Jeremiah 48-49 Fighting Against God Never Pays

In page after page, God promises not to let the sins of nations go unpunished.  Moab trusted in the things they did and in their wealth.  They worshiped Chemosh, an idol.  They thought they were greater than the Lord.  They would be destroyed.  "But in days to come, I will make good things happen again to Moab," God promises.

The people of Ammon were unfaithful and believed their treasures would save them.  God would scatter them.  "But the time will come when I will make good things happen to the Ammonites again," says the Lord.

For Edom, their pride had fooled them, living in rock cities like Petra, but Edom also would be destroyed.  There was no promise or hope from God for them, though.

God also swore that Damascus, Syria, would be destroyed.  The nomadic peoples of Kedar and Hazor, who kept their hair cut short, would be scattered and their land would become an empty desert forever.

Elam was warned that God would kill them all and even set up His throne there, yet He did promise to make good things happen to them in the future.

It doesn't pay dividends to ignore God, disrespect Him, or fight against Him.  He's sovereign and all-powerful and He cannot be defeated.  We only hurt ourselves when we foolishly believe that we can live any way we want and not have to one day pay dearly for our own rebellion against Him.  Father, please remove Satan's deceptions from the eyes and hearts of those I love so that they can see what they are doing and learn from it before it is too late.

--

Your Brother In Christ,

Jeremiah 45-47 Specific Messages God Sent

God gave Jeremiah a message about Baruch, Jeremiah's faithful secretary.  "Baruch had chosen to identify with Jeremiah and do the will of God ... Not everybody is called to be a prophet or apostle, but all of us can do the will of God by helping others do their work," my commentary said.  "Baruch was willing to stay in the background and serve God by serving Jeremiah."

Starting in Chapter 46, Jeremiah delivered God's messages to the nations associated with Israel.  Egypt got to hear that they would face battle against Babylon, and that its wounds were incurable.  Philistia would face a similar Babylonian invasion so terrible that parents would flee for their lives and leave their children behind, my commentary mentioned.

My commentary also featured a postlude on Jeremiah himself, with several important lessons that I needed to hear right now.  I'm glad I skipped ahead and started reading:

     First, in difficult days, we need to hear and heed the Word of God.

     Second, true prophets of God are usually persecuted.

     Third, True patriotism isn't blind to sin, but seeks to deal with those sins compassionately and realistically.    The nation that doesn't deal with sin is wasting time and resources trying to solve national problems. which are only symptoms of the deeper problem, which is sin.

     Fourth, God's servants occasionally have their doubts and failings.

     Fifth, The important thing isn't success:  it's faithfulness.

     Sixth, The greatest reward of ministry is to become like Christ.

     Seventh, God is King, and the nations of the world are under His sovereign control.  Nothing catches God by surprise.

Father, I know these things, but sometimes in the heat of battle, I forget them.  Help me to remember that You never lose -- that You are all-powerful and sovereign, despite how I might be feeling in the circumstances of life.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 45-47 Specific Messages God Sent

God gave Jeremiah a message about Baruch, Jeremiah's faithful secretary.  "Baruch had chosen to identify with Jeremiah and do the will of God ... Not everybody is called to be a prophet or apostle, but all of us can do the will of God by helping others do their work," my commentary said.  "Baruch was willing to stay in the background and serve God by serving Jeremiah."

Starting in Chapter 46, Jeremiah delivered God's messages to the nations associated with Israel.  Egypt got to hear that they would face battle against Babylon, and that its wounds were incurable.  Philistia would face a similar Babylonian invasion so terrible that parents would flee for their lives and leave their children behind, my commentary mentioned.

My commentary also featured a postlude on Jeremiah himself, with several important lessons that I needed to hear right now.  I'm glad I skipped ahead and started reading:

     First, in difficult days, we need to hear and heed the Word of God.

     Second, true prophets of God are usually persecuted.

     Third, True patriotism isn't blind to sin, but seeks to deal with those sins compassionately and realistically.    The nation that doesn't deal with sin is wasting time and resources trying to solve national problems. which are only symptoms of the deeper problem, which is sin.

     Fourth, God's servants occasionally have their doubts and failings.

     Fifth, The important thing isn't success:  it's faithfulness.

     Sixth, The greatest reward of ministry is to become like Christ.

