Like Jeremiah’s times, ours:
Certain stories in scripture are windows into your own time. Most of the book of Jeremiah is for ours.

Reading Jeremiah (my favorite prophet, priest, poet) again today, as a lens on our own times. Shaking of empires, weak leadership, not listening to or being able to recognize, the voice of the Lord (The Voice which is in the tone of Love) coming through Jeremiah etc. There are many parallels to now—increasing shaking between the nations daily. Lots of false interpreters, few true ones. The media was bad in his times (he had to publish several times, as some of his first drafts were burnt!), didn’t think long term or contextualize properly.

Conversely, Jeremiah said that,
“Israel is the Lord’s hallowed portion”-His chosen way to symbolize Himself and actions into history—His central symbol and dwelling place, among the nations, so symbolize His heart for humanity, and the nations. If she would turn, her punishment would be softened. But she was involved in two great evils-rejecting God Himself, and building for themselves their own cisterns.

His sacred symbolic people did two great evils in those days, as we still do. They rejected the fountain of Living Waters (the right Source of Life), and they built for themselves cisterns to hold the water in (their own security system). Rejecting God and building cisterns of our own spirituality-two grave sins which continue now. To stare at our own cisterns is narcissism at it’s worst–relying on our own resources to sustain and heal us, rather than trust in Father. My own talents will carry me into eternity, types of thinking are deadly.

These are two types of sins and are specific. One is rejecting God Himself (even the idea of their being a Most High or something over us who is meant to govern our thoughts and actions), the other is forging our own containers of spirituality. We cannot even begin to heal without recognizing a Higher God from whom we need help. We are sinners in need of God. If we throw out sin, we are not in a position to be in need. We have sinned and are in need of Higher Healer.

The water speaks of whatever type of spirituality we fill our hearts with. And they were guilty of building their own spiritualities rather than the one provided by God. To reject God, and to build our own spiritual containers—both of these sins put them in a place about to be more severely judged. He would rather not, and offers ways out. Jeremiah said if the king surrendered the city would be spared. The prophet was thrown into the pit for that “word”. Had many accusers, and one advocate—Ebem Melech the african, who pleaded to the king to let Jeremiah, the prophet out of the pit. Those are the characters in the story.

The plot is about a nation being judged for denying there is a God, and for making up their own systems of spirituality instead. Interesting.
God offered them a way out, but they didn’t take it again. A Mercy path, which they wouldn’t walk because they feared the wrong things.

So, in their case, Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed. Wives were raped, men were humiliated and mocked etc. That was the word. Both your feminine and masculine would be demoted, destroyed. And it happened.

Jeremiah warned, interpreted and offered future hope; he also bore witness in his own poetic heart (was very human, complained lamented even quit the job once), to the suffering, and stayed in Jerusalem to see it destroyed- openly seeing and lamenting poetically God’s Heart, during the burning and rape of his city. Wondering where the Jeremiah’s are in our times? We need some.

Those risen up to warn beforehand, and sit with during, interpreting the news of the day (his outer court job), counsel kings both good and bad ones, and offer future vision afterwards from God’s perspective. We need those guys around these days!

We need some Jeremiah’s these days. Enjoying looking at the world through his times today. I like looking at the stories in the book as lenses to see through into and interpret our own times more accurately. Human patterns haven’t changed. Nor has God. Fun and weighty study today. Information has different densities! Jeremiah’s time had a weight which is present now.

We are in times like his, and need to consider our steps. And the patterns of those who didn’t follow His before.