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.
When Jeremiah finished his prophecies against Babylon, he wrote them on a scroll and sent the scroll to Babylon. He instructed the messenger to read the scroll aloud when he got to Babylon. When he finished reading the scroll, the messenger was to tie a rock to it and throw it into the Euphrates saying that in the same way Babylon would sink, never to rise again. What point does a country and people need to reach to get to the point where God will sink them to never rise again?
The book of Jeremiah then ends with an account of how the things which Jeremiah prophesied for Jerusalem and its leaders come to pass.
Paul tells us to submit to government authorities. This is part of, and qualified by, what he says next. We are to be ready to do whatever is good. When government officials tell us to do what is good, we should jump to it and act immediately. However, when they tell us to do what is not good, or to not do what is good, they are exceeding their God-given authority.
Then Paul tells us something that is at the heart of the Christian message. We are not in a position to look down on those around us who do not know the Lord, because at one time we too were disobedient and full of evil. If we are not like that any longer, it is not a credit to us. Rather it is because God, through His grace in Christ Jesus, transformed us. Anything in my behavior that others may see as praiseworthy is not a credit to what a wonderful person I am. No, it is a credit to the wonderful love of God. Because of what God has done for me, I want to devote myself to doing good, so that others may experience the joy I have received from Him.
There is an important lesson next. Paul warns us against getting involved in foolish and useless arguments. If someone is being divisive (some people call it stirring the pot), confront them about their behavior. If they continue, confront them a second time. After that, if they do not stop, do not associate with them any longer.
What a wonderful psalm of praise. I prefer the alternate reading which is mentioned in the notes:
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and not we ourselves,
This is the key to accepting God and knowing that He is good. He made us, we did not make ourselves. We are His people and He is good. He is faithful and His love for us will never fail. I will worship the Lord with gladness. More than that, worshiping the Lord brings me joy. I will praise God because He has made me glad.
Reading today’s proverb reminds me of the stories about people tricking their co-workers into thinking they had won big in the lottery. Most of the stories involved the tricked person taking out all of their frustrations by telling their boss and fellow workers the nasty things they thought about them. There are other similar stories about pranks which people pull on others. They often have a common theme about how the person who is deceived in a “harmless prank” does something that causes themselves irreparable damage.