“…Look, the whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go,” (40:4).

Just because Nebuzaradan, the king’s captain of the bodyguard, acknowledged God as the Sovereign Victor Who had acted according to His promises, does not necessarily mean that this Babylonian captain believed in the One True God or that he had trusted in Him as his God.

Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God promised this calamity against this place;³ and the Lord has brought it on and done just as He promised. Because you people sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you,” (40:2-3 emphasis added).

As polytheists believed in many gods, they would give deference to the gods of others, “The Lord your God…” It is also possible that the reputation of Jeremiah was known beyond Judah, and perhaps Jeremiah was shown favor because he had encouraged his people to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar. Regardless, it is always, and ultimately, the Lord Who directs kings and the course of history.

The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord;
He turns it wherever He wishes, (Proverbs 21:1).

And today, we will turn our attention to His favor and blessings bestowed on this one who so trusted Him, this one who rather than succumbing to the pressures of the majority, chose to follow and obey Him Who Rewards the Righteous.

Consider Him Who Rewards the Righteous

From the time God called Abraham to our present day, His message has not changed: those who are declared Righteous are those who believe Him and live the exchanged life by faith, trusting in His imputed Righteousness alone.

Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness, (Genesis 15:6).

 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith,” (Romans 1:16-17).

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him, (2 Corinthians 5:21).

And all those He has declared Righteous, He Rewards.

The following three verses portray seven beautiful blessings God bestowed on His faithful servant, the prophet Jeremiah; and they also beautifully depict His Rewards in Christ bestowed on all who have been declared Righteous.

“But now, behold, I am freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will look after you; but if you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, never mind. Look, the whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.” ⁵ As Jeremiah was still not going back, he said, “Go on back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a ration and a gift and let him go.⁶ Then Jeremiah went to Mizpah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land, (40:4-6).

• He Rewards the Righteous with His Rescue: “to save from any violence, danger or evil; to free or liberate from confinement or other physical restraint”
  • “But now, behold, I am freeing you…”
    • “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free… ³⁶ So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed,” (John 8:32, 36).

• He Rewards the Righteous with His Release: “the event of setting (someone or something) free (e.g. hostages, slaves, prisoners, caged animals)”
  • “…from the chains which are on your hands.”
    • Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death, (Romans 8:1-2).

• He Rewards the Righteous with His Refuge: “a state of safety, protection or shelter; something or someone turned to for safety or assistance”
  • “If you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will look after you;”
    • so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. ¹⁹ This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, ²⁰ where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, (Hebrews 6:18-20).

• He Rewards the Righteous with His Redemption: “to recover ownership of something by buying it back”
  • “but if you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, never mind. Look, the whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.”
    • For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, (Colossians 1:13-14).

• He Rewards the Righteous with His Rest: “relief from exertion; a state of quiet; peace; freedom from worry, anxiety, annoyances; tranquility”
  • As Jeremiah was still not going back, he said, “Go on back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go.”
    • “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light,” (Matthew 11:28-30).

• He Rewards the Righteous with His Riches: “treasure; an abundance of anything desirable”
  • So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a ration and a gift and let him go.
    • But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, (Ephesians 2:4-7).
      

• He Rewards the Righteous with His Reconciliation: “to restore relationship; to bring into harmony; the end of the estrangement, caused by original sin, between God and humanity”
  • Then Jeremiah went to Mizpah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.
    • Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation, (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
      

How do we respond to Him Who Rewards the Righteous?

His Rewards are offered, His Rescue, Release Refuge, Redemption, Rest, Riches and Reconciliation are freely offered, but never forced. And it seems almost impossible to believe, that anyone could reject such a lavish offer, but sadly, some do.

Today, I pray if you have any doubt about your relationship with God, that you would take time to seriously consider His Rewards that are reserved for the Righteous. For His Word tells us that it is only when we accept His offer to trust Christ for our salvation and place our faith in His sacrifice for our sins, it is only then that we are declared Righteous, and only then that we will have the Reward of peace with God.

Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Romans 5:1 HCSB).

Peace with God is a Reward like no other, and that Reward is eternal. But sometimes, even as believers, the peace of God can escape us. When life’s events seems so contrary to His character and promises, it is then we must seek Him by faith.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him, (Hebrews 11:6).

Jeremiah’s life is an example of one who was Righteous, one who lived by faith, but I’m sure there were many times when his life felt like anything but a Reward. And there are so many examples given in Scripture of those who chose faith over feelings, who set their hopes on His promises. They were able to do so because they were not expecting their ultimate Reward in this life. Because let’s face it, life can be downright difficult, demanding, discouraging and disappointing.

Let us ask the Lord to encourage us in His Word, that we would live by faith as we fix our eyes on Jesus, Who Rewards the Righteous.

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, (Hebrews 12:2).

Oh, that we would grow in our faith to be like Paul, that we would never stop seeking and never stop reaching for His Reward in Christ.

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, (Philippians 3:13-14).

And while there will be earthly Rewards, let us pray that does not become our goal. Oh, that we would not lose heart or grow weary in serving the Lord heartily, even in trials that demand our dogged perseverance, that we would live by faith to do His Will, confident that the day is coming when we will receive all that was promised from Him Who Rewards the Righteous.

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary, (Galatians 6:9).

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve, (Colossians 3:23-24).

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him, (James 1:12).

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised, (Hebrews 10:35-36).

Oh, how glorious it will be to live out our days keeping the faith and abiding in the peace of God because we know what lies in store on that day when we finally see Him Who Rewards the Righteous.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; ⁸ in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing, (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Let’s Grow Together!