3597.) Jeremiah 15

Jeremiah 15   (NLT)

Judah’s Inevitable Doom

Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I wouldn’t help them. Away with them! Get them out of my sight! ² And if they say to you, ‘But where can we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘Those who are destined for death, to death;
    those who are destined for war, to war;
those who are destined for famine, to famine;
    those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.’

³ “I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” says the Lord. “I will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and the wild animals to finish up what is left. ⁴ Because of the wicked things Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem, I will make my people an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

Manasseh was the most wicked king in Judah’s history (see 2 Kings 21:1-11, 16), and his sins were a primary cause of the nation’s eventual destruction (see 2 Kings 21:12-15; 23:26-27; 24:3-4).  (The Archaeology Study Bible)

⁵ “Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem?
    Who will weep for you?
    Who will even bother to ask how you are?
⁶ You have abandoned me
    and turned your back on me,”
    says the Lord.

“Therefore, I will raise my fist to destroy you.
    I am tired of always giving you another chance.
⁷ I will winnow you like grain at the gates of your cities
    and take away the children you hold dear.
I will destroy my own people,
    because they refuse to change their evil ways.
⁸ There will be more widows
    than the grains of sand on the seashore.
At noontime I will bring a destroyer
    against the mothers of young men.
I will cause anguish and terror
    to come upon them suddenly.
⁹ The mother of seven grows faint and gasps for breath;
    her sun has gone down while it is still day.
She sits childless now,
    disgraced and humiliated.
And I will hand over those who are left
    to be killed by the enemy.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Romans 6:23 (NIV)

For the wages of sin is death . . .

Jeremiah’s Complaint

Jeremiah has heard the bad news and turns to the Lord for comfort.  The following conversation between Jeremiah and God is precious to read.

¹⁰ Then I said,

“What sorrow is mine, my mother.
    Oh, that I had died at birth!
    I am hated everywhere I go.
I am neither a lender who threatens to foreclose
    nor a borrower who refuses to pay—
    yet they all curse me.”

¹¹ The Lord replied,

“I will take care of you, Jeremiah.
    Your enemies will ask you to plead on their behalf
    in times of trouble and distress.
¹² Can a man break a bar of iron from the north,
    or a bar of bronze?
¹³ At no cost to them,
    I will hand over your wealth and treasures
as plunder to your enemies,
    for sin runs rampant in your land.
¹⁴ I will tell your enemies to take you
    as captives to a foreign land.
For my anger blazes like a fire
    that will burn forever.”

¹⁵ Then I said,

“Lord, you know what’s happening to me.
    Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors!
Please give me time; don’t let me die young.
    It’s for your sake that I am suffering.

¹⁶ When I discovered your words, I devoured them.
    They are my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
    O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.

from Experiencing God Day-by-Day,
by Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby

REJOICING IN GOD’S WORD

If you were to receive a note from the leader of your country or someone famous, you would probably save it as a keepsake. How much more precious is a message from almighty God!

Sometimes we find ourselves in circumstances that are beyond our control. This was the case for Mary and Martha as they were grieving the death of their brother Lazarus. At these times a word from Jesus can bring much rejoicing (John 11:41-45). Other times when Jesus speaks, His words bring correction. “Get behind Me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:23) and “O you of little faith” (Matthew 14:31) do not seem to bring joy. Yet Jeremiah said that God’s word brought him joy.

It is overwhelming to consider that holy, almighty God would speak directly to us! What a privilege that He would care enough to challenge our destructive thoughts or practices. No matter whether His words are praising us or chastising us, we ought to consider it joy to receive life-changing words from our Master!

Every time we prepare to worship the Lord, we ought to do so with anticipation that almighty God may have something to say to us. Whenever we open our Bibles, we should expect that God has something to tell us in our time with Him. We ought to be far more concerned with what God will say to us during our prayer times than with what we intend to tell Him.

When you receive a word from your Lord, whether it be of praise or of correction, consider it joy that almighty God would speak to you.

¹⁷ I never joined the people in their merry feasts.
    I sat alone because your hand was on me.
    I was filled with indignation at their sins.

We will learn in the next chapter that Jeremiah never married.

¹⁸ Why then does my suffering continue?
    Why is my wound so incurable?
Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook,
    like a spring that has gone dry.”

¹⁹ This is how the Lord responds:

“If you return to me, I will restore you
    so you can continue to serve me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,
    you will be my spokesman.
You must influence them;
    do not let them influence you!
²⁰ They will fight against you like an attacking army,
    but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze.
They will not conquer you,
    for I am with you to protect and rescue you.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!
²¹ Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men.
    I will rescue you from their cruel hands.”

Romans 6:23 (NIV)

For the wages of sin is death . . .

but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

_________________________

Music:

How tenderly the Lord reassures Jeremiah and calms his anxiety. God promises to protect his prophet and encourages Jeremiah to remain faithful.  HERE  is a song to lift up Jeremiah’s spirits and yours as well! — Bruce Springsteen and “This Little Light of Mine.”

_________________________

New Living Translation (NLT)  Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Your words were found.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/08281-jeremiah1516.jpg

the end is near.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/5da32-the_end_is_near_sign.jpg

When I discovered your words.   https://i.pinimg.com/236x/63/60/e9/6360e9eeb49ccbb22f86272d72a2338c–faith-bible-bible-verses.jpg

Bible on dinner plate.  https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/jer15-eat-the-word.jpg

3596.) Jeremiah 14

Jeremiah 14   (NLT)

Judah’s Terrible Drought

The people are so hardened in their sin that God will not answer even Jeremiah’s prayer for deliverance from the punishment of drought.  In answer to Jeremiah’s question whether God has rejected Judah completely (verse 9), God replies that the coming judgment is inevitable because of Judah’s sin.  (The Reformation Bible)

This message came to Jeremiah from the Lord, explaining why he was holding back the rain:

Drought was also a special issue for ancient Israel and Judah, because the often-worshipped Canaanite idol Baal was thought to be the god of weather and rain. Many ancient Israelites were drawn to Baal worship because they wanted rain.

² “Judah wilts;
    commerce at the city gates grinds to a halt.
All the people sit on the ground in mourning,
    and a great cry rises from Jerusalem.
³ The nobles send servants to get water,
    but all the wells are dry.
The servants return with empty pitchers,
    confused and desperate,
    covering their heads in grief.
⁴ The ground is parched
    and cracked for lack of rain.
The farmers are deeply troubled;
    they, too, cover their heads.
⁵ Even the doe abandons her newborn fawn
    because there is no grass in the field.
⁶ The wild donkeys stand on the bare hills
    panting like thirsty jackals.
They strain their eyes looking for grass,
    but there is none to be found.”

Such a clear picture Jeremiah paints with his words!

⁷ The people say, “Our wickedness has caught up with us, Lord,
    but help us for the sake of your own reputation.
We have turned away from you
    and sinned against you again and again.
⁸ O Hope of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble,
    why are you like a stranger to us?
Why are you like a traveler passing through the land,
    stopping only for the night?
⁹ Are you also confused?
    Is our champion helpless to save us?
You are right here among us, Lord.
    We are known as your people.
    Please don’t abandon us now!”

The prophet Jeremiah, confessing for the people, asks for relief from the drought and the famine.  But the Lord says there will be no relief; rather, the people will be destroyed by sword, by famine, and by pestilence.

–William MacDonald

¹⁰ So this is what the Lord says to his people:
“You love to wander far from me
    and do not restrain yourselves.
Therefore, I will no longer accept you as my people.
    Now I will remember all your wickedness
    and will punish you for your sins.”

The Lord Forbids Jeremiah to Intercede

¹¹ Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for these people anymore.

We are instructed often in Scripture to pray unceasingly, with fervency and belief. So it is a bit of a shock to hear God say, “Don’t pray for them.” God’s patience had run out with the people’s continual sinning and he had made up his mind as to his course of action. Sad words:  Too Late.

¹² When they fast, I will pay no attention. When they present their burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. Instead, I will devour them with war, famine, and disease.”

¹³ Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, their prophets are telling them, ‘All is well—no war or famine will come. The Lord will surely send you peace.’”

¹⁴ Then the Lord said, “These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts. ¹⁵ Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I will punish these lying prophets, for they have spoken in my name even though I never sent them. They say that no war or famine will come, but they themselves will die by war and famine!

This is one of the most frightening themes in the Bible, in my opinion — that there are those who think they are serving God in their religious work, but God does not know them. Lord, help me be a true disciple!

Matthew 7:15-23   (NIV)

True and False Prophets

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

True and False Disciples

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

¹⁶ As for the people to whom they prophesy—their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and war. There will be no one left to bury them. Husbands, wives, sons, and daughters—all will be gone. For I will pour out their own wickedness on them. ¹⁷ Now, Jeremiah, say this to them:

“Night and day my eyes overflow with tears.
    I cannot stop weeping,
for my virgin daughter—my precious people—
    has been struck down
    and lies mortally wounded.
¹⁸ If I go out into the fields,
    I see the bodies of people slaughtered by the enemy.
If I walk the city streets,
    I see people who have died of starvation.
The prophets and priests continue with their work,
    but they don’t know what they’re doing.”

A Prayer for Healing

¹⁹ Lord, have you completely rejected Judah?
    Do you really hate Jerusalem?
Why have you wounded us past all hope of healing?
    We hoped for peace, but no peace came.
    We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.
²⁰ Lord, we confess our wickedness
    and that of our ancestors, too.
    We all have sinned against you.
²¹ For the sake of your reputation, Lord, do not abandon us.
    Do not disgrace your own glorious throne.
Please remember us,
    and do not break your covenant with us.

²² Can any of the worthless foreign gods send us rain?
    Does it fall from the sky by itself?
No, you are the one, O Lord our God!
    Only you can do such things.
    So we will wait for you to help us.

Psalm 135:6-7   (NIV)

The Lord does whatever pleases him,
    in the heavens and on the earth,
    in the seas and all their depths.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
    he sends lightning with the rain
    and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

_________________________

Music:

verse 22:  So we will wait for you to help us.

HERE  is “While I’m Waiting”  by John Waller. Perhaps you are waiting for something or someone . . . such a long time, it seems . . .  and you may be weary. Jesus understands, and is beside you even in the waiting.

_________________________

New Living Translation (NLT)  Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Are there any among the idols.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/c3c81-jeremiah-14-22.png

v. 10.   https://i.pinimg.com/736x/61/43/c2/6143c2ddf76dac4c0de94bdc50bdb490–gods-not-dead-script.jpg

v. 14.   http://wp.production.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/files/2016/01/Jeremiah-The-Message.jpg

by his stripes.   https://static.tumblr.com/9d3b99c5b48e08af1091180f985b627f/4llhxen/4kpnsdc3r/tumblr_static_tumblr_static_6mihr0ztd1k440ws40oowwk48_640.jpg

raining.    http://listresearchers.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/raining-coloring-page.jpg

3595.) Jeremiah 13

Jeremiah 13    (NLT)

Jeremiah’s Linen Loincloth

This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it on, but do not wash it.” ² So I bought the loincloth as the Lord directed me, and I put it on.

³ Then the Lord gave me another message: ⁴ “Take the linen loincloth you are wearing, and go to the Euphrates River. Hide it there in a hole in the rocks.” ⁵ So I went and hid it by the Euphrates as the Lord had instructed me.

⁶ A long time afterward the Lord said to me, “Go back to the Euphrates and get the loincloth I told you to hide there.” ⁷ So I went to the Euphrates and dug it out of the hole where I had hidden it. But now it was rotting and falling apart. The loincloth was good for nothing.

⁸ Then I received this message from the Lord: ⁹ “This is what the Lord says: This shows how I will rot away the pride of Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁰ These wicked people refuse to listen to me. They stubbornly follow their own desires and worship other gods. Therefore, they will become like this loincloth—good for nothing! ¹¹ As a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me, says the Lord. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory—an honor to my name. But they would not listen to me.

Here is a very interesting illustration. God tells Jeremiah to buy a new linen belt and wear it around his waist (Vs. 1). At that time, a linen belt was an intimate piece of clothing, comparable to the underwear of today. After Jeremiah wore the belt, God directed him to take it off and hide it in some rocks near a river (Vs. 4). After many days, God told Jeremiah to return to Perath and retrieve the belt (Vs. 6). After sitting in the elements, the belt that was once perfect and clean was ruined and completely useless (Vs. 7).

The belt was symbolic of the people of Judah. They were once a people who were close to God, just as the belt was once close to Jeremiah. Over time, though, the people of Judah allowed pride to come into their hearts, and this pride was as damaging to the people of Judah as the elements were to the belt. Eventually, that pride ruined them and rendered them completely useless to God.

This perfect picture of backsliding is as relevant today as it was for the Israelites. If we are not careful, we can allow the “elements” to damage our close personal relationship with God. We can start to feel pride about our salvation or about our good works, and pretty soon, we end up ruined and completely useless. Do not allow anything to come between you and God, because with Him, we are clean and new, but without Him, we are just a dirty belt.

–Kevin Griggs

¹² “So tell them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: May all your jars be filled with wine.’ And they will reply, ‘Of course! Jars are made to be filled with wine!’

