I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Jeremiah continues his condemnation of false prophets. Jeremiah tells us how we can be true prophets of God and how we can recognize true from false prophets. If we want to be true prophets of God, we must stand before God and listen to what He has to say. We do not become prophets of God by stealing messages from others, even if we believe that they were speaking God’s word. This does not mean that we cannot repeat what we believe are messages from God that we have heard others say. However, if we do so, we must make sure to acknowledge where we heard it and not take claim that it is a message which God revealed directly to us.
This brings us to recognizing those who have a true message from God. Does the message turn people from their evil ways and deeds? Prophecies from God lead people away from sin and burn our consciences like fire for our sinful behavior. False prophecies encourage people in their sin and lead them away from God, soothing their consciences of their bad behavior. We should seek the Lord’s answer for our questions, but we should avoid claiming divine inspiration for our own ideas.
Paul tells us not to be alarmed by those who claim that the day of Christ’s return has already come. We need to remember that the day of the Lord will not come until after the “man of lawlessness” is fully revealed. This man will oppose everything that is called God and that is worshiped. He will proclaim himself to be God. When he appears on the scene he will use displays of power in signs and wonder that will serve the lie he is telling. Those who refuse to love and accept the truth will be fooled and led to destruction. People refuse to accept the truth because they take pleasure in being wicked.
As I read this I wondered if the “man of lawlessness” which Paul is speaking of is a single individual or if perhaps the “man of lawlessness” represents a mindset of many people. The most obvious reading of this passage is that the “man of lawlessness” is a leader similar to Hitler, or Stalin, or some of the other evil leaders of the past (and future). I would say that as Christians we need to be aware of the rise of such evil leaders and not allow them to lead us away from God’s truth. However, there is also a more subtle strain of evil and lawlessness which permeates our society. It is one where each individual is encouraged to think that he is god and not answerable to anyone. My belief is that the latter represents what Paul is talking about when he says that the secret power of lawlessness is already at work and that at some point a leader will arise who will make all of the evil leaders of the past look like pikers.
The psalmist expresses his desire to live in the presence of God. There is great joy for those whose strength comes from God. There is a verse that sums up this psalm and my thoughts:
A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.
If I remember this and keep it in the forefront of my thoughts, it will help me to live my life according to God’s plan for me. It helps that my greatest happiness occurs when I live according to this as well.
Patience and soft speech can be more powerful than they seem. I need to remember that as a Christian I am called to approach things with gentle persistence.