     Seventh, God is King, and the nations of the world are under His sovereign control.  Nothing catches God by surprise.

Father, I know these things, but sometimes in the heat of battle, I forget them.  Help me to remember that You never lose -- that You are all-powerful and sovereign, despite how I might be feeling in the circumstances of life.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 43-44 -- Hearing God's Words And Refusing To Listen

Once Jeremiah finished delivering God's message to the Jews who'd been away from Judah and who'd returned after the Babylonians had overtaken the land and decided to live just like their defeated brothers, their leaders let pride lead them where their hearts should not have gone.  They accused Jeremiah of lying about what God was saying.  They forced the entire entourage to travel to Egypt despite God's clear call for them to remain in the land.  They were following a cult of personality led by Johanan.

When they arrived in Tahpanhes, Egypt, God directed Jeremiah to deliver his final action sermon.  He buried some large stones underneath the brick pavement in front of Pharaoh's palace there.  God directed him to say, "I will soon send for my servant, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.  I will set his throne over these stones ... He will bring death to those who are supposed to die ... Nebuchadnezzar will wrap Egypt around him ... and he will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt."

What had caused this?  Jeremiah tells them and us:  The people were doing evil ... burning sacrifices to false gods.  What God asked next is still what He asks us today:

"Why are you doing such great harm to yourselves? ... Why do you want to make Me angry? ... You will destroy yourselves  ... Even to this day the people of Judah are still too proud.  They have not learned to respect Me or follow My teachings.  They have not obeyed..." 

The women were burning incense to other gods with the full approval of their husbands.  Their justification was that it had worked before and they were therefore going to do it again, regardless of what God had to say.  Never mind that their country was in ruins because of it!  Jeremiah told them, "You sinned against the Lord your God.  You did not obey Him or follow His teachings ... You did not keep YOUR part of the agreement with Him ... So go ahead.  Do the things you promised, and keep your promises.  But hear the Word of the Lord ... "I am watching over them, not to take care of them, but to hurt them.  The Jews who live in Egypt will die from swords or hunger... A few will escape ... then those who are left alive will know if My word or their word came true."

What a shame to know God and then willfully ignore what one knows, taking their own paths instead, despite His warnings!  When God says, "Why are you doing such great harm to yourselves?" too often we think that we know better than Him.  Such hubris!  Such pride!  When He asks, "Why do you want to make Me angry?" how can we possibly have the courage to answer?  And when He warns us, "You will DESTROY yourselves," how can we not listen and stop what we're doing?

Satan's deceptions and our own sinfulness and pride blind us to the truth because we've let him take up residence in our hearts instead of allowing God to reside there.

Father, hold back Satan and expose his deceptions.  Allow those I love to hear You crying out these same words today.  Let them hear and be moved to agree with You and to repent.  Don't let Satan's foothold take root in their souls.  Rescue them, Father!

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 40-42 The Error In Trying To Get God To Approve What We've Already Decided

Those who'd remained in the land had been told by God to submit to Babylonian rule so that it would go well with them.  Yet "they repeated the very sins that had led to the collapse of the nation and the destruction of the city.  They wouldn't listen to the Word; they turned to Egypt for help, and they worshiped idols," my commentary said.

Jeremiah was invited to live with the Babylonian captain who'd freed him from chains.  But he was a shepherd to the people and wanted to live among his flock.  He took up the captain's offer to live with the newly appointed governor of the land, Gedaliah, who'd "told the people exactly what Jeremiah had been telling them for many years.  Serve the Babylonians and you will live safely in the land."

Johanan, a concerned Jewish captain, heard about a plot to assassinate the governor and warned him, but the governor refused to believe it.  Ishmael was the assassin's name and he and his ten men killed the governor and his men, then killed 70 of 80 Jewish pilgrims returning to the land to worship.  Johanan managed to save those ten pilgrims, but Ishmael escaped.  Johanan then asked Jeremiah to find God's will for them, hoping with insincere hearts that Jeremiah would tell them to go live in Egypt.  But God had already told them Egypt was not an option.  Jeremiah warned them again not to disobey the Lord by moving to Egypt.  The disasters they were escaping would only follow them there.  

