Jeremiah was called into the service of the eternal God - “Before I
formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you
apart for My holy purpose. I appointed you to be a prophet to the
nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). Jeremiah called the people back to the Lord,
“the fountain of living (life-giving) water” (Jeremiah 2:13). He called
them to be converted - to turn around. They were turning their backs on
the Lord. They were replacing Him with something else, something
useless, something that would never bring them real satisfaction
(Jeremiah 2:13). Now, they were to turn their faces to Him (Jeremiah
2:27). To a returning people, God promises his mercy - “Come back,
unfaithful Israel. It is the Lord speaking. I will no longer frown on
you because I’m merciful, declares the Lord, I will no longer be angry
with you.” returning to the Lord means confessing our sins - “Admit that
you’ve done wrong! You have rebelled against the Lord your God ...” The
message of Jeremiah is summed up in the words, “Come back, you
rebellious people” (Jeremiah 3:12-14).
“At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem”, the keynote of the service was joyful thanksgiving. They gathered together “to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving” (Nehemiah 12:27). “On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). They sang “songs of praise and thanksgiving to God” (Nehemiah 12:46). This joyful thanksgiving is only a foretaste of the greater joy and thanksgiving of heaven: “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). In the city of God, “the glory of God” will be shining with everlasting brightness (Revelation 21:23). The Church of God will be “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). The beautiful picture of the godly wife in Proverbs 31 gives us an outline of what God is seeking to do in His people. It is summarized in Proverbs 31:30: “A woman who fears the Lord is to be
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