Jeremiah 14-15 -- Jeremiah Even Needed To Repent

"Pained by the sins of his people, declaring unpopular messages that majored on judgment, and perplexed by what the Lord was allowing him to suffer, Jeremiah paid a great price to be faithful to his divine calling."

These chapters record Jeremiah's cries to God and God's responses.  Sometimes Jeremiah let his feelings lead him down the wrong path.  God was faithful to His promises.

"When God disciplines us, it isn't enough that we pray and ask for His help; anybody in trouble can do that.  We must repent of our sins, judge and confess them, and sincerely seek the face of God.  To weep because of the sufferings that sin causes is to show remorse but not repentance."

Jeremiah asked if it was really the people's fault or the fault of the false prophets.  God said they should have known that the Lord had not sent those prophets.  "He asked God to honor His own name and keep His covenant by sending healing to the land.  Although God was certainly willing to keep His part of the covenant, the people weren't willing to keep their part.  Therefore, the prophet's prayer went unanswered.  A faithful God cannot violate His own Word."

"No matter who sought to intercede for Judah, God's mind was made up and He would not relent ... God's heart would go out to the people no longer ... It wasn't a bright future that God revealed to His people, but it was a future they themselves had chosen by refusing to repent of their sins.  You take what you want from life and you pay for it."

Jeremiah's mind was filled with turmoil.  "He was human and had his failings, but at least he honestly admitted them to God ... he poured out his heart to the Lord, and the Lord answered him.  God's answer may have shocked the prophet, for the Lord told him he needed to repent! ... Because of his attitude toward God and his calling, Jeremiah was about to forfeit his ministry! ... The Lord usually balances rebuke with reassurance ... God never promised Jeremiah an easy job, but He did promise him all that he needed to do his work faithfully."

"God doesn't want us to ignore our feelings, because that would make us less than human, but He does want us to trust Him to change our feelings and start walking by faith."

Father, when the path gets rough, as mine has lately, thank You that You allow me to express my feelings and disappointments to You.  Strengthen me in those times, and tell me if and when I need to repent.  Hold me close, Father.  Hold me close!

--

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 13 -- A Sermon I'd Sure Hate To Have To Deliver!

God often had Jeremiah act out out a sermon as a way of grabbing the attention of the people of Judah when no other ways worked.  According to my commentary, the "linen belt" in this chapter was actually "a thigh-length undergarment worn next to the skin."  It amounted to high-priced underwear.  And the word "Perath" in Hebrew refers to the Euphrates River, which lay 400 miles east of Jerusalem.  There's some speculation that it could have referred to a local area, since the people would not have been able to see what Jeremiah did when he traveled there, had it been the Euphrates.  

Much like the guys on most seasons of Survivor, he was to wear this garment to Perath in full view of everyone.  Then he was to take it off and bury it under a rock in a muddy river.  Not even the men on Survivor would want to use it after he retrieved it on the return trip many days later!  "They didn't realize they were passing judgment on themselves ... God had brought the nation close to Himself, but they defiled themselves with idols and became good for nothing," just like the underwear.  God finally told Jeremiah to go dig it up and bring it back so they could see how terribly it had been destroyed.

He also compared them to staggering drunkards bashing together and breaking wine jars in their stumbling.  Another image God told him to convey was that of a traveler "on an unfamiliar and dangerous mountain trail, without a map and without light, hoping for the dawn ... Instead, the darkness only deepened ... The leaders were too proud to admit they were lost and they wouldn't ask for directions."

Jeremiah was given several other illustrations, but the people of Jerusalem didn't care.  They had become like their pagan neighbors and wanted no part of God in their lives.  They wouldn't repent.  "Now they were asking, 'Why have all of these things happened to us?'  People may live as though sin has no consequences, but those consequences will come just the same... These people are too accustomed to committing evil.  Only God can change the human heart."

Father, sin looks so enticing, but it is wrapped up in a lie that You so want us to recognize, yet often we fall for Satan's marketing pitch, buying the lie.  Help me to know when Satan is behind something and help me to cry out to You for wisdom and guidance to resist it, rather than having to cry out to You for help to get out of it!  Thank You for standing ready to answer!

