July 4th - Reflection

Jeremiah 27:1-11, 16-22 (NRSV) Jeremiah wears the evil yoke In the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah son of Josiah of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. Thus the Lord said to me: Make yourself a yoke of straps and bars, and put them on your neck. Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of Judah. Give them this charge for their masters: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the people and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever I please. Now I have given all these lands into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him even the wild animals of the field to serve him. All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave. But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this king, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, then I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, says the Lord, until I have completed its destruction by his hand. You, therefore, must not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon.' For they are prophesying a lie to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land; I will drive you out, and you will perish. But any nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave on its own land, says the Lord, to till it and live there. ... Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus says the Lord: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you, saying, "The vessels of the Lord's house will soon be brought back from Babylon," for they are prophesying a lie to you. Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a desolation? If indeed they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, then let them intercede with the Lord of hosts, that the vessels left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon. For thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, the sea, the stands, and the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take away when he took into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon King Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim of Judah, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem -- thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: They shall be carried to Babylon, and there they shall stay, until the day when I give attention to them, says the Lord. Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place. Reflection God gives power to anyone God chooses. There are times when it is necessary for us to listen to and heed the words spoken through prophets. There will be no more local gods, only Yahweh, the Creator and Ruler of the world. There were so many false prophets of local gods and now also false prophets of God in this time that spoke for their local rulers to please them that God didn't want the voice of Jeremiah to be drowned out in the nonsense. Jeremiah spoke true prophecy from God. So, Jeremiah's message to the priests was one in common. The sacred vessels will be carried into captivity. God was in this thing and behind this exile. Sometimes today we need to search and listen for God's voice in the midst of so many confusing voices. We need to discern what is from God and what is not. We try to figure out who to follow and who may misguide us. And it gets confusing. If we look at the life of Jeremiah we see someone with a focus on God. He followed what his spirit told him through the worshipping spirit inside of him. Jeremiah new about sin and saw the harm sin brought into this world and the penalty that would be paid for sin. So by maintaining focus on God with all of the noise of other gods and false prophets around him, Jeremiah was chosen to speak the true prophecy of God. In this forms that personal relationship we develop with God. When we focus on God and come to God in a close personal walk through the wilderness and distortion of outside noises that tend to draw us away from God. This personal walk with God draws us out to declare the truth to our friends in a loving caring way that we wish for them also. Thanks be to God for the life and focused message of Jeremiah. Prayer Lord, when I get lost in the noise and the darkness of this wilderness of life, let me hear the voice of your prophets and see the true Word you give in Jesus and the written Word handed down. Maintain my focus on you, even in the toughest of times...today...tomorrow...and forever. --- Amen