Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good afternoon, dear ones.

We’ve returned from our time at Pheasant Pointe. We have a few other matters to pursue before bed.

This morning, following our WOG with the dog, Becki agreed to cut my hair. She’s done that throughout our whole life together. The jog is getting smaller…not as much to cut. I sat in the chair. I wondered why she was looking at me that way. Oh yes—you’re not supposed to be wearing a hat when you’re in the barber’s chair. I’m losing it.

Have a good remainder of the day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

What’s going on here? Did you hear what the LORD just said? Is it a typo? Did He use the right word? Did Jeremiah goof up and record it wrong? A major theme of the “word of the LORD” through Jeremiah thus far has been a bunch of pronouncements of divine judgment, warnings of doom and gloom for Israel as punishment for her being like an “unfaithful” wife in relation to the LORD being like a “husband,” guilty of all manner of “adulteries” (2:20; 3:1, 3,8,14,20; 5:11; 9:2). Yet here Isreal is being addressed as a “Virgin?”—with a capital “V?”

We may have just bumped into one of the most mind-boggling, wonderful, encouraging, rejoice-worthy verses in the entire Bible! It really does represent the heart and core of the Biblical Gospel that applies to you and me—the GOOD NEWS that the Sovereign, yet loving and gracious God of the universe, wants to impart to hopelessly messed-up, guilty, and condemned sinners—YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE GUILT OF YOUR PAST!—YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE CONDEMNED!—YOU DON’T HAVE TO BEAR THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR CONDEMNATION AND GUILT! THIS BIG LOVING AND GRACIOUS GOD IS BIG ENOUGH TO FORGIVE YOU, REBUILD YOU, RESTORE YOU, AND MAKE YOU “DANCE WITH THE JOYFUL!” Sorry, I’m kind of yelling here. Let me yell a bit more—WHY WOULD ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WANT TO PASS UP A DEAL LIKE THIS?!?! Having raised that question, I already know the answer: Because people operating with the NATURAL SIN NATURE are not in their right mind—sin is MIND-ALTERING.

To be sure, we all are required to do some mind-altering in order for them to wrap around this idea—that a prostitute can be restored to the status of a virgin. We know enough about this stuff to know that this is simply not humanly possible within our realm of physical reality! But wait—there’s something else important that emerges in this reading—Jeremiah’s prayer—“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. NOTHING IS TO HARD FOR YOU” (32:17, my capitals). The LORD then responds with confirmation: “Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: ‘I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR ME?’” (32:26-27). Lights come on. Do you get the connection?

So, the next time you hear someone say something like, “The LORD could never forgive me.” Then you can respond with another question as authoritatively and loud as the situation will allow—“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!” And before they have time to answer, you say, “Please say YES!—because you are!—if you think that the same God Who made the universe, including you, Who also invites your confession because He knows it’s so essential for your total well-being, is too weak and wimpy to do what He said He would do?—forgive you and restore you? Give me a break! Who do you think you are? If He made you, and knows that He did not design your psycho-spiritual mechanisms to bear the weight and stress of guilt from unforgiven sin, then BE FORGIVEN, for crying out loud!!! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?—a better offer?”

Whew! I better settle down. I’m almost feeling like a fanatical dogmatic Gospel preacher. But it still says right here, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives” (1 John 1:8-10).