Jeremiah 22 - Do Justice and Righteousness

LINK: Jeremiah 22

BACKGROUND

Jeremiah 22 

Chapters 22-25 are probably not to be in chronological order because, in 21:8-10, God implied that it was too late for repentance; but in 22:4, God said that there was still time to change. It also refers to events that happened before Jeremiah 21.

This chapter deals with the judgment against evil kings:

Shallum/Jehoahaz (22:10-12) who was king in 609 B.C. After a reign of only three months, he was deposed by Pharaoh Neco and taken to captivity in Egypt (2 Kings 23:34).

Jehoiakim (22:13-23) was appointed by Neco. He was a corrupt king who cared only for personal gain by building a palace for himself at the expense of his subjects (2 Kings 24:1-17).

Jehoiachin (22:24-30) followed his father Jehoiakim. After only a three-month reign, he surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar and was deported to Babylon (52:31-34). Even if he was as valuable as a signet ring, God would pull him off because of his sin. A signet ring was valuable because a king used it to authenticate important documents.

The prophecy here states that none of his offspring would sit on the throne of David. This came true. His grandson Zerubbabel ruled as governor on the return from exile (Ezra 2:20) but not as king. This also helps explain the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. Matthew presents a line through Joseph, but Joseph's line was through Shealtiel who was a son of Jehoiachin (Matthew 1:12; 1 Chronicles 3:17). Since Christ was not a physical descendant of Joseph and virgin-born, he was qualified through the physical line of Mary to be king. On Mary's side, he descended from David through the line of his son Nathan (Luke 3:31).

This brings us to a prophecy of that particular descendant in Jeremiah 23! Stay Tuned!

APPLICATION

There is a genealogy of Jesus Christ in the Gospel Harmony Book Club. (Reading through the Gospels chronologically from January - Easter - Pentecost Sunday). Read through it to prepare for tomorrow's post. 

PRAYER

Lord, help us to be in a right relationship with You at all times through confession and repentance. Amen. 

Jeremiah 20 & 21 - Persecution, Lament, and Rejection

LINK: Jeremiah 20 & 21

BACKGROUND

Jeremiah 20 - Pashhur's Persecution and Jeremiah's Lament

Pashhur, chief officer of the temple, did not respond well to Jeremiah's prophecy. He had him beaten and put in stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin (northern gate). After he was released, Jeremiah refused to change his message but changed Pashhur's name instead. Magor-Missabib means "terror on every side." Because Pashhur refused to heed God's message, he would see this terror and be carried away to Babylon. His judgment was not only for having Jeremiah beaten but also for prophesying lies.

This chapter contains the last of Jeremiah's recorded laments. He complained to God about his treatment by others. He considered withholding God's Word, but it was "like a burning fire" within him that he could not keep in (20:9). His lament vacillates between great confidence in God to deep despair as he sees that if the prophecy comes true, Judah will be destroyed. What a difficult message to convey!

Jeremiah 21 - God Rejects Zedekiah's Request

The book now turns toward prophecies directed at specific individuals or groups. The hope of repentance is replaced by the certainty of judgment. In this chapter, Jeremiah begins his rebuke toward the kings. They were to be shepherds to the flock of Judah, but they did not shepherd according to God's way. The first king singled out is Zedekiah who was the last king chronologically. Although Zedekiah requests deliverance as in times past (Probably referring to the deliverance from Sennacherib, king of Assyria, in the days of Hezekiah. See Isaiah 36:37.), God rejects his request and there would be no mercy. This request was probably given between 588 B.C. and 586 B.C. The exile was in 586 B.C.

REFLECTION

The persecution of Jeremiah always cuts my heart. He was being faithful to give God's message that was "like a fire" within him, but he was physically beaten for being faithful to deliver it. 

Isaiah and Jeremiah are so different. Isaiah does not lament about his treatment as Jeremiah does. I think I am more like Jeremiah. I do not like to be persecuted for speaking the truth, and God hears about it when I am!

That is what I love about God. He did not condemn Jeremiah for his laments, and He does not condemn us for our laments, but the ultimate goal in our laments is for Him to bring us to a point of having His perspective on our circumstances so that we might grow to be more like Him. That is a win-win situation!

