“They will be my people, and I will be their God.” (Jer. 32:38)
GOD DEALS IN THE REALITY of the people He is calling into relationship with Him. All the talk of land, buildings, and fields in this passage of Jeremiah really has to do with people. The tangible reality was important to the people, so God spoke to them in those terms. But God was working through all of this to reach His people.
A seminary professor once told me, “If it’s important to you, then it’s important to God.” I don’t think this means God is a die-hard Notre Dame football fan like me! But it might mean that because God wants to be in relationship with us, He chooses to zero-in on the things that are important to us. God chooses to speak our language. This may be one of the most amazing things about God in Christ: He becomes like us, so that we may become like Him.
Jeremiah’s ancestral land was very important to him. He wasn’t a priest like Ezekiel. So the temple didn’t carry as much weight with him. God called Jeremiah to take action in an area that was important to him. Through the simple act of Jeremiah’s obedience, God spoke hope to an entire nation. This is what grace looks like—if we choose to see it. God is extending grace to us in ways we can understand, all the time.
Look for ways God is extending grace to you in your language.
Brian Niece is a former pastor who is now pursuing a PhD, writing, spending time with his wife and three kids, and watching way too much football.
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