Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Good morning, fellow called-ones.
Dandy is waiting outside the door. After sending this, I’ll take him on another jog excursion. I think he’ll be willing to abandon his stick for that long. His passion seems to be constant—there is absolutely nothing in life more important than chasing sticks or balls. Without much effort, we could make another incriminating sermon illustration here. Right?
Lots to get on the list. It would sure simplify things if that was all I needed to do—just get things on the list. But the taxing fact is that every entry on the list requires taxing time and attention. The adventure goes on. So does the list. So does the need for singing.
May the Lord help you with your list in the same way I need His help with mine.
Love, Dad/Ray.
It may be a good idea to grab this FOCUS VERSE, hang on to it, and not let it go. Amidst all the doom and gloom that Jeremiah is called to announce, and all the rejection and persecution he receives as a result of his faithfulness, positive expressions of praise like this are few and far between. This burst of praise may serve as a kind of life ring as we accompany Jeremiah through the storms of his times. Indeed, it can serve as a valuable life ring as we anticipate and endure the storms of our own times. History (HIS-story) isn’t over yet. The signs are glaring. I’m convinced that world events are stacking up in fulfillment of Biblical prophecies to bring our nation and world into the stormiest times ever known! Don’t leave home without this life ring!
Jeremiah was clearly an outstanding prophet, but he was also human. We all know enough about human experience to know that our own subjective perspectives and emotional climate are less than stable. It’s not all sunshine and calm—storms can rage within too. The very next lines following the FOCUS VERSE would offer evidence that Jeremiah himself faltered in his clinging to this life ring. At the point of making this entry in his journal, he is so depressed and frustrated with how things are unfolding, how much suffering he is forced to endure for no other reason than telling the TRUTH, he yields to some pitiful discouragement. I wonder if Jeremiah had access to the book of Job—if perhaps he had just read Job 3 that morning. The similarity is striking: “Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!...Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?” (20:13, 18). This is not the kind of Scripture you need to hide in your heart—other than to use it for acknowledging faltering.
Jeremiah is just a little bummed with his assignment and lets go with a complaint. On one hand he recognizes the absolute importance of God’s Word—that “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4)—but he also observes the price tag—“Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones” (20:8-9). It’s the same phenomenon experienced by the Apostle Paul—“Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16-17). God’s TRUTH within, properly digested, becomes like a steam chamber that must be released—or something will blow. While discerning the devil’s dirty deceptive devices so destructive, yet grasping God’s goodness and grace that is so grand and glorious, how can we possibly be unconcerned and silent?!?! Answer: WE CAN’T! SO DON’T BE!