I have had a few times in my life where I felt like God was wanting me to say something. I prayed about it, sought counsel, prayed about it, searched God's Word for guidelines, prayed about it, resisted God's direction, prayed about it, and eventually did what God wanted me to do because I loved that person enough to not want to see them continue in sin. I did this with much fear and trembling and a big prayer backup.

Sometimes, the truth was received with great humility, and the person thanked me profusely for speaking truth! It was all good! Other times, the truth was not received very well, and it was horrible. Lies and gossip about me spread like wildfire, and I was really mad at God for leading me into it! You can bet that I lamented and complained to God about it too.

It went something like this:

"God, I felt like I followed You every step of the way. I didn't want to do it, but you were "like a fire" within me! I went into this prayerfully, lovingly, and gently, and I came out bruised emotionally. What gives! This is so painful. I wish I had just kept my mouth shut. UGH!"

Unlike Jeremiah, I have never been beaten or put in stocks, but I have been "beaten up" by slander and condemnation, and it hurt!

Yet, God grew me up in those tough times. He helped me to see more of Himself. He helped me to continue to LOVE those who persecuted me. He helped me to pray more diligently and trust Him more fully for His outcome in His time.

And it was all good. :)

APPLICATION

Have you ever been persecuted for doing what is right or speaking the truth in love? Are you still smarting over it? Do not stuff it! Lament! Let God bring you over to His point of view via that process!

Here is a short click regarding the importance of lament by Old Testament scholar, Walter Brueggemann:

I have facilitated a cohort of people since 2021, and in one of our units, we craft a lament. It is so powerful when people read them!

PRAYER

Lord, You are the almighty, sovereign God who sees all things from Your perspective. Help us to grasp a better glimpse of Your perspective and plan for our lives. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Jeremiah 18 & 19 - He is the Potter. We are the Clay.

LINK: Jeremiah 18 & 19

If you are reading according to the new Bible Book Club schedule, Jesus is COMING in ONLY 142 more days! I know all this gloom, doom, and destruction can be wearisome, but He is coming!!!!!

BACKGROUND

Jeremiah 18 - "Parable of the Potter"

God's people were like clay in His hand, and He could press them down and form them into another pot! Notice the "If . . . then" statements in this chapter. If they obeyed the covenant, then they would have blessings. If they continued to do evil, then they would face judgment. It was very simple.

The people responded to this pronouncement by making plans against Jeremiah. They would slander and malign his message, plot to kill him, and pay no attention to his word. Jeremiah no longer asked God to turn away His wrath (18:20; 7:16; 8:20-22) but to "deal with them" in the time of His anger!

Jeremiah 19 - The Broken Jar

In Hebrew, the word for clay jar is baqbūq. Commentators believe this is an onomatopoetic word that imitates the sound of the water being poured out. 

Jeremiah was to take a group of elders and priests and walk outside the Potsherd Gate to the Hinnom Valley (Now called the "Dung Gate"). This is where the people would dump out their broken pieces of pottery ("potsherd"). This was a perfect location for Jeremiah's message because it contained the high places of Baal where they participated in child sacrifice. This place would be renamed the "Valley of Slaughter" because He would destroy the people there through the Babylonian siege that would even cause them to resort to cannibalism! This would be a fulfillment of the promised curses of Leviticus 26:14-39 and Deuteronomy 28:15-68. To bring drama to this message, God commanded Jeremiah to break the jar he had carried through the Potsherd Gate. God would smash them for their idolatry just like the jar.

REFLECTION

I know more destruction. I have battle fatigue after so many months of the prophets! Some of you are probably struggling with a loving God doing this to his own people. I do not want to be glib, but "He is the Potter, and we are the clay". He is sovereign and just. I know that is hard to accept sometimes, but it is true.

It had been approximately 820 years since the "blessings and curses" of the covenant in Deuteronomy and the fulfillment of this carnage in the Babylonian captivity of 586 B.C. God is long-suffering!

So, what does this chapter have to do with us? It tells us that we need to be malleable clay ("capable of being altered or controlled by outside forces or influences, having a capacity for adaptive change") in the Potter's hands.

Without His touch, we are just a big blob!

"The clay is not attractive in itself,

but when the hands of the potter touch it,

and the thought of the potter is brought to bear upon it,

and the plan of the potter is worked out in it and through it,

then there is a real transformation."

J. Wilbur Chapman

APPLICATION

Have you fully yielded to God so that you are capable of being changed to be more like Him?

In what ways have you been resistant to God's molding in your life lately?

Think about the people God has used to mold you into the person you are today:

Parents

Siblings

Teachers

Pastors

Disciplers

Authors

(I am aware that some of these may be bad molders. So, think of the good ones.)

Have you been F.W.A.T. (Faithful, Wholehearted, Available, and Teachable) toward their guidance? Do you have people in your life who can help you in the transformation process?

Dialogue with God about this.

God uses people and circumstances to mold us. Another way to become like clay is to pray this Welcoming Prayer:

PRAYER

For your prayerful meditation today:

Jeremiah 16 & 17 - Listen!

LINK: Jeremiah 16 & 17  

BACKGROUND 

Jeremiah 16:1-17:18 

This section portrays the coming calamity and captivity because God has removed His lovingkindness and compassion due to Judah's forefathers having forsaken Him and followed other gods and bowed down to them. Judah continued in the stubbornness of their heart and did not LISTEN. 

LISTEN is a key, repeated word in this section. It is the Hebrew word, shamaʿ, which occurs 1159 times in the Old Testament. It is the same word in the famous Shema declaration, "Hear, O, Israel," of Deuteronomy 6:4. This word always implies a response of obedience from the hearer.  

In all of this, God instructs Jeremiah to not marry or have children because they would all die. He is also instructed to refrain from participating in feasts or funerals, and this causes more social ostracism for him because not showing grief for the dead was unthinkable in that culture. 

Jeremiah concludes this section with another plea to repent, turn to God, and trust in Him. Their hearts were deceived to believe they could trust in anything but the Lord (Jeremiah 17:9-10). 

But they would not LISTEN. The first wave of destruction and captivity was soon approaching. It occurred in 605 B.C. (2 Kings 24:8-12). This is when Daniel and his friends were deported to Babylon.  The second came in 597 B.C. This is when the prophet, Ezekiel, was taken into captivity.  Eventually, Judah was totally destroyed in 586 B.C.

I do observe that amid all the dread and doom of the last days of Judah, there is a promise that the Gentile nations will come to the true God of Israel! Oh, happy day when they admit that they had followed false religions (16:19-21)!

Jeremiah 17:19-27

Now Jeremiah's message is specifically about the sin of not keeping the Sabbath. (Exodus 20:8-11). They were to keep the Sabbath day holy, and they had considered making money more important than following God. A century later, Nehemiah would make it a priority to reinstate the Sabbath for the returned exiles to Jerusalem (Nehemiah 13:15-22). Again, the key word here is LISTEN!

REFLECTION/APPLICATION

There are several important things in this passage:

1) God repeatedly tells us to LISTEN. I honestly believe that this problem still plagues us today. We go about our day without even giving heed to the "still, small voice" of God.  Instead, like Eve, we listen to the lies of the enemy or just do our own thing, detached from Him. 

Application: Take some time to listen to Him today.

2) God tells us our hearts are deceitful and desperately sick. We cannot "follow our heart" as the Romantics say. We need to LISTEN to God, not our deceitful hearts. 

Application: Pray that your heart aligns with God's heart in all things. Listen and obey when He tells you to do something. Remember that this book will inspire you to listen and obey: God Guides.

3) Gentile nations are part of God's plan. I have been saying this since the beginning of the Bible Book Club.

Application: Pray for the world's unreached people groups using information from www.joshuaproject.net. I have been praying for a different unreached people group for every mile I walk this summer. SO FUN! There are options to pray daily using an app or listen to a one-minute podcast. 

