Jeremiah 50:20:

“In those days and in that time, declares the LORD, iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.”

What it is really saying is not that Israel will be free from iniquity or that Judah will be altogether sinless, but that the guilt of their iniquity and sin will be absolved and paid for by Christ.

But I really love the phrasing which is present in most translations.

Iniquity and sin shall be sought for, but none shall be found because God has pardoned the remnant. For me this serves as a reminded that God’s pardoning work through Christ is the first and most important element in our sanctification.

God’s pardon produces sanctification, never the other way around.

In the book of Jeremiah, a point comes when God convicts the Israelites of failing to free their slaves after six years as was commanded of them. They repent and finally free the slaves. But as is typical human fasion, it isn’t long before they backslide in their repentance an turn and force their slaves back into labor.

See how the transition is described in the text. Jeremiah 34:16:

“…but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.”

Returning to sin is an act of profanity on God’s name. I guess that is why Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me…”

I’ve never really been much of an environmentally minded person. Don’t get me wrong, I try to recycle when it’s not terribly inconvenient. I generally don’t litter and if possible, I usually try to carpool.

But as a Christian, somewhere in my mind it’s always seemed unnecessary to give much thought to environmental issues. If I really believe that I’m just a ‘sojourner’ in this world and that Jesus is coming back and that our world will be remade, then it seems kind of pointless. I think that most of the Christians I know feel this way, too. At least one some level.

Well, as I read in Jeremiah today, I came across something interesting. Of course, the command isn’t necessarily addressed to me, I think there are principles that could apply.

Jeremiah 29:4-7":

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

The Israelites are in exile—God has made clear that their exile is not permanent. He will restore them eventually. But he also commands them to live ordinarily in their exile and ‘seek the welfare of the city’ where they were sent.

It’s not hard to see how the idea can relate. I can’t help but wonder if it isn’t grounds for me to give deeper consideration to environmental issues.

We’ll see, I guess.

Who remembers this flick from 1996? We watched it tonight on a bit of a whim. A friend hadn’t seen it and being that we’re all Tim Burton fans, it just seemed appropriate.

If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s something of a satire. Not exactly a knee slapper, but then again, I’m not sure it was supposed to be. The basis of the movie is founded mostly on misconceptions and miscommunications between us and a race of alien visitors.

If you haven’t seen the movie, the basic premise is that Martians show up on earth. The government makes the foolhardy assumption that their visit is not hostile (since a more ‘advanced’ race would naturally be more peaceful). But, the assumptions prove wrong and the Martians go on a extermination spree.

At their first arrival, an inventor reveals a machine that is supposed to translate their language to our own. The alien leader gives off some strange squawks which is translated to mean ‘we come in peace’. Of course, seconds later they’re killing everyone in sight.

Throughout the rest of the movie, this machine is a subtle, yet reoccurring joke. At one point two aliens run across a street in a city under attack. One of them is carrying the translation machine. While both of them fire their lasers at people and property, the translation machine repeats, “don’t run, we are your friends”.

It was comical, but I couldn’t help but think of my current reading in Jeremiah.

The Jewish people in Jeremiah’s time had sunken into a lot of different idolatries and corporate sins. Although danger and logic dictated their impending disaster, the prophets of their time assured them that all was well. Except for Jeremiah of course.

I wonder if many of us today don’t live in a kind of Mars-Attacks universe where the obvious dangers around us keep assuring us that we don’t need to run because they’re friends?

The dissention over topics of predestination in the bible begin with the question of man’s depravity. Is man able to do ‘good’ before he is a believer? ‘Good’ like accepting Christ? Some believe that he can, other’s in the reformed tradition believe that he cannot. If man is to accept Christ, God must enable him to do it.

Although there are many verses supporting the reformed understanding of man’s condition, and indeed some apparently in support of the opposition, I came upon this one today and found it’s language compelling.

Jeremiah 13:23:

Can the Ethiopian change his skin
   or the leopard his spots?
Then also you can do good,
   who are accustomed to do evil.

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God argues that the rebellious creatures of man are no more able to do ‘good’ in their natural state than is a person able to change the color of his skin, or a big cat the pattern in his fur.

Jeremiah 6:14:

They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
    saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
    when there is no peace.

The prophets in Jeremiah’s time had stopped preaching the word of God. Instead, they said the things that would bolster their esteem. They tickled the people’s ears with things they wanted to hear. “They healed the would lightly”.

Now, I know that Jeremiah’s time was a specific time in history and that we have to tread lightly over life applications from these pages. But I couldn’t help but see the parallel as I read across this verse.

The teachers, the prophets in our western church, many of them, have stopped preaching the Word of God. Or begun preaching it only in part—leaving the difficult or offensive topics and concepts untouched. Not just the prosperity-gospel church either. I mean many of the churches we attend on a weekly basis.

In the interest of creating a welcoming environment (and securing a mortgage payment), way too many preachers only teach the parts of the bible that can be understood without too much objection. And, without too much risk of scaring people away.

I can’t help but wonder whether or not God would say these same things to our church today that he said through the prophet Jeremiah in his day.

Jeremiah 28:8-9:

The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet.

I think this generation of God’s people ought to be more spiritually discerning. I hesitate to use the word skeptical, but that is exactly what I mean.