Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Challenge
- Challenge: God does not merely wish us to be in relationship with Him as we are. He challenges us to grow, stretch, and transform as we take on the mantle of being His representatives to this world.
Jeremiah
opens this chapter by lodging a complaint with God. Mind you, this isn’t a complaint against God
as we would see it. He isn’t blaming God
for making these people evil. Jeremiah
is complaining because he sees all of the unrighteous people around him going
allowed to be unrighteous and not getting any punishment. Jeremiah is wondering why it is that the
unrighteous prosper.
That’s
really the challenge of the righteous, isn’t it? The people of righteousness are called to do
the right thing regardless of how other people behave. When we see people living unrighteously and
prospering, it can be difficult for us to stay the course of
righteousness. It can be difficult for
us to understand why the unrighteous prosper in a world over which God is
supposed to be King.
That’s
what Jeremiah is thinking and feeling.
That’s the challenge with which Jeremiah wrestles. But God comes in and shows Jeremiah the way
through the challenge. God reminds Jeremiah
about perspective. We see with a
perspective of “now.” We want
righteousness now. We want justice
now. We want a verdict now. God sees with a perspective of “all.” God knows judgment is coming. God knows the judgment will sift the righteous
away from the unrighteous. God knows
that the judgment will bring the righteous back into restoration. We see now; God sees all.
For the
record, in Christianity we can also see through the lens of eternal. We should always be willing to let go of the current
events in light of the future existence.
Isn’t it worth putting up with a little unrighteous prospering knowing
that God will make an eternity of perfection?
Isn’t the future life with God worth allowing God to give the
unrighteous enough rope to prove why God’s judgment is righteous?
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