This is the word of God so we are not surprised at such an ideal "Hymn #1" in God's great hymn book. It simply could not be any better. It presents the two ways, the only two ways, of Man. It is either the way of the righteous or the way of the ungodly (v6).
The Entrance to Each Way, v1-2
When we say entrance we do not mean merely a one-time entering but the way we begin and continue on our chosen path. While the Bible would say the ungodly cannot at any time walk the path of the righteous unless he is born again (e.g. John 3:3), it would also tell us that being in and walking on the path of the righteous is a matter of habit. In a sense each day for the righteous depends on the delight in and meditation on God's word.
Further, the two ways are defined not by where we go physically for we all go to the same places day by day. Verse 1 may have in mind the gates of the city in Biblical Israel. This is where the "wise" people sat to decide the course of the society. But in fact the reality was that those who were there were only wise in their own eyes, following the dictates of their own hearts (e.g. Jer. 13:10). Thus the sinner is seen approaching the gate in the path of ungodliness. Because of the inclinations of his heart he stops to stand and listen to the sinners, eventually joining the in the seat of scorn!
Note: the ungodly ARE NOT SO. It is not that they have different inclinations. It is that they are radically different. Their minds are being made new (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23). They also will walk by the gate day after day, but they will not be drawn to the ideas and opinions of the gate. They DELIGHT in the Word of God, His law in His Kingdom. They will make His word their constant MEDITATION, bringing it to mind as a cow repeatedly is chewing its cud.
The Effect of Each Way, v3-6
The difference in verses 1-2 is fundamental. The rest of the Psalm is the result of what is in the thoughts of the individual. You cannot dwell ON the mind of ungodliness and live IN the path of righteousness. The counsel of the ungodly is useless and unprofitable (Jer. 23:11-16,28,32).
The effects are immediate. One way experiences fruitfulness and prosperity, in the sense of having one's purposes fulfilled. The other sees all he values and lives for disappear as wind blowing the chaff away from the wheat at harvest time (Ps. 35:5).
The effects are eternal. The ungodly have no standing in the time of judgment. They have no part in that which God has prepared for the righteous. And why is this so? It is because God wills it to be so! This is reality in the ordered universe of the Creator. One path is blessed by God's favorable knowledge. The rest of the Psalms detail the blessing of His knowledge on the righteous. The other path is characterized by death, by separation from God.
Sing this song because it is true. Then, recognize that you are choosing your path every day. We would plead with you: be born again. Enter in at the narrow gate that leads to life everlasting (Matt. 7:13-14). Delight in and meditate on God's word!
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Jeremiah 21:1-23:8
This passage contains one of the most amazing fulfillments of prophecy in all Scripture. Jeremiah is now preaching in the days of Zedekiah, Judah’s king in the days of the Babylonian exile (21:1-2). The king sends emissaries to ask Jeremiah if perhaps God will deliver them from Babylon as He delivered Hezekiah from the Assyrians. The answer is that God will fight against Judah (21:3-7). The only choice they have is to give themselves up to Babylon or die (21:8-10). David’s house is doomed (21:11-14). There will be no deliverance!
How can this be? What about God’s “eternal” covenant with David, that he would have a descendent on the throne? God’s answer is clear. David’s house will be desolate (22:1-10). Note how the various descendents of Josiah who would occupy the throne were specifically mentioned.
• 22:11-17: Shallum (also known as Jehoahaz, 2 Kings 23:31-34), Josiah’s son who was taken captive to Egypt, would never return.
• 22:18-23: Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:35-24:7), another son of Josiah, who was taken captive to Babylon, would never return.
• 22:24-30: Coniah (also known as Jeconiah or Jehoiachin, 2 Kings 24:8-16), the son of Jehoikim, who gave himself up and was taken to Babylon, would never return. Of him God says he will be childless, in the sense that none of his descendents will ever be on the throne of David (Jer. 22:30).
• 23:1-8: God announces “woe” on these shepherds (i.e. the various kings) who scattered His people. But then He makes amazing promises of hope. God will gather His people from where they have been scattered. He will place good shepherds over them. AND He will raise to David a Branch of righteousness, a King, in whose days Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell safely. He will be, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. This is the Messiah.
Now we ask, how can David have a descendent in future days if the Davidic line of kings stops with Coniah? And how is it that Coniah (Jeconiah) was included in Jesus’ genealogy in Matt. 1:11-12? The answer to this difficulty is found in the two genealogies of Christ (Matt. 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38). Matthew records a legal ancestry through Jesus’ step-father Joseph. Luke records the record of Jesus humanity, through Mary. While Matthew refers to the Davidic line through Solomon that include Coniah, Luke refers to the Davidic line through his son Nathan (Lk. 3:31). The result of the virgin birth is that Jesus is not only the true descendent of David, He is in fact the only person in history who ever will be able to rule on the throne while maintaining the curse on the descendents of Coniah.
Jesus of Nazareth fulfills God’s eternal word to David. Jesus is and will be THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Truly “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow … and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil. 2:10-11).
How can this be? What about God’s “eternal” covenant with David, that he would have a descendent on the throne? God’s answer is clear. David’s house will be desolate (22:1-10). Note how the various descendents of Josiah who would occupy the throne were specifically mentioned.
• 22:11-17: Shallum (also known as Jehoahaz, 2 Kings 23:31-34), Josiah’s son who was taken captive to Egypt, would never return.
• 22:18-23: Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:35-24:7), another son of Josiah, who was taken captive to Babylon, would never return.
• 22:24-30: Coniah (also known as Jeconiah or Jehoiachin, 2 Kings 24:8-16), the son of Jehoikim, who gave himself up and was taken to Babylon, would never return. Of him God says he will be childless, in the sense that none of his descendents will ever be on the throne of David (Jer. 22:30).
• 23:1-8: God announces “woe” on these shepherds (i.e. the various kings) who scattered His people. But then He makes amazing promises of hope. God will gather His people from where they have been scattered. He will place good shepherds over them. AND He will raise to David a Branch of righteousness, a King, in whose days Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell safely. He will be, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. This is the Messiah.
Now we ask, how can David have a descendent in future days if the Davidic line of kings stops with Coniah? And how is it that Coniah (Jeconiah) was included in Jesus’ genealogy in Matt. 1:11-12? The answer to this difficulty is found in the two genealogies of Christ (Matt. 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38). Matthew records a legal ancestry through Jesus’ step-father Joseph. Luke records the record of Jesus humanity, through Mary. While Matthew refers to the Davidic line through Solomon that include Coniah, Luke refers to the Davidic line through his son Nathan (Lk. 3:31). The result of the virgin birth is that Jesus is not only the true descendent of David, He is in fact the only person in history who ever will be able to rule on the throne while maintaining the curse on the descendents of Coniah.
Jesus of Nazareth fulfills God’s eternal word to David. Jesus is and will be THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Truly “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow … and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil. 2:10-11).
Friday, August 29, 2014
Jeremiah 18-20
In today’s lengthy passage Jeremiah resumes his ministry of speaking for God. Through three “object lessons” God makes clear His plan for rebellious Judah.
• At the potter’s house (18:1-11) Jeremiah preached God’s sovereignty, that as the potter can alter his work on a vessel so God can alter His work on His people. God will bring disaster on Judah because of their evil ways; this is His prerogative. What is the response to this message? First, it is to reject God. ‘That is hopeless!’ they say; ‘So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will everyone obey the dictates of his evil heart’ (18:12). This haughty spirit is proof that, as God had said at the first (2:13), they had left the refreshing waters from the snows of Lebanon and Mt. Hermon in favor of the strange waters of idolatry (18:14). Second, they threaten God’s prophet (18:18). Jeremiah’s renewed trust in God as his deliverer leads him to place the threats in God’s hands (18:19-23).
• In Chapter 19 the illustration now involves an earthen vessel, the work of a potter. At Valley of the Son of Hinnom, where Judah had in time past practiced the most heinous of their idolatrous practices, Jeremiah breaks the bottle to illustrate how God will break the nation. This steep valley became a picture of “hell” (Greek gehenna) for Christ (Mark 9:42-48). Thus the valley itself, even today, is a reminder of the certainty of judgment on those who reject Christ (Rev. 20:14-15).
• The response to this latest message comes from the son of the priest who puts Jeremiah in stocks overnight (20:1-6). While the nature of this punishment is uncertain, it is clear that Jeremiah was physically abused and then confined for a period of time. But God is true to His promise to deliver and preserve Jeremiah. In the end, the son of the priest becomes a third illustration of the certainty of judgment. Pashur, whose name means freedom, will go into captivity along with the rest of Judah.
After these messages and events Jeremiah again is discouraged, and bemoans the day of his birth (20:7-18). But mixed in with the discouragement are some marvelous words that tell us that the ‘weeping prophet’ is in the right place. When he determines not to preach anymore the message so burns within that he cannot hold it back (20:9). This is the mark of a true prophet: he is unable to refrain from speaking God’s word, even when it is most unpopular.
When people tried to find a fault in Jeremiah, he trusted the LORD who was with him as a mighty, awesome One (20:11). This is what our Lord Jesus did (Lk. 23:46) and what we are to do (I Pt. 4:19). Jesus promised to be with us as we serve Him (Matt. 28:19-20; 2 Tim. 4:17-18). Let us not fade in our often-difficult ministry. Let us be strengthened by the reality of His presence at all times. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
• At the potter’s house (18:1-11) Jeremiah preached God’s sovereignty, that as the potter can alter his work on a vessel so God can alter His work on His people. God will bring disaster on Judah because of their evil ways; this is His prerogative. What is the response to this message? First, it is to reject God. ‘That is hopeless!’ they say; ‘So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will everyone obey the dictates of his evil heart’ (18:12). This haughty spirit is proof that, as God had said at the first (2:13), they had left the refreshing waters from the snows of Lebanon and Mt. Hermon in favor of the strange waters of idolatry (18:14). Second, they threaten God’s prophet (18:18). Jeremiah’s renewed trust in God as his deliverer leads him to place the threats in God’s hands (18:19-23).
• In Chapter 19 the illustration now involves an earthen vessel, the work of a potter. At Valley of the Son of Hinnom, where Judah had in time past practiced the most heinous of their idolatrous practices, Jeremiah breaks the bottle to illustrate how God will break the nation. This steep valley became a picture of “hell” (Greek gehenna) for Christ (Mark 9:42-48). Thus the valley itself, even today, is a reminder of the certainty of judgment on those who reject Christ (Rev. 20:14-15).
• The response to this latest message comes from the son of the priest who puts Jeremiah in stocks overnight (20:1-6). While the nature of this punishment is uncertain, it is clear that Jeremiah was physically abused and then confined for a period of time. But God is true to His promise to deliver and preserve Jeremiah. In the end, the son of the priest becomes a third illustration of the certainty of judgment. Pashur, whose name means freedom, will go into captivity along with the rest of Judah.
After these messages and events Jeremiah again is discouraged, and bemoans the day of his birth (20:7-18). But mixed in with the discouragement are some marvelous words that tell us that the ‘weeping prophet’ is in the right place. When he determines not to preach anymore the message so burns within that he cannot hold it back (20:9). This is the mark of a true prophet: he is unable to refrain from speaking God’s word, even when it is most unpopular.
When people tried to find a fault in Jeremiah, he trusted the LORD who was with him as a mighty, awesome One (20:11). This is what our Lord Jesus did (Lk. 23:46) and what we are to do (I Pt. 4:19). Jesus promised to be with us as we serve Him (Matt. 28:19-20; 2 Tim. 4:17-18). Let us not fade in our often-difficult ministry. Let us be strengthened by the reality of His presence at all times. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Jeremiah 16:14-17:27
We ended our last study in Jeremiah wondering if Jeremiah would have a heart to continue serving God in what was an incredibly hard ministry. Today we have the answer: yes, he will! Let us first review this lengthy passage.
• 16:14-21: God tells Jeremiah that Israel will at some point be restored. There will be three “gatherings” of Israel to the land: the one from Egypt, the one from Babylon, and one in the end from “all the lands”. We had a conversation with a believer the other day who came to Israel in the 1980’s because he felt the call of God to be a fisherman to help bring Russian Jews back to the land. He believed as we do that the final gathering is in motion.
• 17:1-13: Nevertheless judgment will come. Judah’s sin has been written with a pen of iron. Those who trust in man will be cursed. Those, like Jeremiah, who trust in the LORD, will be blessed. In this section we see why God had rejected the seemingly repentant words of the people earlier (14:19-22). The LORD who searches the heart and tests the mind has found their hearts to be desperately wicked. Their repentance was not genuine. They had truly forsaken the fountain of living waters (v13; cf. 2:13).
• 17:14-18: Jeremiah at this point responds with a prayer for his own healing.
• 17:19-27: God’s response is to send him again to preach, this time in the gates of Jerusalem. The message was a call to hallow the Sabbath day.
What was it that brought Jeremiah back to the place of faithfulness? Now mind you, this was not the end of Jeremiah’s persecution. That would continue. And so would the rejection of his message from God. But what brought him back? We assume that God Himself was working in Jeremiah’s heart; that’s a given anytime our hearts are turned to obedience. We should also note that Jeremiah was not moved to faithfulness by God’s promise that he would survive the judgment (15:19-21).
Is it possible that the turning point for Jeremiah was God’s promise of a future re-gathering to the land? God did what He always does: in the midst of judgment God remembers mercy. God’s message through Jeremiah was by nature oppressive. Judgment would come and there would be no turning back. But, as He had said earlier, “I will not make a complete end of you” (5:18). So perhaps Jeremiah’s turning point revolved around his love for his people, God’s people.
Perhaps we think this because we know it to be the case with our Lord, Jesus Christ. He never ceased to love those He came to save, even those who took part in His crucifixion. And perhaps we think this because we know it must be so with us as well. This is Jesus’ first command for those who believe in Him:
to “love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34-35). May our service for God not be mere duty but may it be the outworking of just such a love as this!
• 16:14-21: God tells Jeremiah that Israel will at some point be restored. There will be three “gatherings” of Israel to the land: the one from Egypt, the one from Babylon, and one in the end from “all the lands”. We had a conversation with a believer the other day who came to Israel in the 1980’s because he felt the call of God to be a fisherman to help bring Russian Jews back to the land. He believed as we do that the final gathering is in motion.
• 17:1-13: Nevertheless judgment will come. Judah’s sin has been written with a pen of iron. Those who trust in man will be cursed. Those, like Jeremiah, who trust in the LORD, will be blessed. In this section we see why God had rejected the seemingly repentant words of the people earlier (14:19-22). The LORD who searches the heart and tests the mind has found their hearts to be desperately wicked. Their repentance was not genuine. They had truly forsaken the fountain of living waters (v13; cf. 2:13).
• 17:14-18: Jeremiah at this point responds with a prayer for his own healing.
• 17:19-27: God’s response is to send him again to preach, this time in the gates of Jerusalem. The message was a call to hallow the Sabbath day.
What was it that brought Jeremiah back to the place of faithfulness? Now mind you, this was not the end of Jeremiah’s persecution. That would continue. And so would the rejection of his message from God. But what brought him back? We assume that God Himself was working in Jeremiah’s heart; that’s a given anytime our hearts are turned to obedience. We should also note that Jeremiah was not moved to faithfulness by God’s promise that he would survive the judgment (15:19-21).
Is it possible that the turning point for Jeremiah was God’s promise of a future re-gathering to the land? God did what He always does: in the midst of judgment God remembers mercy. God’s message through Jeremiah was by nature oppressive. Judgment would come and there would be no turning back. But, as He had said earlier, “I will not make a complete end of you” (5:18). So perhaps Jeremiah’s turning point revolved around his love for his people, God’s people.
Perhaps we think this because we know it to be the case with our Lord, Jesus Christ. He never ceased to love those He came to save, even those who took part in His crucifixion. And perhaps we think this because we know it must be so with us as well. This is Jesus’ first command for those who believe in Him:
to “love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34-35). May our service for God not be mere duty but may it be the outworking of just such a love as this!
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Jeremiah 15:10-16:13
If you are a believer in Christ you have been entrusted by God with the privilege of serving Him. We know this because He calls us “a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices” (1 Peter 2:5). Furthermore, every believer is given a gift that motivates and energizes them to serve the body of Christ (Rom. 12:3-8). We know that God places us in the body where He wants us to be and gives us ministry opportunities (1 Cor. 12:4-7).
Here then is the question: have you ever been in the place where you felt you could not go on in your service for Christ? Perhaps you have become weary. Or perhaps you have been so resisted in your ministry that you felt you could not continue. If you have not, then you are either an exception or you have not really begun to serve in the way the Lord intended. Challenges to our faithfulness are normal. We are, in fact, in such a place in the life and ministry of Jeremiah where he is wondering if he can continue to be God’s prophet.
Remember we noted yesterday how God told Jeremiah three times not to pray for the people. Why did God have to tell him three times? It seems it never really sunk. We noted that Jeremiah questioned God’s instructions for the 3rd time with the phrase, “Ah, LORD God.” Seemed confused that God told him judgment was coming when the rest of the preachers were proclaiming peace. Even though God had warned Jeremiah in the beginning that his ministry would be difficult it had not really occurred to Jeremiah the extent of the difficulty.
In today’s passage Jeremiah bemoans the fact that when he preaches God’s message, everyone curses him (15:10). God reassures Jeremiah that he will survive (15:11-14) but this does not satisfy Jeremiah who goes on to plead with God that he has walked uprightly before God (15:15-18), perhaps indicating that he does not deserve this constant rejection. He asks God, “Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?”
God’s answer is amazing. Jeremiah must not return to the people, to become one of them (15:19-21). God again assures Jeremiah that he will be delivered from the hand of the wicked. But his ministry will not become easy. And actually God says it will become even harder. For the sake of a preaching illustration (16:10-13) Jeremiah is denied the privilege of having a wife and family (16:1-4). God tells him he cannot mourn for the people when they suffer (16:5-7) or rejoice with them in their feasts (16:8-9).
Do we understand this? God has saved us by grace AND prepared beforehand a path of good works in which we are to walk. God has designed our path, even as He designed one for Jeremiah, and even as He designed one for His Son, our Savior. Jesus walked that path faithfully because He knew He must do the Father’s will (John 6:38). Even in the darkest hour He said, “Not My will but Thine be done” (Matt. 26:39). Will Jeremiah have this heart? Will we?
Here then is the question: have you ever been in the place where you felt you could not go on in your service for Christ? Perhaps you have become weary. Or perhaps you have been so resisted in your ministry that you felt you could not continue. If you have not, then you are either an exception or you have not really begun to serve in the way the Lord intended. Challenges to our faithfulness are normal. We are, in fact, in such a place in the life and ministry of Jeremiah where he is wondering if he can continue to be God’s prophet.
Remember we noted yesterday how God told Jeremiah three times not to pray for the people. Why did God have to tell him three times? It seems it never really sunk. We noted that Jeremiah questioned God’s instructions for the 3rd time with the phrase, “Ah, LORD God.” Seemed confused that God told him judgment was coming when the rest of the preachers were proclaiming peace. Even though God had warned Jeremiah in the beginning that his ministry would be difficult it had not really occurred to Jeremiah the extent of the difficulty.
In today’s passage Jeremiah bemoans the fact that when he preaches God’s message, everyone curses him (15:10). God reassures Jeremiah that he will survive (15:11-14) but this does not satisfy Jeremiah who goes on to plead with God that he has walked uprightly before God (15:15-18), perhaps indicating that he does not deserve this constant rejection. He asks God, “Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?”
God’s answer is amazing. Jeremiah must not return to the people, to become one of them (15:19-21). God again assures Jeremiah that he will be delivered from the hand of the wicked. But his ministry will not become easy. And actually God says it will become even harder. For the sake of a preaching illustration (16:10-13) Jeremiah is denied the privilege of having a wife and family (16:1-4). God tells him he cannot mourn for the people when they suffer (16:5-7) or rejoice with them in their feasts (16:8-9).
Do we understand this? God has saved us by grace AND prepared beforehand a path of good works in which we are to walk. God has designed our path, even as He designed one for Jeremiah, and even as He designed one for His Son, our Savior. Jesus walked that path faithfully because He knew He must do the Father’s will (John 6:38). Even in the darkest hour He said, “Not My will but Thine be done” (Matt. 26:39). Will Jeremiah have this heart? Will we?
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Jeremiah 14:1-15:9
Have you ever prayed and felt that you were not connecting with God, that you were not getting through, so to speak? This happens at times. Maybe we are not in fellowship with God. (If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear. Psa. 66:18) Maybe it is a time when I need to persist and to perhaps strongly seek God’s face in fasting and in periods of meditation.
But what if our prayer is not the thing that God desires? Prayer must be according to His will (1 John 5:14). Today’s passage is just such a situation. Jeremiah prayed a beautiful prayer, with all the right words, but God did not hear him. And God made it clear He would not answer this prayer, even if two of the greatest intercessors in all of sacred history were to ask. Here’s the story …
• 14:1-6: Jeremiah speaks of the harshness of the droughts plaguing Judah.
• 14:7-9: Jeremiah does what we would do: he asks God to bring relief from the drought. It is a magnificent prayer. He prays for the sake of the LORD’s Name. He confesses their sins which are against God. He acknowledges God as “the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble.” And he reminds God they are His people. Jeremiah said all the right things.
• v10-12: God tells Jeremiah That in fact they are a wandering people and that He does not accept them. Jeremiah is not to pray for them, the 3rd time God has said this to Jeremiah (7:14; 11:16).
• v13-18: Jeremiah again speaks, “Ah LORD God”, as he does when he doesn’t understand God’s response (1:6; 4:10). What about the prophets who are prophesying peace? God responds by saying that those prophets are liars, that they and their crowds will die, and that God Himself will weep over it.
• v19-22: To all of this the people then cry out for mercy, seemingly using all the right words. They wonder why God is not accepting them; after all they have acknowledged their sin against God. And they recognize God is their only help! (By the way, the fact that these right words are in fact a lie from the people is dealt with later (17:1-13).
• 15:1-9: Nevertheless God’s response to Jeremiah is graphic: “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people.” Because of the sins in the time of Manasseh God has determined a terrible, though predictable, judgment upon Judah.
What does this tell us about prayer? Certainly we should come to God with a humble heart, a life free of unconfessed sin, and desiring His glory. But God’s answer to us does not ultimately depend on us having a right formula for our words. It ultimately does not depend on us at all. God’s answer depends on His will. What is He planning to do? When we come with our requests, as He bids us do, then we must listen for His answer. We are not there to tell God what to do, though we will tell Him our heart’s desire. We are there to understand His will and to allow Him to lead us to the center of HIS will.
But what if our prayer is not the thing that God desires? Prayer must be according to His will (1 John 5:14). Today’s passage is just such a situation. Jeremiah prayed a beautiful prayer, with all the right words, but God did not hear him. And God made it clear He would not answer this prayer, even if two of the greatest intercessors in all of sacred history were to ask. Here’s the story …
• 14:1-6: Jeremiah speaks of the harshness of the droughts plaguing Judah.
• 14:7-9: Jeremiah does what we would do: he asks God to bring relief from the drought. It is a magnificent prayer. He prays for the sake of the LORD’s Name. He confesses their sins which are against God. He acknowledges God as “the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble.” And he reminds God they are His people. Jeremiah said all the right things.
• v10-12: God tells Jeremiah That in fact they are a wandering people and that He does not accept them. Jeremiah is not to pray for them, the 3rd time God has said this to Jeremiah (7:14; 11:16).
• v13-18: Jeremiah again speaks, “Ah LORD God”, as he does when he doesn’t understand God’s response (1:6; 4:10). What about the prophets who are prophesying peace? God responds by saying that those prophets are liars, that they and their crowds will die, and that God Himself will weep over it.
• v19-22: To all of this the people then cry out for mercy, seemingly using all the right words. They wonder why God is not accepting them; after all they have acknowledged their sin against God. And they recognize God is their only help! (By the way, the fact that these right words are in fact a lie from the people is dealt with later (17:1-13).
• 15:1-9: Nevertheless God’s response to Jeremiah is graphic: “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people.” Because of the sins in the time of Manasseh God has determined a terrible, though predictable, judgment upon Judah.
What does this tell us about prayer? Certainly we should come to God with a humble heart, a life free of unconfessed sin, and desiring His glory. But God’s answer to us does not ultimately depend on us having a right formula for our words. It ultimately does not depend on us at all. God’s answer depends on His will. What is He planning to do? When we come with our requests, as He bids us do, then we must listen for His answer. We are not there to tell God what to do, though we will tell Him our heart’s desire. We are there to understand His will and to allow Him to lead us to the center of HIS will.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Jeremiah 13
Thus far in Jeremiah we have seen God’s indictment of the nation for their sin. They have forsaken Him, the fountain of living waters, and built for themselves broken cisterns (2:13). They have practiced covetousness (5:7-9) and deceit (5:26-29), all the while rejecting God’s word for the words of entertaining false prophets (5:30-31). They are backslidden (5:6).
To emphasize and boldly proclaim Judah’s hopeless position Jeremiah is told by God to engage in two object lessons. The illustration of the sash (v1-11) makes clear that the people are ruined; they are in no way glorifying to God. The illustration of the full bottles of wine (v12-14) makes clear that God’s judgment will be full and complete.
The preaching that accompanies these illustrations gets to the root of the problem: pride. “Do not be proud” Jeremiah proclaims (v15). There is a special call to the royalty to “humble yourselves” (v18-19). Perhaps the essence of this pride is that the people “follow the dictates of their hearts” (v10; and a central theme of Jeremiah’s message: 3:17; 7:24; 9:14; 11:8; 16:12; 18:12; 23:17).
Let us think about “pride”. In our world this word is losing the sting of sin and gaining a sense of respectability. We are to have a healthy pride in ourselves and our accomplishments. Our children need to know how proud we are of them. We have patriotic pride, athletic pride and maybe even an ecclesiastical pride.
This word, gaboah (proud) in 13:15 means to be “high”. It might be used of a high hill, a high wall, or the high flight of a bird. It is on a few occasions used of God and once of the Messiah (Suffering Servant, Isa. 52:13). But when it comes to the use of this term for us to describe ourselves one looks in vain. Once it says that Jehoshaphat lifted up his heart, but only “in the ways of the Lord” (2 Chron. 17:6). Both Kings Uzziah (2 Chron. 26:16) and Hezekiah (2 Chron. 32:25) were judged for lifting up their hearts in honor of their accomplishments.
This “highness” belongs to God and to those on whom He grants the privilege. There is a consistent and frequent principle in Scripture that says, God will humble the one who exalts himself and He will exalt the one who humbles himself (Ps. 147:6; Luke 14:11 and many other places). It is God who does this; the person does not take it to himself. This haughtiness is at the root of all sin. In the case of Judah, it is because they think so much of themselves that they “follow the dictates of their own hearts.”
Hear the wisdom of Scripture. “Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished (16:5).” “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility (18:12).” “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (3:34).” “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).
To emphasize and boldly proclaim Judah’s hopeless position Jeremiah is told by God to engage in two object lessons. The illustration of the sash (v1-11) makes clear that the people are ruined; they are in no way glorifying to God. The illustration of the full bottles of wine (v12-14) makes clear that God’s judgment will be full and complete.
The preaching that accompanies these illustrations gets to the root of the problem: pride. “Do not be proud” Jeremiah proclaims (v15). There is a special call to the royalty to “humble yourselves” (v18-19). Perhaps the essence of this pride is that the people “follow the dictates of their hearts” (v10; and a central theme of Jeremiah’s message: 3:17; 7:24; 9:14; 11:8; 16:12; 18:12; 23:17).
Let us think about “pride”. In our world this word is losing the sting of sin and gaining a sense of respectability. We are to have a healthy pride in ourselves and our accomplishments. Our children need to know how proud we are of them. We have patriotic pride, athletic pride and maybe even an ecclesiastical pride.
This word, gaboah (proud) in 13:15 means to be “high”. It might be used of a high hill, a high wall, or the high flight of a bird. It is on a few occasions used of God and once of the Messiah (Suffering Servant, Isa. 52:13). But when it comes to the use of this term for us to describe ourselves one looks in vain. Once it says that Jehoshaphat lifted up his heart, but only “in the ways of the Lord” (2 Chron. 17:6). Both Kings Uzziah (2 Chron. 26:16) and Hezekiah (2 Chron. 32:25) were judged for lifting up their hearts in honor of their accomplishments.
