February 24: THE COMMAND TO PERSEVERE (part 2)
“But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.” Jeremiah 23:3
In the previous verse, Jeremiah voiced the LORD’s rebuke against the shepherds who feed My people (v.2). The whole world is [the LORD’s] pasture (v.1). He Himself is the true Shepherd of His flock (Psalm 23; 79:13; 100:3). He points out that the leaders have been “feeding” His people something other than the spiritual bread of life. Their neglect, weakness, tyranny, and overall apostasy are evident by the results: the breakdown of Israel as a nation before the onlooking eyes of the world.
Yet in the midst of all this, a reminder of hope and comfort for the remnant is given from the Great Shepherd, along with the promise: they shall be fruitful and increase. God’s faithful ones need not be tripped up by faulty leaders, pagan conquerors, or any other worldly influence. Would you agree that negative worldly influences are coming at us from every conceivable direction, visible and invisible? Beloved, we are called to persevere in seeking truth.
When the appointed time was approaching for the cleansing of the sanctuary, a common error in the churches was that the sanctuary meant the earth itself. This idea was considered a fact among Christians, just as the popular notion of Rome’s overthrow had prevailed among the Jews in the days of Jesus.
Some important distinctions are needed here. For one, the earth is [the LORD’s] pasture, as Jeremiah mentioned in verse 1. But the sanctuary, or temple, has been developed throughout Scripture to refer to the place of His dwelling.* His ultimate desire is to dwell fully in the hearts and minds of people, the beloved crown of this creation, made in His likeness. Therefore, the seemingly mysterious declaration: then the sanctuary shall be cleansed (Daniel 8:14) is the cleansing from sin and error within individual hearts and minds, and also the collective body of Christ, His beloved bride, of which He is the head. This final process of cleansing, when Jesus moved from the holy place into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, began at the appointed time and continues to this day.
To teach His people the Way of salvation, God told Moses to build a portable sanctuary. It was patterned after the heavenly one. Every detail of its design, furnishings, and appointed sacrifices symbolized the work of Christ to save sinners from their sin. Trusting in His cleansing blood is the only way to make obedience to Him possible. His goal for us is holiness, that we may be transformed into law-abiding citizens of His eternal kingdom! The current work of Jesus as our High Priest in heaven corresponds to the symbolic Day of Atonement (Leviticus 25:9). This is the time in which we now live.
Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3
*Exodus 25:8; Psalm 77:13; Acts 9:2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Hebrews 8:1-5; 9:23-24; 1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 11:19