This Day in History: 0000-10-27

October 27 – Jeremiah 9:1-9 

If only my head were a pool of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night for all my people... “My people bend their tongues like bows to shoot out lies. They refuse to stand up for the truth. They only go from bad to worse. They do not know me,” says the Lord…
Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “See, I will melt them down in a crucible and test them like metal. What else can I do with my people? For their tongues shoot lies like poison arrows. They speak friendly words to their neighbors while scheming in their heart to kill them. Should I not punish them for this?” Says the Lord. “Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?” 

Jeremiah is not an easy book to read. The people of Israel had long been exiled because of their rejection of the Lord their God, and now the people of Judah were following in her footsteps. In this very sad book of the Bible we see a God whose heart is broken for the people He so dearly loves. Can you relate? 

I have never more clearly understood my Lord than in this time since experiencing intimate betrayal in my marriage. I finally see the love behind His anger, and His boundaries. It is a righteous anger. One that burns with passion for the people He loves. They are loving boundaries, set up and enforced in order to bring about the best for the people – in order to bring them back to Him! 

Dear sisters, may we see His heart in this passage, and feel His deep love. May it inspire our faithfulness! May we be quick to stand up for the truth, and resolute in our determination to keep our lips from telling lies! May we be women who seek God daily, saturating our minds with His Truth so that we will be people who DO know Him! As His dearly loved daughters, when we are tested with fire, may we emerge like the finest gold – pure and radiant!  

At the same time, may we be inspired by our Lord. May we understand that it is not wrong for love to demand faithfulness! May we see that allowing the ones we love to feel the full pain of the consequences of their sin is sometimes the most loving thing we can do! And may it break our hearts to let it happen – just as it did His! 

(Tomorrow we’ll look at more of this passage to further clarify its message. Be sure to come back and check it out!)