¹³ “Then tell them, ‘No, this is what the Lord means: I will fill everyone in this land with drunkenness—from the king sitting on David’s throne to the priests and the prophets, right down to the common people of Jerusalem. ¹⁴ I will smash them against each other, even parents against children, says the Lord. I will not let my pity or mercy or compassion keep me from destroying them.’”

A Warning against Pride

¹⁵ Listen and pay attention!
    Do not be arrogant, for the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 5:21   (CEV)

You think you are clever and smart.

¹⁶ Give glory to the Lord your God
    before it is too late.
Acknowledge him before he brings darkness upon you,
    causing you to stumble and fall on the darkening mountains.
For then, when you look for light,
    you will find only terrible darkness and gloom.

Proverbs 16:18 (ESV)

Pride goes before destruction,
    and a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁷ And if you still refuse to listen,
    I will weep alone because of your pride.
My eyes will overflow with tears,
    because the Lord’s flock will be led away into exile.

Isaiah 5:21   (NIV)

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
    and clever in their own sight.

¹⁸ Say to the king and his mother,
“Come down from your thrones
    and sit in the dust,
for your glorious crowns
    will soon be snatched from your heads.”
¹⁹ The towns of the Negev will close their gates,
    and no one will be able to open them.
The people of Judah will be taken away as captives.
    All will be carried into exile.

²⁰ Open up your eyes and see
    the armies marching down from the north!
Where is your flock—
    your beautiful flock—
    that he gave you to care for?
²¹ What will you say when the Lord takes the allies you have cultivated
    and appoints them as your rulers?
Pangs of anguish will grip you,
    like those of a woman in labor!
²² You may ask yourself,
“Why is all this happening to me?”
    It is because of your many sins!
That is why you have been stripped
    and raped by invading armies.
²³ Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin?
    Can a leopard take away its spots?
Neither can you start doing good,
    for you have always done evil.

I am a slave to sin and I cannot free myself, any more than a leopard can make its spots disappear. Oh, how I need to be redeemed by Jesus!

Evil may be so ingrained in men that they find it impossible to change. Yet, especially from a broader Biblical perspective, we see the transforming work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The changes don’t come all at once and they are not complete until we are resurrected in glory, but the transformation is nevertheless real. The Ethiopian cannot change his skin nor the leopard his spots; but the LORD God can transform men and women.

–David Guzik

²⁴ “I will scatter you like chaff
    that is blown away by the desert winds.
²⁵ This is your allotment,
    the portion I have assigned to you,”
    says the Lord,
“for you have forgotten me,
    putting your trust in false gods.
²⁶ I myself will strip you
    and expose you to shame.
²⁷ I have seen your adultery and lust,
    and your disgusting idol worship out in the fields and on the hills.
What sorrow awaits you, Jerusalem!
    How long before you are pure?”

_________________________

Music:

It is not easy to be pure, to think all right thoughts, to look at others with love, to be who we think God wants us to be. We may struggle with feelings of not measuring up or of failure. But if we understand more clearly who we are in Christ, and what God sees when he looks at us– then our hearts are filled with peace and joy because of his unspeakably great love for us.

HERE  is Big Daddy Weave and “Redeemed.”

_________________________

New Living Translation (NLT)  Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

man wearing a loincloth.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/23d68-loincloth.jpg

loincloth.    http://rbasite.org/blog1/media/4/20080613-Loin-Cloth-Reddish.jpg

leopard.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/1718c-leopard.jpg

3594.) Psalm 73

Psalm 73   (NIV)

A psalm of Asaph.

Yesterday in Jeremiah 12, the prophet asked the question:  Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Here is another saint facing the same dilemma.

1 Chronicles 16:37 (NIV)

David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister there regularly, according to each day’s requirements.

The question asked in the first 15 verses of this psalm — “How can a good God allow the righteous to suffer?” — reveals several fallacies in our thinking. The first is the assumption that suffering is always evil and therefore irreconcilable with God’s goodness. The second is a failure to understand righteousness, so far as it relates to the saint, the true child of God. In answer to the problem of pain, this psalm forces us to take another look at our definition of good, lest we accuse God of being the author of evil by allowing us to suffer. Let those who suffer look to this psalm for a word of instruction.

–Bob Deffinbaugh (and following comments)

¹ Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.

Here, Asaph declares the truth on which his faith is founded as well as the truth which troubles his faith. The faith of the saints has always been rooted in the firm conviction of God’s existence and the assurance that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6).

In one sense, verse 1 is the conclusion of the matter. Asaph believed that God existed, that He was good, and that He was sovereign. In another sense, however, this verse was the basis of the psalmist’s problem. If God exists, and He is good so as to reward the righteous, and He is all-powerful, totally in control of His creation, then why is it that in God’s world the wicked seem to be doing better than the righteous? Aren’t the facts inconsistent with Asaph’s faith? How can God be good to the pure in heart if observation convinces us that sinners succeed and saints suffer?

This is a serious spiritual issue and one that has precipitated widely diverging explanations. The atheist answers by explaining that there is no God. The cynic says that there is a God, but denies that He is good; life is just one of God’s cruel jokes. The liberal believes that there is a God who is loving, good, and kind; he explains suffering by denying the sovereignty of God. God is all-good, but not all-powerful. 

A biblical faith does not require nor permit us to deny any of the attributes of God. We maintain not only that God exists, but also that He is good and great, a rewarder of the righteous and a judge of the wicked. How, then, do we explain the problem of the suffering of the saints and the success of sinners? The psalmist takes us through the steps of his personal struggle in verses 2-28, from the low point of his doubts and protest to the pinnacle of his renewed devotion and praise.

² But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
³ For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴ They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
⁵ They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
⁶ Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.

⁷ From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
⁸ They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
⁹ Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
¹⁰ Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
¹¹ They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”

¹² This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

¹³ Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
¹⁴ All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.

¹⁵ If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.

¹⁶ When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
¹⁷ till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.

In verse 16 we come to a dramatic change of heart and mind where we move from the testing of Asaph’s faith to its triumph. The inner debate and doubting of the psalmist, as portrayed in verses 2-15 were the result of his efforts to resolve the problem by mere reason. Human reason could only lead Asaph to the conclusion that personal piety was profitless and painful. But suddenly in verse 16 there is a new perspective and a complete change in Asaph’s attitude. Instead of protest there is praise. What changed his outlook? The answer, I believe, can be summed up in one word—worship: “When I tried to understand all this It was oppressive to me Till I entered the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their final destiny” (vv. 16-17).