4) Jesus is our Sabbath rest. So, you can come to Him when you are weak and weary (Matthew 11:28-30):

Though this shadow-sabbath, i.e., Saturday observance, ended at the cross, the true sabbath, the rest of God, God's ceasing from effort, continued and still continues today. That sabbath, in its application to us, is defined for us in Hebrews 4, Verses 9 and 10:

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God [it is available to us now]; for whoever enters God's rest also ceases from his labors as God did from his. (Hebrews 4:9-10) ("Jesus is our Sabbath Rest" by Ray Stedman at http://www.ldolphin.org/sabbathrest.html)

Application: We are not bound to the "shadow-sabbath," but the principle is true that sometimes we need to come away and unplug and refuel in Jesus. Might I suggest taking a day off? We are trying to keep many Saturdays or Sundays free this year to have peaceful family time together. It is not always possible with our busy ministry schedule, but we try to do it regularly, and we have really seen the benefits!

2023 Update: We are very consistent with this. If our weekend is busy with celebrations and church (sometimes it cannot be avoided), we take the weekday off before or after that Saturday/Sunday. 

PRAYER

Lord, You cannot violate Your holiness, and You must be a God of justice. We pray that we would listen to what You say and obey. Cut off the voice of the Deceiver and also the deceptiveness of our own hearts so we might hear You more clearly. I pray that many nations would come to and worship You as the only true God. Lastly, give us rest in You today. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. 

Jeremiah 15 - Captivity and Complaint

LINK: Jeremiah 15

BACKGROUND

In Jeremiah 15:1-9, God announces that judgment will come in the way of death, sword, famine, and captivity. There will be four kinds of doom: sword, dogs, birds, and animals. Not even the intercession of Moses or Samuel could stop the judgment. Remember that Moses interceded for God's people to turn away God's judgment (Exodus 32:9-14; Number 14:11-20; Deuteronomy 9:18-20, 25-29), and Samuel interceded to defeat the enemies of Israel and avert God's wrath (1 Samuel 8:5-11; 12:19-25). 

This judgment was all traced back to the evil reign of King Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1-18; 2 Chronicles 33:1-20). He crossed the line with his idolatry and child sacrifice. God had had enough. He was tired of relenting without the people repenting. Judgment day will come swiftly. 

Jeremiah 15:10-21 is the third of Jeremiah's laments, he complains to God because he is being persecuted for the message he is bringing to the people. He found God's Word, took it into His heart, and gave the message to the people (15:16), but the people were rejecting him for speaking truth. His mother has more of a reason to weep as the mother of the dead soldiers. Jeremiah 15:15-18 reveals the great turmoil of the prophet's heart. 

God rebukes Jeremiah and calls on him to repent (15:19) and continues to speak His "precious words" as His spokesman to the people (15:16). With this, He promised to make Jeremiah a fortified wall and give him victory over his enemies (15:20). 

REFLECTION

God's timing is impeccable! I had to deliver some truth to a dear friend this week. She asked me if what someone else confronted her about was true about her. I had to agree with the other person, and my friend did not receive it well, and there were some attacks back on me. But I was able to pray and wait and not take the attacks personally. After I poured out my heart to another friend (who does not know this friend) over the matter, she wrote:

"You are so good to speak truth----

even though it is often hard to hear. 

True friends do that." 

God continued to give me confidence in the words He had given me (Jeremiah 15:16), and I was able to compose a letter that was received so well. She saw my love through it, and that was better than me being defensive and her missing the point that I wanted the best for her.

But I sure felt like Jeremiah this last week!

APPLICATION

Faithful are the wounds of a friend,

But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.

(Proverbs 27:6)

Stripes that wound scour away evil,

And strokes reach the innermost parts.

(Proverbs 20:30)

I do not suggest going out and blasting people with the truth, but I think I waited too long to speak the truth to my friend, and that was part of her hurt. (She said, "Why haven't you ever told me about this? Well, honestly, because I knew I would get blasted, and it would be deflected back on me, and that is exactly what happened.) 

There is a balance between truth and love, and I am still trying to find it. I encourage you to speak the truth in love. That is what true friends do. 

