“’ In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.’” (Jeremiah 30:8-9, New International Version)
Do you ever have those experiences where a passage of Scripture seems to leap of the page at you? I think it tends to happen most often when we come to Scripture unhurried. For me, it also tends to happen when I read Scripture out loud. That’s not a “formula” because it doesn’t happen every day and every time I read aloud. But those components are usually present when it does. Like the passage above did this morning. I actually had the page turned and came back to it. (It may have leaped, but early in the morning I am often slow to catch.)
Here’s the portion that spoke to me: “…no longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead, they will serve the Lord their God …”
Did you notice what God did NOT say? He didn’t say, “no longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead they will be free to do whatever they want.”
Their freedom FROM foreign oppression would grant them freedom TO serve God. In the United States, we are big on freedom. But for so many, they only focus on what they are free FROM. The idea of the purpose of freedom (the “what for” that I wrote about a few days ago) is a little more fuzzy.
When I turned the page back this morning, I underlined the above portion with my green Bible study pen and wrote out to the side, “Free to serve.” As Bob Dylan sang (or mumbled) in 1979, “you’ve gotta serve somebody.”
Question: What service will you choose and what will it look like today?
Leave a comment below. I’d love to hear your perspective.
