Jeremiah VI – Our cup overflowing beyond threescore and ten

January 18, 2017

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Last week my family saw the movie “Hidden Figures” about three African American women who broke barriers of gender, race, AND space at NASA with their knowledge of math, engineering, and computer programming.  Mary Baker Eddy wrote of “the great exponent of God” which made me think of her remarks about going beyond our “threescore years and ten.” I love the sense of multiplying our spiritual completeness in our earthly experience, and looking beyond the numbers for the blessings, as the women proved in this movie.

In doing these readings on Jeremiah, there is a constant reminder that the Israelites were to be in captivity for 70 years; and elsewhere in the Bible, man’s lifespan was set at threescore years and ten.  Jacob’s descendants numbered 70 when they entered Egypt;  Moses chose 70 elders to expand his ability to rule, and Jesus sent out 70 disciples to multiply his healing work. Yet there were thousands leaving Egypt in the Book of Exodus and thousands being baptized in the Book of Acts. So whenever we feel restricted by age, location, or any other experience, then ponder God’s multiplying power since “we may as well improve our time in solving the mysteries of being. . .” (Science and Health, p. 90).

Did you notice that Jeremiah used the symbolism of the cup, despised by the Israelites who craved another lifestyle, and which became central to Jesus’ teachings?  The name of the place where the Israelites were buried in the wilderness after their demands were satisfied with overflowing quails was called “Kibrothhattaavah” which means “graves of craving” (The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Numbers 11:34).