Finally, Jeremiah exposed their hearts, announcing publicly their deception and lack of desire to obey God.  "They wanted the Lord to approve what they had already decided to do ... This event is a warning to us not to be insincere as we seek the will of God," my commentary said.

Father, I'm seeking Your will right now in several areas.  i need Your answers and I want to obey.  Remove any insincerity from my heart.  I don't want You to simply approve what I decide to do without Your blessing.  I want You to guide me and direct me to the decision You've already made.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 38-39 The End For Many

Sometimes being right in the middle of God's will may seem like anything other than safety.  "Four of Zedekiah's officers banded together to urge the king to kill Jeremiah."  They saw his message as propaganda that was hurting the war effort, my commentary said.  Jeremiah was lowered into the deep mud at the bottom of a well in the courtyard of the guard, where they hoped he would suffer and die.  But his fate wasn't unknown to God.  Ebed-Melech, from Cush, witnessed his predicament and told King Zedekiah, who vacillated again and told Ebed-Melech to take 30 soldiers and rescue Jeremiah.  He was brought to the king.

Zedekiah charged Jeremiah to withhold nothing of God's Word from him, and made a secret promise that he wouldn't be killed or handed over to those who might try to kill him.  Jeremiah assured the king that if he surrendered, his life would be saved, the city would not be burned, and he and his family would live.  Otherwise, the city would be destroyed and Zedekiah and his family would still be captured.

Zedekiah feared what the Jews already captured would do to him if he surrendered.  But Jeremiah assured him that if he obeyed God, things would go well for him in captivity.  It was simply a matter of trusting God.

Instead, Zedekiah attempted to flee in the night, but his entourage was captured some 200 miles north of Jerusalem.  "There, Nebuchadnezzar passed his sentence on Zedekiah ... the king of Babylon killed Zedekiah's sons and all the important officers as Zedekiah watched.  Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes.  He but bronze chains on Zedekiah and took him to Babylon."  They set fire to Jerusalem and left only the poorest people in the land to tend the vineyards and fields.

True to His word, God directed Nebuchadnezzar to find Jeremiah and release him.  The Babylonian commander's words are amazing, coming from a nonbeliever:  "The Lord your God announced this disaster would come to this place.  And now the Lord has done everything He said He would do.  This disaster happened because the people of Judah sinned against the Lord and did not obey Him.  But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists.  If you want to, come with me to Babylon, and I will take good care of you.  But if you don't want to come, then don't.  Look, the whole country is open to you.  Go wherever you wish."

Jeremiah chose to live with the governor appointed to administer the land.  "He lived among the people who were left behind in Judah."

Faithful to God's message, Jeremiah still found himself up to his armpits in mud at one point, but God could be trusted, and eventually Jeremiah was cared for by those God had ordained to overtake the land.  He wasn't a traitor.  Indeed, he was the only one who remained loyal.

Father, I'm trusting in You.  When it feels like I'm still under siege, reassure me and give me strength.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 35-37 -- What Type Of Devotion?

God had Jeremiah perform another action sermon.  He highlighted the devotion of the family of Rechab, which had followed their ancestor's admonition to remain nomads and refuse to drink wine for over two centuries.  

"The message to the nation was clear.  If the command of a mere man, Jonadab, was respected and obeyed by his family for over two centuries, why didn't the people of Israel and Judah obey the command of Almighty God?  If a family tradition was preserved with such dedication, why was the very law of God treated with such disrespect? ... How often God's people are put to shame by the devotion and discipline of people who don't even know the Lord but who are intensely loyal to their family, their religion, or their personal pursuits.  Even people who want nothing to do with the Word of God can by loyal to traditions and man-made codes.  If Christians were putting into their spiritual walk the kind of discipline that athletes put into their chosen sport, the church would be pulsating with revival life," my commentary said.  

God had Jeremiah deliver all of the words God had spoken to him to Baruch, who wrote them on a scroll, then Baruch was told to read them in the Temple on a fast day when a large number of people would be in attendance.  There's no word about the crowd's reaction, but one man listened and told the princes.  They asked for a reading and them hid the scroll and went to get the King to listen.  As King Jehoiakim heard the words, he sliced strips from the scroll and through them into the fire, until the entire 23 years of messages were burned up.  "he had a very high opinion of himself and a very low opinion of God," my commentary said.  "The same God who gives the Word has the power to protect and preserve the Word.  The king had tried to destroy the Word, but the Word destroyed him."

