“Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.” (Jeremiah 17:14)

When a saved man finds himself in rebellion to God, his prayer must be “Heal me, O LORD… save me…” for this is his only hope. None but God can forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). As we are brought by God’s mercies to confess our sins to Him, God must turn to us (Lamentation 5:21; Psalms 80:3).

The healing needed by a saved man who is in rebellion to God, is an inward healing. He needs to experience God’s cleansing from his daily defilements. This kind of healing requires God’s work in turning one of his rebellious children.

Jeremiah records the process to being restored:

“I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.” (Jeremiah 31:18)

“Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.” (Jeremiah 31:19)

First is the Chastisement (verse 18): “Thou hast chastised me.” Jeremiah also noted, “…as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke.” This has reference to a wild and untamed bullock, one that has not surrendered to the wearing of the yoke or harness to be able to pull the plow. The goal of the chastisement is to break the ox into submission of the yoke (or plow harness). So must a rebellious Child of God be brought into subjection. God uses chastisement many times to do this:

“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:” (Hebrews 12:5)

“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Hebrews 12:6)

“If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” (Hebrews 12:7)

“But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:8)

“Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” (Hebrews 12:9)

“For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.” (Hebrews 12:10)

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Hebrews 12:11)

God uses chastisement to turn His rebellious child to submit to His yoke; to be His servant; to do what he was created to do, to serve his Master, Christ. So Jeremiah said, “turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God” (verse 18b).

Child of God, make no mistake. When God’s Rod is applied to His Children, we will bend and submit; for He is the Lord my God. He is my Creator, my Savior, my Sustainer. He is my Master and Authority over me.

Jeremiah had no problem believing and proclaiming God – being the Origin and the Source and the Applicator of his chastisement – that He would, not maybe, but would turn him back to God.

This is the reason of our existence as His servants:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11:29)

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30)

We are His servants, His disciples, even His workers in His vineyard. We are to surrender unto God; submit to Him; obey His Word; and endure in the same.

Then Jeremiah said in verse 19, “Surely after that I was turned, I repented.” That is, I was sorry for my rebellion and turned from it. I repented, made 180 degree turn back to God from self.

Second, God uses Instruction, His Word applied (verse 19), “after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded.” After Jeremiah repented from Godly sorrow; God instructed him; and he was ashamed for his actions. First God chastened him, humbled him; and then he was ready to receive instruction from God.

The heart must be made ready to receive instruction. But once it is ready, then God applies His Word (Truth) to the repentant man. And he is made free by the truth!

In God’s Word is the answer for the saved man. When the saved man is “exercised thereby”:

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Hebrews 12:11)

This is God’s goal in chastisement. It is to conform us to His Image; that we bear fruit, more fruit, and much fruit, and that fruit remain (John 15:2-5).

Then the barren, “the heath,” in the desert of no-fruit, is turned by God into a healthy, green-leafed tree full of the fruit of Power, Peace, Joy, and Righteousness.

Then we will not cease from yielding fruit; we will be a monument of God’s grace and mercy.

Third, Jeremiah said in verse 14b, “save me, and I shall be saved.” Only God is the Preserver. It is not in the power of the saved man to save (or preserve) himself; any more than he can heal himself. God is a God of Purpose and of Security. See the following verses:

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” (John 10:27)

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)

“My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:29)

“I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30)

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29)

“Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30)

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.” (Romans 8:33)

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35)

“As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” (Romans 8:36)

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,” (Romans 8:38)

“Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)

God is a God of Promise; and He cannot lie. He always honors His Word and delivers what He Promises. John 10:27-31 and Romans 8:29-39 are Promises that God cannot deny.

God has a people, according to Ephesians 1:4-11, and they will be made “accepted in the beloved.” They are preserved in Christ Jesus. Christ has all the tools to conform His rebellious children into vessels of honor for His Glory. Praise God for Him being a God of Purpose and Power to Perform what He has Purposed.

“Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.” (Jeremiah 17:14)

“…turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.” (Jeremiah 31:18)

“Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.” (Jeremiah 31:19)

Yes, Praise God “for thou art my praise” (Jeremiah 17:14c).