Day 219 (Jeremiah 1-3) - Year 8

**Tara-Leigh Cobble** (0:01)
Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara-Leigh Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap.
Today, we started hanging out with the major prophet Jeremiah. He comes from a long line of priests, but gets a call from God to be a prophet. So he hires a scribe named Baruch to write down his prophecies, which span roughly 40 years and five kings of Judah. In addition to Jeremiah's prophecies, Baruch writes down some of the stories from Jeremiah's life as well, and it's not an easy one. Jeremiah is referred to as the weeping prophet because he carries some deep grief over the state of the people of Judah. It's easy to imagine prophets as these self-righteous people who just go around telling everybody else what they're doing wrong. But more often, what we actually see is that God has a way of putting them in tough circumstances so they can feel the pain of the people. It helps them stay humble, and it also has a way of increasing the potency of their message.
When God first calls Jeremiah, he refuses to prophesy. But then God rebukes him, confirms him, and encourages him with the reminder, I am with you. Then God gives him three assignments, to pluck up and break down, to destroy and overthrow, and to build and plant. Just reading that, doesn't it remind you of all the other prophetic books we've read so far? There will be destruction, but there will be restoration. God gives Jeremiah two visions, then tells him what he's about to do.
He's going to send a conqueror from the north, and we already know this refers to Babylon, and they're going to destroy Jerusalem. This is a judgment on the people of Judah who have turned their backs on God. Then God tells Jeremiah that he shouldn't be afraid, because while God does promise a battle, he also promises a victory.
In chapter 2, God tells Jeremiah to walk through the streets of Jerusalem and recount the story of God's relationship with Israel out loud, which is, they used to love him, but over time they gradually forgot all he had done for them. God describes their sin against him with a really helpful metaphor. He says they're like people in the desert who are thirsty, and he's a spring of living water right behind them. But instead of turning to him, they try to make their own cisterns, but they keep cracking and breaking. I'm thirsty just thinking about it. It sounds exhausting and frustrating. That's what it's like to try to find joy and fulfillment in things that aren't God. They always disappoint, and they exhaust us in the meantime.
God recalls the ways he set them free, but they used their freedom to rebel against him. He compares them to camels who wander in the desert. Apparently, it's common for adult camels to change direction every three steps. They are aimless without guidance. Then he compares them to wild donkeys who follow every lust and desire. They can't be contained. This does sound like them. Not only has Judah worshiped the gods of the pagan nations around them, but they've also sought help from those pagan nations instead of from God, looking for temporary fulfillment wherever they can find it.
And after all that, the people of Judah still claim they didn't do anything wrong. They don't expect God to judge them for their actions, but He promises them that judgment is coming.
In chapter 3, God portrays Judah and Israel as his unfaithful bride. Judah had the chance to learn from Israel's mistakes, but didn't. She just kept committing adultery. The image he sets up for us is one that makes it look like the husband would never want the wife back because of all she's done. But God is set apart here.
While he's acknowledging Judah's adultery and his angry response to it, all that is happening in the midst of his plea for Judah to return to him. He's not in the business of divorcing his bride. He's in the business of forgiving and staying. He's having Jeremiah plead with them in verse 12, return, faithless Israel, and I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful. Who does that?
God begs them to confess and repent. He wants to give them a home in Zion. And in verses 16 through 17, we hit an interesting promise. God says the people will no more say, the ark of the covenant of the Lord. It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed. It shall not be made again. At that time, Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem.