TODAY’S READING: JEREMIAH 44-49

 

OVERVIEW:

God’s condemnation through Jeremiah of the remnants idolatry in Egypt (44:1-4); the people blatantly confess their affection for idols (44:15-19); God’s last word concerning the faithless remnant (44:20-30); God’s exhortation to Baruch (45:1-5); God’s judgment upon Egypt (46:1-28); God’s judgment upon Philistia (47:1-7); God’s judgment upon  Moab  (48:1-47);  God’s judgment  upon Ammon (49:1-6);  God’s judgment upon Edom (49:7-22); God’s judgment upon Damascus (49:23-27); God’s judgment upon the lesser nations (49:28-33); God’s judgment upon Elam (49:34-39).

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

When we ended yesterday’s reading, the remnant chose to rebel against the word of the Lord through Jeremiah in spite of their extravagant promises not to do so, and went to Egypt to hopefully find a place of refuge against the wrath of the Babylonians.  Not content to simply go themselves, they forced Jeremiah and Baruch to go with them.  Perhaps they thought that God would not exercise judgment against them if these two men of God were with them.   Regardless of what they thought, Jeremiah’s preaching against them was anything but over!  Nor was God’s judgment!  Jeremiah walked them through the wickedness and idolatry of Judah, despite God’s cry to them through the prophets, “Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate” (44:4), and promised that just as surely as God’s “fury” and “anger” was poured out on their cities and in the streets of Jerusalem, leaving them “wasted” and “desolate,” God’s judgment would fall on them in Egypt. It is indeed amazing how after watching the effects of sin on people’s lives, and observing the pain people endure as a result of incurring the chastisement of Almighty God, that we can deceive ourselves into thinking that “it’ll be different for us,” or that “we’ll be the exception.”

 

Rather than cause the people to repent, they somehow concluded that their problem was that they had not served other gods enough!  They resort back to worshipping the queen of heaven (Ashtoreth), reasoning that life turned for the worse when they stopped worshipping her (44:17-19).  Excuse me, but have I mentioned how utterly stooooooopid sin can make us?  And before we think that this idolatry “shoe” certainly doesn’t fit us, remember that in the New Testament, God identifies covetousness as idolatry (Col. 3:5).  He doesn’t say that it’s like idolatry, He says that it IS idolatry!!!!!!  And do note that at least three times in the New Testament covetousness is specifically referring to the desire for illicit sexual fulfillment. What happens in that whole sexual sin world is no different than what was happening to this remnant inEgypt.  People know how sexual sin has destroyed thousands and thousands and tens of thousands of homes before them, but deceive themselves into thinking it won’t destroy theirs.  Oh God, deliver us from ourselves!

 

Chapter 45 is a short chapter with God’s Word for Baruch.  Baruch was one of only two people (Ebedmelech being the other one) in Jeremiah’s entire 40 year ministry who had ever responded in any kind of positive way.  God wants Baruch to realize that though he was bummed at how things had shaken down forJerusalem, the reason he was bummed was because of how it had affected him, not how it had affected God.  Again, with God saying that the chief characteristic of our day is that we love ourselves (II Tim. 3:1-2), we must be careful that we don’t deceive ourselves into thinking we’re “spiritual” because of how we’re repulsed by the condition of our country, and, yea, the world.  Do we hurt because God hurts, or do we hurt because of how the sin of the world has affected our lives?

 

In the remaining chapters in today’s reading, God details His judgment upon the Gentile nations: •His judgment uponEgypt(46:1-28). •His judgment upon Philisita (47:1-7). •His judgment uponMoab(48:1-47). •His judgment upon Ammon (49:1-6). •His judgment uponEdom(49:7-22). •His judgment uponDamascus(49:23-27). •His judgment upon the lesser nations (49:28-33). •His judgment uponElam(49:34-39).

 

The nations listed encompassed basically all of the nations of the known world at that time.  It seems that God’s message through Jeremiah was that there is no nation who can defy Him and not inflict upon themselves His judgment.  If that be true, our nation is on a collision course with disaster!

 

SPECIFIC REFERENCES TO “THE DAY OF THE LORD”:

46:10 – “The day of the Lord God of host, a day of vengeance.” 48:41 – “At that day.” 48:47 – “In the latter days.” 49:22 –“At that day.” 49:39 – “In the latter days.”

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through GOD’S SERVANTS, THE PROPHETS – Jer. 44:4 (Jesus was God’s “chosen Servant” – Matt. 12:17-18; Acts 3:20-21).

 

TODAY’S READING: JEREMIAH 39-43

 

OVERVIEW: The destruction of Jerusalem (39:1-10); God’s deliverance of Jeremiah and Ebedmelech (39:11-18); Jeremiah’s release (40:1-16); the plot against Gedaliah, Babylon’s appointed governor over those remaining in the land (41:1-10); the hostages taken by Ishmael are rescued (41:11-18); the Jews request a word from God through Jeremiah (42:1-6); Jeremiah delivers God’s Word (42:7-22); the people reject God’s Word (43:1-7); God’s rejection of the people (43:8-13).

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

That fateful day of which Jeremiah had been prophesying had finally arrived.  Verse one of chapter 39 says that Nebuchadrezzar and “all his army came againstJerusalem, and they besieged it.” Those who had been called to be the holy people of God, with a holy standing before Him, with a holyTemplein a holy land had finally desecrated their holy calling.  Zedekiah escaped in the middle of the night out of a secret passage way, but was overtaken in the plain and brought before Nebuchadrezzar, king ofBabylon(39:4-5).  Nebuchadrezzar killed Zedekiah’s sons right “before his eyes” (39:6), just before he “put out Zedekiah’s eyes” (39:7). Imagine that the last thing you would ever be permitted to see for the remainder of your whole life was your own children being slaughtered, and have to go to your grave realizing that it was because of your own sin!  It is an amazing phenomenon that as parents we can choose to be so willfully blinded to the consequences of our sinful choices upon our own precious children!  Sadly, Zedekiah represents the rule rather than the exception when it comes to the affects of sin upon our homes.

 

Just as God promised Jeremiah when He first called him (1:17-19), Jeremiah’s life was spared in the whole demise of the nation (39:11-18).  It is rather ironic that Jeremiah was shown more kindness by the King of Babylon than he had ever received from the previous four kings ofJudah.  In chapter 40, Jeremiah is actually freed by the Babylonians, and presented with the option of going intoBabylonand being provided for, or remaining with the remnant that had been permitted to stay in the land (40:4). In the great spirit and tradition of Moses, Jeremiah “chose to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of”Babylon(Heb.11:24-26).

 

In chapter 40 and verses 5 and 6, Gedaliah is appointed byBabylonas governor over the people who were permitted to remain in the land.  He encouraged the people to quietly and respectfully serveBabylon, assuring them that if they did, things would go well with them (40:9).  Unfortunately, a plot was devised against Gedaliah, and in chapter 41, Ishmael murdered him along with other citizens, as well as taking hostages.  Ishmael’s plan was to flee to the city ofAmmon, leaving the Jews aroundJerusalemto suffer the wrath of the Babylonians.  They understood that they had two possibilities.  First, they could flee toEgyptand trust them to help against the Babylonians, or, they could remain where God had placed them, and trust God to help them.  Stating it in that fashion makes the decision they “should” make a “no brainer,”  until we look back over our shoulder to how many times during a time of difficulty or trial, we trusted the world’s (Egypt’s) solution, rather than trusting God.  Surprisingly, they sought Jeremiah’s counsel as to what they should do (42:1-4), pledging that whatever God said through him, regardless of what it was, they would obey it (42:5-6).  God’s word came back through Jeremiah, telling them that if they would remain in the land, God would protect them and bless them (42:7-12), but that if they went toEgyptfor help, He would allow them to be blasted to “kingdom come” (42:13-18)!  Jeremiah suspected that they were all full of talk, but no walk – all full of show, but no go (42:19-22), and chapter 43 proved that his hunch was right.  Rather than obey Jeremiah’s words to them, which is to say, God’s words to them, they accuse him of telling them the things he did so they would fall to the Babylonians.  What this really proved is that they had planned to do what they wanted to do all along; they just had hoped God’s will lined up with theirs. It sounds unbelievable and ludicrous, but again, their spiritual sounding/looking shenanigans masking their self-will may represent the rule rather than the exception inLaodicea(II Tim. 3:1-5).

 

Chapter 43 ends with another of God’s many object lessons through Jeremiah, pointing to the fact thatBabylonwould conquerEgyptjust as they hadJudah.

 

SPECIFIC REFERENCES TO “THE DAY OF THE LORD”:

  39:16  – “In that day”

  39:17  – “In that day”

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through GEDALIAH, as he instructed the Jews to pay homage to the heathen nation that ruled over them – Jer. 40:9 (Matt.22:21).

TODAY’S READING: JEREMIAH 34-38

 

OVERVIEW: God’s faithfulness to the Davidic Covenant (34:1-11); Israel’s unfaithfulness to their fellow countrymen (34:12-22); Israel’s unfaithfulness to their God (35:1-19); Israel’s rejection of God’s Word (36:1-32); Jeremiah preaches against a false sense of security and self-deception (37:1-10); Jeremiah is imprisoned (37:11-21); Jeremiah is delivered (38:1-16); Jeremiah presents Zedekiah’s alternatives (38:17-28).

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

We enter into the second and third sections of the Book of Jeremiah in today’s reading.  Whereas the first 33 chapters detailed the fate ofJudah, chapters 34 and 35 detail the fate ofJerusalem, and chapter 36 to the end of the Book is basically the detailing of the fate of the Gentile nations.  This is the fulfillment of what God said to Jeremiah when He first called him: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee A PROPHET UNTO THE NATIONS…See, I have this day SET THEE OVER THE NATIONS AND OVER THE KINGDOMS, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.” (1:5, 10).

 

As chapter 34 opens,Babylonis about to overtakeJerusalem.  God tells Jeremiah to go and tell King Zedekiah that the city would in fact fall to the Babylonians, but that he would not be killed in the invasion.  The fact that God was willing to spare this wicked king’s life is not only a testimony of God’s mercy and grace, but a testimony of His faithfulness to keep His promises.  In the Davidic Covenant God had promised that David’s lineage would survive as we have talked about.  Though the covenant was obscured in the fact that David’s kingly line would actually live in exile, the covenant was not revoked. 

 

In verses 12-22 of chapter 34 God speaks through Jeremiah to showIsraelthat they had not been faithful to one another in the fact that they had not obeyed His plan for releasing on the seventh year, those who for financial reasons sold themselves into slavery.  In chapter 35, he uses the example of the faithfulness of the Rechabite family to reveal toIsraeltheir unfaithfulness to Him.  In the same way that the family of Rechab stood as a shining light in the midst of the darkness in Jeremiah’s day, may our families likewise bring glory to God against the “lukewarmness” (Rev. 3:15-17) and apostacy (I Tim. 4:1) of our day!

