This broken world filled with turmoil and grief, I must ask myself, “Do I Really Trust God?” Or am I, along with many others just mouthing the words? Does my life reflect the truth of God’s Goodness toward me? Or are there too many times when I might grumble or complain? Do I, like many, believe firmly that God must save the United States of America? But why? Judah believed because they were God’s chosen people, God would save them regardless of their behavior. But that was not the case. He warned them. Pleaded with Him. And bid them return to a right fellowship with Him. Now, despite two revivals by two God fearing Kings, time was running out. Just as foretold by other prophets, time came and the Babylonian Empire would overthrow Jerusalem.
Many would die. The city would fall to desolation. A remnant was exiled into Babylon. It would be this remnant which God would after 70 years bring back to Jerusalem. From them would come the Messiah, although they would reject Him and the temple would be destroyed again in 70 AD. Sorrow, grief, turmoil, and destruction mark the course of humanity. Why? As a whole, we do not fully stand in awe of God. After all He is the creator of the Universe. All the intricate details of everything around us should cause us to marvel at Him. The depth of His love and patience should call us to fall before Him in humility. And the Magnificence of His Righteous Indignation and wrath against sin, should cause us to fall in reverent fear before Him.
Jeremiah and Daniel Displayed the fact that they really trust God.
There was no more tumultuous time than that of Jeremiah and Daniel. Jeremiah was called to proclaim to all of Judah, Judgement is at hand. No time left. You will be destroyed. A most unpopular message indeed. Everyone around him tried to the tell the people, “Just Ain’t So.” God would never abandon Judah. They failed to look at their own sin filled life. They did not truly see or know who God was. Abandoning the truth of His Words, they did what they thought was right in their own eyes. Does this sound familiar?
This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a potter’s earthenware jar, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests. 2 Then go out to the Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you, 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: Jeremiah 19
The Lord God of Armies
The Lord God of Armies—God leads armies of Angels. Those creatures of whom one slain 145000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. The very ones that everyone who saw them must be told, “Do not fear. Or Stand Up (because the sight of the angel was so terrifying that they fell to the ground trembling). God leads this army against evil and sin.
“Behold I am going to bring a disaster upon this place, at which the ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. 4 Since they have abandoned Me and have made this place foreign, and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and since they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent 5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I did not command nor speak of, nor did it ever enter My mind; Jeremiah 19
What Was Their Sin Causing a World of Turmoil and Grief?
Willingly, they sacrificed their children to Baal, seeking what? Sexual perversion and prosperity. God would have never asked them to do that. Instead, He offered His own son to save theirs.
6 therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the Valley of Slaughter. 7 And I will frustrate the planning of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will make their carcasses food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth. 8 I will also turn this city into an object of horror and hissing; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and hiss because of all its disasters. Jeremiah 19
Judgement has arrived.
Just as the potter can choose to destroy the vessel when it is beyond repair, to form a new one. So can God.
10 “Then you are to break the jar in the sight of the men who accompany you, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “To the same extent I will break this people and this city, just as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will bury their dead in Topheth, because there is no other place for burial. 12 This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the Lord, “so as to make this city like Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the houses on whose rooftops they burned sacrifices to all the heavenly lights and poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’” Jeremiah 19
Really Trust God—so Jeremiah Did as God Said
14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s house and said to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am going to bring on this city and all its towns the entire disaster that I have declared against it, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to listen to My words.’” Jeremiah 19 (NASB)
Then what happened to Jeremiah?
When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief overseer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord.
I Wonder Would I Be So Brave-so Do I really trust God as Jeremiah did?
3 Then on the next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name the Lord has called you, but rather Magor-missabib.
4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to make you a horror to yourself and to all your friends; and while your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. So I will hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will take them away as exiles to Babylon and will kill them with the sword.
5 I will also give all the wealth of this city, all its produce and all its valuable things—even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will hand over to their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away, and bring them to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die and there you will be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have falsely prophesied.’”
How Could Jeremiah be so Bold?
Jeremiah’s Song
7 Lord, You persuaded me and I let myself be persuaded;
You have overcome me and prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all day long;
Everyone mocks me.
8 For each time I speak, I cry aloud;
I proclaim violence and destruction,
Because for me the word of the Lord has resulted
In taunting and derision all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not remember Him
Nor speak anymore in His name,”
Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
And I am tired of holding it in,
And I cannot endure it.
10 For I have heard the whispering of many,
“Terror on every side!
Denounce him; let’s denounce him!”
All my trusted friends,
Watching for my fall, say:
“Perhaps he will be persuaded, so that we may prevail against him
And take our revenge on him.”Jeremiah 20 (NASB)
11 But the Lord is with me like a powerful champion;
Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will be put to great shame because they have failed,
An everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.
12 Yet, Lord of armies, who tests the righteous,
Who sees the mind and the heart;
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You I have disclosed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord!
For He has saved the soul of the needy one
From the hand of evildoers.
It is God’s words that burned within Him. How does that happen? From studying every day His word and seeking Him above everything else in this world. He preached it to himself, until he forever could really trust God. Remembering all that God had done, Jeremiah surrendered to God’s Will.
Daniel was exiled into Babylon about midway through Jeremiah’s Ministry. He was made a Eunuch and placed in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court. He too would be known for really trusting God in a tumultuous and sorrow filled world.
Exiled to Protect: Trust God in Tumultuous World
After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and metalworkers from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me: behold, two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness. 3 Then the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs: the good figs are very good, and the bad ones, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness.”
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. 6 For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will also give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me wholeheartedly.
8 ‘But like the bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness,’ indeed, this is what the Lord says, ‘so will I give up Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and the ones who live in the land of Egypt. 9 I will make them an object of terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, as a disgrace and a proverb, a taunt and a curse in all the places where I will scatter them. 10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the plague upon them until they are eliminated from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.’”
Jeremiah 24 (NASB)
How amazing! Those taken captive were the ones being set aside to be protected! That was Daniel. Did he read these words and gain heart to stand amid the sorrowful and tumultuous world. How? Really trust God in all that He has said and done.
A Nation Under Judgement
As we look around us, we know our nation is in judgement. As outlined in Romans 1:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth [m]in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident [n]within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not [o]honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and [p]crawling creatures.
24 Therefore God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for [q]falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed [r]forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, 27 and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations [s]with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing [t]shameful acts and receiving in [u]their own persons the due penalty of their error.
28 And just as they did not see fit [v]to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper, 29 people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, [w]haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unfeeling, and unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.
Romans 1 (NASB)
But One Day, We Know
14 ‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch of David sprout; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety; and this is the name by which it will be called: the Lord is our righteousness.’ Jeremiah 33
Therefore, let us remember in hard times the example set by Jeremiah and Daniel. Let us seek God in everything we do. Let our lives reflect this kind of faith when facing trials. I know within me this is impossible, but in Christ all things are possible.
I encourage you to watch this video of a song of Phil Wickham I found.
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.
Therefore if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you today. Go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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DISCLOSURES
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2023Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Credits
New King James Version (NKJV)Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New Living Translation (NLT)Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV)The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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