This “highness” belongs to God and to those on whom He grants the privilege. There is a consistent and frequent principle in Scripture that says, God will humble the one who exalts himself and He will exalt the one who humbles himself (Ps. 147:6; Luke 14:11 and many other places). It is God who does this; the person does not take it to himself. This haughtiness is at the root of all sin. In the case of Judah, it is because they think so much of themselves that they “follow the dictates of their own hearts.”
Hear the wisdom of Scripture. “Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished (16:5).” “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility (18:12).” “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (3:34).” “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Psalm 150
The last Psalm is a call to praise that is as far-reaching as the Creator and creation allows. It is praise exclusively for the ONLY Object of praise (v1a) in every place (v1b) for everything about Him (v2) with every means at our disposal (v3-5) by everything that breathes (v6).
v1a: It is a call to praise the only true God, Yahweh (the covenant making One Who has come near His creation) and El (God, the Mighty One, transcendent over all).
v3-5: He is to be praised with all we are and have, but these verses speak of praise that is “musical”. It is a marvelous symphony with wind, string and percussion instruments. The emphasis on music I believe means we are called to give praise and worship that is “in spirit” (John 4:24), something that comes from deep within. The emphasis on both skillful and vigorous music indicates our praise is to be whole-hearted in the best way we possibly can. God is deserving of this.
v6: If you are breathing give joyful praise to the Lord your God! In every way. With every ounce of strength.
v1a: It is a call to praise the only true God, Yahweh (the covenant making One Who has come near His creation) and El (God, the Mighty One, transcendent over all).
v1b: Praise Him in His sanctuary (the holy place where He is perfectly set-apart) and in His mighty firmament (that aspect of creation that speaks most powerfully of His might). The Holy Place, where we feel a sense of awe, where we must remove our shoes in deepest respect. It is the only setting where the Eternal and Holy God will satisfy His desire to dwell with mankind, whether for eternity in His heavenly abode or in the former setting of the Israelite temple or in the spiritual temple of the body of Christ and the temple of the heart for believers. And what else befuddles the mind of the natural man more than the thought that the unfolding greatness of the majesty of the heavens is the work of God the LORD? To quote Spurgeon,
It is a blessed thing that in our God holiness and power are united. Power without righteousness would be oppression, and righteousness without power would be too weak for usefulness; but put the two together in an infinite degree and we have God.v2: He is to be praised for all He does and all He is! Consider the works of God in creation where He both made and sustains all that exists. Consider the works of God in your day-to-day life, providentially meeting every need. Consider the works of God in redemption, in the sending of His Only Son Whom He loved and gave for man’s deepest need. His works are the “footprint” of His perfections. Praise Him for His perfections: love, grace, mercy, righteousness, wisdom and power; His eternity, unchangeableness, immensity, omnipresence self-existence and self-sufficiency.
v3-5: He is to be praised with all we are and have, but these verses speak of praise that is “musical”. It is a marvelous symphony with wind, string and percussion instruments. The emphasis on music I believe means we are called to give praise and worship that is “in spirit” (John 4:24), something that comes from deep within. The emphasis on both skillful and vigorous music indicates our praise is to be whole-hearted in the best way we possibly can. God is deserving of this.
v6: If you are breathing give joyful praise to the Lord your God! In every way. With every ounce of strength.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Jeremiah 12
Have you ever question God about your trials and tribulations? In todays passage Jeremiah asks the classic question: “Why does the way of the wicked prosper?” (v1) (This is classic because it was asked often by Godly people: e.g. Job. 21:7-15; Psalm 73:3-7; Hab. 1:3.) And while Jeremiah is concerned that they don’t know God (v2), his motivations are personal (v3-4). He says to God, You know me, You have seen me. What he means is, God, You should know better than to let these wicked men carry out their threats against me! I am not the problem here; they are! Again I ask, have you ever had these thoughts?
Listen carefully to God’s answer.
• v5-6: Jeremiah, things are going to get worse for you, not easier.
• v7-13: Your message will not change; I have forsaken the people I love.
• v14-17: I will bring them back. But even then, if they don’t call on Me the way they have called on Baal, then I will really pluck them up off the land. (God did this in 70AD at the hand of the Romans.)
Persecution or difficulty is the norm in serving God. “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). Paul said these words to Timothy shortly before giving his life in the service of Christ. He was trying to warn Timothy that hard times would come. Paul was encouraging faithfulness. Jesus did the same for His disciples (John 15:18-25). The world hated Me, He said, and if you act like Me they will hate you as well!
What do we find in our day among evangelical Christians? It appears to me that the only passage in Jeremiah anyone ever quotes is 29:11: “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” These words, co-opted from a letter to the exiles in Babylon, were in fact not what those people wanted to hear. God was telling them, don’t plan on coming back to the land; for now, make yourself at home in Babylon, the place you detest. Yet we love to hear these words. Of course we know God has promised us heaven. But really, are these the words we want to say to our brethren who are being beheaded in mass numbers in the Middle East? Are these the words we want our children to hold on to as we prepare them for life in an increasingly hostile world?
May I suggest that far more helpful would be the words God spoke to Jeremiah in this chapter? “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?” Let us speak the truth to ourselves and those around us to prepare for what is normal for godly people, as God did to Jeremiah and as Paul did to Timothy and as Jesus did for His Apostles. Then let us faithfully seek to be godly people, people that look more and more like Christ.
Listen carefully to God’s answer.
• v5-6: Jeremiah, things are going to get worse for you, not easier.
• v7-13: Your message will not change; I have forsaken the people I love.
• v14-17: I will bring them back. But even then, if they don’t call on Me the way they have called on Baal, then I will really pluck them up off the land. (God did this in 70AD at the hand of the Romans.)
Persecution or difficulty is the norm in serving God. “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). Paul said these words to Timothy shortly before giving his life in the service of Christ. He was trying to warn Timothy that hard times would come. Paul was encouraging faithfulness. Jesus did the same for His disciples (John 15:18-25). The world hated Me, He said, and if you act like Me they will hate you as well!
What do we find in our day among evangelical Christians? It appears to me that the only passage in Jeremiah anyone ever quotes is 29:11: “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” These words, co-opted from a letter to the exiles in Babylon, were in fact not what those people wanted to hear. God was telling them, don’t plan on coming back to the land; for now, make yourself at home in Babylon, the place you detest. Yet we love to hear these words. Of course we know God has promised us heaven. But really, are these the words we want to say to our brethren who are being beheaded in mass numbers in the Middle East? Are these the words we want our children to hold on to as we prepare them for life in an increasingly hostile world?
May I suggest that far more helpful would be the words God spoke to Jeremiah in this chapter? “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?” Let us speak the truth to ourselves and those around us to prepare for what is normal for godly people, as God did to Jeremiah and as Paul did to Timothy and as Jesus did for His Apostles. Then let us faithfully seek to be godly people, people that look more and more like Christ.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Jeremiah 11
Surprisingly, Jeremiah’s first persecution comes from those of his hometown (v21a). They insisted that Jeremiah stop preaching about sin and judgment (v21b). Perhaps Jeremiah thought that these ones he knew and who knew him would listen. After all, Anathoth was a priestly town, given to the descendents of Levi (Josh. 21:17-18). Jeremiah was one of them (Jer. 1:1). Yet they devised a scheme that left him feeling like “a docile lamb brought to the slaughter” (v19).
This message was well-suited for these men of the Law of Moses. The point of Jeremiah’s preaching was that God was doing what Moses said He would do.
• v1-5: Jeremiah reminds them of the Mosaic Covenant. God made this covenant out of the reality of His favor on Israel, bringing them out of the iron furnace of Egypt (v4). The Covenant was simple: it promised blessing on obedience and a curse on disobedience. The presence and prosperity of the nation in the land flowing with milk and honey depended on obedience. Deut. 11:8-12 is one of many places where this is recorded in the Law of Moses. These priests and Levites had no excuse for not knowing this.
• v6-10: Now Jeremiah was called to tell the people they had failed to keep this Covenant. God was about to fulfill the promise of cursing upon the nation because they were persistently disobedient. God had promised He would hide His face from them (Deut. 32:20). (If you want to see this clearly in the Mosaic writings study Deut. 28:15-68; 30:17-20; 31:17-18.) God would be faithful in keeping the curse as He had been in keeping the blessing.
• v11-17: The God of truth, MUST keep His word. Thus Jeremiah is told not to pray for them. “I will not listen”, God says (v11), even when they cry out in trouble (v14). Imagine Jeremiah’s sadness that God would not hear his prayer of intercession. But sadness or not, Jeremiah must be faithful to the God who called him, and who Himself would be faithful to keep His word.
Are we faithful to proclaim God’s truth in every situation? While in Bible college I served as a youth pastor in several churches. In one I inherited a group of more than a hundred. After a year and a half the group had “grown” to about 40. To be honest I didn’t have the abilities (or inclinations) to entertain the crowd as my predecessor had done. I did what God laid on my heart which was to engage them in age-appropriate Bible study. It would be years later I would realize that what I did with some naïveté was what I needed to do. The effect of ministry in some of those young people was evident for years afterwards.
The Apostle Paul held back nothing that was helpful when he proclaimed the news of salvation, by which he meant that he testified of repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:20-21). Let us not neglect to announce the bad news of sin and guilt as we proclaim the good news of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us give out what is truly helpful!
This message was well-suited for these men of the Law of Moses. The point of Jeremiah’s preaching was that God was doing what Moses said He would do.
• v1-5: Jeremiah reminds them of the Mosaic Covenant. God made this covenant out of the reality of His favor on Israel, bringing them out of the iron furnace of Egypt (v4). The Covenant was simple: it promised blessing on obedience and a curse on disobedience. The presence and prosperity of the nation in the land flowing with milk and honey depended on obedience. Deut. 11:8-12 is one of many places where this is recorded in the Law of Moses. These priests and Levites had no excuse for not knowing this.
• v6-10: Now Jeremiah was called to tell the people they had failed to keep this Covenant. God was about to fulfill the promise of cursing upon the nation because they were persistently disobedient. God had promised He would hide His face from them (Deut. 32:20). (If you want to see this clearly in the Mosaic writings study Deut. 28:15-68; 30:17-20; 31:17-18.) God would be faithful in keeping the curse as He had been in keeping the blessing.
• v11-17: The God of truth, MUST keep His word. Thus Jeremiah is told not to pray for them. “I will not listen”, God says (v11), even when they cry out in trouble (v14). Imagine Jeremiah’s sadness that God would not hear his prayer of intercession. But sadness or not, Jeremiah must be faithful to the God who called him, and who Himself would be faithful to keep His word.
Are we faithful to proclaim God’s truth in every situation? While in Bible college I served as a youth pastor in several churches. In one I inherited a group of more than a hundred. After a year and a half the group had “grown” to about 40. To be honest I didn’t have the abilities (or inclinations) to entertain the crowd as my predecessor had done. I did what God laid on my heart which was to engage them in age-appropriate Bible study. It would be years later I would realize that what I did with some naïveté was what I needed to do. The effect of ministry in some of those young people was evident for years afterwards.
The Apostle Paul held back nothing that was helpful when he proclaimed the news of salvation, by which he meant that he testified of repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:20-21). Let us not neglect to announce the bad news of sin and guilt as we proclaim the good news of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us give out what is truly helpful!
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Jeremiah 10
This chapter concludes Jeremiah’s second sermon, preached in the gate of the temple (7:2). It has addressed the hypocritical religion of the people and leaders of Judah. It is fitting that it should conclude today’s reading that has such a strong message against idolatry.
In the case of Israel (Judah) idolatry is properly called “the way of the Gentiles” (v2). Israel had one God, and they were commanded to worship Him only (Ex. 20:3). They were to love Him with all they were and had (Deut. 6:5). But for some time now the LORD’s people had played the harlot spiritually, bowing the knee to these lifeless deities. If we can use the term in a proper way, God points out the stupidity of all this. It makes no sense to worship something of your own creation (v3-5) that cannot hear or speak (v8-9). But even more, it makes no sense to forsake the great, true and living God (v6-7,10). Anyone who would do this is dull-hearted, without knowledge (v14-15). Again, anyone who will not seek the LORD is dull-hearted (v21).
On what basis does Jeremiah, speaking for the LORD, make this claim? Please note that the answer is bound up in the truth that the LORD is the Creator (v11-16). Something we create with our own hands obviously has not made me nor my surroundings (universe) (v11). But Jeremiah clearly states that God has done this, the God of Israel. “The Portion of Jacob is not like them, for He is the Maker of all things … The LORD of hosts is His name.” (v16)
Now consider carefully: this is what we are prone to do. You may say that you do not make an image out of a block of wood and worship that as god. But we would maintain that, if we do not bow before that true and living God, we do in fact worship something we have made ourselves. Consider the “gods” mentioned in the previous chapter (9:23): wisdom, might and riches. Are these not things in which we glory? Are they not or our own making? We trust in these with the thought that they will be a satisfactory portion for us in our lives. That, friend, is idolatry. It is a rejection of your Creator, the One who actually did make you, in His image. He alone has a right to your worship.
Have you become dull-hearted? May I encourage you to consider the prayer in v24: “O LORD, correct me, but with justice; not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.” Ask your Creator to correct you and bring you to know Him. Remember, He is a God of lovingkindness as well as judgment (9:24). Make Him your Portion today.
In the case of Israel (Judah) idolatry is properly called “the way of the Gentiles” (v2). Israel had one God, and they were commanded to worship Him only (Ex. 20:3). They were to love Him with all they were and had (Deut. 6:5). But for some time now the LORD’s people had played the harlot spiritually, bowing the knee to these lifeless deities. If we can use the term in a proper way, God points out the stupidity of all this. It makes no sense to worship something of your own creation (v3-5) that cannot hear or speak (v8-9). But even more, it makes no sense to forsake the great, true and living God (v6-7,10). Anyone who would do this is dull-hearted, without knowledge (v14-15). Again, anyone who will not seek the LORD is dull-hearted (v21).
On what basis does Jeremiah, speaking for the LORD, make this claim? Please note that the answer is bound up in the truth that the LORD is the Creator (v11-16). Something we create with our own hands obviously has not made me nor my surroundings (universe) (v11). But Jeremiah clearly states that God has done this, the God of Israel. “The Portion of Jacob is not like them, for He is the Maker of all things … The LORD of hosts is His name.” (v16)
Now consider carefully: this is what we are prone to do. You may say that you do not make an image out of a block of wood and worship that as god. But we would maintain that, if we do not bow before that true and living God, we do in fact worship something we have made ourselves. Consider the “gods” mentioned in the previous chapter (9:23): wisdom, might and riches. Are these not things in which we glory? Are they not or our own making? We trust in these with the thought that they will be a satisfactory portion for us in our lives. That, friend, is idolatry. It is a rejection of your Creator, the One who actually did make you, in His image. He alone has a right to your worship.