--

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 12 -- Jeremiah's Question and God's Answer

Jeremiah admitted that God is always right.  But he had a question about God's justice:  why are evil people prospering?  Particularly, he wanted to know why "God could permit the false prophets and unfaithful priests to prosper in their ministries while he, a faithful servant of God, was treated like a sacrificial lamb," my commentary said.  "How could a holy God of love allow such a thing to happen?"

I loved God's answer!

"God's reply to Jeremiah, however, wasn't what he expected.  God's focus was not on the wicked; it was on His servant Jeremiah.  As most of us do when we're suffering, Jeremiah was asking, 'How can I get out of this?'  But He should have been asking, 'What can I get out of this?'  God's servants don't live by explanations; they live by promises ... laying hold of God's promises will build our character and make us better servants."

God gave Jeremiah three important truths, my commentary said.

"First, the life of godly service isn't easy; it's like running a race.  Second, the life of serve becomes harder, not easier.  Thirdly, the life of service gets better as we grow more mature.  Each new challenge helped Jeremiah develop his faith and grow in his ministry skills.  The easy life is ultimately the hard life, because the easy life stifles maturity, but the difficult life challenges us to develop our spiritual muscles and accomplish more for the Lord ... You don't build character by being a spectator.  You have to run with endurance the race God sets before you and do it on God's terms.  It was the answer Jeremiah needed.  He needed to be braced, not pampered... Progress is leaving things behind us.  Growth is leaving things inside us ... God couldn't force His servant to grow.  Only Jeremiah could make that choice by staying in the race, accept new challenges, and thereby maturing in the Lord."

Wow, I needed to hear that today, Father!  The race has gotten long, and my legs are starting to feel like jelly.  The finish line seems out of sight.  Stress is really ratcheted up, too.  Thanks for growing me in You through all of it.  Help me not to give up or bail out on You.  I too need to be braced, not pampered.

--

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 11 -- Voting With God (NOT about the presidential election)

Six times in six verses God used the word "obey" because it was something the people of Judah were not doing.  King Josiah had started a reformation, but it wasn't a revival.  It was only on the surface and not in the heart.

My commentary quoted from a poem called "The Need Of The Hour".  It says:

                 We need the faith to go a path untrod,

                 The power to be alone and vote with God.

"That's what Jeremiah was doing here ... God knew what the people were doing in secret and that they would return to their sins at the first opportunity ... Both God and Jeremiah knew that the nation's obedience wasn't from the heart.  Ezekiel 14:3 says, 'Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart.'"

The people of Judah were acting like children, motivated by getting a reward or escaping a spanking, my commentary said.  "Howe He longed for them to obey because they loved Him and wanted to please Him."

"Disaster was coming to Judah, and nothing could change it ... Therefore, the Lord commanded Jeremiah a second time not to pray for the people," even though He called them 'My beloved' here.

"God patiently dealt with His people, seeking to woo them back, but they only hardened their hearts and turned a deaf ear to His warnings.  Before we condemn the people of Judah, however, let's examine our own hearts and churches.  Are there idols in our hearts?  Do we give wholehearted devotion to the Lord, or is our devotion divided between Christ and another? .... Remember, God's last word to the church isn't the Great Commission; it's 'Repent, or else!' (Rev. 2-3) "

The priests in Jeremiah's hometown were conspiring to kill him for his prophecies.  "You would think that they would have had more discernment than to listen to the false prophets, but holding a religious office is no guarantee that people possess spiritual wisdom."

What was Jeremiah to do?

"All he could do was commit himself and his enemies to the Lord and trust God to work.  This is the first of several occasions in his life when Jeremiah privately poured out his heart to the Lord and asked Him to fight his battles and help him with his depression and fears.  Publicly, Jeremiah was bold before people, but privately he was broken before God."

