Our daily Bible reading plan has taken us deep into the Old Testament prophecy of Jeremiah. The first twenty chapters of the book could easily be summarized:
- We have no interest in being corrected by the LORD
- We have nothing to fear from Babylon
- Our idols are wonderful
- Jeremiah, who repeatedly rains on our parade, should withdraw from us
But Jeremiah 21 serves as a sharp reminder of a timeless truth: I cannot sow one thing and expect to reap another.
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, “Inquire of the LORD for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.” (Jer 21:1-2)
God’s response: you’ve got another thing coming.
Sections of Scripture like the prophecies of Jeremiah are difficult to read, but the lessons contained therein are invaluable and ever-relevant. My Creator is not a shackled genie in a bottle who can be “made” to do anything. He is not a butler to be dismissed and summoned when I desire. He is not a panic button or an emergency brake, and he will not be mocked. To sing of his wonderful deeds on Sunday morning, box him up on Sunday evening, ignore him on Monday, all while expecting him to remain on retainer at my beck and call is to travel an ancient, well-worn pathway repeatedly labeled DESTRUCTION.
Do not be deceived. We live and move within a created order governed by this enduring principle: Whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
Let’s sow wisely this week.