Delayed Blessings & Waiting on God
I have been busy and my Bible study has definitely struggled because of that. I am ashamed to admit this, as Bible study should come first. However, I am picking myself back up and continuing to immerse myself in God’s Word as often as I can. It is in these moments that determine our resolve. Will we stay down? Or will we rise up to the challenge and continue our fight. Make no mistake, the Christian life is a battle that we must fight each and every day. There are days we don’t feel like studying and there are days we don’t feel as though there is a spare minute. But, those are the days we must fight on!
So, here I am still studying in Jeremiah. My progress is slow, but I do feel like I am understanding this book in ways I never had before. I am now at Jeremiah 24. It is a short chapter with just 10 verses, but I believe the message encased in this passage is a great one for those of us struggling with one battle or another.
Have you ever felt like those who hate God are being blessed and you aren’t? Has the sting of being rejected for that job promotion despite being the best selection hit you like a ton of bricks? Did you work your hardest, get the right grades, and make the right decisions and still not receive an acceptance letter to that school you wanted to attend? It is likely, at the same time, your even watched others who didn’t put in the effort receive these same “blessings” that you had hoped for.
We have all experienced these setbacks at one time or another. Everyday, pop culture and tv bombard us with images and clips of people who hate God but seem successful. On the surface, these situations seem to validate the view that there is no God or that, if there is, He doesn’t care about us or sin like we think He does. How are we to feel about this?
The Bible actually says a lot about these situations. Jeremiah 24 provides a great illustration. Not only is this chapter a historical example, but spiritually, the message provided can be applied to our lives today!
Here is the chapter, it is only 10 verses and worth the quick read:
Jeremiah 24 (KJV)
24 The Lord shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the Lord, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
2 One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
3 Then said the Lord unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
4 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
5 Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.
6 For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
8 And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the Lord, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:
9 And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.
10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.
Please allow me to provide a little bit of historical background. I promise, it is worth it to understand this chapter fully. At the time of this prophecy, the people of Judah have rejected God for years. Despite, God pleading for their return to Him through His many prophets and even providing an example via the Northern Kingdom’s, Israel, destruction due to their out-right idolatry, the people of Judah continued in sin and idolatry. For many years, God had promised that should they not return to Him, He would destroy them. However, for all of those same years, false prophets promised the opposite: peace. They claimed that Jerusalem could never be destroyed. In fact, the people and false prophets mocked and persecuted Jeremiah and his message of doom. However, just as Jeremiah (and other prophets) had predicted, the avenging army of God, at this time, the Babylonians, came to conquer Judah. Nebuchadnezzar had attacked Jerusalem and taken away king Jeconiah along with many of the craftsmen and nobles of Judah (Daniel was one of these) to exile in Babylon. He left Zedekiah (uncle to Jeconiah) king of the remaining people in Jerusalem with the intention that Jerusalem would stay loyal and pay tribute to Babylon. However, Zedekiah ignores the direction of Jeremiah and instead follows the advice of the people around him and rebels against Nebuchadnezzar by forming an alliance with Egypt. Zedekiah reigns 11 years and then Nebuchadnezzar returns to Jerusalem to destroy it and does so with a siege that lasts around 1 and 1/2 years. Many of the people died from the sword but also famine and pestilence just as Jeremiah had prophesied that they would. Zedekiah tried to flee Jerusalem with his sons, but he was caught by the Babylonians. He watched his sons die and then was blinded and taken to Babylon.
This history is very important to the passage here as we will see. Jeremiah has a vision of two baskets of figs. One basket is good fruit – the first ripe figs. The other basket is spoiled fruit – bad figs, useless. We are not left to speculate what this vision means. God clarifies exactly what these baskets of figs represent. The good figs represent those initially taken captive to Babylon (the nobles and craftsmen along with king Jeconiah) and the bad figs represent those remaining in Jerusalem along with king Zedekiah.
It is likely that those who were left in Jerusalem and not taken captive believed that they had escaped the worst of the Babylonian army. At initial glance, it would appear that those taken captive suffered the worst fate, but God corrects this notion. It was those left behind that were the bad fruit and it was them who would suffer the worst punishment of all. They will suffer the sword and pestilence and be wiped from the face of the earth as Jerusalem is destroyed. In contrast, those taken captive would experience some hardship, sure, but ultimately, they will experience blessings. They would be held up by God and would eventually return to Jerusalem and God will “plant them, and not pluck them up.” In fact, God said it is those people would would repent and turn to Him in verse 7, “And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”
Just as God prophesied through Jeremiah, 11 years later, those who remained in Jerusalem were destroyed. And 70 years later, those exiled to Babylon would return to Jerusalem at the direction of the Persian king.
Ezra 1:1-4 (KJV)
1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.
4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
Ezra records the proclamation of the king of Persia which beautifully depicts God’s masterful wisdom and planning. Against all odds, the Jewish exiles return to Jerusalem and build the city and temple again. Now under godly leadership, the people rededicate the city and temple (and themselves) to God.
Whew! That is a lot of history, but this passage reminds us that God’s timing isn’t our timing. This is the application that I would like to make to our lives today.
It took years for the judgement and blessings of God to be visible in the lives of His people. At the time, it seemed as though those removed to Babylon were punished, when in fact, God was actually rescuing them from a worse fate. He took them out of the fire, and ultimately, they received the blessing that God intended for them…but it took 70 years! Those left behind in Jerusalem, at the time, seemed to have escaped God’s wrath, but history shows that to be untrue…but it took 11 years.
So, when we look at those around us and it appears that people who reject God are prospering and those who love God seem to struggle, just remember Jeremiah 24. From our point of view, it seems unfair. But what we don’t see is how God is working behind the scenes.
Let’s refer back to the beginning of this article. That job promotion you didn’t get despite your hard work? God has a better job waiting for you later or maybe that job would be eliminated eventually. There could be a hundred reasons why God denied you that job. Only time will reveal the reason but remain faithful regardless. That school you didn’t get into? The friends you would have met there would have led you away from God or perhaps your future spouse is attending another school. Again, the reasons could be anything, but remain faithful anyway.
We don’t always get to see exactly why God does what He does, but it is always for our good! As Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.”
Jesus never said this life would be without hardship, in fact, He tells us in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” And in Luke 9:23 He said, “…if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up His cross daily, and follow me.” And in Matthew 10:16-22, He warns His disciples, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the council, and they will scourge you in their synagogues…and ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”
In the end, all will be made right. The wicked will be punished and believers rewarded. It may not happen when we want it to happen: but it WILL happen. God is faithful and so too must we be faithful.
When we are going through a hard time or a disappointing setback, let us remember how God has remained faithful to His children in the past. In the moment, the situation seemed unfair, but in the long run, God was in control the entire time.