Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Jeremiah 11, 12, 13

And then, there was Jeremiah 11
The Lord announces that He will not listen to those who now cry out for His help, because they once chose not to obey His Word. They were once His chosen people, but no longer:

16 The LORD called you a thriving olive tree
with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
he will set it on fire,
and its branches will be broken.

Jeremiah then hears word of a plot against him.
"Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more."

Interesting, but not surprising.

Jeremiah 12
Jeremiah has questions for God, good questions:
1 You are always righteous, O LORD ,
when I bring a case before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the faithless live at ease?
2 You have planted them, and they have taken root;
they grow and bear fruit.
You are always on their lips
but far from their hearts.
3 Yet you know me, O LORD ;
you see me and test my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep to be butchered!
Set them apart for the day of slaughter!
4 How long will the land lie parched
and the grass in every field be withered?
Because those who live in it are wicked,
the animals and birds have perished.
Moreover, the people are saying,
"He will not see what happens to us."
Jeremiah brings good questions. He hears God speaking of the death of those who sin against Him, but sees nothing. Sometimes we wonder how people got to where they are, money, fame, everything. Or so it seems. If they do not have the Lord, what good are these things? They can gain them nothing in terms of true satisfaction. One day these people will get their due, but it is not up to us to judge them. If they do not know God, then they will surely know His wrath, according to His plan.
God answers Jeremiah thus:
5 "If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?
6 Your brothers, your own family-
even they have betrayed you;
they have raised a loud cry against you.
Do not trust them,
though they speak well of you.

7 "I will forsake my house,
abandon my inheritance;
I will give the one I love
into the hands of her enemies.
8 My inheritance has become to me
like a lion in the forest.
She roars at me;
therefore I hate her.
9 Has not my inheritance become to me
like a speckled bird of prey
that other birds of prey surround and attack?
Go and gather all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.
10 Many shepherds will ruin my vineyard
and trample down my field;
they will turn my pleasant field
into a desolate wasteland.
11 It will be made a wasteland,
parched and desolate before me;
the whole land will be laid waste
because there is no one who cares.
12 Over all the barren heights in the desert
destroyers will swarm,
for the sword of the LORD will devour
from one end of the land to the other;
no one will be safe.
13 They will sow wheat but reap thorns;
they will wear themselves out but gain nothing.
So bear the shame of your harvest
because of the LORD's fierce anger."
Jeremiah 13
The parable of the linen belt has Jeremiah buying a belt, burying it under rocks, then digging it up again many days later. The belt is useless.
God is like that belt. Tied to the waste of Juda, and necessary, but they have buried Him under the rocks of Sin. He is now worth nothing to them.

24 "I will scatter you like chaff
driven by the desert wind.


This is a popular phrase, because it shows the utter destruction of the Land of Judah.


Friday, October 08, 2004

Jeremiah 10

I'll be going over Jeremiah 10 now.

1 Hear what the LORD says to you, O house of Israel.

God will now outline His wishes and Law for His people.
"Do not learn the ways of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the sky,
though the nations are terrified by them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
4 They adorn it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.
5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch,
their idols cannot speak;
they must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them;
they can do no harm
nor can they do any good."

Do not be scared of that which is earthly, the cultures and customs of people are not of God. The idols of these religions do not speak, and have no power.
Attribute everything that is to God, for it is His.
14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
His images are a fraud;
they have no breath in them.
15 They are worthless, the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.

Here, we see the necessity of God. Without Him, we are senseless, without knowledge. It is only through Him that we know what we do. If we create false gods, we are doing nothing more than attributing God's power to inanimate objects.

Today, I will close with:
Jeremiah's Prayer
23 I know, O LORD , that a man's life is not his own;
it is not for man to direct his steps.
24 Correct me, LORD , but only with justice-
not in your anger,
lest you reduce me to nothing.
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge you,
on the peoples who do not call on your name.
For they have devoured Jacob;
they have devoured him completely
and destroyed his homeland.

Jeremiah 9

Jeremiah 9 is on the plate for today.

