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JEREMIAH 30:1-31:26 | 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-15 | PSALM 87:1-7 | PROVERBS 25:18-19
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Jeremiah has had the unenviable task of making the most unpleasant prophecies concerning the people of Israel. But he has also had the privilege of offering a glimmer of hope that would serve as an antidote to the horrific things to come.
The ways of the Almighty are inconceivable and unknowable, and yet, once they are announced, they will surely come to pass. If Israel was to be taken away into captivity, she would also be brought back, and this is what Jeremiah tells the people:
10 “‘So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant;
do not be dismayed, Israel,’
declares the LORD.
‘I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will make him afraid.
11 I am with you and will save you,’
declares the LORD.
And Jeremiah has more good news for them:
18 “This is what the LORD says: “‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents
and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,
and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving
and the sound of rejoicing.
I will add to their numbers,
and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honor,
and they will not be disdained.
Furthermore, Jeremiah even has a message for the rest of the nations in his day:
10 “Hear the word of the LORD, you nations;
proclaim it in distant coastlands:
‘He who scattered Israel will gather them
and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’
11 For the LORD will deliver Jacob
and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.
12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;
they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD—
the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,
the young of the flocks and herds.
They will be like a well-watered garden,
and they will sorrow no more.
13 Then young women will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance,
and my people will be filled with my bounty,”
declares the LORD.
If the Lord has cast away his first-love, he will also gather her up again in time.
Jeremiah tells his people:
16 This is what the LORD says:
“Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for your work will be rewarded,”
declares the LORD.
“They will return from the land of the enemy.
17 So there is hope for your descendants,”
declares the LORD.
“Your children will return to their own land.
And finally, this is one last summary of the things to come. Jeremiah receives these words in a vision, and delivers them to his people.
He says: 23 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The LORD bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.’ 24 People will live together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks. 25 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
Turning now to our reading of Paul’s first letter to Timothy, we find Paul going over some fundamental doctrines. May it serve as a refresher to one and all.
Paul says: 1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people.
Paul has further instructions for worship, some of them specific to the norms of the day, yet timeless in their simplicity of exhorting both men and women to conduct themselves with grace and good manner in a public setting.
We now turn to our Psalm for the day, and find the Psalmist praising Zion, the old name for the city of Jerusalem. It is as if Jeremiah’s many prophecies on the restoration of Jerusalem are being echoed in these lines:
1 He has founded his city on the holy mountain.
2 The LORD loves the gates of Zion
more than all the other dwellings of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are said of you,
city of God.
Finally, two verses from the book of Proverbs that offer plenty of food for thought. Authored by Solomon, wise king of Israel, these are words that force one to think about the nature of the human condition in all its many facets of both glory and depravity. Solomon says:
18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow
is one who gives false testimony against a neighbor.
19 Like a broken tooth or a lame foot
is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word. Amen.
Your reflections truly are blessed with a drizzle of wisdom and a dollop of faith. 🙂
That is the most beautiful compliment I have ever received! Thank you, very kindly!
Another thought: although I have a penchant for those two words – drizzle and dollop – I doubt I have ever used them in any of my devotional posts, in any of the 365 of them!
After I submitted that comment I was kind of regretting it, fearing that it would sound like I was making light of your devotional and/or disparaging your colorful choice of words throughout your blog. Neither was my intention! You have a gift for language and consistently choose words that are lively and descriptive. I hope that my comment did not make you feel slighted or self-conscious.
Not in the least. I am most flattered that you even notice anything on my blog. I remain grateful to you for your attentions and generous praise.