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Seek Me With Your Whole Heart - Jeremiah 29
Seek Me With Your Whole Heart - Jeremiah 29
"‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11). This is one of the most often included passages in daily scripture calendars, yet the context is ignored. God had made a covenant with Israel, which included curses for unfaithfulness (Deut. 28-30). Israel had proven themselves over and over again to be unfaithful, now God was going to be faithful to the covenant and drive them off of the land that He gave them. They were going to spend 70 years in Babylonia as captives. Yet that was NOT to be their end!
The promise to Adam and Eve of a savior, of one from Abraham who would be a blessing to all nations, of the ruler out of Judah, the prophet like unto Moses, the king of the lineage of David; ALL of these promises would yet be fulfilled. The captivity in Babylon would not undo the faithfulness of God to His word!
God therefore states: "For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." (Jer. 29:11). His plan included their returning and being accepted unto Him, but again, this was not unconditional for them! "Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you." (Jer. 29:12).
The greatest commandment was to love the LORD with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matt. 22:37). Having forsaken the LORD and served idols, NOW they must return with all their heart. God declared: "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13).
The problem is their heart! God is the LORD who tires the heart (11:20, 20:12). It is deceitful above all else (Jer. 17:9). Their heart had become evil (Jer. 16:12). Their heart had departed from the LORD (17:5). They walked in the imagination of their own heart instead of according to God's word (7:24; 8:14; 11:8; 16:12; 18:12; ). They had a revolting and rebellious heart (5:23). Cursed is the man whose heart departs from the LORD (17:5). Though they were circumcised in the flesh, now they needed to 'circumcise the foreskin of their hearts' (4:4). They needed to 'wash their hearts' (4:14). When they would seek God with ALL their heart, then He would be found by them!
This problem of the heart continues with us today. Blessed are the PURE in heart (Matt. 5:8). Such purity means unmixed, singleness of purpose, singleness of affection. Many are deceived, thinking that they love the LORD with all of their heart, yet their heart is divided! Jesus warned that you cannot love God AND at the same time love the things of this world (Matt. 6:24). The problem is that where our treasure is, there is our heart also (Matt. 6:21). People yet draw near to God with their mouth but their heart is far from God (Matt. 15:8).
Yet, Jesus also said the there are some who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance (Mark 8:15). The testing of your heart is rather simple: what are you producing in your life? "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart" (Luke 6:45). How is the state of your heart?
Hugh DeLong
