Rev. Dr. Ryan Tietz, assistant professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 4:5-31.
Judah’s continued refusal of repentance will lead to terrible destruction. The cry goes out through the land that warfare is coming, and no one will escape. The invaders are instruments of the LORD, who still calls His people to cleanse themselves from their wicked idolatry. Jeremiah does not preach as a disinterested observer, but his pain and anguish leads him to cry out to the LORD, a faithful response in the face of suffering. The destruction that is coming is compared to the undoing of creation, a sign that the call to repentance is not simply for Judah and Jerusalem, but for all nations. Outward adornment is all in vain. Only the LORD gives refuge to His people through His promise; He will sustain His remnant.
“A Time to Destroy and a Time to Build” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Jeremiah. The prophet calls the people of Judah and Jerusalem to repent of their faithless idolatry and warns them of the destruction that is coming in the Babylonian exile. Yet Jeremiah does not leave us without hope in the midst of such dark days. Jeremiah and all who believe the Word of God he preached survive because of hope that is found in the righteous Branch from the line of David, Jesus Christ.
