Jeremiah 7-9: Cries at the Temple Gates

LINK: Jeremiah 7-9 (Read over the next two days)

These chapters are not in chronological order. Here is the order and historical context:

2 Chronicles 36:2-5
Habakkuk 1-3 (we will cover this after Jeremiah)
8:4-9:15
9:22-10:16
26:1-24
7:1-8:3

BACKGROUND 

The people of Judah had the false notion that God would cause no harm to the temple or the people who lived near it. Jeremiah cleared up that misconception as he proclaimed God's message from the temple gates. 

The building would not save them! They needed to change their ways and not: 

1. Oppress the helpless (Deuteronomy 14:29; 16:11; 24:19; Psalm 94:6)
2. Shed innocent blood (Deuteronomy 19:10-13; 21:1-9)
3. Follow other gods (Exodus 20:3-6)

Idolatry and hypocrisy were rampant in society; practiced by people, prophets, and even priests! They followed religious worship rituals but lived sinful lives. They did not follow God's law (9:13).

This section concludes with the key verses of Jeremiah 9:23-24 that are worth meditating on and memorizing. Wisdom, might, riches, and even physical circumcision (9:25) were of no use. Their circumcision needed to be of the heart (4:4). 

The Scarlet Thread of Redemption

Jesus used the words from Jeremiah 7:11 when he cleared out the temple (Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46). Jesus applied them to evil in the temple just as Jeremiah did in his day. 

Jeremiah mentions Topheth in 7:30-34. This name means "altar" or "fireplace." Child sacrifices were offered to the pagan deity, Molech, there.  This practice had been outlawed by Josiah (2 Kings 23:10) and condemned by God (Jeremiah 7:31).  The Valley of Ben Hinnon would later become the city dump where a fire burned continuously to consume garbage.  

Jesus used the Greek word Gehenna to refer to "hell." Gehenna is of Hebrew origin with gay meaning "valley" and Hinnon being the very place referred to in the Jeremiah passage (Mark 9:47-48). 

Jeremiah 9:1-6 records Jeremiah's conflicting emotions over the message God had given him. He was angered by their sin, but he also had compassion for them much like Jesus did when he wept over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37).

REFLECTION 

It was my first time overseas, and I had been stripped of everything that I could possibly put my security in. I was a lowly nanny for a family, and I was getting depressed and lonely. I did not realize how much I had relied on worldly things to evaluate my worth as an individual.

I took a long walk up into the hills overlooking Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and God spoke to me out of Jeremiah 9:23-24:

Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23-24, NASB95)

I realized that He was the only thing I could cling to during that hard time, and all I needed to do was to seek to understand and know Him. I did not have anything else (including the internet) to distract me from seeking Him. So, I dove right in. I have made it my goal to just seek to understand and know (not just with my head but with my heart too) Him for the rest of my life and not rely on anything else. 

I look back on that difficult time with such thanksgiving for what I learned about Him through the pain and loneliness. 

2023 Update: Forty years later I walked from those very hills into the square of the Cathedral of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela. It was a healing journey for me since my time there was so traumatic and lonely. God gave me beauty for ashes on that trip surrounded in His presence and companions on the journey.

 I am forever grateful that He is a God who wants me to "understand and know Him," and that He is "not a God far off" (Jeremiah 23:23). 

Click on the picture to see it better. It was from our last day.

APPLICATION/PRAYER 

Meditate on Jeremiah 9:23, 24 and talk to God about what you boast or rely on.  It may be so subtle that you do not even realize that you are doing it. Listen to what He says. 

The Appendix for this handout has many modes of meditation:

Five Meditations for Cultivating the Abiding Life

Lord, Help us to boast only in You, Lord. Amen. 

Psalm 144 - Bless the Lord!

LINK: Psalm 144

BACKGROUND 

We are doing all the Psalms out of order so that we can read them in the context of the history of Israel. I hope it is not too confusing for you! (If it is, you can skip all the Psalms in historical order and go to the heading at the top of the page to have links to all the Psalms in numerical order on the Bible Book Club blog.) 

Psalms 144-150 end the book of Psalms with PRAISE! Psalms 144-146 are examples of personal praise because they use the personal pronouns I, me, and my.

