But I am full of the wrath of the LORD, and I cannot hold it in. “Pour it out on the children in the street and on the young men gathered together; both husband and wife will be caught in it, and the old, those weighed down with years.” – Jeremiah 6:11

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 31, 2020): Jeremiah 6

One of the strong messages that has come out of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2019 – 2020 is that what you do impacts other people. The selfish reaction that this pandemic doesn’t apply to me because I am not in a vulnerable group is not sufficient. One Facebook user made the argument that since the deaths due to the virus will likely spike within those who have lung and immune issues, and since he was not in that category, why did he have to be laid off from his job. And I understand the angst, but the reality is that, while we might not be among the most vulnerable of the nation, we have contact with them, and the restrictions placed on us, protect them.

Jesus made the argument that “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). The COVID-19 pandemic adds a new focus on the impact of these words. We are not just responsible for ourselves, but for those who are in need and vulnerable as well, and how a society cares for the “least of these” really defines the society.

It is easy to read the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and get the impression that we serve an angry God who seems to pour out his wrath indiscriminately on all people. But that is not entirely true. God asks us to be aware that our actions have consequences, and often those consequences can be unexpected. But what I do matters. And so, what I do needs to be well thought out. If I act selfishly, then someone will always get hurt. And that is not fair, but it is also not up to God to protect the people who we can protect. He has given that responsibility to us to do as we can.

Does that mean that we need to be the Saviors of the World? Yes, and no. Jesus is our Savior, and he is in us. And together, we can make the difference that individually we could never make. But God desires to move through us, all of us.

Jeremiah argues that the wrath of God is full because of the sin of the people. And this wrath would be poured out on all the people; the children, husband and wife, and the elderly were all going to be caught in the middle of it. The rich and the poor will suffer the results. There will be no section of the society that will be safe, even though some of the people on Jeremiah’s list were likely innocent. The prophecy’s fulfillment was found in the defeat and exile of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians. Every section of society felt the adverse effects of Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion. But the message that we need to take from Jeremiah’s words is not about the indiscriminate action of God, but rather about our power to change the outcome if we are willing to act cautiously and love indiscriminately.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 7