord. God will not be mocked by our sin (Galatians 6:7-8); He will not respond to us when we cry out to Him and yet are unwilling to surrender to Him as our Lord and follow Him in obedience.

Let us forsake our rebellious ways and turn back to the Lord. We then will find that He will incline His ear to us and answer our prayers for healing.

In Whom Do You Boast?

Jeremiah 9:23-24: "This is what the LORD says: 'Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the LORD."

This is certainly a timely proclamation from the LORD to the stubborn people of Judah during Jeremiah's day. These people failed to obey the Law of the Lord, and chose instead to follow the desires of their own hearts (9:13-14). They claimed themselves to be a people of wisdom (8:8), yet they found the Word of the Lord to be offensive (6:10). Whereas they were hearing the Words of coming judgment from prophets like Jeremiah, still they brazenly responded, "God is not angry with us . . . . He will do nothing! No harm will come to us" (2:35; 5:12). These people were great at following a formality of worship; however, their worship in fact was only in pretense (3:10), for they had no awe of the Lord of Hosts (2:19). They would not follow the commands of the Lord (6:19), which revealed that they were consumed with the exaltation of their ways about all others (even God Himself).

These people were prideful in their supposed wisdom, strength, and riches. They looked to the external evidences of their superiority and believed themselves to be impervious to judgment. In fact, they believed themselves favored simply because they held these superior qualities.

God called them to redirect their boasting . . . not in themselves but in Him as the Sovereign Lord of Hosts! The people of Judah were called to anchor their joy and pride in an intimate relationship with the Lord . . . the One who is full of kindness, justice, and righteousness for those who would surrender to Him.

There is a good word for us in this passage. How often do we see ourselves falling into the same trap that these Israelites fell prey? Do we find ourselves taking pride in our supposed wisdom, or in our strength, or even our material prosperity? We must remember that these qualities do not necessarily make us into a people favored by the Lord; in fact, these traits can swell our hearts with pride so that we turn away from the Lord.

What we must do is forsake any pride that is birthed from our accomplishments or prosperity. We must examine our hearts to see if we have oriented our desires toward personal satisfaction, even above our allegiance to the Lord. And if we find ourselves pursuing such ends, let us repent of these acts of rebellion and return to the Lord, whose mercy and love overflow to those who would seek Him above all other persons and things.

Want to Know the Heart of a Man? . . . See What He Thinks About the Word of God!

Jeremiah 5:6b; 6:10b: "For their (the Israelites) rebellion is great and their backslidings many . . . . The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it."



If there ever has been a telltale sign of the spiritual condition of an individual or a nation, it is that person's or nation's responsiveness to the Word of God. Many people will claim to have a sense of spirituality, but this attestation does not necessarily mean that they are living in obedience to the One True God.

This certainly was the case with the Israelites of Jeremiah's day. They were grossly wicked, following after every wanton lust of their hearts; still, they surrounded themselves with presumed spiritual leaders that would exonerate their wickedness (5:31). Whereas these Israelites engaged in all types of evil, they justified their behavior as not only tolerable but exemplary. With a rather smug arrogance, these Israelites felt justified by their cultural criteria that they were doing just fine.

Still, there was THE ultimate standard (the Word of God) that openly denounced their debased ways; and for this reason, the people hated the Word for its indictments. Rather than heed the true dictates of the Sovereign Lord, these people would choose either to have their spiritual leaders reinterpret the Word into something that it did not say or denigrate altogether the Word to a place of insignificance in their culture. These people feasted upon their wickedness, and the last thing that they wanted was to hear a prophet proclaiming judgment for their rebellion against the Lord.

