Adversity Redeemed

I have heard it said one man's trash is another's treasure, and this personal subjectivity can be applied to what is considered wasteful.  One person will not eat leftover food the next day out of concern of foodborne illness, whilst others will drink milk or eat meat that clearly on the cusp of going bad.  I once moved into a house that had established citrus trees, and since I had other plans for the space I cut them down.  A neighbour was mortified I would destroy a perfectly good tree when, in my mind at the time, I had no inclination to prune or tend those neglected ant factories that stood in the way of progress.  What I define as waste in largely connected to value, usability, productivity and cost to repair or replace.  When it is cheaper to replace a product which is no longer functional, it is not generally considered wasteful to recycle, repurpose or to dispose of it.

In the days of Jeremiah, the children of Israel grieved and mourned the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem at the hand of king Nebuchadnezzar.  They looked upon the ruin of the their houses, the temple and their uprooted lives as a great and unnecessary waste entirely preventable by the almighty God.  Baruch was one such person God lovingly addressed in Jeremiah 45.  The word of the LORD came to him in Jeremiah 45:2-4:  "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: ³ 'You said, "Woe is me now! For the LORD has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest."' ⁴ Thus you shall say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land."  God described how Baruch blamed God for adding grief to his sorrow; he fainted in sighing and found no rest.  Then God said something that was only comforting to a person who is convinced in the absolute wisdom, grace and goodness of God:  the things God built He would break down, and what He had planted He would pluck up--the the whole land!

Baruch would have likely preferred the opposite of this.  What Baruch saw as broken down he desired to see God rebuild and restore.  The things that had been plucked up--even the people who fled to Egypt for safety--would be again established and planted in their own land.  But this was not happening.  Baruch's expectations of God's immediate deliverance were dashed and his ambitious desires were frustrated.  Baruch said, "Woe is me now!" because of the awful and overwhelming circumstances he could not pray himself out of or find any ray of hope of positive change in his situation.  However, there remains great hope for the believer in God's words, for God asserted His authority and power over all things.  As the One who birthed and built the nation Israel He could also break them down.  Like a farmer who plants has the right to pluck up, so God remained sovereign over all.

God put His finger on the true source of Baruch's grief and sorrow in Jeremiah 45:5:  "And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh," says the LORD. "But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go."  Baruch had sought great things for himself rather than seeking the LORD who is eternally great and glorious.  He looked for great things for himself and was disappointed when his expectations were unmet.  He looked for peace and found strife; he looked for restoration and only saw ruin.  God promised to bring adversity on all flesh, but God also promised He would preserve Baruch's life as a prize wherever He went.  There was comfort and rest found in God.  Israel had been broken down and plucked up, yet God would preserve life.  The God who kills also makes alive, and He who breaks has the power to heal (Deut. 32:39).

There was a glorious divine purpose in God laying waste to His people as we read in Hosea 5:13-15:  "When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to King Jareb; yet he cannot cure you, nor heal you of your wound. ¹⁴ For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. ¹⁵ I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me."  When afflicted the response of Ephraim was to seek help from their enemies rather than God who remained faithful to them and the covenant He made with their fathers.  God afflicted His people and waited for them to come to their senses, acknowledge their offence, repent and seek His face earnestly.  See this redemptive aspect of pain, grief and sorrow, earnestness in seeking God Who alone can heal, restore and revive.  Ours is a God who created the world with the words of His mouth and causes the dead to be raised to life.  It is in seeking Him we find rest for our souls and enduring hope for the future no sorrow can rob us of.