Father, I thank You for preserving Your Word for me to read, and for quickening my ear and my heart to it after drawing me back to Yourself all those years ago.  Thank You for leading me to also preserve what You show me so that perhaps someday my boys and their families will be able to read the words You have given to me.

--

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 33-34 God's Amazing Promises

God promised that "they will fill these houses with the bodies of people I killed in My hot anger.  I have turned away from this city because of all the evil its people have done."  The people had ignored God and lived any way they pleased, and now they were toast.  But this isn't the promise I'm talking about.

Because then God brought a promise of hope:  "But then I will bring health and healing to the people there.  I will heal them and let them enjoy great peace and safety ... They sinned against Me, but I will wash away that sin.  They did evil and turned away from Me, but I will forgive them."

As wonderful as that promise sounded, He said something even more amazing:  "I will make a good branch sprout from David's family.  He will do what is fair and right in the land.  At that time, Judah will be saved ... The branch will be named:  'The Lord Does What Is Right' ... Someone from David's family will always sit on the throne of the family of Israel."  He was talking about Jesus Christ.

Although Jeremiah was sharing God's Word with the people of Judah, it rings true with us today as well:  "They sinned against Me, but I will wash away that sin.  They did evil and turned away from Me, but I will forgive them."  Despite our horrible rebellion against Him, God stands ready to wash away our sin and forgive us for committing it!

Father, I must never think that my sin can't be forgiven, because that would mean that You are not a promise keeper and that You are less than all-powerful.  Your love for us overwhelms us and causes us to seek You out.  Wash us with a flood of that love, Father.  Clean us up and draw us near to You!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 32 -- Faith Is Obeying In Spite Of Consequences

Jeremiah had been imprisoned by King Zedekiah for prophesying the Babylonian conquest of Judah, and that very army had surrounded the city.  In prison, Jeremiah heard God say, "Your cousin is coming to sell you his field.  Buy it."  The nation was facing total takeover and God wanted him to buy a field?  Seventy years of exile face everyone and Jeremiah wouldn't possibly live long enough to see it himself.  What would he do?

"That, however, is what faith is all about:  obeying God in spite of what we see, how we feel, and what may happen.  Faith is not believing in spite of evidence, but obeying in spite of consequences ... Many people must have laughed, and some probably thought he was crazy."

"Having obeyed God's command by faith, Jeremiah was now wondering how God would ever give him his property; he did the right thing by praying about it.  The best way to handle doubt is to talk to God, be honest about your feelings, and then wait for Him to give you His message from His Word.  True prayer begins with worship and focuses on the greatness of God.  No matter what our problems are, God is greater, and the more we see His greatness, the less threatening our problems will become... The prophet shared his difficult situation with God and turned it over to Him."

"The Lord's reply to Jeremiah affirmed what He had told him in the past:  The city was headed for certain destruction because of the repeated sins of the people ... The Lord then affirmed to him that the situation wasn't lost, for He would gather His people and bring them back to the land ... Next, Jeremiah heard the word that gave him joy:  'And fields shall be bought in this land.'  The day would come when Jeremiah's purchase would be validated and his action sermon vindicated."

"The world laughs at us for our faith and our investments in the future, but one day God will keep His promises and vindicate us before people and angels ... We refuse to sacrifice the eternal for the temporary."

Father God, thank You for teaching me this years ago.  Several that I love have not learned this yet.  With Your mighty power and love, soften their hearts and make them want to know You.  Help them to discover what I have -- that You are worth more than anything this world has to offer!

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 31 -- God Is Doing A New Thing!

God began a new thing -- a new covenant based on the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, hundreds of years before Jesus would die there for our sins.

"The old covenant tried to control conduct, but the new covenant changes character so that people can love the Lord and one another and want to obey God's will ... The new covenant is inward so that God's law is written on the heart and not on stone tablets.  The emphasis is personal rather than national with each person putting faith in the Lord and receiving a new heart and with it a new disposition toward godliness," my commentary said.

