Jeremiah 15:4 – Downstream from the Heart of the King
I will hand them over to trouble, to all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem. Jeremiah 15:4, New King James Version
"We have no right to renounce all that is wrong in another person, place, or culture," warns Pete Greig's Dirty Glory, "until we have recognized all that is right, good, and useful."
Jeremiah 15:4 reminds us that both aspects are on display in the most influential figures, whom Malcolm Gladwell calls the tipping points of a given culture. It is an undeniable biblical reality that in some seasons we get the ruler who approaches what we deserve and that he or she reinforces the worst aspects of the culture. Jeremiah 15:4 shows some of the frightful cost of sin as the people then pay for the sins of the monarch, the mogul, or the celebrity they have revered instead of reserving themselves unto God.
Yet, even here there is grace. Part of God's penalty on this culture which, like a fish, is rotting from the head, is exile. While this involves dislocation which is disorienting, humbling, and initially painful, new mercy comes hereafter. Among the places He will send His people is Babylon, and He will fully integrate them there.
He will teach them, command them, to pray for the peace of that place. He will insist that they plant vineyards and build houses. He will position Mordechai to save the life of the king, and Esther with such favor that she actually wins the heart of Artaxerxes. As God moves the heart of leaders, people prosper. This is the flipside of what Jeremiah 15:4 points out, that people suffered under the evil Manasseh.
Even without political exile, God can use these same principles in our lives. He can teach us to hold loosely to the human heroes and villains in our story. At His dictate, He can change them. Those for whose sins we suffer by association can be toppled. He can bring godly leadership from the most unpromising cultural soil. Even as He might change our circumstances in ways we initially resent, He can show aspects of Himself through people in whom we have no reason to expect godliness. Are we open to it?
This discipline of openness as administrations and influences come and go, as circumstances change, is best cultivated by reserving our deepest affection for the King Who is to come and Whose throne will never be shaken. If we set our hearts on Christ and plead for His coming quickly, we will never have to acclimate to His feet of clay, account for His falling short of His promises, or plan for His successor. Christ is the One Who is and Who is to come. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the coming, perfect ruler who motivated Joseph, and Daniel, and Esther to serve their earthly monarchs sincerely.
We look, then, to the trends of each age and resolutely see whatever is pure and good, whatever reflects the aspect of Him we will enjoy forever. Knowing our rulers are also heirs of Manasseh because we are all heirs of Adam, we are with John the revelator when he cries, "Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus."
"We have no right to renounce all that is wrong in another person, place, or culture," warns Pete Greig's Dirty Glory, "until we have recognized all that is right, good, and useful."
Jeremiah 15:4 reminds us that both aspects are on display in the most influential figures, whom Malcolm Gladwell calls the tipping points of a given culture. It is an undeniable biblical reality that in some seasons we get the ruler who approaches what we deserve and that he or she reinforces the worst aspects of the culture. Jeremiah 15:4 shows some of the frightful cost of sin as the people then pay for the sins of the monarch, the mogul, or the celebrity they have revered instead of reserving themselves unto God.
Yet, even here there is grace. Part of God's penalty on this culture which, like a fish, is rotting from the head, is exile. While this involves dislocation which is disorienting, humbling, and initially painful, new mercy comes hereafter. Among the places He will send His people is Babylon, and He will fully integrate them there.
He will teach them, command them, to pray for the peace of that place. He will insist that they plant vineyards and build houses. He will position Mordechai to save the life of the king, and Esther with such favor that she actually wins the heart of Artaxerxes. As God moves the heart of leaders, people prosper. This is the flipside of what Jeremiah 15:4 points out, that people suffered under the evil Manasseh.
Even without political exile, God can use these same principles in our lives. He can teach us to hold loosely to the human heroes and villains in our story. At His dictate, He can change them. Those for whose sins we suffer by association can be toppled. He can bring godly leadership from the most unpromising cultural soil. Even as He might change our circumstances in ways we initially resent, He can show aspects of Himself through people in whom we have no reason to expect godliness. Are we open to it?
This discipline of openness as administrations and influences come and go, as circumstances change, is best cultivated by reserving our deepest affection for the King Who is to come and Whose throne will never be shaken. If we set our hearts on Christ and plead for His coming quickly, we will never have to acclimate to His feet of clay, account for His falling short of His promises, or plan for His successor. Christ is the One Who is and Who is to come. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the coming, perfect ruler who motivated Joseph, and Daniel, and Esther to serve their earthly monarchs sincerely.
We look, then, to the trends of each age and resolutely see whatever is pure and good, whatever reflects the aspect of Him we will enjoy forever. Knowing our rulers are also heirs of Manasseh because we are all heirs of Adam, we are with John the revelator when he cries, "Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus."
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