Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net
-----Original Message-----
From: Apostle Tom <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Sent: Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:07:20 -0500
To: <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Morning Manna (Aug. 11); BP: Jer. 7; RBTTY: Rom. 11:19-36; Ps. 81-83
August 11 “The Point of No Return”
“And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim. Therefore, pray not for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them; neither make intercession to me—for I will not hear you.”
Jeremiah 7:15-16
Woe to anyone who doesn’t believe this or, worse, doesn’t care.
We know that God is a merciful God (Dt. 4:31; Lam. 3:21-23; Neh. 9:31) and “is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come unto repentance” (II Pet. 3:9). Yet, as the book of Hosea so clearly shows, “There’s love in God’s wrath and wrath in God’s love.”
So true, so true.
After creating all that is and placing Adam and Eve in the perfect Garden of Eden, they still sinned against Him and were cast out (Gen. 3:1-24), which ushered in “Pandora’s Box” of sin, suffering and “the wages of sin, which is death” (Rom. 3:26a).
Likewise, as the population grew the Lord God said “My Spirit shall not always strive (Heb. ‘diyn’—‘rule in, to judge as an umpire, execute judgment, plead the cause, etc.’) with man” (Gen. 6:3a). And, soon that became very apparent as “God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually” (v.5).
That’s when He decided to destroy the earth by the Flood. . .“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8) and a remnant was preserved. From that time until now God has continued to place before every generation “life and death. . .a blessing and a curse” (Dt. 11:26-29; 30:19-20). Repeatedly, He woos us to Himself and warns us of the consequences of rejecting Him, His Word and their rightful place in our lives (e.g., the Epistle to the Hebrews).
But, finally, He will say “Enough!”
Today’s Manna is a very somber warning of that. Although Jeremiah prophesized for over 40 years to his fellow countrymen. . .repeatedly weeping as he pleaded with them to “amend their ways” (7:3, 5; 26:13; 35:15) by “returning to God” (3:12, 22; 15:19; 35:15), they “made their faces harder than a rock and refused to return to Him” (5:3).
Even though God Himself, through Jeremiah, “pleaded with them to return, they would not—saying ‘I have not sinned’” (2:35). Why is that? Simply because they didn’t “fear Him or tremble at His Presence” (5:22).
Thus, He said to Jeremiah, “Quit praying for them. It doesn’t matter if Moses and Samuel themselves stood before me and asked Me to stay My Hand of judgment, I would not” (Jer. 15:1). Oh, dear Pilgrim, there’s come the time when God will “give one up to a reprobate mind and darkened understanding” (Rom. 1:24-32)—which is really His “wrath revealed” (Rom. 1:18). May God help anyone who says “I know what God wants, but”. . .for “It’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31).
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