AN IRON PILLAR, THE LOVING JEREMIAH

"Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away captive". (Jeremiah 13:15-17)

The Scattering

Seeped in inquity, the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell in 721 B.C. and was taken captive by Assyrians. One hundred years later the remaining Kingdom of Judah totally abandoning the God of Israel faced extinction at the hands of Babylonians. So total was their rejection of Jehovah that they turned to animal worship "turning a large room in the temple into a chapel for its' services... the sun worship also finding a footing in its' court...in the very holiest spot of the sanctuary, about twenty-five men, presumably representatives of the high priest...stood with their back to the temple-the open sign of apostasy-and worshipped the rising sun, their faces turned to the east...they even offered their children in sacrifice to god Molech (Jeremiah 32:35) (Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings-Malachi, p 261). The moral corruption of Judah was astounding and qualified them for utter destruction: "Instead of doing righteous works, the people swore falsely, showed no repentance or compassion, they turned to the houses of prostitution, they coveted their neighbour's wife, had a 'revolting and rebellious heart', laid snares for other men and grew fat with illegal gains (Jeremiah 5:1-31). When the Lord was ready to deal with Sodom and Gomorrah, he promised deliverance of these cities if 10 righteous souls could be found there. For Judah he made the promise that it would be spared if ANY could be found who lived justly or sought the truth (Jeremiah 5:1) but no such person could be found. Judah was filled with corrupt prophets and priests and people seeped in sin who 'loved to have it so' (Jeremiah 5:31). The real national tragedy was Judah's unwillingness to 'give ear' and repent. Over and over they rejected the sound political counsel and a call to repentance until they came to the point of no return.

Jeremiah, like Mormon, was called to cry repentance among a people for whom there was no hope. A people whose hearts had grown so hard they had no inclination or willingness to repent and like in Mormon's day 'the day of grace was passed with them, both temporally and spiritually' (Mormon 2:15). Nevertheless, Jeremiah, ordained to his calling long before he was born (Jeremiah 1:4,5) did not cease striving to save his people begging them in vain, for 40 years, to turn back to God. During that time Jeremiah was in a state of continuous suffering as he was accused of political treason, put in stocks, thrown in prison, persecuted, hunted by men of his home town who sought to kill him and so angered the elders of the Jews because his prophecies came true that they cast him into a dungeon what is often called 'a pit prison'. "The only way in and out of this dungeon was through a hole in the top, through which he was lowered with cords. Since there was no drainage, the bottom was a sea of mud into which Jeremiah sank" (Ted Gibbons, OT Lesson 41).

So dejected and full of despair was Jeremiah that he cried out: "O Lord, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke" (Jeremiah 15:15). Even though he was rejected and no one would pay any heed to his words, he could not desist from his calling which burned within him like a fire: "I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay" (Jeremiah 20:7-9).  Despite the undeserved treatment he received at their hands, he sorrowed greatly for his people:  "Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!" (Jeremiah 9:1)

Jeremiah was acceptable to the Lord in every way because he did not shrink back from his preaching. I imagine the Lord speaking to him like He spoke to Helaman's son Nephi regarding his service: "Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou has not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life but has sought my will and to keep my commandments" (Helaman 10:4). His was indeed, like many other prophets of old, a labour of love, not just for his people but also for Him who issued the call. When Jeremiah was called to serve, the Lord assured him he was equal to the task because He knew him before he was born (Jeremiah 1:5). "The phrase 'I knew thee' means more than a casual acquaintance. The Hebrew word yada, which is translated knew, connotes a very personal, intimate relationship. Indeed, Jeremiah's premortal appointment consisted of being foreordained, sanctified and sent forth" (Old Testament Student Manual, p 235). Jeremiah was clearly loved and beloved by the Saviour before he was even born. Out of this loving relationship was born Jeremiah's dedication and commitment to serve Him at all cost.

The tragic dispersion of the House of Israel is also a message of love. The siege of Jerusalem was savage and lasted 18 months. During that time 'the people of Jerusalem were starved to the point of cannibalism (Lamentations 4:8-10). As the final defenses broke down and the Babylonians became victorious, King Zedekiah and his army fled toward the Jordan River but were captured. He was forced to watch as his family was murdered, had his eyes taken out  and was taken captive to Babylon. The city was burned, Solomon's temple was destroyed, and the kingdom of Judah came to an end....the Babylonians took the remnant of the people to Babylon except for some who were left behind under Babylonian rule....to harvest the crops ' (Old Testament Student Manual p. 261). How is this a message of love? The dispersion of the House of Israel stands as a monument of God's infinite mercy towards His children and his undying love for even the vilest sinner who He longs to see return to Him. Even though the Kingdom of Judah got what it deserved, they are not forever abandoned for the Lord made them this promise:

"For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

"Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart"

(Jeremiah 29:11-13)

BEAUTY UPON THE MOUNTAINS

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"   (Isaiah 52:7)


