Editor's note: Written during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysian marketplace writer Ivan Tan’s maiden book “What If You Could Complete Jeremiah in 8 Weeks?” goes through the whole book of Jeremiah one chapter at a time. Below is Day 4 for Week 1 (see Day 1, Day 2, Day 4, and Day 6 for Week 1):
Can You Hear God Calling?
Jeremiah 7
13 While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer.
Sometimes it takes only one person to toe the line and save their community, but it would be difficult to even find one soul to abide this way. In Jeremiah 7, God asked Jeremiah to stand at the gate of the temple and proclaim some important reminders to the people. Part of the speech was to get them to realize that this was the house of God where one should never lie in describing the temple. It was also a place of prayers and worship which God would detest having those who oppressed, cheated, and hurt unceasingly, and then pretended to come into the temple to seek refuge like an innocent person. This was what God detested the most.
3 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. 4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!”
9 “‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.
To Him, the people of Israel and Judah had turned their backs on Him. He has called out to them repeatedly to come back to Him, but they turned a deaf ear.
13 While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer.
They had not for one second turned around to reflect how far they had gone but instead continuously rallied the community to worship the false gods and even got the ladies at home to knead dough as part of the sacrifice to the idols.
18 The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger. 19 But am I the one they are provoking? declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?
One week has passed ever since I penned my thoughts from my devotions based on the book of Jeremiah and in all seven chapters, God has indicated that He has sought for us, prompted us and called out to His people repeatedly but to no avail.1 Are you living this way too?
God had in His own way healed those who had crossed the line and hurt Him, yet He was compassionate enough to say that He would not totally destroy the cities although the entire population had forgotten how He lifted them out of the cauldron of troubles and placed them on the path to Promised Land. Instead of being grateful to God, they had proceeded to create their dreamy idols as their spiritual guardian and a false god. Are you living this way too?
23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backwards and not forward.
God detested those who were in high places but who never defended the fatherless or the widow. He has also asked us to be fair and just, but we have bent the rules so badly that it’s giving shame to His name and the people He cares for.
5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6 if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors forever and ever. 8 But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.
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We are living in a time when the world is topsy-turvy thanks to the weakened economy, the fear caused by Covid-19, the unfair and illegal tactics of political manoeuvring in governments and the continuous oppression in the world arising from the flesh trade, organized crime, drugs and even modern slavery within the workplace. these issues all culminated in 2020 when technology and science reached such dizzying heights that they could replace human labour. But it is also with such dominance that we have priced ourselves out of the market, placing our young people out of social standings and increasingly creating strife in life that would hurt every living soul. This and more has been happening worldwide and sometimes to the extent of murdering someone just because of a glare.
We must at once return to the Lord if we are serious about getting His divine protection and to live in the land that He has promised us. Wherever that may be, there is a designated place for you if you so desire to follow the Lord and His ways. The litmus test is whether we are willing to wager our lives for Him first because His promise is eternal for us. Would you live this way?
If the answer is yes, it is highly plausible that even if you set foot in the desert or the wide expanse of the south pole, He will bless you with life, abundance, and joy that you can never ever imagine. The truth is, God has blessed so many when He sent them away from where the normal actions used to be. Think of Moses, Abraham, David, Elijah, Elisha, the list goes on. If you dare to step out and heed His call, a life of righteousness and of bountiful blessings without lack will envelop you without any blemishes or doubt. Question is, will you heed His call and live this way when the time comes?
(The book is available in paperback and e-book format on Amazon.)
To be continued...