David wrote this song in order to bless the Lord (144:1,15) and thank Him for making him a successful warrior. He probably did not write this after his encounter with Goliath, but it indicates why David was so brave against the giant. He knew that God was capable of defeating anyone because God was his . . .

• Rock (ṣûr) - "Yahweh is a Rock, not in being represented as an idol carved from stone, but in that He is totally reliable. He is a sure source of strength and He endures throughout every generation." 
• Lovingkindness (ḥesed) - "God’s hesed was not basically mercy, but loyalty to His covenant obligations, a loyalty which the Israelites should also show." We talked about this word in the story of Ruth. 
• Fortress (m^eṣûḏâh) - "In the rocky crag the eagle makes his stronghold (Job 39:28). But man erects his fortress out of stone or brick to protect himself from external dangers. Nevertheless with great strategy a stronghold may be taken: e.g. David captured the stronghold of Zion (II Sam 5:7). For the believer, especially David, God himself was the stronghold in whom he trusted throughout his trials" (Ps 18:2 [H 3]; 91:2).
• Stronghold (miśgāb) - This word is found fifteen times in the Old Testament with eleven of them being in the Psalms. It speaks of "God being the believer's high tower (II Sam 22:3), or his refuge (Psalm 46:7, 11 [8, 12]), or defense (Isa 33:16). The allusion is to the fact that in the ancient world, safety to either the one fleeing or to the one at rest was synonymous with teaching and remaining upon some fortified height which would be inaccessible to beast and enemy alike. The Psalmist, as well as the prophets, saw this to be the precise picture of the believer’s security in God."
• Deliverer (pālaṭ) - This word occurs twenty-seven times in the Old Testament with nineteen of them being in the Psalms. Other references are in Psalm 18:2; 40:17; 70:5; and 140:7
• Shield (māgēn) - "māgēn refers to the smaller and more common type of round shield carried by light infantry and officers . . . In view of the fact that God is always the one who protects (gānan) His people, it is no surprise that He is so often called the shield (māgēn) of Israel. He is the shield about His servants (Gen 15:1), the house of Aaron (Ps 115:10), the nation of Israel (Deut 33:29) and all those who walk uprightly and put their trust in Him (Prov 2:7; 30:5)." All quotes from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed.) (169).

REFLECTION/APPLICATION

I have just spent the morning meditating and praying through the first four verses of this Psalm. One thing I like to do when I meditate is to define words and then rewrite them in a paraphrased version of the verses. You can use a regular dictionary, a concordance that will give you cross-references, or invest in a good Hebrew dictionary like the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (my favorite).

PRAYER 

Pray through all or part of Psalm 144 today. :) 

Here is a wonderful handout:

How to Pray the Psalms

Deuteronomy 23-27 - Stipulations of the Covenant

LINK: Deuteronomy 23-27 
(Read over the next three days.)

BACKGROUND 
(Written in 2008, before my angioplasty.)

We are continuing with societal regulations through Deuteronomy 26 with the ending of Moses' second address. Deuteronomy 27 begins Moses' third address with a command for a renewal of the covenant.

Deuteronomy 23

This chapter deals with those who were excluded from the assembly of the Lord, uncleanness in the camp, escaped slaves, prohibition of temple prostitution, lending and charging interest, vows, and eating in a neighbor's field. Regarding the escaped slaves, they were not Israelites. They were people from other countries who had sought refuge in Israel. The command to not hand them over to their master was not a normal practice in the ancient Near East. Treaties usually included a stipulation that escaped slaves be returned.

Deuteronomy 24

This chapter deals with divorce and marriage, pledges, kidnapping, skin diseases, collecting a pledge, paying workers, responsibility for guilt within the family, and treatment of the alien, fatherless, and widow.

This chapter contains a key passage on divorce and remarriage. Divorce was widespread in the ancient Near East, but God hated it (Malachi 2:16). These commands were given to regulate what was already a practice in the culture. A remarriage to a former husband was legal but considered detestable to the LORD. This law discouraged divorce for frivolous reasons. Jesus also interpreted this passage and implied that divorce was not God's ideal solution (Matthew 19:3-9). But divorce does happen, and God is always on the side of the innocent. Please read the background study on Matthew 19 for more information on that subject.

