Response To a World Dying in Sin

“Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment. Trust in money and you may have it taken from you; But trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity.” (D.L. Moody From a sermon by Jeff Strite, Trusting) … More

Doom

Jeremiah pictured the panic of the people when God’s judgment began. They would flee to the fortified cities knowing that God had doomed them to perish. Their hope for peace was gone and the terror of the Babylonians filled the land. As the enemies’ horses stampeded from the North the land trembled as it waited in dread for the army to come and devour it (vv. 13-17). The people of Judah felt doomed and look for protection from the coming judgment (vv. 14-16). From Dan, the northern part of Palestine, the war-horses of the approaching enemy can be heard (v. 16). The foe was so awesome in its advance that their approaching “horses” and “strong ones” seem to make the land tremble. Much as in (Num. 21:6-9), judgment comes upon the people in the form of “vipers” (v. 17). Here, however, there is no deliverance from their bite.

Those captured by the Babylonians wondered how their city could have fallen since God’s temple was there. In anguish they questioned if God was no longer there (vv. 18-19). God’s response was that Jerusalem’s destruction was brought on by their sin and not by His absence. He had given the people every opportunity to repent, but they continued to rebel. At this point in his temple message, Jeremiah breaks out into a heart rendering cry for his doomed people, uttering these pitiful words, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended and we are not saved.” (v. 20). Harvest and summer represents the two successive phases of the harvest season. The grain harvest was from April to June. The fruit harvest was later. If the first failed, the people could still look forward to the second. However, if both failed, famine was inevitable. For Judah the harvest season was over; no fruit had been stored for the winter and the people would not be saved (v. 21). Instead of pleading for mercy, the unrepentant and indifferent people continue with desperate and hopeless frustration .Gilead was famous for its balsam, which had medicinal properties for treating wounds (v. 22).

Application

Jeremiah responded with sorrow to a world dying in sin. I walk in a world still dying in sin. What is my response? Only when I have Jeremiah’s kind of compassion will I be moved to help.

Jeremiah 8:13-22 (English Standard Version)


Warning: MagpieRSS: Failed to parse RSS file. (Space required at line 39, column 24) in /var/www/html/familytimes/includes/magpie6-1/rss_fetch.inc on line 230

Warning: array_slice() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /var/www/html/familytimes/includes/rss/esvLookup.php on line 15

View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway) »