Project 119: Hope in the Upheaval | Jeremiah 2
| Project 119 | Nathan King
“A Hopeful Joy, Found in Trust”
The second chapter of Jeremiah may seem like a dreary, hopeless collection of condemnations from God. But if we take a look at the bigger picture, the reality of this passage offers something a lot better than we expect.
Jeremiah is tasked with preaching to Judah about how far they have strayed from the Lord (and he does so boldly!). But, before he even begins to express God’s accusations, he presents Judah with a statement of remembrance to remind them of where they came from and the faithful people they used to be. Verses 2 and 3 preface the direction God is going with this proclamation and can ultimately be viewed as the centering verses that help the people understand where God is coming from in the rest of the chapter.
“I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holy to the LORD, the first fruits of his harvest. All who ate of it were held guilty; disaster came upon them, says the LORD” (Jeremiah 2:2–3 NRSV).
The remainder of the chapter, therefore, can be seen through a lens of hope: a hope that God’s people will return to him, the One who delivers and sustains. This is the reason for the extensive description of their shortcomings. It is for their own benefit that God calls them out for who they have become. God is greatly urging his people to turn away from their sin, because eventually, their sin will end up destroying them. Verse 17 displays this idea perfectly:
“Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the LORD your God, while he led you in the way?” (Jeremiah 2:17 NRSV).
This passage is incredibly relevant in our lives today! God has created all of us out of love, for love. We have the full capacity to take part in a life abundant with joy, but if we do not trust the fact that God will bring us that joy, it becomes impossible to be freed from ourselves. God just wants us to recognize what it is that he is doing in our lives. A patient trust in our Creator constructs a space—not of destruction, but of restoration.
*Nathan King serves an intern at MBBC. He is a student at Samford University.