This chapter also shows us that God is compassionate toward the oppressed. (This includes those who have been through difficult divorces. Please read the Matthew 19 post.) Israel was to remember that they were slaves in the land of Egypt, and this should invoke their compassion toward the helpless.

Deuteronomy 25

The chapter deals with the prosecution of criminals by judges to regulate capital punishment, kindness and fairness to animals, levirate (levir in Latin means "brother-in-law") marriage for the continuation of a family line, stopping a fight, being totally honest in business practices, and the destruction of the Amalekites.

A note on muzzling the oxen in 25:4, Paul quoted this verse in 1 Corinthians 9:9, and it is not meant to imply that God did not care about animals! Paul was saying that if God cares for a working ox, He certainly cares for a human being laboring for the kingdom of God!

Concerning the levirate marriage in 25:5-10, we have already read an example of this with the story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38!

Regarding stopping a fight, this is the only example where physical mutilation served as a punishment for an offense. This is contrasted with the ancient Near Eastern practice that provided for a wide range of physical mutilations for crimes. For example, in Assyrian law, a man who kissed a woman on the street who was not his wife had his lip cut off with a sword.

Deuteronomy 26

This chapter explains the liturgy for two ceremonies to be performed when they entered the Promised Land: the first fruits and the tithe. This first fruits ceremony is not to be confused with the first fruits ceremony that was to be celebrated every year (Exodus 23:16-19, 34:26; Leviticus 23:10-11; Numbers 15:18-20). The ceremony here is so beautiful. I can envision the bringing of the first fruits of the new land, and the recounting of the story of Israel from the wandering Aramean, Jacob, who had wandered from southern Canaan to Haran and back (Genesis 25-35), migrated to Egypt (Genesis 46:3-7), married an Aramean woman (Genesis 28:5; 20:16,28), and went from a small nation to a great one (Exodus 1:5; 1:7). It is a recounting of God's faithfulness to His chosen people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. This recounting would lead them to worship before the LORD their God (26:10).

This chapter concludes with a calling forth of a total commitment to the Lord and His commands and a reaffirmation of God's commitment to Israel. It might be called a "ratification" of the covenant between the Lord and Israel covering Israel's responsibilities and the Lord's responsibilities.

Deuteronomy 27

This chapter is the beginning of Moses' third address to Israel which will go through 29:1 and discusses the consequences of obedience and disobedience. Moses commanded the Israelites to set up stones with the law on Mount Ebal along with an altar for burnt offerings. He also commanded them to OBEY! It did not do any good to just know the words of the Law. They needed to obey them. This is a great word for us when it comes to the study of the Bible. D.L. Moody said, "The Scriptures were not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives." The only way to do that is through obedience to it!

The chapter concludes with a series of curses that were to be spoken by the priests and affirmed by the people and followed by an Amen that meant "So be it."

REFLECTION - "Remembering" (2008)

My mind focused on two different passages that have a common theme of remembering.

In Deuteronomy 24, my heart camped on God commanding Israel to be compassionate toward the alien, orphan, and widow by reminding them of their own slavery in the land of Egypt:

But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing. (24:18) 

You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing. (24:22)

I was immediately reminded of a conversation once with a woman who was really struggling with something. She started getting frustrated and paranoid and accusing me of some things during the conversation that I did not even feel or think. I felt myself starting to get frustrated and wanting to defend myself from her false accusations. 

I was losing a grip on my compassion for her amid the conversation until God spoke to me very clearly, "Carol, remember when you used to feel paranoid and get frustrated and angry just like this woman? Do you remember the times when you were all alone and defenseless? You had the same reaction this woman is having right now."

This gentle word from the LORD allowed me to put myself in this woman's shoes. I could say, "I can see how you could feel this way. I remember feeling the exact same way in the past. I can begin to understand your fear." 

Instead of becoming defensive and angry, all of this came because God simply asked me to "remember" back to a time, not too long ago. How easy it is to forget these things when we are doing well! I could speak words of compassion and love to her because I remembered that I had once been there too. Even though I was FREE from the slavery of it, I still needed to remember what it was like to be there so I could minister healing words of encouragement and hope to her instead of reacting to her. It set a very good direction in our relationship that continues to this day. Remembering is a key part of compassion.

Now, I am called upon to literally have compassion on a friend who is recently widowed, and I cannot even begin to comprehend what that would be like because I have not experienced it, but I can "remember" what it was like to go through a rough period of transition or what it was like to be alone. This helps me to have compassion for her.

