March 1: JACOB’S TROUBLE
“Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:7
Jeremiah’s prophetic announcements of future devastation by the Babylonian hordes were not popular. Nevertheless, they were accurate. The intensity with which the Babylonians would come upon Judea could not be overstated. Many Jews would come to understand that all this was allowed by the LORD due to their stubborn rebellion against Him, especially their disregard for His holy law.
Jeremiah is urging his brethren to look back at Jacob’s experience when he was threatened by an angry brother who said he would kill him in revenge for past wrongs. In preparation for the crisis, Jacob spent the night in prayer; he had already endeavored to right the wrongs he had committed against Esau. But the real burden of his heart was to be right with the LORD. By faith, he determined to hold fast to Him, and in return God gave Jacob assurance of divine blessing and protection (Genesis 32:24-26).
In view of the upcoming experience of the children of Jacob in Jeremiah’s day, God is assuring every faithful soul that, though he is to pass through an agony, he shall be saved out of it. This assurance also has a far-reaching application into the future. When the Romans besieged Jerusalem in 70AD there was no loss of life among the Christians. Every one of them safely escaped. In the last days, even after the plagues begin to fall, not a single faithful soul will be lost. “Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,” says the LORD, “Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid.” (v.10)
In this scenario, The LORD refers to His people as Jacob and Israel (see also Genesis 32:27,28). The more generic term, overcomer, signifies divine help and hope to every dear soul who believes that with God, all things are possible (Mark 10:27), including overcoming the world’s spiritual traps.
One of the last-day traps that has been set by the enemy of souls is the belief that the terms Jacob and Israel refer only to those who live in certain geographic boundaries or have a drop of Jewish DNA in their blood. This is growing into a strong delusion (see 2 Thessalonians 2:11) that leads some Christians to focus exclusively on the modern, secular nation of Israel for the fulfillment of God’s promise of restoration. But the ultimate restoration will consist of the earth made new and populated by people saved from every country and nation and tribe and tongue. The future will confirm the merciful purposes of God.
The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:3
“For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Isaiah 56:7b