David Bahn – Reflections

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Today’s readings: Ezekiel 7-9, Psalm 80.

Ezekiel 7:1-9

The word of the Lord came to me: ² “And you, O son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. ³ Now the end is upon you, and I will send my anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. ⁴ And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity, but I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

⁵ “Thus says the Lord God: Disaster after disaster! Behold, it comes. ⁶ An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes. ⁷ Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come; the day is near, a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting on the mountains. ⁸ Now I will soon pour out my wrath upon you, and spend my anger against you, and judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. ⁹ And my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord, who strikes.

Just when you thought it was safe to continue reading the Old Testament—having navigated (slogged?!?) through the book of Jeremiah—comes the book of Ezekiel. This will be a challenging read. But, as with all of God’s word, the effort will be worth it. The Lutheran Study Bible notes:

Despite the challenges in understanding and applying the Book of Ezekiel, one may give thanks to God for this remarkable prophecy. Ezekiel provides important insights on the doctrine of repentance (chs 3; 18), the promise of salvation God revealed in the new covenant (chs 11; 33-37), a prophecy of Holy Baptism (36:25-27), and God’s goal for a united and holy people among whom His glory would dwell (chs 40-48). Ezekiel beautifully describes the coming of God’s Messiah, the Prince of David who will shepherd God’s people (ch 34).

The Bible Project video (see below) provides a helpful overview. And the message sounds much like Jeremiah’s: God has judged Israel, and he will ultimately judge the nations that refuse to honor him as Lord and God. That honor includes not only abandoning idols and idolatry, but also caring for the poor, weak, and needy—the widows and orphans. But now the situation is even more dire: Jerusalem faces destruction, and many of God’s people are already captives in Babylon.

Difficult and dire as the situation is, and as terrible and tumultuous as the LORD’s judgment will be, a profound phrase occurs twice in these verses: “Then you will know that I am the LORD.” And again, “Then you will know that I am the LORD, who strikes.”

Why does it matter that they—or we—recognize God at work even in judgment? It isn’t so that he gets proper credit, as though he were some insecure wannabe god. Rather, we must know the one against whom we have sinned if we are ever to know where to turn for mercy.

Our sins separate us from God. We are powerless to redeem ourselves. His anger against sin is righteous. Ezekiel’s frightening warning is that God’s patience must never be mistaken for indifference. Judgment does come. Yet the God who calls us to repentance is also the only one who can restore us.

I’m reminded of David, who was given a choice of punishments after his sinful census. He chose to fall into the hands of the LORD rather than into human hands, saying, “for his mercy is great.” David knew the character of the God whose judgment he faced.

We know it even more fully. God ultimately laid the judgment for our sin upon his own Son. Jesus bore it for us so that we may fall into God’s hands and find not condemnation, but the nail-scarred hands of our Savior. The LORD who strikes is also the LORD who saves. In his goodness and grace we can entrust ourselves to him and find comfort and hope in every situation.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

Click here, or on the image below for the Bible Project video overview of Ezekiel 1-33

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Today’s readings: Lamentations 3-5, Psalm 77.

Lamentations 3:19-33

Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
    the wormwood and the gall!
²⁰ My soul continually remembers it
    and is bowed down within me.
²¹ But this I call to mind,
    and therefore I have hope:

²² The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
²³ they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.”

²⁵ The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
    to the soul who seeks him.
²⁶ It is good that one should wait quietly
    for the salvation of the LORD.
²⁷ It is good for a man that he bear
    the yoke in his youth.

²⁸ Let him sit alone in silence
    when it is laid on him;
²⁹ let him put his mouth in the dust—
    there may yet be hope;
³⁰ let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,
    and let him be filled with insults.

³¹ For the Lord [sic] will not
    cast off forever,
³² for, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
    according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
³³ for he does not afflict from his heart
    or grieve the children of men.

Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. When you read you begin with aleph, beth, gimel… Or is it alpha, beta, gamma? No, it’s A, B, C.