 

Chapter 36 is an absolute classic in terms of revealing the divisiveness of the Word of God, and its utter indestructibility!  Because Jeremiah had been forbidden to enter the Temple (36:5), he was forced to dictate the words of Lord for Baruch the Scribe to write into a scroll and deliver to the leaders of Israel, once again, calling for Israel’s repentance. The words were so powerful that theTempleofficials sent them to the king.  As the words were read to the king by Jehudi, before he could get to the fourth “page,” the king grabs it out of Jehudi’s hand, takes out his pen knife and begins cutting it into shreds, and then threw it into the fire.  It’s a very interesting story, and very easy to follow.  But there is really more than meets the eye going on here.  The chapter actually opens up one of the clearest explanations in the entire Bible about the whole process of the inspiration and preservation of Scripture! 

 

The process of inspiration is described in verses 4 and 6, just how II Peter1:21said it happened, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Jeremiah SPOKE his words to Baruch the scribe, but the words Baruch wrote weren’t actually Jeremiah’s words, but the very “WORDS OF THE LORD” (36:4)!  Jeremiah restates the process in verse 6 as he says to Baruch: “Go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD.” Almost as if to telegraph the point again, God records the words of theTempleleaders to Baruch in verse 17: “Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?” Baruch responded in verse 18: “He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.” 

 

That is a great simplistic description of the process of inspiration.  What Baruch had in written form, were the very words of God — what we have come to call “original manuscripts.”  Note what happened in this chapter to the original manuscripts.  They were totally destroyed!  But remember, God not only “inspired” His Word, but promised to “preserve” it (Psalm 12:6-7; Matt.5:18)! Though the “original manuscripts” were no longer in existence, God had no problem remembering what they said, and no problem producing a copy that contained “all the words of the book (original manuscript) which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire” (36:32).  The reason this is so significant, is that people balk at the very idea that we believe the Bible we are able to actually hold in our hands (as opposed to original manuscripts that do not exist!)  is the very word and words of God just as He intended them.  Every word (Prov. 30:5)!  If God went to the “trouble” of inspiring His words in/on original manuscripts (that He obviously did not intend to keep in existence or we’d have ‘em!) it certainly is no trouble for Him to preserve them in a Book that we can actually wrap our hands and our lives around!  One of the contentions people have when we say that we believe that we have preserved for us “every word of God,” are the italicized words in our King James Bible.  (Since there is no such thing as a “word for word” translation because there is no “word for word” equivalency in translating words from one language to another, the King James translators italicized the words that were “added” to convey the meaning of the word from the original language.) Is that a problem for the God who promised to preserve His Word? The last verse of chapter 36 says that not only did the copy God produced contain every single word of the “original,” check this out: “And there were added besides unto them many like words” (36:32).

 

In chapters 37 and 38, Jeremiah continues to hammer the message ofJerusalem’s destruction per God’s instruction, and is cast into prison for carrying out God’s will.  For a more detailed concisement of chapters 37 and 38, refer to the Overview.

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

By JEREMIAH, WHO STOOD AS A FAITHFUL WITNESS TO THE REVEALED WILL OF GOD – Jer. 38:2-10 (Matt. 26:59).

 

TODAY’S READING: JEREMIAH 31-33

 

OVERVIEW: God’s promise that Israel will be His people (31:1-14); God’s promise of mercy to weary Israel (31:15-26); God’s promise to make Israel secure (31:27-30); God’s promise of a New Covenant with Israel (31:31-40); God’s instruction to Jeremiah to buy a field (32:1-15); God’s explanation to Jeremiah (32:16-35); God’s promise to bring the exiles home (32:36-44); God’s promise to keep His promises (33:1-26).

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

Jeremiah continues his positive message for Israel in chapter 31, though, as was discussed in Friday’s reading, the ultimate fulfillment of his prophecy wouldn’t be until the Second Coming of Christ.  In verse 28 of chapter 31, Jeremiah says, “And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.”  In other words, just as careful as God was to punishIsrael, He will be just as careful to bless them.

 

Verse 31 of chapter 31 is very significant.  God speaks of a New Covenant that He would make with the house ofIsraelandJudah.  As we have made our way through the Old Testament, we have seen God make at least three major covenants.  The first was what we call the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 17:7-8: “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all thelandofCanaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Coupled with what God had told Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3, the Lord promised to give Abraham heirs, a great name, a homeland, fame, protection, and the blessing of all nations through him.

 

The second major covenant was the covenant God made withIsraelatMount Sinai(Ex. 20; Lev. 27).  We refer to it as the Mosaic Covenant because this covenant withIsraelwas mediated by Moses.  In contrast with the Abrahamic Covenant, this was not an unconditional and everlasting covenant.

 

The third major covenant, what we call the Davidic Covenant, was God’s promise to David of an everlasting kingdom. Through Nathan the prophet, the Lord told David, “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever” (II Sam.7:12-13).  As Jeremiah repeated in chapter 23:5, the coming King ofIsrael, or Messiah, whose kingdom would be eternal, would come through the kingly line of David.

 

It must be understood that God’s promise of a New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34 would certainly not negate the everlasting covenants that He had previously made with Abraham and David. This covenant would participate with them and work in conjunction with them.  One of the tremendous beauties of this New Covenant is whereas the Mosaic Covenant was filled with God saying, “Thou shalt,” this covenant is filled with God saying, “I will”!!! (See how many times you can find God saying, “I will” in Jer. 31:31-40, and then in chapter 32:36-44, where God picks up the subject again!).  Recognize, also, that though this is an everlasting covenant that God made specifically withIsraelandJudah, we have been permitted to participate in the blessing of this New Covenant by God’s sovereign plan and grace.  Paul said in Romans11:17, that we, “being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree.”

