Jeremiah 25:4-7

September 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, saying, ‘Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm. Yet you have not listened to me, declares the Lord, that you might provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.’” (Jeremiah 25:4-7)

In this chapter, Jeremiah is to deliver news to all the tribes and nations that have rebelled against God. He is to take a cup of wine, symbolizing the cup of wrath, to each one and have them drink it. God is finished.

Yet, leading into these instructions, God is still calling them to repent. God’s greatest desire is for people to repent rather than receive his wrath. Even as He gives instructions related to His wrath, he pleads with the nations to repent. Amazing grace!

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Jeremiah, Old Testament Tagged With:

Jeremiah 24:4-7

September 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.”

Jeremiah saw in a vision two baskets of figs, really good figs and really bad figs. In this passage, God comments on the basket of very good figs. The first thing that stands out to me is that God says he sent the exiles to the land of the Chaldeans, or Babylonians. This stands out because it demonstrates God’s sovereignty. Somehow, he has the capacity to use man’s evil actions to accomplish his purposes on the earth.

In Genesis, we see that Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers because they had had enough of him. He went through unimaginable suffering, yet at the end of Genesis. He could tell his brothers what they meant for evil, God meant for good.

These two stories, that of Joseph and that of the Babylonian exile, help me in days like these when it is easy to wonder where God is. Why would God allow (or cause) Charlie Kirk to be assassinated? If we can take a step back, though, we can already see that this event has allowed the ghouls to show themselves. The demons are on full display, rejoicing over the death of Charlie Kirk. Perhaps one of the important reasons God allowed this to happen was so that his children could see more clearly that we do not battle against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12).

The important point, even when we don’t know exactly why God allowed or caused something big and negative to happen, we can trust that He is at work accomplishing his purposes.

Father, thank you for this reminder that you are not asleep at the wheel. Even when things seem out of control and unexplainable, we can rest easily knowing that you are at work. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Jeremiah, Old Testament, Sovereignty, Suffering Tagged With:

Jeremiah 23:1-2

September 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: ‘You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord.’”

This is a good example of seeing how God works with Israel, then using the principle in a New Testament context.

First, we see God’s anger at the priests and prophets (and, I would argue, kings) for scattering His sheep. In this context, sheep means the people of Israel. Rather than consistently guiding the sheep away from idolatry, they were allowing, or even pushing, them toward idolatry. This wickedness usually ran all the way up to the king. And this dereliction of duty angered the Lord. In fact, he called it evil and held them accountable for dereliction of duty.

For a New Testament application, most would naturally point to pastors. While that is a fair connection, what if I am not a pastor. God has given me a shepherding role in my family, which I must take seriously. And I can’t be passive. I must actively shepherd those God has put in my care. Shepherding means guiding others toward righteousness and away from danger. That may look a bit different for each family, but as a husband and dad, I have a critical shepherding role.

Father, please forgive me for the times I have been a passive shepherd for my family. Please help me see the urgency of being a good and active shepherd. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, discipleship, Family Life, Jeremiah, New Testament, Old Testament, Shepherds Tagged With:
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