Have you become dull-hearted? May I encourage you to consider the prayer in v24: “O LORD, correct me, but with justice; not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.” Ask your Creator to correct you and bring you to know Him. Remember, He is a God of lovingkindness as well as judgment (9:24). Make Him your Portion today.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Jeremiah 9
Today’s passage begins by asking, “Who is the wise man who may understand this?” The prophets and priests claimed to be wise (8:8). Yet their wisdom contradicted the wisdom of God. They claimed Judah would not be forsaken by God, and that because of the temple in Jerusalem God would bring them peace.
God’s wisdom led to the conclusion that Judah would be judged for their sin. They forsook His law and followed the dictates of their own hearts (8:13-16). Judgment was so certain that a call is issued for the mourners to come and begin to grieve for the fallen nation now, even before it happens (8:17-22).
This contradiction is made clear in 9:23-24. The thing about God is that He is not distant or removed from the earth. He is very much active in our lives, “exercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth.” Thus what is essential for us is to understand and know God. We must hear from Him that we might know what He is doing. The one who trusts in (glories in) his own wisdom or greatness or wealth is short-sighted. He only knows, vaguely, his past and present. As Jeremiah will later say, “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer. 10:23).
At the time of this writing the news has been full of wars and rumors of wars as we are serving at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. But for a couple of days all the world problems were moved to the back page by the tragic suicidal death of a famous and respected Hollywood star. He had enjoyed many years of success and was considered to be not only entertaining but worldly-wise. There is no need to mention the name because it is not a rare occurrence. It happens often that someone with enormous success concludes that he would be better off dead.
The responses have been 2-sided. Some want to try to find an excuse, perhaps in his depression or some physical ailment he might have had. They feel sorry for him. Others seem only to take pot-shots at him for doing something so irresponsible, hurting his loved ones as well as those who so admired him.
But when I hear these stories I cannot escape the message of today’s passage. We continue to do what people did in Jeremiah’s day. We walk according to the dictates of our own hearts! We count on our wisdom, greatness or riches. We think we have a plan that will get us to and through retirement. Or perhaps we don’t really even think that far ahead. And then there comes a time when all we have held dear loses its power to satisfy. The bottom falls out of our hearts and we can think of nothing that has sufficient meaning in life.
Yet this is the very moment when God in His lovingkindness is at work. He allows us to come to the end of ourselves, knowing that only then will we will ever seek Him in truth. One can only plead that now is the time to seek God. Do not waste another day directing your own steps. Humble yourself before the LORD.
God’s wisdom led to the conclusion that Judah would be judged for their sin. They forsook His law and followed the dictates of their own hearts (8:13-16). Judgment was so certain that a call is issued for the mourners to come and begin to grieve for the fallen nation now, even before it happens (8:17-22).
This contradiction is made clear in 9:23-24. The thing about God is that He is not distant or removed from the earth. He is very much active in our lives, “exercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth.” Thus what is essential for us is to understand and know God. We must hear from Him that we might know what He is doing. The one who trusts in (glories in) his own wisdom or greatness or wealth is short-sighted. He only knows, vaguely, his past and present. As Jeremiah will later say, “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer. 10:23).
At the time of this writing the news has been full of wars and rumors of wars as we are serving at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. But for a couple of days all the world problems were moved to the back page by the tragic suicidal death of a famous and respected Hollywood star. He had enjoyed many years of success and was considered to be not only entertaining but worldly-wise. There is no need to mention the name because it is not a rare occurrence. It happens often that someone with enormous success concludes that he would be better off dead.
The responses have been 2-sided. Some want to try to find an excuse, perhaps in his depression or some physical ailment he might have had. They feel sorry for him. Others seem only to take pot-shots at him for doing something so irresponsible, hurting his loved ones as well as those who so admired him.
But when I hear these stories I cannot escape the message of today’s passage. We continue to do what people did in Jeremiah’s day. We walk according to the dictates of our own hearts! We count on our wisdom, greatness or riches. We think we have a plan that will get us to and through retirement. Or perhaps we don’t really even think that far ahead. And then there comes a time when all we have held dear loses its power to satisfy. The bottom falls out of our hearts and we can think of nothing that has sufficient meaning in life.
Yet this is the very moment when God in His lovingkindness is at work. He allows us to come to the end of ourselves, knowing that only then will we will ever seek Him in truth. One can only plead that now is the time to seek God. Do not waste another day directing your own steps. Humble yourself before the LORD.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Jeremiah 8
Jeremiah continues in 8:1-3 the prediction of the coming judgment from the end of Ch. 7. But in Ch. 8 he notes that the judgment will be directed to the leadership of the nation: the kings, princes, priests and prophets as well as the inhabitants of the capital city of Jerusalem. The reason for this judgment is “obvious” (v4-6) although these supposed wise men are clueless as to the gravity of the situation. God has found the same sins as previously: covetousness, deceit and a replacement of God’s word with the entertaining message of “peace” (v8-11). Since they have no shame (v12) God will consume them (v13), and when it happens they will be caught completely off-guard (v14-17).
As Jeremiah preaches he is overcome by compassionate sorrow for his people. This lengthy passage (8:18-9:11) shows us why Jeremiah is often called “the weeping prophet”. His heart is faint with grief (8:18). He hurts for what hurts his people (8:21). They have a disease for which there is no cure (8:22). He is so overcome by their rebellion he wishes he could have a place to live far from them so as not to witness their shame (9:2). The response of God to all this is that He must and He will refine His people (9:7-11). God also weeps but for the land that will lie ruined when the people are removed.
What a remarkable difference between the leaders of Judah and God’s man Jeremiah. The former speak an attractive message of peace in the land. To them what matters is their following. Jeremiah, on the other hand, actually loves the people. That love is evident in his commitment to the truth, no matter how unpleasant. And it is evident in his “shepherd’s heart”, the true sorrow he has for the doomed people.
As a child growing up, I heard the same preacher Sunday after Sunday. It was my father. He was a wonderful pastor, loving and compassionate, with a true heart for the people entrusted to him by the Good Shepherd. And you never confused his ministry in the pulpit with entertainment. With integrity, serious and soundness he spoke the word of God (Titus 2:7-8). On occasion, when vacationing, we would hear others preach. Such was the case one year at an open-air worship service in a campground in the Sierra Nevada’s of California. One Sunday the visiting preacher was extremely entertaining. He read something from the Bible, and then interspersed words of wisdom with one hilarious story after another. As we left I mentioned to my father how funny the man was. My father, not a judgmental man, but one who knew what was at stake, responded in some fashion that indicated it had been a waste of time.
Paul warned about having “itching ears” (2 Tim. 4:3) so that people would drift from teacher to teacher trying to hear pleasing or easy messages. The warning was for us. We must take heed to this fact: there are many false teachers who are preaching for a following. To whom do you listen?
As Jeremiah preaches he is overcome by compassionate sorrow for his people. This lengthy passage (8:18-9:11) shows us why Jeremiah is often called “the weeping prophet”. His heart is faint with grief (8:18). He hurts for what hurts his people (8:21). They have a disease for which there is no cure (8:22). He is so overcome by their rebellion he wishes he could have a place to live far from them so as not to witness their shame (9:2). The response of God to all this is that He must and He will refine His people (9:7-11). God also weeps but for the land that will lie ruined when the people are removed.
What a remarkable difference between the leaders of Judah and God’s man Jeremiah. The former speak an attractive message of peace in the land. To them what matters is their following. Jeremiah, on the other hand, actually loves the people. That love is evident in his commitment to the truth, no matter how unpleasant. And it is evident in his “shepherd’s heart”, the true sorrow he has for the doomed people.
As a child growing up, I heard the same preacher Sunday after Sunday. It was my father. He was a wonderful pastor, loving and compassionate, with a true heart for the people entrusted to him by the Good Shepherd. And you never confused his ministry in the pulpit with entertainment. With integrity, serious and soundness he spoke the word of God (Titus 2:7-8). On occasion, when vacationing, we would hear others preach. Such was the case one year at an open-air worship service in a campground in the Sierra Nevada’s of California. One Sunday the visiting preacher was extremely entertaining. He read something from the Bible, and then interspersed words of wisdom with one hilarious story after another. As we left I mentioned to my father how funny the man was. My father, not a judgmental man, but one who knew what was at stake, responded in some fashion that indicated it had been a waste of time.
Paul warned about having “itching ears” (2 Tim. 4:3) so that people would drift from teacher to teacher trying to hear pleasing or easy messages. The warning was for us. We must take heed to this fact: there are many false teachers who are preaching for a following. To whom do you listen?
Monday, August 18, 2014
Jeremiah 7
“Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit.” What lying words are these? They are in v4: “The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the LORD of the LORD are these.”
God here confronts a major issue: that of religious hypocrisy. It is the thought that we can live according to our own imaginations, practicing wickedness, and then come to the place of worship and carry out religious practice as if nothing was wrong.
This was the message of Shiloh, which Judah had clearly forgotten. Shiloh was the place where the tabernacle was set up when Israel first came to the Promised Land. It was the capitol in the days of Joshua (Josh. 18:1-10). Israel continued to worship there until the time of the priest Eli and the days of Samuel. It was then that Israel engaged in the ultimate of hypocrisy. Having lost a battle to the Philistines, they determined that they would have victory if only they could carry the Ark of the Covenant into battle the next day. And so it was, that the two evil sons of Eli who were unfit to be priests, nevertheless carried the Ark in the fray. The battle was lost, Hophni and Phineas were killed, and the Ark ended up in the hands of the Philistines. The Ark never returned to Shiloh, but rather was brought to Jerusalem by David (2 Samuel 6). Psalm 78 is a lengthy song devoted to this time when God “forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had placed among men” (Ps. 78:60).
In Jeremiah’s day the people believed that God would never let them be removed from the land because they had the temple that Solomon built in their midst. Surely God would respect that. And further they believed that because they worshiped at that temple, that they were engaged in the truest worship on earth, no matter how incongruous their hearts and lives were with their confessions. They were sadly and tragically wrong.
Notice what was the end result of their hypocrisy. God tells Jeremiah not to pray any more for the people because God is not going to hear that prayer (v16-20). Their perpetual disobedience (v21-26) leaves them guilty before God (v27-31). A terrible judgment is coming when the “Valley of Hinnom” where they worshiped Molech will become the “Valley of Slaughter” where their dead bodies will be dumped.
Sin against God is worthy of His anger, having created us to worship Him. But to go beyond that and engage in worship activities when our hearts and lives are engaged in that sin is an absolute affront to the Creator! What can be more arrogant? Do not think that God will be happy with your prayers in such a situation. To think differently is to trust in lying words that cannot profit!
God here confronts a major issue: that of religious hypocrisy. It is the thought that we can live according to our own imaginations, practicing wickedness, and then come to the place of worship and carry out religious practice as if nothing was wrong.
This was the message of Shiloh, which Judah had clearly forgotten. Shiloh was the place where the tabernacle was set up when Israel first came to the Promised Land. It was the capitol in the days of Joshua (Josh. 18:1-10). Israel continued to worship there until the time of the priest Eli and the days of Samuel. It was then that Israel engaged in the ultimate of hypocrisy. Having lost a battle to the Philistines, they determined that they would have victory if only they could carry the Ark of the Covenant into battle the next day. And so it was, that the two evil sons of Eli who were unfit to be priests, nevertheless carried the Ark in the fray. The battle was lost, Hophni and Phineas were killed, and the Ark ended up in the hands of the Philistines. The Ark never returned to Shiloh, but rather was brought to Jerusalem by David (2 Samuel 6). Psalm 78 is a lengthy song devoted to this time when God “forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had placed among men” (Ps. 78:60).
In Jeremiah’s day the people believed that God would never let them be removed from the land because they had the temple that Solomon built in their midst. Surely God would respect that. And further they believed that because they worshiped at that temple, that they were engaged in the truest worship on earth, no matter how incongruous their hearts and lives were with their confessions. They were sadly and tragically wrong.
Notice what was the end result of their hypocrisy. God tells Jeremiah not to pray any more for the people because God is not going to hear that prayer (v16-20). Their perpetual disobedience (v21-26) leaves them guilty before God (v27-31). A terrible judgment is coming when the “Valley of Hinnom” where they worshiped Molech will become the “Valley of Slaughter” where their dead bodies will be dumped.
Sin against God is worthy of His anger, having created us to worship Him. But to go beyond that and engage in worship activities when our hearts and lives are engaged in that sin is an absolute affront to the Creator! What can be more arrogant? Do not think that God will be happy with your prayers in such a situation. To think differently is to trust in lying words that cannot profit!
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Psalm 149
Here is another Psalm of praise to the LORD (Hillel). This one is a call to praise especially for “His saints” (v9). The saints or holy ones or those who have been separated to God in the immediate context are Israel, the children of Zion (v2). Let us not ignore this truth. Let us pray that today’s nation of Israel, and the Jewish people in every place, will sing this song of praise in spirit and in truth.
But then let those who by God’s grace have put their faith in Jesus Christ recognize that they have been grafted into the tree and are properly called saints (1 Cor 1:2 and many other places in the New Testament). Thus let us dwell on this song and be made beautiful in our salvation.
Here are my thoughts. I beg you, recite your own observations to the LORD.
• v2: Our Maker is our King. This is how it must be. By virtue of His being the Potter, He is Sovereign over the clay. Note that the same is true of the idolater who makes an idol of wood or precious stones. He, the worshiper, is in fact the sovereign over that lifeless form. He gives it what attributes he wants it to have; he assigns to it what answers to prayer he desires. What foolishness! Rejoice in your maker; be joyful in your King.
• v3: Praise should be exuberant. To join singing with appropriate dance and appropriate instrumentation is simply a means of expressing the greatest command: to love the LORD our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
• v4: The LORD speaks lovingly of His people. It is interesting that in Jeremiah frequently God addresses “My people”, and yet the message is one of chastisement. They never cease to be His treasured possession. But notice that it is the humble, those who come to the Lord on bended knee, who are made beautiful. And since praise itself is beautiful (Psalm 33:1), we are most beautiful when we give unhindered praise to our God!
• v5: Even in the night, when the dread of fear and worry so often seeks to attract our attention, may we rather be joyful in glory, singing aloud.
