December 8, 2023 . . .
The Prophet Jeremiah is known as the “Weeping Prophet” for a couple of reasons. First is the fact that he is the author of the book of Lamentations, and the title of that book is all you need to know about that! But a second reason for Jeremiah’s nickname is the fact Jeremiah’s message was pretty much doom and gloom because God had decided to bring judgement against His people and Jeremiah was the deliverer of that message. For example, in Jeremiah 2:13 Jeremiah writes, “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.” At first glance you might think well, two evils aren’t too bad, but don’t let the number two fool you. God said two EVILS, not two sins. The word “evils” tends to include broad categories rather than specific sins. For example, when God said a particular king “did evil” in God’s sight, that usually included a whole host of missteps. The most important thing about this verse is identifying the two “evils” God’s people had committed. First, they had “forsaken” God. They had left God behind. Isn’t it a good thing that God’s people don’t do that today? But we do, don’t we? We might not have forsaken God for Zeus, Jupiter, or Budda but if we aren’t careful, we have our own “gods” that grab our attention and focus. Are you as close to God as you used to be? If not, guess what? He didn’t move. To the extent you aren’t as close to God now as you were sometime in the past is the extent to which you have forsaken Him. Does God look at you and say the same thing He said about His people of old? God said through the prophet Jeremiah that He remembered when His people used to worship Him and follow His ways. He remembered when He was their God and they were His people, but they had wandered away and forsaken Him. Does God look at us and say “I remember when you were close to me, or I remember when you__________.” Let’s focus on getting closer to God this year than we were last year. Next week, we will look at evil number two.
Be blessed and be a blessing . . . Bro Andy
