Sunday of the Flood (OTA)

Jeremiah 34:8-17

⁸ The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them, ⁹ that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother. ¹⁰ And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free. ¹¹ But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves. ¹² The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ¹³ “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying, ¹⁴ ‘At the end of seven years each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; you must set him free from your service.’ But your fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. ¹⁵ You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name, ¹⁶ but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.

¹⁷ “Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

God has set his people free. They disobeyed and will soon find themselves enslaved once more. They will be taken away into exile. The Lord proclaims liberty, but no longer to live well in the Land but to die.

Many of his people even at the time of Jesus did not see themselves as slaves. They could not recognize that their leaders were chaining them to laws and regulations and rules they could not fulfill. These children of Israel had become slaves to ritual, and in turn profaned the name of God just like their forefathers.

The people set their slaves free, only to pull them back down and chain them up again. This time the people would struggle but following willingly and faithfully to their masters. They would not think of liberty, but be bound to hard labor and service trying to atone for their sins.

God set his people free from slavery in Egypt. God brought those people out and commanded them to continue to free slaves every seven years. They were supposed to forgive all debts every seven years. God has sent his Son to atone for your sins. He has come to set you free from slavery to sin and death. He has come to forgive you all your debts or sin. Jesus will come to proclaim liberty either by sword or by cross.