Despite all the Judah had done, God was not forsaking them, but shaking life up so they wouldn't take Him for granted.  Here, He said, "I love you people with a love that will last forever ... I came to give rest ... I will build you up again, and you will be rebuilt ... A great many people will come back.  They will be crying as they come, but they will pray asI bring them back.  I will lead those people by streams of water on an even road where they will not stumble ... Their faces will shine with happiness about all the good things from the Lord ... and My people will be filled with the good things I give them ... There is hope for you in the future."  

"Take me back so that I may come back," they will pray.  "You truly are the Lord my God.  Lord, after I wondered away from You, I changed my heart and life.  After I understood, I beat my breast with sorrow.  I was ashamed and disgraced, because I suffered for the foolish things I did when I was young."

And to this prayer, God responds, "I love him very much, and I want to comfort him ... Come home .... come back ... How long will you wander before you come home? ... I will give rest and strength to those who are weak and tired ... I will put My teachings in their minds and write them on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be My people.  People will no longer have to teach their neighbors and relatives to know the Lord, because all people will know Me ... I will forgive them for the wicked things they did, and I will not remember their sins anymore."

Father, thank You for bringing this new thing to pass.  Continue to bring back those I love, by showing them Your grace and forgiveness and love.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 29-30 Some Of My FAVORITE Verses In The Bible!

Some of my favorite hope-filled verses in the Bible are in these chapters!

"Build houses ... plant gardens ... get married ... have sons and daughters ... find wives for your sons ... Have many children ... Do good things for the city where I sent you ... Pray to the Lord for the city where you are living..."

"I will come to you, and I will keep My promise to bring you back ... I know what I am planning for you ...I have good plans for you,not plans to hurt you.  I will give you hope and a good future."  These people were about as far away from God and from their homes as anyone could imagine.  They weren't even searching for Him.  But God was going to do all this because He loved them and wanted themback, despite their sinfulness.  And when that happened ....

"Then you will call My name.  You will come to Me and pray to Me.  And when you search for Me with ALL your heart, you will find Me.  I will let you find Me ... And I will bring you back from YOUR captivity.  I forced you to leave this place, but I will gather you from all the nations, from the places I have sent you as captives ... and I will bring you back to this place."

It's not always easy to get back to God.  Sin takes us captive, just as the Babylonians did to the Jews then.  God has to shake us up to make us turn loose of it.  "I am with you and will save you," He says ... "I will punish you fairly, but I will still punish you."  God will forgive us our sins, but as a just God, He will allow us to pay for what we've chosen to do.

"I did these things to you because of your great guilt, because of your many sins ... I will bring you back to health and heal your injuries ... You will be My people and I will be your God ... I love you people with a love that will last forever.  That is why I have continued showing you kindness ... I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt ... The Lord will pay for the people ... and buy them back ... Their faces will shine with happiness about all the good things from the Lord ... I will change their sadness into happiness.  I will give them comfort and joy, instead of sadness ... So there is hope for you in the future."  

And our proper response to all of this:

"Lord, You punished me, and I have learned my lesson ... Take me back so I may come back.  You truly are the Lord my God.  Lord, after I wondered away from You, I changed my heart and life.  After I understood, I beat my breast with sorrow.  I was ashamed and disgraced, because I suffered for the foolish things I did when I was young."

Father, thank You for renewing my perspective.  Thank You for reminding me of all that You've already done for me.  Help me to live not as a captive but as Your child -- in victory, knowing that You have Your absolute best planned for me!

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 26-28 -- It Doesn't Pay To Be A False Prophet

The people heard Jeremiah prophesy that God would allow Jerusalem and the temple to be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, and they considered such a message blasphemy.  "Since God's covenant with David protected the city and the Temple, Jeremiah was actually denying the covenant!  He was leading the people astray and deserved to die, they thought," according to my commentary.

Jeremiah was arrested but the officers and all the people told the priests and prophets that Jeremiah must not die.  The congregation was telling the priests what God was saying!

God told Jeremiah to construct a wooden yoke, indicating submission, and wear it before King Zedekiah and representatives from five neighboring nations.  They had to submit to Nebuchadnezzar or else be destroyed.  He also delivered the same message to the priests and the people.  Only by submitting to the king of Babylon could the nation and the people be saved.