2023 Update: There have been a couple more incidents with this friend, and it is a pattern to get upset even when they ask for the truth. I have learned much about certain personality types, and this person's type does not like to have their "armor pierced" because image is very important to them. I continue to pray and wait. 

On a happier note, I have one friend who has handled a situation very poorly with others, and I have been looking from the outside and praying since 2015! There have been so many times when I have wanted to march over to her house and say, "You need to apologize. You are in the wrong with these people!" But God kept telling me to wait and pray.

Well, just TODAY, I got the good news that she did apologize, and they are on the road to reconciliation! WOOHOO!

PRAYER

PRAY through and MEMORIZE Jeremiah 15:16:

Your words were found and I ate them, 

And Your words became for me a joy 
and the delight of my heart; 

For I have been called by Your name, 

O Lord God of hosts.

Jeremiah 14 - Covenant Keeping is a Two-Way Street

LINK: Jeremiah 14

BACKGROUND

One of the covenant curses for disobedience was drought (Leviticus 26:18-19; Deuteronomy 28:22-24). The people of Judah had rejected the Living Water of life for false cisterns (2:13) resulting in a spiritual drought. Now, they would experience it physically. The people begged for help from the Hope of Israel (14:8), but He did not answer because their pleas were superficial. 

For the third time, God tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people (7:16; 11:14) and vows sword, famine, and plague (Lev. 26:23-26; Rev. 6:8) in direct opposition to what the false prophets had been predicting for Judah.

Jeremiah 14:17-22 give us insight into the heart of this enduring, "weeping prophet" who interceded for Judah by reminding God of His covenant relationship with them, but the people of Judah were not willing to keep their part of the covenant. Consequently, Jeremiah's prayer went unanswered because God could not violate His own Word. Covenant keeping is a two-way street.

No REFECTION or APPLICATION today. 

This is a "keep reading" day. Hope you can catch up if you are behind and maybe follow through on applications from previous posts. 

PRAYER

Lord, help us to learn that we must worship You in spirit and truth, for You seek these kinds of worshippers. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Jeremiah 13 - Rotten Underwear and Smashed Wineskins

LINK: Jeremiah 13

BACKGROUND

The linen garment/waistband/waistcloth was a thigh-length undergarment worn next to the skin. It was the most intimate piece of clothing and like our modern-day underwear. God told Jeremiah to bury it near the Euphrates River or the village of Parah. The Euphrates was 700 miles away, but the village of Parah was three miles from Anathoth in Benjamin. The confusion lies in that they are both the Hebrew spelling, p^erāṯâh. My guess is it was the village of Parah.  Many days later, he was to dig it up. Now it was ruined and utterly useless. Judah was chosen by God for intimate fellowship with Him (just like your underwear is close to your skin) they had now become useless, and God would cast them away in judgment.

Wineskins can be either animal-skin bottles (1 Samuel 10:3; Luke 5:37) or earthen jars or pitchers (Jeremiah 48:12; Lamentation 4:2). Since they were to be smashed together, they were probably jars. The empty jars represented all the leaders and people who lived in the land. God would fill them with drunkenness (A symbol of judgment: Isaiah 49:26; 63:6; Jeremiah 25:15-25; 51:7, 39) and smash them like jars against one another. OUCH!

The king mentioned in 13:18 was probably Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) and the queen mother was Nehushta, the widow of King Jehoiakim (29:2; 2 Kings 24:8, 12, 15). Jeremiah strongly admonished them to humble themselves or they would be carried away into exile. Of course, they did not. 

This prophecy came true in 597 B.C. after a reign of just three months. Jehoiachin surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar's armies and was sent to Babylon and imprisoned (2 Kings 24:1-12). Sadly, not even the threat of captivity would cause the king and his people to repent. They were too accustomed to evil (13:23), had forgotten God (13:25), and trusted in false gods (13:25).

REFLECTION

I do not want to be so set in my ways that I lose my ability to grow and change. I am praying that God will reveal those areas to me and help me to change. We ALL have areas where we can grow if we are willing to ask God to reveal them to us.