The most telling example of this mindset came with King Jehoiakim of Judah. God had summoned the prophet, Jeremiah, to write the Word of the Lord on a scroll and present it to the King with the hope of the people turning from their wicked ways. When the scroll was read to the king at his winter palace, he grabbed the scroll, cut it into pieces, and threw it into the fire to destroy these words of judgment upon him and his people. The king then wanted the prophets who brought such word before the king to be arrested; his hope was to eradicate his kingdom from any message that would question the practices of his people. The Lord called Jeremiah to write another scroll with the same words of judgment, with the added prophecy that the king's body would be "thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night" (36:30). Even though the king believed that he had eliminated any negative word against him, the LORD would not permit His Word to go without vindication. In the end, God would bring His pronounced judgment against the people of Judah for their defiance to His Word.

There is a tremendous word for us in these passages, for we find in our nation today a similar regard for the Holy Scriptures. Specifically, we find that our countrymen despise any word of rebuke for their unrighteous ways and they surround themselves with presumed "spiritual" leaders that tell them what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4). And when the Word of Truth is proclaimed, they immediately describe it as extremism, fundamentalism, fanaticism, intolerance, or some phobia of sorts. Not only do they desire to discredit such proclamations; but in their seething anger, they attempt to push the political leaders to enact legislation to force an end to any words of admonishment for their behavior.

Of course, we know that God will not be mocked by wickedness. No matter what the unrighteous do to attempt to silence the Lord's Word, in the end He will bring destruction for those who live to satisfy their sinful natures (see Galatians 6:7-8). Now is the time for us to repent of our sin and turn to the Lord; for we know from His Word that the one who lives to please the Lord of Hosts will "reap eternal life" (Galatians 6:8).

God Is Sovereign!

Jeremiah 5:22,25: "'Should you not fear me?' declares the LORD. 'Should you not tremble in my presence? I have made the sand a boundary for the sea, and everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it . . . . Your wrongdoings have kept these away (autumn and spring rains); your sins have deprived you of good.'"

It is rather extraordinary to see humanity forsake its allegiance to the Lord. Whereas we know that God is Sovereign, in authority over all things and able to enact His divine judgments upon all recalcitrance, we still find ourselves striving for our own lordship. What is fascinating in this passage is the tangible example that is given by the Lord to illustrate His Sovereignty : the ocean and the beach.

The ocean is a rather impressive display of force and power; in fact, one only need to swim into the breaking waves to see its power. And of course when a great storm passes over the sea, its waters can churn into a rather intimidating sight. No one in his right mind would even get near the turbulent force of such a tempest.

In contrast, we find the sand of a beach to be rather docile, with its tiny grains noticeably lacking any energetic movement. Even though the waves roar and beat upon the shore, the sand continues to be a barrier that prohibits the water from moving wherever it would choose. A perceived invincibility has been checked and kept within certain boundaries, even though such restraints make little logical sense.

Such an analogy was good for the Israelites to hear, and we would do well to hear its message too. Whereas we may find ourselves thinking that we are powerful beings deserving of our own insatiable cravings, the Lord in fact sets boundaries for us to keep us mindful that He alone is Sovereign and is worship of worship. And if we ever conclude that we can transcend the Lord's will, we will find ourselves exerting a lot of energy in worthless pursuits, much like the waves of the ocean crashing on the shore . . . only to retreat back to it original place.

And we must remember that as the people of Israel lost the blessing of the rains that would have brought the blessed agricultural harvest, so too our wickedness will cause the Lord to withhold the blessings that He desires to give to us, if only we would follow Him with faithfulness and in obedience.

Let us not be like the waves that spend much energy to no avail. Let us exert our passions and energies to following the Lord. And let us watch as Our Sovereign King opens the portals of Heaven and showers upon us the blessed rains that bring the harvest of His favor.

Take Ownership For Your Behavior

Jeremiah 4:18: "Your own conduct and actions have brought this upon you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart!"

One thing that we find in the early chapters of Jeremiah is God's pleading with His people to own up to their wrongdoing, confess it, and turn from it. God promised that if His people would return to Him and put away their detestable idols, then He would be blessed by Him.