• v6-9a: Does not this remind us of our Lord Jesus Christ who will someday come in judgment with a double-edged sword coming from His mouth (Rev. 1:16; 2:12)? We often wonder what the saints will do when they come with the returning King of Kings (Rev. 19:14). Perhaps this is the answer: they will shout the high praises of God while judgment is executed on His enemies. Let us remember that these “nations” and “kings” are those who have arrogantly stood against God (Psalm 2). These He “will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thess. 2:9) when He comes to rule the earth in righteousness.
Father in heaven, my Maker and my King, truly I have no honor but to praise You! May it be so this day! Praise the LORD!
But then let those who by God’s grace have put their faith in Jesus Christ recognize that they have been grafted into the tree and are properly called saints (1 Cor 1:2 and many other places in the New Testament). Thus let us dwell on this song and be made beautiful in our salvation.
Here are my thoughts. I beg you, recite your own observations to the LORD.
• v2: Our Maker is our King. This is how it must be. By virtue of His being the Potter, He is Sovereign over the clay. Note that the same is true of the idolater who makes an idol of wood or precious stones. He, the worshiper, is in fact the sovereign over that lifeless form. He gives it what attributes he wants it to have; he assigns to it what answers to prayer he desires. What foolishness! Rejoice in your maker; be joyful in your King.
• v3: Praise should be exuberant. To join singing with appropriate dance and appropriate instrumentation is simply a means of expressing the greatest command: to love the LORD our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
• v4: The LORD speaks lovingly of His people. It is interesting that in Jeremiah frequently God addresses “My people”, and yet the message is one of chastisement. They never cease to be His treasured possession. But notice that it is the humble, those who come to the Lord on bended knee, who are made beautiful. And since praise itself is beautiful (Psalm 33:1), we are most beautiful when we give unhindered praise to our God!
• v5: Even in the night, when the dread of fear and worry so often seeks to attract our attention, may we rather be joyful in glory, singing aloud.
• v6-9a: Does not this remind us of our Lord Jesus Christ who will someday come in judgment with a double-edged sword coming from His mouth (Rev. 1:16; 2:12)? We often wonder what the saints will do when they come with the returning King of Kings (Rev. 19:14). Perhaps this is the answer: they will shout the high praises of God while judgment is executed on His enemies. Let us remember that these “nations” and “kings” are those who have arrogantly stood against God (Psalm 2). These He “will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thess. 2:9) when He comes to rule the earth in righteousness.
Father in heaven, my Maker and my King, truly I have no honor but to praise You! May it be so this day! Praise the LORD!
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Contentment (2)
Hebrews 13:5-6: Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say, ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’
Again, permit a brief section from Contentment: The Secret to a Lasting Calm by Richard A. Swenson, MD, published by NavPress: Colorado Springs, CO in 2013. From Page 125:
It is perhaps readily apparent that contenement is opposed to covetourness in all its many forms. How can we tell if we are covetous? Thosas Watson, author of The Art of Divine Contenement in the seventeenth century, also wrote a treatise on the Ten Commandments. Here he gives ‘six particulars’ of ‘What it is to covet.’ They hold up well today.
• When our thoughts are wholly taken up with the world.
• When we take more pains for getting earth than for getting heaven.
• When all our discourse is about the world.
• When we so set our hearts on worldly things, that for the love of them, we will part with heaven.
• When we overload ourselves with worldly business.
• When our hearts are so set upon the world, that, to get it, we will use unlawful means.
There are dozens of such particulars in today’s world, but from my observations, only two types of coveting are still regarded wrong in our society: coveting our neighbor’s wife (spouse) and coveting something enough to steal. All other definitions go largely unchallenged.
Much modern advertising is aimed to induce peer coveting. If fifteen-year-olds see their friends with designer Jordan shoes, the hottest fashion, or the latest technology, it is fully expected this will begin a cascade of coveting – not just admiring the item, but excessively desiring it to the point of fixation. In extreme instances, teens have killed peers for their shoes, jackets or phones.
From page 132, quoting J. C. Ryle: There is a peculiar depth of wisdom in the words, ‘I will never leave --- nor forsake.’ Observe, God does not say, ‘My people shall always have pleasant things; they shall always be fed in green pastures, and have no trials – or trials very short and few.’ He neither says so, nor does He appoint such a lot to His people. On the contrary, He sends them affliction and chastisement. He tries them – by suffering. He purifies them – by sorrow. He exercised their faith – by disappointment. But still, in all these things He promises, ‘I will never leave – nor forsake.’
Again, permit a brief section from Contentment: The Secret to a Lasting Calm by Richard A. Swenson, MD, published by NavPress: Colorado Springs, CO in 2013. From Page 125:
It is perhaps readily apparent that contenement is opposed to covetourness in all its many forms. How can we tell if we are covetous? Thosas Watson, author of The Art of Divine Contenement in the seventeenth century, also wrote a treatise on the Ten Commandments. Here he gives ‘six particulars’ of ‘What it is to covet.’ They hold up well today.
• When our thoughts are wholly taken up with the world.
• When we take more pains for getting earth than for getting heaven.
• When all our discourse is about the world.
• When we so set our hearts on worldly things, that for the love of them, we will part with heaven.
• When we overload ourselves with worldly business.
• When our hearts are so set upon the world, that, to get it, we will use unlawful means.
There are dozens of such particulars in today’s world, but from my observations, only two types of coveting are still regarded wrong in our society: coveting our neighbor’s wife (spouse) and coveting something enough to steal. All other definitions go largely unchallenged.
Much modern advertising is aimed to induce peer coveting. If fifteen-year-olds see their friends with designer Jordan shoes, the hottest fashion, or the latest technology, it is fully expected this will begin a cascade of coveting – not just admiring the item, but excessively desiring it to the point of fixation. In extreme instances, teens have killed peers for their shoes, jackets or phones.
From page 132, quoting J. C. Ryle: There is a peculiar depth of wisdom in the words, ‘I will never leave --- nor forsake.’ Observe, God does not say, ‘My people shall always have pleasant things; they shall always be fed in green pastures, and have no trials – or trials very short and few.’ He neither says so, nor does He appoint such a lot to His people. On the contrary, He sends them affliction and chastisement. He tries them – by suffering. He purifies them – by sorrow. He exercised their faith – by disappointment. But still, in all these things He promises, ‘I will never leave – nor forsake.’
Friday, August 15, 2014
Jeremiah 6
While this is not the end of Jeremiah’s preaching of doom to the people of Judah it is the last chapter of the first message (Ch. 2-6). Consider what Jeremiah said to Judah with an eye to what it means to us personally.
• 6:1-9: Through Jeremiah God calls the Babylonians, the nation from the north, to do His (God’s) work, to thoroughly glean the vine.
• 6:10-15: God is speaking and listen to His indictment of Judah: “Behold, the word of the LORD is a reproach to them” (v10). As we often see today, people are embarrassed or ashamed by the word of God. Those who hold to that word are depicted as religious fuddy-duddies only to be scorned. For this the LORD is furious, one of the terms depicting His anger, but when He has come to the end of His patience. Again, as in previous chapters, the sins are specifically covetousness, deceitfulness and giving heed to the message of the false preachers. And note: they do all this with absolutely no sense of shame. When the conscience is effective, the very presence of sin should cause us to blush. When there is no shame, there is no conscience.
• 6:16-23: Because they have refused to hear those sent by God (v16-19; including the Law of Moses), God now says He will no longer accept their offerings (v20). God will cause them to fall before the cruel nation.
• 6:24-30: The chapter ends with en exchange between Jeremiah and God. Jeremiah says we know about this nation and their cruelty; the people are afraid of them (v24-25). He pleads with the people to repent (v26). In response the LORD tells Jeremiah that he is the “assayer” whose message will reveal that Judah deserves this cruel judgment (v27-30). Their stubborn rebelliousness in rejecting God’s word through His prophet is why “people will call them rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them” (v30).
This chapter reveals one of the reasons why the people of this world today are in deep trouble spiritually. We see this everywhere: a lack of shame for sin. Deceit, covetousness and the affirmation of the lying messages of the age are a way of life. Anyone who stands in the way is despised and ridiculed. To think that God is in general displeased with the people of this world is taken to be an offensive message.
Consider this personally? Do we feel shame at the presence of sin? Do we blush today at even the thought of things that caused us embarrassment at an earlier time in our lives? Do we excuse those things that are an abomination to God? We must plead with God on this matter and submit ourselves to His every word. Having judged His people for their rebellion, will He not to the same for the entire world? Yes, He will!
• 6:1-9: Through Jeremiah God calls the Babylonians, the nation from the north, to do His (God’s) work, to thoroughly glean the vine.
• 6:10-15: God is speaking and listen to His indictment of Judah: “Behold, the word of the LORD is a reproach to them” (v10). As we often see today, people are embarrassed or ashamed by the word of God. Those who hold to that word are depicted as religious fuddy-duddies only to be scorned. For this the LORD is furious, one of the terms depicting His anger, but when He has come to the end of His patience. Again, as in previous chapters, the sins are specifically covetousness, deceitfulness and giving heed to the message of the false preachers. And note: they do all this with absolutely no sense of shame. When the conscience is effective, the very presence of sin should cause us to blush. When there is no shame, there is no conscience.
• 6:16-23: Because they have refused to hear those sent by God (v16-19; including the Law of Moses), God now says He will no longer accept their offerings (v20). God will cause them to fall before the cruel nation.
• 6:24-30: The chapter ends with en exchange between Jeremiah and God. Jeremiah says we know about this nation and their cruelty; the people are afraid of them (v24-25). He pleads with the people to repent (v26). In response the LORD tells Jeremiah that he is the “assayer” whose message will reveal that Judah deserves this cruel judgment (v27-30). Their stubborn rebelliousness in rejecting God’s word through His prophet is why “people will call them rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them” (v30).
This chapter reveals one of the reasons why the people of this world today are in deep trouble spiritually. We see this everywhere: a lack of shame for sin. Deceit, covetousness and the affirmation of the lying messages of the age are a way of life. Anyone who stands in the way is despised and ridiculed. To think that God is in general displeased with the people of this world is taken to be an offensive message.
Consider this personally? Do we feel shame at the presence of sin? Do we blush today at even the thought of things that caused us embarrassment at an earlier time in our lives? Do we excuse those things that are an abomination to God? We must plead with God on this matter and submit ourselves to His every word. Having judged His people for their rebellion, will He not to the same for the entire world? Yes, He will!
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Jeremiah 5
Again today we see that Jeremiah becomes personally involved in the message.
• v1-2: God challenges him to find one honest person in Jerusalem.
• v3: Jeremiah cannot find one. Instead the people are hard set against God.
• v4-5a: Jeremiah determines these are poor, foolish people so he looks among the great men of the city. He longs to give God a more positive answer.
• v5a-6: Yet he finds that the great men also have broken God’s yoke. They too are backslidden.
What sins did the people commit? As we note these allow the Spirit of God to show you your own heart as well as the truth about the society in which you live.
• v7-9: Though God had blessed Judah, yet they turned to other gods to give thanks. Then they sought their own happiness through immorality. People always desire to be blessed, but when they turn from God’s blessing the result is that they are left to create their own blessing. But turning from God always brings a curse.
• v26-29: They lives decadent lives. They deceived those around them, taking advantage of their trust. They live in apathetic luxury. They ignore the plight of the oppressed. His people actually surpass the deeds of the wicked. God is right to ask rhetorically, “Shall I not punish them for these things? … Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”
• v12-13; 30-31: Here is the bottom line: they listen to and loved the easy message of the false prophets that allowed them to maintain their lives as they were. God announced through Jeremiah that the prophets were wind; “the word is not in them”. This was “an astonishing and horrible thing … The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so.” “Religion”, if you will, should be the conscience of a nation. Religious leaders should properly speak to the direction of a nation. But if the preachers do not speak God’s word and the priests (spiritual leaders) do not have God’s authority, then that nation is doomed! The conscience is seared; the people are deceived.
The question is, if you have no word from God, or have rejected God’s word, “what will you do in the end?” (v31) Let us remind ourselves what Jeremiah is doing as the Lord’s prophet. He is speaking to a doomed nation. Judgment is unavoidable.
But God offers to the individuals in that nation His mercy. Remember the word: “Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.” Jeremiah could only find hard-hearted sinners in Jerusalem. Yet he still called them to come to the Lord with good hearts, ready to receive God’s word and to follow Him faithfully. Do you have a hard heart to the things of God? This is so dangerous. I plead with you, open your mind and heart to God today. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
• v1-2: God challenges him to find one honest person in Jerusalem.
• v3: Jeremiah cannot find one. Instead the people are hard set against God.
• v4-5a: Jeremiah determines these are poor, foolish people so he looks among the great men of the city. He longs to give God a more positive answer.
• v5a-6: Yet he finds that the great men also have broken God’s yoke. They too are backslidden.
What sins did the people commit? As we note these allow the Spirit of God to show you your own heart as well as the truth about the society in which you live.
• v7-9: Though God had blessed Judah, yet they turned to other gods to give thanks. Then they sought their own happiness through immorality. People always desire to be blessed, but when they turn from God’s blessing the result is that they are left to create their own blessing. But turning from God always brings a curse.
• v26-29: They lives decadent lives. They deceived those around them, taking advantage of their trust. They live in apathetic luxury. They ignore the plight of the oppressed. His people actually surpass the deeds of the wicked. God is right to ask rhetorically, “Shall I not punish them for these things? … Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”
• v12-13; 30-31: Here is the bottom line: they listen to and loved the easy message of the false prophets that allowed them to maintain their lives as they were. God announced through Jeremiah that the prophets were wind; “the word is not in them”. This was “an astonishing and horrible thing … The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so.” “Religion”, if you will, should be the conscience of a nation. Religious leaders should properly speak to the direction of a nation. But if the preachers do not speak God’s word and the priests (spiritual leaders) do not have God’s authority, then that nation is doomed! The conscience is seared; the people are deceived.
The question is, if you have no word from God, or have rejected God’s word, “what will you do in the end?” (v31) Let us remind ourselves what Jeremiah is doing as the Lord’s prophet. He is speaking to a doomed nation. Judgment is unavoidable.
