Last week at our midweek Bible study, we were looking at Jeremiah 9. In the discussion, the pastor, using the KJV, quickly went through verse seven and made a few comments about God, melting people, and seem to imply that the point here was God being wrathful.
Here is the verse and the King James,
Jeremiah 9:7 (KJV) Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?Sounds serious, and it is. Then I looked over at the NASB and saw this,
Jeremiah 9:7 (NASB95) Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, I will refine them and assay them; For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?Notice the terms being used here come from the mining industry. First you have “refine”. That is the second step after smelting in which you remove the impurities or dross. That tells me that God had not given up on these people and is going to give them one more shot at coming clean. He’s going to put them on trial. He’s going to make life difficult. He’s going to do whatever it takes to give them a chance to repent.
Then it says He is going to “try” them in the KJV, which becomes “assay” in the NASB. This is more of the trial were they actually weighed and see how pure they are.
Either way, I see here sandwiched in the middle between promises of retribution and punishment a chance for recovery.
God is in the business of redemption, not punishment. Because He is holy, and He is a God of wrath and will not be messed with. There comes a time when He is forced to go with violence and punishment. He shows incredible patience before He actually brings down the hammer.
We should rejoice in His patience and not see how far we can push it.
homo unius libri
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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.