God keeps good Records

 Jeremiah 49:34-39

Elam, I’m sure is a well-known place in history for a few Biblical scholars but for a novice such as I, it was not in my limited vocabulary.  And for that reason, we shall explore page 1321 in HCSB “Elam was the first of Shem’s sons (Genesis 10:22).  It was an ancient kingdom (Gn.14: 1) about 200 miles east of Babylon in modern southwestern Iran.  Its capital city was Shushan, also known as Susa (Neh1:01; Ester 1:2&5; Daniel 8:2).

Verse 34 tells us the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in the reign of Zedekiah King of Judah, and this is what the Lord told Jeremiah.  Jeremiah 49:35b-37, “Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might. And I will bring upon Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven. And I will scatter them to all those winds, and there shall be no nation to which those driven out of Elam shall not come. I will terrify Elam before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, my fierce anger, declares the Lord. I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them, and I will set my throne in Elam and destroy their king and officials, declares the Lord.”

The Scripture tells us that God keeps good records of nations and people, and yet we have all sinned and all of us have played the lord of the ring and captain of our ship or life.  Because I often find myself choosing to sin, and as a follower of Christ Jesus, He set me free from the control of sin, but that free will and the flesh often make a mess of life.  For that reason, I find great comfort as one who fears the Lord, in Hebrews 8:12, “For I will be merciful to their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins.” Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”  But the key is found in 1John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

One of the things that gets under my skin is when someone says, speaking to saints and I mean people who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, is this quote: “We are all just dirty sinners” and folks that is wrong, we are saints that sin, and it should break our hearts when we do so.  So when I saw this quote from Thomas Merton I had to share it; "I am a good guy with an incredible capacity to sin.” I do believe it was Aristotle who said, "I’m a rational animal: I say I am an angel with an incredible capacity for beer.” “A saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God."

How in the Sam Hill are you going to tie this into Jeremiah 49:34-39, watch and see?  First, the Elamites were known for skill in archery, and the four winds are used here to depict military might.  And we must remember this is from God who has kept a record of Elam’s sins.  Do you recall God’s promise to us in Hebrews 8:12 to be merciful to our wrongdoing and to forget our sin?  What about Psalms 103:12, where He promised to remove our sins as far as the east is from the west.  God is not some ‘little god,’ who is full of hate, but He is a God of grace, and when people or nations repent and seek His face they will find grace.  

Have you entered into Christ?  If not, today is a great day to do so!  If we confess our sins, 

 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  My confession happened in Victoria, Texas, in a hotel room when I picked up a Bible and read Romans 10:9-10, and agreed with God and by faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, I entered into Christ.

So let's tie it all together for God has declared; “But in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Elam, declares the Lord.”  Now that is grace!

Note: from the writer, I have tried a beer, and it sure did not work for me.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice