Inspiration from Jeremiah

Recently I was challenged to look into the book of Jeremiah.

Some posters here on SI quoted from Jeremiah and my reaction was "Wow! Did Jeremiah really say that?" Sounds so modern, like he was addressing the modern 'church'. So, I began reading, studying Jeremiah and I am so excited about the book. It is huge, I know I can never plumb its depth but I would like to share verses that really inspire me, that have a 'wow' factor. I am certain there are others like this and do invite others to post their insights as well. If you do share, I suggest you put the book, chapter and verse in the subject line.

Blessings,
ginnyrose

Jeremiah 1:10: (NASB)
"See I have appointed you this day over nations and over the kingdoms,
To pluck up and to break down
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant."

This is the role of a prophet.

God cannot work in cooperation with a rebellious mindset. It has to destroyed at its root. (EDIT)

Hi ginnyrose, I don't often post here, but just yesterday the Lord started me reading Jeremiah also. Here is something that I circled:

"The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests exercise rule at their own hands and by means of the prophets. And My people love to have it so! But what will you do when the end comes?"

Sounds quite like today to me.

Linda

Here is another one I circled.

23 Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise and skillful person glory and boast in his wisdom and skill; let not the mighty and powerful person glory and boast in his strength and power; let not the person who is rich glory and boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] riches;

24 But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord. (AMP)

The importance of knowing Him personally, not just what we know, have or are.

Linda

Linda, I am so excited you are finding inspiration there as well. I look forward to you posting your insights here. Keep it up!

Blessings,
ginnyrose

Hello,

I read this and I thought, "I'm in!"

Jeremiah 17v7, 'Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.'

Is the Lord our hope, or does our hope lay elsewhere?

Verse 8, 'For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.'

How is it, we can place our trust in the words of men, and not in the words of God?

He is faithful.

He said so.

God bless.

Me TOO! I love Jeremiah! He is my favorite major prophet.

I have been reading out of the amplified version its been awesome so far.

"Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it!" (Amp)

Why won't they walk in it?

But...... Enid, your comment set me thinking. I know my hope is in the Lord alone, for my eternal salvation, but I have been recognizing lately that I sometimes find myself, when in trouble, expecting man to help me out of it!

Reading Jeremiah is great for me to learn how amazing God is and how he so pursues His people to lean on Him.

Linda

Read this in Jeremiah also.

Jeremiah 31v35, 'Thus says the Lord, who give the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars by night...'

Ordinances. God ordained.

Verse 36, 'If those ordinaces depart from before Me, says the Lord, then the seed fo Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.'

Has Israel ceased? No.

So then, God is true to His word, and to His people.

Can we measure the heavens? Search out the foundations of the earth?

He who said, 'Let there be light.' is still God.

God bless.

I have started with Chapter One maybe a late start but something that I realized just in the first Chapter is that God's messengers themselves really weren't that particularly impressive BUT became mighty men of God only because God was with them or God's Spirit was upon them guiding them. This makes me question my cowardness that I really don't trust the Holy Spirit as much as I need to or want to. So far so good feeling the conviction of truth already :) I think in my mind I was putting the great men of Faith a little higher in my mind than I should they were mere men used of God displaying His awesome power. This I find encouraging because I seem to be a mere man as well but through and with the Holy Spirit I can do the Will of the Father and maybe bring but one drop of Glory to Christ Jesus :)

God Bless,
Matthew

PS Awesome Study!

If I did not post in this thread I would be a reprobate...I have always loved this verse as an admonishment to remember what it is I am to seek, and how I am not to replace God with the works of my own flesh.

Jeremiah 2:12-13 "Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water."

May we not do in our flesh any sort of replacement as they did, but be content only with the Living Water our Lord has to offer us. May the cares of this world not choke out our hunger and thirst for His righteousness. Amen.

Jeremiah 1:17-19: NASB

Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you Do not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them.

18"Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land.

19"They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you," declares the LORD

I am amazed that God called a young man to serve as his prophet. Most young people will challenge boundaries and insist on doing their own thing, but God called a young man!

God also strengthen him, enabling him to stand against all opposition..AWESOME!

God also warned to not be dismayed before his opposition. I wonder: is the act of being dismayed lead one to compromise? I have to think about this a while.

God did not promise Jeremiah an easy life...

Jeremiah 3:13:

'Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the LORD your God and have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree,And you have not obeyed My voice,' declares the LORD.

This is all it takes: admit your sin and then God will forgive and restore. So simple. PTL

Jeremiah 4:22

"For My people are foolish,
They know Me not;
They are stupid children
And have no understanding
They are shrewd to do evil,
But to do good they do not know."

I have notice that when people walk away from the LORD they seem to have lost all sense of rightness; they seem to rush headlong into all kinds of sins...a lot like a wild herd of cows who broke through a fence and run everywhere, tails a-flying!

Some things never change..

Jeremiah 5:7-8: NASB

Why should I pardon you?
Your sons have forsaken Me
And sworn by those who are not gods
When I had fed them to the full,
They committed adultery
And trooped to the harlot's house.
8"They were well-fed lusty horses,
Each one neighing after his neighbor's wife."

People's hunger was satisfied and now they looked to satisfy the flesh in illicit ways.

Hhhmmmm

I love all of you sharing what inspiration you received from the book...keep up the postings...and if you can, put the reference in the subject line.

God bless...and BTW, I love to read your thoughts in connection to the verses you post...

ginnyrose

Jeremiah certainly inspires me. If ever
a man had reason to be discouraged, if ever
a prophet was more mistreated and misunder-
stood; yet GOD renewed his hope. consoled
his soul, and delivered him from trouble!!

If nothing else, the book proves that following the LORD will invite hostility, persecution. Jesus echoed this sentiment as well.

And he was faithful...therein lies the challenge to us moderns.

Jeremiah 2:32-33 "Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number. Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? Therefore has thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways."

Jeremiah 7:2:
Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house and proclaim there this word and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the LORD!'"

This verse stumped, grabbed me this morning as I read it - could not go much further.

How often is it that when we come into the presense of the WORD, whether it be in Bible reading or worship service, that we are not hearing? My mind is everywhere but what is being said. My mind, my imagination is not being engaged in listening to what is being read/said. Failure to do so makes me vulnerable to misconceptions, error...

Lord, forgive me! I need your help...

"O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For since I spake, I cried out, because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay."

The "word of the LORD," does not mean the "bible" as we think of it, it meant Gods specific word to the children at that time...do we shut out the true word of the LORD? Do we seek it in spite of its current famine? Or are we stuck in men's traditions? I for one invite the consumption of my bones...were I to be a pillar of flame, accusing the night for its derision of God. Grant us flammable bones dear God.

Jeremiah, I look forward to hearing your commentary on the rest of this chapter, Jeremiah 20

Jeremiah 7:9-10:
9 Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known,

10 then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered!'--that you may do all these abominations?

This is the Scripture that piqued my interest in Jeremiah...

I was amazed that this concept is so OLD! I thought it was the idea of moderns (never mind the Catholics). Once again Scripture proves there indeed is nothing new under the sun.

God's WORD is uptodate! Awesome!

Sometimes, we reap from our own wrongdoing.

Jeremiah 2v17, 'Have you not brought this on yourself, in that you have forsaken the Lord your God, when He led you in the way?'

When we reject God's leading and direction, and go our own way, look out.

Verse 19, 'Your own wickedness will correct you, and your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing, in that you have forsaken the Lord your God, and the fear of Me is not in you, says the Lord God of hosts.'

If we don't fear God, we should.

How is it, that those who are, 'the people of God', do not seem to reagard God with fear?

Jeremiah 3:10"But in spite of all this, her faithless and treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me in sincerity and with her whole heart, but only in sheer hypocrisy [has she feigned obedience to King Josiah's reforms], says the Lord.
11And the Lord said to me, Backsliding and faithless Israel has shown herself less guilty than false and treacherous Judah."

I thought this was something that pointed to the sins of the Pharisees and to many professing Christians. We look good on the outside yet on the inside we are dead on the inside because we aren't turning to God wholeheartedly dispite the fact that we remove many of the outward idols of our lives we can still be a false and treacherous one. Infact its worse than people that right out disobey God as Israel was doing.

Jeremiah 4v22, 'For My people are foolish, they have not known Me. They are silly children, and have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.'

It's almost unbelievable that God has to call His own children silly, or foolish.

It seems we are wise to do evil. Wise? But to do good, we don't seem to have a clue.

Let's not be that way. For if we are, are we God's?