Last night, I had a "put down" from someone I have not been around for quite some time. One of my biggest steps toward growth and change in my life has been to choose to be around people who edify and build up rather than tear down. I used to choose to be in fellowship where there were too many people relying on sarcasm to relate with people (probably out of deep insecurities). I call it "Christian kidding," and it used to devastate me (not only to receive it but to watch it happen to others) because the culture was filled with people like that. I cannot tell you how many times I would walk away from "fellowship" time absolutely devastated by the cutting remarks and "zingers" that came flying out of people's mouths toward each other. I felt like I was constantly dodging bullets that were flying across the room. I question whether it was even biblical fellowship because Hebrews 10:24, 25 says we are to "consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds."

Now, the bulk of my fellowship is with people who encourage and edify (thankfully, most of the people at this party were of that persuasion), but there were a couple of people (from my past fellowship) who continue to do that regularly. It shocked me because I just do not encounter it very much anymore (it still happens, but it is more the exception than the normal mode of relating).

My OLD way of dealing with it would have been to be very hurt and sinfully dwell on the jibes. Introspection can be a real TRAP, and I would often find myself trapped in it! I might have even lost some sleep over it.

Last night, I was able to see the sarcasm for what it really was (insecurity, attention, etc.), and God allowed me to just use it as an opportunity to pray and extend grace to them. I did not sinfully dwell and become introspective. I did not recall past offenses that they had done toward me and make a case for their condemnation. They did not become an "idol" in my life! I did not even cry or have a pity party. My sinful ego was not damaged by the cutting remarks! I was free to LOVE.

Maybe you cannot understand this, but this is real growth for me, and I am so happy that God has allowed me to not continue in my old sinful pattern of relating with challenging people. I could extend grace and even have a great time of love with those people.

APPLICATION

Pray for God to reveal any sinful behavior patterns and ask Him to change them!

Let's have a fun application today! (Can there really be a fun one in a book about so much gloom, doom, and judgment?)

Jeremiah uses several "audio-visual tools" to get his point across. As you read through Jeremiah, identify all ten of them!

1) 13:1-11

2) 13:12-14

3) 14:1-9

4) 16:1-9

5) 18:1-6

6) 19:1-13

7) 24:1-10

8) 27:1-11

9) 32:6-15

10) 43:8-13

An excellent prayer journey to identify sin patterns and ruts is to go through the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius. Here is a video explaining them and visit my website for more details at: https://bodyandsoulcompanion.com/services 

PRAYER

Lord, rescue us from our sinful ruts. Amen.

Jeremiah 11 & 12 - Consequences of a Broken Covenant

LINK: Jeremiah 11 & 12

BACKGROUND

Jeremiah 11-13 deals with the broken covenant. If you have been with us since the beginning of the Bible Book Club, you are familiar with the covenant that we studied more closely in the posts for  Deuteronomy 27 and Deuteronomy 28-29.

The covenant stipulated that His covenant people would be blessed if they obeyed and cursed if they disobeyed. One of the promises was a land flowing with milk and honey, but they were about to be exiled from that land because they had disobeyed the covenant.

Jeremiah was to run through the streets, "Listen to the terms of the covenant and follow them" (11:6), but they would not listen and returned to the sins of their ancestors by serving false gods that could not save them in the time of disaster.

For the second time, God said "Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition" (11:14; see also 7:16; 14:11; 1 John 5:26). This was hard for me to hear, but there comes a time for God to execute His judgment after many warnings, and not even the people getting rid of Jeremiah could stop that from coming to fruition! 

As Shakespeare expressed in Henry V and Antony and Cleopatra, "Don't shoot the messenger" just because you do not like the message! Jeremiah was not the problem, they were!

Beginning in Jeremiah 12, we see the prophet questioning why, if God was going to destroy them because He was angry with their sin, He was allowing the wicked to prosper materially (Job 21:7; Psalms 73:3-5, 12; 94:3; Habakkuk 1; Malachi 2:17; 3:15). Jeremiah was not only asking for himself but for the innocent people that were suffering (due to drought with subsequent vegetation and animals dying). Jeremiah wanted God to vindicate His righteousness and drag the wicked away like they were planning on doing to Jeremiah!