Hananiah, a false prophet, declared that the captivity would end in two years, while Jeremiah had heard God say it would be 70 years.  Hananiah even broke the wooden yoke Jeremiah was wearing for his action sermon.  Jeremiah then told Hananiah that God had decreed that He would replace the wooden yoke with a yoke of iron, impossible to break, and that Hananiah would die that very year.  Two months later, he did.  "It's always the case that when we reject the light yoke of God's will, we end up wearing a heavier yoke of our own making," my commentary said.

Father, help me to submit to Your will for my life.  Make sure that I understand that any rebellion will only lead to a heavier burden that my stubbornness will create, rather than the light burden You put on me in love.

--

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 24-25 I Will Bring Them Back

I saw great promise in 24:5-7.  God said, "I think of those people as good ... I will look after them and bring them back ... I will not tear them down, but I will build them up.  I will not pull them up, but I will plant them so they can grow.  I WILL MAKE THEM WANT TO KNOW ME, that I am the Lord.  They will be My people, and I will be their God, because they WILL RETURN TO ME with their whole hearts."

Father, please bring this about in the lives of those I love who have walked away from You.  Make them want to know You, even though right now they don't, just as I once did.

My commentary said, "In times of natural catastrophe, no matter how discouraging the circumstances may be, God doesn't desert His faithful remnant.  Rebels are scattered and destroyed, but true believers find God faithful to meet their needs and accomplish His great plans ... The destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of Judah were not accidents; they were appointments, for God was in control ... No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

Over and over again, Jeremiah repeats God's words -- "You have not listened."  "Jeremiah had preached ... for 23 years and received the same response.  As they disobeyed the law, worshiped idols, and rejected God's servants, the people deliberately provoked God to anger, and the day of His wrath was fast approaching."

"Nebuchadnezzar wasn't a believer in the true God of Israel, but in his conquests he was accomplishing God's will ... The church today needs to remember that the Lord is sovereign and can use whatever tools He deigns to use to accomplish His purposes on earth, even unconverted leaders."

Jeremiah also had a message from God for the Gentile nations:  "Though the Lord had not given His law to the Gentile nations or entered into a covenant relationship with them, He still held them accountable for their sins."

First Peter 4:17 says, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that don't obey the gospel of God?"

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 23 -- Bad News For The Nation, But A Promise For The Future

God had Jeremiah deliver the message that Judah's leaders had been ruthless to the people.  "Instead of leading the flock in love, they drove it mercilessly and exploited it ...Because they ... refused to trust God, they destroyed the nation and scattered the flock among the Gentiles."

But God promised a future regathering that would make the Exodus from Egypt seem trivial.  "No matter how dark the day may be, God sends the light of hope through His promises," my commentary said.

I read in my commentary something that was particularly interesting as the U.S. elections draw near:

"Whenever a nation needs healing, it's usually because God's people aren't obeying and serving Him as they should.  We like to blame dishonest politicians and various purveyors of pleasure for a nation's decline in morality, but God blames His own people.  'If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.'"

"Because they listened to the false prophets, the people believed lies about God, and what we believe about God determines how we live."

Father, help us to examine our lives and show us where we fall short of Your will.  Give us the strength to make changes that You desire and keep our nation from suffering the same fate as Judah.

--

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 22 -- The Nation Is Falling Apart

Jeremiah was given messages to deliver about the kings of Judah.  He disclosed what God had planned for Jehoahaz, Zedekiah, Jehoiakim, and Jehoiachim.  It was a message none would want to hear.  He called out Zedekiah for his callousness.  He dashed the hopes that Jehoahaz would ever return from Egypt.

Jehoiakim was admiring his palace and wanting more cedar inside it using unpaid Jewish slaves -- he was so covetous that "it didn't worry him that god watched as he robbed the poor killed the innocent, and oppressed the just in order to satisfy his craving for luxury," my commentary said.

Jehoiachin would reign only 3 months and 10 days before being deported with his mother and his children to Babylon, where they would all die.

It all sounds terrible -- facing the utter destruction of all that they knew.  But God had warned them.  For the city of Jerusalem, it was the end.

Yet in the next chapter, Jeremiah will shine a ray of hope into the distant future.

Father, our own nation is facing so many trials.  It seems the population is hell-bent on doing everything it can to remove You from the scene.  But You are God.  You are sovereign and You will win.  America will be worse for having fought You.  Guide us to select a president who will help bring us back to You.

