Are the people telling God to “wake up?” Or is God reminding himself who he is and how it’s time to get busy on saving his people from the remnants of his fury against them? I, for one, can’t imagine ever telling God to “wake up!” Seriously. The more I get to know God, the more I know him as a God who is in control. That is something I can trust. There are plenty of other sources around us who are not trustworthy. We need to be careful not to be lured in to wrong believing.
God had planned for this very time, and now it’s time for the scenery to change. “Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.” This had to be the message the people were waiting and hoping for. Would they actually believe it? Their next question would be, “when?”
So we meet God. We see a little behind the scenes as he is getting ready to change lives forever. The target of his fury is about to shift to the very oppressors whom he empowered. This tells me God doesn’t want to be predictable. Not only was it a stretch to believe he’d use the Babylonians to destroy, but also to use Cyrus to release, restoration, and return them to Jerusalem. We might feel like unlikely candidates for God to use, but he definitely will. It’s up to us to understand our calling and act on it.
God is fully present. Now the tables are turned. “Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem! You have drunk the cup of the Lord’s fury.” We started with Lord receiving the wake-up call. Now it’s shift to Jerusalem, in other words, God’s people, not strictly the city alone. He doesn’t want them to miss this message.
“See, I have taken the terrible cup from your hands. You will drink no more of my fury. Instead, I will hand that cup to your tormentors, those who said, ‘We will trample you into the dust and walk on your backs.’” The cup of blessing is now theirs. Can you imagine getting this message first hand. What feelings do you imagine? Comfort. Relief. Gratitude.
We see God showing us his side of justice. Even though he created it in a sense by employing Babylon as the “bad guy.” Their glory days were coming quickly to an end. I bet they didn’t see that coming. You have to wonder if they even knew that God was pulling the strings all along.
It’s cool to see God in a couple different roles. His personality definitely shines through. When God reveals himself and his character to us through his Word, it’s a beautiful thing. What else to do you see God doing here for his people? Take some time today to imagine the time when all of this was first happening. What sorts of emotions does the thought of being “hidden safely” in God’s hand bring to you?
Let’s pray … Lord, you again make me smile at just the thought that you may be using me in the scheme of your plans. If I’m off base and heading in the wrong direction per your perfect plan for me, please make that clear to me. I do ask for your blessing on the people touched by my writing. Equip me for my purpose. Draw me closer to you each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
