Slices
Prepare
Imagine your safe place, a place where you can be you without fear, a place of contentment.
Bible passage
Restoration of Israel
30 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3 The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave to their ancestors to possess,” says the Lord.’
4 These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5 ‘This is what the Lord says:
‘“Cries of fear are heard –
terror, not peace.
6 Ask and see:
can a man bear children?
Then why do I see every strong man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labour,
every face turned deathly pale?
7 How awful that day will be!
No other will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,
but he will be saved out of it.
8 ‘“In that day,” declares the Lord Almighty,
“I will break the yoke off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;
no longer will foreigners enslave them.
9 Instead, they will serve the Lord their God
and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them.
10 ‘“So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant;
do not be dismayed, Israel,”
declares the Lord.
“I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will make him afraid.
11 I am with you and will save you,”
declares the Lord.
“Though I completely destroy all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”
12 ‘This is what the Lord says:
‘“Your wound is incurable,
your injury beyond healing.
13 There is no one to plead your cause,
no remedy for your sore,
no healing for you.
14 All your allies have forgotten you;
they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy would
and punished you as would the cruel,
because your guilt is so great
and your sins so many.
15 Why do you cry out over your wound,
your pain that has no cure?
Because of your great guilt and many sins
I have done these things to you.
16 ‘“But all who devour you will be devoured;
all your enemies will go into exile.
Those who plunder you will be plundered;
all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
17 But I will restore you to health
and heal your wounds,”
declares the Lord,
“because you are called an outcast,
Zion for whom no one cares.”
18 ‘This is what the Lord says:
‘“I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents
and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,
and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving
and the sound of rejoicing.
I will add to their numbers,
and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honour,
and they will not be disdained.
20 Their children will be as in days of old,
and their community will be established before me;
I will punish all who oppress them.
21 Their leader will be one of their own;
their ruler will arise from among them.
I will bring him near and he will come close to me –
for who is he who will devote himself
to be close to me?”
declares the Lord.
22 ‘“So you will be my people,
and I will be your God.”’
23 See, the storm of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand this.
Explore
Coming home (v 3) is not something everyone enjoys, but for many of us coming home often means a return to a place of safety, a place where you can refresh and recharge ready to go out into the world for another day.
In our passage today we hear an extended prophecy detailing the return from exile. As mentioned yesterday, we can read this as those waiting for the new creation. At Christian funerals the language of ‘going home’ is often used and with good reason! We have a loving heavenly Father who has many rooms that Jesus has prepared for us in advance. The new creation is a place of safety because it is a place where we will truly and completely be God’s people and he will be our God. This will be (and has been for us) achieved by a Davidic King whom God will raise up (v 9), a ruler who will rise up from within Judah (v 21). This lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5) will achieve this and will do so through being the Lamb who is slain (Revelation 5:6).
Respond
Try to visualise Jesus as the Lion and then the Lamb, winning victory over sin and making a way for us to come home. Listen online to the ‘Lion and the Lamb’ song by Brenton Brown (2017) and praise God for his work of salvation.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Samuel 23,24; 1 Corinthians 10
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for children and young people who are curious about matters of faith. Pray that God will put the right people and resources in front of them, to help them discover Jesus’ love in real, long-lasting ways.
Because a strong start begins with smart preparation
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