Figs In A Basket
Daily Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 23-25
Daily Focus Passage: Jeremiah 24
The prophet Jeremiah received a vision of two baskets of figs. In one basket, Jeremiah saw good figs, and in the second basket, Jeremiah saw bad figs. The figs represented the two groups of people about to face the discipline of God as they faced the coming opposition from their enemy. Some people would face calamity, while others would be taken into exile. The Lord said that those taken into exile were of the basket of good figs, and those who would face the wrath of God were part of the basket of bad figs. The basket of good figs shares vital truth for today as we navigate living in a foreign land with the hope of the promised land.
LIVING IN A FOREIGN LAND
The prophet Jeremiah received the message that the individuals represented by the good figs would be taken to Babylon. In Babylon, the people lived in exile. While living in exile, the people would remain faithful to the Lord. They would seek to live in obedience like Daniel. Thus, the prophet encourages believers today to live in obedience while living in a foreign land. Thus, the prophet encourages believers today to live in obedience while living in a foreign land.
Today, believers live in a foreign land. The opposition or the enemy may not have exiled us, but we live here on earth and not in heaven, where our citizenship rests. When we think about living in a foreign land, we must first remember we do not belong here. Our citizenship and our identity must be placed with Christ in heaven. When we live with this perspective, we recognize that our viewpoint must be heavenward and not based on the things of this world.
Second, we must drive to live out the ways of the Lord, because we seek to remain faithful to our eternal home. When we live in a foreign land, we serve as ambassadors of the Lord. As an ambassador, we must ensure that our lives represent the one we serve and love. That means that we must live out our citizenship that is in heaven. We must follow and obey the ways of the Lord.
Third, we must maintain a proper perspective. To keep a proper perspective, we must gaze and focus on the Lord. We must not allow the world to define us or to tempt us to walk away from the ways of God. We must strive to know him more closely. We must seek to know him through his Word and pray with him. When we keep a proper perspective, we can endure the difficulty of our time in exile or in a foreign land because of the home we have in Christ.
LIVING IN THE PROMISE
The prophet Jeremiah says the excellent fruit would be returned to the land of promise. This promise provides the needed hope for those who are living in exile. The importance of hope occurs as people look to the future while living through the moment's difficulty. When we live in the promise of eternity, we find the strength to carry on. We find strength as we recognize that the Lord is with us and provides for us each step of the way.
Second, we gained the promise of God‘s presence. The promise of God‘s presence reminds us that the Lord is working in our lives, and he continues to work in front of us. When we recognize that the Lord is working before us, we can grow our trust and faith in him. It gives us the motivation to live for him and the motivation to live for his kingdom. The hope in such a moment of his presence allows us to rest in him completely.
Third, we can live in hope because we trust in the certainty of the Lord. When we live in a foreign land, the hope received of knowing that God has a plan for the future and has promised eternity provides us the needed path forward. The ability to live in. Hope means that we can face each moment with the certainty that the Lord is working, that the Lord is with us and that the Lord is right there. The hope that comes from God’s promise from his presence and from the sense that he has given us with the hope resting in him allows us to live faithfully while walking in a foreign land.
