This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Jeremiah 25:11
The Israelites in Judah had chosen to follow false gods, despite many warnings from the prophets. God had chosen to punish them by allowing Babylon to overrun the nation and place them all in captivity. Through the prophets, God told the Israelites to go into captivity and serve the king of Babylon, a gentile king, for a time. This time of service and punishment would only last for a set amount of time. It would end in seventy years, there was the hope of restoration.
Living in sin will always have a price that a person must pay. The ultimate price is death. It starts out with spiritual death and separation from God, and ends with physical and spiritual death for all eternity.
Those who have never chosen to follow Jesus are destined to be punished for eternity. Those who have chosen to follow Jesus have had their sins removed. The punishment is no longer there. However, when believers step back into sin and choose to not follow Jesus for a time, there may be punishments set in place by God.
God is a loving Father who does not allow His children to do wrong without any correction or punishment. He disciplines those He loves.
There may be times when you have chosen a wrong path that was not God’s path for you. You chose to step into sin for a time. God may discipline you in order to get you to focus back on Him. He does not want you to stay in sin and be punished with death for eternity.
The good news is that the discipline is only for a set amount of time. It is not for eternity. The discipline for the Israelites lasted for only seventy years. God set a limit for it when He put it in place. He will also place limits on the discipline in your life.
The consequences of living in sin may be for a short time or a longer time, but when there is repentance, it is not for eternity. Go through the discipline and learn to follow God correctly. Know that it is only for a set time. With the forgiveness found in Jesus, you will still live for eternity. Do not stay in that sin, but know the hope you have in Jesus.
I pray today that you will follow Jesus with all your life; that you will learn all lessons from God; that God will strengthen you in all discipline; and that you will shine for God after any discipline.
I especially like how you point out He gave them warning. I have wander and been wounded many times when I have strayed from the good, good path and will of my loving Father. His correction is far more caring and gentle with hope for our future than the hurts and disappointments from the world. Oh how I pray my spirit be so sensitive to the Holy Spirit I would hear Him say, “This is the way walk in it” Isaiah 30:21. Excellent post Tom:)
Amen. May we all be sensitive to what God has to say. God is striving to make us the best we can be. Thanks for reading and the comment. Have a blessed day!