That little exercise points to something interesting about Lamentations. The Concordia Self-Study Bible notes:

The structure of the book highlights the grace of God. The first two and last two of the five laments contain 22 verses… But the middle lament (ch. 3), which has 66 verses (3 times 22), speaks of God’s goodness and Lord of hope, love, faithfulness and salvation: “…His compassions never fail. they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (3:22-23).

The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, and these laments are carefully constructed around them. But the structure isn’t the most important thing about these chapters—or the verses I’ve chosen for today’s devotion.

As I read chapter 3, I was immediately reminded of Jesus’ suffering. How can you not think of Jesus when you read:

Let him sit alone in silence
when it is laid on him;
let him put his mouth in the dust—
there may yet be hope;
let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,
and let him be filled with insults. (3:28-30)

We’ll come again to that. But these words not only reflect the suffering experienced in Jeremiah’s day; they speak to us today. Although Jeremiah is not named as the author, the book certainly reflects the agony and suffering he experienced during his ministry, and ancient Jewish tradition attributes Lamentations to him.

In any case, the wisdom of faith offered here is remarkable. In the face of suffering, we call to mind the faithfulness, grace, love, and mercy of God. This is the foundation and wellspring of hope. Rather than becoming consumed by our suffering, we look to God and remember that because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed. We lean on his unfailing compassions—new every morning. He is faithful. We look to him for our daily bread, wait for him, and put our hope in him.

We learn to be silent and wait for his salvation. And then we realize that we need not wait—at least not in the fullest sense. For our salvation has already come to us. God has restored our broken relationship with him through the one who stood in silence before Pilate, offered his cheek to those who struck him, and was filled with disgrace.

Though God brought grief upon Judah, he does not willingly afflict his children. And when his own Son bore our sin and suffered in our place, God did not abandon him to the grave. He raised him on the third day. The one who bore our guilt was vindicated, and through him we have forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Whatever heavy hand we may sense being laid upon us, we can be certain of God’s goodness, daily compassion, and unfailing love. These verses remind us of that—whether or not we remember the acrostic structure. They are worth underlining, bookmarking, and memorizing:

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.”

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Jeremiah 52, Lamentations 1-2, Psalm 76.

Lamentations 2:17-20

The LORD [YHWH] has done what he purposed;
    he has carried out his word,
which he commanded long ago;
    he has thrown down without pity;
he has made the enemy rejoice over you
    and exalted the might of your foes.

¹⁸ Their heart cried to the Lord [Sovereign God].
    O wall of the daughter of Zion,
let tears stream down like a torrent
    day and night!
Give yourself no rest,
    your eyes no respite!

¹⁹ “Arise, cry out in the night,
    at the beginning of the night watches!
Pour out your heart like water
    before the presence of the Lord [Sovereign God]!
Lift your hands to him
    for the lives of your children,
who faint for hunger
    at the head of every street.”

²⁰ Look, O LORD [YHWH], and see!
    With whom have you dealt thus?
Should women eat the fruit of their womb,
    the children of their tender care?
Should priest and prophet be killed
    in the sanctuary of the Lord [Sovereign God]?

As I was reading Lamentations 2, I thought the typesetters had made a mistake. The name of God appears both as LORD in small caps and Lord, with only the L capitalized. But that’s intentional. In most English Old Testaments, LORD represents the Hebrew name YHWH—commonly pronounced Yahweh—the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush (cf. Exodus 3:13–15). Lord, on the other hand, usually translates Adonai, meaning Lord, Master, or Sovereign.

Maybe the easiest way to keep it straight is this: there have always been many people called lord, but there is only one LORD—YHWH, the great I AM. In these verses I’ve tried to distinguish the two with the bracketed words [YHWH] and [Sovereign Lord].

Both appear in Lamentations 2. This is no typesetting error, nor does it mean that the Sovereign Lord and the LORD are two different gods. They are the same God. And therein lies an important lesson.

