Yesterday's post and much of the content of today's passage may have felt a little bit...depressing. But I assure you that there are definitely some bright spots.
In much of today's reading, God was dishing out prophesies of destruction on the nations that chased idols and sin instead of Him. Much of the passage felt like a message of, "Look out!" But this excerpt addressed to His people was different:
But you, dear Jacob my servant,
you have nothing to fear.
Israel, there's no need to worry.
Look up!
I'll save you from that far country,
I'll get your children out of the land of exile.
Things are going to be normal again for Jacob,
safe and secure, smooth sailing.
Yes, dear Jacob my servant,
you have nothing to fear.
Depend on it, I'm on your side.
I'll finish off all the godless nations among which I've scattered you,
But I won't finish you off.
I have more work left to do on you.
I'll punish you, but fairly.
No, I'm not finished with you yet."
I love that God's instruction to His people is not to, "Look out!" or live in fear--it's to, "Look up!" and trust Him no matter what.
In The Message version, this excerpt talks about "smooth sailing" for God's people, but I don't think it's the smooth sailing we humans would typically envision. God mentions work that He has left to do on His people and He also mentions punishment (a word that would be absent from most of our definitions of "smooth sailing"). I think the smooth sailing He's referring to is the fact that He's always there--ultimately guiding the ships of His people (to carry out the analogy a bit). God's people don't need to live in fear because He's always with us. If you feel afraid, discouraged or disappointed, I encourage you to follow His advice--"Look up!"
Tomorrow: Jeremiah 49-50
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