Project 119: Hope in the Upheaval | Jeremiah 32:16-44
| Project 119 | Nathan King
“God’s Love Is Sufficient”
The final 28 verses in Jeremiah 32 offer a reality about God that stays true to this day. Judah’s history has been shrouded in turning away from God, and much like Judah, we are not too far separated from this problem. While we may not be building altars to ancient weather gods, it is part of our human condition to rely on our own judgment—something that could be extremely problematic. This is an issue God’s people are facing in these verses. Although God has constantly provided for them, Judah becomes fixated on walking their own path.
“They have turned their backs to me, not their faces; though I have taught them persistently, they would not listen and accept correction” (Jeremiah 32:33 NRSV).
As we find out later in this passage, though, God has a plan for his people that is so much better than what their iniquities are deserving of. Through Jeremiah, God says:
“I will bring them back to this place, and I will settle them in safety. They shall be my people, and I will be their God” (Jeremiah 32:37–38 NRSV).
God promises hope. God shows mercy. There is ultimately a greater plan for Judah, and incidentally, a greater plan for all of us. In our own ways, we have all been like Judah—people whose trust comes from themselves, not from the One who created them. But, God’s promise to the people of Judah and to us is that there is a goodness that lies beyond our understanding of anything. This goodness is found in the person of Jesus Christ. There is wonderful goodness in his birth, life, death, and resurrection—a gift that restores all who receive it.
Even though the people of Judah were not deserving of grace, God continued to love and provide for them. It’s a loving provision that is available for us, something we can have security and confidence in. As Paul articulates in his letter to the Ephesians:
“But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4–5 NRSV).
God mercifully loves us more than we could ever imagine. God just wants us to trust that he will always be with us.