Things are really difficult. We’ve slogged through chapter after chapter of Jeremiah’s warnings, God’s oracles of judgment, and promises of Jerusalem’s demise. Now Lamentations gives voice to the grief that followed Jerusalem’s destruction. There is no pretending everything is fine. The suffering, devastation, sin, and guilt are real.

We may even want to give up on this reading program under all this weight. That’s especially true in a world of prosperity preachers, no-guilt psychologists, and politicians’ cheery sound bites (cf. Lutheran Study Bible, p. 1295). But Lamentations gives us permission to acknowledge the crushing weight of human sin, guilt, suffering, and grief. They are real. We deceive ourselves if we deny them.

But that’s not the whole story—not even close. For the Sovereign Lord who has brought judgment upon his people is the very LORD to whom they are told to cry out. It is the same God. The God whose judgment they are experiencing is still the God to whom they must cry for mercy.

During Jesus’ ministry, there came a time when many people deserted him and went their own way. Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Do you want to go away as well?” Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:67–68)

That’s the question, isn’t it? Where else would we go? In Jeremiah’s day, in Jesus’ day, or today, there is no other to whom we can finally turn. He is the LORD—the Sovereign Lord who judges sin and the merciful God who saves sinners. He is the One to whom we cry for mercy, and in Jesus Christ he has answered that cry with forgiveness, life, hope, and salvation.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

Click here, or on the image below to watch the Bible Project video overview of Lamentations

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Today’s readings: Jeremiah 49-51, Psalm 75.

Jeremiah 50:1-7, 17-20

The word that the Lord spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet:

² “Declare among the nations and proclaim,
    set up a banner and proclaim,
    conceal it not, and say:
‘Babylon is taken,
    Bel is put to shame,
    Merodach is dismayed.
Her images are put to shame,
    her idols are dismayed.’

³ “For out of the north a nation has come up against her, which shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; both man and beast shall flee away.

⁴ “In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, weeping as they come, and they shall seek the Lord their God. ⁵ They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, saying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.’

⁶ “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold. ⁷ All who found them have devoured them, and their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the Lord, their habitation of righteousness, the Lord, the hope of their fathers.’

¹⁷ “Israel is a hunted sheep driven away by lions. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has gnawed his bones. ¹⁸ Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, as I punished the king of Assyria. ¹⁹ I will restore Israel to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and in Bashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead. ²⁰ In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.

Years ago we got a phone call from our frantic youngest son: “Tim has locked me out of the house and won’t let me in!” We asked, “How did you call us then?” His answer: “He gave me the phone.”

We were four hours away on a church staff retreat, and all we had at our disposal was a cell phone mounting up roaming and long-distance charges by the minute. (Those were the days before free roaming and long distance—something we take for granted these days.) We managed to calm the situation and restore enough order to finish our retreat before heading home. I don’t recall exactly how we resolved the issue beyond mutual confession and forgiveness. But that is the way it must be between brothers. It’s also the way of brothers and sisters in Christ.

In Jeremiah’s day, however, the conflict, distress, and offense was not between brothers in the faith. It was between pagan nations and God’s chosen people. And while we might wish there were a simple way of dealing with it all, the fullness of God’s justice was anything but simple.

Babylon had been the instrument of God’s judgment against Judah for their apostasy, idolatry, injustice, and abhorrent pagan practices—including child sacrifice. God used Babylon to discipline his wayward and rebellious people. But that did not make Babylon righteous. God would hold Babylon accountable for its own pride, cruelty, and evil.

I think of those who mocked, scourged, beat, and crucified Jesus. Their actions, too, served God’s saving purpose without ceasing to be evil. Peter would later say that Jesus was delivered up according to “the definite plan and foreknowledge of God,” yet those who crucified him were responsible for what they had done (Acts 2:23). Jesus was innocent, yet willingly bore the judgment our sin deserved. God’s purposes never turn evil into good or make sin an excuse for further sin.

