Bible Reading: Jeremiah 50:1-10
“In those days and in that time, declares the LORD, the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, weeping as they come, and they shall seek the LORD their God. They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned towards it, saying ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.” (Jeremiah 50:4-5)
God is faithful. He always was, and He always is. After all of Jeremiah’s prophecies about Judah’s destruction and God’s wrath against them, then also the exile to Babylon coming true, God still proclaims that He had not left His people and that He was still looking after them.
When Babylon invaded and took over Judah, it would have felt as if God had left His people and surrendered them to their own evil. The religious leaders had all gone astray into ungodliness, leading the people to turn from God to foreign idols. The kings had decided to disobey God. The culture had become paganistic, and it seemed like no one cared about God. If God were to abandon His people and punish them all, that seems about right.
If everyone were punished for good, that would be just. As at the beginning of Jeremiah, God’s people had committed adultery against Him. They had left Him and cheated with other gods. God has the right to file a divorce. He has the right to leave His people to their own.
Yet, our God is a faithful God. As the exile began, God promised how He would also judge all the evil nations who had overrun Judah. God had not left His people to be conquered by evil. He promised that He would punish the evil nations, yet, He would preserve a remnant of His people.
Who is like our God? He never leaves or forsakes His chosen people. Despite the evils that we commit and the evils that befall us as a consequence of this fallen world, God works to create goodness out of it all. He does not abandon us, but He continues to show Himself to be the all-faithful and all-loving God.
Although it may seem as if evil prevails all around us, God is still faithful and sovereign. God has made an everlasting covenant with His people, which is sealed with Christ’s blood. In Christ, we have been justified. As we sojourn through this life, He is sanctifying us. And, we are all awaiting the glorification where we will live with God forever in Zion.
Sometimes we lose sight of God’s faithfulness. But He is always there. He never leaves. And He will bring victory to all His people, which will be made known on the last day.
Lord, thank You that Your Word teaches us of Your faithfulness. Thank You that You are still the faithful God who has not changed from the time of Jeremiah till today. Help us to trust in You no matter what evil seems to reign around us. Stamp our eyes with a vision of that future day where You have promised to restore all things under Christ’s Lordship. In Jesus’ name, amen.
