A word for the weary
Jeremiah 9:23-24
INTRODUCTION
Today is the tenth anniversary of the events of what is now called 9/11. On 9/11, many people died but others lived to tell their story. One person said, “I learned that no one has a guaranteed contract on life… Every day is a gift from God.” Every day is an opportunity to know God more. This leads to our message today. Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let them boast about this: that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises steadfast love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” With this in mind, let us first look at what it means to know God…
KNOWING GOD
Pride in knowing God
God’s people were blessed in Jeremiah’s time. They had human wisdom, military strength, and material wealth. They were well off and comfortable. They had a place of worship, a religious programme, and teachers to tell them about God. This is not unlike our situation today. To such people, the Lord said, “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let them boast about this: that they understand and know me.”
Knowing God personally
These two words, let them understand and know me are closely connected. The first is a theoretical knowledge about God whereas the second is more of an experiential knowledge. Like those in Jeremiah’s day, we too need objective insight about God and a subjective experience of God. This is what it means to know God. It is not just knowing about God. It is knowing him personally.
Living in a post 9/11 world
Israel was blessed with human wisdom, military strength, and material wealth, but after the Babylonian invasion, things changed. Until 9/11, people boasted about their academic achievements, their physical ability, and their material possessions, but now we are a little more measured, a little more wary, a little less certain, and a lot more insecure. In this context, we need to know God. We need to know God’s name…
KNOWING GOD’S NAME
Knowing God as Yahweh
God has many names in the Old Testament, but Yahweh (Lord) is his personal name. Psalm 83:18 says, “Let everyone know that Yahweh alone is the Most High over all the earth.” Yahweh came in Jesus to bring us back to himself. Jesus is Yahweh, and no one comes to the father but through him.
Yahweh is a friendly God
Some people know God academically but this can sometimes lead to intellectual pride. Some know God through formal religion only to live in fear. Others have a legalistic view of God that drains them of spiritual life and vitality. Jeremiah, however, speaks about a friendly God who exercises steadfast love, justice, and righteousness. It is the same with an earthly father and his children.
Knowing God in an insecure world
In an insecure world, we need to know God. We need to know God is here. We need to know God is here in his steadfast love; we need to know God is here in his justice; we need to know God is here in his righteousness. Micah 6:8 says he has shown us what is good and what the Lord requires of us… to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. This is what it means to know God. This is what it means to know God now…
KNOWING GOD NOW
One word for worship
Can you think of one word that sums up worship in the Old Testament? Would it be adoration, confession, praise, thanksgiving, or some other word? The Old Testament uses one word to sum up worship. It is this… knowing. To be more specific… it is knowing God. To be even more specific… it is knowing God now! When we know God, we worship, and when we worship, we know God.
The context of knowing God
The context of Jeremiah 9:23-24 is coming judgement under the Babylonians in 587BC. While this threat was looming, Jeremiah warned God’s people to turn from their reliance on human wisdom, military strength, and material wealth. In Jeremiah 2:13, the Lord said, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” The Lord said in Jeremiah 3:14, “Return, faithless people, for I am your husband.” In Jeremiah 6:16, the Lord said, “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it.” God then said in Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let them boast about this: that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises steadfast love, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these things I delight.” In these things, I take pleasure.
Knowing God now
In a world of that thinks sentimentally about love, we can show God’s steadfast love. In a world that thinks justice means vengeance or human rights, we can speak about a just God who justifies the ungodly. In a world that thinks righteousness is a sin against freedom, we can show that God’s righteousness is freedom… freedom from sin, and the right way to live.
CONCLUSION
Before 9/11, with our philosophy, sociology, psychology, and even our theology, we had God in a box. On 9/11, however, God stayed in the box we made for him. But God is not in a box, and today he says, “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom but let them boast about this: that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord.”
Before 9/11, people thought they were politically, economically, and technically strong with no need for God. Today God says, “We should not boast about our strength. We should boast about this: that we understand and know God.”
Before 9/11, people thought they had all the comforts they would ever need. Today God says, “Let not the rich boast of their riches…but let them boast about this: that they understand and know me.”
Bernard Cartledge