Jeremiah 29:10, “For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.”
This chapter describes a letter that Jeremiah is writing to all the captives that had been taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. God is instructing the captives through Jeremiah and rendering judgment upon those who had failed to heed His warnings. The nation was displaced because of their disobedience and Jeremiah is warning them by the Word of God not to be deceived by their own false prophets living among them. Jer. 29:8, “For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. 9For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.”
In the years just previous to their captivity, God had warned His people through His prophets that judgment was coming if they would not hear the Word of the Lord. Jeremiah was not slack in conveying God’s Word to His people. But, the religious leaders and the people raised up their own prophets who delivered a message of prosperity and deliverance right up until the enemy came bursting through the gates of their city. This apostasy continued and followed them into captivity. God would deal with the rebellious! They would be scattered to the four corners of the earth.
But, God instructed “all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon” (v4) to live their lives in peace and increase their numbers. “For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place,” Jer. 29:10. Jeremiah had already prophesied the duration of the captivity in Jer. 25:12, “And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.” In seventy years they would return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city, city walls, and temple. However, they must not listen to the false prophets among them. They must heed the Word of the Lord! Jer. 29:13, ”And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.”
God has “good” planned for all who will answer His call to discipleship. He has a promised (secured) end or divine heritage. We need not question our finish if only we will listen to the voice of God. Oh, to call upon God, to seek His face and hear and see His answer. He promises to hear and respond (hearken). Our challenge is to clearly perceive His response.
“...ye shall seek me, and find me...” God is always available. He is always with us. But we must have a sense of His presence to recognize His voice and to understand what he is doing or planning to do. God's promise is that we will find Him when we search for Him with all our hearts. The human condition requires the intervention of our creator. We always stand in need of God's assistance. The question is, “Do we really want his help?” Are we willing to relinquish control of our lives to Him? He knows the way I take (the path I should follow) and will direct my steps accordingly. God has a plan for us, a plan for good and not evil. He has an expected (secured) finish for His people. LORD, I SEARCH FOR YOU WITH ALL MY HEART! Seek God! He Will Find You!
No comments:
Post a Comment