God is our Praise and Sabbath Rest

Jeremiah 17:14-27 

14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For You are my praise.

15 Indeed they say to me,
"Where is the word of the LORD?
Let it come now!"
16 As for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You,
Nor have I desired the woeful day;
You know what came out of my lips;
It was right there before You.

17 Do not be a terror to me;
You are my hope in the day of doom.

18 Let them be ashamed who persecute me,
But do not let me be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed,
But do not let me be dismayed.
Bring on them the day of doom,
And destroy them with double destruction! 

19 Thus the LORD said to me: "Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, by which the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and say to them, 'Hear the word of the LORD, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21 Thus says the LORD: "Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22 nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. 23 But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction.

24 "And it shall be, if you heed Me carefully," says the LORD, "to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work in it, 25 then shall enter the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, accompanied by the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain forever. 26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah and from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the lowland, from the mountains and from the South, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, bringing sacrifices of praise to the house of the LORD.

27 "But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched."'"

Jeremiah prayed for the deliverance of God’s people as he under sin and the divine justice of punishment for accountability of their disobedience and worship of dead creations of their own hands as if gods.  He prayed for healing and salvation for himself because the living God was his praise, his reasons for life and impetus for worship.  While others mocked God and him as a spokesman by asking where is God’s word since they did not see immediate results, Jeremiah kept faithfully following the LORD and shepherding the unruly as well as the few obedient ones, all whom he was tasked with caring for.  He did not want to hasten the day of God’s judgment but kept calling and warning the people of God to repentance and faith in Him according to His word.  Yes, God was his hope and joy and deliverer from his own sin.  He reminded God of his words as a testimony to his faithfulness.  He prayed also not to be shamed or broken or terrified, bit that his persecutors would suffer those things instead for attacking God’s messenger and therefore God Himself.  They would suffer in the day of eternal judgment and torment.  It was enough.  Then he was reminded and reminds us to enter God’s sabbath rest which then was by ritual and rote, but which now is resting in the person and work of Christ Jesus in whose grace we stand.  Hebrews 4:3-5 describes this sabbath rest in His work for us as opposed to earning grace and salvation as Hebrews 4:9-10 explain further for our understanding.  The Israelites constantly sought their own knowledge from the forbidden tree and also refused to enter the rest from their own ineffectual works to rest by faith in God’s work for their salvation and missed the mark of faith’s object as the basis of their deliverance from His wrath according to His word.  May we not only enter into that rest, but after entering into Christ and His righteousness may we be God-pleasers who worship rightly and righteously in response of thankful and obedient hearts.  Yes, May we be holy as He is holy and faithful no matter what others do as we speak the truth in love and seasoned with grace.  God is our praise and sabbath rest.