For thus says the
LORD to the men
Of Judah and
Jerusalem:
“Break up your fallow
ground,
and do not sow among
thorns.
Circumcise yourselves
to the LORD,
and take away the
foreskins of your hearts.
You men of Judah and
inhabitants of Jerusalem,
lest My fury come
forth like fire, and burn
so that no one can
quench it. Because of the evil
of your doings.”
Jeremiah 4:3–4
It is true
that Jeremiah was writing to the Hebrews and that the first application of what
he said was to them. We must not forget
that what ever was written in the Bible had it first application often in the
immediate circumstances of the Hebrews life.
We must not forget that all written, inspired by God, has application to
every Christian. Therefore, we must
examine what was written so that we can discover how to apply what was written
in our lives. Jeremiah makes it very
plain and clear that what he was about to write where the very words of the
LORD. Take a moment and look back in
all that occurred in your life, especially this last year, and you may find
that your life included much that was stone upon rocky ground. That there were many circumstances in your
life that cause you trouble and seemed at times impossible to traverse due to
the many thorns and pistols, and the many harsh tones, that seemed to make you
stumble. But the LORD gives this
command, “Break up your fallow ground,” and it is to be further noticed that God will not break up that harsh
ground that you have been traversing.
God said, you are to be the one to break up that fallow ground. Furthermore, God said; “do not sow among thorns.” You, and I, have this responsibility, we
are to be watchful in all that we do and say so as to not too so our life
amongst the thorns, that is, evil and unrighteous things. How often is it that we expect God to do for
us what we are to do for ourselves? God
will not do for us what we can do for ourselves and to think otherwise is to
not think in godly terms. For instance,
one may be out of work and in need of work, and yet does not do anything: i.e.,
resumes sent to companies so that you may be hired. God is like going to write those resumes, and God is not going to
take you to the interview, you must do things for yourself. We are to break up the fallow ground and not
have apathy in our life. Where do we
start? God once again gives us the
answer: “Circumcise yourselves to
the LORD.” What does this mean to
be, circumcised? Yes, Israel had the
command that all boys by the age of eight days were to be circumcised. In this physical act pointed to something
greater than just the removal of the male prepuce. God often uses physical action to point to something spiritual
and in this case circumcision did just that.
It was more than saying that that boy was a Hebrew. How would one know whether or not that boy
was circumcised or not? Was not that
boy by birth already a Hebrew?
Yes! Therefore, that physical
act of circumcision pointed to something greater than the very act itself and
that which it pointed to was for cleansing of a person’ heart. We are to cleanse ourselves and not sow
among thorns breaking up that foul ground that it has in the past caused us to
do things that were against the will of God or to say things that were harmful,
hurtful, and unrighteous. What are
those things that are hurtful towards God that would rouse his fury, it is that
the foreskin, which has the meaning of evil thoughts and practices in our lives
that needs to be removed are the very hurtful things that will cause God's fury
to come upon a person like fire upon dry straw. This fire is so hot, and reminds us of the words in Revelation
where it is said that evil people will be thrown into the lake of fire a fire
that cannot quench and this is done because of the evil that is in a
person. Do not allow yourself to become
apathetic and tacitly approve of that which is evil whether it be in your life
or in the life of others and stay away from those who would attempt in every
way to turn you assign from the life from which you were saved by the birth, life,
death, resurrection, and the ascension into heaven by Jesus Christ. Yes it is true, we elect of God are already
seated in heaven with God and no one can snatch us away from that but we can
decide to either live for him or to suffer what God has planned for those who
will not, even though he lacked, live for him: "If anyone's work is a
burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through
fire" (1 Corinthians 3: 15).
Yes, as we farm our land, that is, our lives, and Powell that fallow
ground removing the thorns and pistols so that we can slow godliness amongst
all that we do we then will build our lives on the very foundation which is
Jesus Christ. Paul writes: "For
no other foundation can anyone lay band that which is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. Now if anyone builds on this
foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one is
work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be
revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one is work, of what sort it
is. If anyone's work which he has built
on it in yours, he will receive a reward" (1 Corinthians 11 -- 14). Here is the crux of the matter, and we must
not forget that this is at the very heart of what is being said in this blog:
"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God
dwells in you" (1 Corinthians 3: 16)?
You may be
taking time, and taking inventory of your life, to plan for the new year 2014,
and this is a good thing. Let me leave
this blog with this good news: Jesus Christ came as a babe in arms, wrapped in
swaddling cloths and laid in a manger, God himself came, not some angel, not
some other person, but God himself to live as a man, to die as a man, a perfect
man, to pay that debt that was all to himself, a debt he paid himself, and has
now applied that propitiation for all of his children. Praise God!
But we have renounced the hidden things of shame,
not walking
in craftiness nor handling
the Word of God deceitfully, but by manifestations
of the truth commending ourselves
to
every man's conscience in the sight of God.
2
Corinthians 4: 2
Do not lose heart
Richard L. Crumb
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