Father, help us to realize our own sinfulness and to discover whether we harbor sin in our lives.  Help us to be broken before You, allowing You to work in and through us to get Your will done in this world.  Give us the power to be alone and vote with You.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 10 -- Idolatry Was In Their Hearts

"Idolatry was in their hearts," my commentary said.  Jeremiah was preaching his Temple Sermon which would lead the priests to want to kill him.  He said, "Lord, there is no one like You.  You are great, and Your name is great and powerful.  Everyone should respect You, King of the nations; You deserve respect ... the Lord is the only true God.  He is the only living God, the King Forever ... God, who is Jacob's Portion, is not like the idols.  He made everything, and He chose Israel to be His special people.  The Lord All-Powerful is His name."

But with idolatry in their hearts, the people were as spiritually dead as their idols:  "These gods did not make heaven and earth.  They will be destroyed and disappear from heaven and earth ... People are so stupid and know so little ... The shepherds are stupid and don't ask the Lord for advice."

My commentary quoted A.W. Tozer:  "The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him."  "It means worshiping and serving the creature rather than the Creator, the gifts rather than the Giver.  The idols were senseless, and so were the people, because we become like the god we worship ... whatever we worship and serve other than the true and living God is an idol, whether it's an expensive house or car, the latest stereo equipment, a boat, a library, a girlfriend or boyfriend, our children, a career, or a bank account.  That on which I center my attention and affection and for which I am willing to sacrifice is my god, and if it isn't Jesus Christ, then it's an idol."

"The remedy for idolatry is for us to get caught up in the majesty and grandeur of God, the true God, the living God, the everlasting King.  An idol is a substitute, and you would never want a substitute once you have experienced the love and power of the Lord God Almighty."

Father, make me ever aware when You find me centering my attention and affection on anyone or anything other than You.  Call me out if You find me willing to sacrifice to anyone or anything but You.  No substitute will ever do.  I trust You, God!

--

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 9 -- Three Things They Just Couldn't Fathom

Jeremiah had rather have gotten away than have to deliver the message God had:  “I wish I had a place in the desert … so I could leave my people.  I could go away from them, because they are all unfaithful to God; they are all turning against Him.”  What a job to have to go to every day!

I hove how my commentary pointed out three obvious truths about the Jewish people of that time:

First, “being God covenant people is no excuse for sin … The people of Judah thought they were free to sin because they’d been born children of Abraham and were the people of the covenant.  On the contrary, being a part of God’s covenant gave them a greater responsibility to live to glorify Him and obey His will! … Any theology that minimizes personal holiness and excuses sinfulness is not biblical theology.”

Second, “being God’s covenant people offers no escape from judgment.  If anything their favored relationship with the Lord invited an even greater Judgment.”

Thirdly, “being God’s covenant people is no assurance of spiritual understanding … God doesn’t delight in a nation’s learning, political influence, armies, or gross national product.  He delights in a people who practice kindness, justice, and righteousness because they know and fear the Lord.  God promises covenant blessings to those who obey him, not to those who only submit to religious ceremonies.”

Even today, we need to check our own feelings.  Jeremiah put it this way:  “Everyone speaks nicely to his neighbor, but he is secretly planning to attack him.”  Wow!  That says a lot for political correctness and insincerity.

Father, my covenant relationship with You calls me to a greater responsibility to live to glorify You and obey Your will.  Be sure to tell me when I’m failing at this!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Jeremiah 8 -- They'd Missed An Opportunity That Would Never Come Again

God said the people of Israel weren’t even being sensible:  When someone falls down, they get up, and when they find themselves on the wrong path, they turn back and get on the right path.  But in regards to obeying God, they wouldn’t do the sensible thing.  “They do not feel sorry about their wicked ways, saying, ‘What have I done?’”

“Just as they boasted that they possessed the temple, so they boasted that they had the divine law, but possessing the Scriptures isn’t the same as practicing the Scriptures.  Although the Bible is still a bestseller, its popularity isn’t keeping Western society from crumbling morally and spiritually.  There appears to be no connection between what people say they believe and the way people act.”

“How did the people respond to God’s voice of judgment?  Instead of turning to the Lord, they fled to their walled cities!  Their cry of despair was, ‘Where is the Lord?  Why did He allow this to happen?’  But it happened because they were disobedient and unfaithful to the covenant they had made with the Lord … They had missed their God-given opportunity, and it would never come again.”