But God offers to the individuals in that nation His mercy. Remember the word: “Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.” Jeremiah could only find hard-hearted sinners in Jerusalem. Yet he still called them to come to the Lord with good hearts, ready to receive God’s word and to follow Him faithfully. Do you have a hard heart to the things of God? This is so dangerous. I plead with you, open your mind and heart to God today. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Jeremiah 4
Jeremiah continues to preach the opening and fundamental message to the people of Judah (Chapters 2-6). In the previous chapter God called attention to the fact that He had already punished the Northern Kingdom (Israel), and that Judah did not take warning. In the meantime, the enemy that destroyed Israel (Assyria) has itself been destroyed and a new enemy is the tool of God to judge His people. Chapter 4, verses 5-18 prophesy the coming of this enemy (Babylon). Verses 19-31 record the suffering that awaits Judah and the prophet’s passionate plea for the doomed people to repent.
Jeremiah truly loves his people. His deep empathy for them and sorrow over the impending judgment demonstrates this clearly. Did you see v19? “O my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace …” Jeremiah speaks as if God has actually enables him to see the coming judgment. He knows it will happen and he is crushed to think that God’s people are so foolish and silly (v22).
In v10 Jeremiah addresses God in a way unique to him and Ezekiel. Each prophet addresses God 4 times, “Ah Lord God!” (Jer. 1:6; 4:10; 14:13; 32:17; Ezk. 4:14; 9:8; 11:13; 20:49) They do this because God has indicated something they do not understand or that they believe God is wrong.
In today’s reading Jeremiah claims God deceived the people by promising peace when in fact the true message is one of doom and judgment (v10). Why did Jeremiah think this? The answer is that the prophets of Judea were speaking in the name of God and were proclaiming a message of peace in the land. Not only did the people believe this more pleasant message; likely Jeremiah also assumed they had spoken for God. But now he realizes the false prophets are not speaking the truth. The people have been deceived.
Consider for a moment Jeremiah’s situation as it relates to us. He is sent to speak the words that God puts in his mouth. These words are difficult and not at all popular. Perhaps being in the 3rd of 5 days considering this depressing sermon has made you feel tired. You may be thinking, “No wonder Jeremiah had few followers; he needed to lighten up a little bit.” But friends, what was Jeremiah’s duty? It was to speak the words that God put in his mouth. He could do no more or less. He could not allow his sorrow for the nation to cause him to speak differently. Do we so value the word of God?
Having said this, did you see v27? Here is the grace of God. Judgment will come. The land will be desolate. “Yet I will not make a full end.” Total destruction is deserved. But God will keep His promise to Abraham of a nation, a land, and a Blessing to the nations. That is why Jeremiah says what God told him to say. God will always fulfill His word: the promises of life and the promises of death.
Jeremiah truly loves his people. His deep empathy for them and sorrow over the impending judgment demonstrates this clearly. Did you see v19? “O my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace …” Jeremiah speaks as if God has actually enables him to see the coming judgment. He knows it will happen and he is crushed to think that God’s people are so foolish and silly (v22).
In v10 Jeremiah addresses God in a way unique to him and Ezekiel. Each prophet addresses God 4 times, “Ah Lord God!” (Jer. 1:6; 4:10; 14:13; 32:17; Ezk. 4:14; 9:8; 11:13; 20:49) They do this because God has indicated something they do not understand or that they believe God is wrong.
In today’s reading Jeremiah claims God deceived the people by promising peace when in fact the true message is one of doom and judgment (v10). Why did Jeremiah think this? The answer is that the prophets of Judea were speaking in the name of God and were proclaiming a message of peace in the land. Not only did the people believe this more pleasant message; likely Jeremiah also assumed they had spoken for God. But now he realizes the false prophets are not speaking the truth. The people have been deceived.
Consider for a moment Jeremiah’s situation as it relates to us. He is sent to speak the words that God puts in his mouth. These words are difficult and not at all popular. Perhaps being in the 3rd of 5 days considering this depressing sermon has made you feel tired. You may be thinking, “No wonder Jeremiah had few followers; he needed to lighten up a little bit.” But friends, what was Jeremiah’s duty? It was to speak the words that God put in his mouth. He could do no more or less. He could not allow his sorrow for the nation to cause him to speak differently. Do we so value the word of God?
Having said this, did you see v27? Here is the grace of God. Judgment will come. The land will be desolate. “Yet I will not make a full end.” Total destruction is deserved. But God will keep His promise to Abraham of a nation, a land, and a Blessing to the nations. That is why Jeremiah says what God told him to say. God will always fulfill His word: the promises of life and the promises of death.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Jeremiah 3
The people of Judah, who were the audience for Jeremiah’s preaching, had turned away from God. The exchanged their Glory for what does not profit. You might want to excuse them by saying they did not know any better. But today’s reading makes it clear that such was not the case.
In the days of King Hezekiah they had seen their sister nation, Israel, carried off by the Assyrians, removed from the land and deposited elsewhere. It was made clear that this was God’s judgment on an adulterous people. They also had exchanged their Glory for what did not profit. Furthermore, when Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem turned to the Lord for help, they were delivered from the powerful Assyrian war machine.
Now it was approximately 75 years later. Having endured the terribly wicked times under King Manasseh, Judah is now blessed with another godly King in Josiah. In his time idols were removed from the land and there was a great celebration of the Passover (2 Chr. 34-35). It was during this time of revival that Jeremiah began to preach.
You may wonder, if it was a time of spiritual revival, why Jeremiah was sent with this message of impending judgment. The answer is, “’And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,’ says the Lord” (3:10). The destruction of the idols in the high places had not removed them from the hearts of the people. Their worship was pretend. And the amazing thing about all this, as 3:11-4:2 indicates, is that Judah had seen all that happened to Israel and yet did not take warning.
How do we know when our worship of God is only in pretense and not real? Here are a few of the indicators: fear, worry, bitterness, ingratitude, self-centeredness, impatience, marital dissatisfaction, prayerlessness and a neglected Bible. These indicate that, whatever our outward actions and words, we have in fact forsaken the fountain of living waters.
There is a strong word in this passage for “religious” people. Religious activity is not only wrong but is useless in honoring God if it does not come from the heart. Thus Jeremiah pleads with the people to “break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns” (4:3-4). The soil in a field must be cultivated first to prepare for the planting of the seed. So our hearts must be humbled when we come to God. There must be a confession (acknowledgment) of our sin, a heart-felt recognition of our need. Without this, our religion is pretend. We are hypocrites.
This day come to God, but not in pride. Break up the hard soil of your heart!
In the days of King Hezekiah they had seen their sister nation, Israel, carried off by the Assyrians, removed from the land and deposited elsewhere. It was made clear that this was God’s judgment on an adulterous people. They also had exchanged their Glory for what did not profit. Furthermore, when Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem turned to the Lord for help, they were delivered from the powerful Assyrian war machine.
Now it was approximately 75 years later. Having endured the terribly wicked times under King Manasseh, Judah is now blessed with another godly King in Josiah. In his time idols were removed from the land and there was a great celebration of the Passover (2 Chr. 34-35). It was during this time of revival that Jeremiah began to preach.
You may wonder, if it was a time of spiritual revival, why Jeremiah was sent with this message of impending judgment. The answer is, “’And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,’ says the Lord” (3:10). The destruction of the idols in the high places had not removed them from the hearts of the people. Their worship was pretend. And the amazing thing about all this, as 3:11-4:2 indicates, is that Judah had seen all that happened to Israel and yet did not take warning.
How do we know when our worship of God is only in pretense and not real? Here are a few of the indicators: fear, worry, bitterness, ingratitude, self-centeredness, impatience, marital dissatisfaction, prayerlessness and a neglected Bible. These indicate that, whatever our outward actions and words, we have in fact forsaken the fountain of living waters.
There is a strong word in this passage for “religious” people. Religious activity is not only wrong but is useless in honoring God if it does not come from the heart. Thus Jeremiah pleads with the people to “break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns” (4:3-4). The soil in a field must be cultivated first to prepare for the planting of the seed. So our hearts must be humbled when we come to God. There must be a confession (acknowledgment) of our sin, a heart-felt recognition of our need. Without this, our religion is pretend. We are hypocrites.
This day come to God, but not in pride. Break up the hard soil of your heart!
Monday, August 11, 2014
Jeremiah 2
Jeremiah, having been appointed by God, begins now to speak the words God put in his mouth. In the first sermon (Ch. 2-6) Jeremiah gives the fundamental message that Israel has sinned grievously and must return to God.
In what way did they sin? Jeremiah often accuses them of “backsliding” (v19). They had slidden back in the sense that they “changed their Glory for what does not profit” (v11). This exchange indicates 2 aspects of sin. On the one hand they forsook God, “the fountain of living waters”. He was their Glory, the One who chose them to be His special treasure. They agreed to be His covenant people at Mt. Sinai. God blessed them with provision in the years in the desert. He had brought them into the land, giving them victories so they could settle the land. He had made them great in the times of David and Solomon. Though He had blessed them abundantly they now forsook Him.
On the other hand, they now were committed to making their own “blessings”, if you will. Their motto became, “God helps those who help themselves;” their song, “I did it my way.” They followed natural instincts, like a wild donkey in the desert (v23-24). They thanked (worshiped) nature for it’s blessings without praising the Creator. Failure to glorify and thank God led them to vain (self-centered) and foolish thoughts (Rom. 1:21-23). They trusted in Baal (v23), the god of the Sidonians, which had already proved to be a failure in previous times, both in the Northern Kingdom of Israel as well as in Judah. They trusted in Egypt (v36-37) who would prove incapable of defending herself, much less Israel. Instead of a fountain flowing with pure and refreshing water, they settled for muddy rainwater that was seeping away in leaky cisterns.
Have you not seen this in your life? We go to great lengths to build cisterns for financial, physical and emotional security only to find that they are leaky and that the water they hold is not particularly refreshing. We spend on pleasure only to find that when the moment is over we are not truly happy. We surround ourselves with friends only to find that, as we, so they live for themselves, and will not be ultimately loyal to us. As Jeremiah spoke candidly to the people, so we must ask ourselves, “How can you say, ‘I am not polluted’?”
As always, the first step in turning to God is to recognize and admit that you need to turn to God. Let us consider this matter personally. Have you not found that material abundance does not bring a lasting satisfaction to your soul? Have you not found that an abundance of accolades from friends does nothing to satisfy your soul when you have no assurance that you have pleased your Creator? What cisterns have you built in your life? Do you not see that they are leaking? Do you not understand that the taste of that water is nothing to compare to the “fountain of living waters”, the Living God?
“How can you say, ‘I am not polluted’?”
In what way did they sin? Jeremiah often accuses them of “backsliding” (v19). They had slidden back in the sense that they “changed their Glory for what does not profit” (v11). This exchange indicates 2 aspects of sin. On the one hand they forsook God, “the fountain of living waters”. He was their Glory, the One who chose them to be His special treasure. They agreed to be His covenant people at Mt. Sinai. God blessed them with provision in the years in the desert. He had brought them into the land, giving them victories so they could settle the land. He had made them great in the times of David and Solomon. Though He had blessed them abundantly they now forsook Him.
On the other hand, they now were committed to making their own “blessings”, if you will. Their motto became, “God helps those who help themselves;” their song, “I did it my way.” They followed natural instincts, like a wild donkey in the desert (v23-24). They thanked (worshiped) nature for it’s blessings without praising the Creator. Failure to glorify and thank God led them to vain (self-centered) and foolish thoughts (Rom. 1:21-23). They trusted in Baal (v23), the god of the Sidonians, which had already proved to be a failure in previous times, both in the Northern Kingdom of Israel as well as in Judah. They trusted in Egypt (v36-37) who would prove incapable of defending herself, much less Israel. Instead of a fountain flowing with pure and refreshing water, they settled for muddy rainwater that was seeping away in leaky cisterns.
Have you not seen this in your life? We go to great lengths to build cisterns for financial, physical and emotional security only to find that they are leaky and that the water they hold is not particularly refreshing. We spend on pleasure only to find that when the moment is over we are not truly happy. We surround ourselves with friends only to find that, as we, so they live for themselves, and will not be ultimately loyal to us. As Jeremiah spoke candidly to the people, so we must ask ourselves, “How can you say, ‘I am not polluted’?”
As always, the first step in turning to God is to recognize and admit that you need to turn to God. Let us consider this matter personally. Have you not found that material abundance does not bring a lasting satisfaction to your soul? Have you not found that an abundance of accolades from friends does nothing to satisfy your soul when you have no assurance that you have pleased your Creator? What cisterns have you built in your life? Do you not see that they are leaking? Do you not understand that the taste of that water is nothing to compare to the “fountain of living waters”, the Living God?
“How can you say, ‘I am not polluted’?”
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Psalm 148
How thrilling, better yet, how edifying, these Hillel Psalms that speak of God’s praiseworthiness in every setting. Today it is a call to all “heaven and earth”. Here are my reflections. Take time to record your own today!
Heaven, v1-6
• v2: We are now in Jerusalem. The latest Israel/Gaza conflict has an “angel” story in it. Whether we see them or not they are real and perfectly serve their Creator.
• v3: Around 2AM the morning of July 20 was the last time I saw the magnificence of the night sky that Montana offers. I was with my son and granddaughter at Becker Lake in the Beartooth Mtns. I stepped out of the tent on that moonless night. The Milky Way glistened with brilliance. The desire to praise the Creator was instantaneous and fulfilled.
• v4: Much of this I don’t understand. I need to visit again with our friend Mark Amunrud who always has well-thought-out ideas about these things. But the glory of it all is the mystery of the Creator of heaven and earth.
Why are the heavens called to such praise? Because the LORD commanded them into existence. They are His handiwork and simply by their existence and function they declare His glory.
Earth, v7-14
• v8: In these summer months in Jerusalem the gentle breeze calls for constant thanks to our good Creator and Sustainer. Recently there was a well-attested story of a sudden wind blowing a Hamas rocket off course so it landed in the ocean rather than a populated area. Israel’s Iron Dome failed to destroy it in 2 or 3 attempts. Praise to the sovereign LORD.
• v9: Walking around the Garden Tomb, we now have signs identifying many of the trees. There are several fruit trees here that bear fruit at differing times of the year. It is a joy when in the Arab and Jewish markets to always have an abundance and variety of Israel-produced fruit. Praise to our wise Creator.
• v10: In the afore-mentioned backpacking trip in the Beartooths we were thankful to see one moose at first light Sunday morning. While in Bryce Nat’l Park Cindy captured wonderful pictures of a deer, and even a crow (not my favorite bird). ALL give unique praise to their exalted Creator.