Deuteronomy 26 also touched my heart, and I did a little meditation using the "Loyola Method" where I imagined myself in the scene of bringing the basket of first fruits and telling, in front of the LORD my God, the story of my spiritual journey from slavery to freedom. 

Doing this helped the Israelites to remember what God had done for them, and it can help us too. What is the history of your relationship with God? Can you find a friend with which you can share your spiritual journey? It may seem awkward to do it, but please try it! It is SO encouraging to do this! This helps to cement your story and to "remember" all that God has done for you.

APPLICATION 

Do you need to have compassion for someone? Maybe you can remember what it was like to be lost, lonely, afraid, or poor? Does this remembering help you to put yourself in the other person's shoes?

Share your story with God today. I plan on doing this today after I am done with this post. Although the risk is low, my blood clot and/or this procedure tomorrow are potentially life-threatening. I have great peace, but I think it will be really helpful for me to "remember" God and His dealings with me in my "spiritual history" so far.

Another thing about remembering your journey out loud: the devil is overcome by it: "They overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death" (Revelation 12:11, NIV).

So, say it out loud and silence his accusations today! I guarantee that you will be encouraged by remembering out loud!

One last thing, there is a wonderful summary of the laws we have just covered in Deuteronomy called the "Major Social Concerns in the Covenant" in the Zondervan NASB or NIV Study Bible.I found it online. It is Table 3:

"Major Social Concerns in the Covenant"

It is a valuable conclusion to this section of Deuteronomy.

PRAYER

Lord, Your word is "living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joint and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). Thank You that no part of Scripture is separated from Your character, and we can learn from all of it. I thank You for blessing my heart today in the pages of Deuteronomy, reminding me to "remember" to have compassion for others who have been in similar forms of bondage that I may have experienced in the past, to give worship and praise to You for what You have done in my life, to encourage my heart when I am down and facing an uncertain future, or simply to give the devil a good swift kick. You use it all to teach me to love You with more of my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and I thank You for the gift of each and every new day to live for You. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Exodus 27 - The Tabernacle Journey

LINK: Exodus 27

BACKGROUND

Notice how God gave the pattern for the tabernacle from the inside out. The tabernacle was from God's perspective looking out, not from man's perspective looking in. So, let's continue to go out from the Holy of Holies.

The Bronze Altar

This altar was located inside the entrance to the tabernacle (40:29). It was about 7 1/2 feet square and 4 1/2 feet high. It is also called the altar of burnt offering in the NIV and in Leviticus 4:7, 10, and 18 in the NASB. It was made of acacia wood covered with bronze. There were horns at each corner that were covered with blood at the consecration of the priests (29:1) and on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:18). The horns were also the means by which the sacrifice was tied down. This is interesting because where have you heard about an animal caught by its horns that served as a sacrifice before? See Genesis 22!

There was a bronze grating within the altar that went about halfway up where the sacrifice would lie. We will learn about the different offerings (burnt, grain, peace, sin, guilt) when we start reading Leviticus.

The Scarlet Thread of Redemption

This altar illustrates that one can approach God only through sacrifice. Sin must be atoned for by it. Sacrifices for sins were continually being made, and the fire was kept burning on the altar continually. According to Hebrews 10:10-12: 

We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He (Jesus), having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.

The Outer Court of the Tabernacle

This courtyard was 75' x 150'. It was made of linen curtains supported by or hung on posts with bronze bases and silver hooks set in bands. It was half the height of the tabernacle curtains. Like the curtains for the tabernacle, they were made of blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. The entrance on the east side was in the center and 30' wide.

In the conclusion of the chapter, the sons of Israel were charged to supply olive oil (this burned with little or no smoke) so the priests could keep the lamps burning continuously as a perpetual statute.

REFLECTION/APPLICATION

My first exposure to the tabernacle was many years ago when I read a little book called Meditation: The Bible Tells You How by Jim Downing. I loved his chapter about experiencing communion with God by going on a "reverent journey mentally through the tabernacle" because it was a practical way to apply this Old Testament information with a scarlet thread reality.

