Jeremiah 35–38: I often laughingly put my hand up when someone tells me something I don’t want to hear and say, “I am not receiving that.” It is my way of saying it may be true, but I don’t want to believe it. I know that my receiving it or not doesn’t change the fact that it is. One silly example is I am not receiving that it is about to get cold outside. I love the sunshine of the summer and the longer days so much that I don’t want to accept the falls temperatures and shortness of days. Even though I don’t want to receive it, the order of things will take place and this morning it is chilly outside. My example is a simple and silly one, but for Israel in Jeremiah’s day they were not receiving the message of the destruction that was to come. The king did not want to receive that unless he turned himself and his kingdom over to the much stronger enemy Jerusalem would be burned to the ground. In the passage several times today Jeremiah gave the real truth and he was imprisoned for it, put into a cistern, eventually let out, and in the end asked again only to remain in prison. Each time his answer was the same and each time the ones listening decided to disregard his answer.
Do you and I do this in our spiritual walk with God as well? Do we know the right things to do and yet choose not to do them. James says to know and not do them is sin. The outcome of sin is separation from God and eventually conflict that comes along with it. We may not want to receive it, but the end result can be as devastating for our lives as it was for Israel as bondage for many years and death awaited many who did not heed the word shared with them.
May we always have ears to hear what God is saying to us and receive the message with hearts that immediately change to tune ourselves to God’s path. And yes, I know I must receive the shorter days as well and learn to rejoice in them. 🙂