Jeremiah 30:11, 18-19
11 For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished.’
11 For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished.’
18 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; The city shall be built upon its own mound, and the palace shall remain according to its own plan. 19 Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
For I am with you to save you,declares the LORD. These amazing words of promise are claimed to all of God’s people who in exile are defeated and overwhelmed, afraid and dismayed. While their homes and cities have been crushed into rubble, God promises not only a return but a complete restoration and revitalization of Israel with everything put back into its proper place. To do so God is going to have to move to liberate His people by completely destroying the enemies while protecting, restoring, and healing the wounds of Israel.
The result? In poetry, God promises
Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving
And the voice of those who make merry;
I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish;
I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving
And the voice of those who make merry;
I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish;
I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
But these are the people who God has said had incurable wounds, whose injury was beyond healing and with no one to plead their cause, a forgotten people (vv.12-14). How thankful then will God’s people sing and live unto Him knowing that only by His great compassion has the LORD brought them out of death into flourishing, out of hopelessness into life abundant, and out of exile into homecoming to dwell again with their merciful God!
To us who know the cross, our thanksgiving burst forth because in Jesus God declared For I am with you to save you! Only when we come to know just how much in ruins were our lives when we lived exiled from God will we come to appreciate the abundant restoration God has provided in Christ. Only when we see how incurable were our wounds of sin can we truly thank Jesus for His compassion and mercy to bring us home.
Today let it be true of our houses From them will come songs of thanksgiving.
第11天
耶 30:11,18-19
11因我與你同在，要拯救你，也要將所趕散你到的那些國，滅絕淨盡，卻不將你滅絕淨盡，倒要從寬懲治你，萬不能不罰你。（不罰你或作“以你為無罪”）這是耶和華說的。”18耶和華如此說：“我必使雅各被擄去的帳棚歸回，也必顧惜他的住處。城必建造在原舊的山岡，宮殿也照舊有人居住。19必有感謝和歡樂的聲音，從其中發出，我要使他們增多，不致減少；使他們尊榮，不致卑微。
神宣告說：“我與你們同在並且要搭救你們。”這句奇異的話語是 神給那些被擄的百姓的承諾。當時，這些百姓正處在失敗、被壓制、驚懼、和灰心當中。當他們的家園和故鄉被拆毀成為亂石堆的時候，神向他們許諾不僅要帶他們歸回，而且要完全恢復和復興以色利人，使每一件東西都恢復到合適的地方。要做到這些，神將會行動起來完全消滅仇敵，並且保護、恢復、和醫治以色列民，藉此使以色列百姓得釋放。
那麼，這事的結局是什麼呢？神許諾說：“必有感謝和歡樂的聲音，從其中發出，我要使他們增多，不致減少；使他們尊榮，不致卑微。”
但是，神也曾說過，這些人的損傷是無法醫治的，他們的傷痕極其重大，無人為他們分訴，他們是被遺忘的百姓 （30:12-14）。不過， 因著神極大的憐憫，祂卻要帶領祂的百姓脫離死亡、進入繁榮；脫離絕望、進入豐盛的生命；脫離被擄的境地、歸回故土，並且與仁慈的 神重新同住。所以，若 神的百姓知道這些，他們將會多麼口唱心和地感謝神，並且靠著 神而活！
對於我們這些認識十字架的人來說，我們更是要向 神發出感謝，因為透過耶穌，神向我們宣告說：“我與你們同在並且要搭救你們。”只有當我們意識到遠離 神的流浪生活是多麼墮落的時候，我們才會因 神在耶穌基督裡給我們提供的歸回的機會而發出感謝；只有當我們看到罪帶給我們的傷痕是無法醫治的時候，我們才會因耶穌出於恩慈和憐憫帶領我們回家而真正地感謝祂！
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