30 June 2009

Why? – 6.30.09

Jeremiah 2:5 Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

You know the setting. Judah is backslidden and has been for hundreds of years. They're on the brink of being taken captive into Babylon. But God in his mercy calls a man to issue one final warning, to give one final urge to repent and escape the coming judgment. That man was Jeremiah, and he was faithful to his task though his message was mocked, ignored, and reviled.

In Jeremiah 2:5 he poses a very good question to the nation on behalf of the God he represents. What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

The question is as relevant today as it was back then. Because just like the nation of Judah, our churches today are full of saved people who walk after vanity – emptiness; want of substance; fruitless desire or endeavor; idle show; insubstantial enjoyment. They're going to heaven when they die, but in the meantime their focus and attention and affection and effort are directed towards all kinds of different things (sinful or not) that aren't going to matter a bit when they get there. They've got the right God (Judah had that) and the right scriptures (Judah had that), but they're careful not to get too close – they are gone far from me.

The question God asks is WHY? What iniquity have you found in me? When have I ever done you wrong? When have I ever led you astray? When have I ever had anything but your best interest at heart? When have I ever lied or broken a promise I made you? Why are you so afraid to get close to me? When have you every obeyed my words and not been blessed for it in the end?

Now, I understand that all flesh is grass, and we're all "prone to leave the God we love," but at those times when we begin to wander, let's remember to ask ourselves these questions. I don't want to get to the end of my life and have nothing to show for it in eternity. I don't want to spend the little time God has given me here in vain, empty, meaningless pursuits. The God that saved me deserves so much more!

1 comment:

  1. Great post, David! You are right on the mark. May the Lord help us all with this matter.

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