 

The promise of a New Covenant in the future is wonderful, but what about right now?  After the glorious promises of chapters 30 and 31, God brings things back into Jeremiah’s present situation, and the impending judgment that He was about to unleash uponIsraelandJudah.  Just beforeBabylon’s final siege ofJerusalem, God tells Jeremiah to do something that certainly must have seemed strange to him.  Purchasing property just before your entire city is overtaken by a foreign enemy is not what you would call a wise business deal to say the least. Yet, that is exactly what God tells Jeremiah to do.  As we have seen God do repeatedly throughout Jeremiah’s ministry, this is another object lesson God intended to use to make His point.  His point was that though judgment would come, He would restore the people back to their homeland.  He wanted to drive home the fact that there is nothing too hard for him (32:17, 27).  He would bring the people back to their land, and they would enjoy the blessing of His New Covenant with them.  Again, we now know that these promises will be fulfilled in the Great Tribulation asIsraelturns to her Messiah, and will be enjoyed as He returns at the end of the Tribulation to establish His Millennial Kingdom.

 

Chapter 33 is a joyous chapter as it focuses on God’s character.  It reminds us that the truth of God’s Word is grounded in the trustworthiness of His person.  He will perform every single thing He has ever promised (33:14).  It will be fulfilled just as He said, right when He said, and just how He said.  It is true forIsraelandJudah, and just as true for you!

 

SPECIFIC REFERENCES TO “THE DAY OF THE LORD”:

31:29    – “In those days.” (Specifically, the Tribulation Period)

31:31    – “Behold, the days come.”

31:33    – “After those days.”

31:38    – “Behold, the days come.”

31:15    – “In those days, and at that time.”

31:16    – “In those days.”

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As the ONE WHO FORGIVES SINS – Jer. 31:34 (Matt. 9:6; John8:10-11).

 

By JEREMIAH, WHO ACTED AS A KINSMAN-REDEEMER IN PURCHASING THE LAND OF HIS COUSIN – Jer. 32:6-14 (Lev. 25:25,44; Ruth2:20;3:12-13; Gal. 4:4-5; Titus2:13-14).

 

TODAY’S READING: JEREMIAH 27-30

 

OVERVIEW: Jeremiah’s cry to reject the false prophets and false prophecy concerning Babylon (27:1-22); Jeremiah’s cry to reject the false prophets and false prophecy concerning the Babylonian captivity (28:1-17); Jeremiah’s letter to those already taken into captivity urging them to reject the false prophets, and to seek the Lord (29:1-32); Jeremiah’s message about Israel’s future restoration (30:1-24).

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

At the beginning of King Zedekiah’s reign the Lord prophesied thatBabylon, under the leadership and rule of Nebuchadnezzar, would overthrowJudah.  The Lord commanded thatJudahserve the one that He had used to discipline them (27:8).  The prophets ofJudahtold the people not to serve the king ofBabylon, just as did the “diviners, dreamers, enchanters and sorcerers” (27:9).  It is a definite sad state of affairs when those who stand in the place of speaking for God, are saying the same thing as those who are speaking for the Devil!  Jeremiah passionately warns the people not to hearken to their lies (27:9, 14, 16). He tells them that God would ultimately restore them, but not before being brought into captivity (27:22).  Chapter 27 teaches us that though a “positive” message from a stereotypical Laodicean “preacher” (II Tim. 4:3-4) feels a whole lot better on the ears than a “negative” message from a non-stereotypical Laodicean preacher (II Tim. 4:2), God’s “negative” message will have a whole lot more positive ramifications in our lives than their supposed “positive” one!  Don’t ever lose sight of Jesus’ words in Rev. 3:19 to those of us living in this “negative” Laodicean Church Period: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten”!  In other words, the results of Jesus’ negativity through His preachers are very positive!

 

Chapter 28 lets us know that in the same year that the events of chapter 27 were taking place, that Jeremiah encountered what must have been one of the “well respected” and “big name” prophets ofJudah: a man by the name of Hananiah.  His message from “the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel” (28:2) was that God had broken Babylon’s power over Judah, and that within two years all of the vessels that had been taken out of the Temple would be returned, along with all of the exiles.  Man, what a positive message that was!  The only problem with it is that it wasn’t true!  God had said no such thing (28:15)!  Jeremiah tells Hananiah thatBabylon’s yoke was not a yoke of wood that would be easily broken, but was a yoke of iron, and that he was a liar.  Jeremiah then prophesied Hananiah’s death for his sin of misleading the people, and he died, verifying which one of them was truly speaking for the Lord.  Even so, the people refused to listen to the Words of the Lord through Jeremiah.

 

In chapter 29, Jeremiah writes a letter to the Jewish people who had already been taken into captivity.  He tells them not to listen to the false prophets who have been prophesying their soon release.  He tells them that the captivity is actually going to last 70 years and that they should go ahead and make the best of it by building houses, planting gardens, and strengthening their families, because this is where most of them would die.  Our gracious God even wrote to them through Jeremiah saying that if they refused to listen to the false prophets and would seek Him, their lives in captivity in Babylon would be blessed, and actually be better than those who lived in the freedom of Judah, but refused to listen to Him.