• v11: Oh, that the rulers of the nations would acknowledge the Creator and His decreed Anointed One, our Lord Jesus. The phrase “wars and rumors of wars” so fits our world today and especially Israel. But all any of them talk about it seems are their armies, their weapons, their plans, their negotiations, their… Where is the glory due His Name?!
• v12: Here at the Garden the praise of the LORD is so evident in the staff. There are Palestinians and Israelis who work together in full honor of His Name. And even in this slow time the praise of many who come into this Garden is evident. The sound of songs of praise in many languages is a staple here. Last night at dinner we shared with our fellow volunteers the joys of worship at Central Bible Church. The little orchestra and the congregation just filled that auditorium with the sounds of joyful praise. And well we remember on our way through Montana meeting with the small gathering of believers in a home in Lewistown; how their praise filled that home, praise for the exalted LORD.
Why should everything on earth praise the LORD? Because He alone is exalted! His glory is above the heavens and earth. AND … do not miss it … He HAS exalted the horn of His people Israel, the greater Son of David, Jesus the Anointed One. He is now in the heavenlies, at the right hand of the Majesty on High. How I/we give great praise for the faith of Abraham, exercised by all believers today. We praise You, our God, that in Christ we have been grafted in to the tree. We are your saints. May our praise this day reflect that reality!
Heaven, v1-6
• v2: We are now in Jerusalem. The latest Israel/Gaza conflict has an “angel” story in it. Whether we see them or not they are real and perfectly serve their Creator.
• v3: Around 2AM the morning of July 20 was the last time I saw the magnificence of the night sky that Montana offers. I was with my son and granddaughter at Becker Lake in the Beartooth Mtns. I stepped out of the tent on that moonless night. The Milky Way glistened with brilliance. The desire to praise the Creator was instantaneous and fulfilled.
• v4: Much of this I don’t understand. I need to visit again with our friend Mark Amunrud who always has well-thought-out ideas about these things. But the glory of it all is the mystery of the Creator of heaven and earth.
Why are the heavens called to such praise? Because the LORD commanded them into existence. They are His handiwork and simply by their existence and function they declare His glory.
Earth, v7-14
• v8: In these summer months in Jerusalem the gentle breeze calls for constant thanks to our good Creator and Sustainer. Recently there was a well-attested story of a sudden wind blowing a Hamas rocket off course so it landed in the ocean rather than a populated area. Israel’s Iron Dome failed to destroy it in 2 or 3 attempts. Praise to the sovereign LORD.
• v9: Walking around the Garden Tomb, we now have signs identifying many of the trees. There are several fruit trees here that bear fruit at differing times of the year. It is a joy when in the Arab and Jewish markets to always have an abundance and variety of Israel-produced fruit. Praise to our wise Creator.
• v10: In the afore-mentioned backpacking trip in the Beartooths we were thankful to see one moose at first light Sunday morning. While in Bryce Nat’l Park Cindy captured wonderful pictures of a deer, and even a crow (not my favorite bird). ALL give unique praise to their exalted Creator.
• v11: Oh, that the rulers of the nations would acknowledge the Creator and His decreed Anointed One, our Lord Jesus. The phrase “wars and rumors of wars” so fits our world today and especially Israel. But all any of them talk about it seems are their armies, their weapons, their plans, their negotiations, their… Where is the glory due His Name?!
• v12: Here at the Garden the praise of the LORD is so evident in the staff. There are Palestinians and Israelis who work together in full honor of His Name. And even in this slow time the praise of many who come into this Garden is evident. The sound of songs of praise in many languages is a staple here. Last night at dinner we shared with our fellow volunteers the joys of worship at Central Bible Church. The little orchestra and the congregation just filled that auditorium with the sounds of joyful praise. And well we remember on our way through Montana meeting with the small gathering of believers in a home in Lewistown; how their praise filled that home, praise for the exalted LORD.
Why should everything on earth praise the LORD? Because He alone is exalted! His glory is above the heavens and earth. AND … do not miss it … He HAS exalted the horn of His people Israel, the greater Son of David, Jesus the Anointed One. He is now in the heavenlies, at the right hand of the Majesty on High. How I/we give great praise for the faith of Abraham, exercised by all believers today. We praise You, our God, that in Christ we have been grafted in to the tree. We are your saints. May our praise this day reflect that reality!
Jeremiah 1
Jer. 1:9: “My words in your mouth”
This chapter relates God’s call of Jeremiah to be a prophet. Jeremiah’s call was to be a prophet to the nations (v5) with the specific “target group” being the people and leadership of Judea, the remaining Southern Kingdom of Israel.
He was called to a ministry that would be characterized by rejection of his message. Note this: he would be rejected! He would not have a following. Even though …
*He was specifically chosen by God (1:5);
*He would speak with God’s authority (1:9-10);
*He would personally sacrifice much for the sake of his ministry (12:6: his siblings would turn against him; 15:17: he would have no friends; 16:2: he would not be permitted by God to marry or have children).
The fact is that God was “ready to perform (His) word” (v12) by sending a powerful nation from the north (v13-16) that would be like a pot of boiling water poured out on Judah. The decision had been made by God back in the reign of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah (2 Kings 21:10-16). The time had come to call the people to repentance before the inevitable and unavoidable judgment.
Is it possible there are “preachers” today whose messages have been cleansed of references to sin and judgment, to the reality of the wrath of God that is even now being revealed on earth (Rom. 1:19f), and which will be poured out in full on wickedness? Yes, we believe that is the case. There are few who would receive such a call as Jeremiah, to preach the realities of sin and judgment and to have few followers. Yet, Jeremiah was faithful to preach the words that God put in his mouth. Out of this message, be assured that God will offer grace and mercy, but few will accept it. Jeremiah was faithful because he was not seduced by “numbers” but was obedient to God’s call in his life.
The good news of the gospel only makes sense in the context of the bad news of man’s guilt before a Holy God! “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isa. 59:1-2)
This chapter relates God’s call of Jeremiah to be a prophet. Jeremiah’s call was to be a prophet to the nations (v5) with the specific “target group” being the people and leadership of Judea, the remaining Southern Kingdom of Israel.
He was called to a ministry that would be characterized by rejection of his message. Note this: he would be rejected! He would not have a following. Even though …
*He was specifically chosen by God (1:5);
*He would speak with God’s authority (1:9-10);
*He would personally sacrifice much for the sake of his ministry (12:6: his siblings would turn against him; 15:17: he would have no friends; 16:2: he would not be permitted by God to marry or have children).
The fact is that God was “ready to perform (His) word” (v12) by sending a powerful nation from the north (v13-16) that would be like a pot of boiling water poured out on Judah. The decision had been made by God back in the reign of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah (2 Kings 21:10-16). The time had come to call the people to repentance before the inevitable and unavoidable judgment.
Is it possible there are “preachers” today whose messages have been cleansed of references to sin and judgment, to the reality of the wrath of God that is even now being revealed on earth (Rom. 1:19f), and which will be poured out in full on wickedness? Yes, we believe that is the case. There are few who would receive such a call as Jeremiah, to preach the realities of sin and judgment and to have few followers. Yet, Jeremiah was faithful to preach the words that God put in his mouth. Out of this message, be assured that God will offer grace and mercy, but few will accept it. Jeremiah was faithful because he was not seduced by “numbers” but was obedient to God’s call in his life.
The good news of the gospel only makes sense in the context of the bad news of man’s guilt before a Holy God! “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isa. 59:1-2)
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Contentment
May I suggest you first read Philippians 4:10-13.
I was given a wonderful book entitled, "Contentment: The Secret to a Lasting Calm," by Dr. Richard A. Swenson. It is a NavPress (Colorado Springs, CO, 2013) publication and I recommend it highly. Today, to whet your appetite, so to speak, here is a brief section from a part of the book (p.52-53) where Swenson offers quotes on 'contentment' from throughout history.
*********************************************
John Bunyan, one of the world's favorite authors, wrote in Pilgrim's Progress:
He that is down need fear no fall,
He that is low no pride.
He that is humble ever shall have
God to be his guide.
I am content with what I have,
Little be it, or much.
And Lord! Contentment still I crave,
Because Thou safest such.
This is the "Song of the Shepherd Boy in the Valley of Humiliation." Some might recognize it also as the song sung by Beth in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, sickly though she was and soon to die.
We cross the Atlantic to hear our last couple of voices. The eminent preacher and theologian, Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), definitively wrote, "There is provision in Christ for the satisfaction and full contentment of the needy and thirsty soul." At one point, Edwards housed a guest, David Brainerd (1718-1747), the young zealous missionary to native Americans. After he had fallen ill among the Indians, Brainerd wrote, "I am in a very poor state of health; but through Divine goodness, I am not discontented. I bless God for this retirement! I never was more thankful for anything than I have spent of late for the necessity I am under of self-denial in many respects." He came to stay with the Edwards family where hr was affectionately nursed by their seventeen-year-old daughter, Jerusha. Brainerd died of tuberculosis six months later at the age of twenty-nine. Four months following, Jerusha became ill with TB and died in five days. The two are buried side-by-side. Far from being spiteful, Edwards wrote The Life of David Brainerd, which became his best-selling work and challenged many future generations of missionaries.
I was given a wonderful book entitled, "Contentment: The Secret to a Lasting Calm," by Dr. Richard A. Swenson. It is a NavPress (Colorado Springs, CO, 2013) publication and I recommend it highly. Today, to whet your appetite, so to speak, here is a brief section from a part of the book (p.52-53) where Swenson offers quotes on 'contentment' from throughout history.
*********************************************
John Bunyan, one of the world's favorite authors, wrote in Pilgrim's Progress:
He that is down need fear no fall,
He that is low no pride.
He that is humble ever shall have
God to be his guide.
I am content with what I have,
Little be it, or much.
And Lord! Contentment still I crave,
Because Thou safest such.
This is the "Song of the Shepherd Boy in the Valley of Humiliation." Some might recognize it also as the song sung by Beth in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, sickly though she was and soon to die.
We cross the Atlantic to hear our last couple of voices. The eminent preacher and theologian, Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), definitively wrote, "There is provision in Christ for the satisfaction and full contentment of the needy and thirsty soul." At one point, Edwards housed a guest, David Brainerd (1718-1747), the young zealous missionary to native Americans. After he had fallen ill among the Indians, Brainerd wrote, "I am in a very poor state of health; but through Divine goodness, I am not discontented. I bless God for this retirement! I never was more thankful for anything than I have spent of late for the necessity I am under of self-denial in many respects." He came to stay with the Edwards family where hr was affectionately nursed by their seventeen-year-old daughter, Jerusha. Brainerd died of tuberculosis six months later at the age of twenty-nine. Four months following, Jerusha became ill with TB and died in five days. The two are buried side-by-side. Far from being spiteful, Edwards wrote The Life of David Brainerd, which became his best-selling work and challenged many future generations of missionaries.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
2 Kings 23
There are references to three notable landmarks in Jerusalem in this story of Josiah purging Judah of idolatry. Two of them show the extent of the idolatry; the other speaks of the removal of idolatry. Taking them in reverse order ...
v13: The Mount of Corruption. This is in fact The Mount of Olives which is east of Jerusalem as the passage indicates. Olivett has 3 peaks from north to south. It is here called "corruption" because Solomon had established a high place for his wives to worship foreign gods on the southern peak some 350 years before. This high place would have been high enough to be in view of worshipers at the temple. Israel's struggle with and capitulation to idolatry had been going on for a long time.
v10: The Valley of the Son of Hinnom. This is the valley at the southern end of the city of David beginning at the southern end of the Mount of Olives. It was here that the people of Israel, including two of her kings, carried out horrible and cruel acts of idolatry, including walking on beds of hot coals and sacrificing children to be burned in the fire.. "Tophet" refers to this place of burning. In Mark 9:48 Jesus uses this location as a picture of hell. The word for hell is Gehenna, the valley of Hinnom. In Jesus' day it was the trash heap where "‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched. ’". Truly idolatry had reached to the depths of wickedness.
v4,6,12: The Brook Kidron. Between the Temple Mount and the Mt. of Olives is the Kidron Valley where the Brook Kidron runs through the narrow fields. It is here that Josiah emptied all the pulverized evidence of idolatry and burned it so as to be unusable. This place speaks loudly of our own need to be rid of anything that does not honor God. In 2 Sam. 15 David fled the city during the uprising of Absolum. As he did he undoubtedly struggled with his own failures that had brought the kingdom to such a terrible state. He would later walk back through the Kidron in his return to the throne.
But he was not the only one to walk this valley. His greater Son, our Lord Jesus, crossed over after His supper with the disciples to go to Gethsemanae. There He prayed the ultimate prayer of those who would be free of idolatry: "not MyWill but Thine be done." This One who "learned obedience from the things that He suffered" (Hebrew. 5:8) had learned that night. He returned to face the agony of the cross confident that He was fully submitted to His Father and God!
Cross the Kidron as you begin this day. Deposit every trace of idolatry. Then return as living sacrifice, your only reasonable worship.
v13: The Mount of Corruption. This is in fact The Mount of Olives which is east of Jerusalem as the passage indicates. Olivett has 3 peaks from north to south. It is here called "corruption" because Solomon had established a high place for his wives to worship foreign gods on the southern peak some 350 years before. This high place would have been high enough to be in view of worshipers at the temple. Israel's struggle with and capitulation to idolatry had been going on for a long time.
v10: The Valley of the Son of Hinnom. This is the valley at the southern end of the city of David beginning at the southern end of the Mount of Olives. It was here that the people of Israel, including two of her kings, carried out horrible and cruel acts of idolatry, including walking on beds of hot coals and sacrificing children to be burned in the fire.. "Tophet" refers to this place of burning. In Mark 9:48 Jesus uses this location as a picture of hell. The word for hell is Gehenna, the valley of Hinnom. In Jesus' day it was the trash heap where "‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched. ’". Truly idolatry had reached to the depths of wickedness.
v4,6,12: The Brook Kidron. Between the Temple Mount and the Mt. of Olives is the Kidron Valley where the Brook Kidron runs through the narrow fields. It is here that Josiah emptied all the pulverized evidence of idolatry and burned it so as to be unusable. This place speaks loudly of our own need to be rid of anything that does not honor God. In 2 Sam. 15 David fled the city during the uprising of Absolum. As he did he undoubtedly struggled with his own failures that had brought the kingdom to such a terrible state. He would later walk back through the Kidron in his return to the throne.
