Meditations in Jeremiah
This meditation is a companion to two previous meditations:
We Acknowledge Our Wickedness - Jeremiah 14:7-9, 20-22
Do It For Thy Name's Sake - Jeremiah 14:7-9, 20-22
In two previous meditations (see above), we considered the expression of humble repentance that was given in Jeremiah 14:7-9, 20-22. Yet many of God’s people in Jeremiah’s time refused to follow the way of repentance. To these rebellious individuals, our Lord delivered His judgment in Jeremiah 14:10-12.
This meditation is a companion to two previous meditations:
We Acknowledge Our Wickedness - Jeremiah 14:7-9, 20-22
Do It For Thy Name's Sake - Jeremiah 14:7-9, 20-22
In two previous meditations (see above), we considered the expression of humble repentance that was given in Jeremiah 14:7-9, 20-22. Yet many of God’s people in Jeremiah’s time refused to follow the way of repentance. To these rebellious individuals, our Lord delivered His judgment in Jeremiah 14:10-12.
The Rebellion of the Stubborn
The opening portion of Jeremiah 14:10 begins by describing the rebellion of the stubborn, saying, “Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet.” Herein a two-fold description is given for the rebellion of the stubborn, and each of these two descriptions can be sub-divided into two parts. First, the stubborn loved to wander. Indeed, their hearts loved to stray away from the will of the Lord. Furthermore, their hearts loved to seek after the pleasures of sin. Second, the stubborn refused to stop. Indeed, they refused to repent of their sinful ways. Furthermore, they refused to return unto the Lord’s righteous fellowship.
The Renunciation of the Lord
In response to the rebellion of the stubborn ones among His people, the ones who loved to wander and refused to stop, the Lord our God renounced them in Jeremiah 14:10, saying, “Therefore the LORD doth not accept them.” Indeed, when we wander in the ways of sin and refuse to repent thereof, the Lord our God will renounce us from His fellowship and His favor. He will renounce us from the enablement of His grace and from the assistance of His mercy.
The Remembrance of the Lord
In addition, not only did the Lord renounce the sinners; but He also retained the offense and guilt of their sin in His remembrance. Even so, the closing portion of Jeremiah 14:10 declares, “He will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.” When we repent of our sinfulness with the humility of broken and contrite heart, our Lord forgives us our sins, cleanses us of our unrighteousness, and remembers the offense and guilt of our sinfulness no more (Jeremiah 31:34; Hosea 8:12). Yet when we refuse to repent of our sinfulness, our Lord continues to remember the offense of our sin against Him and the guilt of our sin before Him. When He looks upon us, our offensiveness and guiltiness remains at the center of His focus. Even so, by that central offensiveness and guiltiness, He is moved to visit the judgment of His fierce wrath against us.
The Resistance of the Lord
Indeed, because our offensiveness and guiltiness is at the center of our Lord’s remembrance, He stands in resistance against us. In Jeremiah 14:11 the report was given, “Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.” When we wander in the ways of sin and refuse to repent thereof, our Lord’s open hand of favor will not be closed from us; and His heavy hand of chastening will be moved against us.
The Rejection of the Lord
Furthermore, because our offensiveness and guiltiness is at the center of our Lord’s remembrance, He will reject our prayers and our service. In the opening portion of Jeremiah 14:12, our Lord proclaimed, “When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and oblation, I will not accept them.” At such times, we may cry unto the Lord in our time of need with many prayers, and even with much fasting. Yet our Lord will not hear us because the offensiveness and guiltiness of our sins will have separated between us and Him (Isaiah 1:15; 59:1-2). In fact, our very prayers will be an offense to Him (Proverbs 28:9). At such times, we may perform much activity of “religious service” unto our Lord. Yet He will reject it all as a hateful abomination in His sight (Isaiah 1:11-14; Proverbs 15:8; 21:27).
The Recompense of the Lord
Finally, because our offensiveness and guiltiness is at the center of our Lord’s remembrance, He will recompense consuming destruction upon our lives. In the closing portion of Jeremiah 14:12, our Lord proclaimed, “But I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.”
Yet the Lord our God finds no pleasure in our destruction. Rather, He desires that we should repent of our sinful ways and live. So then, let us repent that we might walk again in the abundant life of our Lord’s blessed fellowship and favor. “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7). “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:8-10).
The opening portion of Jeremiah 14:10 begins by describing the rebellion of the stubborn, saying, “Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet.” Herein a two-fold description is given for the rebellion of the stubborn, and each of these two descriptions can be sub-divided into two parts. First, the stubborn loved to wander. Indeed, their hearts loved to stray away from the will of the Lord. Furthermore, their hearts loved to seek after the pleasures of sin. Second, the stubborn refused to stop. Indeed, they refused to repent of their sinful ways. Furthermore, they refused to return unto the Lord’s righteous fellowship.
The Renunciation of the Lord
In response to the rebellion of the stubborn ones among His people, the ones who loved to wander and refused to stop, the Lord our God renounced them in Jeremiah 14:10, saying, “Therefore the LORD doth not accept them.” Indeed, when we wander in the ways of sin and refuse to repent thereof, the Lord our God will renounce us from His fellowship and His favor. He will renounce us from the enablement of His grace and from the assistance of His mercy.
The Remembrance of the Lord
In addition, not only did the Lord renounce the sinners; but He also retained the offense and guilt of their sin in His remembrance. Even so, the closing portion of Jeremiah 14:10 declares, “He will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.” When we repent of our sinfulness with the humility of broken and contrite heart, our Lord forgives us our sins, cleanses us of our unrighteousness, and remembers the offense and guilt of our sinfulness no more (Jeremiah 31:34; Hosea 8:12). Yet when we refuse to repent of our sinfulness, our Lord continues to remember the offense of our sin against Him and the guilt of our sin before Him. When He looks upon us, our offensiveness and guiltiness remains at the center of His focus. Even so, by that central offensiveness and guiltiness, He is moved to visit the judgment of His fierce wrath against us.
The Resistance of the Lord
Indeed, because our offensiveness and guiltiness is at the center of our Lord’s remembrance, He stands in resistance against us. In Jeremiah 14:11 the report was given, “Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.” When we wander in the ways of sin and refuse to repent thereof, our Lord’s open hand of favor will not be closed from us; and His heavy hand of chastening will be moved against us.
The Rejection of the Lord
Furthermore, because our offensiveness and guiltiness is at the center of our Lord’s remembrance, He will reject our prayers and our service. In the opening portion of Jeremiah 14:12, our Lord proclaimed, “When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and oblation, I will not accept them.” At such times, we may cry unto the Lord in our time of need with many prayers, and even with much fasting. Yet our Lord will not hear us because the offensiveness and guiltiness of our sins will have separated between us and Him (Isaiah 1:15; 59:1-2). In fact, our very prayers will be an offense to Him (Proverbs 28:9). At such times, we may perform much activity of “religious service” unto our Lord. Yet He will reject it all as a hateful abomination in His sight (Isaiah 1:11-14; Proverbs 15:8; 21:27).
The Recompense of the Lord
Finally, because our offensiveness and guiltiness is at the center of our Lord’s remembrance, He will recompense consuming destruction upon our lives. In the closing portion of Jeremiah 14:12, our Lord proclaimed, “But I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.”
Yet the Lord our God finds no pleasure in our destruction. Rather, He desires that we should repent of our sinful ways and live. So then, let us repent that we might walk again in the abundant life of our Lord’s blessed fellowship and favor. “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7). “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:8-10).
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