Jeremiah 21 reminds me that we often live in the past. We remember our triumphs, or we relive our mistakes. We fail to notice the changes in our situation, or ourselves. Helpless children refuse to take on adult responsibilities. Older folks just retell stories from the old days. This can also happen in our relationship with God. His mercies are new every morning, but our experiences are dated faded. The chapter begins, “The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord” in response to and inquiry from Zedekiah, king of Judah, as the Babylonians were about to capture the capital city of Jerusalem. The king hoped for a return of the glory days, “Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us”. Israel had ignored and then rejected God. The king had replaced the God of Israel with idol worship, yet when he was in trouble, he thought of his ex. As if they were coming back from summer break, “Let’s just go back to the way things used to be”. Putting on that old dated suit and going back to that old church building will not erase all years of foolishness. The prophet speaks, “Tell Zedekiah… I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands”. This is s sobering thought. What do others see in your hands?
Jeremiah continues, “The Babylonianswho are outside the wall… I will gather them inside this city”. He utters the words none of us ever want to hear, “I Myself will fight against you… in furious anger and in great wrath”. God does not change. We wander away and then blame Him for being distant. Rather than seeking to know Him, we live in hypocrisy and still expect God to bless our actions. God no longer wants to holds hands. “I will give Zedekiah… into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon… He will… show them no mercy or pity or compassion”. Sometimes we need a clear distinction to make good decisions. God is very clear, “I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death”. Jerusalem will be destroyed, “the king of Babylon… will destroy it with fire”. The people can stay and die, or surrender and live. They can no longer live in the past. How about you?
The chapter ends with a new agreement for the “house of David”. God warns, “Administer justice every morning… or My wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done”. He is saying, stop trusting in the relics of the past, start every day remembering Me. God explains that the source of their problem was pride, “Who can come against us? Who can enter our refuge?” Their instruments of worship were covered in layers of rust and dust. They did not even notice God had lifted His hand of protection. Living in Babylon would require a whole new level of devotion for the children of Abraham to survive. God burned the bridge so they could not go back to idolatry, “I will kindle a fire in your forests that will consume everything around you”. People say, I am being judged for my past, but most often they are making new bad decisions because they still see themselves as damaged. Jesus died to buy you back from that old life. He paid the old debt so we can have a fresh start. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Are you ready to surrender the past and live? These are the Glory days!