Archive for the ‘Jeremiah--BibleTrekToday’ Category

Scripture reading for August 12th: Jeremiah 30-33

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:  “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”  Jeremiah 31:3

“While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the Word of the Lord came to him a second time:  “This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it–The Lord is His name:  ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ “  Jeremiah 33:2-3

God loves His people!  He always has and always will love them!  He draws His people to enter into a love relationship with Him by cords of loving-kindness.  He knows that love must be freely given by His people and that they must be drawn back to Him from the world and it’s enticements.  God’s love will ransom them from the hand of the enemy. (Jeremiah 31:11)  He will cause them to take up the tambourine and dance with the joyful!  (Jeremiah 31:4, 13)

God then speaks to Jeremiah of a time that is coming when He will make a new covenant with Israel and Judah.  This covenant will be different than the old one made with those who came out of Egypt.  This covenant would include God writing His law on the human heart and mind.  God would personally be their God and each person would personally know God.  His forgiveness of sin would be experienced by all and God Himself would remember it no more.  (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

These visions of restoration came to Jeremiah at a most unlikely time in the history of the nation.  The nation was surrounded by the  Babylonians and Jeremiah was confined to the courtyard of the guard under house arrest.  In the natural, it did not look good.  But in the midst of the troubling time, God’s word brought hope and encouragement to Jeremiah and His people.  God would allow the destruction of the Temple and city and send the people into captivity but He promised restoration and the coming time of the New Covenant.

The condition for great revelation is calling on God in faith in the midst of trial and trouble!  The amazing promises of great things given to Jeremiah included the promise of the righteous “Branch” that would sprout from David’s line.  (Jeremiah 33:14-16)  This “Branch” would bring salvation to Judah and peace and safety to Jerusalem.  His name would be “The Lord our Righteousness”.  This “Branch” is none other than Jesus Christ!  He is the salvation of His people, and their righteousness!  He brought the “New Covenant” in His own blood that would enable eternal forgiveness of sins and the law written on hearts.  He was the embodiment of the everlasting love of God in human flesh and draws us with His loving-kindness!  These are great and unsearchable things revealed to those who call on Him!  What a wonderful promise!

Scripture reading for August 11th: Jeremiah 26-29

It takes discernment to hear the voice of God.  What sounds good is not always truth and only the truth will make us free!  In Jeremiah 28 we have a story that always makes me stop and consider what I might have done as I listened to these two prophets debate one another.  One had a message of victory and hope, and the other a message of judgment and captivity.  One message was true and the other was false.  God allowed the contest to take place in the temple of the Lord in front of the priests and all the people.  After the messages were given, the people had to decide which one to believe.  Were they to prepare for captivity or deliverance?  Was the message of peace and restoration truth or was the message of judgment and a yoke true?  I know which I would have wanted to believe!

In the fifth month of the fourth year of King Zedekiah, all the people were gathered with the priests in the temple.  Hananiah, a prophet from Gibeon spoke to Jeremiah in front of all the people. Jeremiah had been wearing a wooden yoke around his neck for a long time telling the people of their coming captivity.   Hananiah spoke that within two  years, God would remove the yoke of the Babylonians and Judah would be free.  To illustrate that message, he took the yoke off Jeremiah and broke it in front of the people.  (Jeremiah 28:1-4,10-11)

Jeremiah responded initially with an ‘amen’ to the message.  But he added some prophetic insight.  Most prophets are sent to warn of coming disaster and turn the people back to God.  This prophecy of peace will only be from the Lord if it actually happens.  (Jeremiah 28:6-9)

Jeremiah went his way and then the Lord spoke to him to go back with a word for Hananiah.  He was to tell Hananiah that he was not sent by the Lord and that his prophecy was not true.  God was going to remove the wooden yoke and place an iron yoke on his rebellious people.  His final word was that Hananiah would die because he preached rebellion against the Lord.

