Cause and Effect: How The Judgment of God Results in Disaster- Or, How Jeremiah is Closer to Pat Robertson than Joel Osteen

By Dr. Jim West - Posted at ZWINGLIUS REDIVIVUS:

The Prophet Jeremiah -
Image from http://christianimagesource.com/

One of the more interesting aspects of Jeremiah’s preaching is his clear belief that God is the direct cause of disaster. For instance, in Jeremiah 6:1ff we find

“Flee for safety, O sons of Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem! Now blow a trumpet in Tekoa And raise a signal over Beth-haccerem; For evil looks down from the north, And a great destruction. “The comely and dainty one, the daughter of Zion, I will cut off. “Shepherds and their flocks will come to her, They will pitch their tents around her, They will pasture each in his place. “Prepare war against her; Arise, and let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the day declines, For the shadows of the evening lengthen! “Arise, and let us attack by night And destroy her palaces!”

Disaster in the form of an enemy from the north is coming. Why? Not simply because the people of the north are expanding southward and wish to grab land and resources. No, there is no ‘human’ cause- it is a result of divine anger against his people. The passage continues...

Read more here...

Comments