 

In chapter 30, Jeremiah’s message actually turns in more of a positive direction.  Though the positive nature of his message pertained to a future time, (actually, the time of the Great Tribulation and Second Coming of Christ when God will restore the nation of Israel not only to her homeland, but to her Messiah), the break from the negativity of Jeremiah’s message had to be refreshing to him.  Do recognize that all of the events that are taking place in theMiddle Easttoday are simply setting the stage for what God was prophesying through Jeremiah in this chapter.  It is an exciting time to be alive if for no other reason than that!  Lift up your head, your redemption draweth nigh!

 

SPECIFIC REFERENCES TO “THE DAY OF THE LORD”:

30:7a – “That day is great, so that none is like it.”

30:7b –“The time of Jacob’s trouble” (Specifically, the Tribulation Period). 30:8 – “In that day.” 30:24 – “In the latter days.”

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As the LORD WHO WILL BE RAISED UP AS DAVID THEIR KING – Jer. 30:9 (Matt. 2:2; 1:1; Luke1:31-33).

 

 

TODAY’S READING: JEREMIAH 23-26

 

OVERVIEW:

Jeremiah preaches about the Righteous King who would rise to the throne (23:1-8); Jeremiah preaches against the false prophets (23:9-40); Jeremiah preaches against the people (24:1-25:38); Jeremiahpreaches against false worship and false prophecy (26:1-29:32).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As was mentioned in the previous day’s reading, in chapters 21-29, Jeremiah is called on by God to preach to those to whom God said He would preach back in chapter one, verses 17-19: kings, princes, priests, and the people of the land. Beginning in 21:1, all the way into chapter 23 and verse 8 in today’s reading, Jeremiah has been preaching against the kings. Though God pronounced “woe” upon these wretched shepherds (“pastors”) who were leadingJudahto destruction, God begins to point to a different day, when a righteous King from David’s line would rise to the throne! “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his daysJudahshall be saved, andIsraelshall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (23:5-6). Of course, that righteous Lord, and King from David’s Branch (i.e. line or ancestry) is none other than the King of kings Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ! Little did Jeremiah or those to whom he was preaching realize that he was actually preaching about what would happen 2000 years after our Lord’s first coming.

 

In the remainder of chapter 23 (23:9-40), Jeremiah turns from preaching against the kings, to preaching against the prophets. It is amazing how history repeats itself. So many of the things Jeremiah preached as he opposed the prophets of his day, he could come and preach in opposition to many of the preachers in our day! Check out verses 16 and 17: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you”.  Again, much like in Laodicea, the words that are so often spoken in the name of the Lord, or in the name of “preaching,” leave people void of the truth of God (II Tim. 4:4). Preachers are to preach a message “out of the mouth of the LORD” (i.e. the Word of God!!!), not out “of their own heart.” God has already given His commentary on men’s hearts through Jeremiah back in 17:9.

 

Our hearts are so deceitful and desperately wicked it is near nigh impossible to even know what’s actually going on in them! Spare us the message you feel the Lord has laid on your heart, preachers, and just give us the Lord’s heart as it has been revealed in His Word (“out of the mouth of the LORD” – 23:16)! The message from the prophets in Jeremiah’s day (23:17), like many of the preachers in our own day, was void of judgment. The people were told that they were “going to be all right” (i.e. “No evil shall come upon you”), even though they willfully and blatantly lived for self, self-satisfaction, and self-gratification (i.e. “after the imagination of his own heart”).

 

In23:22, God says that if those given the responsibility of heralding His Words would have “stood in his counsel” so that the people would have actually heard the Words of the Lord, the people would have turned from “their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.” Note that evil is described not simply because of the evil things we “do”, but a “way” we are in!

 

Would to God that every preacher inLaodiceawould read23:31just before they walk out to preach: “Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.”

 

In chapters 24 and 25, Jeremiah turns the focus of his preaching against the people. Something you don’t want to miss out of this section is that though the people had horrific spiritual leadership, God still held them responsible for their actions. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, God will not receive the argument, “But my pastor didn’t preach the Word! But I didn’t know!” He has given all of us His Word, and has placed the resident Truth Teacher (the Holy Spirit) inside each one of us (I John 2:27). Note again, that just like inLaodicea(II Tim. 4:3), one of the reasons thatJudahhad such terrible leadership, is that the people didn’t want godly counsel or leadership! The way Jeremiah was treated is more than proof of that. God says of our day, that the people do “not endure sound doctrine: but after their own lusts… heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they… turn away their ears from the truth … and unto fables” (II Tim. 4:3-4).

 

In chapter 26, Jeremiah begins to preach against, not only the prophets and the people, but the priests as well. In verses 7-15, the priests and the prophets actually call for Jeremiah’s death. Notice in verses 2 and 8 of this chapter that carrying out the Lord’s perfect will, will cost you. “Yea, and all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (II Tim.3:12). Yes, it’ll cost you, but the rewards are out of this world!

 

SPECIFIC REFERENCES TO “THE DAY OF THE LORD”:

25:29 – “For I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth.”

25:30 – “The Lord shall roar from on high.”

25:31 – “He will give them that are wicked to the sword.”

25:33 – “At that day”

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As THE KING RAISED UNTO DAVID A RIGHTEOUS BRANCH – Jer. 23:5 (Matt. 2:1; Matt. 1:1; Luke1:31-33).

As THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS – Jer. 23:6 (I Cor.1:30; II Cor.5:21).

TODAY’S READING: JEREMIAH 18-22

 

OVERVIEW:

God’s lesson to Jeremiah at the potter’s house (18:1-10); Jeremiah’s message toJudahbased on the lessons from the potter (18:11-17);Israel’s opposition to Jeremiah (18:18-23); Jeremiah fights his calling (19:1-20:18); Jeremiah’s message of opposition to kings (21:1-22:30).