Jeremiah 6:1-21

I sense exasperation on the Lord's part concerning the rebellion of his people. Because of it, he will bring about serious calamities upon the land.

As I read this I am becoming much more aware of how this wrath of God being directed against people and their land is rooted in his love. He would not have to do this - he could just let them go: why bother at all?

So profound.

"Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD. And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The LORD hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magormissabib." -Jeremiah 20:2-3

The name Pashur literally means "Freedom, or Liberation" (derived from the idea of largeness on every side.) I cannot help but notice severe irony here. The son of Immer, the high priest is putting Jeremiah in bondage because he is preaching the word of the LORD, yet his name means liberation. Does anyone else think this mere coincidence?

When you look at the history of persecution it is staggering how much of it has fomented forth from the mouths and hands of the most religious people. Not in all cases, and certainly the worst of it does not seem to have been, but it is a stark reality.

I love it how people can have an idea about themselves, you can call yourself or be perceived to be "Liberation" or "Freedom" but in reality it is our actions that really dictate who or what we are. While Pashur may have thought himself to be as his name suggested, the Lord called him what he really was...Magormissabib. "Terror on every side." It reminds me of when God turned on the outside, a man named Nebuchadnezzar, what he was on the inside. Like the beast he really was he traversed the earth mindlessly for seven years.

This made me think about the verse in Revelation 2:17, "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." While this verse is never really explained directly I cannot help wondering about it as we read about Pashur. He was given a name...not because he was an overcomer, but because he harmed the mouthpiece of the LORD.

If God is into giving out names that pertain to whom that person is in actuality. I think this idea gives us a clue as to what might be written on that white stone. It may just be a name that describes what we became in reality in this life. Of course, that is only my speculation.

Jeremiah 8:8-12 (NASB)
8"How can you say, 'We are wise,
And the law of the LORD is with us'?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.
9"The wise men are put to shame,
They are dismayed and caught;
Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD,
And what kind of wisdom do they have?
10"Therefore I will give their wives to others,
Their fields to new owners;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest
Everyone practices deceit.
11"They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, 'Peace, peace,'
But there is no peace.
12"Were they ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They certainly were not ashamed,
And they did not know how to blush;
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time of their punishment they shall be brought down,"
Says the LORD

COMMENT:

I am reluctant to share my understanding of this portion lest I distract from its message...it is so profound, so modern you would think it was written recently.

The people were being guided by the counsels (Jeremiah 7:24) of their own hearts, undeterred by their prophets and priests who were prolific writers. The wise were shamed by them. These religious leaders were greedy for money. They were experts in dealing with the mending of 'brokenness' (sounds like they were using psychology) in the lives of people. Their effectiveness was severely limited. They declared people to be fixed (saying 'peace', 'peace') when there is no peace. Were they teaching people that 'sin' was acceptable in the sight of God?

God sent judgement upon their teachers by giving their wives to others.

And these teachers have lost the ability to blush. Moderns may ask: what is that?

Wow...amen, inspiration indeed.

Jeremiah 9:1-9 NASB
1 Oh that my head were waters
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For the slain of the daughter of my people!
2 Oh that I had in the desert
A wayfarers' lodging place;
That I might leave my people
And go from them!
For all of them are adulterers,
An assembly of treacherous men.
3 "They bend their tongue like their bow;
Lies and not truth prevail in the land;
For they proceed from evil to evil,
And they do not know Me," declares the LORD.
4 "Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor,
And do not trust any brother;
Because every (K)brother deals craftily,
And every neighbor (L)goes about as a slanderer.
5 "Everyone deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth,
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They weary themselves committing iniquity.
6 "Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they refuse to know Me," declares the LORD.
7 Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts,
"Behold, I will refine them and assay them;
For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
8 "Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
It speaks deceit;
With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor,
But inwardly he sets an ambush for him.
9 "Shall I not punish them for these things?" declares the LORD.

INSIGHT:

The life of a prophet and a Believer is a lonely one.
You live among these people; you see the sins of the people, they refuse to listen and you just wish you could run off into the desert, get away from them. Jesus did something similar - he went up into the mountain - to pray.

The LORD identifies their sin as that of lying. The neighbor does it as well as the brother. V. 8 says how they will set an ambush for you....sounds to me like they are so charming, working to get you to say something so they can use it to destroy you (slander). Lying has also become a lifestyle - like as though they have no clue how to speak the truth!

But judgement day is coming...

Now, who cannot relate to this mindset?

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NASB)

23 Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;

24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises loving kindness , justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD

COMMENT:

I love these verses! Humans love to brag about something. Human wisdom is fickle as is material wealth: here today, but gone - sometime.

But God? No way. He exercises loving kindness, justice and righteousness. When we know this in our hearts and demonstrate it to the people we meet by our attitude, God is so delighted! Can you not sense his delight? his joy? his pleasure?

Jeremiah 10:23, 24

23 I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in himself,
Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.
24 Correct me, O LORD, but with justice;

COMMENT:
I find this phrase amazing. It is in direct contrast to modern New Age philosophy which teaches that one must connect with your inner self in order to succeed in life.

Is it not amazing how scripture speaks to modern philosophies? Yes, the devil has not changed any in all these years. He may change the language but the meaning are still there.

Solomon is right when he said there is nothing new under the sun...

And to ask God to correct you??? How many of us want to be corrected? When I was a child I hated to be corrected and sometimes I still struggle with it...but to ask God to correct you indicates absolute trust. WOW!

Jeremiah 12:1: (NASB)

1 Righteous are You, O LORD, that I would plead my case with You; Indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease?

COMMENT: Brother Jeremiah observed the same as we do today. We see the wicked at ease and they mock us...

Jeremiah 12:6:
6 For even your brothers and the household of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you,
Even they have cried aloud after you
Do not believe them, although they may say nice things to you."

COMMENT:
Ahhh, family. Not even they supported Jeremiah. They worked hard to dissuade him. Sounds like their opposition got noisy. When this tactic failed they resorted to being 'nice'. The devil has not refined his tactics at all since then, has he?

God's response is like one who has experienced rejection as well. When one experiences this on the human level it hurts like nothing else can. Love rejected; anger follows..The judgement of God begins to look justified.

Jesus did not offer a reprieve from this when he told us in Luke 14:26 that one must not allow family members to interfere with our serving Him.

I am glad the it is God who will mete out judgement. It will be just because it will only occur after absolute rejection has occurred.

I still am torn over the apostasy of our our family...

There is apostasy in the home and evident in the churches, as opposed to the Church.

Jeremiah 5v26, "For among My people are wicked men, they lie in wait as one who sets snares, they set a trap, they catch men.

There are those who are wicked among God's people. It does not say they are God's people, but that they are among them.

That speaks to me of deception.

Jremiah 13:1-7: (NASB)

1 Thus the LORD said to me, "Go and buy yourself a linen waistband and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water."

2 So I bought the waistband in accordance with the word of the LORD and put it around my waist.

3 Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying,

4"Take the waistband that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock."

5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the LORD had commanded me.

6 After many days the LORD said to me, "Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the waistband which I commanded you to hide there."

7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the waistband from the place where I had hidden it; and lo, the waistband was ruined, it was totally worthless.

COMMENT:

I am so impressed with Jeremiahs obedience.

First he was told to go buy a waistband. Put it on but do not allow it to get wet. Ok, no big deal here.

Next the LORD told him to take it and hide it in the crevice of a rock by the Euphrates River. Now this was a long way from Israel! You don't just take off on a run and get there in an hour! But he did it.

Much time later the LORD tells Jeremiah to go get the waistband. He did and it was worthless.

God used this waistband as an object lesson to teach Jeremiah an important point which he then used to teach the people.

In every step of this occurrence, one would have good reason to doubt whether you heard correctly because it is so absurd, too ridiculous to the logical mind. But Jeremiah never doubted. He obeyed.

Maybe this is the lesson for me, here in 2010? How many times does the LORD tell me to something that comes across as ridiculous, absurd? But who am I to judge this? It just maybe to teach someone unknown to me.

"Lord, help me to always be sensitive to your voice and to obey without question, just as Jeremiah did." Amen!

Enid wrote:
There are those who are wicked among God's people.

Jesus calls them tares, does he not?

Jeremiah 14:1-6 (NASB)

1 That which came as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah in regard to the drought:

2 "Judah mourns And her gates languish;
They sit on the ground in mourning,
And the cry of Jerusalem has ascended.

3 "Their nobles have sent their servants for water;
They have come to the cisterns and found no water
They have returned with their vessels empty;
They have been put to shame and humiliated,
And they cover their heads.

4 "Because the ground is cracked,
For there has been no rain on the land;
They have covered their heads.

