Today, I am reading and commenting on  Jeremiah 39-41.

In today’s passage Jerusalem fell, just as Jeremiah had predicted.  The Babylonians either killed or took into captivity everybody from among the elites.  The only people who were left to go about their lives were those who were “nobodies”.  Those were given vineyards and fields which had previously belonged to those who wielded power in Jerusalem.  I also find it noteworthy that Nebuchadnezzar ordered that Jeremiah be looked after by his commander and allowed to do what he chose.  Jeremiah had been imprisoned shortly before the fall of Jerusalem (and was still imprisoned when Jerusalem fell) because some of the leaders of Jerusalem thought he was a traitor in service to the Babylonians.  Those who imprisoned Jeremiah alleged that he was giving aid and comfort to the enemies of his nation.  They would have considered these actions by the Babylonians as confirmation of their suspicions.  We should bear this situation in mind when evaluating similar accusations against people today.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Jeremiah 36-38.

So, God instructed Jeremiah to record all of the prophecies He had given to Jeremiah on a scroll.  Jeremiah’s scribe, Baruch, wrote down what Jeremiah dictated, then went and read it to the people at the temple.  One of the temple officials (or, perhaps a government official) heard what Baruch read and had him read it to a collection of other officials.  When the officials heard the words which God had spoken to Jeremiah they were frightened.  The officials then read the words for the king and his attendants.  The king reacted to hearing Jeremiah’s words with contempt and neither he, nor any of his close associates, were concerned in the least by Jeremiah’s predictions.   Initially I was not sure what frightened the officials: the word Jeremiah had spoken, or the reaction of the king when he heard them.  However, today when I read the king’s reaction I realized that the writer was contrasting the fear which the officials felt to the indifference of the king and his attendants.  We need to ask ourselves which group we fall into: those who were frightened when they heard God’s words condemning evil? Or those who were completely unconcerned and sought to silence those speaking it?  Those who respect and fear God will listen to His words and change.  Those who hold those words in contempt will continue in their wickedness and suffer the consequences.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Jeremiah 33-35.

At the beginning of today’s passage Jeremiah speaks of God’s promise to restore Israel after its destruction because of the sins of the Israelites.  The thing I took note of today is that at the end of that portion of today’s passage, Jeremiah refers to people who despise the Israelites because God had brought about the destruction of the Northern Kingdom and was now destroying the Southern one.  I am unclear from the context who Jeremiah refers o when he talks about people who despise God’s people.  Whoever it was, Jeremiah was warning them that the descendants of Jacob were still His Chosen people.  There are people today who despise Jews, God was speaking to them through Jeremiah.  As Paul wrote, God has grafted those who accept salvation through Jesus Christ into His family, He has made them descendants of Jacob, but that does not mean that He will not keep His promises to those who are genetically descended from Jacob.  God still has plans for the good of the people of Israel.

Jeremiah’s interaction with the Rekabites provides a counter to the previous.  The Rekabites were not descendants of Jacob.  Yet God made a promise to them as well.  Through Jeremiah, God praised the Rekabites for remaining faithful to the instructions their ancestor had given them, instructions which went beyond anything God has laid down in the law He gave Moses.  The Rekabites worshiped God along with the Israelites, and had done so as part of the Kenites since before the Israelites settled in the Land of Canaan.  Jehonadab, who gave the Rekabites the commands they followed, had assisted Jehu in wiping out the House of Ahab and destroying Baal worship in Israel, the Northern Kingdom.  So, while the Israelites were God’s Chosen people, the Rekabites were used by God as well.  Here, they are held up as an example of those who were more faithful than the Israelites.  The Israelites were proud because they were God’s Chosen People, but Jeremiah holds the Rekabites up as a model whom the Israelites would do well to imitate.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Jeremiah 28-30 .

Every year when I read this passage I find myself focusing on Jeremiah’s letter to those who were already in exile in Babylon.  This year will be no different.  Today, I think of the message in the context of the fuss over the use of the term “Christian nationalism”.   Jeremiah tells those already exiled to pray for the peace and prosperity of the land in which they find themselves, because the prosperity of that land will be their prosperity.  But Jeremiah also tells them that the land is not their home, their first loyalty lies elsewhere.  In His time, God will bring them to His land and His Kingdom.  So, we should seek peace and prosperity for the land in which God has placed us, but that land is not God’s country.

In that same letter to those in exile, Jeremiah speaks about those still living in Jerusalem.  Jeremiah tells them that God has sent prophets to the King and the rest of those living in Jerusalem, but that they have refused to listen to them.  Further, those in exile are also refusing to listen to the prophets whom God is sending, instead choosing to listen to those who tell them what they want to hear.  I conclude from this that while some of those who use the term “Christian Nationalism” may use it in ways that are consistent with God’s will for His people, we should not use that term because too many will interpret it to mean that our nation is God’s nation and that serving its interests is the same as serving God’s interest.  No earthly nation is God’s nation and we cannot determine what God’s interests are by looking at the interests of any specific nation.  So, seek peace and prosperity for the land and people among whom you reside, but never forget that it is not your home.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Jeremiah 26-27.

