God had to teach His prophet, and us, a profound lesson, which carries phenomenal rewards.
A Prophecy for Today
What God didn’t tell Jeremiah was that He was going to put a woman on that throne instead of a man. And that deliberate omission really did cause Jeremiah problems for a while.
Jeremiah suffered a real faith crisis. He should have known better. God was building more faith in Jeremiah. He had warned Judah, but his work was far from over. God was about to send him into an entirely new phase. In addition to transporting David’s throne to another part of the world, Jeremiah would write a book of prophecy for end-time Israel! This man had to be prepared for such important work!
This lesson in faith Jeremiah learned has an application for us today. Psalm 89 is all about the fall of Judah, and that is a type of what is coming on America, Britain and the Jews again! Israel is ready to crumble! We don’t realize how fast or how all-encompassing the destruction of these nations will be. Jeremiah prophesied of a time of suffering that will surpass any tribulation in human history! (e.g. Jeremiah 30:4-7). Events right now are leading to the worst time of suffering ever on this planet. But who wants to listen to God?
People think their abominable sins are OK. Like Jeremiah anciently, God’s people today must tell them, No, they’re not OK. God is going tocorrect you! Unimaginable punishment is coming!
Like Jeremiah, we should know better than to doubt God, but at times we falter and God has to perfect our faith. We sin and God has to grant us repentance. He receives our repentance when we change our lives and don’t commit such sins anymore if we can possibly help it.
We face terrible race problems in the U.S. God has promised and teaches in the Bible the way to solve such serious problems. God speaks to individuals—not just to the collective nation, but to individuals. You can solve your race problems, any race bias or lack of love for your brother, no matter what color the skin. You can overcome and solve problems and be blessed mightily.
God promises, If you learn that, I’ll even protect you from those who don’t WANT to learn that lesson, and may even inflict violence or burn cars, buildings and other property. God says, I will protect you if you will totally trust me. Why is it so few people believe God?
“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Jesus Christ said we have to live by His every word: That’s total trust! You ought to know what comprises the Bible: the Old and New Testaments. God tells us to live by every word of that. That is the lesson He taught Jeremiah, and that is what every single human being who has ever lived will have to learn if they are to enter the Kingdom of God!
Look at where that kind of trust led Jeremiah. After he left Judah, he established a successful career in Ireland, building a college where people could be taught to live by every word of God. Jeremiah had learned a vital lesson in faith.
Carefully consider what God records in Hebrews 13:5: “Let your [conduct] be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” God promises He will never leave you or forsake you, or forsake His Word! The original Greek used for the wordnever conveys emphasis as if God says it five times! If you obey me and trust me, I will never, never, never, never, never forsake you or my words. Never!That is perhaps the most beautiful promise in the Bible. God will never forsake you if you totally trust Him. He’s never going to do that, if you just walk by faith. He’s never going to forsake His word. He always fulfills it! That is the real lesson of Psalm 89.
We are in the final days of human history just before the Second Coming! We need to do all we can to prepare for that marvelous future. Christ asked, “[W]hen the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). He won’t find it in very many, but He can find it in you. Today, you can build a total, implicit trust in Godand His Word, just like Jeremiah did. If youbelieve in that throne of David, and believe in the promise that is going to be there forever, you have the opportunity to share that throne with Christ!
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