We may wish for vengeance and retribution when someone harms us or those we love. But our calling is to grace. The fullness of God’s justice against sin fell upon Jesus, and the fullness of God’s grace now flows to us through him. We who have received such grace are called to extend it to others—not pretending that wrong is right, but forgiving because we have been forgiven.

I don’t remember exactly what we said on that expensive long-distance phone call years ago. But somehow two angry brothers were brought back together through confession and forgiveness. That’s where God’s justice and grace lead us—not to ignoring the wrong, not to excusing the sin, but to confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

The cross shows us the fullness of God’s justice and the fullness of God’s grace. We must never seek to justify ourselves by blaming the bad behavior of others. We have been called to live in grace before God and in our relationships with one another.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Jeremiah 46-48, Psalm 74.

Jeremiah 46:25-28

 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt and her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. ²⁶ I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Afterward Egypt shall be inhabited as in the days of old, declares the Lord.

²⁷ “But fear not, O Jacob my servant,
    nor be dismayed, O Israel,
for behold, I will save you from far away,
    and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,
    and none shall make him afraid.
²⁸ Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
declares the Lord,
    for I am with you.
I will make a full end of all the nations
    to which I have driven you,
    but of you I will not make a full end.
I will discipline you in just measure,
    and I will by no means leave you unpunished.”

These are difficult chapters to read. One nation after another is called to account for pagan worship and dishonor of the LORD God. He will judge them and bring destruction upon them, exposing how powerless their gods, armies, and alliances really are. Egypt will not be a safe place to hide. Philistia will be laid low. Moab will suffer from one end of the land to the other.

So we have it: Egypt—to which the people of Judah had fled—is no safe sanctuary. Whether they saw it as a last resort or an obvious place of refuge, it will prove no stronghold. Egypt’s defenses will fail, and its armies will retreat before Babylon.

A much shorter oracle announces judgment against the Philistines, particularly Gaza and Ashkelon. An invading army from the north—probably Babylon—is pictured as an overwhelming flood. Babylon’s military might will overwhelm them, but even Babylon is serving God’s purposes.

Then comes Moab. Jeremiah isn’t merely saying, “Moab will fall.” He moves almost town by town across the landscape, creating the impression that there will be nowhere to escape God’s judgment. Nearly twenty cities and locations are named. Moab will suffer throughout the land.

All this shows that the LORD God is no local deity. He is not simply another choice on a list of gods to whom people may call. His dominion is over all. His judgments reach far and wide. Even a pagan nation like Babylon can serve his purposes of judgment against sin.

But two bright spots shine through these dark chapters. Against the backdrop of judgment and destruction come rays of grace and mercy. The promise of Judah’s deliverance shines against the impending doom: “Fear not, O Jacob my servant” (Jeremiah 46:27). And, most surprisingly, the oracle against Moab ends with a promise: “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 48:47).

How will this happen? The word sword appears repeatedly in these chapters. God’s judgment against sin is vivid and brutal. As I read, I thought of Jesus—scourged, mocked, tortured, crucified, and pierced by a spear. I think of Jesus telling Peter to put away his sword. And I think of something deeper still: on the cross Jesus willingly bore God’s judgment against sin. I cringe as I consider what our redemption cost. But I also realize that the judgment he bore is the judgment my sin deserves. God gave his own Son to redeem a world bent on seeking other gods and pursuing its own good apart from him.

The judgment our sin deserves has fallen on Christ. Our fortunes are restored in him. The sword of judgment does not have the last word. Jesus does. All who trust in him are saved. Thanks be to God.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Jeremiah 43-45, Psalm 73.

Jeremiah 43:8-13

[After hearing God’s command through Jeremiah not to go to Egypt, the leaders accused Jeremiah of lying and refused to obey. They took the remnant of Judah—including Jeremiah and Baruch—with them to Egypt, settling at Tahpanhes in direct disobedience to the LORD.]

