The Honey Drop:
"You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?....[The Lord's answer to Jeremiah's questions] If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?"
"You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?....[The Lord's answer to Jeremiah's questions] If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?"
--Jeremiah 12:1, 5
The Picture:
The verses above outline an aggressive conversation between a Jewish priest and the Lord about why the wicked--both the pagans and Israelites living in Judah--appear to be flourishing. Ultimately the King of Babylon destroys the Temple (their direct access to God) and kidnaps the people of Judah. In the rest of the book of Jeremiah, a priest-turned-prophet, bears "anguish and empathy at the suffering of his people", and at times "outrage at God for forcing him to speak such terrible words of judgment against his own nation." (JSB, 917) The answer he receives from God is a succinct reference to a singular lesson, eight-hundred years before, that was supposed to have been learned in a year and passed down through the generations. Instead it was disregarded and an entire generation perished. Jeremiah's generation, too, had forgotten this lesson and in the Lord's discipline the people were to learn it all over again. The book of Exodus and Numbers illustrate the original lesson:
The verses above outline an aggressive conversation between a Jewish priest and the Lord about why the wicked--both the pagans and Israelites living in Judah--appear to be flourishing. Ultimately the King of Babylon destroys the Temple (their direct access to God) and kidnaps the people of Judah. In the rest of the book of Jeremiah, a priest-turned-prophet, bears "anguish and empathy at the suffering of his people", and at times "outrage at God for forcing him to speak such terrible words of judgment against his own nation." (JSB, 917) The answer he receives from God is a succinct reference to a singular lesson, eight-hundred years before, that was supposed to have been learned in a year and passed down through the generations. Instead it was disregarded and an entire generation perished. Jeremiah's generation, too, had forgotten this lesson and in the Lord's discipline the people were to learn it all over again. The book of Exodus and Numbers illustrate the original lesson:
The Israelites were abused in Egypt by Pharaoh. The Lord's ultimate goal was to lead them out from under that harsh leadership to a fertile land and a blessed life. Before asking them to conquer the then-occupied Canaan, however, He took extra time to lead them to Mount Sinai (map point 8) where with thoroughness and patience He taught them how to be under His rule. “For a year, they settle around that mountain learning the Law of God, finding out what it means to be a people of God, being transformed from a rabble of illiterate slaves into a nation and fighting force.” (Richter) After that time of rest, the Lord led them to Kadesh-barnea (map point 12) and in Numbers 13 He commanded that a team of scouts be sent into the land and then for the Jewish nation to seize it for themselves. The scouts returned from their mission with physical evidence of the land's wealth, but a majority of them also came back with misgivings about the ability of Israel to take land from the powerful and advanced inhabitants.
The Lord was angered because the people did not trust their new Leader, despite the year of lessons that they had just completed. His discipline was a major change in plans. The untrusting generation was to re-teach the next generation the Sinai lesson while wandering the jeshimon--"bare and sterile land, saturated with salt...where for miles practically no vegetable life can exist." (Biblos, 2013) They wandered in a loop (map points 11and 12) so treacherous that each day of survival was an obvious gift from God, and its close proximity to Canaan was a constant physical reminder of the importance of learning and living the lesson. |
After forty years of "tutoring", the next generation was marched out of the open wilderness and placed on the riverbanks of Jordan and given the same choice that their parents were given. The River, with its fast waters and thickly-lined banks, separated the Hebrews from the promised land of Canaan--eventually to be the land of Israel. As Ray VanderLaan writes, the Israelites saw the river as,"...an obstacle to overcome before moving forward in their calling. Their perspective became the source of the expression 'to cross the Jordan,' which meant to pass through something that stands in the way." (VanderLaan, n.d.)
Jeremiah lived through a time when his nation forgot these very same lessons and he was one of the Lord's spokesmen to proclaim the beginning of another desert-wandering experience. Conquering "mere men" and traversing the "open lands" of the desert is not God's ultimate wish for their lives, or our lives. He wants us to, instead, be able to run against horses and navigate the bramble of the Jordan River. The Lord's word to Christians is the same when He tells Paul in 2 Corinthians that.." My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul's response is the one that Israel should have given, and the one that we need to give:
Jeremiah lived through a time when his nation forgot these very same lessons and he was one of the Lord's spokesmen to proclaim the beginning of another desert-wandering experience. Conquering "mere men" and traversing the "open lands" of the desert is not God's ultimate wish for their lives, or our lives. He wants us to, instead, be able to run against horses and navigate the bramble of the Jordan River. The Lord's word to Christians is the same when He tells Paul in 2 Corinthians that.." My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul's response is the one that Israel should have given, and the one that we need to give:
"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
References:
- Bible Charts and Maps: Possible Exodus Route. (2013). Retrieved July 10, 2013, from http://www.agapemeridian.com/: http://www.agapemeridian.com/bible_maps_and_charts.htm
- Biblos. (2013). 3452. yeshimon. Retrieved July 10, 2013, from Bible Hub: http://biblesuite.com/hebrew/3452.htm
- BP Encyclopedia: Jeshimon. (2013). Retrieved July 10, 2013, from Bible Portal: World Bible Resources: http://bibleportal.christianpost.com/encyclopedia/definition.htm?con=Jeshimon&letter=j
- EM, R. Headwaters of the Jordan river, Tel Dan, Israel. . Provo, UT.
- Jewish Publication Society. (2004). The Jewish study Bible (JSB). New York, NY: Oxford university Press, Inc.
- Jordan River. (2013, May 30). Retrieved June 2013, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_River
- Jordan River_2.jpg. Beulah Tours UK.
- Vander Laan, R. (n.d.). Wet Feet: The Jordan. Retrieved July 10, 2013, from Follow the Rabbi: http://followtherabbi.com/journey/israel/wet-feet
- Richter, D. S. (n.d.). Faculty Profiles: Dr. Sandra Richter . (Epic of Eden Audio, Part 2) Retrieved July 10, 2013, from Westly Biblical Seminary: http://www.wbs.edu/academics/faculty/sandra-richter.php