Monthly Archives: August 2020

Daily Bible Study

August 12, 2020 Bible Study Are We Compounding The Sins of Our Ancestors?

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 16-18.

When people asked Jeremiah why God would do the things which Jeremiah prophesied against them, his answer was “because their ancestors had been unfaithful to God.”  However, that was not the whole of Jeremiah’s answer.  The rest of his answer was that they were even worse than their ancestors.  From time to time throughout the Old Testament we have examples of where people are asked to repent of sins committed by their ancestors, but in every such case, they must also repent of their own sins.  God only holds us to account for the sins of our ancestors when we continue those sins ourselves.  This reminds us that the biggest value in examining our ancestors sins is to determine if we are continuing in those sins.

My thoughts on this next bit are kind of muddled, so bear with me.  If we put our trust in our fellow man, we will be disappointed and will have no hope for the future.  But, if we instead put out trust in God, we will be like trees planted along a river bank, constantly renewed even in times of drought.  In either case, whether we put our trust in man or in God, we may get crushed.  However, if we have put our trust in God, He will have crushed us in order to build us back up better than we were.  Whereas when people crush us, they have no idea how we should truly be built back up and the results will be no better than what we were before.

Daily Bible Study

August 11, 2020 Bible Study Doom Awaits Those Unwilling To Change Their Ways

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 13-15.

There are two elements in today’s passage.  First, God tells Jeremiah to not even pray for the people of Judah any longer.  The time has past when God will listen to any prayers asking Him to turn aside His wrath against them.  However, God also tells Jeremiah that He will take care of him; that there are still a few among the people who have been faithful whom God will protect.  If we go back and look at what God tells Jeremiah concerning those against whom He will not relent, we discover that they all have a key thing in common.  They may cry out to God for salvation, but they will refuse to change their evil ways.  We must be willing to change our ways when God shows us how we are sinning, or He will not listen to our cries for aid.

Daily Bible Study

August 10, 2020 Bible Study We Are Fools If We Do Not Seek Knowledge From God

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 10-12.

Jeremiah reminds us that the entire human race is foolish and has less knowledge than any of us believe about ourselves.  We worship things which we have made with our own hands, rather than worship the One how made everything.  We look to the stars to predict the future, despite knowing that what we see of the stars comes from long ago.  Our lives are not our own, so let us strive to follow the path which God has laid out for us.  Let us cry out to the Lord now for mercy, for Him to transform us, because He is bring His judgement and when that day arrives it will be too late.   Let us not be like the wicked to whom Jeremiah refers, who had God’s name on their lips, but whose hearts were far from Him.

Daily Bible Study

August 9, 2020 Bible Study Jeremiah’s Message To Us: “Stop!”

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 7-9.

As I get older, I see more and more parallels between what the Old Testament prophets said to the people of their day and what is going on today.  Jeremiah told the people of Jerusalem that they must stop their evil thoughts and deeds, they must treat each other with justice, they must stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows, they must stop murdering, and they must stop harming themselves.  In each of these I see parallels today.  On the issue of justice, all too often I see people hear a story and demand punishment for the “perpetrator” before they hear all of the facts.  By the time the facts come out indicating that perhaps the “perpetrator” had done nothing wrong after all, they have moved on and are no longer paying attention.  On the issue of exploiting foreigners, all too often those who speak out against it end up as political allies of those who do the most exploiting.  Rather than demand that the laws be changed, they demand that they not be enforced.  And on the last one, when people call for individuals to stop harming themselves, they are shouted down as intolerant because those people should be allowed the freedom to do as they choose without being condemned.

Jeremiah goes on to tell how the people refuse to stand up for the truth.  Again what he writes reminds me of today, where you have to carefully evaluate every piece of information which you come across, not matter what the source.  People are more concerned with whether something supports their argument than with whether or not it is true.  You cannot trust your neighbor, not even your own brother.  We see it time and again, friends slander friends when it becomes advantageous to do so.  Let us separate ourselves from these sorts of actions and be sorry for the wrong we have done.  Let us humbly turn to the Lord and beg Him for forgiveness.  Let us not boast of our wisdom, riches, or power.  Instead, let us boast of God’s mercy to us.

Daily Bible Study

August 8, 2020 Bible Study Plow Up the Hard Ground of Your Heart

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 4-6.

