Tag: Jeremiah 25:11-12
Sunday rest and reflection: Jerusalem!
Dear Friends and fellow citizens of Heaven,
Greetings on this day of rest! The beauty of the Christian faith is the rest we have because of God’s grace through the finished work of Jesus Christ! We have been adopted into God’s family and made heirs and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. We have been declared righteous and have been justified in God’s sight. We can only rest in what Jesus Christ has provided and dare not add another thing.
As I reflected on the readings this week, I immediately thought of Zechariah’s final discourse on Jerusalem and the importance of this city in the plans and purposes of God. Jerusalem was known as the city of David, the beloved king of Israel, who took the city from the Jebusites. It was there that David made plans to build a house for God and purchased the threshing floor of Araunah for a place of sacrifice. (1st Chronicles 21:18-30) Solomon, David’s son, actually built the temple and Israel enjoyed a time of peace for 40 years during his tenure. (2nd Chronicles 7:1-3) As he dedicated the temple, the glory of the Lord filled the house so that the priests could not enter!
Several hundred years later, God’s people had slipped into idolatry and a shallow religion that brought about their captivity. The beautiful temple of Solomon was destroyed by the Babylonian invaders and God’s people went into captivity. After seventy years, Daniel the prophet read the prophecy of Jeremiah and saw that the time was nearly over and began to pray and fast. (Jeremiah 25:11-12) Jerusalem would be rebuilt and the temple again would stand. Nehemiah and Zerubbabel led the rebuilding efforts and the work went forward. God moved miraculously on the heart of King Cyrus and he supplied the authority and finances.
Prophets Haggai and Zechariah both urged the workers to rebuild the city and temple. God had plans for a greater purpose and glory yet to come! (Haggai 2:9) ( Zechariah 8:1-3) According to Zechariah, Jerusalem would be pivotal for God’s end-time program of judging the nations. (Zechariah 12:1-3) The nations would gather around Jerusalem to seek to destroy it in a final battle. Jesus Christ would come back to Jerusalem and again place His feet on the Mt. of Olives, causing it to split and form a way of escape for God’s people. (Zechariah 14:4-5) Following this great battle, the Lord would be King over all the earth and rule from Jerusalem! (Zechariah 14:9)
“Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, His holy mountain. It is beautiful in loftiness, the joy of the whole earth!” Psalm 48:1-2 In His Love, Pastor John
There was no remedy!
Scripture reading for May 1: 2nd Chronicles 33-36
“The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through His messengers again and again, because He had pity on His people and His dwelling place. But they mocked His Words and scoffed at His prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against His people and there was no remedy.” 2 Chronicle 36:15-16
The period of the Kings and Chronicles ends with the declaration about the futile state of God’s people. God had sent messengers again and again. His mercy had suffered long with this people. He had loved them and provided for them. He had driven out their enemies and delivered them miraculously time after time. He had given them His presence in their midst in the Temple and a way to return to Him. But they mocked His Words and mistreated the prophets that were sent to them. This aroused God’s anger and He decided to allow the consequences He had promised to fall upon them. There was no remedy!
But God is faithful, even when we are faithless! (2 Timothy 2:11-13) God allowed the consequences of their own stubbornness to fall on them. They would see the destruction of their temple and go into captivity. The land would enjoy it’s sabbath rests that they failed to give in accordance with God’s Word. (2 Chronicles 36:21) Seventy years would pass in captivity as decreed by Jeremiah, the prophet. (Jeremiah 25:11-12) After this time of captivity and punishment, God would again restore the nation to their land and rebuild the temple. Isaiah the prophet correctly named Cyrus as the ruler who would give the decree to rebuild Jerusalem more than 150 years before it happened! (Isaiah 44:28) The Book of 2 Chronicles records the last Word of God concerning this rebuilding. It is as a word of hope to all who would trust God and follow Him through the captivity! (2 Chronicles 36:23)
God is merciful even in judgment! God has a plan and is working it out. Another day is coming when there will be “no remedy” for those who reject Jesus Christ! (Revelation 20:12-15) Have you applied God’s “Remedy” for sin in your own life? Are you listening to God’s messengers sent to call you to repentance?