In Jeremiah 14:19-22, the people of Israel give one of the greatest confessions in all of the Word of God, yet they refused to bow to His judgment. With their mouth, they confessed their sin, God's sovereignty, and commitment to waiting upon Him. Yet, they refused to wait and sought deliverance by their own strength, which is breaking the Sabbath – "Thus saith the Lord; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day… neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day… But they obeyed not… (Jer 17:21-23)."
This refusal to observe the sabbath is the common heresy of all false religion. No matter what name you call it, it all proclaims the same doctrine: "SALVATION IS NOT OF THE LORD, THEREFORE, I'll take matters into my own hands." And, God knew their heart, so even while the words were hot in their mouth, He rejected them – "Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth… Such as are for death, to death… (Jer 15:1)."
This is the cause of man's destruction; he refuses to wait and be saved by the Lord. He refuses to accept the consequences of Adam's transgression, declare himself totally depraved, and live his days as a debtor to mercy. Thomas Wilcox intimated that human nature would rather buy salvation than trust Christ whom it suspects. And though God says, "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee", only the believer waits.
In fact, even Jeremiah, God's own prophet, was troubled by providence. He received the Word as the joy and rejoicing of his heart, kept it, and brought forth fruit thereby. Yet, amidst tribulation and unbelief, he prays, "Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? Wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail (Jer 15:18)?"
However, our Lord tells him the same thing that He says to us right now, "Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them. And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brazen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord (Jer 15:19-20)."
RETURN, my brother. You question God's faithfulness because you're listening to your flesh. He did not say this was going to be easy (Acts 14:22; II Tim 3:12); from the very beginning He told Jeremiah, "And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee, for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee (Jer 1:19)." This is not a salvation that avoids tribulation; this is a salvation that overcomes it all. All flesh shall fight against the salvation of the Lord… not only the flesh of the ungodly, but yours as well.
Return my brethren. Return to the fact that He does not change. Look yonder to the cross & see WHO sits upon the throne.
1. He is Jesus who was in Luke's gospel – (Acts 1:1, 11) The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach… this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." While on earth, He gave life and power to His doctrine by applying it to the sinner's heart. He never worked a miracle for show, but healed as many as needed healing. And, He is the SAME today; He is still reaching down and touching men's lives. He is still teaching us the power of His Word through deliverance. And, He's still leading, guiding, & governing His disciples in grace, humility, and compassion.
2. He is victorious over every consequence of sin – (Acts 2:32) This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Nothing frustrates His purpose… not even man's most deplorable rebellion. All the sins of God's elect were borne away by the sacrifice of His own soul. None of our failures or murmurings had power to keep Him in the grave. And, while His enemies thought to do away with Him, they only fulfilled His purpose and prepared for His exaltation. Nothing, my beloved brethren, is able to separate us from the love of God. They shall fight against us because they still fight against Him, but they shall not prevail. God has made us a fenced, protected, brazen wall – "… and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass (Ezek 1:7)."
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