Jeremiah Rebukes an Unfaithful Nation (Continued) - Jeremiah 15:10-21, 16:1-21, 17:1-18
The Lord asks such hard things of Jeremiah: Not to marry or have children. I can't imagine sacrificing such personal joy. To know and be known by your wife and to have your life continue through your children. To be robbed of such joy not because of any fault or sin of your own but because of the sin of a nation. The sin of a nation seems like such a nebulous thing. It's easy to think that one person doing the right thing doesn't matter. Because in Jeremiah's day, the whole nation would still be punished no matter King Josiah's reforms or the people's repentance. Thank heavens the stories of Esther and Moses or I would mourn the power of one individual to make a difference for a nation before God.
Surely some repented because of Josiah's leadership and Jeremiah's prophecy. But it doesn't matter. The guilt of the nation has tipped the scales too far. But always on the horizon there is still the Lord's forgiveness no matter how ultimate or complete the punishment sounds. Which makes me wonder...is hell forever? I know what it says. Look at all of the prophecy of destruction and yet the Lord saves.
"For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers." Jeremiah 16:15 [A word of hope amid Jeremiah's prophecies of destruction.]
What prophet cried out when our country was enjoying the prosperity of the previous decade? Was the voice of a prophet ignored during those prosperous times just as Jeremiah was in his?
It's hard to hear any voice over the noise and thrill and marketplace excitement of prosperity. Punishment seems a better motivator for man than blessing. Lord knows.
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