--

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 20-21 Almost Giving Up, And Then Trusting God

Jeremiah's message given to him by God infuriated those in charge of the Temple.  He was beaten and locked in stocks overnight in a public place so that he would be humiliated.  This led to his fifth and sixth complaints delivered privately to God.  He felt God had tricked him into delivering the message that led to his overnight confinement and public shame.  He admits to God that sometimes he decides it'g just not worth it anymore, and he determines not to say another word.  "But then His message becomes like a burning fire inside me, deep within my bones," Jeremiah said.  "I get tired of trying to hold it inside of me, and finally, I cannot hold it in."

Jeremiah was committed, but he was also suffering greatly for that commitment.  That caused him to even wonder if he should have been born.  My commentary answered that:  "God had a special purpose for your life and designed you to fulfill it.  God makes no mistakes when He calls His servants, and we should take care not to question His wisdom.  All of us have times of discouragement when we've felt like quitting, but that's when we must look beyond our feelings and circumstances and see the greatness and wisdom of God ... It's always too soon to quit."

Father, it's the perfect message I needed to hear today.  Thanks for arranging for me to receive it just when I needed it.

--

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 19 -- When Only Breaking Us Will Do The Job

In the last chapter, Jeremiah watched a potter working with clay that was resistant but still malleable.  This time, Jeremiah was told to take the leaders with him to the potter, and to buy a clay jar that had already been fired and was ready for sale.  God directed him to take the clay jar to the Potsherd Gate leading out of the city to the garbage dump.  He there declared God's pronounced judgment on them because of their unrepentant attitude toward their sins.  God promised right then and there that disaster was coming on Jerusalem and Judah and that Jerusalem and the nation would be destroyed.  Jeremiah was told to preach the sermon again at the Temple, and then to smash to clay jar to illustrate what God was about to do.  

My commentary said, "The nation was beyond discipline, beyond prayer, and now, beyond repair!  They had so hardened themselves against the Lord that all hope was gone ... Can nations and individuals sin so greatly that even God can't restore them?  Yes, they can.  As long as the clay is pliable in the hands of the potter, he can make it again if it's marred, but when the clay becomes hard, it's too late to re-form it.  Judgment is the only response to willful apostasy ... 'There is a sin unto death.' (1 John 5:16)."

Father God, I once walked away from You despite all You'd done to bless me, and I thank You for seeing that my heart was still pliable and also for pursuing me until You brought me back to Yourself.  Please do that for those I love.  Soften their hearts.  Cause them to see that You are pursuing them out of love, and lead them to repentance as well.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

(Note:  This was written on October 5th, but for some reason held as a draft.  I'm putting it out again since it didn't seem to get published.)

Jeremiah 19 -- When Only Breaking Us Will Do The Job

In the last chapter, Jeremiah watched a potter working with clay that was resistant but still malleable.  This time, Jeremiah was told to take the leaders with him to the potter, and to buy a clay jar that had already been fired and was ready for sale.  God directed him to take the clay jar to the Potsherd Gate leading out of the city to the garbage dump.  He there declared God's pronounced judgment on them because of their unrepentant attitude toward their sins.  God promised right then and there that disaster was coming on Jerusalem and Judah and that Jerusalem and the nation would be destroyed.  Jeremiah was told to preach the sermon again at the Temple, and then to smash to clay jar to illustrate what God was about to do.  

My commentary said, "The nation was beyond discipline, beyond prayer, and now, beyond repair!  They had so hardened themselves against the Lord that all hope was gone ... Can nations and individuals sin so greatly that even God can't restore them?  Yes, they can.  As long as the clay is pliable in the hands of the potter, he can make it again if it's marred, but when the clay becomes hard, it's too late to re-form it.  Judgment is the only response to willful apostasy ... 'There is a sin unto death.' (1 John 5:16)."

Father God, I once walked away from You despite all You'd done to bless me, and I thank You for seeing that my heart was still pliable and also for pursuing me until You brought me back to Yourself.  Please do that for those I love.  Soften their hearts.  Cause them to see that You are pursuing them out of love, and lead them to repentance as well.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

(Note:  This was written on October 5th, but for some reason held as a draft.  I'm putting it out again since it didn't seem to get published.)