It was not a change of place that transformed Asaph’s outlook, but rather a change in his perspective and in his vocation. Asaph is now a man of worship. While God’s name was hardly mentioned in the first 14 verses (except in v. 1) other than on the lips of the wicked (v. 11), now Asaph is communing with God in worship.  There is a dramatic change in the pronouns employed. In the first half of the psalm the wicked (“they” and “them”) are the object of Asaph’s attention, but in verses 15-28 God (“you”) is central. The exact nature of worship and its effect on Asaph’s heart is described in this second half of the psalm.

¹⁸ Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
¹⁹ How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
²⁰ They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.

²¹ When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
²² I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

²³ Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
²⁴ You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

from Whispers of His Power,
by Amy Carmichael

Psalm 73:25 — Whom have I in heaven but Thee?  And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.

We all know the hymn “Jesus, Lover of my soul.” The line “Thou, O Christ, art all I want,” comes to us with searching power. It is strangely easy to want Him and a great many other things too. We want to do what we want to do, and to be where we want to be. This is not desiring Christ our Lord and His will only. It is not, “Thou, O Christ, art ALL I want.”

Our Lord want us to come to the place where we can truly say with the psalmist that there is no one and nothing on earth that we desire beside Him. The writer goes on in the next verse, My flesh and my heart faileth, and that is often our experience too. But we do not stop there. The psalm continues with a triumphant But God.  Verse 26:  But God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
More than all in Thee I find.”

²⁷ Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God.

Hebrews 10:22  (NIV)

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings.

I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

After worshiping the Lord, Asaph sees God’s promised blessings and His cursings in an entirely different light, and therefore Asaph concludes the psalm by summarizing the peril of the wicked and the blessings of the righteous. The wicked, those who are not near to God (v. 27), will ultimately perish. No matter how comfortable they now seem to be, destruction is their final destiny. The God who is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart (v. 1), is also the God who will destroy those who are unfaithful to Him (vv. 18-20, 27). Their momentary ease of life is no longer the object of Asaph’s envy, but their final destiny is a sobering reality.

If the blessing of God had previously been measured only in terms of material prosperity and ease of life, it is now viewed as being, in the words of one hymn, “near to the heart of God” (v. 28). This was the case with Asaph (vv. 23-26) and so he can conclude the psalm with the confident statement that he has made God his refuge and that he will publicly praise God for His wondrous deeds, which may include sending adversity into the life of His loved ones (v. 28).

Worship is not so much the leaving behind of life and coming into the presence of God as it is bringing life before God and coming to view it as He does. Worship is seeing things as they are. God is good and faithful. Life on earth is fleeting. Thus we should praise God for all that He is and for all that He does, even when He brings suffering into our lives.

Worship is not just important because it delights the heart of God. Worship is vital because it renews the perspective of the saints and enables them to live in a world of suffering, praising God, obeying His word, and looking ahead to the fulfillment of all His promises.

–Bob Deffinbaugh

_________________________

Music:

“Jesus, Lover of My Soul,” by Charles Wesley, has been called the greatest hymn ever written.  The arrangement  HERE,  by Ken Medema, is my favorite.  The verse of this hymn that Amy refers to above is not sung in this performance, but I have included it below.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
   More than all in Thee I find:
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
   Heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy name;
   I am all unrighteousness:
False and full of sin I am;
   Thou art full of truth and grace.

_________________________

New International Version (NIV)   Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Images courtesy of:

Desiring God.     http://wallpaper4god.com/wallpapers/psalm-7325_3188_1024x768.jpg

unfair.   https://i0.wp.com/www.markcole.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/unfair2.png

God is good.    https://www.pinterest.com/pin/598486237959704506/

hard heart.    http://www.foundationsforfreedom.net/Topics/Purity/_resPurity/HardenHearts.gif

Here I am to worship.      https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/hereiam_jpg.jpg

Whom have I in heaven but you?    http://oneyearbibleimages.com/psalm73_25.jpg

Praise the Lord!    https://christthekingparish.com/charismatic-prayer-group/

3593.) Jeremiah 12

“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?”  —  Jeremiah 12:5

Jeremiah 12   (NLT)

Jeremiah Questions the Lord’s Justice

Lord, you always give me justice
    when I bring a case before you.
So let me bring you this complaint:
Why are the wicked so prosperous?
    Why are evil people so happy?

Jeremiah asked a question that Asaph also asked (Psalm 73). Hopefully without pride, Jeremiah understood that he was righteous and most of those in Judah and Jerusalem were wicked. Yet they seemed to prosper, while Jeremiah often suffered.

“This is that noble question which hath exercised the wits and molested the minds of many wise men, both within and without the Church.”

–John Trapp

² You have planted them,
    and they have taken root and prospered.
Your name is on their lips,
    but you are far from their hearts.

Titus 1:16   (NIV)

They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

³ But as for me, Lord, you know my heart.
    You see me and test my thoughts.

Psalm 139:1-4   (NIV)

You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.

Drag these people away like sheep to be butchered!
    Set them aside to be slaughtered!

⁴ How long must this land mourn?
    Even the grass in the fields has withered.
The wild animals and birds have disappeared
    because of the evil in the land.

So un-Eden-like. Sin has consequences that taint all of creation.

For the people have said,
    “The Lord doesn’t see what’s ahead for us!”

The Lord’s Reply to Jeremiah

⁵ “If racing against mere men makes you tired,
    how will you race against horses?
If you stumble and fall on open ground,
    what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?
⁶ Even your brothers, members of your own family,
    have turned against you.
    They plot and raise complaints against you.
Do not trust them,
    no matter how pleasantly they speak.

God’s answer to Jeremiah was both powerful and profound. Without directly answering the question (a more complete answer is given in Psalm 73), God encouraged Jeremiah to regard his present challenge as a preparation for greater challenges to come. In other words, God says to Jeremiah, don’t complain now:  It’s only going to get worse.

⁷ “I have abandoned my people, my special possession.
    I have surrendered my dearest ones to their enemies.
⁸ My chosen people have roared at me like a lion of the forest,
    so I have treated them with contempt.
⁹ My chosen people act like speckled vultures,
    but they themselves are surrounded by vultures.
    Bring on the wild animals to pick their corpses clean!

Similes compare Judah to lions and vultures. Not flattering, not comforting.

¹⁰ “Many rulers have ravaged my vineyard,
    trampling down the vines
    and turning all its beauty into a barren wilderness.
¹¹ They have made it an empty wasteland;
    I hear its mournful cry.
The whole land is desolate,
    and no one even cares.
¹² On all the bare hilltops,
    destroying armies can be seen.
The sword of the Lord devours people
    from one end of the nation to the other.
    No one will escape!

The desolation will be complete.

¹³ My people have planted wheat
    but are harvesting thorns.
They have worn themselves out,
    but it has done them no good.
They will harvest a crop of shame
    because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”

A Message for Israel’s Neighbors

¹⁴ Now this is what the Lord says: “I will uproot from their land all the evil nations reaching out for the possession I gave my people Israel. And I will uproot Judah from among them. ¹⁵ But afterward I will return and have compassion on all of them. I will bring them home to their own lands again, each nation to its own possession.

This prophecy is an astonishing turn in the thought, anticipating a restoration and salvation of all peoples. Jeremiah looks forward to the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s salvation.  (The Reformation Bible)

¹⁶ And if these nations truly learn the ways of my people, and if they learn to swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’ (just as they taught my people to swear by the name of Baal), then they will be given a place among my people. ¹⁷ But any nation who refuses to obey me will be uprooted and destroyed. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

_________________________

Music:

Don’t you love it? After pages and pages of condemnation, God opens his hand and welcomes the whole world into his loving care!

Ralph Vaughn Williams  (1872-1958) was a British composer, a collector of English folk music, and the editor of the English Hymnal of 1906.  HERE  is his arrangement of “Let All the World in Every Corner Sing” from the Wimbledon Choral Society, Cardiff Polyphonic Choir, Orchestra Vitae, Neil Ferris (conductor), Guildford Cathedral, 2014.

Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King!
The heavens are not too high, his praise may thither fly,
the earth is not too low, his praises there may grow.
Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King!

Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King!
The church with psalms must shout, no door can keep them out;
but, above all, the heart must bear the longest part.
Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King!

_________________________

New Living Translation (NLT)  Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

horses.    http://www.gloryfirechurch.com/a_lot_of_different_running_horses.jpg

vultures.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/jer12-vultures.jpg

v. 15.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/jer12-v15.jpg

3592.) Jeremiah 11

Jeremiah 11   (NLT)

Judah’s Broken Covenant

The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, ² “Remind the people of Judah and Jerusalem about the terms of my covenant with them.

“Terms” (lit., “words”) is a technical reference to covenant stipulations. “This covenant” is a reference to the covenant established by God with Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai (see Exodus 19-24). Periodic public reading of covenants was a common and necessary practice (see Deuteronomy 31:10-13 and Joshua 8:34-35). (The Archaeological Study Bible)

³ Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is anyone who does not obey the terms of my covenant! ⁴ For I said to your ancestors when I brought them out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt,

This is the third place in the Scriptures where Israel’s agony in Egypt is described as an iron furnace (also at Deuteronomy 4:20 and 1 Kings 8:51). Some think that a part of Israel’s slave labor in Egypt was to work as slaves in literal iron furnaces.

“If you obey me and do whatever I command you, then you will be my people, and I will be your God.” ⁵ I said this so I could keep my promise to your ancestors to give you a land flowing with milk and honey—the land you live in today.’”

Then I replied, “Amen, Lord! May it be so.”

⁶ Then the Lord said, “Broadcast this message in the streets of Jerusalem. Go from town to town throughout the land and say, ‘Remember the ancient covenant, and do everything it requires. ⁷ For I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, “Obey me!” I have repeated this warning over and over to this day, ⁸ but your ancestors did not listen or even pay attention. Instead, they stubbornly followed their own evil desires. And because they refused to obey, I brought upon them all the curses described in this covenant.’”

⁹ Again the Lord spoke to me and said, “I have discovered a conspiracy against me among the people of Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁰ They have returned to the sins of their forefathers. They have refused to listen to me and are worshiping other gods. Israel and Judah have both broken the covenant I made with their ancestors. ¹¹ Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am going to bring calamity upon them, and they will not escape. Though they beg for mercy, I will not listen to their cries. ¹² Then the people of Judah and Jerusalem will pray to their idols and burn incense before them. But the idols will not save them when disaster strikes! ¹³ Look now, people of Judah; you have as many gods as you have towns. You have as many altars of shame—altars for burning incense to your god Baal—as there are streets in Jerusalem.

When God’s judgment falls, He will not listen to their prayers, and Judah’s innumerable gods will be powerless to save them.

–William MacDonald

¹⁴ “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress.

The false gods would be silent because they were nothing. The LORD God of Israel would be silent as an expression of His judgment against His people. Surely, of all the curses that might come upon a people, one of the most terrible is the silence of God in time of trouble or need.

¹⁵ “What right do my beloved people have to come to my Temple,
    when they have done so many immoral things?
Can their vows and sacrifices prevent their destruction?
    They actually rejoice in doing evil!

This is the description of a sin-sick society. Not only do they sin; they openly rejoice in their evil, and they celebrate it!

¹⁶ I, the Lord, once called them a thriving olive tree,
    beautiful to see and full of good fruit.
But now I have sent the fury of their enemies
    to burn them with fire,
    leaving them charred and broken.

¹⁷ “I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who planted this olive tree, have ordered it destroyed. For the people of Israel and Judah have done evil, arousing my anger by burning incense to Baal.”

This prophecy was fulfilled in 586 BCE when Judah was destroyed.

A Plot against Jeremiah

¹⁸ Then the Lord told me about the plots my enemies were making against me. ¹⁹ I was like a lamb being led to the slaughter.

This is the language of sacrifice. Does it remind you of Christ?

I had no idea that they were planning to kill me! “Let’s destroy this man and all his words,” they said. “Let’s cut him down, so his name will be forgotten forever.”

²⁰ O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
you make righteous judgments,
    and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets.
Let me see your vengeance against them,
    for I have committed my cause to you.

²¹ This is what the Lord says about the men of Anathoth who wanted me dead.

The men from Anathoth are men from Jeremiah’s own town (see Jeremiah 1:1). His worst opposition comes from those closest to him. Does this remind you of Christ?

They had said, “We will kill you if you do not stop prophesying in the Lord’s name.” ²² So this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says about them: “I will punish them! Their young men will die in battle, and their boys and girls will starve to death. ²³ Not one of these plotters from Anathoth will survive, for I will bring disaster upon them when their time of punishment comes.”

_________________________

Music:

HERE  is Stuart Townend and “There Is a Hope.” Jesus, let me keep my eyes and ears and mind and heart turned to you today!

_________________________

New Living Translation (NLT)  Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Jeremiah 11:4.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/b6abd-jeremiah11-4.jpg

To obey is better.   https://i0.wp.com/reformedbaptistblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2052b-to2bobey2bis2bbetter2bthan2bsacrifice.jpg?ssl=1

olive tree.    http://stjohnscompassion.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/olive-01.jpg

3591.) Jeremiah 10

Jeremiah 10   (NLT)

Idolatry Brings Destruction

Jeremiah alternates between the vanity of idols and the greatness of God. If the conditions and consequences were not so critical, this passage could be read with some satirical amusement.

Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel! ² This is what the Lord says:

“Do not act like the other nations,
    who try to read their future in the stars.
Do not be afraid of their predictions,
    even though other nations are terrified by them.
³ Their ways are futile and foolish.
    They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.
⁴ They decorate it with gold and silver
    and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails
    so it won’t fall over.
⁵ Their gods are like
    helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!

Ouch! That was an admirable put-down, Jeremiah!

They cannot speak,
    and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of such gods,
    for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”

⁶ Lord, there is no one like you!
    For you are great, and your name is full of power.
⁷ Who would not fear you, O King of nations?
    That title belongs to you alone!
Among all the wise people of the earth
    and in all the kingdoms of the world,
    there is no one like you.

Music:

HERE  is a song to praise the Lord:  “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven.”

Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven;
To His feet Thy tribute bring!
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like me His praise should sing?
Praise Him! praise Him!
Praise the everlasting King!

Praise Him for His grace and favour,
To our fathers in distress!
Praise Him still the same for ever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless!
Praise Him! praise Him!
Glorious in His faithfulness!

Father-like, He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He knows.
In His hands He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes,
Praise Him! praise Him!
Widely as His mercy flows!

Frail as summer’s flower we flourish:
Blows the wind, and it is gone.
But while mortals rise and perish,
God endures unchanging on.
Praise Him, Praise Him,
Praise the high eternal One!

Angels, help us to adore Him;
Ye behold Him face to face:
Sun and moon, bow down before Him;
Dwellers all in time and space,
Praise Him! praise Him!
Praise with us the God of grace!

–Henry Francis Lyte, 1793-1847

_________________________

⁸ People who worship idols are stupid and foolish.
    The things they worship are made of wood!
⁹ They bring beaten sheets of silver from Tarshish
    and gold from Uphaz,
and they give these materials to skillful craftsmen
    who make their idols.
Then they dress these gods in royal blue and purple robes
    made by expert tailors.
¹⁰ But the Lord is the only true God.
    He is the living God and the everlasting King!

 “Men make idols. Jehovah makes men.”

–G. Campbell Morgan

The whole earth trembles at his anger.
    The nations cannot stand up to his wrath.

“Because here’s something else that’s weird but true: in the day-to day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship—be it JC or Allah, be it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truths, or some inviolable set of ethical principles—is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. On one level, we all know this stuff already. It’s been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story. The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness.” 

–David Foster Wallace, This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life

¹¹ Say this to those who worship other gods: “Your so-called gods, who did not make the heavens and earth, will vanish from the earth and from under the heavens.”

¹² But God made the earth by his power,
    and he preserves it by his wisdom.
With his own understanding
    he stretched out the heavens.
¹³ When he speaks in the thunder,
    the heavens roar with rain.
He causes the clouds to rise over the earth.
    He sends the lightning with the rain
    and releases the wind from his storehouses.
¹⁴ The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge!
    The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make,
for their carefully shaped works are a fraud.
    These idols have no breath or power.
¹⁵ Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!
    On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.

2 Kings 17:15   (NIV)

They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

¹⁶ But the God of Israel is no idol!
    He is the Creator of everything that exists,
including Israel, his own special possession.
    The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!

The Coming Destruction

Jeremiah gives the people instructions for the exile.

¹⁷ Pack your bags and prepare to leave;
    the siege is about to begin.
¹⁸ For this is what the Lord says:
“Suddenly, I will fling out
    all you who live in this land.

Despite whatever hurried preparations they might make, none would be able to stand before the judgment of God against Judah. They would be cast out of the land.

I will throw out is a vivid phrase; it literally means to slingshot out. God will cast Judah out of the land that fast, that hard, and that far. “I will easily and speedily sling them, and sling them into Babylon; so God will one day hurl into hell all the wicked of the earth.”

–John Trapp

I will pour great troubles upon you,
    and at last you will feel my anger.”

¹⁹ My wound is severe,
    and my grief is great.
My sickness is incurable,
    but I must bear it.
²⁰ My home is gone,
    and no one is left to help me rebuild it.
My children have been taken away,
    and I will never see them again.
²¹ The shepherds of my people have lost their senses.
    They no longer seek wisdom from the Lord.
Therefore, they fail completely,
    and their flocks are scattered.
²² Listen! Hear the terrifying roar of great armies
    as they roll down from the north.
The towns of Judah will be destroyed
    and become a haunt for jackals.

Jeremiah’s Prayer

²³ I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own.
    We are not able to plan our own course.
²⁴ So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle.
    Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.

from This Day with the Master
by Dennis F. Kinlaw

MAN’S WAY IS NOT IN HIMSELF

At the end of Jeremiah 10 the prophet comes to a conclusion about humankind. In a priceless passage, he write about the nature of God and the human tendency to force an alternative to God, to fill the hole in life created by God’s absence. He says, “I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” One characteristic of human beings is that our way is not found within ourselves. Our society’s love affair with self-help resources and self-fulfillment ventures will never ultimately produce happiness or satisfaction. The end for which humans exist, collectively and individually, must be located beyond ourselves. We were made for Someone outside our own reality. Therefore, we are free not to have all the answers.

The amazing thing is that this truth applies not only to human personhood, but also to divine personhood. Jesus’ way was not determined by himself. His course was set by his Father. He lived for his Father and looked to him for direction, answers, and fulfillment.

If the Lord Jesus Christ could not find his way in himself, but had to look to the Father, then our way must be outside of ourselves and also in the Father. We are certainly no more capable of making autonomous decisions than Jesus was. Christians who are walking in intimate fellowship with the triune God find the freedom that comes from looking to the Father for every decision, every answer, and every need. It is a glorious revelation to realize that we are not big enough to find our own way or to meet our own needs, but there is One who is.

²⁵ Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you—
    on the peoples that do not call upon your name.
For they have devoured your people Israel;
    they have devoured and consumed them,
    making the land a desolate wilderness.

When Jeremiah considered that God would use the Babylonians as the instrument of His correction against Judah, he asked God to also judge them.

“This was fulfilled in the Chaldeans. Nebuchadnezzar was punished with madness, his son was slain in his revels, and the city was taken and sacked by Cyrus; and the Babylonish empire was finally destroyed!”

