“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11
This famous verse comes amid pages of lamentation. Jeremiah, sometimes called “the weeping prophet” because of his grief-laden words, warns God’s people of impending doom. The mournful lament of God enhances the prophet’s sorrow for his homeland and its people as He speaks through Jeremiah. It is a verse often used out of context as a promise of God. It is, in fact, the pleading of a benevolent, loving Master who is witnessing the disaster that He foresaw as they strayed from His precepts. To grasp its true meaning, one must imagine the words spoken through sobbing.
The old covenant prophets frequently admonished the leaders of the people against oppression and neglect, especially of the poor, the widowed, and the orphaned. It seems that worship of false gods and disregard for the helpless go hand in hand. The false gods of the flesh encourage pride and lead to intensifying selfishness and generate oppression. When hard times come home to roost among the prosperous and powerful, they will cry out, “Why, O Lord? What have we done to deserve this?” They will claim entitlement because of their proud support of institutional religion and their union with like-minded social worshipers. They even punish the prophet who holds them accountable in God’s Name.
An old saying proclaims that there are none so blind as those who will not see. It is trustworthy and true. No wonder the LORD weeps when he watches the people whom He loves relentlessly sliding into the open mouth of Satan, who roams the earth looking for a soul to devour. Sometimes the Father allows punishment to redeem the lost. An unraveling selfish paradigm can expose its owner to repentance and transformation. Like Adam, he is now aware of his nakedness before God. Raw humility and supplication stir the LORD’s compassion so that He covers naked sin and compassionately raises the contrite heart.
The self-made man or woman who credits success to ambition and shrewd dealing will find it hard to turn toward repentance and submission. Sacrificing it all to the LORD in exchange for His wisdom is often too much to consider. That was Israel and Judah’s problem. They had become so sure of themselves that they disregarded the source of all life and sustenance. They had forgotten the God who led them out of slavery, trained them, and made a place for them to prosper.
The next time it feels as if God has abandoned you, consider your life and its choices and consequences. Think about what your pride and selfishness may have wrought. Consider the siren call of the gods of the flesh. Think about the poor, the widow, the orphan, and all oppressed by matters beyond their control. To what extent have you engaged them? The prophet still calls upon the influential and powerful persons to repent their pride and abandon their oppression. He cries out to those who control their lives to resist spiritual, intellectual, and physical laziness. He comforts the victims of circumstance and wickedness, assuring them of the LORD’s plans for hope and prosperity.
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