I am not sure how I am going to write today’s blog because there are two different, but related, things going on in today’s passage.  While King Jehoiakim was reigning, Jeremiah went to the temple and prophesied that the people must turn from their sins, or Jerusalem would be completely destroyed.  The religious establishment, and the people who regularly worshiped in the temple, wanted to lynch him for this prophecy, claiming that Jeremiah was committing treason, but the political establishment (or, at least a faction of the political establishment) intervened.  However, the passage also tells us that another prophet, named Uriah, had prophesied similarly to Jeremiah and King Jehoiakim had sent agents after him to Egypt to bring him back and execute him.  I have long wondered what point the passage was trying to make by bringing up Uriah.  Why did Jeremiah survive, while Uriah was put to death?  So, when Uriah heard that the king wanted to kill him, he fled to another country.  When Jeremiah was threatened, he stood up, repeated his prophecy, and told the people he was innocent of treason.  I do not know the Uriah would not have been killed if he had not fled, but fleeing did not save him.  Jeremiah stayed and continued to speak the words God gave him, despite repeated threats on his life.  We learn here that we must never shrink, or run, from opposition which arises from speaking God’s word.  We may suffer and die, but running will not save us from that.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Jeremiah 23-25.

In today’s passage Jeremiah prophesied against leadership which divided the people rather than uniting them.  Through Jeremiah, God promises that He will gather them back together and give them new, faithful leadership.  Because Jeremiah speaks primarily about priests and prophets in the rest of that prophecy, one might think that he was referring to only religious leaders.  But, because he mentions that God will appoint a King who will rule wisely in place of these divisive leaders, we know that political leaders were included in Jeremiah’s condemnation.  Now, I want to look closer at those religious leaders.  The prophets used their powers for unjust gain.  Both the priests and the prophets were godless.  Let’s look at that a little closer: they proclaimed themselves fonts of spiritual wisdom, but they did not guide people towards God.  In fact, some of them even prophesied on behalf of gods other than God.  They committed adultery and lived a lie.  Instead of calling out evildoers, they enabled them, so that none of them turned from their sin.  Is this starting to sound familiar?  Jeremiah goes on to say that these prophets and priests told those who despised God that they were in no danger, that there was no reason to change their behavior.

Which brings us to how we can recognize the prophets, and other religious leaders, whom God has sent, and those whom He has not sent.   Those whom God has sent tell us things we do not want to hear, they tell us to change our ways and turn away from evil deeds.  They need to call out all sins and evil practices.  If they call out sexual immorality, but give other forms of self-indulgence a pass, or vice versa, they are not passing on God’s words.  If they call out greed, but give violence a pass, they are not passing on God’s words.  If they are speaking to you, but calling out somebody else’s sins, they are not passing on God’s words.  When God sends a prophet to speak to you, that prophet will not be speaking about what someone else is doing wrong.  Of course, if that prophet has been sent by God, he will not be telling other people what you are doing wrong either.  When he speaks to them, he will tell them God’s words for them.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Jeremiah 19-22.

As I read today’s passage it seems to me that Jeremiah began his career as a prophet believing that the people would listen to the prophecies which God gave him and turn from their sins.  Perhaps he even began to prophesy as part of King Josiah’s reforms, or perhaps he inspired those reforms.  I think he saw what was going on under King Josiah and hoped that the people would follow through and put aside all of their idol worship and truly turn to God.  When he saw that this was not going to be the case, he tried to keep silent but found that he could not.  I understand that.  I also from time to time vow to let things go and find that I cannot.  Of course, I don’t have the excuse that the Holy Spirit is working through me. I’m just opinionated and stubborn. By the way, that is not me being self-deprecating.  I have never had any reason to believe that I am a prophet, and many of the things I cannot keep my mouth shut about are things which have no bearing on serving God (and some of the things I say I know are things which God would not want me to say).

When reading the Book of Jeremiah, it is important to realize that the Book was not written down as Jeremiah made these prophecies.  Most of it was written down shortly before the fall of Jerusalem (or possibly written down about then after the original copy was destroyed).  As a result, not all of the prophecies are recorded in the chronological order they were given.  In any case, Jeremiah prophesied to King Zedekiah, the last king before the fall of Jerusalem, that the fall and destruction of Jerusalem was no longer avoidable.  Yet, just a few sentences later, he prophesies that if the rulers of Jerusalem begin administering justice every morning and rescue people from the hand of the oppressor God will not follow through.  All of this is consistent with what Jeremiah prophesied a few chapters back when God told him that if a nation He had decided to destroy turned away from their sin to Him, He would relent.  So, while I look at our society and think that perhaps we have gone too far and it is too late to avoid the coming disaster and suffering, this passage suggests that there is always time to benefit from doing God’s will and, if people turn to Him, they always have an opportunity to avoid the worst of the suffering.

