"Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them" (Jeremiah 15:19).

There are many similarities between where America is as a nation and where Judah was in the years just proceeding the Babylonian captivity. America as my father knew it or as I knew it as a child is a thing of the past. The tide of public opinion is turning more and more against righteousness just like it did in Jeremiah’s day.

Jeremiah was born into the family of a priest and was called to preach at an early age. His call to ministry came in the fifth year of a revival that began when Josiah was king. Josiah was the last good king of Judah, and the revival when Jeremiah was called was the last spiritual awakening before the Babylonian captivity. But the revival didn’t turn the nation around, it only slowed down the idiolatry and apostasy that led to Judah’s destruction.

Jeremiah was a reluctant candidate for a preacher. He tried to excuse himself from service on the basis of his youth, in chapter 1, verse 6, he said, ".....I cannot speak, for I am a child."

But God assured him that he would give him the strength he needed saying in verses 7 and 8, "Say not, I am child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord."

So for well over thirty years and during the reign of five kings, Jeremiah preached to Judah. The theme of his preaching was that Judah would inevitably fall because of its apostasy. Such a message earned the hostility of his contemporaries. In chapter 11 his former neighbors, the men of Anathoth, said, "Prophesy not in the name of the Lord that thou die not by our hand." Jeremiah was charged with treason in chapter 38. His accusers said his preaching did more harm than good, and that he was not interested in the "welfare of this people but the hurt" (Verse 4).

Jeremiah supported Josiah’s reforms that started when revival broke out in Judah. But the revival couldn’t stave off the national disaster. This was due to the fact that the revival was not backed wholeheartedly. Much of the religious fervor was pretense.

In chapter 3, verses 8 through 11, God said, "And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery, I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord. And the Lord said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah."

Much of the enthusiasm about revival was faked, therefore God said the northern kingdom of Israel was more noble in their apostasy. At least they didn’t pretend to be committed to Jehovah while in their hearts they were traitors.

Have you looked at American’s religious scene lately? The recent fall of a prominent religious leader in Colorado Springs makes one wonder how many more are out there pretending.

Through it all, Jeremiah continued to do the work God had given him to do. But it wasn’t easy to be a minister in a time when the spiritual life of a nation was in decline. Jeremiah began to have trouble in his own spiritual life. He didn’t commit some moral sin that would disqualify him, but he struggled with keeping focused and drifted off course.

Jeremiah had allowed himself to be distracted from his purpose by the circumstances around him. The effect of God’s judgment on the people of Judah was one thing but its effect on him was more than he bargained for. Jeremiah chapter 5, verse 14, says, "...for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you." In other words, God was saying, "The fire of my judgment upon Judah is going to scorch you." And let me add that before Jesus comes, the demise of America is going to affect our ministry.

In verses 15 through 18, Jeremiah complained about how the days of ruin in Judah had affected him. He refered to himself sixteen times in four verses. The kids in children’s church sing a song entitled, "I trouble." Jeremiah had "I trouble," to the point it almost got him down. "I trouble" is when you focus so much on self that you lose sight of your real purpose. That’s what God addresses in verse 19 and I call STEPS TO USEFULNESS IN THE DAYS OF RUIN.

FIRST STEP: "IF THOU RETURN..." This is the first step, that no matter what may distract us, we must make ourselves refocus on our purpose as ministers. By the time we come to chapter 15, Jeremiah had been preaching over twenty years. The revival in Josiah’s reign was long since over, and Jeremiah had drifted off course. From what God says in the context of verse 19 it seems Jeremiah had been affected by two things in his ministry efforts. One: the negative effect that the peoples’ negative response was having on his life. He was persecuted and condemned. Second: The argument being presented by the backslidden people that the message he preached was too hard and not from God.

Jeremiah shows his resentment toward God in verse 18. You have been "like waters that fail." In other words, "Lord, I’ve planted the seed of your Word and you didn’t rain on it and cause it to produce fruit!" This is the attitude from which Jeremiah must return if God is going to use him.

SECOND STEP: "THOU SHALT STAND FOR ME..." God told Jeremiah that after he took the first step and "returned" that He would bring him into close fellowship with Him again, and the Lord would make him His messenger. That is what is meant by "Thou shalt stand before me"–Jeremiah would again be in the place of readiness to carry the mail. Elijah told Ahab in First Kings 17:1 "As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew or rain these years but according to my word." Elijah is saying that he is God’s messenger and what he says is what God said. That’s what it means to stand before him, to be available, ready, willing, and qualified to carry the mail.

THIRD STEP: "TAKE FORTH THE PRECIOUS FROM THE VILE..." Jeremiah was having a problem distinguishing between the precious and the vile, between the valuable essential, and the worthless unnecessary. This may seem like a simple problem to correct, but this is the most difficult step ministers have to take because worth is based on perceived value.

What is precious and what is vile is academic unless you decide on what basis you make your appraisal. Our world is so messed up that there are professing Christians that consider things precious that I call vile. Social drinking is defended by some, as is profanity, Hollywood movies, worldly music, abominable attire, and such like. Granted anyone that I’ve met that supported any of these had so many other obvious spiritual problems that a committed Christian would just consider the source. But their perverted estimate is out there, and it can wear on you as a minister. Especially when you see it take its toll on new or immature Christians.

God told Jeremiah "If thou take forth the precious from the vile thou shalt be as my mouth." This means that we determine what is precious or vile based on God’s appraisal. So, in the days of ruin we must not compromise but stand firm in the truth even though fewer and fewer stand with us.

Daniel E. Taylor, Editor-in-Chief

Wallace E. Joice, Editor Carol J. Joice, Graphic Art

Bimonthly publication of Ozark Christian Schools. Second class postage paid at Neosho, Missouri 64850. Printed in the U.S.A. We are a nonprofit religious organization. Any contributions are appreciated and are tax deductible. Publication number 712 020.

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