‘”Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? But they have not become contrite even to this day, nor have they feared nor walked in My law or My statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.” ’ “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am going to set My face against you for woe, even to cut off all Judah. And I will take away the remnant of Judah who have set their mind on entering the land of Egypt to reside there, and they will all meet their end in the land of Egypt; they will fall by the sword and meet their end by famine.'” (Jeremiah 44:9-12, NASB)
The Prophet Jeremiah received many messages from God, which He told Jeremiah to pass on to the kings of Judah and to the people. God’s patience with His people was wearing thin, and He was about to send the Babylonian armies of King Nebuchadnezzar against them, and send a remnant of people who wouldn’t be killed into exile. The Bible passage above is one of those warnings from God. I believe it has implications for us today.
Jeremiah begins with God speaking. God is reminding Judah of the “wickedness” of her ancestors, the kings, and themselves. Further, God tells them, “they have not become contrite even to this day, nor have they feared nor walked in My law or My statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.”
The Pilgrims sailed to a new land to escape religious persecution in England. After their arrival at Plymouth, they made a covenant with God, and compared themselves to “a city on a hill,” whose light shines brightly. Our Founding Fathers and Mothers often compared our Nation to Israel, and thought of America as the Promised Land. They believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and understood that if our people strayed from Him there would be consequences.
https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Humble-Yourself
Continuing in our text, God tells Judah of the consequences of its wickedness: “I am going to set My face against you for woe, even to cut off all Judah.” Pretty scary! It’s frightening to fall into the hands of the Living God, yet that’s what happens when His people turn their backs on Him. And we as a Nation, individually and collectively, have done just that.
What will be the consequences? Or are we seeing them already? Plagues (COVID-19)? Weather (Ian)? Other widespread disasters (9/11)? We probably have yet to see the full extent of God’s anger. But there is good news: Jesus! Many, including myself, are praying for revival in our land, for a Great Awakening. The Bible tells us that “If . . . my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14) We all need Jesus. In Him is my Hope.
Picture this – 3 am in the morning, I had a line of fiends stretched around the corner of my block. It was in the freezing middle of January but they had camped out all night, jumping-ready to buy like there was a sale on Jordans. If you were 16 years old, in my shoes, you’d do anything to survive, right? I got good news though; I MADE IT OUT OF THE HOOD, with nothing but a laptop and an internet connection. I’m not special or lucky in any way. If I, as a convicted felon that used to scream “Free Harlem” around my block until my throat was sore, could find a way to generate a stable, consistent, reliable income online, ANYONE can! If you’re interested in legitimate, stress-free side hustles that can bring in $3,500/week, I set up a site you can use: https://incomecommunity.com