God’s Promise to His People
Jeremiah 31: 7-9

Proper 25

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Our text for this mornings meditation is recorded in the Book of Jeremiah, chapter 31, verses 7 through 9, particularly these words:  “Thus says the Lord, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born.”  This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ dear Christian friends.  The text says, “Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, O Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.”  Those were the instructions that God was giving to his people Israel through his prophet Jeremiah.  But these instructions for celebration came with a promise — and that promise had special meaning for the Children of Israel — just as they have special meaning to you and me, as the people of God — today.

The first part of that promise, given by Jeremiah was that God would father his people together.  God said, “Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here.”

This was a very special promise to the children of Israel.  Their entire nation for years had been upset — divided — separated — deported to many nations and lands by those who had captured them in war.  Now God promises to bring those broken families back together again.

And God does not promise to bring back only the strong — but he also promises to bring back the blind and the lame — and even those who are the most vulnerable, those who normally do not travel — the women who are with child, and those who are already experiencing labor itself.

God’s promise means healing for the children of Israel — it means a restoration of their nation.

That promise also has meaning for you and for me.  For you and I also live in a world that is scattered — divided — separated — and torn apart by hatred, hardship, bloodshed, strife, and greed.  Just read the headlines of the newspaper on any given day: Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan;  Mothers starving their 3 year old child to the point that he weighs only 19 pounds; murders, rapes, robberies, and all kinds of crime all around us.

But it is not only around us, it is even among us, and even in our own private lives.  We too, like others, hold on to those hard feelings and grudges.  We too, like others, want and desire things that are not good for us.  We too, like others avoid people we don’t like and are avoided by others who will not even attempt to settle differences.  Why is our world — and our lives — in such a mess??  Because of sin –  Because of sin, the human race is a scattered, and shatter, race of people.  And even our own lives, are scattered and shattered.

But this shattered, scattered, sinful people — God promises to call back together.  And it won’t be just the strong — it won’t be just the great leaders, or just the wealthy, or just the very religious — But rather, God will reunite His people — all his people — the murderer, the thief, the adulterer, the drunks, all the sinners — and he will unite them with the one thing that can unite them — and that is the love of God, and the forgiveness offered through His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  This broken and scattered people, can only be reunited in the blood of Jesus Christ.  Only when we see ourselves forgiven before God by Christ, can we begin to forgive others and begin to restore those broken and fractured relationship brought about by sin.

God promises to reunite His people — Only through Jesus Christ and His forgiveness, can the world’s people — our people — be reunited.

The second part of God’s promise is that he is going to lead this reunited people back to the promised land.  God said through Jeremiah, “With weeping they shall come and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they will not stumble.”

For the children of Israel — this promise of coming back home to their promised land had very special meaning.  For only in the promised land would God keep that other promised for which they had great hopes — the Messiah would come and save his people.

For you and me — this also has special meaning — in two ways.  First and most obvious is that God has a promised land for you and me.  A land where we store up treasure — where rust and rot cannot decay that treasure — a promised land of heaven — that is one fulfillment of God’s promise to you and to me.

But there is another, a more immediate fulfillment to that promise of our God, and that fulfillment is being met right here at Zion Lutheran Church in Tomball — right at this moment.

Israel had to return home so that God could keep His promise to send a Savior.  You and I meet at God’s house, as a Christian family to celebrate, to sing, to praise God for sending a Savior.  And here God keeps his promises to us as he forgives our sins through the sacraments and through absolution — as he strengthens our faith in Jesus Christ — and as he gives us hope and joy so that we can live another week as God’s own children in this sin stained world.  God keeps his promise to us here through Word and Sacrament — God’s means of Grace, that he uses to fulfill his promise that “he will be with us always — even unto the end of the world.”

We are not alone in this world.  We are gathered here together in this house — gathered around God’s Altar — Gathered around God’s Word and God’s gifts to us.  Here we find shelter.  Here we find joy.  Here we find comfort, peace, and forgiveness.  The church is not a social-club — but it is a group of people, joined together by God himself, where he keeps his promises and gives his gifts.  Here, in God’s church, he keeps his promise to lead us by brooks of water, and in a straight path in which we shall not stumble.”

The third part of God’s promise is that he will be our Father, and we will be his children.  He said in our text, “I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born.”  For the people of Israel — this relationship with God was very important.  They were God’s own special, chosen people.  But that is also true of you and me — we are God’s own special, chosen people.

The use of the name “EPHRAIM” in the text is very important to the message of the Text.  Ephraim was an Egyptian born son of Joseph — who was adopted by Jacob, his grandfather.  Consider for a moment Ephraim’s position in Jacob’s house — He was the youngest son of the 11th son — born of an Egyptian mother — in a foreign land — and adopted by an ailing and aged grandfather.  Ephraim’s position in the family would just barely rate him a little bit higher than the servants.  But God says in our text, “Ephraim is my first-born.”  Or as Jesus said in last Sunday’s Gospel reading, “The last shall be first.”

What glorious promise this is to you and me.  For we are like Ephraim.  By our own power, we cannot win God’s favor.  Our sins are always setting us apart from God.  Because of our sins we deserve no favors from God.  AND YET, God makes us His first-born.  It is the first-born who receives almost all of the power and wealth of the Father.  It is the first-born who is honored and respected by the family.  It is the first-born who represents the family to the world.  It is the first-born who receives the inheritance of his father.

You and I are God’s first born — even though we are adopted children of God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We live today with the forgiveness and strength of being God’s first-born — and we live today with the assurance and the hope of the eternal inheritance which awaits us in heaven.  What a wonderful promise that we are God’s first-born children — and his heirs to eternal life.

“I will gather you together, to a special place, and make you my first-born child”.  That is God promise to you through Jesus Christ our Lord.  To God be the glory now and always. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.