The Italian Memorandum

(Rev. 19:10; Eccl. 7:2,3; Gen. 6:6; Rom. 8:26; 12:15; Eph. 4:30; Acts 20:19,31; 2 Cor. 2:4; Phil. 3:8; Matt. 5:4; Ps. 42:3; 126:5,6; Jn. 11:35)

 

“Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for
there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD”

(Jeremiah 31:16,ESV)

“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and
weepeth, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with
joy, bringing his sheaves with him”

(Psalm 126:5,6, ASV)

Yes, Jeremiah has come to be known as “the weeping prophet” of God (Lamentations 1;16; Jeremiah 9:1,10; 13:17; 22:10; 31:15,16); and, that he was. Those who work in the role of a servant of God, as Jeremiah did, soon realize that people can wear you out. And, Jeremiah was stressed to the limit with the obstinate and obnoxious people of his day. It is written concerning this people: “…I have become a laughing stock all the day; everyone mocks me”(Jeremiah 20:7). And, then, something happened. God told Jeremiah, “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work” (Jeremiah 31:16). It is this certainty that our labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58), which causes us to continue to care and to continue to carry the message of our God (Matthew 28:18-20).

The “Confessions” of Jeremiah remind us of his constant struggle (10:23,24; 11:18-12:6; 15:10-21; 17:9-11,14-18; 18:18-23; 20:7-18). But, the reminder of the value of the work itself is its own reason for being. Yes, the value of the work itself.

So, the work has value. The only question is, Do we value the work? Never give up; never give in! For, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy!”

–Robert M. Housby

(Jeremiah 49:36; Ezekiel 37:9; Daniel 7:2; 8:8; 11:4;
Zechariah 2:6; 6:4,5; Mark 13:27; Revelation 7:1)

“Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these my lord? And the angel answered and
said unto me, These are the four winds of heaven, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.”

(Zechariah 6:4,5)

Sometimes the people of God need a reminder that their work really matters. The apostle Paul said, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). The Bible communicates that God, himself, is very interested in what happens on earth. One such figure of speech expressing God’s interest and participation in what happens on earth is, “the four winds of heaven”. This is a universal expression of cosmological vastness.

“Wind” is from the biblical word, ruach. The wind is a creation of God (Amos 4:13). The Spirit of God uses physical breath and wind to fulfill his great purposes for mankind (Genesis 1:2; 2:7; Ezekiel 37:5,6, 14).
1. The north wind (ruach tsawphon) – is associated with cold conditions (Job 37:9)
2. The south wind (ruach darom) – is often destructive, sultry and withering (James 1:11; Job 37:9)
3. The east wind (ruach qadim) – is portrayed as strong, gusty and scorching (Jeremiah 18:17; Hosea 13:15).
4. The west wind (ruach yam) – associated with storm and rain (1 Ki. 18:44,45).

The churches of Christ are involved in a universal mission (Eph. 3:10,11). This universal sense may be seen in Acts 2:2,5,6,17. Although difficult to conceive (John 3:9), Jesus is reassuring about this kingdom (John 3:8). May the four
winds of heaven, which loom large in Scripture and in Space, find their place in us as well. The church must see herself as involved in the awesome and universal power of God

–Robert M. Housby