Healed and Saved to His Praise
2019-09-02, Verse of the Day Devotional
“Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For You are my praise.” (Jeremiah 17:14 NKJV)
This plea for healing and salvation comes immediately on the heels of a dire proclamation of judgement against Judah. The southern kingdom of God’s people, Judah, having retained godly kings for a longer period than the northern kingdom of Israel, had only recently fallen away to the point of God’s judgement. At this point, however, they faced destruction and dispersion similar to that previously meted out on their northern neighbors.
Included in this prophecy is some of the most effective metaphorical imagery in all of scripture, demonstrating the two sources of confidence anyone can choose.
“Thus says the LORD:
‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the LORD.
For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
And whose hope is the LORD.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.’” (Jeremiah 17:5-8 NKJV)
This cursing and blessing contrast combines both subjects covered in the past two days’ verse-of-the-day. The one who trusts in that which can be seen (the temporal) is cursed by his dependence thereon, while the one who relies on the unseen God of all creation is blessed. In both cases, their state is compared to one who lacks or has abundance of living waters, respectively.
Yahweh then proclaims His standard of measurement.
“‘The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.’” (Jeremiah 17:9-10 NKJV)
Those who live according to the flesh can sometimes deceive earthly observers by their actions but God reminds that He knows. While their actions may seem righteous on the surface, they may have surreptitious motives which contradict those actions. The Almighty makes clear that He discerns our motivations and judges not simply by what we do but the results, or fruit, of those deeds.
In response to all this, Jeremiah cries out, as a child would to their loving parent, asking for mercy and healing. This brings to mind Isaiah’s proclaiming, upon realizing He was in the presence of the Lord of Hosts;
“So I said:
‘Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts.’” (Isaiah 6:5 NKJV)
Such is the reaction of one who recognizes they are used as an oracle of God
Almighty. The anointing of God, through his Holy Spirit, is a daunting experience. The only appropriate response is to humbly recognize one has been used of God. In Jeremiah’s case, he found himself, as part of the nation on whom God has proclaimed His judgement, asking for mercy in the midst of chastisement of his fellow citizens.
In Genesis 18, Abraham pled for mercy on the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, for the sake of his nephew, Lot, and Lot’s family, but not even ten righteous men were to be found in those cities. In Exodus 32, Moses prevailed upon Yahweh to reconsider His determination to destroy the Children of Israel and start over with Moses, saving his people from destruction. By the time of Jeremiah, the time for that kind of intercession had passed and a plea for personal mercy was all he could do.
In our nation today, there can be little doubt that at some point, the other shoe will drop, after which there is no turning back. Modern-day prophets have proclaimed God’s judgement on our nation for its sins. We are to test the prophets, according to scriptural mandate, and some do not pass muster. We would do well, however, to pay attention to the message going forth from may quarters.
Jesus commanded us to to be salt and light, to season our community and light the way with the grace, faith, love and righteousness to which we are called. This is our greatest expression of praise to His Name, to live as He commanded us. As we walk in His mercy and live in His healing, may our lives redound in praise to Him.
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