–Adam Clarke

_________________________

New Living Translation (NLT)  Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

For the Lord is the true God.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/43fbc-jeremiah10-10.jpg

scarecrow.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/jer10-scarecrow.jpg

Praise God.    http://faithcenter.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/praisegod.jpg

worthless idols.   https://ordinaryfaith.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/idols.jpg

pack your bags.    https://travelbestbets.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Suitcase.jpg

St. Augustine quote.    https://twitter.com/gettymusic/status/264484618827362305

3590.) Psalm 119:1-16

Psalm 119:1-16   (NIV)

Just to keep things interesting — we will be looking at sections of Psalm 119 while we are also reading through Jeremiah. 

Psalm 119 is both the longest psalm and, at 176 verses, the longest chapter in the Bible. It is the prayer of a person who delights in God’s word and wants to live according to it. Included in almost every verse is a synonym for Scripture, such as precepts, or commands, or statutes.

This psalm is an acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with the 22 successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet; moreover, the 8  verses of each stanza begin with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. For this reason, this chapter is known as the Golden Alphabet of the Bible.

Thinking of alphabets reminds me of what Jesus said in Revelation 1:8 — “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” These words, of course, are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet.

א Aleph

¹ Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord.

How many people in our world today think that following God’s law is boring or irrelevant. Yet this psalm teaches us over and over again that true joy and fulfillment and peace are found in obedience to God.

² Blessed are those who keep his statutes
and seek him with all their heart
³ they do no wrong
but follow his ways.
⁴ You have laid down precepts
that are to be fully obeyed.
⁵ Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying your decrees!
⁶ Then I would not be put to shame
when I consider all your commands.

“‘Shame’ is the fruit of sin; confidence is the effect of righteousness.”
~George Horne

⁷ I will praise you with an upright heart
as I learn your righteous laws.
⁸ I will obey your decrees;
do not utterly forsake me.

ב Beth

⁹ How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
¹⁰ I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

“I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture. . . . No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified.”
~Charles Swindoll

When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, he recited Scripture from memory and put Satan to flight (Matthew 4:1-11).

¹² Praise be to you, Lord;
teach me your decrees.
¹³ With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
¹⁴ I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
¹⁵ I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
¹⁶ I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.

“The word delight is very emphatical: evetva eshtaasha, I will skip about and jump for joy.”
~Adam Clarke

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Music:

The Christian ABC song — did you learn it as a child, too? This cutie starts singing about 30 seconds in. Click  HERE to enjoy!

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New International Version (NIV)   Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Images courtesy of:

ABC blocks.    https://www.shutterstock.com/search/alphabet+blocks

Joyful, v. 1.    https://www.facebook.com/kloveradio/photos/a.99342059055/10161039954204056/?type=3

Thy Word, v. 11.   https://i.pinimg.com/736x/66/85/41/668541cffc4fc18140038f0436a62284–god-is-faithful-psalm-.jpg

3589.) Jeremiah 9

Jeremiah 9   (NLT)

The Weeping Prophet’s Lament

If only my head were a pool of water
    and my eyes a fountain of tears,
I would weep day and night
    for all my people who have been slaughtered.

Jeremiah’s sympathy for the people will be shared later by Jesus:

Luke 19:41-44    (NIV)

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

² Oh, that I could go away and forget my people
    and live in a travelers’ shack in the desert.
For they are all adulterers—
    a pack of treacherous liars.

Judgment for Disobedience

³ “My people bend their tongues like bows
    to shoot out lies.
They refuse to stand up for the truth.
    They only go from bad to worse.
They do not know me,”
    says the Lord.

Proverbs 12:22

The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

⁴ “Beware of your neighbor!
    Don’t even trust your brother!
For brother takes advantage of brother,
    and friend slanders friend.
⁵ They all fool and defraud each other;
    no one tells the truth.
With practiced tongues they tell lies;
    they wear themselves out with all their sinning.
⁶ They pile lie upon lie
    and utterly refuse to acknowledge me,”
    says the Lord.

from Luther’s Small Catechism:

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.

⁷ Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“See, I will melt them down in a crucible
    and test them like metal.
What else can I do with my people?
⁸     For their tongues shoot lies like poisoned arrows.
They speak friendly words to their neighbors
    while scheming in their heart to kill them.
⁹ Should I not punish them for this?” says the Lord.
    “Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?”

¹⁰ I will weep for the mountains
    and wail for the wilderness pastures.
For they are desolate and empty of life;
    the lowing of cattle is heard no more;
    the birds and wild animals have all fled.

Jeremiah weeps not only for the people, but also for the land. God had given it to his people to be rich and populated, but now it is desolate.  (The Reformation Bible)

¹¹ “I will make Jerusalem into a heap of ruins,” says the Lord.
    “It will be a place haunted by jackals.
The towns of Judah will be ghost towns,
    with no one living in them.”

¹² Who is wise enough to understand all this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it to others? Why has the land been so ruined that no one dares to travel through it?

¹³ The Lord replies, “This has happened because my people have abandoned my instructions; they have refused to obey what I said. ¹⁴ Instead, they have stubbornly followed their own desires and worshiped the images of Baal, as their ancestors taught them. ¹⁵ So now, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Look! I will feed them with bitterness and give them poison to drink. ¹⁶ I will scatter them around the world, in places they and their ancestors never heard of, and even there I will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely.”

God would not ignore the disobedience and idolatry of Judah. He promised to answer it with bitter judgment and exile.

–David Guzik

Weeping in Jerusalem

¹⁷ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Consider all this, and call for the mourners.
    Send for the women who mourn at funerals.

“The ‘wailing women’ were professionals employed to arouse relatives and others at funerals to outward display of their grief. They used plaintive cries, baring their breasts, flailing their arms, throwing dust on their heads, and disheveling their hair (see 2 Chronicles 35:25; Ecclesiastes 12:5; Amos 5:16; Matthew 9:23).”

–Charles L. Feinberg

¹⁸ Quick! Begin your weeping!
    Let the tears flow from your eyes.
¹⁹ Hear the people of Jerusalem crying in despair,
    ‘We are ruined! We are completely humiliated!
We must leave our land,
    because our homes have been torn down.’”

²⁰ Listen, you women, to the words of the Lord;
    open your ears to what he has to say.
Teach your daughters to wail;
    teach one another how to lament.
²¹ For death has crept in through our windows
    and has entered our mansions.
It has killed off the flower of our youth:
    Children no longer play in the streets,
    and young men no longer gather in the squares.

The actions of death are poetically personified. If you have read Marcus Zusak’s novel The Book Thief, you will recognize Death as a character rather than an event.

The concept of death as the “grim reaper” comes largely from this verse:

²² This is what the Lord says:
“Bodies will be scattered across the fields like clumps of manure,
    like bundles of grain after the harvest.
    No one will be left to bury them.”

