“12. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. 13. He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins. 14. I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.”
Jeremiah has just watched Israel carried away captive. The temple, the kings houses, and other homes have all been burned with fire. The walls of Jerusalem were torn down and the only thing ahead is 70 years of captivity. There is one great truth we can find here in the Bible, God hates sin. Yes, He is merciful. Yes, He is long suffering, but when a child of God refuses to listen to the Lord, destruction will come. Jeremiah was just the messenger. He did what God led him to do. Sometimes the work of God is painful. Its Satan that make us think that God is punishing us, but the reality is, God loves us with an everlasting love. Jeremiah is giving us an example of what God’s work can feel like sometimes. He thinks God has shot him with an arrow, when in reality, He shot Jerusalem with an arrow. At the end of every arrow you will always find destruction. Sometimes the work of God feels the same way even today. Its like the bag target sitting in the back yard, somedays you get hit with 50 arrows and other days just a couple. After so many shots you feel helpless and wore out. The next arrow will surely pass through and you will no longer be any good. Then Satan makes you think that God is the one shooting the arrows. Not true, the ministry is just tough sometimes. Some of you today may feel like an old bag target that has sat in the yard for too long. One good thing about bag targets is that they can be restored. A new cover, extra stuffing and your good to go. Notice what our Great Shepherd does for us, Psalm 23:3 “He restoreth my soul…” Maybe God has put you in a place where people need to hear the truth. If they choose to refuse it, dont let it knock you down. Though Jeremiah went through much emotional and physical pain, his mind shifts to truth a short time later in the chapter. Lamentations 3:21-26 “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” God loves you, Friend! Stick with it and keep moving forward!
Memory Verse Week 8/22/21
Lamentations 3:22-23
“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
