Coming Up For Air

18 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents, And have mercy on his dwelling places; The city shall be built upon its own mound, And the palace shall remain according to its own plan. 19 Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving And the voice of those who make merry. Jeremiah 30:18-19a, New King James Version Screwtape's speech drips with condescension. In his thirteenth letter to his nephew, CS Lewis's fictional demon responds to a setback in which "the patient" they would work together to damn grows closer to God through an intimate worship experience. You should've known, he says. "You first of all allowed the patient to read a book he really enjoyed, because he enjoyed it and not in order to make clever remarks about it to his new friends. In the second place, you allowed him to walk down to the old mill and have tea there – a walk through the country he really likes, and taken alone. In other words you allowed him t...

16 ‘Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured; And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; Those who plunder you shall become plunder, And all who prey upon you I will make a prey. 17 For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord, ‘Because they called you an outcast saying: “This is Zion; No one seeks her.” Jeremiah 30:16-17, New King James Version "Defeat, particularly dramatic defeat," writes Roger Kahn in Boys of Summer , "confirms our worst image of ourselves. We are not effective, after all, not truly competent, not manly in crisis. We may dismiss a coach, but we cannot elude blame. We have failed. Everyone knows we have failed. We know it ourselves. We stand naked, before an unflattering mirror, hearing hard laughter that includes our own." We see the principle at work in Jeremiah 30:16-17. Defeats themselves can be reversed. Even at a national, cultural level, events can change. Former victor...

15 Why do you cry about your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you. Jeremiah 30:15, New King James Version "Crying is all right in its way while it lasts," writes CS Lewis in The Silver Chair . "But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide what to do." Thus God in Jeremiah 30:15 insists that we make the most of our times of tears. His pointed question is as to their source. Why are you crying? What is causing the dissonance between where you want to be and where you are? Our motivations for crying are as ambiguous as the heart from which they flow. Jerry Bridges confesses in The Pursuit of Holiness , "Even our tears of repentance need to be washed in the blood of the Lamb." We need to be told in no uncertain terms, as God conveys through Jeremiah, that whatever emotional catharsis we may experience, whatever impression w...

All your lovers have forgotten you; They do not seek you; For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, With the chastisement of a cruel one, For the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased. Jeremiah 30:14, New King James Version "Knocking heroes off pedestals," writes Scott Lambert in his baseball biography Pujols ,"is a spectator sport." God warns of the fickle nature of people's adoration in Jeremiah 30:14. In fact, He will use its transience to prove how different He is. As His people begin to suffer some of the consequences of their sins, their shine comes off in the sight of those who once expressed interest. They are forgotten. Infatuation is quickly fixed on something or someone else. But God engages in what He calls a kind of cruelty to a Divine end. As His people are less distracted by people telling them how beautiful they are, how splendid their blessings are, and how they will continue to enjoy them apart from discipline ...

12 “For thus says the Lord: ‘Your affliction is incurable, Your wound is severe. 13 There is no one to plead your cause, That you may be bound up; You have no healing medicines. Jeremiah 30:12-13, New King James Version "There in the Sahara winds," Rich Mullins sings in his song, "My Deliverer Is Coming," Jesus heard the whole world cry for the healing that would flow from his own scars." Likewise, His hearing proved acute and discerning in Jeremiah 30:12-13. As much as His remnant, being corrected in exile, fears His wrath and exposure that they cannot bring about their redemption in themselves, God says in these verses that their sickness is already within them. It isn't His chastisement by which they suffer. It is the impact of their sin. As Anthony Lane says in The New Yorker , "Every human being is a puzzle of need." Forlorn, we don't have it within ourselves to plead for help. Like Job, they need a Mediator. Medicines may address symptom...

 For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’ Jeremiah 30:11, New King James Version Charles Spurgeon is expansive in Morning and Evening . He catalogs, "As for animate creatures, they all own His dominion, and from the great fish which swallowed the prophet, down to 'all manner of flies,' which plagued the field of Zoan, all are His servants." As this multifaceted sovereignty is expressed differently to and through the imposing great fish and the vulnerable flies, so we see God's nuanced approach to expressing His sovereignty over His human creations in Jeremiah 30:11. We need this particular reminder of scale, perspective and purpose. Without it, brothers and sisters, we tend toward an all-or-nothing approach in our theology. What exertion of power, after all, does it...

10 ‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the Lord, ‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid. 11 For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you; Jeremiah 3:10-11a, New King James Version "If you would know experimentally the preciousness of the promises," Spurgeon challenges and invites in Morning and Evening in reference to God's Word, "and enjoy them in your own heart, meditate much upon them. There are promises which are like grapes in the wine-press; if you will tread them the juice will flow. Thinking over the hallowed words will often be the prelude to their fulfillment." Jeremiah 30:10-11a is preparation in just such discipline, with the preemptive spade work of extracting fear. A future of serving Christ as the Better David is before them, he has said in verse nine. Rather than fulfilling the ...

