Remember these four things!

God is the King and Creator of the Universe. He is infinitely wise.

And yet God has always chosen to deal simply with His people. He has always chosen a very simple formula to follow, a formula He outlines in Jeremiah 18:7-10

If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.

Let me make a few comments about this formula.

1) God always punishes the disobedient.

This is the first point that God makes in his comments to Israel here in this part of Jeremiah. He says, "I will pluck up and break down and destroy" any nation that is doing evil.

The Old Testament is full of references to God passing judgment on entire civilizations due to their sinfulness and idolatry.

God sent plagues over the entire nation of Egypt for its treatment of the Israeli slaves, He used the Israelites to destroy pagan civilizations in the Promised Land, and He used pagan civilizations to enslave Israel during times of rebellion.

In short, punishment always happens to those who rebel against God.

For the non-Christ follower this disobedience may be punished on earth but will certainly be punished in hell.

But even for the Christ follower, disobedience will be met with punishment. Hebrews 12:6 puts it this way--

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.

Are there areas of our lives that we still struggle with? Are we holding on to certain sins? Are we refusing to hand control of an area or a decision to God?

If so we should expect punishment.

The first point is simple--God punishes disobedience.

2) God forgives the repentant.

This is the point that God makes through Jeremiah when He says, "and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken (think pronounced judgment) turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it."

God punishes disobedience but the repentant can avoid the devastation of God's punishment by crying out for mercy. This has always been how God has operated.

Throughout the Old Testament, God would bring calamity on Israel's doorstep and promise doom for their sin, but each time that Israel would cry out in repentance and ask for mercy God would give it to them freely.

In the New Testament, this is one of the things that Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. He became the way out of God's eternal judgment for the repentant by taking God's judgment for the sins of believers upon Himself.

Isaiah 53 makes this point over and over again--

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. (4)

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement of that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. (5)

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (6)

By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgressions of my people? (8)

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt (10a)

The point is that God has always forgiven the repentant sinner and He has done so once and for all through the substitionary death of Jesus Christ.

3) God rewards obedience.

God informs Jeremiah that the nations (or individuals) who do good can expect that God will build and plant them.

This is another common formula found throughout both Old and New Testament.

You will particularly find this theme of the obedient expecting God's blessings in the Psalter, which was the worship book of the Israelites.

Blessed (reward) is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked (obedient), nor stands in the way of sinners (obedient), nor sits in the seat of scoffers (obedient); but his delight is in the law of the Lord (obedient), and on his law he meditates day and night (obedient). He is like a tree planted by streams of water (reward) that yields its fruit in its season (reward) and its leaf does not wither (obedient) in all that he does he prospers (obedient).

Psalm 1:1-3

But let all who take refuge in you (obedient) rejoice (reward); let them ever sing for joy (reward), and spread your protection over them (reward), and those who love your name (obedient) may exult in you (reward). For you bless (reward) the righteous (obedient), O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield (reward).

Psalm 3:11-12

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent (reward)? Who shall dwell on your holy hill (reward)? He who walks blamelessly (obedient) and does what is right (obedient) and speaks truth in his heart (obedient).

Psalm 15:1-2

And that is only carrying us through the first fifteen Psalms! The third point is simple--God blesses the obedient.

4) God does not bless blindly.

This is the final point that God makes to Israel via the preaching of Jeremiah.

God says this about the "obedient" nation that He has promised to build and plant, "and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do it."

God's point here is clear--God does not bless willy nilly. It is true that all of us enjoy the blessings of God daily. We can all take in the beauty of nature. We all have breath in our lungs. Most of us have our daily needs met: food, clothing, and shelter.

But the "big" blessings are reserved for those who remain faithful to the Lord. I know that isn't shocking to you. We already discussed this point on #3, but the point I want to make at the end here is different.

God will abandon his plans to bless the obedient if that person turns from his/her obedience to sinful disobedience.

Of course, God is speaking to Israel here and nobody learned this truth any harder than Israel. Remember Moses leading the people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land? Remember what happened when the people refused to go in?

A generation of people, including eventually Moses, would die outside of the Promised Land because although God made a promise (during their obedience) they walked away from God and had the promise taken away.

How many of us have missed out on a blessing God was planning for our lives because we turned once again to disobedience? The answer is probably too many.

So, remember these four things!

1) God punishes disobedience.

2) God forgives the repentant.

3) God blesses the obedient.

4) God does not bless blindly.