The Coming Exile
Open Your Bible
Jeremiah 15:1-21, Jeremiah 16:1-21, Exodus 15:2-3, Luke 11:45-52
BY Kaitlin Wernet
Last weekend, I tried to fly to Chicago during the biggest blizzard they’ve had all year—key word here being tried. To be fair, I knew snow was in the forecast, but I also assumed that it was always in the forecast, and therefore, just another Friday in the Windy City. This is one of those areas where people who live in cold-weather states get all puffy in their parkas and tell those of us who live in the blessed South, “Relax. We know how to deal with this. We have snow plows!”
After arriving at the airport at an appropriately early time and confirming my flight’s “on time” status, I was relaxed. But just as I joined the line for coffee to pass the time before boarding, I got the dreaded text: My flight had been “cancelled.”
There’s a unique shade of panic when it comes to flight plans becoming totally derailed. You begin with a detailed, minute-by-minute itinerary of how exactly you’ll get from point A to point B, and then one small malfunction, or not-so-small storm, comes along and forces you to watch each well-planned step unravel before your very eyes.
The Israeilites knew what it was like to not have things go according to plan. Today’s reading recalls their deliverance by God from Egypt, which is the central act of redemption in the Old Testament. Throughout Scripture, God continues to remind His people of His promise-keeping trustworthiness and steadfast character, but Jeremiah 16 predicts a turbulent journey ahead for God’s people: their coming exile.
“However, look, the days are coming… when it will no longer be said,
‘As the LORD lives who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,’ but rather,
‘As the LORD lives who brought the Israelites from the land of the north
and from all the other lands where he had banished them.’
For I will return them to their land that I gave to their ancestors” (Jeremiah 16:14–15).
A reroute doesn’t disqualify you from ending up where you’re supposed to be. In the case of the Israelites, who I imagine probably just wanted to end up somewhere safe, God didn’t just get them from point A to point B; He gave them freedom, releasing them from captivity and slavery, and brought them home.
God’s plan isn’t just to redirect us—it’s to redeem and restore us. He may not provide a step-by-step itinerary or a packing list, but I do believe that if we read the pages of Scripture and remember who He has been to us in the past, we get something even more important: a picture of His character. We don’t need to know the inclement weather plan or be reminded to put on our own air masks before assisting someone else. We just need to know who is in charge. And that is more than enough.
59 thoughts on "The Coming Exile"
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I wanted to know if any of you sisters have been struggling with the Jeremiah passages? I don’t think I’ve ever read so much of Jeremiah before and God’s wrath through the book is kind of terrifying! It seems almost like those people are seen as broken beyond repair. We know that God wants each person to have a chance to repent and come to him, but it seems like he is done with these people. Can anyone shed a little light, or understanding on this? Thanks sisters! ❤️
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I have been struggling a lot with it and I’m so grateful not to be alone in that. I find a lot of help in reading commentaries on the scriptures. Matthew Henry is one of the best.
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My feelings echo yours. Particularly within the context of the world around us. I have been doing this study using the book alone and decided to go ahead and add the digital version today feeling that the community of women that it offers would help me process these difficult scriptures. Perhaps creating the desired to reach out and support one another is one of the blessings we are receiving from this study. Thank you for your post!
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The things that God says to do because of punishment in Jeremiah 16 sound like the same things we are doing in response to COVID-19.
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This really spoke to me and I needed to hear these words today.
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Today was a great reading. Her words of ” A reroute doesn’t disqualify you from ending up where you’re supposed to be” really spoke to me. So many times when things don’t go our way we ( I) make it seem like I’m lost, like I’ve failed to be where I’m supposed to but that’s all my plans not God’s plan. I have to remember that any set back is not really a set back, it’s a decide intervention of where God needs me at that moment.
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I’m so very grateful to the Lord for His grace and mercy as I walk the narrow path. Sometimes the way seems so clear and almost effortless, and other times, it is full of challenges that leave me quite breathless and overwhelmed. Enter the Lord Jesus and His unlimited resources that make me more than able to accomplish whatever He has called me to do or be. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
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We just need to know who’s in charge. And that is more than enough. Thank you Kaitlyn for these wise words of wisdom. Sometimes I don’t know what I’m doing. or where I am going. I place my thoughts, anxieties, my unknowns before Jesus because He knows best! “Sigh” And I’d rather be following Jesus than anywhere else. So thankful for the foot prints in the sand.
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I feel like this was written for me today. I’ve been struggling with the results of my life taking a handful of unexpected turns. I haven’t been able to pick up and keep going but I’m working through it and this put me at ease a little. I need to trust more, I know that. As a Type A person with an unrealistic goal of perfection across everything, and strategist by trade, I find it extremely challenging. I pray that I might find comfort in trusting in God more and not feel like I need to be in control of everything.
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So much to grab a hold of in today’s reading. The two things that really spoke to me this morning are found in Jeremiah 15:16 – “Your words were found and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I bear your name, LORD God of Armies.” I want to continue to delight in God’s Word, to let it really feed me.
And then in Jeremiah 15:19 – “And if you speak noble words, rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman.” Especially now, words carry so much weight to someone’s character. And my character, so to speak, should point others back to God. My mind went to social media and how God wants me to speak noble words and be His spokesman there also. It should not be a place for me to rant or to react but to respond in a way that is pleasing to the Lord and points others to Him.
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