Tear Down and Rebuild (Build Back Better?)

Dec. 4

Read:Jeremiah 1:9-19

Tear Down and Rebuild (Build Back Better?)

“See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

The word of the Lord - his conviction, instruction, and communication with humanity - is always both destroying and rebuilding. This is the healthy cycle that God has baked into our world as well as our relationship with him. For God’s people, breaking down is always a means to the end of rebuilding. “Pruning” always leads to “more fruit”. (cf. John 15) Life is not all disruption and it is not all blessing, but rather a constant cycle of the two. It is interesting to see how God describes this work as he sets Jeremiah on his mission. (v.9,10)

Some things need to be “plucked up”… they need to be picked up and moved…they need to be taken out of the situation. The same is true for some people. Maybe God’s word is “plucking you up” and moving you to someplace else… where you need to be… moving you along… to a new job, a new city, a new relationship, a new church, etc. This is very different than “breaking down”. Somethings / people just need to be broken down. This is why Jesus gives The Law to the proud, and grace to the humble. There are plenty of things that need to be broken down and dismantled. If God is breaking you down right now, take hope… it is towards the end of your rebuilding… not destruction. What needs to be dismantled in your life? What part of you is being deconstructed? Your identity? Your comfort? Your previous ideas about the universe? Is God giving you a message of “plucking up” or “breaking down” that you need to deliver to someone else?

Breaking down is not always an attempt to “destroy”. I think that is why God uses another pairing that includes “destroy and overthrow”. There are some things in the universe that just need to be destroyed (and God is the one that will do it). It is NOT our job to be destroyers, but it may be our job to speak the truth of the Lord. Is there something that leads to destruction that you are afraid to acknowledge as such? One very clear and obvious thing is SIN. “The wages of sin is death”, and “the enemy comes to kill and destroy”. (cf. Romans 6:23, John 10 ) As such, sinners and those serving the enemy are fit for destruction apart from Christ… that life leads to destruction! It may not be popular to say it… but it is true. Is there sin in yourself our soon else that needs to lovingly be called what it is - destruction? Would you be both kind and bold enough to own that truth? Likewise, there are things / people that need to be “overthrown”. There are leaders who ought to be removed. There are employees who need to be fired. There are people in power who need to have that power shifted someplace else. This is “overthrowing”. How will you handle that word if the Lord sends it to you to deliver? How are you using your power? Are you setting yourself against God? If so, you will be “overthrown”.

The final pairing is one of encouragement: to “build and to plant”. One term is mechanical and one is organic. I think of nuts and bolts, boards, tools, blocks and paint when I think of building. I think of seeds and sunshine, tractors, vegetables, and food when I think of planting. God is building both mechanically and organically. Some of it feels more measured… more mechanical… stuff that requires a proverbial “blueprint and tape measure”. Other work of the Lord is more mysterious… it begins deep in the ground like a seed and takes time and rain and sunshine to start to grow! God’s words in our lives and delivered to others do just that! What is God calling you to map out, measure, plan, and build? What is God calling you to plant? What are you expecting to be built like a house… and it is more like a plant growing? Remember that planted things takes time and stuff out of your control (like the weather on a farm) in order to grow. Remember that buildings take planning, design, supplies, and precise measurements to be built. God works both through the ordered mechanical processes as well as the organic relational ones.

The “word of the Lord will come to you”. (v.11) It will bring all of the above with it. When you are used by the Lord this is the work you will find yourself in… God’s words through you will be “plucking, breaking, destroying, overthrowing, building, and planting”. When we experience this in our own lives, we must not resist it or reject it. It is the genuine work of the Lord for us… his children. It it not very fun to be the bearer of this sort of news. In one sense, it was a crummy job for Jeremiah… no wonder he wasn’t so keen on doing it at first! (cf. v.19) Take a moment to grab a piece of paper or make a list on your phone. Create 6 columns and label them with the categories mentioned. Now fill in what God gives you for each. Some of this may be for YOU to hear for yourself… and some of it may be words you are to deliver to others. DO not be afraid…the process brings about life int he end. Love you guys! - JDP