Jeremiah’s sadness shows in verse 18:  “God, You are my comfort when I am very sad and when I am afraid … Because my people are crushed, I am crushed.  I cry loudly and am afraid for them.  Isn’t there a balm in the land of Gilead?”

It sure seems like I’ve experienced a lot of sadness lately myself, and the only place to turn is to my God.  Father, You are my comfort when I am very sad and when I am afraid.  I trust You, God!  Your will be done.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Jeremiah 7 -- God Pulled The Plug

“Change your lives and do what is right!  Then I will let you live in this place.  Don’t trust the lies of people who [think that the Temple will protect you].  You must change your lives and do what is right,” God told them.  He accused them of breaking 5 of the 10 commandments!  “You are trusting lies … If you [willfully sin], do you think you can come before Me and stand in this place where I have chosen to be worshipped? … I have been watching you … I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen to Me.  I called you but you did not answer … I will push you away from Me.”

These warnings should have stunned the people and caused them to repent, but their hearts were so full of idol worship that their eyes were blinded and their ears were stopped up!

God even told Jeremiah not to pray for them!  He said they weren’t hurting him – they were only hurting themselves.  They were about to lose everything.

God had told them and their ancestors, “Obey Me and I will be Your God and you will be My people.”  They’d excelled at not doing that.  “Your ancestors did not listen or pay attention to Me.  They were stubborn and did whatever their evil hearts wanted.”  And the current generation did nothing when God corrected them.  Punishment was coming.

Father, Your Word plainly calls us to obey You, and You emphasize that no amount of sacrifice can overcome disobedience.  There was no offering in the Mosaic Law to remove deliberate sin.  Help us to see the terrible costs we pay when we choose to willfully sin against You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Jeremiah 6 -- The Hope Is Gone

God’s words in this paragraph are vastly different from what we’re used to hearing.  There is no, “Come back to Me.”  He declares war against His people, directs, the attack coming soon, and delivers the verdict, my commentary said.  Why the change? 

God said through Jeremiah:  “Inside Jerusalem is nothing but slavery [to sin] … The people of Israel have closed ears … They don’t like the word of the Lord; they don’t want to listen to it! … They said, ‘It’s all right, it’s all right.’  But really, it is not all right … They don’t even know how to blush about their sins … I am going to bring disaster to the people of Judah because of the evil they plan.  They have not listened to My messages and have rejected My teachings … I will put problems in front of Judah.  Fathers and sons will stumble over them together.”

“God called the Gentiles and the earth to bear witness that He had done all He could to spare them this judgment.  They would not walk on His path, and they would not listen to His prophets… God gave them the right way, but they rejected it.  There could be no escape.”

Father, these people thought that a new way was the right way, but that didn’t work out very well for them.  Help us to review what we are doing and to change what isn’t working so that we can learn more from You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Jeremiah 4-5 God Tells Us What We Won't Admit To Ourselves

“If you will return, Israel, then return to Me.  If you will throw away your idols that I hate, then don’t wander away from Me,” says the Lord.  He’s telling them to get rid of that which separates us from Him and remain close to Him.  God also tells them they must decide to obey Him.  “Clean the evil from your hearts so that you can be saved.  Don’t continue making evil plans … The way you have lived and acted has brought this trouble to you.  This is your punishment.”

I think we all hope that God’s goodness and love will cause Him to change His mind and not punish us for our sins, but this time God plainly says, “I have spoken and will not change my mind.  I have made a decision, and I will not change it.”  The line has finally been reached and they stepped over it once too often.

So how did the people react to God’s message?  “They refused to learn what is right.  They became more stubborn than a rock; they refused to turn back to God … even the leaders had all joined together to break away from the Lord.”

My commentary said it well:  “The animal (man) had gotten loose from the yoke (God’s law) and run away from the master (God), only to be met by a lion, a wolf, and a leopard.  What kind of freedom was THAT? … They were stubborn and rebellious, having turned away from serving the Lord.  The mighty seas obeyed God’s rule [“I am the One who made the beaches to be a border for the sea, a border the water can never go past.  The waves may pound the beach, but they can’t win over it.  They may roar, but they cannot go beyond it.”] but His own people rejected Him.”

