READING: Jeremiah 34-36, Hebrews 2
“Thus says the Lord. . . ”
Jeremiah 34:2
Today, I’m struck again by how often our reading speaks of God’s speaking to Jeremiah and to His people:
- “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, . . . ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: . . .’” (Jer. 34:1-2)
- “Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says the Lord concerning you: . . . For I have spoken the word, declares the Lord” (Jer. 34:4-5)
- “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them” (Jer. 34:8)
- “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: . . .’” (Jer. 34:12-13)
- “Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord” (Jer. 34:17)
- “Behold, I will command, declares the Lord, and will bring them back to this city. And they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant” (Jer. 34:22)
- “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: . . .” (Jer. 35:1)
- “Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the Lord” (Jer. 35:12-13)
- “But I have spoken to you time and time again, and you have not obeyed Me!” (Jer. 35:14)
- “Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, I have called to them and they have not answered” (Jer. 35:17)
- “But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: . . . therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me’” (Jer. 35:18-19)
- “In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today’” (Jer. 36:1-2)
- “Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him” (Jer. 36:4)
- “Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:. . .” (Jer. 36:27)
Here’s why these words capture my attention so strongly today: I’ve been in places in the world where people are praying to gods who cannot speak. They may have mouths, but they’re the creation of the people who made them. Their mouths are useless, for they have no message and no means to speak a message if they even had one. That’s not our God! Our God speaks, and things happen. And, He chooses even to speak to us.
We should be amazed, humbled, and deeply grateful.
ACTION STEPS:
- Meditate all day long about the fact that the God of eternity speaks to us.
- Respond to Him with gratitude and praise.
PRAYER: “God, I’m so grateful that You’re the God who speaks to us. Help me to hear You well today.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Jeremiah 37-39, Hebrews 3