I will make you know that my name is Jehovah

I will make you know that my name is Jehovah

 

Jeremiah 16:14-21

 

 

The LORD says, "I will no longer swear by the LORD, who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, but by the LORD, who brought them out of the land of the north and from all the lands from which they were driven."

And he said that he would send many fishermen and hunters to catch Israel as he would hunt them. Because they defiled the land of God with corpse-like idols and filled it with disgusting idols. Jeremiah confesses that the Lord has become my strength, fortress, and refuge in times of trouble, and the idols handed down by our ancestors are false, vain, and completely useless. God makes known His authority and power to them, and makes them realize that His name is “Jehovah.”

 

God caused the Israelites who left Egypt to be expelled to the north, to Babylon, because of their sins, but God leads them back to the land of promise and restores them (14,15). The tests and disciplines given to our lives must also be interpreted within the New Exodus (Cross and Resurrection) events to which we belong. It is faith to entrust the saving case of Jesus to shape my life.

 

If God's will is refinement and purification through judgment, then accepting that judgment is faith (16-18). Just as a fisherman catches every fish that is widely spread, and a hunter hunts every game hidden in mountains, rocks, and caves, God will find and judge the people of Judah no matter how much they hide. Even if you pretend to be godly and hide your sins, God will expose the things that have polluted God's holy land with 'carcasses of hateful things (idols)' and hold you accountable for the evil. Salvation is not condoning sin. A person can never hide his sins. God observes all your actions and settles (judges) all your actions. Let's see if I have any secret sins. Let's not try to hide it, but confess honestly before God and pay the bill properly.

 

God is my only strength, fortress and refuge in times of trouble. And through judgment and salvation, He makes us realize that He is 'Jehovah' (19~21). You can come to know God through judgment in times of peace, and you can experience God's power through salvation in times of trouble. Let's meet the Lord of salvation, not the Lord of judgment.

 

God, You are my strength, my fortress and refuge. Protect and save me today!

 

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