“The sinners thought they were getting away with their crimes, but God asked them, ‘What will you DO in the end?’” “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

Father, thanks for the warning that we must throw away whatever separates us from You, and that we then must remain close to You.  We cannot trust our hearts to tell us the truth about ourselves.  We can only trust You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Jeremiah 3 -- The Spider

In the last chapter, Jeremiah had preached about their rebellion – that God sees His people’s sin.  Now, God’s given him a call to repentance, pleading for His people to return to Him.

Using images of an unfaithful wife, Jeremiah had them think about divorce.  “Mosaic Law permitted a man to divorce his wife, but it did not allow him to marry her again,” my commentary said.  “God had every right to reject His people, because they had abandoned Him, not in order to marry another husband, but in order to play the harlot with many lovers … They had acted worse than common prostitutes, who at least waited  for lovers to come to them, for Judah had pursued false gods and repeatedly committed spiritual adultery with them.”

“Instead of rejecting His people, however, the Lord patiently called for them to return and be restored as His wife.  What grace! … the people had called out to Him for help, but they had not really repented of their sins.”

Judah had become even more guilty  than Israel, because they’d seen Israel’s destruction and refused to learn from it and turn from their sins.  “They persisted in their sins as though it would never happen to them.”

Jeremiah was also given an image of an unhealthy patient.  “Like an infection entering the bloodstream, sin secretly gets into the system of the inner man and goes to work weakening and destroying.  It gradually infects the whole system, producing spiritual laziness and loss of spiritual appetite; and if not cared for, the sin sickness can lead to dire consequences.  When we hear about believers suddenly falling into open sin, in most cases a gradual slide preceded the sudden fall.”

My commentary mentioned a church member who always closed his public prayers with, “And Lord, take the cobwebs out of my heart!”  Another person, tired of hearing it, stood up and prayed, “And Lord, while You’re at it …. kill the spider!”

Father, my intentional sin is rebellion against You.  When I know I’m committing it, call me to acknowledge it and repent of it.  Don’t let me get away with feeling no remorse.  I need all traces of the sin infection removed from my heart and soul.  Kill the spider, Father.  Don’t just clean out the cobwebs.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Jeremiah 2 -- Oh, What Words!

“The people who know the teachings didn’t know Me.  The leaders turned against Me,” God said in verse 8.  These are such sad and telling words in this chapter, and they should break the heart of a Christian when they are found to be true:

“Remember how faithful you were to Me? … You loved Me … You followed Me … I brought you into a fertile land … but you came and made my land unclean.”

Water was such an essential commodity in that part of the world, and finding a spring was an incredible blessing.  Having to drink stagnant, muddy water was often a necessity to survive.  God tells His people that they have turned away from Him – “The spring of living water” – “and dug their own wells (made their own idols) which are broken wells that cannot hold water.”

“You brought this on yourselves by turning away from the Lord your God when He was leading you in the right way.”  “It did not help to … and drink from ..” other gods.  They thought it would.  In these verses, drinking water means worshipping.  “You refused to obey Me … You broke the ropes I used to hold you and said, ‘I will not serve You.’”

“’I planted you as a special vine, as a VERY GOOD SEED.  How then did you turn into a wild one that grows bad fruit?  Although you wash yourself with cleanser and use much soap, I can still see the stain of your guilt,’ says the Lord God.  ‘How can you say to Me, ‘I am not guilty?’ … Think about what you have done … But you say, ‘It’s no use!  I love those other gods and I must chase them!”  It’s like a drug addiction that they cannot shake.

God punished in order to cause repentance, but it never happened.  He said, “Why do My people say, ‘We are free to wander.  We won’t come to you anymore?’ … You really know how to chase after love … You do all those things but you say, ‘I an innocent.  God is not angry with me.’  But I will judge you guilty of lying, because you say, ‘I HAVE NOT sinned.’”

