Jeremiah 21 and 22 |  Never Leave or Forsake Us

Jeremiah 21 and 22 | Never Leave or Forsake Us
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In today’s Daily Devotional, we delve into Jeremiah 21 and 22, confronting the stark reality of God forsaking His people, Israel, due to their disobedience. While some cling to the promise of never being forsaken, these chapters challenge that notion. Amid divine warnings and lamentations, we’re reminded of the consequences of forsaking God’s covenant. To learn how to be obedient to God’s call on your life, read Jeremiah 19 and 20.

I Will Never Leave You or Forsake You

The tension between divine assurance and human accountability is palpable. While Joshua was promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” Jeremiah’s words paint a different picture. God’s justice demands obedience, yet He honors our freedom to choose, even if it leads to forsaking His covenant.

Let’s not trivialize the cost of redemption or presume upon God’s grace. Instead, let’s heed the cautionary tale of Jeremiah’s prophecy and return to God. In doing so, we’ll discover anew the depths of His enduring love, even in the face of our forsaking.

Jeremiah 21 and 22 are about God Forsaking His Own People

Do you think God will never leave you or forsake you? Please read or listen to the fourteen verses of Jeremiah 21 and the thirty verses of Jeremiah 22.

Jeremiah 21 and 22 Commentary by Allen J. Huth

When reading Jeremiah 21 and 22 in 2016, I wrote in my personal Bible reading journal, “Ouch! These are words that came to Jeremiah from the Lord! They are harsh, unmerciful, devastating. ‘I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath’ (21:5). Why do Christians say universally that He will never leave me nor forsake me? That may have been a promise to Joshua, but it is clearly not universal to all people. ‘For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord’ (21:10). Babylon is used by God to take down Jerusalem, Judah, kings, and His people. Why? Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshipped other gods and served them. Sounds like the USA today.”

Digging Deeper

Let’s look at “forsaking” for a moment. In Joshua 1:5, the Lord does say to Joshua, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.” Somehow, Christians take, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” and say that is always the case in their own lives.

Jeremiah 21:5

I do not believe it because of passages like we are reading in Jeremiah. Throughout the Old Testament, God certainly forsakes His people. He says in Jeremiah 21:5, “I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath.” If that is not enough, let’s go on to verse 6, “And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence.”

Do I need to keep going? Verse 7:

Afterward, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.

Jumping down to verse 10, the Word of God says, “For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord”. I do not know what your definition is of forsaking, but it sure does sound like God is forsaking people right here. So, as Christians, I think we need to be very careful when we say, “God will never leave me nor forsake me.”

God Wants Our Obedience

We have heard and read over and over in Jeremiah, God wants our obedience. He wants our allegiance, and when we do not do so, He very likely will forsake us. We probably ought to go one step farther. If God said He will never forsake anybody, then why do people go to hell?

Oh, I certainly believe God is a God of love. He would that none would perish, and all would come to saving faith in Him. He admonishes us over and over to love Him, obey Him, keep His commandments, walk with Him. But if we do not, there are plenty of places in scripture where He forsakes us.

There may be too many Christians who think they can get away with living a lifestyle however they want, thinking God will never forsake them because He “has” to forgive them. Friends, that is cheap grace. It dishonors what Jesus Christ did on the cross of Calvary for us.

Here in Jeremiah 22:8-9, the Word of God says, “And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, ‘Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city?’ And they will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them.’” When it comes to forsaking, we are guilty.

Prayer for Forgiveness for Forsaking God

Lord, forgive us for forsaking You. Forgive us for believing You will never forsake us. Help us understand Your true biblical principles. Though You are a God of great patience, of great love, of great mercy, and of great grace, Your patience runs out on us. It ran out on Your own people here in the Book of Jeremiah and You judged them. It too can wear out on us and You will forsake us and judge us.

We invite you to watch the “Great News” video on this page and find out more about God’s love for you and how you can receive forgiveness and eternal life – today!

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The Prayer of Salvation

Jesus, I don't know You, and I don't know what Your plan is for me. But thank you for coming to die in my place. I'm sorry for anything I've ever done wrong in my life. I don't understand how You could ever forgive me, but if You really would, I would like to accept your free gift of grace and complete forgiveness. Please come into my life and take control, and help me trust You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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