God of Wrath

So I definitely waited in line last Friday morning at 6am for the new iPhone and it was well worth it. Along with the amazing GPS tracking and other really cool 3rd party applications, lifechurch.tv developed a Bible application that gives me 15 different translations at the touch of my fingertips. In the program there are three random chapters selected per day for daily reading. Today as I was waiting for a meeting I decided to read one of them. It was Jeremiah 4 which doesn't happened to be a very positive and uplifting passage. Here is how it starts off:

1 "If you will return, O Israel,
return to me,"
declares the LORD.
"If you put your detestable idols out of my sight
and no longer go astray,

2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
you swear, 'As surely as the LORD lives,'
then the nations will be blessed by him
and in him they will glory."

3 This is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem:
"Break up your unplowed ground
and do not sow among thorns.

4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD,
circumcise your hearts,
you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem,
or my wrath will break out and burn like fire
because of the evil you have done—
burn with no one to quench it.


This is a plea to RE-TURN. Return to what is true. Return to what is good. Return to the source of love and joy. "Return to me," says the LORD. God is giving Israel a chance to turn around and leave their idols. He is pleading for them to come back to Him. My favorite part of God's plea is for them to circumcise their hearts. Circumcision was a physical sign that Israel belonged to God. Yet, on the inside these people were completely unfaithful to Him. This just reiterates that God is interested in our hearts not our outward appearance.

It is easy to look at Israel and think they were a bunch of idiots, which they were. Time and time again they were unfaithful to their God despite all His patience and forgiveness. Yet, we are just like Israel whether we will admit it or not. Sure we don't have statues of idols displayed in our living room, but we do have idols - things we chose to value over God at times.

We find out that Jeremiah's warning is not heeded by Israel and that God does indeed bring wrath on His people. In 586 b.c. Israel loses everything. God uses a pagan nation, Babylon, to humble His people greatly. It is the consequence of their actions and their lack of trust in Him.

Many people write-off stories like these because it is soooo "Old Testament." I mean, we are living in the New Covenant now right? Jesus has come and conquered sin and death. The cross has given us forgiveness from our sins, so there is no more wrath of God right!? Somehow I don't think it is quite that simple. Jesus says, "small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." He also says, "If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." That sort of sounds like what happened to Israel when they didn't trust God and follow Him. Maybe we too are still held accountable for our actions. Maybe we need to try and understand what Proverbs means when it says that we need to have "The fear of the Lord" in us.

Yes Jesus died for us. Yes He has washed our sins away. However, that does not free us from the responsibility of trusting and obeying Him. That is why Philippians urges us to 'continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.' This is not an easy road to travel, but it is well worth it!