Father, I hate it when I find myself beginning to resemble what You describe here – when I begin to feel entitled to sin just a little.  When I know Your teachings but start to lose my love for You.  When I trade the pure living water You offer for the nasty spiritual water of the world.  When I refuse to obey and even cast off the yoke You’ve so gently placed on me to lead me.  It’s amazing to hear You call me a special vine – a very good seed, and yet later find myself to have produced bad fruit because of sin in my life.  To discover that I’ve let sin become like an addiction to me that I love more than even You at times!  Sinful hearts become stubborn hearts if we don’t come to You for cleansing.  But I’m so glad Jesus specializes in hopeless cases like all of us.  The words I read in my commentary are equally true:  “Any decisions that we make that are contrary to God’s plan will lead to bondage, because only the truth can set us free.”

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Jeremiah 1 -- Getting Called

How incredible it must have been when Jeremiah heard God say to him, “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you.  Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.”

When Jeremiah answered with, “I am only a boy,” God said, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’  You must go everywhere I send you, and you must say everything I tell you to say.  Don’t be afraid of anyone, because I am with you to protect you.”

Then, amazingly, the Lord reached out His hand and touched Jeremiah’s mouth.  I can’t imagine what that must have felt like!  He put him in charge of nations.  A boy! 

My commentary said the task ahead would be demanding and the times were difficult.  People rebelled instead of being obedient.  There were attempts at reformation, but there was no true repentance, and kings were driven by politics instead of principle.

Jeremiah was doubtful.  “He hesitated as he looked at the work before him and the wickedness around him, and when he looked at the weakness within himself … When it comes to serving the Lord, there’s a sense in which nobody is adequate … Not that we are sufficient of ourselves … our sufficiency is of God.  When God calls us, He isn’t making a mistake, and for us to hesitate or refuse to obey is to act on the basis of unbelief and not faith.  It’s one thing for us to know our own weaknesses, but it’s quite something else for us to say that our weaknesses prevent God from getting anything done.”

“God knew Jeremiah, God chose him even before he was conceived … then God formed Jeremiah and gave him the genetic structure He wanted him to possess … The Lord knew what He was doing.  What we are is God’s gift to us; what we do with it is our gift to Him.”

“Jeremiah was set apart by the Lord and for the Lord even before he knew the Lord in a personal way!”

Jeremiah received three instructions from the Lord.  “Go where I send you, speak what I command you, and don’t be afraid of the people.”  “Then He added the great word of promise:  Jeremiah had to go where God sent him and speak what God told him to speak.  He also had to believe God’s promises and prove it by not fearing the people.”

“Jeremiah accepted God’s call.  He knew his own deficiencies, but he also knew that God was greater and would enable him to do the job.”

Father, please work in my life, despite my own deficiencies, and use me in whatever way You choose.  I trust You, God!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Song of Solomon 3-8 -- Marriage Tips

Solomon came to claim his bride on the wedding day and she discovered she’s marrying the king my commentary said!  It also listed important marriage wisdom:

“Love is a delicate thing, easily misunderstood and quickly hurt …

There’s a price to pay in marriage if we want to mature in our affection …

Love needs to be nourished with kind words and actions …

Over the years, our bodies change and we get old, but the husband and wife who grow in their appreciation and evaluation of each other will never cultivate a critical attitude …

Young in heart is the secret of a long and happy marriage…

One of the important elements in a marriage is getting to know each other so well that we can read each other’s minds and anticipate actions and words …

Marriage ought to be like a garden.  This takes work, but it’s worth it…

Sexual attraction in marriage must be a mutual experience, and the husband and wife must work at making themselves desirable…

Their love brought them together, and their love would keep them together …

Where there is love, the husband and wife want to be together and share their ideas and feelings.  Yes, there’s a place for other companions, but nobody must replace the mate God gives to us.”

Father, I pray that I will someday be allowed to experience this in Your timing and in Your will.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Song of Solomon 1-2 Anticipation

“The Jewish rabbis saw the Song of Solomon as a book extolling human love and the proper use of sex in marriage.  They also saw the book as an illustration of God’s love for His people Israel and His desire to share a deeper love with His people,” my commentary said.  For Christians, it represents the love relationship between Christ and His church as well, it added.

The first two chapters were identified as “Anticipation:  The Courtship.”  The Shulamite woman worries about her looks, and it appears at first that Solomon may have been disguised as a shepherd and she didn’t know that he was the king.  She rejoices that he has chosen her,” my commentary said.

