Wednesday 17 February 2016

Psalm: Psalm 37:12-29

Background

At the end of the book of Jeremiah we read "soJudah went into captivity, away from her land" (Jeremiah 52:27), but among the condemnationsand the growing sense of doom contained in the prophet's wordsthere are shafts of remarkable hope.

Here, as God pleads with the people to return toZion, we catch a glimpse of what is being prepared way into thefuture. When those who have dallied with false gods are replacedwith leaders after Yahweh's own heart then, not surprisingly, thepeople's faith will be strengthened.

But the astonishing move is that God, after speaking out as an abandoned lover in a divorcecourt (Jeremiah 2:1-13), seems willing to take Judahback. According to the book of Deuteronomy that's detestable (Deuteronomy 24:1-4) and yet God's heart is sofirmly fixed on Judah that God cannot let her go.

In addition, says Jeremiah, under this newcovenant, the people will have set their hearts on God. Ultimately,the presence of God will be found not in the Ark of the Covenant;indeed people will forget all about it. They will be drawn toJerusalem - both Israelites and Judeans - to share in aninheritance.

Eventually it's not just the Ark that is destroyed.Jerusalem goes as well and the people go into exile.

All the time Jeremiah is calling them back into arelationship with God and offering the hope of a New Covenant,written on their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

In these few verses the scope of God's covenantpresence and promise grow exponentially: what was contained in theArk of the Covenant will move into the city of Jerusalem and theninto the land "I gave your ancestors for a heritage" (v. 18).Ultimately, as the new covenant is fully revealed in Jesus Christ,it is released globally in all those whose hearts are set on fire …but it begins "one from a city and two from a family" (v. 14).

To Ponder

• What feature of worship helps you sense the presence ofGod?

• What have you had to let go of in order to allow God in? Whathappened?