August 26, 2020: Day 4 – Jeremiah 4

This chapter depicts one of the primary reasons why Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet.  You can see in vs. 5 and following the great destruction that is being foretold.  This is all due to the fact that “The fierce anger of the Lord has not turned away from us.” (vs.8)   This anger then would inevitably lead to “disaster overtakes disaster, the whole land is laid waste.”  

In short, the scene that Jeremiah sets is one that the people of Judah, and especially those residing in Jerusalem, need to be aware that the destruction of the land was upon them.  All of this forecasting comes after the first four verses of the chapter where Jeremiah tells the people that if they are able to return to the Lord…Now, returning to the Lord is actually a very simple task.  It simply means taking away and removing the abominations, the temples, the idols that are dotting the landscape and which are a sign of unfaithfulness to God.

If we were to return to God…”then nations shall be blessed by him, and by him they shall boast.”  That is true for us today as well.  If we turn away from those things which we have made idols, such as power, or greed, or the conviction that we are right, then we will be blessed by God.  God withholds His blessings when we seek out our own gain and our advancement, often at the cost of God’s commands.