Here is a summary of that mental journey that you might enjoy:

1) The Gate (Thanksgiving)

Downing points out:

Jesus suffered 'outside the gate' (Hebrews 13:12). . . our suggestion is to pause in our mental journey outside the gate and thank our heavenly Father that He sent Jesus Christ to die for us outside the gates of Jerusalem. . . It is only because Jesus Christ died for us that we have the right to come into God's presence. (p. 61-62)

2) The Brazen Altar (Acknowledgement)

"We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). Downing's suggests:

Tell God that as we approach Him, it is not on the basis of what we have done or haven't done . . . but we acknowledge that we can approach Him only on the basis and on the merits of what Jesus Christ has done. As the priest in the Old Testament placed the communicant's sacrifice on the brazen altar, so we mentally present Jesus Christ as our sacrifice and offering, which has opened the way for us to come into God's presence. (p. 62)

3) The Bronze Laver (Confession)

The next item in the court was the laver filled with water. The priest was to cleanse himself from the defilement he may have experienced in offering the sacrifice. Downing suggests that:

We approach God confessing our sins and forsaking in our hearts and intents any sins which have defiled us since we last came into His presence, so that they may be placed under the blood of Jesus. (p. 62-63)

4) The Lampstand (Thanks for Light)

As you entered the holy place, the only light was from the lampstand on the left. Downing suggests that we "thank God audibly that all the light and wisdom we need on the problems for today and the future are available from Him, and we thank Him for it" (p.63). We can also thank God that Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12)!

5) The Table of Showbread (Thanks for Strength)

On the right side of the holy place is a table of showbread. Downing suggests that we "thank God for His provision of all the strength that we are going to need for today" (p. 64). We can also thank God that Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:35)!

6) The Altar of Incense (Prayers)

Aaron was to burn fragrant incense on the altar in front of the veil that was in front of the ark of the testimony perpetually (Exodus 30:6-8). Downing says:

John tells us that the prayers of the saints are like incense to God (Revelation 8:4). What a privilege it is for a redeemed sinner to be able to delight the heart of God through prayer. . . tell God that we thank Him for the privilege of delighting His heart with our prayers and presence as we come to Him. (p. 65)

Now we go past the Veil and into the Holy of Holies for . . .

7) Worship and Adoration,
8) Expressions of Love, and 
9) Pure Praise

In the Old Testament, only the high priest could go behind the veil to the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement, but at Jesus' crucifixion, the veil of the temple (that was built by Solomon after the pattern of the tabernacle) was torn in two (Matthew 27:51) giving us free access into the most holy place and into the presence of God! Downing suggests:

At this point in our mental journey we want our hearts to be occupied with the greatness of the person of God, and the greatness of all His works . . . express our love ('I love You Lord because ______') . . . give pure praise, thinking about the things He has done in the past, and then spend much time in thanksgiving to Him for that which He has already done. (p. 65-72)

10) The Very Presence of God

Downing does not mention this, but this is the Shekinah glory that we will talk about in Exodus 40:34-35. This is the center of sweet communion with God where time stands still just enjoying and basking in His presence! We often do not take time to just sit and soak in His presence, but "In His presence is fullness of joy and pleasures forever" (Psalm 16:11).

Following this, we can "draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, so that we can receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

So, we enter into:

11) Petitions 

Often, we do this first in prayer, but they are sweetened after coming into the light of His presence. 

Then, we leave our time by:

12) Remembering

Downing states:

As we conclude our time alone with God, the final step is to select the most refreshing part of our time of communion and fix it so firmly in our minds and affections that we will remember it throughout the day. It will serve as a reminder of our time with God. As the person who has been to the flower garden shows evidence that he has been there by the flower he has picked and taken with him, so our time in communion with the living God should remain fragrant to us and to all those whom we shall meet throughout the day. (p.76)

I hope you enjoyed that, I sure enjoyed reviewing it after all these years.

Have a blessed day!

Here is the above meditation in a two-page document download: 

A Prayer Journey Through the Tabernacle

PRAYER

Lord, everything in this world grows so strangely dim in the light of Your Shekinah glory today. Thank You for this blessed time of communion even writing this post! Lord, I pray that BBC readers will take the time to enter into Your presence in communion with You NOW! Lord, we know it is not just about reading Your Word and gaining knowledge about You but knowing You and experiencing communion with You. I pray this for each reader today (and always!). We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.