"See, I will refine and test them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
it speaks with deceit.
With his mouth each speaks cordially to his neighbor,
but in his heart he sets a trap for him.
9 Should I not punish them for this?"
declares the LORD .
"Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this?"

God is pondering our fate here. He knows we have sinned, disobeyed him, stung him deep. What would you do in His position?
Then, we hear of His decision;
16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have destroyed them."

And:
22 Say, "This is what the LORD declares:

" 'The dead bodies of men will lie
like refuse on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
with no one to gather them.' "

23 This is what the LORD says:

"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
24 but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD , who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,"
declares the LORD .

25 "The days are coming," declares the LORD , "when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh- 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the desert in distant places. [4] For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart."

The Lord will show all of the sinners that He is the True God. He will flex his muscles. They will cower before Him.

Thursday, October 07, 2004

Jeremiah 8

Hola. Hoy, vamos a estudiar Jeremiah 8.

" 'When men fall down, do they not get up?
When a man turns away, does he not return?

When you fall from the Lord, do you realize it? Do you beg forgiveness for your sins? When you turn your attention from His Will and Word, do you not know it? And when you realize it, do you not turn back, get back to Him?
This is the charge to us as human Christians. Being human, we are born into sin, it is our nature. But as Christians, we can be forgiven from these sins. When we promise our life to the Lord, we don't promise to be perfect, we promise to try, and to realize when we've done wrong.

No one repents of his wickedness,
saying, "What have I done?"
Each pursues his own course
like a horse charging into battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know
the requirements of the LORD .

Here, the Lord laments the fact that no one asks for forgiveness. No one even realizes that they've strayed from the Lord. Even animals, who have almost zero intelligence beyond instict, know their path in life, why can't we?
8 " 'How can you say, "We are wise,
for we have the law of the LORD ,"
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?


This raises an interesting question: Are the people at faulrt, or the scribes?
Should the people know that they are disobeying God? Or should the scribes be blamed, because they are the leaders?
Of course, the people. Even animals know their path in life, and humans are no different. Each person should have known that they weren't following their path.

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Jeremiah 7

Today, I will work on Jeremiah 7

" 'Hear the word of the LORD , all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD . 3 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. 4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the LORD , the temple of the LORD , the temple of the LORD !" 5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever.
This demand for respect of the Lord's house doesn't mean only Temples and Churches. The Earth is the Lord's house, and we must treat each other fairly here. Do not oppress, and do not shed innocent blood. Most importantly, though, is this line:
do not follow other gods
Perhaps this doesn't mean actualy worship of other gods, but rather the ranking at which your religion lies within your life.
If you do everything for money, it is your god. If you do everything for fame, it is your god. If you do everything for your own advancement, you are your own god. If God takes precidence in your life, then you are following the One True God, and you have a place reserved for you in Heaven.

do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you.

He is not saying that you should give up. He is saying that you should change. Become one of God's Children. Live, and Love, as God wishes, in His footsteps.
He doesn't want pleas and wailing prayers. He wants action. He wants you to live His plan, the only way to be Saved.

Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away. 34 I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become desolate.


God uses strong imagery here. Not only does this talk about those who sinned in the time this was written, it speaks volumes about those who refuse the Lord today.
"The carcasses of these people will become food for the birds or the air and beasts of the earth..." Here, the Lord is speaking of what will happen to these people after death. Their bodies will rot, be eaten because they have no place for them, as their souls have no place in Heaven.
The "sounds of joy and gladness", or the life of sin that many live today will end. When the Lord calls, many will see that their way is harmful, and wrong. The Amazing Glory and Power of the Lord will quiet their reveling, and they will be stunned at His beauty.

Friday, October 01, 2004

Jeremiah 4 & 6

I've been getting confused, boucing back and forth between Joshua and Jeremiah, so I'm gonna skip back to Jeremiah 4, then to Jeremiah 6, where I should be.
Starting off:

1 "If you will return, O Israel,
return to me,"
declares the LORD.
"If you put your detestable idols out of my sight
and no longer go astray...

