Jeremiah 49
Okay, so maybe “abuser” isn’t the right word, but I’m getting at the concept behind the word—the idea that God doesn’t discriminate. He is ultimately invested in all His children equally.
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As I read through this chapter, as I read the warnings to Ammon, Edom, Damascus, and Elam, I started to think, This sounds exactly like God’s warnings to Israel. He says that because they rejected Him and worshiped other gods, they will be destroyed. However, He also promises that He will bring their descendants back to their homeland.
I marvel that God doesn’t treat His “chosen” people any differently than the surrounding “heathen” nations! He doesn’t play favorites. It’s clear that He didn’t “choose” Israel to somehow be pampered and protected while the other nations suffered. He “chose” Israel to minister to the other nations, and when they turned their back on God, they suffered the same consequences as the nations they had come to look down on.
So, maybe we can change “abuser” to “Savior.” God is an ecumenical Savior. He didn’t predestine Israelites for salvation and the Ammonites, Edomites, and others for destruction. He is out to save everyone, because every single person who has ever been born in this world is His special creation.
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No matter who you are, where you’ve come from, or what you’ve done, God doesn’t love you any more or any less than anyone else. He is an ecumenical lover, an ecumenical Savior, an ecumenical friend, and yes, an ecumenical disciplinarian!