The Light of Life series
“Because they have forsaken Me and have made this an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind; therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter." (Jeremiah 19:4-6).
God is not like us!
It is a brief and simple statement, but it carries a staggering reality that most people miss.
Jeremiah 19:4-6 contains a quote that is also simple, but it is extraordinarily weighty and profound. "...a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind..." (From verse 5). When Christians think about God, they understand Him as one who knows everything and can be surprised by nothing. This truth is recorded by Isaiah in 46:9-10.
"Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure';"
God's Word Declares He is Not Like Us
Yet, in the passage before us is this statement from verse five, "...nor did it ever enter My mind...." The word enter in English is āləṯāh in Greek and can be translated as "enter" or come into, but it also has the idea to ascend, go up, be taken up into, or be asserted. The idea here is that God never had such a thought, and neither would He be affected by sinful beings He created.
Sin separates people from God. He will have nothing to do with any thought, motive, deed, or attitude that is most narrowly sinful or wicked. God is pure and holy. Apart from God's grace, we are neither.
We miss much if we do not pay close attention to God's use of His name in every text. Jeremiah begins by saying, "Thus says Jehovah." The name, when properly broken down, is the name given to Moses in Exodus 3, "I AM" or "I AM THAT I AM." God is outside of time and eternal. We can say, "I am," but it is nothing like God when He declares I AM and without the beginning of days or end of life. Our life began because he created Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. We continue to exist because God sustains us.
God is Not Like The American Nation
America was conceived in liberty (To do what is right in God's eyes) from the Pilgrims and non-conformists of 1637 to The Great Awakening of 1740 to 1776. The principles upon which America was founded, like Israel's ten commandments, were from God, but most people were not. Only the remnant is God honoring and being saved by His grace and forgiveness.
In time, America, like Israel in Jeremiah 19, became so evil that God's patience ran out, and severe judgment had to fall. Why and how did things become so corrupt, and what caused it? As to the cause, the name Jehovah Sabaoth, or the Lord of Hosts, is used three times in chapter 19. God is the I AM of the heavenly host, which fights against one-third of the host that fell into sin because of pride. This spiritual warfare sometimes causes men to sink even lower than their sin might otherwise take them.
God, who is Not Like Us, Gets Further Away Because of Demons
In our days, that is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are warned about seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, 1 Timothy 4:1. The problem is that men are generally governed by the adage, "Seeing is believing." The Bible speaks much about spiritual warfare in the Old and New Testaments, but people are reluctant to believe. No one should ever be reluctant to acknowledge God as the source of all things, which includes truth.
God is Not Like Us Because He is the Author of Life, Unlike Us, Who Die as the Wages of Our Sin
The false gods that Israel worshipped were unknown to them in earlier times. These false gods were not just figments of their imagination and unreasoning mind because they forsook the One True God but were other previously unknown gods. These gods led them to burn the innocent or their infant or young children as a sacrifice for a good harvest. This heinous sin was deplorable to God, and He would not forgive them. Not that He is incapable of forgiving such a sin because He is, but that is His sovereign choice.
In conclusion, the Christian worships the God of the cross. He sent His only son there, not as a sacrifice to benefit the Father but to appease His anger toward rebellious, arrogant sinners. It is grace that draws men to repent at the cross. Their men's consciences are pricked, their hearts pierced, and their minds are crushed and broken under the weight of Christ's love. Despite the fact that God is so different from sinful men, He was willing to become one of them to save them by His grace.
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