Salvation Only By God

“Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.” (Jer 3:23 AV)

 Jeremiah is chastening the nation of Israel for going after the gods of their neighbors.  In fact, Jeremiah states it was so bad, that there were fewer false gods they had not entertained than the ones they had.  Going after the gods of their neighbors led them to a false sense of security.  They believed by compromising with their neighbors, any threat of invasion and enslavement would be mitigated.  They compromised with their neighbors in the hope that if a common threat came, they would realize salvation through the compromised relationships they had built.  The LORD clearly corrects this thinking and states the obvious.  If there is to be salvation, it will only come from God.

It is tempting to take help from sources that would ask us to compromise when that help is very near.  Years ago, my wife and I ran a VBS.  We were brainstorming different ideas and one of the topics was prizes.  The idea to go into the community and solicit donations in the form of gift cards or objects was floated.  They had heard of other churches that went to department stores and management offered free bicycles as donations to their causes.  They had heard of other donations like gift cards, candy, or toys.  We talked about it and realized the church shouldn’t be asking the world for donations.  This is not biblical.  The church is to be solely supported by the free-will gifts of its membership.  I explained the moment the world donates something, it comes with strings attached.  When one accepts charity from those who are not the children of God, there are unwritten expectations that come with it.  Often, you don’t know what they are until it is too late.  A few months or years down the road and the store that donated in the past now wants to demand you reciprocate in ways that would violate the conscience.  This is the problem with the emergency funding made available to churches by the federal government during the COVID pandemic.  Just wait.  Those churches who accepted and used those funds will be sued for some infraction that popular culture deems unacceptable and they will have to acquiesce or face paying back those funds with interest.  It is never a good idea to seek help from those who hate God!

It is not necessarily wrong to enjoy help from many sources.  They are God-sent.  The principle is to rely more on God than the resources He does send.  The most important of all is not to compromise biblical principles in seeking that help.  God will meet our needs.  He has promised to do so.  He will do so in a holy and acceptable way.  The manner in which salvation comes will be heaven-sent.  It might take the form of temporal resources.  It usually does.  But God’s help will never force us to compromise biblical standards for the sake of getting out of a jam.  The mountains and hills may be more obvious and available, but they are not God’s mountains and hills.  They belong to the adversary.  Stress may often push us towards these mountains and hills.  Experiencing relief, even if but for a moment, is too tempting.  Don’t give in.   Live by your convictions.  Do that, and the LORD will send His own relief that you might be able to endure the temptation which you wait for the escape God will provide.