As Ian mentioned a few comments down, He doesn't even have to give us the chance of forgiveness. God is so awesome and amazing in His actions.
22 "My people are fools;
they do not know me.
They are senseless children;
they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil;
they know not how to do good."

23 I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty;
and at the heavens,
and their light was gone.
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;
all the hills were swaying.
25 I looked, and there were no people;
every bird in the sky had flown away.
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;
all its towns lay in ruins
before the LORD , before his fierce anger.
It is here that we see how forsaken God must have felt. If you listen to country music, you may be familiar with the song "If Nobody Believed In You" by Joe Nichols. It lists a few stories that we can equate to; a young boy whose father yells at him for giving up at a baseball game, an old man whose son won't let him try to drive again, the chorus being
"That old man quit tryin',
He just turned away.
An' there were teardrops on his face.
Tell me, how would you feel?
You'd probably give up too,
If nobody believed in you. "

The the song moves on to
We take His name out of schools.
The lawyers say it breaks the rules.
Pledge of allegiance can't be writ,
An' under God, should not be said.
I wonder how He will take.
I just pray it's not too late.

What if God quit tryin',
He just turned away?
There were teardrops on his face?
Tell me, how would you feel?
You'd probably give up too,
If nobody believed in you.

This gives me an idea of how God must feel every second of every day as he sees his own beautiful creations turning away from Him.


Jeremiah 6:
10 To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen to me?
Their ears are closed
so they cannot hear.
The word of the LORD is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
11 But I am full of the wrath of the LORD ,
and I cannot hold it in.

This chapter is a warning to Jerusalem, and a call to arms for God's soldiers.
But this attack is not unwarranted:
16 This is what the LORD says:
"Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'
17 I appointed watchmen over you and said,
'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!'
But you said, 'We will not listen.'
18 Therefore hear, O nations;
observe, O witnesses,
what will happen to them.

The Lord has provided warnings to Jerusalem, calls for them to right their wrongs. He knows that there is only one way to get their attention: action.
Do not let this happen in your life. Do not be so blind to the Lord's will that it requires a forceful act of God to bring you back to the fold. Pray every night that you may learn from your day's labors, and that you may understand where God is leading you, and that you are well prepared when you get there.

Joshua 6

If you read verses 1-20 you see an awesome example of God's rewarding of His people. They did what He asked of them, and were richly rewarded. Imagine what is in store for us, God's people, if we follow His word, do the simple tasks He asks of us! Don't forget, His Son died on the cross, painfully, for us to live forever in His Kingdom. That is the ultimate sacrifice, made to us, the ones who should be sacrificing to Him!
Not only did the people obey God's orders, but when they reaped the benefits, they remembered who gave it to them:

24 Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD's house.

This is another reminder of our duties to God. We must not only obey His Will, but we must also thank him for all he has given us. He is a generous and loving God, and we would do well to thank Him every chance we get.

Today, we move on to... Jeremiah 5!

1 "Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and consider,
search through her squares.
If you can find but one person
who deals honestly and seeks the truth,
I will forgive this city.

It is interesting how God would forgive an entire city if one person proved to be true to Him. What's more interesting is the fact that there is no one there for Him. And sad, as well. Pray hard and often that you are a person of God, and you spread the Word of God, so that you aren't the only person there. When you spread the Word, you are creating a community for yourself, that you can build up, and become stronger in Him.
3 O LORD , do not your eyes look for truth?
You struck them, but they felt no pain;
you crushed them, but they refused correction.
They made their faces harder than stone
and refused to repent.

Beware that you take note of God's will. If you assume that you are always doing His will, then there is a chance that you aren't. You must always keep an open mind towards God, and His will for you. Pray every night that He guide you every day, in all of your actions.
7 "Why should I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and sworn by gods that are not gods.
I supplied all their needs,
yet they committed adultery
and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.
8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
each neighing for another man's wife.
9 Should I not punish them for this?"
declares the LORD .
"Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this?

Never forget that God has ultimate power over you, and everything in His world.



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