God's reply was surprising and can be summed up like this: "If you think it is bad now, how are you going to survive when the going gets really tough?" 

God's timing of judgment was part of the maturing process for Jeremiah! He would learn endurance through his trials (James 1:2-4). So Jeremiah needed to continue to hold on and trust in God's plan (and timing) for Jeremiah and His wayward people. As my mentors would always say, "God's trains are always on time, and they never miss their connections."

REFLECTION

This speaks perfectly about the issue of God telling Jeremiah to not pray for the people in 11:14:

Moses, the servant of God, and Samuel, the first prophet in Israel. What do these two great men of the Old Testament have in common? The answer may surprise you. God declared that their combined prayers would not be sufficient to avert the disaster soon to come upon rebellious Judah (15:1).

There is a time to pray, to repent, to come to God on your knees. But a day is coming when it will be too late to pray.

Today you have freedom to seek God or to avoid Him, to acknowledge your need or to sidestep the issue. Today many people may be praying for you: your spouse, children, parents, friends, minister. You may choose to scoff at those prayers, but the alternative to getting right with God is getting left -- waking up to a day in which even Moses and Samuel could not move God in prayer on your behalf.

Isaiah 55:6 states, "Seek the LORD while he may be found." And when you obey that command, you'll find a wonderful promise waiting for you in Hebrews 11:6.

"Procrastination is both the thief of time and the grave of opportunity."  (The Daily Walk, August 2008, p. 9)

APPLICATION

Well, the application is obvious: Seek the LORD today, and don't delay! 

 Here is the promise of Hebrews 11:6:

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.

PRAYER

Lord, we seek You today. We long for You more than our necessary food. Create in us a thirst for Your righteousness, and help us not to delay! We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Jeremiah 10 - Senseless Statues vs. Great God

LINK: Jeremiah 10

BACKGROUND

The key word in this chapter is "senseless" (10: 8, 14, 21), but I like the blunter word "stupid" used in the NASB version! Jeremiah is saying it is pretty stupid to put your trust in stupid statues rather than the unique, living God!

After describing the uniqueness of God compared to idols, he goes on with the sad address to Judah of destruction and exile. Jeremiah concludes the address with a prayer to God regarding His ultimate control over a man's life.

REFLECTION and APPLICATION

I love the rich verses about the character of God in comparison to idols in Jeremiah 10:6-16. Spend time praying through these Scriptures in praise to God today! Read a couple of verses at a time and then respond to God and have a dialogue!

PRAYER

Here are the verses to do it right now!

6 There is none like You, O Lord;

You are great, and great is Your name in might.

7 Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?

Indeed it is Your due!

For among all the wise men of the nations

And in all their kingdoms,

There is none like You.

8 But they are altogether stupid and foolish

In their discipline of delusion—their idol is wood!

9 Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,

And gold from Uphaz,

The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;

Violet and purple are their clothing;

They are all the work of skilled men.

10 But the Lord is the true God;

He is the living God and the everlasting King.

At His wrath the earth quakes,

And the nations cannot endure His indignation.

11 Thus you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”

12 It is He who made the earth by His power,

Who established the world by His wisdom;

And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.

13 When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,

And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth;

He makes lightning for the rain,

And brings out the wind from His storehouses.

14 Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge;

Every goldsmith is put to shame by his ¹idols;

For his molten images are deceitful,

And there is no breath in them.

15 They are worthless, a work of mockery;

In the time of their punishment they will perish.

16 The portion of Jacob is not like these;

For the Maker of all is He,

And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;

The Lord of hosts is His name. (Jeremiah 10:6-16, NASB95)

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. 

Jeremiah 6 - The Consequences of Closed Ears

LINK: Jeremiah 6

BACKGROUND

This chapter speaks of the impending destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon. They invaded Judah three times until the nation and the temple were completely destroyed (2 Kings 24:25). The extent of the Babylonian destruction was recorded by Nehemiah (1:3; 2:3, 11-17). With all this prior warning, Judah would not listen, their ears were closed (6:10, 19).

Aren't you getting tired of hearing about their stubbornness? 

