August 14, 2013 – Jeremiah 34 – 35

It is interesting to think that Israelites had slaves for themselves.  I understand that the idea of slavery was more acceptable back then, but they were slaves.  You would think that a people who were slaves would never want to own slaves.  I cannot imagine black people in this country wanting to own slaves.  I would think most of them would see and understand what that means and how horrible that is.  We are talking about several hundred years since Israel had been enslaved in Egypt, but it is brought up a lot.  Are they so far removed that they do not understand what slavery does to a person.  How far removed from our own issue of slavery would we have to go before a black person would own a slave and not see the issue.

The language God uses in talking with Israel here is so pleading.  “I kept sending you all my servants the prophets, telling you to turn back, all of you, from your evil way”.  God has just had His fill of trying to change Israel’s mind and seems to desperately not want to send them into exile, but there are some things that cannot be learned through words and can only be learned through punishment (most things are that way actually).