Jeremiah 19 -- When Only Breaking Us Will Do The Job

In the last chapter, Jeremiah watched a potter working with clay that was resistant but still malleable.  This time, Jeremiah was told to take the leaders with him to the potter, and to buy a clay jar that had already been fired and was ready for sale.  God directed him to take the clay jar to the Potsherd Gate leading out of the city to the garbage dump.  He there declared God's pronounced judgment on them because of their unrepentant attitude toward their sins.  God promised right then and there that disaster was coming on Jerusalem and Judah and that Jerusalem and the nation would be destroyed.  Jeremiah was told to preach the sermon again at the Temple, and then to smash to clay jar to illustrate what God was about to do.  

My commentary said, "The nation was beyond discipline, beyond prayer, and now, beyond repair!  They had so hardened themselves against the Lord that all hope was gone ... Can nations and individuals sin so greatly that even God can't restore them?  Yes, they can.  As long as the clay is pliable in the hands of the potter, he can make it again if it's marred, but when the clay becomes hard, it's too late to re-form it.  Judgment is the only response to willful apostasy ... 'There is a sin unto death.' (1 John 5:16)."

Father God, I once walked away from You despite all You'd done to bless me, and I thank You for seeing that my heart was still pliable and also for pursuing me until You brought me back to Yourself.  Please do that for those I love.  Soften their hearts.  Cause them to see that You are pursuing them out of love, and lead them to repentance as well.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Jeremiah 18 -- Sometimes Agreeing With God May Seem UnChristlike

I loved the image God showed Jeremiah of the potter destroying a forming clay pot that wouldn't comply with what the potter's hands desired, and then watching as the potter used the same clay to create another, perfect pot.  My commentary said, "The interpretation of the image was national, relating to Israel, but the application was individual, calling for a response from the people of Judah.  It also calls for a personal response from us today."

"God presented two scenarios that illustrated His sovereign power over nations.  If He threatened to judge a nation and that nation repented, then He would relent and not send judgment... On the other hand, if He promised to bless a nation ... and that nation did evil in His sight, then He could withhold the blessing and send judgment instead ... He has the sovereign freedom to alter His actions depending on the responses of the people."

"But the people were so chained to their sins that they chose to follow their own evil plans.  They would rather worship dead idols andsuffer for it than serve the true and living God and enjoy His blessings!  Truly, the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked!  In rejecting their God and choosing dumb idols, the people of Judah were acting contrary to everything reasonable ... God made them for Himself and they could not succeed apart from Him ... They were willing to enjoy God's blessings but not willing to obey the laws of God that governed those blessings."

"Like the patient potter, God is willing to mold us again when we resist Him and damage our own lives ... the victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings.  No failure in our lives need be fatal or final, although we certainly suffer for our sins."

Jeremiah complained privately to God about the people's plans to ruin him with lies.  When he began to ask God to let bad things happen to them, he wasn't doing so out of spite, so much as he was beginning to agree with God about what God was saying about them.

Father, Jeremiah was going through a lot of tough times, and I feel that You've timed my reading of this perfectly.  Help me to see You working on me, changing things up for what You have in mind next.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Jeremiah 16-17 -- A Problem Of The Heart

God told Jeremiah not to get married, not to mourn for the dead, and not to attend feasts.  "Whenever anybody asked Jeremiah why he wasn't married, he had opportunity to show God's message of the coming judgment ... God had removed His peace and comfort from the nation ...The judgment that was coming would be so terrible that the people would be unable to express their grief ... all joy and gladness would flee the land."

"The people were led astray by the false prophets and comfortable in their sins, and their consciences were dead ... They had not learned from the past judgment that God had sent.  This made them even more guilty than their fathers!"

"Jeremiah did give the people a message of hope:  the exiles would one day return to their land."

Finally, Jeremiah named six sins the people were embracing:  Idolatry, unbelief, greed, forsaking the Lord, rejecting God's servant, and profaning the Sabbath.  "He poured out his grief over the sins of the nation, and yet the people only hardened their hearts and stubbornly resisted God's truth."

Father, You tell us over and over that we don't know our own hearts.  Only You do.  Please show me what You know about mine, and cause me to agree with You!  Let the Spirit teach me.

--

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford