Plucked Out
Today’s Verse:
Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. ~Jeremiah 12:14
The phrase “pluck out” in the Old Testament means to pull up, pull out, root out, expel, or overthrow. In the New Testament, a similar phrase is used and means to catch up, pluck out, pull out, or take by force.
We see that it is reassuring.
The idea of being plucked out is a removal in the nick of time. It is an assurance that God has an evacuation plan for His people. It was an assurance to Judah that at the end of their seventy-year captivity to Babylon, God would remove them from bondage and oppression. It is an assurance of God’s mercies and love. It is the assurance that the Lord never leaves us nor forsakes us: that He is our Helper, and we do not have to be afraid of what man will do to us.
We see that it is restrictive.
“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). Not only is the idea reassuring, but it is also restrictive. With regards to a believer’s eternal security, we are firmly secured in the hand of God. No man can take, or pluck, us out of the Father’s possession. We are His purchased possession. Our salvation was paid for in full by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Once a believer is saved, he is forever saved. We are saved by grace alone, and not of ourselves.
We see that it is a relocation.
“And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39). The Lord led Philip from Samaria to the desert area of Gaza to help an Ethiopian man receive Christ as his Saviour. After this man was saved and baptized, the Holy Spirit moved Philip to a new location and ministry: the city of Azotus. The relocation was sudden but not without a purpose in mind. We should keep in mind that Philip’s relocation was entirely by the Spirit of God, and it left neither Philip or the Ethiopian saddened or regretful.
We see that it is a rescue.
“And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 1:23). It is pictured as the urgent necessity of winning souls to Christ. We are to be moved with the fear of Hell judgment against the sinner. Paul said, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” Sinners are on the brink of falling into Hell, and when a sinner is saved, we are pulling him out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Imagine a house on fire and the urgency of trying to rescue people trapped on the second floor. We must move rapidly in pulling them out of this burning structure.
We see that it is the Rapture.
“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). At the Rapture, we will be plucked out of this world to be forever with our Lord. It will be a time of resurrection of the dead in Christ, reunion with saved loved ones, and redemption of the soul and body of the believer. The Lord will snatch us out before the dreadful Great Tribulation upon the world. Let’s pluck some sinners out of the fire. Let’s be ready for when the Lord plucks us out to take us home to Heaven.
Have a fervent God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Genesis 35-37