©Kris Gerbrandt
Chapter 17:12-18 (ESV) - A glorious throne set on high from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.
O LORD, the hope of Israel,
all who forsake you shall be put to shame;
those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth,
for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water.
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed;
save me, and I shall be saved,
for you are my praise.
Behold, they say to me,
“Where is the word of the LORD?
Let it come!”
I have not run away from being your shepherd,
nor have I desired the day of sickness.
You know what came out of my lips;
it was before your face.
Be not a terror to me;
you are my refuge in the day of disaster.
Let those be put to shame who persecute me,
but let me not be put to shame;
let them be dismayed,
but let me not be dismayed;
bring upon them the day of disaster;
destroy them with double destruction!
Question to consider: Who is the fountain of living water, the hope of Israel, and what makes Him so?
Even though the Shekinah glory of God shone from the mercy seat on the cover of the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies, the temple was only an earthly image of the heavenly throne room of the LORD. A vision of the throne of God over the earth was given at this time to Ezekiel, “Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in appearance like a throne.” (Ezekiel 10:1)
According to the apostle Paul, this same LORD, emptied Himself and became incarnate as a servant, obedient unto death on a cross before being raised up and ascending to the heavenly throne where He has become the name that is above every name. Here He was seen by John in the Revelation, “And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.” (Revelation 4:3-6)
It is because the LORD emptied Himself in this way, He could be called the “hope of Israel” by Jeremiah, for it is only by the righteousness He gives us that we can be made holy. Those who forsake Him are forsaking the fountain of living water. This was the image Christ gave of Himself, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38)
Christ is the “word of the LORD” which Jeremiah bade to come heal and save him. Christ was Jeremiah’s refuge on the day of disaster brought about by Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem in his day, and even now He will never leave us nor forsake us as we await the final day of disaster. Jeremiah asked that He be not a terror to him because Christ is not only the savior of all who are baptized into His name but the judge of those who forsake Him.
Grant us, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, a steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, a cheerful hope in Thy mercy, and a sincere love to Thee and to all our fellow men; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.