Jeremiah 22: In covenant with the land
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O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord!
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The prophets of Israel often call upon the land to testify. They understood God's people were in covenant with God's land. When the covenant was broken there was no peace--no balance--no shalom. When the covenant was broken, the land also suffered.
This tradition goes back to the beginning of time. When Yahweh confronted Cain with the murder of his brother, God said, “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the earth. Now you are under a curse and driven from the land, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.”
The book of Deuteronomy calls upon the Mount of Blessing and the Mount of Cursing to witness Israel’s covenant. The promised land is God’s covenant promise. For Israel, the covenant with God and the covenant with the land are inseparable. No wonder then Jesus scoffed at those who told him to keep the crowds quiet on Palm Sunday. “If they did not cry out, the very earth itself would bear witness and shout!”
America is also a land of great promise, and her Native people have always known that God calls us to be in covenant with the land. When we break that covenant the land groans and testifies.
In our climate controlled world we do not even have to confront our sins against the land. Our houses are pre-programmed for year round comfort. Our automobiles keep ideal temperatures at all times. We live in bubbles of invulnerability.
But the past 12 months have shown that we cannot be well--body mind or soul--when the earth is sick. The land still testifies. The good news is that the Creator still keeps covenant with us, no matter how many times we forget.
The land calls us to remember.
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O Creator, sometimes I truly believe I can divorce myself from your creation and suffer no ill consequences. I have forgotten how to live in covenant with the land, so I cannot live in covenant with you. Forgive me and restore me to peace--body, mind, and soul.