Devotional Jeremiah 25:5

Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomim:

Jeremiah 25:5:  “They (the prophets) said: ‘Repent now everyone from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you and to  your fathers for ever and ever.”

Some translations render this passage as “Repent … so that you may dwell…”  The KJV here is really the closest to the Hebrew (“Repent…and dwell”) but it also leaves one wondering, “Why repent if there is no reward?” I can not say for sure, but I suspect that this is why the modern translators add the “so that” which is not found in the Hebrew but helps the passage make some sense.  Well, it helps to make sense to the Western capitalistic mindset.  After all what encouragement can we give someone to accept Jesus as their Savior if we don’t have heaven to offer, prosperity, health, restored families and multitudes of blessing. Even now Christians are in a state of panic.  Tebow, the Christian quarterback who is not ashamed of his faith and has inspired “Tebowing” throughout the world, lost a football game. What will the world think?   They may actually think a dedicated true Christian believer could fail.

The issue is that if you render this like the KJV does, it is just telling you to repent, but not offering any reward for your repentance.  By putting the “so that” in there you are at least saying that for your act of repentance you get to stay in the land.  However, all you have is the simple conjunction “and.”   “Repent and dwell in the land.”

Translators will tell you that the “so that” is implied and can be added to the English translation. I do agree that such a rendering is ok,  unless you view the land of Israel as the Jews do, a  Holy land, the land where the Shekinah glory dwells, the land where you can worship God.  That, of course, changed after the coming of the Messiah and as Jesus taught the woman at the well that there was coming a time when you would worship God in your heart and not at a place.  But for the time this passage was written, you worshipped God in a place, Israel. Thus, the sages view this as a two fold command, repent and continue in the land to worship. There is no reward offered for repentance,  unless you consider the act of worship a reward.

Let’s take a look at this word “repent.”  The word “repent” here is “shuv” which means to return, turn back, turn away, cease, change  your mind.  You are to cease, turn away from all evil and worship God, why?  The text doesn’t say.  In verse 6 we are told not to go after other gods so no harm would come to us, but to relate this to repentance would  not be using proper syntax.  You are really offered nothing here for your repentance, no salvation, no deliverance from financial disaster,  no healing, nothing, zip,  only the opportunity to continue to worship God.

I grew up in a Baptist Church where evangelism was a true passion.  You went out soul winning, getting people saved, so they would not go to hell, not die lost, to get their lives right, to get off drugs, out of crime, restore marriages, families, you name it that was in my sales pitch.  I mean that was the American way. You have to make the product attractive or no one will buy.

I remember years ago watching a famous evangelist being interviewed on television. The interviewer asked: “You offer people a new life, peace, happiness, healing, prosperity; who would not want this?  I want this. Everyone wants this.  If what you are offering really works  everyone would follow you, so why don’t they?”  The evangelist’s  response was: “Well, let’s get this started right now. All you have to do is pray and accept Jesus as your Savior.”  The interviewer just threw up his hands in frustration. The evangelist  did not answer his question, he could not answer his question because the truth is that becoming a believer is no guarantee that you get a life of peace and happiness.  For many in other cultures coming to Jesus may mean loss of home, family, imprisonment or even death.  You are guaranteed one thing, however, you will be permitted to worship the God of the Universe.

I have asked many Christians why they repented and became a Christian.  The response I usually get is: “Before I became a Christian I was (fill in the blank)____________ (a failure, broke, sick etc.), but when I accepted Jesus I (fill in the blank)____________(was happy, restored, wealthy, etc.).  I almost find myself responding: “What did you call this sugar daddy?  God, I think you said:  Is He ok with this?”  Worse, I have been noticing that when I hear people give the plan of salvation, they tend to leave the word repentance out of the presentation.  It seems salvation is all about getting and getting.

I have heard many Christians say that the Jews do not believe in heaven. These people continue by saying that the Jews have no hope like we do and oh what a shame.   Actually, they do believe in heaven and a life after death.  The reason it appears that they do not believe in a heaven is that they do not teach it as a “hope.”   They want to teach that you seek to live a righteous life out of love for God, not to obtain eternal life.  The belief of heaven is a non-issue.  The issue is your relationship with God.

So, I have been saying there is no reward for repentance, but in truth there is a reward.  Jeremiah 25:5  does suggest a reward for repentance. That reward is not wealth, peace, happiness, but a right relationship with God, the right to enjoy a love relationship with Him.  It is the right to know and understand His heart.  Sure, God could give you wealth, health, stable marriages, winning football games, but  He is offering you something that pales in comparison.  He is offering you Himself, His heart, His life, His presence and a personal relationship with Him.