All God Ever Wants

Scripture: Do not hate us, Lord, for the sake of your own name. Do not disgrace yourself and the throne of your glory by forsaking your promise to bless us! Jeremiah 14:21

Observation: As famine rakes Judah, and Jeremiah pronounces the future coming of death from enemies, the people respond to God ... NOT by overhauling their behavior, but by appealing to God as if he were a prideful ruler.

They first declare that they have in fact suffered, and therefore certainly the time of suffering is over ... surely they are punished enough. However, they add to that by declaring that punishing them for their sins - and allowing them to die - would actually "disgrace" God himself, for they are known to be his chosen people whom he promised to bless.

Of course, God didn't promise to bless them ... he DID bless them, then promised that he would continue to bless them as they obeyed, and would curse them if they disobeyed. The curses coming upon them now are in the exact order as declared by Moses when they prepared to enter the promised land, and they exist for the exact disobedience that Moses warned against.

However, the point is, God cannot disgrace himself by his actions. God is fully merciful AND fully just. Declaring that only his mercy is a holy act, and thus only forgiveness is befitting of his holiness, is wrong. And appealing to him as if he needs to take certain actions in order to be properly perceived by humans is probably even worse.

This is evidence that Judah has totally and completely lost their understanding of God. They don't understand his nature, his love, his justice, his commands, his mercy, his authority, his holiness, his caring. They treat him like a human king, seeking to influence his actions through words and manipulation. All God ever wanted was their honor.

Application: All God wants in our honor, expressed as faith, and with a simplified way of demonstrating that faith ... belief in Jesus. Belief in Jesus doesn't erase the world's problems, or my sorrows and hardship. However, strengthening that belief will put those other issues in the proper context of my life. Furthermore, when there are struggles, it is belief that guides my response, which is not to bargain with or manipulate God, but rather to simply continue in faith, obedience, and to show honor toward my heavenly father.

Prayer: Lord, I honor you today as my father, my Lord, my savior, and yes, my king. You are ruler of my life. May I place you first more and more, in every aspect of my life, from my work, to my marriage, to my leisure, to my thoughts. And may my life honor you alone. Amen.