Freedom and forgiveness

Today: Jeremiah 32-34

It's Sunday. And it's the Fourth of July.

As a Christian and as an American, I'm celebrating two kinds of freedom today--the first is the freedom my ancestors bled for. They lived and died to protect the belief, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The second? The freedom Christ lived and died for--that you and I and all of humanity can be freed from sin and death because of His sacrifice.

When I read today's passage, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it included some of God's history of giving freedom to His people. Here's what Jeremiah said:

'You performed signs and wonders in the country of Egypt

and continue to do so right into the present,

right here in Israel and everywhere else, too.

You've made a reputation for yourself that doesn't diminish.

You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders—

a powerful deliverance!—

by merely stretching out your arm.

You gave them this land

and solemnly promised to their ancestors a bountiful and fertile land.

But when they entered the land and took it over,

they didn't listen to you..."

Isn't that the story of humanity? When given freedom, we bind often ourselves to something--and often, it's some form of sin. We reject our Deliverer and real freedom for a cheap imitation of independence. The truth is, there's no such thing as independence--real freedom always depends on Someone (or someone) else.

In this passage, God talked about the consequences of His people's sin. But He did not leave them without hope--and He never leaves us without hope, either:

"This is God's Message,

the God who made earth,

made it livable and lasting,

known everywhere as God:

'Call to me and I will answer you.

I'll tell you marvelous and wondrous things

that you could never figure out on your own.'

I love the turnaround outlined in this passage--the preview of a comeback story. God promised that when His people reached out to Him, He would forgive and restore them--bringing a fresh dose of freedom to their lives:

"But now take another look.

I'm going to give this city a thorough renovation,

working a true healing inside and out.

I'm going to show them life whole,

life brimming with blessings.

I'll restore everything that was lost...

I'll build everything back as good as new.

I'll scrub them clean from the dirt they've done against me.

I'll forgive everything they've done wrong, forgive all their rebellions..."

Tomorrow: Jeremiah 35-37