5 "For even the doe in the field has given birth
only to abandon her young,
Because there is no grass.

6 "The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
They pant for air like jackals,
Their eyes fail
For there is no vegetation.

COMMENT:
The LORD is detailing to Jeremiah the results of a drought in the country, all brought about because of the rebellion of his people.

Those of us who live close to the land and know how dependant we are on the weather, know that the weather is all under God's supervision and control. If we get too much rain or not enough you will hear people say 'it is because of sin in the community.'

The weather is something people have failed to control. Some like to make you think it can be controlled (think global warming) but I would venture to guess man will never be able to control it.

The power unleashed by storms is awesome. I love to watch lightening storms. The fireworks against the dark sky are beautiful - I just do not like for it to damage anything nor strike close where you just about jump out of your skin. The lightening will put nitrogen into the soil, feeding the growing plants. Then you have hurricanes. Fascinating to watch this power at work: the roar in the treetops; the sustained wind, the trees swaying - back and forth, back and forth - which will result in uprooting shallow rooted ones.

The power of God being demonstrated right before our eyes. Is it judgement against sin? Maybe, but not always - it can be replenishing the soil for crops. Storms nourish and destroy - the level of it is all in God's hands. This we all recognize. And then you have the most devastating of all - no rain and ALL of nature suffers as detailed in verses 2-6. And who can regulate it? no one, but God.

Somehow I sense that the weather patterns will be something God will never allow man to be able to manipulate. This is His, somehing He will use to cause people to think about Him. Man will always work to cooperate with it: but it never will be the other way around.

I am so glad...

Jeremiah 15:1-4: (NASB)

1 Then the LORD said to me, "Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go!

2 "And it shall be that when they say to you, 'Where should we go?' then you are to tell them, 'Thus says the LORD:
"Those destined for death, to death;
And those destined for the sword, to the sword;
And those destined for famine, to famine;
And those destined for captivity, to captivity."'

3 "I will appoint over them four kinds of doom," declares the LORD: "the sword to slay, the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.

4 "I will make them an object of horror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

COMMENT:

I am beginning to understand the horror, the hate, the anger God has for human sacrifice.

We read earlier where God will send a drought upon their country. As I compare the devastation of a drought vs floods, storms I see this to be the worst of all. The agony associated with drought is long, drawn out. Each day when it is too dry, you awake, hoping that today it will rain, but it doesn't. And so it goes on, day after day: hot sun, scorching heat and no moisture to give relief. Sources of water dry up. Man and beast both suffer.

The judgements God is inflicting upon the people are because of the sins of Manasseh.

The sin of Manasseh: 2 Chronicles 33:3-7:
For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he also erected altars for the Baals and made Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.

4 He built altars in the house of the LORD of which the LORD had said, "My name shall be in Jerusalem forever."

5 For he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

6 He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

7 Then he put the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;

God's evaluation of Manasseh:

2 Chronicles 33:9: Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the sons of Israel.

Jeremiah appeared on the scene approximately 20 years after Manasseh's death. Manasseh was so ungodly but he later repented and worked to undo all he had done. 2 Chronicles 33:10-20. Somehow it must be that this evil was so firmly entrenched into the psyche of the Israelites mind that they refused to still listen to Jeremiah.

As I visualize the act of human sacrifice and that entire culture I understand God's judgement to be totally justified. In fact, it seems to me he is very merciful in first warning the people of judgement to come unless they repent.

God is just, is he not?

Jeremiah 6:29 "The bellows blow fiercely, the lead is consumed by the fire; in vain do they continue refining, for the wicked [the dross] are not removed"

I found this interesting because as I read today I also read in 1st Peter which talks about the trials and tribulations we go through are to prove our faith in fire to make us pure.

Israel on the other hand are going through these trying times and test to prove themselves and to make them pure but they refuse to remove their wickedness keeping their drose.

How great will our judgment be if we go through these testing and trying times knowing they are for our purification and yet refuse to remove our drose and impurity.

Jeremiah 15:15-20 (NASB) echoes these same sentiments. Here is the text:

15 You who know, O LORD,
Remember me, take notice of me,
And take vengeance for me on my persecutors
Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;
Know that for Your sake I endure reproach.

16 Your words were found and I ate them,
And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;
For I have been called by Your name,
O LORD God of hosts.

17 I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers,
Nor did I exult
Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone,
For You filled me with indignation.

18 Why has my pain been perpetual
And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream
With water that is unreliable?

19Therefore, thus says the LORD,
"If you return, then I will restore you--
Before Me you will stand;
And if you extract the precious from the worthless,
You will become My spokesman.
They for their part may turn to you,
But as for you, you must not turn to them.

20"Then I will make you to this people
A fortified wall of bronze;
And though they fight against you,
They will not prevail over you;
For I am with you to save you
And deliver you," declares the LORD.

21"So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent."

COMMENT:

I sense that Jeremiah is experiencing some fear about God himself.

But notice, God did not come along to help restore some warm fuzzy feelings. All he said is you stand by me and then "I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked." hhmmm, I wonder whether he ever questioned this when he was thrown into the dungeon? Reckon we'll see once we get there.

"Fearing the LORD" sounds dreadfully scary. Many years ago the thought was floated that fearing means loving - it does not mean to be "scared of". This mindset opened wide the door to all kinds of apostasy "because I do not think God would judge them that harshly - they are so spiritual!" Still, Hebrews 10:31 repeats this principle.

Actually, while this sounds scary what is so much worse is the devil. He portrays himself as a kind, do-it-easy guy when in reality he is the essence of all things bad. And that may be why God is so stern because he wants to keep people from falling into the clutches of his enemy.

God is loving...can we not see how this motivates his sternness?

Jeremiah 16:3-9 NASB

3 For thus says the LORD concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning their mothers who bear them, and their fathers who beget them in this land:

4 "They will die of deadly diseases, they will not be lamented or buried; they will be as dung on the surface of the ground and come to an end by sword and famine, and their carcasses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth."

5 For thus says the LORD, "Do not enter a house of mourning, or go to lament or to console them; for I have withdrawn My peace from this people," declares the LORD, "My lovingkindness and compassion.

6 "Both great men and small will die in this land; they will not be buried, they will not be lamented, nor will anyone gash himself or shave his head for them.

7 "Men will not break bread in mourning for them, to comfort anyone for the dead, nor give them a cup of consolation to drink for anyone's father or mother.

8 "Moreover you shall not go into a house of feasting to sit with them to eat and drink."

9 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I am going to eliminate from this place, before your eyes and in your time, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.

COMMENT:

I understand the command for this portion is for a particular time and place. However, I do see lessons in here that would teach us.

Human nature is such that when we get into a crowd of people we will want to enter into the ambiance of the occasion, whether it be one of rejoicing or sorrow. Being there and resisting it is difficult. In Jeremiahs case God is telling him to stay away.

Sometimes we find ourselves invited to occasions in which we will be tempted to enter into unholy comfort, or gladness. We feel a check in our spirit about us going there .... or if you do, what will you say?

Yes, God is very concerned about our presense at events of sorrow or rejoicing. Does our presense honor Him more then our absence? What would the Holy Spirit have me to do?Something to ponder.

Jeremiah 8:3 "And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of those who remain of this evil family (nation), who remain in all the places to which I have driven them, says the Lord of hosts."

I really don't know if this quite applies to this verse or not but the phrase "Death shall be chosen rather than Life" to me it raises the matter of Abortion, According to Statistics 69% of the United States is "Christian" yet at the same time we kill 3700 unborn children annually. As a nation the United States choose death over life.

Matthew, did you know that if all people who consider themselves religious would not support the abortion industry, there wold be no need for any legislation regulating it? ...at least it was so several years ago.

Many have since become irreligious but so many of them are keeping their children - there is no longer any shame connected with this lifestyle. Tragic is it not when shame and guilt are active in the human psyche that abortion becomes a more attractive alternative?

ginnyrose

To what degree are we willing to consider that we are only "grafted" into the tree? Are we also willing to consider the parrallels between a supposed "Christian" nation, and an Israel offering their children to Mollech in the valley of Tophet in spite of still sacrificing to God in the temple at the same time is, not only staggering, but almost too real?

Jeremiah 17:5-8 NASB

5 Thus says the LORD,
"Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the LORD.

6 "For he will be like a bush in the desert
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A land of salt without inhabitant.

7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD
And whose trust is the LORD.

8 "For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.

COMMENT:

Life, once again, is proving the validity of these verses. Government policies, technologies are failing men miserably. Man - with all their scientific knowledge/technology - cannot control hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes and sinful behaviours. Yet why do men trust in these powerful institutions? Perhaps the verses in the next section will address this question...

