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 honored a family clan which had stayed true to traditions laid down by their ancestor. At God’s behest, he held them up as an example to the rest of Israel. They had remained faithful to instructions handed down by their ancestor, yet the majority of the Israelites had failed to remain faithful to the instructions handed down by God.
God instructed Jeremiah to write down on a scroll all of the prophecies which He had given him. The hope was that if the people of Israel heard all of the terrible things in store for them if they continued in their evil ways, they might repent. Jeremiah summoned Baruch and dictated the prophecies to him and Baruch wrote them down on a scroll. Baruch then took the scroll to the Temple on one of the holy days where he read it to the people. When some low-level functionaries heard what he was reading they asked him to come to them and read the scroll for them. They were horrified by all of the terrible prophecies which they heard and sent word to the king.
The king instructed them to bring the scroll and read it to him in front of his court. As the scroll was read, the king cut off the portions that had been read and threw them in the fire until the entire scroll had been read and burned. The king and his companions showed no remorse or repentance when they heard the words on the scroll and had no fear of the terrible things predicted. When Jeremiah received word that the king had burned the scroll, he dictated a second copy to Baruch which included even more dire prophecies.
Whenever I read, or hear this passage, I think of a picture from a Sunday School class when I was very young which depicted the king sitting on a comfortable chair cutting pieces off of the scroll as it was read to him. This story has always stuck with me as an example that we cannot escape news we do not like by destroying the medium on which it is delivered to us. Today, I was struck by something else as well. As I have been reading the book of Jeremiah, I have felt like his prophecies of doom were speaking to our country now. In this passage I was struck by how even at this late date there is still opportunity to repent and turn back to God. The doom is not inevitable, if we turn to God and change our ways, He will forgive us our sins and bring us blessings.
Paul gives a series of miscellaneous advice to Timothy in today’s passage. Paul tells Timothy to treat those older than himself with respect, even when they need to be called to account. Those the same age or younger should be treated as siblings, gently and with love. As believers it is our responsibility to look after our family members who cannot support themselves, we should not expect the Church to care for them. On the other hand, the Church should provide for those in need who have no family to help them. Those who are in need of assistance should pray to God for His help and strive to do all they can to care for themselves.
I get a sense from Paul’s writings (here and elsewhere) that Christians should strive to help those in need, but we should never expect others to help us. This does not mean that we are not to accept help when it is offered and we are in need, just that it is not our right to be helped. I should always strive to work so as to have the resources to provide for my own needs and to have some left over the help others, even when that seems to be impossible.
Just as God made David king over Israel because he honored God with his life, so too will God lift us up if we dedicate our lives to honoring God. Let us call out to God, “You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.”
Compromise between the righteous and the wicked is not a virtue. It is not honorable to seek an honor for oneself.