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Devotional thoughts (Monday through Thursday mornings) from the pastor of Exeter Presbyterian Church in Exeter, NH // Sunday Worship 10:30am // 73 Winter Street

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Jeremiah 27

One of the most powerful passages in the Scriptures comes at the end of Matthew 11 where Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Over the centuries, men have had to submit to the yoke of many a despot who managed by force to win control over a nation or people. Even the Old Testament Law, though good, was a yoke that the people could not bear because of their sin. By the work of Christ, people from all kinds of backgrounds are granted a new nature, enabling them to willingly submit to the easy yoke of Christ, who bears our burdens, and calls us to follow Him by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the days of Jeremiah the people of Judah were told that they needed to submit to the yoke of Babylon. They were not alone in facing that challenging reality. The Lord of Hosts sent the word of His prophet to other neighboring nations to announce to them this word: They all needed to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar. God is the one who raises up people to lead empires and to conquer nations. This is all part of His mysterious will and His sovereign purpose. The Babylonian ruler would have his appointed time of rule, but the day would come when Babylon would have to bow beneath the yoke of another power yet to come.

For the day of Jeremiah, the immediate instruction for these neighbors of Judah was to give up the fight. They were warned that it would not go well with them if they attempted to defeat the Babylonians. If they would not serve this conquering power, they would be resisting not only powerful armies, but also the God of Israel. He advises them that they should choose peace and prosperity beneath the care of the empire, rather than the warfare, disease, and famine that would come from Him if they chose to go to battle against this strong foe.

Of course, this same message was also given to Zedekiah, the King of Judah. As with the other nations, the King is told that he should not listen to political and spiritual advisors telling him that he will not serve the king of Babylon. God has not sent these lying prophets. If the king listens to them, he will bring further trouble upon the remaining people of Jerusalem and Judea.

In contrast to the lie that has gone forth from some who claim to speak for God, the trouble for Judah is not yet over. Much wealth, many gifted people, and large amounts of sacred objects had already been taken away. Nevertheless, not only would this wealth stay in enemy hands for a longer time, but in fact what yet remained to be taken away (the pillars, the bronze sea, and more) would be brought beyond the borders of Israel.

The last verse of the chapter does strike a note of some hope. Though more trouble will come before things get better, God indicates that He will visit His people in the land of their captivity. In that day He will bring some of them and some of the nation’s wealth back to the land of promise.

Jeremiah told the unhappy truth to the nations all around Judah, and to people of power within Judah. He was consecrated to the task of bringing an honest Word from God to the people. When our Redeemer came to rescue us from sin and darkness, he also faced the opposition of men. He was similarly committed to bringing the word of truth to his people at all costs.

The religious leaders understood the points that Jesus was making against them. It was very plain to them that Jesus had a different view of the Law than they had been taught, and they rejected His understanding. Christ was forthright in His condemnation of the way that they placed the traditions of men above the Word of God. He spoke words against them in the plain teaching of oracles of judgment and in the more mysterious parable speech that he often used in talking to the crowds. In both cases the Bible tells us that the Pharisees knew that He was speaking against them.

They of course, took great offense at this. They loved the yoke of their traditions, and they urged the people to keep their necks in that twisted and blended yoke of divine commandments and man-made traditions. Jesus in both His person and in His teaching was seen as a great threat to this religious order. There were many men who wanted to keep everything as it was. The Lord Jesus Christ was not in their number. His works and His words were very threatening to them, and they had no doubt that he need to be stopped. Therefore they conspired with a betrayer in order to destroy Him and His movement.

Of course, this would prove to be an impossible goal. In working toward His death, they were only fulfilling the plan of God that the greatest King of the Jews would also be a very powerful Suffering Servant for both Jews and Gentiles. By His death, He has lifted an unbearable burden from our backs, and now we turn to Him and gladly receive His yoke. Not only that but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that the Lord will soon restore the fortunes of His people in His good time. We believe that the Lord of Hosts will accomplish the entirety of all His marvelous plans for our salvation. There can be no doubt that our only safety comes in our complete surrender to the Lord who gave His life for us. To resist Him is a deadly foolishness.

posted by Pastor Magee @ 7:00 AM

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