THE LORD SPOKE (October 17)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Jeremiah 14-16

How odd of God
to choose the Jews.

The only place in Scripture that even gets close to giving an answer to why God chose the Jews is found in Deuteronomy 7:7-9. It was not because they were more lovely. It was simply because He loved them. It’s almost like Mom saying, “because I said so,” when you asked her “why?” You weren’t very satisfied with that reply either. We wish we could know more of the “why” behind God’s love for Israel but His reason for loving and choosing the Jewish people is just because He said so.

But, oh how He loved them! There were times that they were very hard to love. Even in this short section of Jeremiah, we find all the following...

Jer. 14:7 - “[their] backsliding is great” (c.f. Jer. 15:6)
Jer. 14:10 - “they greatly love to wander”
Jer. 15:7 - “they have not changed their ways”
Jer. 16:12 - “[they] have behaved more wickedly than [their] fathers”
Jer. 16:18 - “they have defiled my land with...images and...idols”

And so, in love, God warns them of deadly diseases (Jer. 16:4), natural destroyers (Jer. 15:3), natural disasters like drought (Jer. 14:3-6,22), and famine (Jer. 14:13,18; 15:2; 16:4). There would also be national disasters like the sword (Jer. 14:13; 15:2,9; 16:4), terror (Jer. 14:19; 15:8), captivity (Jer. 15:2), plunder (Jer. 15:13), and enslavement (Jer. 15:14). He goes on to say, “I have withdrawn my blessing, my love, and my pity from this people” (Jer. 16:5) and “I will throw you out of this land” (Jer. 16:13).

But God [those are beautiful words!] “remembers His covenant” (Jer. 14:21). Because He is a faithful God who keeps His covenant, He promises, “I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers” (Jer. 16:15) and “I will teach them my power and might. Then they will know that my name is the Lord” (Jer. 16:21).

From their knees, the people’s response is, “...It is you, O Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this” (Jer. 14:22). Are you remembering that “all these things [Israel’s sufferings] happened as an example to us” (I Cor. 10:6)? There are some very close parallels. We too have sinned willfully and repeatedly. We don’t deserve God’s mercy or grace. We deserve what we have coming to us. But His love reaches beyond our sin.

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God shouldst die for me?

No condemnation now I dread:
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.


Psalms 61-62

The problem with all our own contrived solutions to things is that they’re still smaller than we are. We have need of a “rock that is higher than I” (Ps. 61:2). If our anchor is not stronger than the maximum weight we put against it, it will not hold.

That’s why it is so right to trust in God. He alone is a Rock that is higher than all else. That’s why it’s right to trust in God alone (see the next psalm, Ps. 61:1,2,5,6). God is described in verse three as a “refuge” and a “strong tower”. Those tend to be cold places but places that represent great strength and protection. They are sturdy and impenetrable. They will withstand the onslaught of any enemy.

But the picture changes in verse four to warm, comforting protection. A tent provides shelter from the elements. It keeps out the stormy blast and holds the warmth and light around us. Even more so are the sheltering wings of a mother bird, which give warmth and comforting protection. They invite you to snuggle and to forget the storm outside.

God is all of that to us. He invites us to snuggle up and enjoy the warmth of His intimacy. He wraps His protection around us, if we’ll but let Him. He will shelter us from the storms of life. But He is also a tower of strength, a solid rock upon which we can anchor our soul. He is immovable and beyond the reach of any crashing wave.

The Lord’s our rock, in Him we hide,
A shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever ill betide,
A shelter in the time of storm.

Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land;
Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land,
A shelter in the time of storm.

A shade by day, defense by night,
A shelter in the time of storm;
No fears alarm, no foes afright,
A shelter in the time of storm.

The raging storms may round us beat,
A shelter in the time of storm
We’ll never leave our safe retreat,
A shelter in the time of storm.

O Rock divine, O Refuge dear,
A shelter in the time of storm;
Be Thou our helper ever near,
A shelter in the time of storm.