Psalm 78:1-39; Jer. 7:21-34; Rom. 4:13-25; John 7:37-52
What a horrific vision of devastation. As I write this the world is coming to grips with the earthquake and tsunami in Japan (2011) and I just read a headline that a tide of 1000 bodies washed ashore, crematoriums are overwhelmed and aid workers have run out of body bags. Our minds reel at such things and yet Jeremiah has to tell his own people that the Lord plans this against his people as punishment for their sins. What is the Lord’s main complaint? They have relied too heavily on sacrifice and too lightly on obedience. Sacrifice is for those who have failed to obey and as they have become a wealthy nation, they can afford to sin more. Obedience is God’s preference, not more sacrifices. He wants a people who will show the world what it means to live according to His plan, not a people who count on forgiveness.
There is some parallel between this passage and the Samaritan woman at the well. Here, they are celebrating God’s provision of water as they move through a dry season and towards a rainy one. They celebrate by pouring out the water they have in joyful expectation of new provision from God. Jesus stands in the midst of this celebration and offers what He offered the Samaritan woman, rivers of water from inside. The people don’t have a consensus about what to make of this, but we don’t see what we see in Samaria, people believing completely in Him. There are too many other voices to listen to, too many other opinions, for them to obey only Jesus’ voice.
Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness and Paul points out that Abraham proved his faith by believing that in spite of the impossibility of fathering a child at nearly 100, with God it was indeed just possible that he and Sara would conceive. His faith wasn’t complete, the Lord had to urge him in this regard, and Sara certainly thought it was a joke, but Abraham continued to walk in righteousness. In the Christian faith we continue to walk in righteousness and seek after the things of God rather than setting our lives on anything else. We are impelled by a vision of the kingdom of God and our lives are oriented towards that goal. We have received Jesus’ offer of this water of true life and we are pursuing righteousness. Does that describe you? Is your number one goal in life Christ-likeness?
Lo! the hosts of evil ’round us,
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways.
From the fears that long have bound us,
Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the living of these days,
For the living of these days.
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