Anyhow, to the human mind something that appears so regal, so powerful has an attractiveness to human mind. We admire it, we trust it...but has man ever proven to be dependable? Since we know the answer is 'no' then why do men still follow its lure? There is no history to prove man's reliability to fix the ills that sin inposed upon mankind.

But God. The person who trusts in Him will be like a tree whose roots are sunk deep into the soil, close by a stream of water where it gets its nourishment. The deep roots hold the tree stable during storms. The wind can blow for hours and the branches will be whipped around wildly but it will stand. (I am thinking of trees that withstood hurricanes in our community. A shallow rooted tree toppled in our backyard - we saw how that happened - interesting to watch.)

The branches will provide a nesting place for birds, its shade and fruit bring comfort to man, beasts and fowl. A flourishing shade tree is a beauty to behold.

Am I like a shade tree whose roots run deep?

Jeremiah 9:25-26 "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will punish all who though circumcised [outwardly, in the flesh] are still uncircumcised [in corresponding inward purity]--(A)

26Egypt, Judah, Edom, the children of Ammon, Moab [all of whom are related except Egypt], and all who live in the desert and who clip off the corners of their hair and beards; for all these nations are uncircumcised [in heart], and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart."

The More and More I read Jeremiah, the more I see a theme of Outward Righteousness not being enough but inward things ie the Heart is what God is really concerned with. We as humans focus so much on the outside it's not even God's focus it seems to me anyway.

That is what the sermon on the mount is all about Matthew!

Jeremiah 17:9-10 NASB

9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?

10 "I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.

COMMENTS:

GOD:
1. Searches the heart
2. Tests the mind
3. Rewards everyone according to his behaviours

God is all-knowing - no one can fool him, much as we like to. He knows our motives for doing what we do. And he will judge accordingly. Revelation 2-3; Matthew 7:20-23 NASB

Yesterday I was thinking all day about Jeremiah 17:7 and what forces will work to prevent this from being a reality in our lives. Is it not when we resort to the 'counsels of our heart' that we run into trouble? (Jeremiah 7:24 NASB)

A story. Background: I would often ask the LORD to teach me to identify his voice when he Speaks. He took my request literally and worked to this end. And how did he do it? When I worked on pruning tomato plants decisions are being made all the time on whether I should bend this stem or not. Breaking it may result in complete severance or just a break that can be mended with duct tape. Most of the time it was alright to just bend it, then clip it but sometimes for no apparent reason I felt a check in my spirit to not bend. When I took the 'counsel in my own heart' and went against this warning, I broke it. Everytime. "Yes, LORD, you are teaching me, are you not?"

Lord, help me to allow you to teach me; cleanse my heart from all self-will, sin so I can be obedient to you.

Jeremiah 18:7-11 NASB

7 "At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it;

8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it.

9 "Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it;

10 if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it.

11 "So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am fashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you Oh turn back, each of you from his evil way, and reform your ways and your deeds."

COMMENT:

Ah, the mercy and grace of God! He does not want to bring about destruction upon anyone! Jesus echos similar sentiments when looking at Jerusalem he said "How I wish I could be like a hen who would gather her chicks under her wings!" A hen with her chicks is a fascinating sight....ever see it? When the chicks perceive danger, they will run to the mother and crowd under her body. She will spread her wings and squat down. Usually there may be one or two chicks who will peek out from under those wings - peeking out at the world from their safe haven! And if the hen decides to run, the chicks will follow close behind. Ahhh, so sweet, so tender! God is like that! Don't you just love that?

Jeremiah 18:18: NASB

18 Then they said, "Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah Surely the law is not going to be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the sage, nor the divine word to the prophet! Come on and let us strike at him with our tongue, and let us give no heed to any of his words."

COMMENT:

Jeremiah has warned the people of their sins and his call to repentance. But it made them mad, apparently. So, they do what moderns do when they do not like the message: discredit the messenger!

This attitude must have upset Jeremiah much because he in turn then asked God to severely judge the people as well! Jeremiah 18:19-23 NASB. And what godly people cannot relate to this mentality? "How long oh LORD?" Revelation 6:10 NASB

Is it not encouraging to study the WORD and see that God does not change? and neither do God's people's attitude toward sin change? Nor their concept of justice?

Concerning the nations turning from evil, that was displayed in the book of Jonah and the city of Nineveh.

Also, people have such itching ears that they will listen to the smooth talkers, rather than a holy rebuke from God through his messenger.

Concerning the scripture in Revelation 6, my daughter and I were discussing that scripture this morning,

God bless.

QUOTE:

"I have read some wonderful and interesting thoughts as I read through this thread. One thing that sticks out to me the most is that "nothing is new under the sun".

It is this very thing that simply astounds me - at every turn. I find it amazing. Human nature remains the same regardless what time, place, era, culture one lives in. To me this again demonstrates the power of God over humans and all of nature. I am left with wonder and worship for the God we serve.

Jeremiah 19:4-9 NASB

3 and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Behold I am about to bring a calamity upon this place, at which the ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle.

4 "Because they have forsaken Me and have made this an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent

5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind;

6 therefore, behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter.

7 "I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will give over their carcasses as food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth.

8 "I will also make this city a desolation and an object of hissing; everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its disasters.

9 "I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another's flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life will distress them."'

COMMENT:

God is promising judgement upon Israel because they
1. Have forsaken me (God)
2. Burned sacrifices to other gods
3. Filled the place with innocent blood

It appears that when one departs from serving the Jehovah God and serves idols, there appears a severe loss of respect for human life, especially babies, children and woman. It starts with the killing of the child in the womb and progresses to the mother. Think about that a while!

It goes almost beyond my ability to comprehend HOW ANYONE could EVER indulge in human sacrifice. It makes me so angry, almost makes me vomit - the cruelty, the pain inflicted upon the persons..

I think I understand God's anger, his frustration with these people!

In v. 9 God is telling them he will make them eat the flesh of their children and each others' because of their sins....

If nothing else, this scripture teaches us that one cannot play with sin without getting hurt. Sin hurts, destroys, everytime. There will always be consequences. ALWAYS.

"Lord, develop in our hearts a hatred for sin but give us also the grace, the knowledge, the wisdom to know how to deal with it when we encounter it."

I know I am going a bit backwards here. But it really stood out to me the other day.

"Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers. Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. But thou shalt say unto them, this is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth."

When in a state of disobedience, truth will escape our mouths like lead balloons. In some cases truth may be completely cut off. This is a stunning principle. When the truth and I run perpendicular to one another, no matter how much I speak about truth, I will be in opposition to it. Yet when running parallel to the truth, I will be advancing with it.

There seems to me to be, as I read the word, a direct linkage between truth having an affect on others when it has been internalized in us before we externalize it. This is probably why some times, when you hear someone preaching and the Spirit within you wars against the flesh of what is being said. We cannot presume to speak for God when in a state of disobedience. We would be far better off to simply just not say anything, or confess our own sin first.

This reminded me of the passage in Romans where Paul indicts the religious jewish leadership by saying,"The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written..." Romans 2:24

What good was external circumcision, without a circumcision of the heart?

And in a roundabout way this leads us to the pinnacle of the Christian faith in the sermon on the mount, where Jesus told us to wash the inside of the vessel first.

Truth must be internalized before it has any value outside of us.

Jeremiah 20:7-18 NASB

7 O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived;
You have overcome me and prevailed
I have become a laughingstock all day long;
Everyone mocks me.

8 For each time I speak, I cry aloud;
I proclaim violence and destruction,
Because for me the word of the LORD has resulted
In reproach and derision all day long.

9 But if I say, "I will not remember Him
Or speak anymore in His name,"
Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
And I am weary of holding it in,
And I cannot endure it.

10 For I have heard the whispering of many,
"Terror on every side!
Denounce him; yes, let us denounce him!"
All my trusted friends,
Watching for my fall, say:
"Perhaps he will be deceived, so that we may prevail against him
And take our revenge on him."

11 But the LORD is with me like a dread champion;
Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed, With an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.

12 Yet, O LORD of hosts, You who test the righteous,
Who see the mind and the heart;
Let me see Your vengeance on them;
For to You I have set forth my cause.

13 Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD!
For He has delivered the soul of the needy one
From the hand of evildoers.

14 Cursed be the day when I was born;
Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me!

15 Cursed be the man who brought the news
To my father, saying,
"A baby boy has been born to you!"
And made him very happy.

