Message from Keith deLaet, High School Teacher

We have been looking through the book of Jeremiah during Bible class this past week and a few things have really stood out to me. We know that Jeremiah was the prophet in Judah who was calling the people to repent and turn from sin just prior to the fall of Judah to Babylon. Therefore Jeremiah was the last warning signal that the people would receive. That means there was not a whole lot of time left when Jeremiah was told by God to:

2 "Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD. 3Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. (Jeremiah 7:2-3).

Jeremiah is told to stand in the doorway and proclaim the word of God just after God tells him to:

1Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
    look and take note!
Search her squares to see
    if you can find a man,
one who does justice
   and seeks truth,
that I may pardon her. (Jeremiah 5:1)

The fact that the Babylonians became God’s tool to discipline Judah tells me, at least, that Jeremiah wasn’t able to find anyone who loved justice and truth. A sad commentary on Jerusalem, the one city on earth that should have been the most committed to God.

As I put this into terms for us today, I actually see two things that get me excited. First of all, prophets were called by God to be counter-cultural. That’s part of what made them prophets. God gave them each a huge Stop Sign to hold up in front of the people, pointing out the conclusions of sinful living. As Christian educators, we get to work in a similar way. Each of us uses the context of our contact with students and families to point out the damage of sin and the benefits of a God pleasing life.

Second, we are called to be the people who do justice and seek truth, and as such we should be easy to find. As we live that out personally, I pray that we instill a love for justice and truth in the lives of our students and therefore make sure that the light of God’s justice will be carried forward by the next generation. That, I believe, is part of the rich legacy of Phoenix Christian.