8 ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them. 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them. Jeremiah 30:8-9, New King James Version "As long as we secretly adore ourselves," admits Thomas Merton in No Man Is an Island , "our deficiencies will remain to torture us with an apparent defilement. But if we live for others, we will gradually discover that no one ever expects us to be 'as gods.'" Thus the smooth but perhaps unexpected transition between Jeremiah 30:8 and 9. Yokes are broken. Bonds have been burst. Slavery is over. The human heart is ready to swing to the opposite extreme and assert its individual supremacy. NOBODY is the boss of me. But verse nine shows us what freedom in Christ looks like. We, likely freed Israelite exiles we are grafted into as Christians, are free to ...

8 ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them. Jeremiah 30:8, New King James Version "Your love is wild," celebrates Amanda Cook in her song "Pieces." it's unashamed. Your love is proud, it's unashamed to be seen with me." The same power, unchecked by hesitation over the past, is on display in Jeremiah 30:8. Israel and Judah's correction has been long in coming. Jeremiah and his prophetic ancestors rose morning after morning to warn them about it. Gradually, by sclerosis of the spirit, they listened less. Meanwhile, it took time to maneuver statecraft so that the right actors were in position to enact the punishment God deemed appropriate. Just so, it takes time to forge bonds. It takes time to fashion yoke. Yet, with a day of correction is at an end, when grace is to win, God's language is vigorous. It, freedom, Jubi...

5 “For thus says the Lord: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace. 6 Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all faces turned pale? 7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.  Spurgeon surveys in his masterful sermon, "The Parable of the Ark," the levels of faith within the redeemed community, comparing them to levels on the great boat. He introduces us, "There is my poor mourning brother who lives in the bottom story. He is always singing— 'Lord, what a wretched land is this!'  He lives just near the keel, on the bare ribs of the ark. He is never very happy. At times a little light reaches him from the window, but generally he is so far from the light that he walks in darkness and sees very little, indeed. His state is that of constant groaning—he loves t...

4 Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. 5 “For thus says the Lord: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace. Jeremiah 30:4-5, New King James Version "Jesus overcame temptation," sources Russell Moore in Tempted and Tried , "because he consistently believed God's Word about him – 'You are my beloved Son – even when he walked in the wild places." As powerfully as the contrast of Christ authoritatively declaring the Word in the wilderness resonates, so does the opening juxtaposition of Jeremiah 30:4-5. Before we even get to the content of God's next message, we dare not throw away the envelope of its introduction. God speaks to Israel and Judah. These nations have been separated by the contentions of men, the folly of Rehoboam, although with the ultimate, condescending blessing of the Almighty. Furthermore, as if putting the two neighboring, bitter rivals in twin harness under the authority of His Wor...

3 For behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ ”Jeremiah 30:3, New King James Version “Aslan,” said Lucy of the leonine Christ figure in CS Lewis's Prince Caspian , “you’re bigger.” “That is because you are older, little one,” answered he. “Not because you are?” “I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.” The same sense of confidence and continuity exuding from Christ causes me to pause again on Jeremiah 30:3. He is as confident he can extract His people from Nebuchadnezzar's grip, yes, as He was He could deliver them to it. As He can move affairs of state in the hearts behind them in any direction He chooses, one wonders, if He thought like a human, if fear of relapse wouldn't enter more into His calculations. Just as He can place His people anywhere in exile, He can m...

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. 3 For behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ ”Jeremiah 30:1-2, New King James Version The other day I talked to a veteran teacher and administrator in Lebanon over a mutual admiration Will Durant's Story of Civilization series. He extolled the habit of writing in response to what one learns in an admired text, picking up a mantra he often insists on with his students. You can buy a steak, and it won't help you. You can cook the steak, and it won't help you. You can chew the steak and remain unchanged. It is only when the steak is metabolized to become part of you that you gain its full benefit. Jeremiah 30:1-3 sho...

29 Now Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 31 Send to all those in captivity, saying, Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I have not sent him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie— 32 therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his family: he shall not have anyone to dwell among this people, nor shall he see the good that I will do for My people, says the Lord, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord. Jeremiah 29:29-32, New King James Version "Envy stems," discerns Tim Keller in God's Wisdom for Navigating Life , "from preoccupation with the present." God as discerner of hearts knows this, and touches the connection collectively in Jeremiah 29:29-32. He made us to matter, created us from Eden forward with a desire for dominion. We want to know we made an imp...

27 Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who makes himself a prophet to you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘This captivity is long; build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’ ”Jeremiah 29:27-28, New King James Version Considering for The Last Dance documentary what made Michael Jordan exceptional, David Aldridge explains, "Most people live in fear because they project the past into the present. Michael was a mystic. He was ALWAYS PRESENT." We can see how rare that is, and how easily we slide from it, in Jeremiah 29:27-28. The people of Judah are operating under conviction, although they would rather not name and it may not be able to. Their consciences are warped by guilt, and their discernment is wearied from trying to block out Jeremiah's warnings. Absorbing the prophet's message has happened only as part of an effort to resist and counter it. Thus, they missed out on being present in the present. Ev...

