Saturday 29th August
Read Jeremiah 5:20-25
“‘Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
and proclaim it in Judah:
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:
22 Should you not fear me?’ declares the Lord.
‘Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
they have turned aside and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
“Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.”
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.” (NIVUK)
How awesome is the creative power of the words of the God they have abandoned? Life and creative power is found with Him. The boundaries of land and sea (v22), the seasons themselves (v24), bear witness to this. But, in homage to a repeated prophetic theme, Jeremiah declares that the people have become what they worship. Just as idols are mute, blind and deaf, so too are the people (v21). Rather than worship the one who brings life, they follow creation itself and their hearts are fixed against Him, resistant to His word.
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.” (Romans 1:18-23) (NIVUK)
