February 9, Jeremiah 8
”The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." - Jeremiah 8:20
Procrastinators often express interest in an offer, only to find out the offer has expired. They waited too long and the window of opportunity closed. In some cases, no amount of pleading or excuse making can change the situation. "I'm sorry. No more extensions, no more grace period. You didn't respond in time."
After centuries of God's patience, after all the pleading, warning and threats by the prophets, Judah's time was finally up. She had not learned from the awful fate of her sister Israel. Jeremiah saw the carnage and ruin of his beloved Jerusalem, and it broke his heart.
The grave robbers would plunder the graves for what treasure was buried with former kings or priests or prophets, and leave their bones scattered on the ground. The greedy tomb raiders would unearth the bodies of Jerusalem's inhabitants, leaving their skeletons exposed to the same sun, moon and stars they had loved and served and worshiped. Now the same heavenly host they had sought and gone after looked on their skeletons, powerless to do anything to save the worshipers from their destruction. The survivors of the Chaldean conquest of Jerusalem would find life in captivity so hard that they would prefer death to life.
When these people fell, they did not get back up. After they turned away from God they did not return. Migrating birds know when it’s time to fly away, but these people did not recognize their day of grace and opportunity to leave their idols and return to God. They refused to face their guilt or the consequences that their sin would bring. They were shameless in their disobedience, and trusted lying prophets instead of God's word.
Israel had squandered their blessings from God. They were doomed because they sinned against the Lord. Jeremiah described the invaders as war horses rushing to the battle and poisonous snakes that would bite them.
Jeremiah had the hard job of warning people who would not listen. He entreated people who despised him and treated him shamefully. But still Jeremiah's heart was broken to know the ruin that had come to his people. He wept that their opportunity had come to an end, saying, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." There was no medicine on earth to soothe the wounds and heal the spiritual sickness of his people. There was no hope for his people except in returning to God.
Nations invading and destroying other nations was nothing new. Israel had done its share of conquering in the land of Canaan. But the tragedy of Israel's fall was that they knew better. They had a benevolent, loving God who blessed them richly. Still they violated God's covenant with them, and pursued the excess and sensuality of pagan idolatry. They pursued worthless, lifeless idols and forfeited the blessings the living God had given and promised them. The dead idols could not save their worshipers’ lives. These people imagined themselves wise and sophisticated. But really they were fooled into believing lies instead of God's truth and serving gods that were no gods at all.
Surely the worst tragedies are the needless ones. And Israel's fall, captivity and destruction were truly needless. They had God's law, but refused to obey the Lord. God's faithful prophets warned and encouraged them. But their hard hearts and deaf ears would not receive the prophets' message. You and I are blessed to have an even better covenant with God than the one Israel despised. We should not, must not allow Satan and the world to turn our hearts and steal our love.
Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—February 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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