|Painting by Michelangelo, 1512|
Jeremiah was delivering these messages from God to Judah during the reigns of the last five kings. These were not good times spiritually. If you will refer back to I Chronicles, it gives you a sense of the moral climate of Jeremiah's day. People really don't like to hear scary messages like Jeremiah's. And, because of the content of his messages, Jeremiah wasn't a popular person. Even so, he continued to deliver God's message for forty years .When it was obvious that destruction was inevitable, Jeremiah urged the leaders to submit to the Babylonians, to accept the punishment they deserved. In this way Jerusalem would be spared. Delivering such a message branded Jeremiah as a traitor. People did not listen to his warnings.
Jeremiah wept. But, Jeremiah did not weep for himself; he wept for the loss he knew was coming; he wept for his people who refused to listen to God's word, and he wept for the destruction of the city and its temple.
|courtesy Crystalinks Metaphysical and Science Website|
But Jeremiah, through God, foresaw the day when God would be present among men through the Holy Spirit. Much of the book of Jeremiah is about the Messiah. The New Covenant would be a covenant of personal relationship with Messiah. Today, we are living in that New Covenant. WE ARE LIVING IN THAT KINGDOM WITH GOD AMONGST US THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT! The Ark of the Covenant was beautifully made of precious materials and with careful attention to every detail, as directed by the Lord. But we have the New Covenant, which is Christ Jesus, whose beauty is unspeakable.
Jesus walks alongside me all the time. If He is not walking with you, ask Him to.