Wow, what would you have done?  Who would you want to believe?  Wouldn’t it have been tempting to hate Jeremiah and his message?  How would you decide which was true?  As we finish reading, the truth becomes apparent.  In the seventh month, three months later, Hananiah died!  God’s word is always validated because it comes to pass!  It took three months of waiting to know, but the truth became evident!  Please take time today to thank God for His word and the blessing of knowing the truth.  Ask Him for  discernment in these last days that you will not be deceived by messages that simply make you feel good but are not of God!

Scripture reading for August 10th: Jeremiah 21-25

“Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully.  for what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord.  “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23:28-29

When we were much younger and had small children we were in a church that sang Scripture songs from all over the Bible.  A lady named Laura who played an auto harp would use her King James Bible and lead us in singing.  One of the songs we sang was from these verses in Jeremiah.  It was a catchy tune and my younger son Marshal picked it up and was always singing it.  It is interesting to note that Marshal is preaching God’s word today and these truths are still working!

Jeremiah had to deliver some hard messages to his own peers in the ministry of that day.  He spoke a word to the shepherds of that day and accused them of scattering the sheep and destroying them.  (Jeremiah 23:1-3)  They were not caring for God’s people and were bringing about their death and captivity.  The shepherds he was talking to were the kings of Judah.  He warned them repeatedly but few appreciated his warnings! (Jeremiah 22:11-12) (Jeremiah 22:28-30)  He spoke of woe, death, captivity and loss of the land; some accused Jeremiah of being a traitor because of his strong words.

God, Himself, promised to raise up a ‘righteous Branch’ from the line of David who would restore justice and save the nation.  (Jeremiah 23:5-6)  This righteous king would bring God’s people out of captivity in the lands where they would be scattered and bring them into their own land.  (Jeremiah 23:7-8)

The godless priests and prophets were the cause of the people going astray.  They committed adultery and lived a lie.   They prophesied by Baal, the false idol of the Canaanites and led the people astray.(Jeremiah 23:13-14)  They told people who were living in sin and stubbornness that they would have peace when God’s word said they would have trouble.  (Jeremiah 23:16-17)  God was about to send a storm that would destroy the wicked and the prophets should have been giving them God’s word to encourage them to turn around.

God’s word never fails to produce the results that it speaks of.  Jeremiah saw the word of God as a fire.  The fire would burn out the dross to refine the metal and burn up the chaff as it swept the wicked away.  Jeremiah saw God’s word as being a strong hammer that could shatter solid rock.  The hardened hearts would be broken by this hammer.  Jeremiah’s heart was broken and his bones trembled at the thought of God’s holy words and their supernatural power.  (Jeremiah 23:9)  There are many gracious promises in God’s word, but also some very disturbing promises of judgment.  Let the Spirit, light, and life of God’s word keep you from the fire and hammer!

Dear Friends,

Greetings in the beautiful Name of Jesus Christ, our heavenly Rest!  One of the things that is good to do on days of rest is to spend time with God’s people studying God’s word and hearing a message from God through His word.  God’s word is full of God.  It is Spirit and life and brings light to our path and a lamp to our feet.  (John 6:63)  (Psalm 119:105)  His word is eternal because Jesus Christ is the eternal Word made flesh.  (John 1:14)

In our readings through Jeremiah last week, we often saw Jeremiah speaking the ‘word of the Lord’ to God’s people.  After all, it was God’s word that had sent him in the first place!  (Jeremiah 1:4-5)  On one occasion, he stood outside the temple and spoke that word to those who were entering to worship.  On other occasions, he would use an object lesson and then share God’s word with the people.  The word of God was bringing light and God’s heart to the people who heard it, but they often rejected it and refused to listen.  On one occasion they plotted Jeremiah’s murder!  (Jeremiah 11:21)

In fact, Jeremiah got so tired of the rejection, plots of murder, and reproach, that he wanted to quit preaching the word of God.  But as he tried to do that, he found that the word was like a fire in his bones!  (Jeremiah 20:9)  That fire is the power of God in the word to produce what God desires from His word!  (Isaiah 55:10-11)  God’s purposes are fulfilled with His word!  No word of God is void of power!  Jeremiah went on to state that the Lord was with him like a mighty warrior!  (Jeremiah 20:11)  He knew through the word of God that all his enemies would stumble and fall and be defeated.  God would give him the victory!  God’s word would produce results that assured victory!

Today, take fire into your bones by allowing God’s word to reside in your heart.  God’s word brings faith to accomplish all that is written!  It will move you forward in discouraging situations and overcome opposition!  May you be baptized in a fresh way with the Holy Spirit and fire!   In the fire of His love,  Pastor John

Scripture reading for August 8th: Jeremiah 16-20

“Then the word of the Lord came to me:  “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord.  “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.” Jeremiah 18:5-6

One of the most interesting object lessons I have seen is that of a potter working on his clay while talking about God’s work on us.  Watching as the clay was formed gave me a new appreciation of God’s forming me– and a realization that sometimes I failed to cooperate.  The clay has to be moistened and worked to make it pliable.  It has to be placed on the wheel and spun while the potter applies pressure.  He applies his fingers on the outside surface and then thrusts them inside to form the vessel.  Sometimes the clay is flawed or needs to be completely reworked and the potter must smash it back down and start over again.

God sent Jeremiah down to the potter’s house and had him watch the potter working on his wheel.  As the potter was working, his pot was flawed, and he formed it into another pot, as it suited him.  (Jeremiah 18:1-2)  God then spoke to Jeremiah about his people being like the clay in the hand of the potter.  God was in charge of the clay and the shaping of the vessel that was formed!  If the flaws that were in the clay were not eliminated by repentance, then the potter would have to reshape the pot!  It was as simple as that!

The result of Jeremiah preaching this message to the people was that they plotted against him.  They attacked him with their tongues and then ignored him.  (Jeremiah 18:18)  Jeremiah cries out to the Lord for help against his attackers.  They had viewed his message as evil when God and he had meant it for good!  (Jeremiah 18:19-20)  They plotted to kill the prophet and do away with him.  Jeremiah was angry and asked God to not forgive them!  (Jeremiah 18:23)

In response to all of this, God gave Jeremiah another object lesson.  He was to go and buy a pot from the potter and take it to the valley of Ben Hinnom, near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate.   Ben Hinnom was the city garbage dump where there were fires burning all the time.  It is a picture of hell.  There Jeremiah was to tell the people about all the ways that they had resisted the hand of their Potter and angered Him.  Then he was to smash the pot as an example of what would happen to them if they failed to respond. (Jeremiah 19:1-10)

It doesn’t pay to argue with the Potter, God!  He is in charge and can do with our vessel as He pleases.  If we are responsive to Him, His desire is to make a beautiful vessel of honor for His house.  If not, we will be smashed down and reformed.  In the end, a useless vessel ends up in the valley of Ben Hinnom broken beyond further usefulness.

Scripture reading for August 7th: Jeremiah 11-15

Object lessons employ the principle that a ‘picture is worth a thousand words’.  God has always given object lessons through His prophets.  Some of these  are pretty graphic.  In today’s reading God instructs Jeremiah to go and buy a linen belt and put it around his waist.  This belt was a type of underwear that Jeremiah would wear close to his body in the most intimate place.  He was to wear it for a period of time but not wash it in water.  (Jeremiah 13:1)  Can you just imagine body sweat and the dust of the daily walk on the roads of that day causing the white linen underwear to soil?

The next thing God instructed Jeremiah to do was to take the underwear and hide it in a crevice of a rock.  After many days he was to go and retrieve it. (Jeremiah 13:3-6)  There were no surprises; the linen belt was ruined and completely useless.  What was this object lesson meant to teach God’s people?

God said that His people were like the white linen underwear.  He wanted to keep them close to Him in intimacy and as a special treasure.  They refused to listen and instead were filled with stubborn pride and rebellion.  The went after other gods and worshiped them and became useless, just like the linen undergarment.  They were supposed to be God’s people for ‘renown, praise and honor’, but fell far short of their calling.  (Jeremiah 13:11)

God’s Word contains another statement similar to this in the New Testament book of 1st Peter.  “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praise of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (1st Peter 2:9-10)  Another version uses the term “peculiar people”.  This term speaks of a special treasure–pocket change that God can use for His special purposes.  We belong to God and must choose to stay close to Him.  Intimacy requires purity!   He won’t wear “dirty underwear”!

