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Not All Was Lost!
Through His prophets Jeremiah in Jerusalem, Daniel in Babylon,
and Ezekiel on the banks of the Chebar, the Lord in mercy made
clear His eternal purpose. What He had said He would do for those
who proved true to Him, He would surely bring to pass.
In the wilderness wandering the Lord had made abundant pro-
vision for His children to remember His law. After they settled in
Canaan, the people were to repeat the divine instructions daily in
every home. They were to set these things to music. Priests were
to teach them, and the rulers were to make them their daily study.
The Lord commanded Joshua concerning the book of the law: “Do
according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your
way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Joshua 1:8
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If they had put this counsel into practice through the centuries
that followed, how different Israel’s history would have been! It was
regard for the law that gave Israel strength during the reign of David
and the earlier years of Solomon’s rule. Through faith in the living
word, the nation experienced reformation in the days of Elijah and
Josiah. In Jeremiah’s efforts toward reform, he appealed to these
same Scriptures, Israel’s richest heritage. He met the people with
the plea, “Hear the words of this covenant.”
Jeremiah 11:2
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As the armies of the Chaldeans came for the last time to surround
Jerusalem, hope fled from every heart. But God did not leave the
faithful remnant in the city to hopeless despair. Even while Jeremiah
was under close watch in prison, fresh revelations came to him
concerning Heaven’s willingness to forgive and to save.
By an acted parable, Jeremiah illustrated to the inhabitants of the
doomed city his faith that God would ultimately fulfill His purpose
for His people. In the presence of witnesses, he purchased an ances-
tral field in the neighboring village of Anathoth. From every human
point of view this purchase of land already under Babylonian con-
trol appeared foolish. The prophet himself had been predicting the
destruction of Jerusalem and a long period of captivity in Babylon.
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