Today you should read: Jeremiah 21:1-14
God Uses Evil For Good …
Today, as we continue through the book of Jeremiah, we see the Lord continue to describe the destruction of His people. This is hard to continue to see, because it seems so devastating! But one thing we do see clearly is how seriously God is taking the sin of His people. All of this has been the result of Israel’s disobedience.
This fact should force us to assess our life often and take obedience to the Lord seriously. And it should also help us to see how glorious it is that God has sent Christ and that we are saved as a result of Christ’s perfect obedience and righteous life. When we see God’s anger and wrath, it should make us tremble and rejoice. We should all the more praise God for sending His Son. What a marvelous thing it is that God has shown us grace and considered us His children!
Today’s “Walk-a-Way”
I think we can learn a simple lesson from today’s passage. We see something unique today. In the beginning of the passage, the people seek to inquire of the Lord regarding Nebuchadnezzar. They are hoping the Lord will save them and show them grace by not allowing king Nebuchadnezzar to come against them. But the Lord does not answer their request. He will instead allow them to be defeated. This is key; He will allow His people to be defeated by an evil King.
God ultimately wants His people to repent and be restored back to Himself. And He will do this one-day. But the way He will get to the heart of His people and force them to depend on Him and return to Him, will be to use this evil King and allow death and slavery to His people.
This reminds me of the story of Joseph. God used evil in His life for good. God used hardship and He used the sin of evil people to bring about a good scenario. This also reminds me the story of Moses and how even Pharaoh was used to bring glory to God.
I think we can learn that God can and does use discipline and hardship, even the sin others commit against us, for our good. We shouldn’t disregard the discipline of the Lord and we should always run to Him when He allows us to go through difficult times. We should always be eager to learn the lessons He is teaching us through difficulty. If He can use Nebuchadnezzar to accomplish His purposes for His people, then He can also use our hardships to accomplish His good purposes for our lives.
Posted by: Sam Cirrincione
JumpstartCPC.com 