Scripture reading for August 6th: Jeremiah 7-10

Jeremiah is one of my favorite characters in the Bible.  His call and ministry are unique.  He is told to go and preach to his people and told up front that they will not listen!  (Jeremiah 7:27)   He is told on several occasions not to pray for his people because their sins have removed them from God’s grace, but he weeps rivers of tears for them anyway!  (Jeremiah 7:16) (Jeremiah 9:22-23)  He ministers for just over 40 years and is mistreated and threatened by his own people and their leaders.  His preaching is straight and he uses some interesting object lessons to try to get the people’s attention!  In today’s reading, he is told by God to go right to the gate of the temple of the Lord and preach to the people as they arrive for worship and sacrifice.

“Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord.  This is what the Lord Almighty, The God of Israel, says:  Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place.  Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!”  If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, and in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever.  But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.” Jeremiah 7:2-7

These people were going through the motions of religion and were deceived!  Jeremiah’s words struck to the heart of the matter without beating around the bush.  We can use our religious activities to justify our own selfish lifestyles.  God is not interested in religious activities unless they come from a heart that is humble, repentant and willing to listen to Him.  Their trust was in their attendance at the temple.  God called for a change in ways and actions that affected their daily relationships and walk with God.  He cares about orphans and widows.  He cares about the alien and the poor.  His heart is broken when innocent blood is shed and people deal unjustly with one another.  He hates adultery and lying because it is not loving and He is love.  God wants His people to reflect His heart of love.

God is watching over His word and His people’s response to His word!  He sees hypocrisy and desires repentance and faith.  Jesus Christ went into the temple of the Lord and saw the same things with the money changers and traders.  He quoted from Jeremiah:  “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a ‘den of robbers’.”   (Mark 11:17)  (Jeremiah 7:11)  He then cleansed the temple!  We need more preaching at the church door!

Scripture reading for August 5th: Jeremiah 1-6

When does life really begin?  This debate has been going on in our nation for a number of years.  Some say life begins at conception while others say it begins when the fetus is able to maintain life on it’s own outside of the womb.  Others say that at birth life begins.  What does God’s word indicate about this question?

“The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:4-5)  This scripture and others in the Bible indicate that God knows each person before they are formed in the womb!  Ephesians 1:4 states that God chose us to be in Christ before the creation of the world!  God knows everything before anything visible was even created!  What amazing insight into each of our lives!  We are more significant than we might think to God and He has a plan for each of us!

Jeremiah was set apart by God for a specific mission before he was ever born into this world.  Jeremiah was appointed by God to be a prophet.  Prophets listen to God and then speak His thoughts and word to people.  God doesn’t do anything by way of judgment without warning people by the prophets.  (Amos 3:6-7)  When God spoke to Jeremiah he was only a child–we are not sure of his age.  God told him not to worry about his youth and inexperience, but to speak the word of God.

God promised to be with him and deliver him.  I don’t know about you, but if God told me that he would deliver me, I would be asking God what I would be involved in that called for deliverance!  When any prophet spoke the word of God, it always brought some kind of response.  God used that word to uproot and tear down or to build up and plant.  (Jeremiah 1:7-9)  These activities bring conflict that sometimes cause the need for God’s deliverance!

God gave Jeremiah a vision of an almond tree and asked him what he saw.  The almond tree was the first tree to bloom in the spring in Israel and it was watched by all the people as a sign that spring was coming.  God spoke to Jeremiah through that vision that God Himself would watch over His word to bring it to pass.  (Jeremiah 1:12-12)

Jeremiah is one of my favorite prophets!  I believe that as we read through this book God will speak to us about our time and day!  Listen closely for God speaking to you and confirming His call.  Let Him show you how He has watched over His word and is still watching over it to bring it to pass.  It will revolutionize your faith and daily walk.