But he was not the only one to walk this valley. His greater Son, our Lord Jesus, crossed over after His supper with the disciples to go to Gethsemanae. There He prayed the ultimate prayer of those who would be free of idolatry: "not MyWill but Thine be done." This One who "learned obedience from the things that He suffered" (Hebrew. 5:8) had learned that night. He returned to face the agony of the cross confident that He was fully submitted to His Father and God!
Cross the Kidron as you begin this day. Deposit every trace of idolatry. Then return as living sacrifice, your only reasonable worship.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
2 Kings 21
2 Kings 21:9: Manasseh seduced them.
Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, was the king in whose reign Judah committed such abominations that God determined they should be removed from the land (Jer. 15:4). So terrible was this time that in Jeremiah’s prophecy God had said, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people” (Jer. 15:1).
Manasseh was certainly a wicked king. Solomon in his wisdom had said, “Mercy and truth preserve the king, and by lovingkindness he upholds the throne” (Prov. 20:28). Manasseh did not live in a way to prolong the kingdom over which he ruled. Even though there was a good and great king after him (Josiah), still God would not relent because of what this evil king had done.
But note that Jeremiah’s prophecy says that God’s hand was not only against the king but against “this people”. How did things turn so sour from the time of Hezekiah to the time of Manasseh? On the one hand, the people paid no attention to what God had said through His servant Moses. That’s the same “attention” word as in 2 Kings 20:8 when Hezekiah paid too much attention to the Babylonian emissaries. They no longer gave an "intelligent hearing" to God’s word.
At the same time, they became evil because Manasseh seduced them. Apparently by the pressure of governmental rules (i.e. unjust laws) and explanations (i.e. spin) and provisions (i.e. promises of a better economy) Manasseh caused them to stray from the truth. Undoubtedly in Judean society this was a time when doing evil was easy and being righteous was extremely difficult.
Now let us consider this for our own edification. We are responsible for our lives before God. We may want to blame the government for our situation but if we do we are only falling for one of Satan’s “seductions”. God will not be impressed by this excuse, no matter how difficult we think our situation to be. Jesus said “offenses must come” (Matt. 18:7). It’s predicted: the world will become more and more evil as we move towards the end of this age. The seductions will be more seductive, the pressures more oppressive. But Jesus goes on to say, “woe to that man by whom the offense comes”. The inevitability of sin in a society does not relieve the sinner from judgment. Manasseh is judged for causing evil; the people are judged for doing evil.
Let us not continue the method of dealing with sin introduced in the Garden of Eden, that of blaming others (Gen. 3). If the laws are unjust and the government evil, let us nevertheless give attention to the Word of God. No-excuses-righteousness is the life to which we have been called!
Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, was the king in whose reign Judah committed such abominations that God determined they should be removed from the land (Jer. 15:4). So terrible was this time that in Jeremiah’s prophecy God had said, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people” (Jer. 15:1).
Manasseh was certainly a wicked king. Solomon in his wisdom had said, “Mercy and truth preserve the king, and by lovingkindness he upholds the throne” (Prov. 20:28). Manasseh did not live in a way to prolong the kingdom over which he ruled. Even though there was a good and great king after him (Josiah), still God would not relent because of what this evil king had done.
But note that Jeremiah’s prophecy says that God’s hand was not only against the king but against “this people”. How did things turn so sour from the time of Hezekiah to the time of Manasseh? On the one hand, the people paid no attention to what God had said through His servant Moses. That’s the same “attention” word as in 2 Kings 20:8 when Hezekiah paid too much attention to the Babylonian emissaries. They no longer gave an "intelligent hearing" to God’s word.
At the same time, they became evil because Manasseh seduced them. Apparently by the pressure of governmental rules (i.e. unjust laws) and explanations (i.e. spin) and provisions (i.e. promises of a better economy) Manasseh caused them to stray from the truth. Undoubtedly in Judean society this was a time when doing evil was easy and being righteous was extremely difficult.
Now let us consider this for our own edification. We are responsible for our lives before God. We may want to blame the government for our situation but if we do we are only falling for one of Satan’s “seductions”. God will not be impressed by this excuse, no matter how difficult we think our situation to be. Jesus said “offenses must come” (Matt. 18:7). It’s predicted: the world will become more and more evil as we move towards the end of this age. The seductions will be more seductive, the pressures more oppressive. But Jesus goes on to say, “woe to that man by whom the offense comes”. The inevitability of sin in a society does not relieve the sinner from judgment. Manasseh is judged for causing evil; the people are judged for doing evil.
Let us not continue the method of dealing with sin introduced in the Garden of Eden, that of blaming others (Gen. 3). If the laws are unjust and the government evil, let us nevertheless give attention to the Word of God. No-excuses-righteousness is the life to which we have been called!
Monday, August 4, 2014
2 Kings 20
2 Kings 20:13: “Hezekiah was attentive to them.”
These 3 chapters (18-20) on the reign of Hezekiah are significant in the Scriptures. They are given to us 3 times in the Old Testament (cf. also 2 Chron. 29-32 and Isaiah 36-39). Why this emphasis?
In the case of Isaiah’s inclusion of this in his prophecy it provides a critical water-shed moment in the life of the nation. The regional (world) power when Hezekiah became king was Assyria. They literally stomped on everyone around them, taking control of the nations. And God used them to exact punishment on the idolatrous Northern Kingdom of Israel, resulting in their removal from the promised land. Assyria’s eventual demise however has it’s beginnings when they come to do the same to Judah. There God honors His name by delivering Hezekiah.
Amazingly, in his prophecy, Isaiah 40-66 places special emphasis on Judah’s enemy, but the enemy is Babylon, not Assyria. Babylon’s rise to prominence is still 100 years off. Yet Isaiah treats them as if they are the ones to fear. Thus the position of these chapters in Isaiah indicates the turning from Assyria whom God uses to punish Israel to the next enemy, Babylon, whom God will use to punish Judah. It is likely that Isaiah 40-66 was written after this meeting of the Babylonian emissaries with Hezekiah. It seemed so innocent at the time, and yet was God’s means of moving the prophet to understand the years and centuries to come.
The 2 Chronicles version of the story of Hezekiah’s healing and the visit of the Babylonians is given only in a summary form. Here is what it says.
24 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death, and he prayed to the LORD; and He spoke to him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah’s showing of his riches was not so innocent. It was a failure to thank God for the healing. His pride was the same kind of response the nation would have in the coming years in the 55-year reign of Manasseh. All of this is suggested by the term “attentive” in 2 Kings 20:13. The word means to “hear” but to hear “intelligently”. Hezekiah treated them “as if they were something special”, an attention that belonged only to God Who had blessed him.
Today we will each be living out the story God has planned for us (Eph. 2:10). Let us not fall into the trap of thinking there will be insignificant conversations or events along the way. Always we are being given opportunities to exalt our Father and His Son Jesus Christ! By God’s grace let us do so.
These 3 chapters (18-20) on the reign of Hezekiah are significant in the Scriptures. They are given to us 3 times in the Old Testament (cf. also 2 Chron. 29-32 and Isaiah 36-39). Why this emphasis?
In the case of Isaiah’s inclusion of this in his prophecy it provides a critical water-shed moment in the life of the nation. The regional (world) power when Hezekiah became king was Assyria. They literally stomped on everyone around them, taking control of the nations. And God used them to exact punishment on the idolatrous Northern Kingdom of Israel, resulting in their removal from the promised land. Assyria’s eventual demise however has it’s beginnings when they come to do the same to Judah. There God honors His name by delivering Hezekiah.
Amazingly, in his prophecy, Isaiah 40-66 places special emphasis on Judah’s enemy, but the enemy is Babylon, not Assyria. Babylon’s rise to prominence is still 100 years off. Yet Isaiah treats them as if they are the ones to fear. Thus the position of these chapters in Isaiah indicates the turning from Assyria whom God uses to punish Israel to the next enemy, Babylon, whom God will use to punish Judah. It is likely that Isaiah 40-66 was written after this meeting of the Babylonian emissaries with Hezekiah. It seemed so innocent at the time, and yet was God’s means of moving the prophet to understand the years and centuries to come.
The 2 Chronicles version of the story of Hezekiah’s healing and the visit of the Babylonians is given only in a summary form. Here is what it says.
24 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death, and he prayed to the LORD; and He spoke to him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah’s showing of his riches was not so innocent. It was a failure to thank God for the healing. His pride was the same kind of response the nation would have in the coming years in the 55-year reign of Manasseh. All of this is suggested by the term “attentive” in 2 Kings 20:13. The word means to “hear” but to hear “intelligently”. Hezekiah treated them “as if they were something special”, an attention that belonged only to God Who had blessed him.
Today we will each be living out the story God has planned for us (Eph. 2:10). Let us not fall into the trap of thinking there will be insignificant conversations or events along the way. Always we are being given opportunities to exalt our Father and His Son Jesus Christ! By God’s grace let us do so.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Psalm 147
What a marvelous hymn is this 2nd of the Hillel Psalms that conclude the Bible’s Hymnbook. As with each of them it gives us a multitude of reasons to praise God. Truly praise is both “pleasant” and “beautiful” (v1). But why? What makes it so easy to praise God?
The Psalm is written in the context of a call to Israel, and especially Jerusalem, to praise the Lord for His “sustaining” work in His creation. In verses 2-6 God is seen as omniscient and compassionate. He is so knowledgeable He calls the stars by name; His compassion causes Him to exalt the humble and humble the exalted. And these perfections of God are seen in the way He has gathered the outcasts to Jerusalem to build it up.
In verses 7-11 God is praised because of the way He cares for His creation day by day. These verses note that God’s sustaining grace is for all the earth. And the blessings are especially for those in whom He delights: not the great and powerful of the earth but those who fear Him, who “hope in His mercy”.
Then note that in verses 12-18 it is Jerusalem again that is called to praise God. They are to be thankful for the way God has sustained His people along with the rest of the earth. It is especially to be noted that God is the source of security and peace as well as healthy children and the finest wheat. God does this!
Do not miss the conclusion to the Psalm for herein we see the connection between God’s revealing Himself in creation (general revelation) and His revelation in Scripture (special revelation). The God Who has blessed Israel with rain and crops and families is the God Who has blessed Israel with His word! Those who “fear God (and) hope in His mercy” are those who receive all of His blessings with praise.
Oh Israel, praise God today for His blessings upon you. Do not trust in the strength of man but fear God, hope in His mercy!
Oh drought-ridden friends in California, turn to the Creator-Sustainer today. Thank Him for His blessings. Do not trust in the strength of man but fear God, hope in His mercy!
Oh friends in the Flathead Valley of Montana where God has abundantly blessed, give Him praise. Do not trust in the strength of man but fear God, hope in His mercy.
The Psalm is written in the context of a call to Israel, and especially Jerusalem, to praise the Lord for His “sustaining” work in His creation. In verses 2-6 God is seen as omniscient and compassionate. He is so knowledgeable He calls the stars by name; His compassion causes Him to exalt the humble and humble the exalted. And these perfections of God are seen in the way He has gathered the outcasts to Jerusalem to build it up.
In verses 7-11 God is praised because of the way He cares for His creation day by day. These verses note that God’s sustaining grace is for all the earth. And the blessings are especially for those in whom He delights: not the great and powerful of the earth but those who fear Him, who “hope in His mercy”.
Then note that in verses 12-18 it is Jerusalem again that is called to praise God. They are to be thankful for the way God has sustained His people along with the rest of the earth. It is especially to be noted that God is the source of security and peace as well as healthy children and the finest wheat. God does this!
Do not miss the conclusion to the Psalm for herein we see the connection between God’s revealing Himself in creation (general revelation) and His revelation in Scripture (special revelation). The God Who has blessed Israel with rain and crops and families is the God Who has blessed Israel with His word! Those who “fear God (and) hope in His mercy” are those who receive all of His blessings with praise.
Oh Israel, praise God today for His blessings upon you. Do not trust in the strength of man but fear God, hope in His mercy!
Oh drought-ridden friends in California, turn to the Creator-Sustainer today. Thank Him for His blessings. Do not trust in the strength of man but fear God, hope in His mercy!
Oh friends in the Flathead Valley of Montana where God has abundantly blessed, give Him praise. Do not trust in the strength of man but fear God, hope in His mercy.
Friday, August 1, 2014
1 Kings 8
In verse 20 is Solomon indicating a weak relationship with God, or is it humility when he says, "I have filled the position of my father David"? He spoke the truth, of course. He was serving the Lord by doing what had been in his father's heart. This was what God desired. So Solomon was first required to have an eager heart in fulfilling someone else's plan. That requires a humility not often seen today. We are often about making a name for ourselves and cannot stoop to make a name for someone else. Yet that is the nature of submission. In submission our goal is to make someone else "look good" or prosper.
Nevertheless, given Solomon's spiritual struggles later in his life, we still wonder about the strength of his own faith. He fulfilled his father's vision, but he cannot live on his father's faith. Did he have his own faith and trust in God? Solomon's dedicatory prayer in the verses that follow give evidence of that faith.
In verses 23-26 he prays that God would keep the promise that he made to his father David. The promise has to do with a son on David's throne and at this time Solomon is that son through whom the greater Son will someday come and rule.
In verses 27-30 we see the depth of Solomon's trust in God. He knows God cannot be confined to this building that he is built. For that very reason He is the God that Solomon calls on to bless His people with they turn to him.
We must have personal faith in God. But let us not confuse personal faith with originality. For most of us our faith is being expressed in the context of making someone else successful, whether in the workplace, the home, or society in general. But as we do let us trust God to joyfully do it well and to do it for his glory.
Nevertheless, given Solomon's spiritual struggles later in his life, we still wonder about the strength of his own faith. He fulfilled his father's vision, but he cannot live on his father's faith. Did he have his own faith and trust in God? Solomon's dedicatory prayer in the verses that follow give evidence of that faith.
In verses 23-26 he prays that God would keep the promise that he made to his father David. The promise has to do with a son on David's throne and at this time Solomon is that son through whom the greater Son will someday come and rule.
In verses 27-30 we see the depth of Solomon's trust in God. He knows God cannot be confined to this building that he is built. For that very reason He is the God that Solomon calls on to bless His people with they turn to him.
We must have personal faith in God. But let us not confuse personal faith with originality. For most of us our faith is being expressed in the context of making someone else successful, whether in the workplace, the home, or society in general. But as we do let us trust God to joyfully do it well and to do it for his glory.
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