Sovereignty & Sympathy

Speaking out for the gospel will often times happen in unique situations that require our focus and effort to have a balance between trusting in the sovereignty of the Lord and our sympathy and empathy. The early days ministry of Jeremiah presents that exact pathway.

In Jeremiah 3:5-18, God calls out the faithless actions of Israel, particularly the two separate regions that Israel identified as Jerusalem and Judah. God holds Jerusalem responsible (Jer. 3:7-8) for being “wise in doing evil” (Jer. 4:22), and rather than turning back to God, Judah, motivated by a self-righteous attitude toward Jerusalem (2 Kings 17), continues down the same path of evil and ignores God. Jeremiah clung to God’s word and allowed it to define and express God’s sovereignty over all of Israel. The Lord calls for Israel to return to Him by acknowledging their guilt and turning by obeying His voice, so that His blessing of leadership gives Israel the knowledge and understanding that will cause them to be a blessing to the nations. Their acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty would have led to the delicate balance between God’s people and God’s leadership that would result in blessing to the nations full of sympathy but still submissive to God’s sovereignty.
 
In Jeremiah 4:10, Jeremiah expresses his confusion about the message he is given and the messaging he is hearing. As he listens to the other prophets that are around him, he questions whether the Lord has fooled His people. Because the other prophets are proclaiming that Israel’s peace will continue. But Jeremiah knows what God has told him, and Jeremiah soon discovers that the other priests have made light of Israel’s ways, disregarding the standard that God gave and His sovereignty to rectify the situation. The other prophets spoke merely from sympathy towards their fellow countrymen, with no regard to God’s sovereignty. But God, being the ultimate and perfect power, displays the attribute of his sovereignty and sympathy in the same breath. Jeremiah 4:5-8 is the warning that God gave to Israel while also sending the punishment to Israel to repent and make themselves right with God.
 
We may find ourselves in the same position as Jeremiah, speaking to our fellow countrymen or even family members pressed to give a warning concerning the gospel while hearing words of false hope. The proper integration of God's sovereignty with our sympathy is when our sympathy is guided by God’s sovereignty. Jeremiah expresses his anguish and pain when listening to and trusting the Lord while considering his countrymen; he refused to be silent and sounded the alarm of God’s message (Jer. 4:19-21). Proclaiming the gospel solely relies on God’s authority, and the method of empathy and level of sympathy in which we express it comes from our acceptance of His knowledge paired with the peace and love He has given us. Take steps that reflect the sympathy and empathy you give to others to be guided by the sovereignty of God. Keep working to speak the warning and promises of the gospel to those God has placed around you.