365 Reflections

When you consider how the narrative of the Old Testament begins and how the story continues, it should come as no surprise that God concludes the writings under the Old Covenant with a warning about division that would come between families. Adam is considered the son of God (see Luke 3:38). He populated the earth with many sons and daughters and a righteous line that stretched through Noah to Abraham to David to Christ. Fathers and sons change the world.  Malachi 4:4–6 (ESV) “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” The purpose of Elijah was to precede the arrival of the Lord. The New Testament makes it clear that this figure is John the Baptist....

God has a word from Jeremiah to Israel in Jeremiah 4 but it is to a specific segment of the population. The men.  Jeremiah 4:3 (ESV)  For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. It's astonishing the impact men have on society. For both tremendous good and tremendous evil. Look at the story of almost any overachiever and you will most likely find a failed father in their past. They are desperate to undo the damage Dad did.  Jeremiah knows that the men need to repent if the nation is to rebound. And their hardness is causing hardship in the land.  Then this phrase: "So not among thorns." What a crazy statement! Who would sow seed where you could get stuck or pierced with pain? Only foolish men! Thorns are a picture of sin in Genesis 3. Adam's rebellion would cause the land to produce them. Jesus wore a crown of thorns on his brow symbolizing His payment for Adam's rebellion. Jesus also tells us th...