For the LORD has ransomed Jacob
and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall be like a watered garden,
and they shall languish no more.
When a woman is pursued romantically by a man and he lavishes gifts and compliments on her, the countenance she shows is obvious. She blushes, brightens, and looks radiant. The Israelites had been pursued by God for centuries. In fact, he redeemed them from salvery to the strong Egyptians and lavished freedom on them. They abused this freedom by rejecting God and suffered the full consequences of their disobedience, falling to the Assyrians and Babylonians. Jeremiah’s good news is that God would redeem them again. They would be a watered garden, brimming with life. They would be pursued by God’s everlasting love. They would be radiant. They would have joy.
If you have been chosen by God, he has redeemed you. Your response today is to sing aloud and to be radiant in his light with sheer joy. However, if you have not experienced the redeeming love of Jesus Christ, God is pursuing you today. Your response today is to stop running. Languish no more in your futile attempts at fulfillment. Money, power, relationships, and pleasure will never redeem you. There is a ransom on your life that needs to be paid and Jesus paid it all. When you realize the love Jesus lavished…
You will be radiant.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church