Jeremiah 5 - Will No One Tremble in My Presence?

LINK: Jeremiah 5

BACKGROUND

God was willing to spare Jerusalem if one righteous person could be found (much like he did with Sodom in Genesis 18:22-32), but there was not one person. The people (both the poor and the leaders) were harder than stone and refused to repent. Jeremiah uses the word pictures of adultery, prostitution, and the wild vine to describe their condition. Consequently, they are guilty and deserving of judgment. This would come in the form of the distant nation of Babylon which would soon rebel against Assyrian domination and become the next world power. Babylon is mentioned more than 100 times in the book of Jeremiah. Again, God promises that He will not destroy Judah completely (4:27; 5:10, 18). He would preserve a remnant. Jeremiah 5 concludes with a list of the specific sins of the people.

REFLECTION 

"Should you not fear me?" declares the LORD,

"Should you not tremble in my presence" (5:22)

There is that same word, "tremble," that we saw in the key verse of Isaiah:

But to this one I will look,

To him who is humble and contrite of spirit,

and who trembles at My word. (Isaiah 66:2)

Judah would not tremble in His presence. Will we?

Do we really stop long enough to be aware of His presence? God is an amazing God who "made the sand a boundary for the sea" (5:22). Do I stop, hear with my ears, and see with my eyes all the wonder that surrounds me? This should make me tremble in His presence.

Recently, at a prayer retreat at a local abbey, I was on top of a hill overlooking the green farmlands of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I had been on the retreat for 30 hours, but I was still distracted. I had all sorts of activities to bring me into God's presence, but I just stopped everything and listened in the quiet of the warm late afternoon and allowed myself to really soak. He met me there, and I was flooded with His presence.

2023 Update: I do believe this is the most important thing we can do! I am struck as I read the Amplified Bible this time through that when there is something profound said about God, most Bibles say the Hebrew word selah (74 times in the Old Testament) with no explanation, the Amplified says in parentheses:

"Pause, and calmly think of that."  

I believe we need to "pause and calmly think" about God more often. Like right now, dawn has just happened, and faithfully, every day, the birds begin to welcome it. I pause and calmly listen to their song and think of God as the Creator of the birds and the dawn.

He is here, right now, with you.

Pause, and calmly think of that.

One to two times a day, I intentionally pause and dwell in God's presence for 20 minutes. The result of this practice has been that I more readily selah throughout the moments of my day. Connecting to God's presence in the midst of all my daily activities has been the biggest area of growth for me, and I have seen the fruits of it.

I remember asking God to give me a 24/7/365 connection with Him. See video:

APPLICATION

My prayer for all of us today is that we would stop, look, and listen for Him, leading us to be overwhelmed with His wonderful presence in our midst. He is there. May we all tremble.

Plan some intentional Selah time today! 

Go to my blog at Body and Soul Companion for more on this.

PRAYER

Let this quote about God's presence send you into prayer today:

This Presence is immense, yet so humble; awe-inspiring, yet so gentle; limitless, yet so intimate, tender and personal. I know that I am known. Everything in my life is transparent in this Presence. It knows everything about me – all my weaknesses, brokenness, sinfulness – and still loves me infinitely. This Presence is healing, strengthening, refreshing – just by its Presence. It is nonjudgmental, self-giving, seeking no reward, boundless in compassion. It is like coming home to a place I should never have left, to an awareness that was somehow always there, but which I did not recognize. (Thomas Keating in Open Mind, Open Heart)

Forgive us for our stubbornness of heart that keeps us from stopping to pause and think about You and even trembling in Your holy presence. Open our eyes and ears, Lord. We want to see and experience You in ALL Your fullness today. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.