²³ This is what the Lord says:
“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,
    or the powerful boast in their power,
    or the rich boast in their riches.
²⁴ But those who wish to boast
    should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord
    who demonstrates unfailing love
    and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!

These are two of the most famous verses in Jeremiah.  They are worthy to be memorized.  I challenge you to do so!

And while you’re at it, this is a good one to commit to memory, too!

2 Corinthians 10:17   (ESV)

“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

²⁵ “A time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit— ²⁶ the Egyptians, Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, the people who live in the desert in remote places, and yes, even the people of Judah. And like all these pagan nations, the people of Israel also have uncircumcised hearts.”

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Music:

Paul Baloche has a song about the proper kind of boasting, as in verses 23-24 above.  HERE  is “I Will Boast in the Lord.”

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New Living Translation (NLT)  Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Jeremiah 9:24.     https://www.flickr.com/photos/joshtinpowers/44282125555

bear false witness.   http://image.blingee.com/images19/content/output/000/000/000/7a4/782532406_1326756.gif

grim reaper.    http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090507165216/monster/images/5/55/Grim_reaper.jpg

3588.) Jeremiah 8

Jeremiah 8   (NLT)

“In that day,” says the Lord, “the enemy will break open the graves of the kings and officials of Judah, and the graves of the priests, prophets, and common people of Jerusalem. ² They will spread out their bones on the ground before the sun, moon, and stars—the gods my people have loved, served, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered up again or buried but will be scattered on the ground like manure. ³ And the people of this evil nation who survive will wish to die rather than live where I will send them. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!

Such irony! The had worshiped those heavenly bodies. But now their remains are exhumed and exposed, a great dishonor. 

Deception by False Prophets

⁴ “Jeremiah, say to the people, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘When people fall down, don’t they get up again?
    When they discover they’re on the wrong road, don’t they turn back?
⁵ Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path?
    Why do the people of Jerusalem refuse to turn back?
They cling tightly to their lies
    and will not turn around.
⁶ I listen to their conversations
    and don’t hear a word of truth.
Is anyone sorry for doing wrong?
    Does anyone say, “What a terrible thing I have done”?
No! All are running down the path of sin
    as swiftly as a horse galloping into battle!
⁷ Even the stork that flies across the sky
    knows the time of her migration,
as do the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane.
    They all return at the proper time each year.
But not my people!
    They do not know the Lord’s laws.

This picture shows great numbers of swallows migrating. (How do they know?!) Nature’s animals are obedient to their times and places as ordained by God. “But not my people!”

⁸ “‘How can you say, “We are wise because we have the word of the Lord,”
    when your teachers have twisted it by writing lies?
⁹ These wise teachers will fall
    into the trap of their own foolishness,
for they have rejected the word of the Lord.
    Are they so wise after all?

Proverbs 9:10   (ESV)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

¹⁰ I will give their wives to others
    and their farms to strangers.
From the least to the greatest,
    their lives are ruled by greed.
Yes, even my prophets and priests are like that.
    They are all frauds.
¹¹ They offer superficial treatments
    for my people’s mortal wound.
They give assurances of peace
    when there is no peace.
¹² Are they ashamed of these disgusting actions?
    Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush!
Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered.
    They will be brought down when I punish them,
    says the Lord.
¹³ I will surely consume them.
    There will be no more harvests of figs and grapes.
Their fruit trees will all die.
    Whatever I gave them will soon be gone.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!’

Commentary on verses 8-13 by Matthew Henry
(English Bible commentator, 1662-1714):

What brought this ruin?

1. The people would not attend to reason; they would not act in the affairs of their souls with common prudence. Sin is backsliding; it is going back from the way that leads to life, to that which leads to destruction.

2. They would not attend to the warning of conscience. They did not take the first step towards repentance: true repentance begins in serious inquiry as to what we have done, from conviction that we have done amiss.

3. They would not attend to the ways of providence, nor understand the voice of God in them, verse 7. They know not how to improve the seasons of grace, which God affords. Many boast of their religious knowledge, yet, unless taught by the Spirit of God, the instinct of brutes is a more sure guide than their supposed wisdom.

4. They would not attend to the written word. Many enjoy abundance of the means of grace, have Bibles and ministers, but they have them in vain. They will soon be ashamed of their devices. The pretenders to wisdom were the priests and the false prophets. They flattered people in sin, and so flattered them into destruction, silencing their fears and complaints with, All is well. Selfish teachers may promise peace when there is no peace; and thus men encourage each other in committing evil; but in the day of visitation they will have no refuge to flee unto.

¹⁴ “Then the people will say,
    ‘Why should we wait here to die?
Come, let’s go to the fortified towns and die there.
    For the Lord our God has decreed our destruction
and has given us a cup of poison to drink
    because we sinned against the Lord.
¹⁵ We hoped for peace, but no peace came.
    We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.’

¹⁶ “The snorting of the enemies’ warhorses can be heard
    all the way from the land of Dan in the north!
The neighing of their stallions makes the whole land tremble.
    They are coming to devour the land and everything in it—
    cities and people alike.
¹⁷ I will send these enemy troops among you
    like poisonous snakes you cannot charm.
They will bite you, and you will die.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Jeremiah Weeps for Sinful Judah

 

¹⁸ My grief is beyond healing;
    my heart is broken.
¹⁹ Listen to the weeping of my people;
    it can be heard all across the land.
“Has the Lord abandoned Jerusalem?” the people ask.
    “Is her King no longer there?”

The people cry, “Where is God?”

“Oh, why have they provoked my anger with their carved idols
    and their worthless foreign gods?” says the Lord.

God answers, “Why did you leave Me?”

²⁰ “The harvest is finished,
    and the summer is gone,” the people cry,
    “yet we are not saved!”

“We waited for You,” the people cry, “and You never came.”

²¹ I hurt with the hurt of my people.
    I mourn and am overcome with grief.
²² Is there no medicine in Gilead?
    Is there no physician there?
Why is there no healing
    for the wounds of my people?

Jeremiah weeps at the seemingly hopeless plight of his people.

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Music:

Ah, there is a balm in Gilead!  HERE  is Deborah Liv Johnson singing the old hymn.

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New Living Translation (NLT)  Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

The wise men are ashamed.    https://versaday.com/images/Months/1103/0308-JER008009ENGKJV08000480ISP03921848000.jpg

migrating swallows.    http://www.fanstory.com/usr/432007/3582176-4675.jpg

Matthew Henry.    http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/thum_creater/phpThumb.php?src=../images/author_img/author_829.jpg&w=300&h=360

balm of Gilead.   https://i.pinimg.com/736x/98/be/5b/98be5bde0993a4624029c419f68e2b07–balsam-tree-tattoo-ideas.jpg