REFLECTION (written in 2009)

I'm reading this and seeing that so much of these judgments against Judah are present in our society today!

- The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it. (6:10)

God has some standards that are not politically correct right now. There was great opposition to Rick Warren praying at the Presidential Inauguration because of his biblical convictions about many issues.

- From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain . . . (6:13)

Our present economic turmoil is partly due to the rampant "greed for gain." Think of the many competitions on reality television that cause people to compromise their integrity and values for the almighty dollar.

- They are not ashamed of their conduct; they do not even know how to blush (6:15)

I picked up a book that I thought was going to be a nice story about a woman's 365 day cooking journey through Julia Child's classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, cookbook. 

Doesn't that sound innocent? I was amazed at all the foul language and disgusting topics she covered instead of the French recipes! I do not think this author "knows how to blush." My mother would have washed her mouth out with soap! I am sure this woman is just trying to sell her book to a public that probably likes food equated with sex and such. Maybe she is "greedy for gain" too. So sad to think that anyone would find this book appealing, but I think much of the world would not think twice about the language or disgusting topics covered. That makes me really sad.

I only made it to p.95 before I had to put the book down. The next day, I went back to the bookstore, told the lady who had sold it to me the day before why I was bringing it back, and got a full refund with a thank you. She was very appreciative that I let her know why. (Even though she is not allowed to tell people buying books that there are bad parts because she said she must "render unto Caesar [Borders], what is Caesar's [Borders]".) 

(2012 Update: Maybe that is why Borders went bankrupt . . . much like the Roman Empire fell! LOL!) 

The day after that, I got into a discussion with a woman at the AAA office about this book. She was so relieved to know that I did not like it either. She said, "I kept thinking I was a big prude!" 

I assured her that it was good that she felt that way because the book was quite disgusting. I told her that I had only gotten to p.95 and returned it for a full refund. She said, "Only p. 95! Oh, it gets much worse after p. 95, but I keep thinking I need to finish it." 

I gave her permission to put it down and even bring it back to the bookstore too! She was seriously considering it. 

(2012 Update: Every time I go into the AAA office, she thanks me for telling me to put down the book.) 

See Many Aspire, Few Attain excerpt below for something written in response to Jeremiah 6:16-19.

APPLICATION

Why did I just go into that rant about that book? Maybe it is that I feel like we should speak up more often about things that are just not right. Why do we let the world squeeze us so much? The woman felt "bad" that she did not like a very crass and horrible book. Isn't there something wrong with that picture? If more of us said, "I do not like this crass book," maybe they would quit publishing them.

So, do not be afraid to respectfully stand up against things that really should make us blush (6:15)!

PRAYER

Start your prayer off with a Lectio Divina in Jeremiah 6:16:

Thus says the Lord,

“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,

Where the good way is, and walk in it;

And you will find rest for your souls.

But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Lord, Show us the ancient paths and where the good way is that You have marked out for us. Help us to walk in that ancient and good way so that we might find rest for our souls (Jeremiah 6:16). In Jesus' name, Amen.

MANY ASPIRE, FEW ATTAIN

12. Stay content

“Thus saith the Lord, ‘Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.’ But they said, “We will not walk therein.’ Also I set watchmen over you, saying, “Hearken to the sound of the trumpet.’ But they said, ‘We will not hearken.’ Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon the people even the fruit of their thought, because they have not hearkened unto My words, nor to My law, but rejected it” (Jer. 6:16-19).

Some people just want to be different - they don’t want to be pushed into any particular mold. So they vacillate from one place to the next. For example, many people are excited about The Navigators or other Christian organizations when they first become involved. It’s new; it’s exciting; it’s fresh. But then they become critical of the clichés and the traditions of the group. They like feeling unique and different. 

When people seek change just for the sake of change, all they end up doing is exchanging one type of conformity for another. While God has created everyone individually and uniquely, He has also set standards and given Christians instruction on how to be the kind of people who will survive the battle and be able to move forward in Christ. The greatest tool He has given us in this endeavor is His Word. It doesn’t change with the seasons or conform to new thought patterns. It is applicable for all of time.