16 But let that man be like the cities
Which the LORD overthrew without relenting,
And let him hear an outcry in the morning
And a shout of alarm at noon;

17 Because he did not kill me before birth,
So that my mother would have been my grave,
And her womb ever pregnant.

18 Why did I ever come forth from the womb
To look on trouble and sorrow,
So that my days have been spent in shame?

COMMENT:

Being a prophet ain't no fun!

Jeremiah had been preaching doom and woe which is something that did not endear him to people. The son of the priest had him beaten and put in stocks. People worked to discredit him. I would guess that sitting in jail he felt so alone and got discouraged. No human supporters to lift him up, to encourage him.

Jeremiah's lament resonates with the Believer who wearies standing for righteousness.

Jeremiah confesses
1. that God has prevailed over him.
2. He has become a laughing stock among the people.
3. He is obedient in the message taught.
4. The message earns him reproach and derision all day long.
5. Decides that he will quit speaking.
6. But the message burns so strongly within that he cannot quit!
7. Even his fiends do not support him.
8. The LORD is with him like a 'dread' champion. (Interesting adjective: 'dread'.)
9. Because God is with him his distractors will fail.
10. He praises God who tests the righteous! sees the mind and heart and will mete out justice to his persecutors some day.
11. Curses the day he was born.

AND God did not chastise him! WELL....! God knew he had him and He knew that the job of a prophet is difficult, at best. Such is life - we do get discouraged but we also know we cannot and will not give up. Just do not stay in the dumps...just resolve to continue in obedience.

Perhaps you know of a faithful saint who needs some encouragement?

I won't post the entire chapter on here but would just like to encourage any of you to read this chapter in the Amplified version slowly, As I read it I began to weep because it really hit home for me and the compassion Jeremiah had for the people and the compassion we are called to have on the lost. Its a picture of Intercession but as we see that God is Just and Holy and explains to Jeremiah what Jeremiah already knows that until the people turn back to God and acknowledge Him and their sins God has no choice but to show His Judgment on the people that they might repent and turn back to God.

Jeremiah 21:1-2 NASB:

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying,

2 "Please inquire of the LORD on our behalf, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is warring against us; perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all His wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us."

COMMENT:

I was appalled when I read this! The audacity of Zedekiah! to ask the LORD to restrain Nebuchadnezzar from warring against them when Jeremiah had warned them many times!

This just goes to prove once again the blindness of people. The WORD says do this or that and they choose NOT to obey. But when the consequences hit, they ask God for deliverance from them. I am beginning to understand more the justification of the wrath of God.

Once again we see how human nature does not change. It remains the same regardless of culture, time or era. Since human nature does not change, God's nature doesn't either.

Matthew share his impressions of the mercy of God. I, too, have noticed this plea for repentance because if you don't "I will have to send judgment upon you!" Do we not see the heart of love in this plea? Do people not understand that God's commands are for our welfare? That violating them hurts us?

Mankind will never understand this Ginny. Even in the most perfect state man has ever been in, he/she defied God, succumbed to both deception and open rebellion, then when it was all said and done they thought they could better cover that which God made, then man (Adam) blamed God for the whole thing.

I say that "Mankind" will not, yet his sons and daughters begin to understand it with new life and the teaching and guidance of the Holy Spirit whom the Son sent.

aquote]I was appalled when I read this! The audacity of Zedekiah! to ask the LORD to restrain Nebuchadnezzar from warring against them when Jeremiah had warned them many times!"

Apart of this though is fulfill of Prophecy if you look at Jeremiah 15:11 God tells Jeremiah that He will cause his enemies to ask for his aid in the time of affliction. Unfortunately King Zedekiah the one guy who should have been listening to Jeremiah's plea of repentance turned Jeremiah into an enemy and by doing so set himself up as an enemy of God.

Jeremiah 22:3,13 NASB

3 'Thus says the LORD, "Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

13"Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness
And his upper rooms without justice,
Who uses his neighbor's services without pay
And does not give him his wages,

COMMENT:

There is much in this chapter that is worthy of comment., but these two verses really stuck out to me.

What is the purpose of civil government?
1. Do justice and righteousness
2. Protect the people from fraud, robbery

Oops! I gotta go...will finish later OR maybe someone else can?

I have said for years that I have noticed two types of "Christians." One is the type who goes to a mechanic who is a brother in the Lord, and they expect some sort of discount from this brother because he is a believer. The other kind of Christian goes to the same mechanic and gives him extra because he is a brother in the Lord. Thus we see from verse 13 that the LORD appreciates and desires the later over the former.

One way is tyranny, the other way is true liberty. (And where the Spirit of the Lord is there is...)

...liberty.

I have said for years that I have noticed two types of "Christians." One is the type who goes to a mechanic who is a brother in the Lord, and they expect some sort of discount from this brother because he is a believer. The other kind of Christian goes to the same mechanic and gives him extra because he is a brother in the Lord. Thus we see from verse 13 that the LORD appreciates and desires the later over the former.

Amen! You said it better then I could!

Jeremiah 21:6-10 NASB
6 "I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great pestilence.

7 "Then afterwards," declares the LORD, "I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion."'

8 "You shall also say to this people, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

9 "He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty.

10 "For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good," declares the LORD "It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire."'

COMMENT:
I went back and read chapter 21 and these verses begged to be meditated upon.

Judgement is coming. God tells them to do what naturally they would rebel in doing: go with the Chaldeans - you will save your skin.

In the midst of all this judgement, God had a plan; he was not going to allow anything, anybody go to waste. (It appears that when people refuse to repent, he will rid the place of them.) Daniel and his friends were carried away to Babylon. We know how God used Daniel to teach the Babylonian kings. Awesome stores of God's power, might, mercy and LOVE for arrogant kings.

When we see judgement upon a people, how do we respond? Can we see this as an opportunity for God to show his mercy and love that would not have been possible when things go well? or, how about us? are we as God conscious when things go well as we are when tribulations stalk us? For some reason I learn more about the mercy, grace of God during difficult times ...

Jeremiah 23:14-22 NASB
14 Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing:
The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood;
And they strengthen the hands of evildoers,
So that no one has turned back from his wickedness
All of them have become to Me like Sodom,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.

15 "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets,
'Behold, I am going to feed them wormwood
And make them drink poisonous water,
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
Pollution has gone forth into all the land.'"

16 Thus says the LORD of hosts,
" Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you
They are leading you into futility;
They speak a vision of their own imagination,
Not from the mouth of the LORD.

17 "They keep saying to those who despise Me,
'The LORD has said, "You will have peace"';
And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, 'Calamity will not come upon you.'

18 "But who has stood in the council of the LORD,
That he should see and hear His word?
Who has given heed to His word and listened?

19 "Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath,
Even a whirling tempest;
It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.

20 "The anger of the LORD will not turn back
Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart;
In the last days you will clearly understand it.

21 "I did not send these prophets,
But they ran.
I did not speak to them,
But they prophesied.

22 "But if they had stood in My council,
Then they would have announced My words to My people,
And would have turned them back from their evil way
And from the evil of their deeds.

COMMENT:
I find the description of false prophets in this chapter fascinating. Once again proving that human nature has not changed. AND neither has the devils methods of working changed any...maybe this is the greater principle one needs to be aware of.

The besetting sin these false prophets were engaged in was adultery. AND lying...

Ever notice how one sin cannot exist in isolation in a person? James 2:10: "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." The older I get the more I am observing this principle at work.

So they were involved in adultery.

And they were lying. What were they saying?
1. They were relating visions from their own imagination.
2. They were preaching 'peace'.
3. Calamity will not come upon you. (Soft-peddling the consequences of sin?)

In Jer. 23:22 NASB the LORD indicates that if these men had been faithful the people would have been, too.

Reckon this is still true today?

Jeremiah 23:29-32 NASB
29 "Is not My word like fire?" declares the LORD, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock?

30 "Therefore behold, I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who steal My words from each other.

31 "Behold, I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who use their tongues and declare, 'The Lord declares.'

32 "Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams," declares the LORD, "and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit," declares the LORD.

COMMENT:

When I read v. 30, I was a bit taken back. God is against those who steal God's words from another prophet. hmmm...interesting. Profound. Far-reaching implications...

He goes on to say how the false prophets' prophesied false dreams, related them with falsehoods, boasted about them, thus leading people astray.

Dreams, visions and using God's word from others to enhance their 'ministry'....what a lethal combination...

When I read v. 30, I was a bit taken back. God is against those who steal God's words from another prophet. hmmm...interesting. Profound. Far-reaching implications...

