February 8, 2023
“And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop… Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” Mark 4:7,18-19
King Josiah, king of Judah from 640-609 B.C., endeavored to bring God’s people back from the fallen, backslidden state in which they found themselves. He took decisive action to cleanse both the polluted temple and the land in general of widespread idolatry. Positive moves were made toward leading the people in reformation. Seeds of truth sprang up and gave promise of an abundant harvest, but they had been choked by thorns. The hearts of the multitude had not been transformed. The prophet Jeremiah repeatedly called attention to divine counsels. He pleaded with them to understand that one’s own heart can deceive him!
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:9-10a
Jeremiah was despised and rejected by his own countrymen, a prophetic foreshadowing of how Jesus would be regarded. It is important to understand what is meant by the word that is translated “despise.” Today it is understood only as an active loathing, or hatred. But the word translated “despise” in the Bible reflects a passive attitude of disrespect; not taking someone seriously. In a word, indifference. When this attitude continues, it leads to rejection. It is the typical attitude of anyone who does not feel the need to be corrected. In vivid contrast, there are also those who seek the LORD, actively asking to be corrected by Him. Beloved, hear and respond when you are met with a correction from the word of God. You may even seek to be corrected, like David whom God called “a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24