SWHW Bible Reading Plan: June 2021Sample

Top Takeaway from Emily Copeland:

Even though we know that God is fair, just, righteous, and unable to do wrong, it certainly doesn't feel like we are treated fairly all of the time. 

I've lost close friends and family to death, we've lost jobs, we struggled financially, and we've had trauma.

Without a doubt, I can imagine that you're probably face-to-face with an unfair situation right now. And, if not, you're probably feeling the weight of a broken culture and society that all seem really unfair. 

Jeremiah had a tough job as a prophet in a really volatile environment. In Chapters 24-25, Jeremiah is delivering the message from God of death and destruction to the people of Judah. 

God said, "See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty." Jeremiah 25:29.

Disaster. Punishment. All who live on the earth will be punished.

But what's interesting is that Chapter 24 begins with a vision that Jeremiah had from the Lord about figs. Jeremiah sees two baskets, one with good figs, and one with rotten figs. As the Lord explains what this vision meant, He said, "Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians." 24:5. 

The entire nation of Judah, the good and the bad, would be taken and placed under judgment. And what does God do first? God sent the good people to be exiled in captivity first. 

How often have you felt like you've gone first into the struggle, the battle, and the exile? How often have you looked at others, who seemingly deserved it more than you, sit back and watch you walk in pain and frustration and the unknown? 

The reality is that in God's vastness, His justice, His mercy, and love, we don't get to escape the hard for the sake of the good. Often, He leads us right into the hard for the sake of the good. Sometimes, we are exiled first. 

God's plan includes all people and He uses the ebb and flow of life, brokenness, and the human condition in the plan. It's all factored in. He doesn't get it wrong for any of us, ever. In this story, although innocent people were the first to be exiled, God knew that they would also be rescued and that their rescue would radically change their hearts and lives. 

Check it out:

Before they were even taken away, God said, "My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all of their heart." Jeremiah 24:6-7

Their return from exile would result in a group of people who were wholly devoted to God and who no longer were tempted to chase after any other idols. The unfair treatment and experience of exile and captivity would soften their hearts to the God who would be all of the things that they needed and more based on the above Scripture. 

So in the midst of what feels like unfairness, remember that God is working to draw you closer, not to even the score or to win the culture war. He wants your heart; He wants you to run home to Him, more in love with Him than ever before. 

God, in my own exiles, I have felt like I've been pushed to the outside of the circle and left there to fend for myself. But with each one, You've reminded me that You're with me. You make a way for me to see You at work, even when it's hard. Thank You for keeping the entire story of my life in Your mind, not just the next page. I Love You. Amen.