Imagine a world without telephones, email, internet and postal service. How would you feel if an event of huge importance happened and you were eager to relay such to those you knew who were in places afar? This is exactly what the world used to be like. Anciently messages were always delivered on foot by runners. There was great honour associated with carrying good news as the following example shows:

"In 490 BC the Athenians had miraculously defeated a much stronger force of invading Persians on the Plains of Marathon. Pheidippides was selected to carry the good news back to Athens. The fleet runner ran the grueling 25 miles as fast as he could. Upon reaching the walls of Acropolis, Pheidippides cried out, 'Rejoice, we conquer!' and promptly fell dead." (Webster's Word Histories, p. 291)

No need to further speculate where the term 'marathon runner' comes from. Isaiah considered those privileged to carry the most meaningful messages to have beautiful feet and none were more beautiful than the feet of the Saviour who indeed brought good tidings and published salvation, who proclaimed to Zion, 'They God reigneth'.

"The Spirit of the Lord...hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;...to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives...to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion.....beauty for ashes." (Isaiah 61:1,3)

There are no 'good tidings' that surpass those that Isaiah proclaimed in above-mentioned scripture. Why? Because this life is a vale of sorrow that we all must pass through but there is a power that can bind the brokenhearted and 'appoint unto them that mourn...beauty for ashes'. This is the greatest message Isaiah gives on behalf of Him who has cried our tears and known our sorrows. In today's world where we are buffeted by so much evil, sorrow and pain, the Saviour's message brings immeasurable hope for those weighed down beyond the breaking point with self-doubt, broken heart and spiritual fatigue.

The Saviour's mortality of pain and sorrow qualified Him experientially to understand the brokenhearted but the power of His Atonement qualified Him to bind the brokenhearted: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:3,4).

Imagine what it was like for Jesus to go through this mortal life with the responsibility of establishing Himself as the promised Messiah and Saviour of the world. What mockery and ridicule He would have suffered as a man born in a stable to a woman who was pregnant before she was wed, a carpenter and a man of no educational and political significance and notoriety. The derision He suffered led to severe persecution and ultimate rejection: "Jesus experienced tragedy and sorrow throughout his life. Member of his own family did not accept him as the Messiah at first (John 7:5). People in his home town sought to kill Him (Luke 4:16-30). His countrymen, the Jews, rejected his messianic calling (John 1:11). One friend betrayed Him; another denied knowing Him (Luke 22:48, 54-62). In the end, 'all disciples forsook Him, and fled' (Matthew 26:56) and His enemies demanded His crucifixion (Matthew 27:22-23)" (Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings-Malachi)

Aside from the pain and sorrow of His personal life, the Saviour experienced and suffered every sorrow, pain and anguish of not just each of us on this earth but of all his creations of all the worlds He has created: "His Atonement is infinite...in that all humankind would be saved from never-ending death. It was infinite in terms of His immense suffering. It was infinite in time, putting an end to the preceding prototype of animal sacrifice. It was infinite in scope - it was to be done once for all. And the mercy of the Atonement extends not only to an infinite number of people, but also to an infinite number of worlds created by Him. It was infinite beyond any human scale of measurement or mortal comprehension. (Russell M. Nelson, "The Atonement", Ensign, Nov. 1996, p. 35)

Is it any wonder that an angel attended Him to strengthen Him as He carried our every burden and every sorrow? Elder Merrill J. Bateman described the heaviness of 'carrying of sorrows' it would have been for Him in the fated garden of Gethsemane: "For many years I thought of the Saviour's experience in the garden and on the cross as places where a large mass of sin was heaped upon Him. Through the words of Alma, Abinadi, Isaiah, and other prophets, however, my view has changed. Instead of an impersonal mass of sin, there was a long line of people, as Jesus felt 'our infirmities', bore our griefs....carried our sorrows...and was bruised for our iniquities....He learned about your weaknesses and mine. He experienced your pains and sufferings. He experienced mine. I testify that He knows us. He understand the way in which we deal with temptations. He knows our weaknesses, But more than that, more than just knowing us, He knows how to help us if we come to Him in faith." (Merrill J. Bateman, "A Pattern for All", Ensign, Nov. 2005, p 74)

Should we hesitate to seek the healing power of Him who experienced our pains and sorrows that come from sin, inadequacy, weakness, addiction, mental illness, affliction from others, physical illness, handicaps, poverty, divorce, death and every other painful condition of mortal life? He who has known and felt every feeling of our hearts has the power to make us whole. He is the Balm of Gilead, the only one who pleads our cause before the Father, who desires to save us and exalt us to eternal glory that awaits the faithful: "Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him - Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life" (D&C 45:3-5). The Saviour pleads with the Father for us on the basis of His righteousness, not ours, but we have claim on His righteousness because of our faith in Him. The power to save is all His and the power to heal is also His. Is this not the greatest news and the greatest message that should be carried to all the ends of the earth?

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that th everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth...giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eages; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faith." (Isaiah 40:28-29,31)