Great observation do you think this would be the equal to those that speak Spiritual sounding words yet are wolves in sheeps clothing? I am truly convinced that the greatest downfall of a preacher is not how well he preaches or not but how he lives. Paul was a great examples because though he wasn't perfect he lived out what he preached. I am striving to get my doctrines and lifestyle lined up with Christ Jesus' help and actual work because I can't do it appart from Christ.

do you think this would be the equal to those that speak Spiritual sounding words yet are wolves in sheeps clothing?

Absolutely.

In order for a false prophet to succeed he has to act like a child of God. However, in time his true colors will be revealed.

steal God's words from another prophet

This statement still has me....How would you interpret it? I have an idea but wish someone else would share their take on it.

Hum good question Maybe there were some of the prophets that would misquote Jeremiah in hopes of crying Peace, Peace yet ignoring the rest of Jeremiah's pleas for repentance. Like half quoting Jeremiah stealing only the words of peace from Jeremiah for Support from the masses to make a gain from the people.

As a youth pastor I remember going through the schooling and found that there were some very Godly men that did infact write some of the material while me being a lost Pharisee taking these words and repeating them with no actual life style to back them up nor understanding to what it meant.

Yet again there are many in the Christian realm that enjoy quoting only the promises of God but ignore heavily the conditions of those promises. My wife and I talked about this tonight and she was shocked at the fact that people read one verse and just love quoting only the encourage one that requires nothing of them unless of course they would take the time to read the next verse. :)

All in all Satan and his children will always attempt to be angels of light at all cost. I am so thankful God adopted me into His family :)

steal God's words from another prophet

When I read this I was a tad bit taken back...maybe because it explains something I had sensed but always attributed it to my own opinion?

Have you ever heard a sermon and the speaker will quote at length from another writer to affirm his points? For example, one time I heard someone preach from the book of Revelation but used a contemporary writer as his authority in understanding the book! This really rattled me! Was this guy too lazy to study for himself and allow it to speak to him? I do not know what he dished out was right on or not - I was too upset to 'hear' a thing he said. SIGH.

Ginny, the very minimum someone teaching the word should do is study to show himself approved unto "GOD." I would have been rattled too. Your not alone sister.

It is worth considering though that a prophet did not just "teach" like a bible teacher does, but rather he spoke "The word of the Lord." The Lord was very particular and targeted in whom he chose to utter this particular sort of heavenly exhortation. The words a prophet spoke were targeted, precise, and far more direct than most modern preaching. Whether this is God's best intention, I do not know, but I do know that the word needs to be preached in faith, and needs to be received in faith. I suspect if any preacher in the American Church today got behind a pulpit and started saying things like his congregation was going to have fishhooks embedded into their flesh the next week by terrorists, and they were going to be lead to Baghdad with those fishhooks by foot except across the Atlantic, where they would be whipped as they rowed across the drink, at the very least the pews would probably be empty the next week.

To steal the words of a prophet would be more to credit oneself with the Godly wisdom and prophetic stature of God's mouthpiece.

I think it is total weak-sauce when someone just preaches another mans message, but it is not always the same as stealing the words of a prophet, unless of course the teacher uses the words of another man in such a fashion as to posture himself with accreditation for that other mans ideas...then I would say it is dishonest. Although I was recently preaching and wanted to puke my guts out the next day because I intended to quote someone whom had helped me understand something from the word but right as I was paraphrasing his encouragement, I looked up and my time was up for the evening so I failed to mention and give credit. I learned a valuable lesson to watch the clock more consistently when I have been given a time limit, and make sure that I do not fail in this area again by the grace of God...I felt it was a sin on my part.

As a matter of fact, it was this exact tendency I saw in others and myself even more so that finally drove me to my knees before the word of God a few years ago to seek truth directly from Him rather than through the lens of other men's philosophies and systematic theologies, and traditions, and my resulting preconceived notions. Jesus spoke with the most authority ever a man spoke, because every word he uttered was a word that his Father told him to say...

So as I look at Christ, I am shamed to ever even utter a word about God before men. Jesus is the standard for preaching, no one else. He was the standard for preaching as a demonstration of the Power of the Spirit.

The best preaching is always done when a man gets deeply alone with God, and allows whatever he is going to preach to be a reality in his own life first.

However, if Christ is being preached...we ought still praise God, knowing that the word is what is powerful.

Jeremiah,I would think your congregation must be blessed to have you as a pastor. It is encouraging to hear of a pastor who senses his responsibility before God and acts on it.

God bless you, brother. I hope my praise will not distract you from pleasing God...Always preach to please God....

Yes, I know Jeremiah was given a specific message for a specific time and place and circumstances. However, I do see principles in the book that are repeated in the New Testament. It always amazes me to find these nuggets and the context in which they occur. Actually, when I see this it illuminates the principle even more. It is as some scholars say: the New Testament was first introduced in the Old Testament [and I would think more specifically in the prophets.] All Jesus did was come along and say "Amen!"

Some day when I have time - maybe when I get old, I would love to make a list of Jesus' teachings and find its counterpart in the OT. To do so would mean one would need to be more knowledgeable of the OT prophets.

Loved your post, Jeremiah...

ginnyrose

Jeremiah 25:9 NASB:

9behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,' declares the LORD, 'and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them and make them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation.

COMMENT:
The entire chapter is worth reading and studying, IMHO. So much there....I sense God is warning the people to repent and failure to do so will incite his wrath. Somehow, it seems to me similar to the flood brought on the earth by God because of man's sin. Jeremiah 25:18-26

Anyhow, v. 9...God calls Nebuchadnezzar his servant. He is going to use him to bring about judgement upon Judah and then after he has finished doing God's will, he will turn and bring judgement upon them because of their sin!!! Jeremiah 25:12 WELL!!!

Apparently, all kings, are God's servants. This concept is repeated in Romans 13:1-2.

In Romans God Paul teaches us that if we resist these authorities we resist God and invite condemnation upon ourselves. Sounds familiar, does it not...think Jeremiah said the same thing: God told him to tell the people to go with Nebuchadnezzar, it will save their skin...to remain is to invite the wrath of Gos some more. Somehow I sense this would have been a very humiliating thing to do...

Obedience is not something to scoff at...

As we have been learning through this thread, and as snufalupagus pointed out a while back, there truly is nothing new under the sun. Judgment always begins in the house of the Lord.

"Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness. And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them."

Raise your hand if you want to be the tipping point that causes God to speak as such? The tendency of the modern evangelical mind is to somehow think that this was an "Old Testament God" who said these things.

Behold Romans 11:20-23, "Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, (Israel) and thou standest by faith. Be not high minded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (Who was Paul writing too?) And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again."

Ginny, thank you for starting this thread, I am loving going through this book with you guys.

Jeremiah 26:2 NASB

2"Thus says the LORD, 'Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have come to worship in the LORD'S house all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them Do not omit a word!

Comment:

When I read this I could go no further. "Do not omit a word". This phrase arrested me.

Oh, how often when sharing the WORD will we disobey the voice of the Spirit in speaking what he is prompting us to say because we do not want to offend, make people mad, or displease someone that benefits us in some way or another.

In Jeremiahs case it was speaking forth rightly to the king...how many times do preachers kow-tow to a 'king' in order to maintain his friendship?

A person is easily intimidated by people who you feel for some reason or another were superior to you. And they WERE or ARE superior to you. BUT before God all are on the same level, God will not be partial. Your education, your intelligence, your position in society, the church, your country, your wealth will not impress God at all. Under all these trapping exist a fragile human being who will some die like everyone else and will have to give account before God almighty. Can I see these people as God sees them and witness accordingly? Will I omit one word?

Jeremiah 27:1-6 NASB

1In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying--
2 thus says the LORD to me--"Make for yourself bonds and yokes and put them on your neck,

3 and send word to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the sons of Ammon, to the king of Tyre and to the king of Sidon by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.

4 "Command them to go to their masters, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, thus you shall say to your masters,

5 "I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight.

6 "Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him.

COMMENTS:

1. I find it so thrilling to read how God also was interested in the nations surrounding Israel. He sent them warnings via the prophets from Israel/Judah. Isaiah, Jonah were called to do the same. Some experts declare the Jehovah God virtually unknown to surrounding cultures/nations. The experts must not have read the OT prophets, ya reckon?

2. In v. 5 God id's himself as the creator: "I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm". How essential it is to understand this fact.

He made it by his power and by his arm. WOW! Challenge any male to do likewise!

Since God made it he can "give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight." v.5. Not only that he also gives to Nebuchadnezzar the "wild animals of the field to serve him." v. 6.

Amazing.

