Daily Devotional Thought--From the Old Testament

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In the face of obstinate unrepentance, our faithful heavenly Father still pursues His children. The Lord describes Jerusalem in no uncertain terms:


ESV Jeremiah 5:6-9: Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down; a wolf from the desert shall devastate them. A leopard is watching their cities; everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great. "How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?

Verse 7a: Swearing by false gods--strike one.

Verse 7b: Committing adultery and trooping through houses of whores--strike two.

Verse 8: Lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife--strike three.

And yet, the reason the LORD sends a prophet reminds us that His preferred word is a word of promise, and word of absolution, a word of Gospel:


ESV Jeremiah 5:1 Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her.

The desire of the Lord is to pardon a nation for her sin--and so it is today.

From The Lutheran Study Bible:
From the lowliest individual in the streets to the highest official in the temple of king's palace, all God's people have turned away from Him to other gods. Their rebellion appears clearly in their immoral behavior as they reject every prophet who calls them back to faith and to the obedience that comes from faith. Today, as you interact with others, consider the condition of your heart in view of God's Word. Repent of all pride, and pray for sincere faith and wisdom with kindness. IN His mercy, God preserves His people for salvation (cf v 10); He has you on His heart.

And so we pray:
Turn us back, O Lord, when we stray. Keep us faithful in word and deed; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.