Day 346: Opportunity lost! - Jeremiah 18 vs 13 – 23

13 This is what the Lord says: “Has anyone ever heard of such a thing, even among the pagan nations? My virgin daughter Israel has done something terrible! 14 Does the snow ever disappear from the mountaintops of Lebanon? Do the cold streams flowing from those distant mountains ever run dry? 15 But my people are not so reliable, for they have deserted me; they burn incense to worthless idols. They have stumbled off the ancient highways and walk in muddy paths. 16-17 Therefore, their land will become desolate,  a monument to their stupidity. All who pass by will be astonished and will shake their heads in amazement. I will scatter my people before their enemies as the east wind scatters dust. And in all their trouble I will turn my back on them and refuse to notice their distress.”

18 Then the people said, “Come, let’s plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don’t need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let’s spread rumours about him and ignore what he says.” 19-23 Lord, hear me and help me! Listen to what my enemies are saying. Should they repay evil for good? They have dug a pit to kill me, though I pleaded for them and tried to protect them from your anger. So let their children starve! Let them die by the sword! Let their wives become childless widows. Let their old men die in a plague, and let their young men be killed in battle! Let screaming be heard from their homes as warriors come suddenly upon them. For they have dug a pit for me and have hidden traps along my path. Lord, you know all about their murderous plots against me. Don’t forgive their crimes and blot out their sins. Let them die before you. Deal with them in your anger. Jeremiah 18:13-23 New Living Translation's paraphrase (English Standard Version link)

How tragic when a business venture with a golden future goes bankrupt through the greed, dishonesty and extravagant lifestyle of the owners. All that's left is deep regret and perhaps the prospect of prison. Those who read of it in the news are amazed at how the owners lost such a wonderful opportunity for success. In a way, that's what was happening to the Israelites in the days of Jeremiah. Verses 13-17 describe the astonishment the nations would feel when Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews were sent into exile. What was the cause of their downfall and lost opportunity? (vs 15)

They had proved themselves totally unreliable. They had turned their backs on God and chosen the imaginary gods and idols of pagans. They preferred the muddy paths of sinful pleasures to the highway of righteousness. And, on top of that, how did they respond to the messenger God sent to warn them of the danger they were in? (vs 18)

They set out to silence him. Later in this book we read that this included an incident when they took Jeremiah from the cell they'd put him in and “lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. There was no water in the cistern, only a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it.” (Jeremiah 38:6) Jeremiah was rescued on that occasion, but you can understand why he said the prayer we read in vs 19-23. By rejecting him they were also despising God and His word, and rejecting the opportunity for salvation.

Some may think Jeremiah was harsh. But over 500 years later God again sent a messenger to Jerusalem with an opportunity for His salvation. This time it wasn't just a prophet, but His beloved Son, and in Luke 19:41-44 we read: “As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.'” Once again the people of Jerusalem lost salvation’s opportunity. Oh may we not do the same as them.