The Wages of Sin
8/12/26 Bible Thought (Jeremiah 52)
Main Idea: Sin is costly and eventually brings God’s judgment.
A Look at the Text:
As the book of Jeremiah draws to a close, we see a final recounting of the destruction of Jerusalem from chapter 39.
Once more, it is made abundantly clear that the Babylonian captivity was the result, not of Babylon’s power, but the Lord’s anger (Jer. 52:2). God was merciful for generations and offered them opportunity after opportunity to turn back to Him, but finally it reached the breaking point. Jerusalem was handed over to its captors.
After besieging the city for about a year and a half, the Babylonians captured Jerusalem (Jer. 52:4-6) and went in to destroy the city. During this conquest, the glorious temple that Solomon had built for the Lord was burned to the ground and all of its precious metal taken away (Jer. 52:12-23). Then, the people of God were exiled out of their land.
Bringing it Home:
God in His mercy offers people ample time to amend their ways. For over 300 years Judah existed as its own nation and with a few exceptions, most of the kings rejected Him and His ways.
As a result, God brought about His promised judgment. Deuteronomy 28 revealed in advance that if the people of God rejected His covenant and refused His statutes, He would bring curses upon them (Deut. 28:15). He would take them as captives to a faraway land (Deut. 28:36) and even their high walls wouldn’t be able to protect them (Deut. 28:52).
God kept His promise. The Judean walls were broken down, the city was laid waste, and the people of God were taken away as exiles in a strange land. God takes sin seriously. Rebellion against the Creator won’t be tolerated forever.
Even today, many think that God is indifferent to their wicked ways because His judgment is delayed (Ecc. 8:11). Yet judgment delayed is not judgment denied. We must take the warning passages of Scripture seriously. We must heed His call to repent, for the Kingdom is drawing nearer every day.
There is a window of time to find mercy, but there is a day that the window will shut. On that day, He has revealed that our only hope is Jesus Christ, who bore our sin. We must be found in Him before it is too late.
Then, for those of us who are in Christ, let us not treat our sin with indifference but seek to mortify it. Let us rejoice in mercy but never abuse it. My sin was costly and put nails into the hands of my Savior. If forgiveness required such a great sacrifice, I should never belittle it.
Challenge:
Does my life showcase my appreciation of the costliness of salvation?