Therefore this is what the LORD says:

"If you repent, I will restore you

that you may serve Me"

Jeremiah 15:19, NIV 

 

Too many people view God as a cruel taskmaster who is just waiting for us to step out of line in order that He might crush us. They think that God is unreasonable. They think the work that He has given them is unreasonable. Some even think that He is a God of hate, instead of our loving Father.

 

But they are wrong!

 

One of the main messages of the prophets is that though men have sinned, there is always a path back to God. The prophets were not sent to announce hopelessness and doom. Instead, they were sent by God to offer the hope of salvation.

 

Since this is the case, then why do so many people view God as cruel and hateful? It is, I believe, for the same reason that our two year-olds think us to be cruel and hateful when we stop them from playing with that electrical cord, or from wandering out in the street - their minds are simply not mature enough to recognize the love that their parents have for them.

 

This is why we read! It is so that we can mature. It is so that we can see how harmful sin is, and how wonderful repentance and restoration to God are. It is so that we can be saved instead of lost.

 

God used His prophets throughout time to warn His beloved children of the dangers of the spiritual equivalents of electrical cords and wandering out into traffic. For those whose minds were too immature to receive the message, there was punishment and sometimes even death. But for those who were paying attention, there was reward and salvation. And for those who would truly listen, there was the promise of the coming Messiah!

 

This is the message of hope given by the prophets! Are we listening?

 

"For I am with you to rescue and save you.

I will save you from the hands of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the cruel."

Jeremiah 15:20-21, NIV

 

Today is day 12 of the 30 day challenge to read through the books of the prophets of God, with Jeremiah 15-22 being the reading for today. May God richly bless you as you hear His warnings and humbly accept His salvation!