I am so glad God is interested in other nations, in their welfare. And he uses animals to assist other kings in carrying out his plan.

Our God is awesome.

God is awesome. We do so under estimate God.

He knew all the kings, the messengers etc.

He knows and watches us. Nothing is hidden from Him.

God is awesome.

4 "Command them to go to their masters, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, thus you shall say to your masters, 5 "I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight.

It's interesting how strikingly similar this is to the Apostle Paul's message to Athens (Acts 17). It seems that when God speaks to heathen nations the voice is such to awaken them to the eternal reality of a sovereign, supernatural God who is there and who is intimately involved in the affairs of men. He is not some far off, untouchable Diety, He is God Almighty, yet He is near.

In Christ,

Ron

It seems that when God speaks to heathen nations the voice is such to awaken them to the eternal reality of a sovereign, supernatural God who is there and who is intimately involved in the affairs of men. He is not some far off, untouchable Diety, He is God Almighty, yet He is near.

This principle never ceases to amaze me. For some reason everytime I encounter it in the WORD it is as though I am reading it again for the first time!

Jeremiah 28:13 NASB

Go and speak to Hananiah, saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made instead of them yokes of iron."

COMMENT:

The context of this scripture is where Hananiah prophecied falsely, contradicting Jeremiah's prophecy from the LORD. The verse quoted here is God's responce to Hananiah - plus there is more.

The point that impressed me is how false teaching, prophecy is as a yoke of iron upon people : heavy, one that immobilizes people; it enslaves people. ALWAYS.
And it killed this prophet. Jer. 28:17.

I have thought about this quite a bit actually the Yoke thing anyways, Jesus tells us to take up His yoke for His burden is light and those that are weary will find rest,(in a nut shell very loosely paraphrased) if Jesus is the exact opposite of the World then the Worlds burden is much heavier and hard to carry. So as I look at people that are looking at this I see people struggling to simply rest in the Lord this includes myself. I started asking myself can an Oxen be yoked to to different yokes? and If it were possible could that oxen be as balanced as an oxen with only one yoke? Many Christians are trying to yoke with the World and Yoke with Christ Jesus and what they have is an unbalanced mess. We see that to properly yoke with Christ we must continually Unyoke with the world on a daily basis. :) Does this seem like an abstract idea or does it make sense? Just something that I have been kicking around in my head you comment kind of sparked it yet again.

13Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his [upper] chambers by injustice, who uses his neighbor's service without wages and does not give him his pay [for his work],

14Who says, I will build myself a wide house with large rooms, and he cuts himself out windows, and it is ceiled or paneled with cedar and painted with vermilion.

15Do you think that being a king [merely] means [self-indulgent] vying [with Solomon] and striving to excel in cedar [palaces]? Did not your father [Josiah], as he ate and drank, do justice and righteousness [being upright and in right standing with God]? Then it was well with him.

16He judged and defended the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Was not [all] this [what it means] to know and recognize Me? says the Lord.

This section made me think of all of the ministries that we build yet we neglect to take care of those that really need help. We have no problem paying millions of dollars on fancy pants facilities while people on the other side of the world are starving, that is quite an injustice if you ask me. And then verse 15 is what really struck me I had to ask the question Do we really think that Christianity is all about having a good time fellowshiping and building big buildings?

Does this seem like an abstract idea or does it make sense?

Makes lots of sense. I think you are on to something.

When I read this about the yoke Jesus words came to me - he said his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Have we not all seen where people who are apostate or fighting God carry such a heavy burden? They have to endure the consequences of sin, for one thing; and they also have guilt to deal with. That alone is a heavy burden...makes one wonder how many illnesses, diseases can be attributed to unconfessed, unrepented sin that weighs heavy on their conscience making them ill?

I used to have bad breathing problems (asthma?)when I was a teen and well into my 20s. But then the Holy Spirit convicted me of 1 Peter 5:7 and I did as commanded. My health problem disappeared....and my burden was lifted and got lighter! Now ain't God good?!

Do we really think that Christianity is all about having a good time fellowshiping and building big buildings?

It is encouraging to me to hear younger people ask these questions.

Ever notice how it is when people become affluent? People want to build BIG buildings, whether it be houses, places of worship, stores, etc.

About church buildings...they cost a lot to maintain: there are utility bills, cleaning, general maintenance...

I am still in a sense of wonder at the experience I had last week at VBS when I took my girls into the woods for class - they were so subdued. Other teachers have experienced same reaction. I suggested to the organizers that more areas be cleared (make 'rooms') so more classes can be held out there - which just might take care of the discipline problems. The only disadvantage is heat and rain - the heat can be tolerated and the rain, well...The point is this is inexpensive and it has a positive effect on the students - it evokes a quieting effect on a person. Wonder how this would effect the adults?

Jer. 29:4-7 NASB
4"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon,

5'Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce.

6'Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease.

7'Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.'

COMMENT:

There is much in chapter 29 to inspire one, but these verses challenge me to: bloom where you are.

I tried to visualize being these Jews who were uprooted from their homeland and forced-marched into a foreign land. The emotional trauma, the unsettling mental feelings of not knowing how long they were to stay there. God, in his mercy, told them to settle down. And relax. [edit] And pray for your local civil government.

If the people would have been of a militant mind, they would have caused themselves much grief and sorrow simply because they refused to accept. They were there, now make the best of it, says God.

How many times do we find ourselves in situations beyond our control? and what is our response?

A story: "The Russians Secret" by Peter Hoover details how Christians were uprooted in Russia, exiled to Siberia and put down roots. There they flourished and thrived.

Our day may be coming sometime in the not to far future, but in the meantime, you marry and have children...and do not fear. God is in control.

"1WOE TO the shepherds (the civil leaders) who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasturing! says the Lord.
2Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for and feed My people: You have scattered My flock and driven them away and have not visited and attended to them; behold, I will visit and attend to you for the evil of your doings, says the Lord."

As a Youth Pastor I fear and tremble at this very word to be responsible for feeding God's sheep is a very important job and it seems failing to care for the flock reaps very high consequences. How do we have such flippany preaching these days with Words like these in the bible? Lord Jesus give me the grace to fear Your Holy name and remain faithful to Your Words that I may humbly tend your flocks with Reverence for Your Name.

As a Youth Pastor I fear and tremble at this very word to be responsible for feeding God's sheep is a very important job

Good!

Many times in Jeremiah are prophecies directed to the shepherds (spiritual leaders of the people). Too many moderns consider it a mere job. Ah, brother....I have had clients who were into deep sin - "and don't tell anybody!!!" - who came from these ranks...so sad.

God bless you. Your youth must be very fortunate to have you as their pastor...

Jeremiah 30:18-22 NASB

18"Thus says the LORD,
'Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob
And have compassion on his dwelling places;
And the city will be rebuilt on its ruin,
And the palace will stand on its rightful place.

19'From them will proceed thanksgiving
And the voice of those who celebrate;
And I will multiply them and they will not be diminished;
I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant.

20'Their children also will be as formerly,
And their congregation shall be established before Me;
And I will punish all their oppressors.

21'Their leader shall be one of them,
And their ruler shall come forth from their midst;
And I will bring him near and he shall approach Me;
For who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?' declares the LORD.

22'You shall be My people,
And I will be your God.'"

COMMENT:

This section stands in direct contrast to the rest of this chapter.

As I visualize this section being a reality, I see a community where people enjoy each other, where there is delight, praise and peace. A perfect example of this is how life was like in the Garden of Eden. Beautiful, tranquil; sounds of delight and rightful pleasure. But people choose to follow sinful pleasures which are short lived, at best, and at the worst, destroys and brings so much grief.

In Jer. 30:11 God says he will chasten justly. This reminds me of Hebrews 12:5-13. When we experience grief because of sinful decisions one should be thankful because God is working to bring you back! And its absence - does this not mean God has forsaken you? (Hebrews 12:8) that you are a bastard and not a son?

Jeremiah 31: 1-14 NASB

1 "At that time," declares the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people."

2 Thus says the LORD,
"The people who survived the sword
Found grace in the wilderness--
Israel, when it went to find its rest."

3 The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying,
"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.

4 "Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt,
O virgin of Israel!
Again you will take up your tambourines,
And go forth to the dances of the merrymakers.

5 "Again you will plant vineyards
On the hills of Samaria;
The planters will plant
And will enjoy them.

6 "For there will be a day when watchmen
On the hills of Ephraim call out,
'Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
To the LORD our God.'"

7 For thus says the LORD,
"Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
And shout among the chief of the nations;
Proclaim, give praise and say,
'O LORD, save Your people,
The remnant of Israel.'