Years ago I heard a sermon preached around verse three of chapter four, “Plow up the hard ground of your hearts.”  I do not really remember what the preacher had to say, but I remember he emphasized, as Jeremiah does here, that we must give up our pride and power.  We must come before the Lord in humility.  His lesson applies even more today.  Look around at what is going on.  Our own actions have brought this on, we have failed to serve the Lord as we ought.  But even so, everyone is blaming someone else:
“They encouraged the rioters.” “They won’t wear masks.”  It is not someone else’s fault.  It is our fault.

We are standing with many roads ahead of us.  Jeremiah tells us that we should ask for the old, godly way and follow that path.  But how many people want to do that?  No, that way is “boring”, or, perhaps some of those who followed that path previously were flawed human beings.  We want to go a different way, a new way.  We can hear the sound of alarm from up ahead on those roads, but we do not turn back.  I like to believe that I am one of those sounding the alarms and heading for the old, godly path, but I fear I have allowed myself to be carried along with the crowd done the path to destruction.  I will pray to God that He shows me how I should go.

Daily Bible Study

August 7, 2020 Bible Study Do Not Be Afraid To Speak The Message God Has Given You

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 1-3.

God chose Jeremiah for his ministry before he was born.  God has done the same for each and everyone of us.  For those who are young, the first message of this book is that you are not too young to speak the words which God gives you.  For all of us, God warns us not to let the fear of people stop us from speaking His word, not even of those today who will call you a homophobe, or a transphobe, perhaps even a racist, for speaking God’s word.   If you speak the message which God has given you, He will stand with you and those who seek to tear you down will fail.

The people of the United States are not the target of this prophecy, yet there are parts of it which apply.  However, elements of it apply to them.  A revival swept through the colonies in the 1730s and 1740s where many people came to know the Lord.  A second revival swept through the country in the 1790s.  One could easily see that the people of the fledgling United States were eager to serve God.  As a result of the people eagerly serving God, the people of the United States were blessed.  But rather than continuing to seek how to serve God, we, as a people, have chosen to pursue pleasure by putting our trust in things other than God.  And just as Jeremiah said to the people of Jerusalem, there are those who claim to be faithful to God while seeking to set up the government, or wealth, or something else, in God’s place.  As a result, God is angry with people and will continue to bring punishment upon them.  However, just as Jeremiah told the people of his day, all God asks of us is that we acknowledge our guilt, not the guilt of “institutions”, not the guilt of those who went before us. No, we must acknowledge our guilt.

Daily Bible Study

August 6, 2020 Bible Study If You Think You Are More Righteous Than Another, You Have Not Been Listening To God

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 64-66.

Isaiah tells us that God welcomes those who gladly do good, but that we are not godly.  We are constant sinners, every one of us.  We call to God for help, but not really.  God stands ready to respond, but no one actually asks for His help.  Instead of asking God to transform us into godly people whom He can bless, we ask Him to accept our sinfulness as righteous.  We do things which God has declared as detestable, then tell others not to get too close to us because they might defile us.

This passage reminded me of the news around us.  There are people who will beat someone up for not wearing a mask in public, and others who will beat someone up for asking them to wear a mask.  Both think they are more righteous than the other.  But Isaiah tells us that those whom God will bless are those with a humble and contrite heart.  If you think that you are holier, more righteous, better than others, you just haven’t been listening when God speaks.  There is more in this passage I would like to write about, but doing so would dilute that message.  I will come before God with a humble and contrite heart.  I am not better than you, or anyone else.  I am but a sinner whose only redeeming features come from the grace of God.

Daily Bible Study

August 5, 2020 Bible Study Let US Pray For The Spirit Of The Sovereign Lord To Be Upon Us

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 60-63.

There are three thoughts I want to emphasize in today’s passage.  I am hoping I can write about them in a way which shows how they are connected in my mind.  So, I will begin with the beginning of chapter 61, which Jesus quoted and said that He fulfilled.  Jesus certainly fulfilled that prophecy, but there is a way in which each of us should also be a fulfillment of this prophecy.  The Spirit of the Lord, the Sovereign Lord, should be upon us.  For God has certainly anointed those who choose to imitate Christ to bring good news to the poor.  The captives will be freed if they choose to accept the salvation which God offers.