“But Solomon would have none of her confessions of unworthiness and ugliness!  He extols her beauty and calls her my love.  Solomon told her she was unique – one among many – and very special.!

“Our Lord Jesus is today using His Word to beautify His bride, and as we obey Him, we are preparing ourselves for the great heavenly wedding.”

“Solomon wasn’t ashamed of his love for her and displayed it like the banner of an army.  ‘He must love me because he brought me to this banquet and wasn’t ashamed to be associated with me,’ she muses.”  I think that’s often how we feel about God’s love for us – that such a holy God could love a sinner such as me is incredible.

“Love is not only a banquet of delights, but love is also an adventure.  There must be spontaneous expressions of affection if love is to thrive … To grow in their love for each other, they needed to be together and have different experiences in different places.  This is how we learn more about ourselves and our potential mates.  But this principle also applies to our love for the Lord.  We must go with Him into new and challenging experiences that will deepen our love and strengthen our faith.”

“True love isn’t something we work up; it’s something to Lord sends down within us when we meet the right person at the right time.”

Finally, “the little foxes represent those things that quietly destroy relationships.”

Father, I cherish the challenging experiences we’ve had together – particularly how You’ve guided me to my sons and helped me as they grew to be men.  If it is in Your will, send down true love for me with the right person, but let it be in Your timing.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Proverbs 28-31 Enjoying God's Guidance

As I finished up Proverbs, I read a section of my commentary about Enjoying God’s Guidance.  It listed what Solomon had shared of the essentials for knowing, doing, and enjoying the will of God.  Those essentials are faith, commitment, instruction, counsel, plans, and obedience.

Here are just a few of the nuggets I found this morning:

“When we say we are trusting in the Lord, we’re really affirming that we belong to God, that God has a plan for our lives, that this plan is the best thing for us, and that the Father will reveal His will in His time.”

“God assures us that He works in us to accomplish His good pleasure.  The talents we were born with and the gifts we received at conversion are brought together by the Holy Spirit so that we can do what God has called us to do.”

“Knowing and doing the will of God isn’t a spiritual technique that we use occasionally; it’s a committed lifestyle that involves everything we do.”

“The will of God isn’t a curiosity for us to study, it’s a command for us to obey; God isn’t obligated to reveal His will unless we’re willing to do it.”

“Whenever I find myself distant from my Father, then I’ve allowed something to enter my life that is not in the sphere of His will.  Since the will of God comes from the heart of God, it ought to draw my heart closer to Him.”

“To deliberately act apart from the instruction of the Scriptures is to rebel against the revealed will of God.”

“In the school of faith, sometimes we don’t know what the lesson is until we’ve passed – or failed – the exam!”

Father, continue to reveal Your will to me and help me to have the will to obey.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Proverbs 24-27 Wise Words When Spoken With God's Wisdom

God seemed to focus me on people’s words in what I read this morning.  I have several important decisions to be made, and it helped me to remember that what people say may not be as important as why they say it.  My commentary had a section focused on just this thing today:

“We hurt others by lying:  The ears hear what the heart loves, so beware of people who have an appetite for gossip and lies … Love without truth is hypocrisy and truth without love is brutality, and we don’t want to be guilty of either sin.”

“We hurt others by gossiping:  The only remedy for a love of gossip is to develop an appetite for God’s truth.”

“We hurt others by flattery:  If it weren’t for our pride, flattery wouldn’t affect us.  We privately enjoy hearing somebody agree with what we think of ourselves.”

“We hurt others by speaking in anger:  Angry people keep adding fuel to the fire instead of trying to find ways to put the fire out.”

It said we also hurt others by impetuous speech, by talking too much, and by talking instead of working.

“Only God can help us use the gift of speech for good:  All of God’s people need to surrender their bodies to the Lord, and this includes the lips and the tongue.  We must also yield our hearts to the Lord, because what comes out of the mouth originates in the heart.”

Father, help me to engage my heart and my mind before putting my tongue in gear.  Give me ears to hear what is actually being said and why.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Proverbs 19-23 Is Some Of This Solomon's Wisdom, But Not God's?

