Blogging Bible Study: Digging in the Desert -- Jeremiah: General Judgment

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I realized today that I actually missed a verse that I hadn't covered yet, so this post ...technically... should come before last week's.  Thank my scribbled up notes for that.

Both of the verses  we're looking at today use 'desert' as an adjective; a geographic description of a group of people, and there really isn't any particular significance attached to 'desert'; I'm going to look at the specific 'other nations' that are mentioned next week.  But, in the interest of being thorough....

"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh -- Egypt, Judah, Edom , Ammon, Moab and all who live in the desert in distant places.  For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart." -- Jer. 9:25-26

I don't know anything about the practices of the Arabic nations mentioned here, or the tribes who lived in the desert, such as the Nabateans and the Idumeans,  but circumcision was, to the Jews, a sign of God's covenant with them.  This concept...circumcision of the heart...was repeated in Romans: "Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised....A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if is is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.  Such a man's praise is not from men, but God." (Rom. 4:25, 28-29)

Even in the Old Testament, the idea was established that the motive and intent of the heart mattered.   Taking the mark of the covenant of God in one's body was not terribly significant if one did not also apply one's heart to following God and the laws He gave.  A ritual, however costly, does not substitute for obedience and relationship. We can carry this further and apply it anyone who believes their participation in a ritual...whether it's baptism or sacrament or even walking down the aisle in a church service and repeating a prayer...is the thing that's going to make them righteous.  No, it is a heart thing.  The heart  needs to be circumcised...removed of excess flesh (IE, that inclination to regard, crave and indulge in what God has forbidden). It is with the heart that we believe and are saved (Rom 10:10).

So. I'm just going to leave that there and go on.

The next passage also mentions a multitude of nations and also includes Judah (I've actually mentioned this chapter briefly in an earlier post regarding taking biblical passages out of context). In Jer. 25:15, Jeremiah is instructed to take a 'cup of God's wrath'  around to a specific list of nations.  That list is in verses 18 - 26 and includes Jerusalem, all the towns of Judah, Egypt, Uz, the Philstines of Askhelon, Gaza, Ekron and Ashdod; Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon, the kings of the coastlands, Deadan, Tima, Buz, all who are in distant places, 

all the kings of Arabia  and all the kings of the foreign people who live in the desert; (25:24)

Zimri, Elam and Medisa, all the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other -- all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.  In short, EVERYONE ON THE PLANET.  "See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished?" (25:29)

If God does not hold his hand back from pouring judgement upon his own people, the rest of mankind surely will not escape.  We all  know the judgment that fell upon Israel and Judah for adopting the practices and gods of the pagan nations around them...this is a warning to anyone who wants to shake their heads at God's people.  What we have to understand...God's punishment to Israel was always to purify the nation, to ultimately bring them closer to him as his own. God's punishment to those who have abused his people...that's a different thing.