You can run but you cannot hide

Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. All who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns away.

Lamentations 1:8

The poetry of Lamentations describes God’s judgment on Jerusalem. It’s a view of the city after the fact. In the first chapter, Jerusalem is personified. She experiences isolation and despair and she speaks of her misery. The reason for her devastation is clear. Jerusalem has sinned greatly and God has judged her sinfulness. Judgment arrived by way of the armies of Babylon and now in the aftermath it’s time to lament. In the words of Lamentations 1:8, the city is portrayed as a woman who is shamefully exposed.  The judgment of God has brought about her humiliation before her neighbors. Those who had previously admired her now despise her. For Jerusalem, the destruction was so evident it was impossible to hide the consequences of sin. As I read Lamentations, it causes me to retrace the steps that led to the tragedy. Did the people in Jerusalem believe that it was possible to hide the impact of sinfulness from others and from God? I can’t help but have a flashback to Genesis 3:8. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they hid themselves from the presence of God. When God called out to Adam, he answered, “I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself”. Really, Adam, did you think you could hide from God? What are the implications for my life? It is futile to think that I am capable of hiding, covering or dressing up my sin in any way that would affect God’s perfect view of my life. His vision pierces through every attempt to hide. But, God does not intend to leave us naked and exposed. When we turn to Him, He wraps us in His grace. The only proper covering for my sin is found in God’s grace provided in Jesus.

Resting Place

They have forgotten their resting place

Jeremiah 50:6

Rest. It’s such a peaceful, soothing word. Think about it for a moment. When I meditate on “rest”, it makes me want to take a deep breath and exhale slowly. It’s a mental picture of relaxation. Now think about the opposite. It is a picture of being harried and hurried – running from here to there. It’s chasing but never catching. Jeremiah paints that picture for me. Jeremiah employs the familiar imagery of lost sheep. The sheep run from mountain to hill. They have followed shepherds who have led them astray. For me, it’s a reminder that we sometimes chase after empty promises. In Jeremiah’s day, the “shepherds” were notorious for leading the sheep astray. But, Jeremiah promises something different. In the midst of the words of judgment, Jeremiah describes a return to the Lord. That’s what catches my attention. It’s clear from the text that the people of Judah had forgotten God. But, Jeremiah 50:6 expresses it in a different way. The people had forgotten their resting place. I believe that refers to both place and person. They had forgotten that God is a resting place. When our busyness pushes God from our thoughts and our days, we forget our resting place. When we pursue other agendas that exclude knowing Him and the peace that God alone provides, we our “rest” deprived. When we listen to voices that tell us that we are too busy to rest in God, we are being led astray. I understand what it means to live a busy life. My calendar is full today. My “to do” list is significant. That’s all the more reason for me to take a deep breath in the midst of it all, exhale slowly and rest in God today.

Reshaped

But the jar that he was making from the clay became flawed in the potter’s hand, so he made it into another jar, as it seemed right for him to do.

Jeremiah 18:4

A quick review of the events that led to the challenging prophecies found in the book of Jeremiah reveals a number of “flaws” in God’s people. Like clay that is marred in the hands of a potter, change was necessary. Chief among those flaws was their attraction to idolatry and their rejection of God. Despite the warnings of Moses, the cycle of deliverance and punishment during the days of the “judges” and the consequences in their more recent past, the sin of idolatry had gained a foothold again and the situation in Judah was dire. Thus, the command to “Turn now, each from your evil way, and correct your ways and your deeds.” (v. 11). As I have reflected on the words of Jeremiah 18 this week, it’s easy for me to distill a personal message from the national description. Recently, I read an article by Christiane Caine about leadership and calling. In the article, Caine suggests “The gift that is on your life will destroy you if your character cannot sustain you”. During Jeremiah’s time, Judah seemed content with the status of begin “gifted” as the people of God without examining the implications of character that were required to sustain them on the right path. This is a flaw that is epidemic in modern culture. Our desire for the blessings of God (or the fame of leadership) can quickly circumvent our passion for the character of Christ. That brings me back to the potter. The potter made a vessel that seemed right for him to make. In modern terms we can see a parallel to Christian formation. The development of Christ-like character is the work of the Holy Spirit on the potter’s wheel of life. It is a dynamic process and frequently arduous. Sometimes, in order for the fingerprints of God to be evident, the hands of the Potter must work out the impurities of pride and selfishness. Sadly, the pressure applied by the hands of the Potter on my life and my character has been met with resistance on more than one occasion. God help me become the vessel that “seems right to You”.

God is the Potter, I am the clay

The Lord said to Jeremiah: “Go down at once to the potter’s house. I will speak to you further there.” So I went down to the potter’s house and found him working at his wheel.

Jeremiah 18:1-3

Jeremiah’s trip to the potter’s house is one of my favorite pictures of God. The short story, covered in just a few verses, is packed with meaning. Today, I reflect on the fact that when Jeremiah arrived at the potter’s house, he found the potter working at his wheel. The hands of the potter were enmeshed in the clay. It’s a marvelous portrayal of the Creator. Reflect for a moment on how the first chapter of Jeremiah begins. It begins with a description of how Jeremiah has been appointed by God to be a prophet (1:5). The description relates to the story of the potter. God spoke to a young man named Jeremiah and told him “before I formed you in your mother’s womb I chose you”. This description of the creative work of God prior to Jeremiah’s birth is closely related to the work of the potter on the clay. In fact, the same Hebrew word is found in the text of both passages. Take time today to consider how God has formed you and is forming you. Pottery is both useful and beautiful. Eugene Peterson writes,

“The life of faith is very physical. Being a Christian is very much a matter of flesh – of space and time and things. It means being thrown on the potter’s wheel and shaped, our entire selves, into something useful and beautiful. And when we are not useful or beautiful we are reshaped. Painful, but worth it.”

Happy Anniversary

“I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness”

Jeremiah 2:2

As I study Jeremiah today, these words have special meaning to me. Today, Lynn and I celebrate our 24^th anniversary. This portion of the verse in chapter 2 rings pretty true to me. Lynn and I were married in 1988 and we have been on an amazing journey together. Thankfully, the rest of Jeremiah 2 is not an accurate depiction of our relationship. Lynn and I remain very much in love and committed to one another. That was not the case in Jeremiah’s time. God’s bride (His people) had forsaken the marriage and abandoned His true love for worthless idolatry. This tender description in Jeremiah 2:2 reminds me just how much God loves His people. The prophetic words of Jeremiah 8:21 are his reflection of the compassion of God. “Since my people are crushed, I am crushed.” The force of judgment described in Jeremiah is harsh. But, behind the judgment is a God who saw His people as a husband sees His bride. Consequently, Jeremiah includes a glimpse forward. Jeremiah reveals the love of God that reaches forward in hope to a time when some of His people return and find healing and redemption in Him.