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes: ⁹ “Take in your hands large stones and hide them in the mortar in the pavement that is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah, ¹⁰ and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden, and he will spread his royal canopy over them. ¹¹ He shall come and strike the land of Egypt, giving over to the pestilence those who are doomed to the pestilence, to captivity those who are doomed to captivity, and to the sword those who are doomed to the sword. ¹² I shall kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall clean the land of Egypt as a shepherd cleans his cloak of vermin, and he shall go away from there in peace. ¹³ He shall break the obelisks of Heliopolis, which is in the land of Egypt, and the temples of the gods of Egypt he shall burn with fire.’”

How foolish can you be? Haven’t you learned from the prophet Jonah: You can run, but you can’t hide? Don’t you realize that the LORD your God knows everything about you? King David wrote about this:

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
Psalm 139:7–12

But the leaders would have nothing to do with the LORD’s servant or his call to repentance. The people who fled to Egypt had openly rejected Jeremiah’s warning and continued worshiping the “queen of heaven,” (probably a fertility goddess such as Ishtar or Astarte). They had convinced themselves that life was better when they worshiped her and that their troubles began when they stopped. Jeremiah tells them they have it exactly backward: their idolatry was one of the reasons God’s judgment had fallen on Judah. Tragically, even after Jerusalem’s destruction confirmed Jeremiah’s warnings, they still refused to listen to the LORD. Instead, they chose an explanation that justified what they had already decided to do.

There are two remarkable examples of the opposite kind of faithfulness. Jeremiah is one. He endured hardship, persecution, rejection, and suffering while remaining faithful to God’s call and continuing to call the people to repentance. Things did not go well for Jeremiah, but he remained faithful.

There is, of course, another to whom we must point: our Lord Jesus Christ. He endured persecution, rejection, humiliation, abuse, torture, and ultimately death, yet remained faithful to his Father. He did that as an example for us, certainly—but far more importantly—he did it for us. He is our Savior, our Righteousness, and our Redeemer. Where we fail to remain faithful, he remained faithful even unto death.

We may not openly defy God or blatantly refuse to do what he calls us to do. We don’t have statues of the queen of heaven in our homes or shrines to pagan deities. But we can still judge God’s faithfulness by how well life is going. When trouble comes, we can doubt his goodness, despair of his grace, or look elsewhere for security. That is why we need more than Jeremiah’s example. We need Jesus’ redemption. He calls us back to himself, forgives our unfaithfulness, and strengthens us to trust him whether the road is easy or the path is hard. Such faith begins and ends with Jesus—receiving his grace and then reflecting it in lives that honor God and serve our neighbor.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Jeremiah 40, Habakkuk 1-2, Psalm 70.

Habakkuk 2:1-4

I will take my stand at my watchpost
    and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what he will say to me,
    and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

² And the Lord answered me:

“Write the vision;
    make it plain on tablets,
    so he may run who reads it.
³ For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
    it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
    it will surely come; it will not delay.

⁴ “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
    but the righteous shall live by his faith.

Habakkuk 2:4 is quoted by St. Paul in Romans 1:17 and became a linchpin in Martin Luther’s rediscovery of the Gospel. Luther struggled with God’s righteousness, understanding it primarily as the justice by which a righteous God judges sinners. Deeply convicted of his sin, he could find no peace. He later recalled, “I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners.”

That changed as he wrestled with Romans 1:16–17:

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’”

That quotation comes from Habakkuk 2:4. Luther came to understand God’s righteousness not merely as that by which God judges, but as the righteousness God gives to the sinner through faith. He later said he felt “altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.”

But back in Habakkuk, verse 4 can seem to hang in the middle of nowhere. What does “the righteous shall live by faith” have to do with Habakkuk’s situation?

Habakkuk was struggling with God’s announcement that he would use the wicked Babylonians to judge Judah. In 2:1 he essentially says, “I’m going to stand here and wait for God’s answer.” God responds: the vision is certain, but its fulfillment will take time. “If it seems slow, wait for it.”

