Set Like Flint
11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”
13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”
Jeremiah 1:11-19
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Set Like Flint
Jeremiah is shown an almond branch, the sign that the Lord is awake, watching, and keeping His Word. The prophet will face resistance, mockery, and fear, yet the Lord does not promise ease. He promises presence. “I am with you,” not as a vague comfort, but as a fortress stronger than kings, priests, and people combined. Jeremiah’s confidence does not come from his personality or courage, but from the Word placed in his mouth. So it is with us. The Church does not stand firm because she is persuasive or powerful, but because the Lord is faithful to what He has spoken. That faithfulness is finally revealed at the cross, where it looked as though God’s Word had failed. Yet there, precisely in weakness, the Lord was most awake, most active, most faithful. The cross sets us like fortified cities, not unassailable by suffering, but unshaken by it. Christ has already borne the worst opposition for us, and He still watches over His Word to perform it.
13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”
Jeremiah 1:11-19
+
Set Like Flint
Jeremiah is shown an almond branch, the sign that the Lord is awake, watching, and keeping His Word. The prophet will face resistance, mockery, and fear, yet the Lord does not promise ease. He promises presence. “I am with you,” not as a vague comfort, but as a fortress stronger than kings, priests, and people combined. Jeremiah’s confidence does not come from his personality or courage, but from the Word placed in his mouth. So it is with us. The Church does not stand firm because she is persuasive or powerful, but because the Lord is faithful to what He has spoken. That faithfulness is finally revealed at the cross, where it looked as though God’s Word had failed. Yet there, precisely in weakness, the Lord was most awake, most active, most faithful. The cross sets us like fortified cities, not unassailable by suffering, but unshaken by it. Christ has already borne the worst opposition for us, and He still watches over His Word to perform it.
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