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

God is most certainly the Master Illustrator. He has masterful ways of using things in His physical creation to teach us spiritual truth, just as Romans1:20says He does. As we move into chapter 18, God is employing this teaching technique in the ministry of Jeremiah just as He had done in the two previous occasions in 13:1-7 and 16:1-9. This time God takes Jeremiah on a little “field trip” to the potter’s house to make this point. God shows Jeremiah that He (God) is as the Potter, andIsraelis as the clay, and He can do with them whatever He jolly-well wants! The real point He wants Jeremiah to see is that if Israel would repent, He would instantaneously fashion them into a beautiful and usable vessel, but if they choose to remain rebellious and obstinate, He can mar them in an instant with His powerful hands, and as the Potter, it is perfectly within His right to so!

Based on what God showed Jeremiah in his object lesson in 18:1-10, He then tells him to get out there and call the nation to repentance (18:11). Obviously, knowing and understanding God’s sovereignty (“as seemed good to the potter to make it”- 18:4) and omnipotence (“as the clay in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand” – 18:6) puts a whole different “umph!” behind a preacher’s message! As you can see in18:18, the “umph!” of the message wasn’t well received, and as it has consistently done throughout Jeremiah’s ministry, it only brought more hatred and opposition from the people to whom he ministered. As chapter 18 comes to a close, you can see that Jeremiah has gotten fed up with the people, and calls upon God to go ahead and give them what they deserved.

 

In chapter 19, God wants to use an object lesson in making a point to the people that was similar to the one He used in 18:1-10 to make His point to Jeremiah.  He tells Jeremiah to a take “a potter’s earthen bottle” and go preach toJudah’s king and all the inhabitants ofJerusalem. He was to preach a strong message about God’s judgment that would come upon them because of their idolatry and rebellion. In effect, Jeremiah said, “You’re kind of like this jar,” and then he smashed it to smithereens right in their face (19:10-12). “God is going to smash you into a million tiny pieces, and you won’t be able to glue yourself back together!”

 

Well, needless to say, the message didn’t go over real well with the supposed religious leaders, much less the people in general! In chapter 20, Pashur, “the chief governor in the house of the Lord” smacks Jeremiah right in his face and slams him right into stocks in the city jail. Jeremiah tells him, “Just for that, God just changed your name from Pashur (“freedom”) to Magormissabib” (“terror on every side”), and Jeremiah prophesied the “terror” that would soon come upon him and all those who believed his lies (20:6).

 

But once again, the opposition was wearing on Jeremiah. He registers his complaint against God for calling him to such a long, difficult, and painful ministry. He even felt that God had deceived him. In effect he tells God, “You may be able to take this because you’re stronger than me, but I can’t take it anymore!” (20:7-8). He even vows that he’s never going to preach again, and never even mentions the name of the Lord to anybody (20:9), but he found that God’s Word was so in him, that it burned like a fire in his bones, and that the only remedy was through preaching!  The message was in him, and he just couldn’t help but letting it out. Would to God that His Word would be that deeply embedded in us!

 

So, Jeremiah preached on. He had come to grips with the fact that it was the right thing to do, but just because it was right, didn’t make it easy. In fact, biblically, it might be better stated, if it’s right it won’t be easy! Paul, most certainly, could vouch for that!

 

As we move into chapters 21 and 22 in today’s reading, it becomes apparent that Jeremiah had nailed some things in his relationship with God, and concerning the ministry to which he had been called. You can see that he has matured as a believer and a prophet. Just as God told Jeremiah back in 1:17-19, that he would be called to preach to and receive opposition from kings, princes, priests, and the people of the land, in this next section (chapters 21-29), Jeremiah preaches to each of these groups of people, and likewise receives retaliation from each. Each time, however, the more seasoned and matured Jeremiah is able to hand the opposition over to God, rather than blame Him for it.

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As the ONE WHO PRONOUNCES JUDGMENT UPON THOSE WHO REFUSE TO OBEY HIS WORD – Jer.19:15(John5:22).

TODAY’S READING: JEREMIAH 13-17

 

OVERVIEW: The object lesson of the ruin of Judah (13:1-11); Israel described as a drunken nation (13:12-14); Jeremiah pleading to the nation (13:15-27); Judah’s drought and Jeremiah’s intercession (14:1-22); God’s refusal to answer Jeremiah’s prayers (15:1-9); Jeremiah’s complaint against God (15:10-18); God’s call for Jeremiah’s repentance (15:19-21); Jeremiah’s personal renewal (16:1-17:18); God’s message through Jeremiah’s concerning the Sabbath (17:19-27).

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As chapter 13 begins, God wants to give Jeremiah an object lesson concerning the people ofJudah.  He instructs him to get a “linen girdle,” what we would call today a linen belt or waistband, and put it around his “loins” or waist.  He then told him to remove it, and to hide it in a hole of a rock near theEuphrates.  After many days, God told him to go back to retrieve it, only to find that the belt was totally ruined and “good for nothing.”  God explained to Jeremiah that, like the belt,Judahwould become “good for nothing” because of her pride, her refusal to hear the Word of God, her wicked imagination, and her idolatry (13:9-10).  God’s desire forJudahwas for them to “be unto [him] for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory” (13:11), but sadly, verse 11 ends by saying, “but they would not hear.”  As God’s people in a different dispensation, His desire for us is that we also “be unto [him] for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a  glory.”  Are you hearing Him?