Then comes verse 4, describing two ways of living while waiting for God to act:

“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but the righteous shall live by his faith.”

The arrogant Babylonian trusts his own strength and success. The verses that follow describe him as greedy and restless, conquering nations and gathering peoples to himself.

But the righteous shall live by faith. The righteous person trusts God’s promise—even when its fulfillment cannot yet be seen. Habakkuk cannot understand everything God is doing or see how God will make things right. But he has God’s Word: “If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come.”

This is what it means to be justified by grace through faith and to live in that faith. We trust God’s promises. We believe his Word. We trust that he is good and that he is for us and with us—even when we cannot see what he is doing.

Paul takes this little sentence from Habakkuk and unfolds it in Romans. We deserve God’s judgment because of our sin, but God reveals his boundless grace in Jesus Christ. Christ suffered and died for sinners, rose from the dead, and reigns forever. The righteousness we could never achieve is ours through faith in him. This was the Gospel truth that opened the gates of paradise for Luther.

And it is still how God’s people live. When we cannot see what God is doing and his promises seem slow in coming, the righteous live by faith. We cling to Christ and take God at his Word. What he has promised, he will surely fulfill.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Jeremiah 37-39, Psalm 69.

Jeremiah 39:11-19

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave command concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, ¹² “Take him, look after him well, and do him no harm, but deal with him as he tells you.” ¹³ So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon ¹⁴ sent and took Jeremiah from the court of the guard. They entrusted him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he lived among the people.

¹⁵ The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the guard: ¹⁶ “Go, and say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. ¹⁷ But I will deliver you on that day, declares the LORD, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. ¹⁸ For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, declares the LORD.’”

I’ve read books in which people are taken into protective custody—sometimes almost against their will. They know the danger is real, but they don’t want to leave behind the life they’ve known or become the witness that makes such protection necessary. Seldom, however, do we see protective custody unfold quite as it does for Jeremiah.

This is one of the great ironies of his life. After decades of being mocked, imprisoned, beaten, and even thrown into a cistern because he faithfully proclaimed that Babylon was God’s instrument of judgment, Jeremiah found himself protected by the very king he had said would conquer Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar ordered that Jeremiah be treated well and given whatever he needed (Jeremiah 39:11–12). The prophet whom Judah’s leaders had condemned as a traitor was honored by the pagan king.

To many in Judah, it must have looked as though Jeremiah had been working for Babylon all along. But that illusion quickly disappeared. When given the opportunity to live comfortably in Babylon, Jeremiah chose instead to remain with the poor remnant in Judah, continuing to minister to the very people who had rejected him. His loyalty had never been to Babylon. It had always been to the LORD and to God’s people.

Luther often spoke of the “masks of God”—the surprising people and circumstances through which God accomplishes his purposes. Nebuchadnezzar became one of those masks. So, in a different way, did Jeremiah’s suffering. God used both to preserve his prophet and to vindicate his Word. Faithfulness is not always rewarded immediately. Often it is costly. But in the Lord’s time, the truth is revealed and his servants are vindicated.

This is made so very clear in the last part of chapter 39. The LORD has a word and declares it clearly and unflinchingly. His way and will will prevail. He even promises Ebed-melech, “I will save you.”

This promise and Jeremiah’s story ultimately points us to an even greater salvation by means of someone far greater than Nebuchadnezzar. Jesus also appeared to have been defeated. He was rejected by his own people, condemned, crucified, and laid in a tomb. Yet what looked like the triumph of evil became God’s greatest victory. On the third day the Father vindicated the faithful Son by raising him from the dead.

The same Lord who sustained Jeremiah and vindicated his Son has not changed. There will be seasons when faithfulness is costly, when obedience is misunderstood, or when suffering seems to have the final word. It does not. God is still at work, often in ways we cannot yet see. His truth will be vindicated. His promises will be fulfilled. And those who entrust themselves to him will never be put to shame.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.