24 You shall also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25 Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there should be officers in the house of the Lord over every man who is demented and considers himself a prophet, that you should put him in prison and in the stocks. Jeremiah 29:24-26, New King James Version "Until you can identify your idols," exhorts Tim Keller in Songs of Jesus , "you cannot understand yourself. Until you turn from there you can't know and walk with God." The Old Testament is given to us replete with physical examples for our spiritual instruction, and we have this fleshed out in Jeremiah 29:24-26. Through Jeremiah, God reminds Shemaiah that he has been given authority over and responsibility for what ...

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in My name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall slay them before your eyes. And because of them a curse shall be taken up by all the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “The LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire”; because they have done disgraceful things in Israel, have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken lying words in My name, which I have not commanded them. Indeed I know, and am a witness, says the LORD.”‭‭ Jeremiah 29:21-23, New King James Version "Like all people at all times," William Manchester writes of his subjects in Europe's Middle Ages in The World Lit Only by Fire , "they were confronted each day by the present which always arrives in a promiscuous rush, with the significant...

18 And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth—to be a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they have not heeded My words, says the Lord, which I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; neither would you heed, says the Lord. 20 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon. Jeremiah 29:18-20, New King James Version Garcia Burnham in In the Presence of My Enemies mentions an irony that her captors fighting a guerrilla war against the Philippine Army insisted on carrying artillery as they moved. They never had time to set it up and utilize it, but they kept carrying it. We treat the Word of God in much the same way, to our peril as Jeremiah 29:18-20 insists. It continues to offer to engage us, much as God marks, again, that ...

15 Because you have said, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon”— 16 therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, concerning all the people who dwell in this city, and concerning your brethren who have not gone out with you into captivity— 17 thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten, they are so bad. 18 And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth—to be a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them. Jeremiah 29:15-18, New King James Version Lawrence Wright in The New Yorker traces that the Renaissance was sparked, in part, by Petrarch's reading of ancient writers like Cicero. By this, Petrarch was confronted with how much his contemporary culture and degraded since the...

14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. Jeremiah 29:14, New King James Version I got a Facebook message recently from somebody with the unusual name of TJ PJ. She mentioned how much she appreciated everything I posted, drawing specifics from the eclectic mix of history, literature, Reformed theology, and mysticism that often keeps people scrolling. I am in a season of being purposeful about friendship. In keeping with that, I asked her to be friends on Facebook. I believed we could learn from each other. I believed people who read what I write could benefit from hearing other voices as I got the opportunity to insert them into the thoughts I express here and elsewhere. She told me she had already tried. Her friend request had been rebuffed, so she was r...

I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. Jeremiah 29:14, New King James Version On The West Wing , the president's body man Charlie Young, an academic all-star in DC's public schools is on the phone after posting bail when he and Communications Director Toby Ziegler found themselves in a minor scuffle in in an Orange County bar. Charlie is adopting language appropriate for his correctional environment, and Toby comments, "Charlie‘s trying to throw down with the street. It’s kind of a sad sight to see.“ Even so, as Toby and congressional candidate Sam Seabourn continue to discuss current events in the jail lobby, it's Charlie who points out, "At this point, we are in jail voluntarily. So can we go?" I wonder if many of us as Christ...

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13, New King James Version I typically tell a pretty streamlined story of deepening faith. I met Rock Bottom having failed as a teacher in three different impoverished settings.  I, consciously or not, foisted myself on these communities as the Great White Hope. The Lord repeatedly exposed the difference between condescension and true compassion, between recognizing mutual brokenness between Helper and Helped and the pedantic overcompensation I mustered again and again. Pushing thirty, my lofty sense of myself butted daily against  making minimum wage in a computer lab. It was then that I began to realize by God's grace what I was hungry for. With time and bandwidth to spa...

10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:10-11, New King James Version "Only as we become heavenly can we comprehend heavenly things," reckons Spurgeon in Morning and Evening. "The pure in heart see a pure God. Those who are like Jesus see Him as He is. Because we are so little like Him, the window is but agate," he says referencing the partially opaque windows of Isaiah 54:12. "Because we are somewhat like Him, it is agate." In such a divided state we encounter Jeremiah 29:10-11. We perceive the word prosper, and we put verse 11 on our T-shirts and our throw pillows. We think we know what prosperity looks like, and so we take the verse as an indication that God's purposes and ours are...

8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord. Jeremiah 29:8, New King James Version The ultimate preparation for tomorrow is storing God’s Word in our hearts today. We ARE storing in our hearts, Matthew Sink insists, but what?  “We don’t have a memorization problem.  We have a meditation problem.” Sink's text wasn't Jeremiah 29:8, but the verse certainly reinforces his sense of urgency. Do not let, says the Lord, calling His people to a disciplined they weren't inclined to when they were in their homeland. Now, uprooted, disoriented, one might expect perspective to be further out of their reach. Yet, that to which God calls us, He enables. The same sense of dislocation which causes pulses to race in moods to plummet also causes people to re-examine wh...