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

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

Today’s passage begins with a prophecy which seems to say that the coming disaster can no longer be avoided.  Jeremiah goes from there to warn against putting our trust in human beings, or human institutions.  He contrasts them with those who put their trust in God.  He tells us that those who rely on God will withstand the coming disaster.  Then God sends Jeremiah to stand in the gate of the temple and tell people to be sure to keep the Sabbath Day.  This message is being delivered to those going into the temple in order to offer sacrifices to God.  After that Jeremiah prophesies that if God sends an evil nation a warning that He is about to destroy it and that nation repents of its evil, He will refrain from fulfilling His prophecy.  On the other hand, if God announces that a good nation is to be rewarded for its deeds and that nation turns to evil, He will bring destruction upon it.

So, I really believe that our nation, and perhaps our entire world, is at the point the Kingdom of Judah was when Jeremiah made these particular prophecies.  Our institutions have been completely corrupted and that can only lead to destruction and devastation.  If we continue to put our trust in man and human institutions, the destruction will be inevitable.  If we continue to think that if we just elect the right people, demand the government do the right thing, we can escape God’s judgement, the destruction will be unescapable.  Only if we put our trust fully in God, recognizing that only Divine intervention can change the path we are on will we be able to see things turn around.  Doing so means more than just going to Church on Sunday and making donations to charitable organizations, or even directly to those in need.  We need to keep the Sabbath, we need sacrifice some of our personal convenience in order to serve God.  I have long thought that many abortions in this country result from people sacrificing their child on the altar of convenience, that convenience is a god more important to them than God.  But, how many of us serve that same god by shopping on Sunday because it is convenient?  Can’t we set aside one day to rest and serve God?  Maybe it is worth a little inconvenience to allow others to rest on Sunday as well?  I think this message applies to me, but each person will have to see where they need to stop offering service to the god of convenience for themselves.

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

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

This is a troubling passage.  In it Jeremiah prophesies that God told him not to pray for the people of Judah.  Yet, I firmly believe that we should always pray for those around us.  This led me to read, and re-read, this passage, seeking understanding.  Before mentioning that God had told him not to pray for these people, Jeremiah warned them to listen and give glory to God.  If they would not turn to God and renounce their sins and their idols, God would bring destruction upon them.  Then, after making that prophecy, Jeremiah gave a prophecy concerning a drought in the land.  It was in the context of that drought that God told Jeremiah not to pray for the people and then I understood the message.  God had sent the drought to cause the people to turn to Him for salvation.  God told Jeremiah not to pray for Him to relieve the people from the drought because they had worse problems than those caused by a lack of water.  So, I learn from this that I should not pray that sinners, even those most dear to me, be relieved of the suffering which comes from their sin, at least not as my primary prayer.  No, my first, most heartfelt prayer should be that they turn from their sin before they suffer even worse.

Throughout today’s passage Jeremiah records God promising to destroy the people of Jerusalem, to destroy the people to whom Jeremiah was prophesying.  All in all, it seems very depressing because Jeremiah seems to be saying that it is too late for the people of Jerusalem to escape God’s wrath.  Yet, also throughout the passage are little statements which suggest otherwise: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve Me.”  Let us stand firm in our loyalty to God, so that if the sinners we know turn to us they will be turning to God.  But under no circumstances should we allow them to influence us so that we turn to them, and thus away from God.  If we pray that people be relieved of their suffering, God may hear our prayers and they will not turn from their sins, leading them into even greater suffering.  On the other hand, if we call for people to turn from their sins, and pray to God that they do so, perhaps they will turn from their sins, and be relieved of their suffering.

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

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

Today’s passage begins with Jeremiah comparing false gods to scarecrows. He writes something very similar to what is written in Isaiah 44.  Most importantly, Jeremiah tells us not to fear false gods because they can do no harm, nor any good.  Jeremiah goes on to point out that everything other than God which we might worship came into existence after the creation of the universe.  If you study the holy writings of every other religion, its gods came into being after something already existed.  Only the God of Abraham existed before anything else.  Even today, everything other than God which is worshiped came into being after the universe began.  There are those who worship the Sun or the Moon, and those who worship the Earth, and, of course, those who worship themselves, but all of these things did not exist before time.  None of these things can provide us with a basis for doing good because they exist only within time.  Only by listening to God can we learn what is truly good.

Ahhh! this seems so clear in my head, but I cannot type the words to make the point clear here.

Jeremiah tells us that the shepherds, those who should provide us guidance, are senseless because they fail to inquire of God before telling us what course of action to follow.  The prophet Isaiah largely prophesied against those who blatantly turned their backs on God and embraced the sins which God had proscribed.   Jeremiah, on the other hand, prophesied primarily against those who maintained the semblance of worshiping God, while embracing the sins which God had proscribed.   Jeremiah speaks out against those who use a veneer of godliness to hide their moral corruption, who come up with ways to justify their self-indulgence, or that of others.  And Jeremiah warns that God will uproot all such peoples.

However, today’s passage ends with a note of hope.  God promises that He will embrace and make part of His people all of those, from whatever nation or heritage, who learn His ways and choose to be identified as His.  Those He will establish and protect.

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