Tragically, these people were "fools . . . . skilled at doing evil" (4:22). Even though they perpetrated the most debased forms of wickedness, they believed themselves to be innocent and had no remorse for their wicked ways (2:35, 3:3b).

We can see noticeable similarities between the Judeans of Jeremiah's day and our own nation. How many times have we seen people perpetrating the most heinous sins, only to discredit any notion of its wrongdoing or deflecting any negative consequence upon some other person or thing. Our nation is one that loves to call good, evil and evil, good. Its determination of what is appropriate has more to do with personal benefit rather than conformity to the commands of the Lord. And akin to the Israelites of Jeremiah's day, our culture seems to erupt in vehement anger when anyone attempts to define their behavior as utterly wicked. Tell these sinners that their ways are contrary to the will of God, and they will march in the streets, protesting the "fundamental fanaticism" of the righteous. This responsive behavior is not unlike what Jeremiah the prophet would experience in his day, and he found himself subjected to imprisonment and persecution for telling the people to recant of their sinfulness.

Of course in the end, it is the LORD ALMIGHTY who calls all men to account. In the passage cited above, the Lord judged the Israelites with rebellion and blamed His consequent judgment upon their own conduct and actions. Whereas they would have deflected any culpability by attempting to redefine good and evil, God's holiness would not be mocked! His standards of right and wrong would be vindicated, no matter what sinful man would do to change their validity. God would bring the Babylonians into Palestine to bring death and destruction to His covenant community for their defiant wickedness.

This is such a good word for us today! Whereas we believe ourselves to dwell in the greatest nation in the world, completely impervious to destruction, we must remember that God alone is Sovereign and is to be worshipped and obeyed. If we continue to chart a path similar to the one of the people of Judah 2700 years ago, we should expect that His wrath will be executed with the same fury that He displayed with the Babylonians. Even now, we are experiencing the birth pains of His judgment through the recent economic meltdown; and this is but a foretaste of a grander display of wrath that is destined to come unless we are willing to surrender ourselves to Him as Lord. Let us not find ourselves at this point of reckoning! Let us submit ourselves to the Lord while is forbearance is with us. He desires to redeem us and heal us; but we must receive this gift by owning up to our sinful ways, turning from them, and following the Lord.

There is a Direct Causation Between Our Sin and Our Misfortune

Jeremiah 3:2-3, 19-20: "Look up to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been ravished? By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers, sat like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness. Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen . . . . How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation. I thought you would call me 'Father' and not turn away from following me. But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you have been unfaithful to me, O house of Israel."

In this word from the prophet Jeremiah we find a sobering reality, namely that national calamity can be the result of our chronic rebellion against the Lord. In the situation cited above, the Lord had brought drought upon the land in response to the people's wickedness. They could have had the blessing of the rains that would have brought the blessing of an abundant harvest; instead, these wicked people chose to defy the One True God, bringing His divine judgment instead.

We must pause to reflect upon our present economic crises and ponder if a similar fate is befalling our nation because we have forsaken our allegiance to the Lord. Could it be that our loss of national prosperity is correlated to our consumption with our own exaltation above all others (including God Himself)? I would argue that our present financial tragedies extend beyond mere correlation and are in fact caused by our forsaking our obedience to the Lord.

We would do well to hear this most important word from Jeremiah. God is desiring to shower us with His blessings; still, He expects unwavering allegiance to Him as Lord. When we forsake the Lord and begin to follow our own sinful ways, we should not expect that the Lord will bless us; in fact, we should not be surprised if we find that the Lord brings disappointment and difficulty in our lives. Coupled with the Lord's honoring of His Holiness is His redemptive purpose in His judgments. It is the Lord's will to draw us back to Him, in order that He might shower us with blessings . . . and He will do whatever it takes to get our attention.

Let us not waver in our faith in obedience to the Lord. Let us revere His name and follow His commands for us. If we do, we can expect that the Lord will be faithful to His promise to bless us for our passionate commitment to Him.