Have You Forgotten Your Resting Place?
Jeremiah 50:1-7
Introduction: Notice in verse 6 that God's people had forgotten something very special. They had forgotten their resting place.
Many times throughout the Bible, God's people are compared to sheep. Sheep that have gone astray are called lost sheep. In this case, their shepherds, that is, their leaders had led them away from the right path. Verse 6 says, "they have turned them away on the mountains." Simply put, the leaders had showed them other gods, and the people of God had turned away from the living God to idols. How tragic! How sad when God's people can be so easily led astray! They had forgotten their resting place.
Perhaps, the reason they had forgotten their resting place is because they had been led to so many other places. This seems to be the point here. The resting place here was the place that animals were led to by their herdsmen. Sheep had shepherds, and these shepherds were to lead their sheep safely to places of rest and provision.
For example, David wrote about this in Psalm 23, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
Jeremiah let the people of God know that they had chosen hamburger over steak, the temporal over the eternal. They forgot that God was their resting place! Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
In our opening text, God's people had had their fill of the husks in the pig pen. They were ready to return to the sheepfold. Jeremiah 50:6 fits so many of us today. Most have forgotten our resting place.
1. Adam and Eve forgot their resting place. - Genesis 3:6
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
- God gave them everything they needed in a perfect world.
- Just as the people in Jeremiah 50:6, they were led away from right by something that captured their attention.
- Easily drawn away by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit.
- What they thought would make them wise was the one thing that took away their wisdom. The thing they thought would satisfy left them wanting.
- They forgot their resting place.
2. Cain forgot his resting place. - Genesis 4:3-7
"And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."
- Abel brought the acceptable offering. Cain brought the fruit of his labor.
- Abel had found his resting place in the Lord. Cain had found it in himself.
- I'm not sure just why Cain was led astray nor where he learned what he knew, but he left the resting place of trusting in the Lord and turned to his own way, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6)
- God even gave Cain a second chance by placing a sin offering "at the door," but Cain refused.
- If Cain never trusted the Messiah as Abel did, he went to Hell when he died.
- Cain forgot his resting place.
3. Israel forgot their resting place. - Psalm 106:13-21
"They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD. The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked. They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image. Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt."
- The children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. During this time, their clothing never got old, worn out, or too small. Their clothing grew as they grew.
- When they grew tired of manna, they begged for meat, and God gave it to them.
- They made a golden calf to worship when Moses did not come down from Sinai when they thought he should have. The Bible says they forgot God.
- They forgot their resting place.
4. Solomon forgot his resting place. - 1 Kings 11:1-4
"But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father."
- God had appeared to Solomon twice and had blessed him more than all men.
- He was wiser than all. He spoke 3,000 proverbs. He wrote 1,005 songs. He penned at least four Psalms. He wrote the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. He built the largest and most extravagant temple ever built for the Lord. But he forgot the most important thing.
- He got his resting place mixed up. He thought it was in riches, gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, houses, lands, wives, and concubines.
- His heart was turned away from the Lord, and he began to worship the heathen gods of his heathen wives. They turned his heart away from the Lord.
- Solomon forgot his resting place.
5. We all-too-often forget our resting place too.
- When trouble comes, we find ourselves running to other sources for help and strength.
- Somehow or another, our leaders have led us to believe that the Bible is not enough to meet and fill our every need.
* Our prayer closets are rarely, if ever, used.
* Our Bibles have dust on them.
* Our prayer lists have become lost.
* Our churches have become empty.
* Our meals are eaten without thanks.
* Our checks are cashed without a single thought of God's provision.
- Whether we forget Him or not, Jesus insists that we come unto Him for rest, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
- Have you forgotten your resting place?
Conclusion: Jeremiah said that the reason God's people backslid was because they forgot their resting place. Other things became more important and more prominent in their lives. After a while, they just forgot about the Lord. Has this happened to you? Let me encourage you today to remember on purpose your resting place.