Jeremiah 4:5-18

Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say: “Blow the trumpet in the land; Cry, ‘Gather together,’ And say, ‘Assemble yourselves, And let us go into the fortified cities.’ Set up the standard toward Zion. Take refuge! Do not delay! For I will bring disaster from the north, And great destruction.” The lion has come up from his thicket, And the destroyer of nations is on his way. He has gone forth from his place To make your land desolate. Your cities will be laid waste, Without inhabitant. For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth, Lament and wail. For the fierce anger of the LORD Has not turned back from us. “And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the LORD, “That the heart of the king shall perish, And the heart of the princes; The priests shall be astonished, And the prophets shall wonder.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, Saying, ‘You shall have peace,’ Whereas the sword reaches to the heart.” At that time it will be said To this people and to Jerusalem, “A dry wind of the desolate heights blows in the wilderness Toward the daughter of My people— Not to fan or to cleanse— A wind too strong for these will come for Me; Now I will also speak judgment against them.” “ Behold, he shall come up like clouds, And his chariots like a whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are plundered!” O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, That you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you? For a voice declares from Dan And proclaims affliction from Mount Ephraim: “Make mention to the nations, Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem, That watchers come from a far country And raise their voice against the cities of Judah. Like keepers of a field they are against her all around, Because she has been rebellious against Me,” says the LORD. “Your ways and your doings Have procured these things for you. This is your wickedness, Because it is bitter, Because it reaches to your heart.”
Jeremiah 4:5-18 NKJV

The lion has come up from his thicket and the destroyer of nations is on his way. The land of promise, designed to be a light to the world, is about to be laid waste. God is warning His people that the fruit of their rebellion is about to be reaped. Justice is soon going to meet with mercy. It is not too late, but they must repent and turn back to God with a true heart in order to be saved. Judah should mourn it's demise. This is a time when it is appropriate for the people to cry in agony and repentance. The leaders should be afraid, for they will be astonished at what is to come and without understanding as to what they should do. They see the destruction marching towards them and refuse to turn to God for help, yet the rulers have no idea how to save themselves and their nation. Egypt and the false gods that they rely on for safety will fail them, their wisdom will fail them, and the God that they turn away from will allow their enemies to punish them.
The destruction of Judah is the result of the choices the nation made as a people. Their actions and their deeds were wicked, and the evil within them bore the fruit in their lives that led to their destruction. Like a dry wind blowing over them, the Chaldeans will come from the north. The Babylonia chariots will descend upon them like a whirlwind and the horses of Nebuchadnezzar will be swifter than eagles. Nothing will stand in the way of their enemies. From Dan to Mount Ephraim, God's voice rings out through His prophets, warning them and calling them to return to Him. 'O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?' God begs them to let Him remove the vileness and sin from their hearts. It is not too late for them, turn back to God and obey Him and live. They are surrounded on every side with enemies. God wants to save them. Why are they so stubborn and obstinate, why will they not accept the saving grace of their God, instead determining to do things their own way.
The end is coming and it will be bitter for the nation of Judah. Their wickedness reaches to their hearts and leaves them seemingly with no hope. Their hope is God, but they must allow Him to bring this hope into their hearts and cleanse and heal them. We too have the hope of Jesus who also is calling us to return to Him. Just as God knew of the results of Judah's sins and wickedness and just as God knew the salvation that would result in Judah turning to follow Him, so Jesus knows the results of our sin. Jesus has taken our sins and suffered the bitter results of those sins in His death on the cross and in the separation from His Father. He offers us the escape from bearing the destruction of our sins on ourselves. He offers to wash our hearts from wickedness, cleanse us, and restore us to the image of His ideal for us. How much more time until the end is upon us? Jesus is telling us we have little time left before the dry wind will blow its judgment against us. We can be saved, Jesus wants to save us. It is our choice whether or not to accept the salvation He wants for us.

Lord,
Help me today to accept Your salvation today. I am lost without you. I have no hope as long as I stubbornly insist on doing everything my way and insist on following the false gods I think offer me happiness. You desire good things for me, help me to accept those blessings. Place a love for You in my heart. Cleanse me and cover me with Your righteousness. I need You to remake me into Your child. Today.