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 28-30.

Jeremiah once again warns against prophets who lie in God’s name, prophets who claim to be speaking words from God but have not received any words from God.  Jeremiah points out that most prophets have a message of warning concerning war, disaster, and/or disease.  Any prophet who predicts peace and good fortune must be viewed skeptically until their prophecies come true.  God will punish those who prophecy lies in His name.  Those who use God’s name to serve their own interests will not escape God’s judgment.

Jeremiah’s message to the Exiles in Babylon carries meaning to me as a Christian in the world but not of the world.  The Exiles were in Babylon, but they were not of Babylon.  Nevertheless, Jeremiah told them to pray for the welfare of the city where they lived in exile, because their welfare was tied to the welfare of that city.  In the same manner, we should pray for the welfare of the city and country where we dwell, because our welfare is tied to the welfare of where we live.  Further, God has plans for us, just as He did for the Exiles.  Those plans are for good and not for disaster.