Family Love

Jeremiah 30.12-22-Living Bible (TLB)

12 For your sin is an incurable bruise, a terrible 
wound. 13 There is no one to help you or to bind 
up your wound, and no medicine does any good. 
14 All your lovers have left you and don’t care 
anything about you anymore; for I have wounded 
you cruelly, as though I were your enemy; 
mercilessly, as though I were an implacable foe; 
for your sins are so many, your guilt is so great. 
15 Why do you protest your punishment? Your 
sin is so scandalous that your sorrow should never 
end! It is because your guilt is great that I have 
had to punish you so much. 16 But in that coming 
day, all who are destroying you shall be destroyed, 
and all your enemies shall be slaves. Those who 
rob you shall be robbed; and those attacking 
you shall be attacked. 17 I will give you back your 
health again and heal your wounds. Now you are 
called “The Outcast” and “Jerusalem, the Place 
Nobody Wants.” 18 But, says the Lord, when I 
bring you home again from your captivity and 
restore your fortunes, Jerusalem will be rebuilt 
upon her ruins; the palace will be reconstructed 
as it was before. 19 The cities will be filled with 
joy and great thanksgiving, and I will multiply 
my people and make of them a great and honored 
nation. 20 Their children shall prosper as in 
David’s reign; their nations shall be established 
before me, and I will punish anyone who hurts 
them. 21 They will have their own ruler again. 
He will not be a foreigner. And I will invite him 
to be a priest at my altars, and he shall approach 
me, for who would dare to come unless invited. 
22 And you shall be my people, and I will be your 
God.


Throughout the journey of Lent, sacrifice and repentance are themes that seem to be the most popular. If we look at the Greek definitions of these words, we can better understand their original purpose. Sacrifice in Greek is thusia, which is defined as ‘an official sacrifice prescribed by God; hence an offering the Lord accepts because offered on His terms.’ Repentance in Greek is metanoeó is defined as ‘changing one’s mind’. Throughout this passage, God is speaking as a parent figure starting first as the disciplinary parent trying to get us to repent of our past ways. In the second half of this passage, God has changed to the protective and truthful parent asking us to remember the sacrifice it takes to completely trust Him in all of life’s situations. Similar to how our interactions with our parents are today, God is telling us how badly we messed up and how we need to correct our behavior to have a better life, and through His unending and all-forgiving love, He will restore us and bring us back to His glory as we will learn to live for Him and not for the world. As we continue through Lent as a family, let us use the same love God has for us shown in this passage to build up each other in the glory of our mighty Heavenly God.

Brandi Young is a junior majoring in business administration and religion/philosophy and minoring in Discipleship and music in worship.