 

Even after God had revealed to Jeremiah all He had aboutJudah’s inevitable fate, Jeremiah’s heart still caused him to plead, to weep, and to yearn forJudahto repent and give glory to God once again.  Would to God we had Jeremiah’s passion for the glory of God and the souls of men!

 

God’s punishment first manifested itself in chapter 14 with a terrible “death” or drought.  Jeremiah’s heart led him to ask God to be merciful to them and remove the drought, but God told Jeremiah that they were getting what they deserved (14:10), and even told him to stop praying for them (14:11)!  Even then, Jeremiah continued to pray on their behalf.  As chapter 15 begins, God tells Jeremiah that it wouldn’t matter who was interceding onJudah’s behalf, even if it were Moses or Samuel (that’s some pretty major props for those two fellas!), His judgment was going to be unleashed.  In15:10-18, Jeremiah becomes rather upset with God about his role.  He complains that all he had ever done was what God wanted him to do, but all it had ever gotten him was pain and heartache (15:15-18a).  He even charges God at the end of 18 with being a liar!  Jeremiah was beginning to sound like the people to whom he was called to minister.  In verses 19-21, basically, God tells Jeremiah that he better sort things out in his head and in his heart, and get back to the task God had intended for him.  Jeremiah was going to have to find a way to carry out his mission, even though he would never receive any encouragement from the people to whom he was seeking to minister.  Imagine, in Jeremiah’s entire ministry, a 40 year span, (627-587 B.C.), he never saw one convert!

 

In chapter 16:1-8, once again, God gives an object lesson.  Jeremiah is given a series of three strange commands in order for God to make His point.  First, he is told not to marry (16:1-4), because wives and children would be mercilessly killed by the armies God would use to punishIsrael’s sin.  Second, God tells Jeremiah not to mourn for the dead (16:5-7), because in light of what was about to happen inJudah, they would be better off than the living.  And third, he was not to participate in feasts of any kind, because all it produced was just wishful thinking in a land that was without hope.  God tells Jeremiah that these three things would provide him the opportunity to warn them of the impending judgment to come, and the need to repent.  At the end of chapter 16 (16:14-18), God points to a time following His judgment upon them, when He would deliver Israel out of her oppression and bondage, just like He did in delivering them out of Egypt.

 

In chapter 17, God affirms to Jeremiah once again, thatIsrael’s idolatry was etched in their hearts with “a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond” (17:1).  Because of their unfaithfulness to Him, God warns Jeremiah against trusting them for anything, and urges him to only trust in Him alone.  Verse 9 is a classic, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: Who can know it?”  Meditate on that for about the next 20 years!

 

In17:12-18, Jeremiah offers an incredibly humble and powerful prayer for renewal, asking God for spiritual healing, deliverance from his oppressors, and for courage.  Immediately, God charges Jeremiah to stand at the gates where all who came in or out of Jerusalem could hear, and confront them about observing the Sabbath.  He tells them that if they don’t stop carrying things in and out of the city on the Sabbath, God would allow an invading army to see to it that all activity in the city ceased!

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As the HOPE OF ISRAEL – Jeremiah 14:8 (Titus 2:13)

 

TODAY’S READING: JEREMIAH 9-12

 

OVERVIEW: Jeremiah’s life amid a deceitful people (9:1-9); Jeremiah’s grief over Judah (9:10-26); Judah’s idolatry and exile (10:1-25); Israel’s history of covenant breaking (11:1-17); Jeremiah’s enemies plot against him (11:18-23); Jeremiah’s complaint concerning the wicked (12:1-4); God’s challenge to Jeremiah (12:5-13); God’s promise to restore Israel (12:14-17).

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

Jeremiah was definitely the right man for the job!  What was needed was a prophet that would not only clearly communicate God’s MESSAGE, but God’s HEART!  Jeremiah gave the people both.  We saw God’s heart in Jeremiah as chapter 8 came to a close in yesterday’s reading (8:18-22), as Jeremiah said that because ofJudah’s refusal of her King and Healer, he was unable to find comfort for the sorrow and pain in his heart.  As chapter 9 begins today, we hear Jeremiah cry out, “Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people” (9:1).  What Jeremiah provided the people ofJudah, giving God’s message and God’s heart, is exactly whatLaodiceaneeds of its pastors.  Sadly, it seems that it is most generally one extreme or the other.  Either a pastor is all heart and no truth, or all truth and no heart.  Pray earnestly that God will allow your pastor to have both!  Pray that he will give the message just as God gave it, and with God’s heart!  Pray that although he must preach a message of rebuke in these Laodicean days, that he will have a heart that loves and breaks for the people.

 

The more Jeremiah began to understand just how devastating God’s judgment would be (9:9-26), the more earnestly he preached, and the more he longed for God’s people to repent.  In the context, verses 23 and 24 let us know that God’s judgment could have been stayed if the people, rather than glory in everything but God, would simply have sought to “understand” and “know” Him!  These are also two great verses to meditate upon to bring us into the glorious wonder of our God!  Jeremiah said, “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD” (Jer. 9:23-24).  That is exactly why Paul said, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal.6:14). It is only through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ that we can “understand” anything about God (I Cor.2:14), or “know” Him at all.  It was through the cross that our Lord “excercised lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth” (9:24)!

 

As Jeremiah preaches his heart out in chapter 10, he declares the greatness of the one true God (10:10) saying, “There is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might” (10:6). His point is to confrontIsraelwith the fact that God is not just their national deity, but the Creator (10:11-12), the only “living God,” the “everlasting King,” and the One who will unleash His judgment upon the whole world (10:10).  He also shows how that when God’s people bow to the gods of other nations, the Lord turns them over to be consumed by those nations (10:25).

