Jeremiah 31:15-32:25; 2 Thessalonians 3
Proverbs 25:1-10 contains “more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah” (verse 1). As Solomon’s great-grandson – nine generations removed (cf., Matthew 1:7-10) – Hezekiah, who was a good king, must have genuinely appreciated his great-great-grandfather’s writings. He seriously desired that they should be “copied” and further disseminated for reading. In verse 2, we learn that certain “matters which are concealed by God” serve to glorify Him. This means that God, Who is omniscient, is properly glorified even by the knowledge that we don’t have about Him. Whatever we do know about God comes to us by revelation (i.e., through His Self-disclosure) – whether by special revelation or by general revelation – and this is a glorious truth. However, because He is God, He reserves the right to conceal or withhold from us whatever He pleases. Such concealment also glorifies God in that our ignorance requires us simply to humble ourselves before Him and recognize that He possesses knowledge which is way beyond our comprehension. This truth inherently and automatically establishes His superiority over us, and it exalts Him infinitely above us. We may rightfully say that “We are not in His league.” If we honor a wise man because his wisdom and insight are greater than our own, how much more should we praise, honor, glorify, trust, and worship a God Who is omniscient and knows all things – including things that we can never know? The truth of verse 2 brings us logically to our proper place before God – we must admit that God knows, but we do not.
In Jeremiah 31:15-32:25, we come to a messianic section of Jeremiah, and we read about God’s glorious promise of the New Covenant. Jeremiah begins this section with “a voice of mourning in Ramah … mourning and great weeping; Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more” (verse 15). Rachel typifies Israel’s mothers who have – over many generations – wept for their children throughout their sufferings and losses. Here, Jeremiah prophetically sees not only the children of Israel going into the future Babylonian exile, but also he envisions Herod’s coming attempt to destroy the Messiah by killing all the male babies in Bethlehem at the time of Christ’s birth. Matthew indicates that this prophecy “was then fulfilled” at that time (cf., Matthew 2:17-18). Appropriately at this point, Jeremiah announces that the LORD intends to “show His great compassion to Ephraim … to bring them back from captivity and plant them in the land. He will make a new covenant with them … and put His law in their minds and write it on their hearts. They will all know Him … and He will remember their sins no more” (verses 20-35). In chapter 32, even as the Babylonian army was besieging Jerusalem, we see Jeremiah’s incredible trust in the LORD. God tells him to go out and buy a field – just before the fall of the doomed city. The prophet writes, “I knew that this was the Word of the LORD, so I bought the field” (verses 8-9). Who buys property in the face of impending disaster? But God’s knowledge is way beyond our league.
In 2 Thessalonians 3, Paul requests the prayers of the believers at Thessalonica so that “the message of the Lord may be spread rapidly, and that it may be honored,” and He requests their “prayers for deliverance from wicked and evil men” (verses 1-2). In the next section, Paul warns them – and us – to remain busy and avoid idleness, which allows our minds, hearts, and hands to wander toward meaningless distractions, wild speculations, and silly nonsense. We need to be active in wholesome, productive work which also glorifies God. Paul teaches the simple rule that, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (verse 10). This reminds me of the sluggard about whom we read so often in the book of Proverbs. Paul also reminds us, “never tire of doing what is right” (verse 13).
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