I haven’t yet read much about this, but Solomon’s wisdom being shared in this book may not necessarily be God’s wisdom, it seems.  For instance, as I read, “Hard punishment will get rid of evil, and whippings can change an evil heart,” I thought of the hardened criminals and repeat offenders who never change their hearts.  And today, the idea of whipping someone sounds almost barbaric.

I also read, “Those who respect the Lord will live and be satisfied, unbothered by trouble.”  That’s our hope, but I just finished reading Job, so that is not always right.  Those are surely rules for living and observations Solomon had that will likely prevent a lot of problems if followed, but I don’t think they are in any way guarantees of a trouble-free life.

Still, I found a series of nuggets spread out through these chapters:

“People can make all kinds of plans, but only the Lord’s plan will happen … No one can say, ‘I am innocent; I have never done anything wrong.’ … Don’t say, ‘I’ll pay you back for the wrong you did.’  Wait for the Lord, and He will make things right … The Lord decides what a person will do; no one understands what his life is all about … The Lord looks deep inside people and searches through their thoughts.  The Lord can control a king’s mind [or mine] as He controls a river; He can direct it as He pleases.  You may believe you are doing right, but the Lord judges your reasons … There is no wisdom, understanding, or advice that can succeed against the Lord.”

Solomon seems to be right on when he talks about God’s sovereignty and power.  Maybe those are the verses to really look for!

Father, I realize as I read this that even the wisest man on earth was a fool compared to You.  Share with me Your wisdom that You know I need for every time and place I find myself.  Keep me willing to hear from You.  Soften my heart and open my mind.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Proverbs 16-18 -- Our Plans And Our Friendships

There’s a lot about our plans in the starting verses.  We make plans in our minds, and as much as we’d like to think they are our ideas, we should remember God puts the desires in our heart if we seek Him.  He therefore has a vested interest in making those plans come true.  He judges our motivations behind our plans to ensure that we are focused on Him.  Anything prideful or sinful that we attempt will meet with opposition from Him, since He always has our best in mind.

We must watch, however, to see that those desires and plans we have do not run counter to God’s Word.  Proverbs 16:25 says, “Some people think they are doing right, but in the end it leads to death.”  No matter how we try to justify something, if it is plainly forbidden by God, pursuing it will be considered willful sin, and God will not honor us.

What we work toward must also occur in God’s timing.  He will bring about our plans that agree with His at exactly the right time.

Proverbs 17 speaks of our relationships with others.  We are not to mistreat others or be happy when they experience trouble.  We are to forgive them when they sin against us and repent, but we are also not to gossip about that sin.  We expect unconditional love and should also show it to others, particularly when our friends’ spirits are broken.  In those instances, “a wise person listens to learn more” to be able to help, then we are only to “speak with care.”  “A real friend will be more loyal than a brother.”

Father God, help me to take all of this to heart and be the kind of person You describe and desire here.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Proverbs 13-15 Thieves, Workers, And The Poor

“Solomon says a great deal about 3 kinds of people – the thieves (included the lazy), the workers, and the poor who need our help.”

Thieves are connected with get-rich-quick schemes, dishonesty in business dealings, selfishness, and even laziness, it said.  “We need to recognize the fact that work is not a curse.  God gave Adam work to do in the Garden even before sin entered the scene.”  My commentary particularly discussed lazy persons:  “they love to sleep, they have know-it-all attitudes, they are good at making excuses, they lose their freedom and are enslaved to others by debt, and they waste God-given resources and God-given opportunities.”

My commentary also discussed some of the poor:  “Some just won’t work, some let the enemy of pleasure overtake them, some like to talk but never act, some have made unwise financial decisions, and some are poor because of people and events over which they have no control.”

He also discussed the diligent:  “they have disciplined the inner person, they plan their work and work their plan, they are honest and generous, they are careful not to incur debts they can’t handle, they don’t let themselves become greedy, they don’t take on a false sense of security, and they are careful not to become proud.”

Father, thank You for giving me a good attitude about work.  When I am tired, rest me, but do not let me become lazy.  When my mind is tired, help me to refresh it and get done what needs to be done.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford