Jeremiah 16 Devotional

A Greater Exodus Coming

“O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our fathers inherited nothing but lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all.”Jeremiah 16:19 (BSB)

God makes Jeremiah's whole life a message. He must not marry, go to funeral meals, or join feasts (16:2, 5, 8). Each loss is a sign that death and silence are coming (16:4-9). Most sobering, God says he has withdrawn his peace, his faithful love, and his compassion from this people (16:5). When they ask what they have done, the answer is plain: they and their fathers abandoned him for other gods (16:10-12).

Yet in the middle of this, God speaks of a rescue so great it will outshine the exodus. People will no longer swear by the God who brought Israel out of Egypt but by the God who brought them back from the north and from every land where he scattered them (16:14-15). Jeremiah looks further still and sees nations coming from the ends of the earth to admit that the gods they received from their ancestors were worthless (16:19). Judgment is not his last word here, which is reason to keep hoping, even when your own present feels silent.

To think about: Where does your life feel silent or stripped down right now, and how might God's promise of a greater rescue give you hope there?