God’s Promises Weighed on the Balance Scales
In your mind’s eye, please see a set of balance scales. Balance scales are the type we see the blind lady of justice holding, where a heavier weight tilts in that direction but even weight balances out perfectly.
This reading is particularly relevant to us modern day Christians. We are human and certainly subject to human weaknesses and shortcomings. Jeremiah was certainly among the greatest of God’s prophets, yet he was human and this reading gives us a glimpse of that humanness.
Jeremiah was a longsuffering, devoted man of God, who was overcome with discouragement. And he let God know just how he felt. He almost sounds like a Pharisee through and through as he tells God of his dedication and labors, yet his pain is overwhelming.
Wow, I am no Jeremiah but I can sit here and identify with some of that those feelings of discouragement. Can’t you?
We may gripe and complain to each other and even to God but that’s usually about as far as it gets. We don’t sit still and wait for Him to answer.
When you read Jeremiah 15:15-21, you soon find it hard not to recognize in Jeremiah a sense of despair, discouragement and even depression.
Jeremiah was a powerful prophet but it appears that he was often caught right in the middle of conflict and controversy. To pick up on that, go back to Jeremiah 14:14-22. What do you see? I see False teachings and self-serving followers all around him. Don’t you?
Poor Jeremiah is torn and totally absorbed by this great divide between heaven and earth. As he takes his prayers to God, he is even more depressed. Here, God is not as forgiving of His rebellious children as many preach and prophesy.
“Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people.” 15:1 NKJ
God sounds pretty ticked off to me.
“You have forsaken Me.” Says the LORD. You have gone backward. Therefore, I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am weary of relenting.”
Jeremiah 15:6 NKJ
Now, just look at our society today. Over the past fifty years, God and prayer have been removed from our public schools, laws have been enacted that make any display of Christianity on government property a criminal offense, public prayer is discouraged in most public places, abortion has become an acceptable practice, and LGBT lifestyle has also grown into an acceptable practice.
As a result, children grow up, whether in church or not with that popular saying of the 6os: “If it feels good, Do it!” God is no longer a priority in too much of American society today.
Judges and legislators go to church on Sundays (why I don’t know) and continue to promulgate the downward trend of Christianity in America – AND – We keep electing the worst of the worst to govern us.
It is no wonder God is ticked! It is no wonder why so many of our prayers go unanswered.
Dearest, the time and place to address our plight is in the home, in the family, from birth to an age of maturity.
Our children need training. They must learn to walk – learn to tie their shoes – potty training – personal hygiene – nutrition and a Christian life. The attitude of “they’ll make their own decisions when they’re old enough” is a recipe for moral failure, let alone the relationship the God seeks from His creation. This is the number one failure among Christian followers.
We need to and we must set the example in the home and expand their learning in the church setting from an early age.
Can you not see Jeremiah’s dilemma and how it directly parallels with ours of today?
We see Jeremiah standing before the LORD, totally transparent and honest. Jeremiah refuses to give in to his own despair in being rebuked, mocked and lonely.
Now go back and let’s read verse 19 again.
Jeremiah heeds the word of God.
Well you know what? We must also heed the word of God if we are to withstand Rebuke, Mockery and Loneliness, for His sake. No more compromises, for popularity’s sake or any other reason. OBEDIENCE is the answer.
God instructs Jeremiah to “repent”; return to that dedication and service with a clean heart.
The scales: place the discouragement on one side and see how heavy it tilts in that direction. Next place repentance and obedience on the other side and watch how fast the scales balance evenly.
While we are talking about the scales, place all your moral failures, sins of disobedience and walking away from God on the scales. What and how can we ever get those scales to balance again. We simply cannot, no matter what we do.
To balance that scale, we must do just as Jeremiah did. We must repent and submit and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ will settle on the other side of that scale and it will balance perfectly. It will be all because of HIM and not by our doing.
Let us pray.