 

As we move into chapters 11-12, we find that even though God had warned Jeremiah of the opposition and adversity that would inevitably come his way (1:17-19; 9:1-3), it is apparent that Jeremiah somehow thought that it might happen otherwise.  It is the same syndrome that continues today.  Though God clearly told us, “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (John16:33), and “Yea, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (II Tim.3:12), somehow it seems to take us off guard when it actually happens to us.  Even though God said through Peter, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (I Pet. 4:12), again, it is amazing how amazed we are when it actually unfolds in our lives!  The Lord reveals to Jeremiah in11:18-23 a plot to take his life by the men of Jeremiah’s hometown, and in chapter 12, tells Jeremiah to prepare for even worse times (12:5-13).

 

One of the beautiful things that continues to surface through the Book of Jeremiah is that God’s ultimate purpose behind exercising His judgment is to restore and renew.  Chapter 12:14-17 points to the compassion of the Lord, and His willingness to not only deliverIsrael, but all nations.

 

SPECIFIC REFERENCES TO “THE DAY OF THE LORD”:

10:10– “at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation”

11:11– “I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape”

11:12– “the time of their trouble”

12:12– “the sword of the Lord shall devour from the one end of the  land even to the other end of  the land”

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

In the ONE WHOSE JUDGMENT IS INESCAPABLE – Jer.11:11(II Thess. 1:7-9)

 

As the ONE WHO WILL DEVOUR WITH HIS SWORD – Jer.12:12(Rev. 19:19-21)

TODAY’S READING: JEREMIAH 5-8

 

OVERVIEW:

God’s instruction for Jeremiah to search for the righteous (5:1-9); God’s promise to judge the wicked (5:10-6:30); Jeremiah’s first message to the people concerning their faith in the temple and external religion (7:1-8:3); Jeremiah’s message concerning rejecting the truth of God’s Word (8:4-22).

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

Before God actually begins to EMPOWER Jeremiah to preach against the people in chapter 7, He takes the events recorded in the first six chapters to IMPASSION him. As chapter 5 begins, God doesn’t send Jeremiah on a “search and destroy mission,” but a “search so I won’t destroy mission”!

 

God wants Jeremiah to understand the depth to which His people had apostatized, and why His judgment against them was so deserved. Just as Ezekiel went looking for one single man in his day to make up the hedge and stand in the gap, God tells Jeremiah to see if he, too, could just find one man somewhere in the land who simply sought truth and executed judgment. Just as Ezekiel’s search ended with the pitiful words, “But I found none,” (Ezek.22:30), Jeremiah’s search produced the same result. The people were so incredibly perverted in their thinking, they even viewed God’s mercy as weakness (5:11-13). Through the “fiery” preaching of Jeremiah (5:14), God promises the invasion of a mighty army to destroy them. Allow verse 31 of chapter 5 not only to acquaint you with the horrific spiritual climate of Jeremiah’s day, but our own day: “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priest bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so.” It is simply another way of saying what Paul wrote concerning our day: “After their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (II Tim. 4:3-4).

 

As we move into chapter 6, it becomes clear why Judah had become so debauched that God says that “from the least of them even to the greatest of them everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest every one dealeth falsely” (6:13). The key is in verse 10.  Very simply, the people had come to the place that the Word of God held no delight or significance in their hearts. It is a great commentary on howAmericahas gotten to the place it has, and where things are heading for churches where week after week, from the pulpit, and in the personal lives of the people, truth sits forsaken. It’s a great time to be reminded that the goal of our 365 Days of Pursuit isn’t simply to get through the Word of God, but to so delight ourselves in the God of the Word, that we allow His Word to get through us, and find a resting place everywhere it “reproves, rebukes, and/or exhorts” us (II Tim. 4:2).

 

As we come into chapter 7, God now takes the things He revealed to Jeremiah in chapters 1-6, and turns him loose to carry out the six-fold ministry he described in chapter 1 and verse 10. God strategically places Jeremiah at the entrance to theTempleso he can specifically confront those who thought that because of their greatTemple(7:4) and their activity there, that they were doing fine spiritually. Never confuse “blessings” and busyness at church with spirituality. God’s words through Jeremiah are just as pertinent today as they were then: “For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor; If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, forever and ever.” The New Testament equivalent might be II Cor. 7:1 – “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” The entire chapter emphasizes the fact that our personal and holy God is neither impressed nor the least bit interested in external religion.

 

In chapter 8, Jeremiah’s message to the people was similar to his message in chapter 7. The same attitude the people had about themselves spiritually because they were in possession of theTemple(7:4), they also had about themselves because they were in possession of the Law of Moses (8:8).

 

Again, it is such a reminder that God is interested in so much more than that we go to church and read our Bible. Obviously, those things have their place, but God is interested in holding His rightful place as Lord in our lives!

 

Because of the Laodicean implications and applications, notice that much ofJudah’s problem was that their spiritual leaders did not properly proclaim the truth of God’s Word (8:8-12). Their prophets turned the truth of God into lies (II Tim. 4:4), telling the people that it was no problem for them to continue living the lives they were living; everything was going to be all right. The question today is not, “where is the Lord God of Jeremiah?” But, “where are the Jeremiah’s of the Lord God?”  Pray that God would use your pastors as “Jeremiahs” in these spiritually dark Laodicean days.

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As THE ONE WHO DEMANDED A CLEANSEDTEMPLE– Jer. 7:1-11 (Mark11:17)