The Wickedness of Jerusalem
“Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city! She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received correction; she has not trusted in the Lord, she has not drawn near to her God. Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave not a bone till morning. Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.
The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, but the unjust knows no shame. “I have cut off nations, their fortresses are devastated; I have made their streets desolate, with none passing by. Their cities are destroyed; there is no one, no inhabitant. I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me, you will receive instruction’—So that her dwelling would not be cut off, despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.
A Faithful Remnant
“Therefore wait for Me,” says the Lord, “Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations to My assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, all My fierce anger; all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy.
“For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the Lord,
to serve Him with one accord. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, the daughter of My dispersed ones, shall bring My offering. In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds
In which you transgress against Me; for then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall no longer be haughty in My holy mountain. I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.”
Joy in God’s Faithfulness
Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
“I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, who are among you, to whom its reproach is a burden. Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, and gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame. At that time I will bring you back, even at the time I gather you; for I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I return your captives before your eyes,” says the Lord.”
God is going to punish Jerusalem! All these years when Jerusalem’s citizens have been pouring libation on their rooftops at night, running off to fertility rites, sacrificing their children to Molech, and pursuing all manner of arcane rituals, God has been watching. The princes, judges, and priests of Jerusalem are the very people who should be promoting righteousness; instead, they are the worst of the lot. When God has sent punishment to try to wake the people up, they have simply become worse.
Fire purifies and God plans to send the fire of His jealousy to consume everything evil. Why should God be jealous? God has given men the earth and all good things to enjoy. God has sent His word and His law, and yet, people are not paying the slightest attention. There is a tale about a spider who was spinning the perfect web. Examining the web, the spider saw one strand that was not symmetrical and decided to cut it. But that was the strand from which the entire web was hanging, and without it, the web collapsed. The citizens of Jerusalem and Judah have turned their backs on the One who can save and deliver them.
““For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the Lord,
to serve Him with one accord.” “I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.” What has been going on in Jerusalem? Even the speech of its citizens has become corrupted and debased. But God is planning to send His peace and purity.
“Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” God wants to dwell with His people and will surely save and protect those who love Him.
“I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, who are among you, to whom its reproach is a burden. Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, and gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame. At that time I will bring you back, even at the time I gather you; for I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I return your captives before your eyes,” says the Lord.” What can be better than restoration and healing? God is the One who restores and heals.
APPLICATION: Are you grieved by the evil you see around you? So is God! Do you long for restoration, hope, divine healing and peace? God will be that source. “But,” you ask, “why are so many believers around the world suffering and even dying for their faith? Where is God in the midst of that carnage?” Good question. Jesus warned his disciples that “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
One of the paradoxes of being a believer is that we can have joy in the midst of our pain. 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 tells us, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” Saint Paul didn’t get to be a saint by lounging around; he was beaten, shipwrecked, and endangered by bandits on the roads. Paul went hungry and thirsty many times and eventually died by having his head chopped off at the whim of a Roman emperor. This scarcely sounds like a recipe for joy, and yet, Paul was profoundly joyful.
In an earlier era, Timex advertised that its watches would “Take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. Believers who trust in God are like those Timex watches. Native Americans believed that each time they conquered an enemy, they gained strength spiritually. Each time we face a major challenge and God brings us through, our faith grows exponentially.
Do you feel hard pressed on every side? Perplexed? Persecuted and forsaken? Struck down? Threatened with destruction? Remember that when you ask, God will still be with you to save you. God wants to rejoice over you with singing and with shouts of joy! What does “shouts of joy mean?” These shouts are the way you shout when your favorite sports team scores points and wins. You would shout this way if something truly wonderful and magnificent happened in your life. Now realize that God is rejoicing over you in that fashion. You don’t have to FEEL that God is rejoicing; He will do it anyway.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us are feeling hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted and forsaken, struck down and threatened with destruction. Frankly, we feel trapped by our circumstances! But You have promised that You will be right there with us, singing songs of victory over us and comforting us. Lord, please comfort all who are reading these words and help them to know the depth of Your love. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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