GOD’S RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT

 

Rev. Elmer Manzo
Kipling Ave. Baptist Church
Etobicoke, Ontario

JEREMIAH is often called the “weeping prophet” because of his nation’s rebellious attitude against God. Sensitive and sympathetic by nature, he nevertheless was commanded by God to deliver a stern message of judgment. The opposition he faced was cruel and crushing, so much so that more than once he wanted to resign from his office as prophet; yet he continued faithfully to proclaim God’s Word.

The first six chapters of Jeremiah were about God’s judgment against Judah for turning their backs from God. God’s indictment against Judah’s apostasy started with their priests who continued to offer sacrifices that were no longer acceptable by God; to the teachers of the law (Pharisees) who misinterpreted God’s Words; the political leaders (Kings, and the nobles) who blatantly disregarded the warnings given by Jeremiah; and the prophets who gave false messages. All these are stated in chapter 2:1-13. Amidst all these, God had spoken to Jeremiah and said: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Taking this text to our present state, what can we deduce or learn from it? Well, let’s put it this way; all human beings are travelers. Life is the way in which we are all daily hastening. Most of these travelers are only anxious about the way, and utterly thoughtless about the end. They live recklessly of the future. Some think of the end, but are not prepared to forego present enjoyments, and thus to secure unending felicity. But there are few who are living according to the revealed will of God and are ever looking onward to the blissful goal of eternal life.

There are two things that we can glean from this text: First, the Way Is Specified and it is characterized as follows:
1) It is a way of Faith. Many times in the Bible we are to come to God in faith—”Without faith it is impossible to please God.” The Word of God must be believed, before it can produce any saving effect. Christ commanded this. The apostles urged this. The three thousand who accepted Peter’s message have put their faith in Christ. The Philippian jailer put his faith in Christ and so did the people in Samaria.

2) It is the way of Repentance—which includes knowledge of sin. A confession of sin and turning from sin to God. “God commanded that all men should repent.” This repentance is connected with the believing reception of Christ and the gospel.

3) It is the way of a profession of Christ. Christ must be put on. We must depart from the visible broad way of sin and death, and enter the narrow road of life. The Lord Jesus said—”If any man will be my disciple, let him deny himself and follow me.”

4) It is the way of obedience—the obedience of the heart and life to God. Humbly doing the will of our Father who is in heaven. To be religious is to serve Christ; to obey Christ, to follow Christ; to walk so as to please Christ. All these are essential to religion; and these things are to be kept up, and displayed to the end of our lives— faith, repentance, profession and obedience.
Second, we learn about the course which was recommended. This is the ancient path which is the tried and true ways of Judah’s godly ancestors. Israel was instructed to walk on it and when they do so, they will find rest in their souls. Now of course, the way that we need to walk is none other than what our Lord Jesus has prescribed—”I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
Israel failed to walk on the prescribed way. Not long after this, they were conquered and were literally uprooted from their own country and dispersed in the Assyrian Empire. It did not take long for this nation to be removed from their land. It took only 820 years
from the time they entered the promise land to the time they were exiled. All the pain, displacement, and suffering came upon this nation because of their disobedience. They became an apostate nation. And God is true to his Word—”You obey, you will live; if you disobey, you will die.” As Christians, we need to learn from the sad experience of the Jews. They are God’s people yet, they are judged when they adopted the ways and culture including the worship of idols from their neighboring countries. We too will be judged if we continue to copy the ways of the world and disobey the clear mandate of the Word of God. God commands us to—”have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11)