But there is more to this passage than just good news.  The time of the Lord’s favor for those who worship Him will also be the day of His anger against His enemies.  We get to choose which group we wish to be in.  Chapter 63 verse 3 says the following:

I have been treading the winepress alone;
no one was there to help me.
In my anger I have trampled my enemies
as if they were grapes.
In my fury I have trampled my foes.
Their blood has stained my clothes.

This reminds me of the first verse of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”.  The writer of that song saw the horrors of the American Civil War as a fulfillment of chapter 63, and I would not disagree with them.  There are some who think she was implying that the Union Army was acting as God’s agent in bringing judgement against the Confederacy.  My take on the lyrics, and on this passage, is that both sides in that conflict were suffering God’s judgement in that horrible war.  Let us pray that we do not live to be on the receiving end of God’s judgement in a similar manner.  God rose up to avenge those who had been oppressed.  He will do so again, and when He does the suffering will be immense.

Which brings me to the third point I wanted to discuss.  In between the two passages I have discussed so far, Isaiah writes that he cannot stop praying for Zion, Jerusalem, because he loves her so much.   He writes that he cannot remain silent and will not stop praying.  But what does he pray for?  He prays that Zion’s righteousness will shine like the dawn.  We should do likewise for the land in which we live.  Let us pray that the people we live among will turn to God and accept His salvation. That they will allow His Spirit to come upon them and shine through them.  However, before that can happen we must allow the righteousness which comes from God’s Spirit to shine through us.  Let us choose to pray that God’s Spirit will come upon us and shine through us.  And then let us pray that God’s Spirit will transform us, and those around us, so that He does not need to come down in His wrath upon our neighbors and ourselves.

Daily Bible Study

August 4, 2020 Bible Study The Lord Will Restore The Humble

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 57-59.

Isaiah condemns those who mock both God and those who worship Him while worshiping their idols with great passion.  I see a connection with those in today’s society who have made a sacrament out of abortion while laughing at those who follow the traditional practices of Christianity.  Isaiah refers to how they keep seeking after new and different idols, yet refuse to consider God when their idols fail them.  And yet I also see a warning to those who have continued to worship God when Isaiah tells us to clear the road for their return.  We must seek out what obstacles we have placed in the way of those who may turn back to God.  Each of us must examine our lives to see if there is something we have done, or are doing, which presents an obstacle to others turning back to God.  If we find such a thing in our lives, we must immediately remove it, we must humbly seek God and change so that He can call the sinners back to Himself.

We must examine ourselves to see if we are the ones to whom Isaiah is referring when he talks of those who act pious, but are not.  When we follow the traditional practices of Christians, are we doing so in order to serve God?  Or, are we merely putting on a show for those around us?  Do we do the things which God commands in order to demonstrate God’s love? Or, are we seeking to be honored by others?  Rather than seeking honor for our piety, let us be humble and contrite about our sins.  Then, and only then, God will forgive us, welcome us, and bless us.

Daily Bible Study

August 3, 2020 Bible Study Let Everyone Who Is Thirsty Come and Drink

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 52-56.

I love today’s passage.  It contains many elements which are preached and written about often, but usually as individual themes.  For me we start with verses which declare praise to God, and to God’s messenger.  How lovely are those who bring the news that God reigns!  That transitions right into what is often called the “Suffering Servant” prophecy, a prophecy which is an amazingly close portrayal of Jesus’ trial, execution, and burial.  Isaiah describes how He was unjustly condemned by everyone, including us.  Isaiah described how His guilt was assumed by those who were truly guilty of the sins of which He was accused should serve as an object lesson for us.  Isaiah is describing a phenomena known as projection, wherein someone sees someone else as being guilty of the wrongs which they themselves have committed.

I am not quite sure how the verses between Isaiah’s description of the Suffering Servant and his description of God’s bounty in Chapter 55 connects to those two sections, but its placement means that it is connected.  We start today’s passage with the messenger and then in Chapter 55 we have the message: “Come and drink, even if you have no money!”  God invites everyone to come and enjoy His bounty.  And this is where it gets complicated.  God’s thoughts are not like our thoughts, so we should not be surprised that we do not understand what He is doing.  However, we can be sure that God’s words will accomplish what He intends.  It will not fail to produce the fruit which God sent it forth to produce.  Share God’s love with those around you, even when you don’t understand why you should.  Share the words God gives you, even when you do not understand what they mean.  One of the things Isaiah says here is both a message we should heed and a message we should share: Seek the Lord while He can be found.  The time is coming when we will no longer have that opportunity.