O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble, Why should You be like a stranger in the land, And like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?
Jeremiah 14:8
Jeremiah was given a tough message to preach. God’s wrath was going to fall on what was left of Judah. The nation of Israel was already completely destroyed, and those in Jerusalem were soon to die of the sword, sickness, and hunger. On the one hand, 99.9% of the population was going to die, but the good news was that those who were dragged away into slavery would survive, prosper, and return to build Jerusalem up again.
God’s promises are a sure thing. When the exiles saw the completion of God’s judgment on the Jewish people in the Promised land, they chose to believe that the second part would be true also. God’s people set themselves apart from idolatry and clung to the Hope of Israel.
True hope is much more than wishful thinking. It is an expression of faith that is convinced of God’s predicted outcome, even when conventional wisdom would suggest otherwise. It is the belief that God’s Word is a sure thing even though the odds are stacked against you.
Today, Israel is surrounded by more than a billion enemies who have sworn to kill them. Those radicals live in the lands rich in petroleum, so they are able to buy bombs and weapons without hard work or a productive economy. The little land of Israel survives by selling fruit grown in the desert and by being on the cutting edge of technology. This is where the David and Goliath story began. But now, even the United States is turning its back on the apple of God’s eye, and odds have never been worse.
Jeremiah addressed the Hope of Israel as a person (i.e., the Savior). The problem is that Israel today has missed out on her Messiah and, with that denial, has also missed out on the hope God offers.
God has called on His people to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. As we do that, we also need to pray for great revival among the Jewish people that they will receive Yeshua as their Messiah and cling to the Hope of Israel.
January 5
