Today you should read: Jeremiah 42
What we see in chapter 42 is the common pattern for the people of Israel. They begin by desiring a word from God on what they should do. They even say in verse 6, “Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we are sending you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us.” What a great heart! We could learn so much from the willingness of the people of Israel to obey God no matter the cost… the only problem is that they didn’t mean it.
Jeremiah spends 10 days hearing from God and when he comes to deliver God’s response, he begins to discern from the people that they are not willing to obey God’s word to them. In chapter 43 (which we will look at more tomorrow), we see that the people reject the word from God. Why? They don’t trust that it is truly what God is saying to them, even though Jeremiah has proved himself to be a true and faithful prophet of God.
How do you see yourself in this passage? How many times have you made claims to obey no matter the cost, to only disobey when the rubber meets the road? Get to the heart of your problem. What is keeping you from trusting God? What is the gap between your theoretical belief (being willing to obey no matter what) and your practical belief (not actually following through on that obedience)? Ask God to help you put off the sin that is keeping you from true faithfulness and obedience, reminding yourself that the power needed to change has already been provided through the cross and resurrection of Christ!
By: Graham Withers — Pastoral Ministry Associate
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