8 "Behold, I am bringing them from the north country,
And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth,
Among them the blind and the lame,
The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together;
A great company, they will return here.

9 "With weeping they will come,
And by supplication I will lead them;
I will make them walk by streams of waters,
On a straight path in which they will (V)not stumble;
For I am a father to Israel,
And Ephraim is My firstborn."

10 Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
And declare in the coastlands afar off,
And say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him
And keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock."

11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob
And redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.

12 "They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion,
And they will be radiant over the bounty of the LORD--
Over the grain and the new wine and the oil,
And over the young of the flock and the herd;
And their life will be like a watered garden,
And they will never languish again.

13 "Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance,
And the young men and the old, together,
For I will turn their mourning into joy
And will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow.

14 "I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance,
And My people will be satisfied with My goodness," declares the LORD.

COMMENT:

Jeremiah 31 is so rich - so rich in describing the nature of God...one could spend a lot of time here, plumbing the depths of the evidence of His love and how it is played out in how he deals with humans. My words, insights are woefully inadequate...

In v. 1-14 I see the love God has for Israel. It is overwhelming. In other places we glimpse his wrath, but is this not because he gets angry when people sin? Do we not also get angry when people just walk away from God? and sin with no regret? (or at least they will have you believe this to be the case.)

Jeremiah 31:14 NASB details the end result of one who has accepted the chastening of the LORD: And My people will be satisfied with my goodness.

Do we see the hand of God in affliction that he allows to come upon us? Do we see his hand working to bring us to the place where he wants us? If we do, we will be satisfied with his goodness...

Takes a lot of maturity to to come to this point...(Hebrews 12:10-11)

Jeremiah 31:27-30 NASB

27"Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast.

28"As I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant," declares the LORD.

29"In those days they will not say again,
'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children's teeth are set on edge.'

30"But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.

COMMENT:

I just love this prophecy!

In v. 28 God restates how he is total control of judgement and blessings. He will work as he wills. So comforting! Then he takes this to another level.

Under the law children often had to suffer for the sins of the fathers. Now God is saying the day is coming will this will not be the case. Each and every person will suffer for his sin and his only! WOW! Wonder how I would have felt had I been a Jew back then...?

(I love to visualize this metaphor 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,and the children's teeth are set on edge.' "Yep, there goes mom or dad again, which make life hard or us" and I grind my teeth...)

Still, God, through the prophets, warned the people of their sins and gave them opportunity to repent but they refused; they could have averted judgement had they obeyed. Perhaps this was a principle he introduced back then through Jeremiah, but the people were blinded by their sin to take advantage of it.

Does this method of salvation, judgement not give one much hope? It matters nothing who our ancestors were or did: we will not be accountable for them. Each one will have to account for ourselves. We can choose to listen to the voice of the LORD and follow him regardless of family. He will enable us to be his sons and daughters by the infilling of the Holy Spirit! If we fail we will have to suffer the consequences.

I love to tell people who are living in a hell hole that they do not have to live like the people around them. They can make the choice to do otherwise: God will be with them to do so - if they want! This is such a delightful message, one of pure hope and joy!

Jeremiah 31:31-34 NASB

31 "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,

32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.

33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

34 "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

COMMENT:

Brother Paul quotes this prophecy in Hebrews 8:8-12, indicating we are today living in this era, that it is being fulfilled. Oh, this is just so wonderful!

Having worked at CPC for many years, challenging women on their lifestyle...of all the women I have talked to, only one feigned ignorance and I suspect she may not have been normal mentally. In any case, these women know they were away from God, they knew they were bound for hell unless they turn to LORD in confession of sin and repentance. They knew God existed. I did not have to tell them anything new. All I could do is to encourage them to do what their heart is telling them they should. This made our job so much easier.

I have loved ones who are away from God. I am so glad that their knowledge of salvation, of Jesus, the need of repentance is not dependant on anyone else's teaching them. The reason they may respond in hostility to our encouragement is because they are reacting to the conscience that already is condemning them.

I keep praying that I would never interfer in this process.

Verse 33: "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God" ..is it not fascinating how the law of God rules in our heart, how it teaches us right from wrong? How it seems to be instinctive?

Amazing, don't you think?

Jer. 31:35-40 NASB

37 Thus says the LORD,
"If the heavens above can be measured
And the foundations of the earth searched out below,
Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel
For all that they have done," declares the LORD.

38 "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the city will be rebuilt for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.

39 "The measuring line will go out farther straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah.

40 "And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD; it will not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever."

COMMENT:
I find this portion fascinating on a couple levels.

1. God reiterates the fact that He is the creator, that all nature is under his controls, even the waves of the sea. This we know to be formidable, having witnessed the devastation they can cause - Katrina and the tsunami are prime examples.

2. As God, who controls nature because he is the creator, he also has the power to care for a people, like the Israelites.

3. No other tribe of people have kept their identity as have the Jews. Who is responsible for this? certainly it is not because of man's efforts. Man works to destroy it by becoming secular and they still fail. WOW! Man cannot thwart God's plan.

4. Jer. 31:38-40 NASB is one awesome prophecy. Wonder if I will live to see its fulfilment?

An opinion or maybe a question?
Missionary effort to evangelize the Muslims has largely been a work of futility until in recent times - like in the past 20 years. I remember well mission experts talking about the difficulty in evangelizing Muslims.

Evangelism among religious Jews is almost impossible. Secular, yes. Now I am wondering if what is happening to the Muslims will also happen to the Jews? No man can take credit for what is happening to Muslims. Jesus appears to them in dreams. These are people who have had no contacts with Christians...

Somehow I wonder if perchance this will not happen to the Jewish people! Now this would be so exciting...

Jer. 32:6-15 NASB

6 And Jeremiah said, "The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

7 'Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you, saying, "Buy for yourself my field which is at Anathoth, for you have the right of redemption to buy it."'

8 "Then Hanamel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the guard according to the word of the LORD and said to me, 'Buy my field, please, that is at Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for you have the right of possession and the redemption is yours; buy it for yourself ' Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.

9 "I bought the field which was at Anathoth from Hanamel my uncle's son, and I weighed out the silver for him, seventeen shekels of silver.

10"I signed and sealed the deed, and called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales.

11 "Then I took the deeds of purchase, both the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions and the open copy;

12 and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my uncle's son and in the sight of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, before all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard.

13 "And I commanded Baruch in their presence, saying,

14 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Take these deeds, this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, that they may last a long time."

15 'For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land."'

COMMENT:

Jeremiah was imprisoned for speaking the truth about his countrys' future which included invasion, the taking of captives...very unsettled politically. Then God came along and said "buy land!"

Although this incident was for a particular place and time, the lesson I see is that God will ask his children sometimes to do things that naturally seems ridiculous. "Buy land now? you got to be kidding!!!"

We live in unstable times...then the words of Jesus comes back and he says "occupy until I come."

Learning to occupy until Jesus comes creates lots of challenges and therein we learn dependence on God for life.

I am so glad we have a city to look forward to whose builder and maker is God!

Jeremiah 32:31-36 NASB

31 "Indeed this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My wrath from the day that they built it, even to this day, so that it should be (BE)removed from before My face,

32 because of all the evil of the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah which they have done to provoke Me to anger--they, their kings, their leaders, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

33 "They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, teaching again and again, they would not listen and receive instruction.

34 "But they put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it.

35 "They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

36 "Now therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning this city of which you say, 'It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine and by pestilence.'

COMMENT:

This portion has been like a popcorn kernel stuck in my teeth since I read it last week. The question that troubles me to no end is how on earth can any people's spiritual condition deteriorate to the point where they resort to human sacrifice in order to 'appease their gods'?

History tells ue these sacrifices to these gods included the killing of humans. They placed these children in ??? and lit a fire ....the screams of the victims were so dreadful they played loud music to drown their cries lest the people would react appropriately to salvage these children. As I visualize this cruelty, I can get so angry, so upset it just about drives me crazy...since my reaction so so intense, I do wonder why God did not strike these priests dead while in the act?

Obviously, I do not know the mind of God, why he did not kill these people on the spot for committing such hideous cruel crimes against humanity.

Then I wonder, how can people sink so low to the point where they will accommodate such wickedness? After all, the Israelites had a glorious history of God's provision, mercy, longsuffering...did they forget so quickly? Does it begin by disregarding the 'little things' scripture admonishes us to do/be? Luke 16:10 NASB says: "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much."

Is it possible that God's children, in this era, could also sink so low into depravity? Unfortunately, history teaches us this is so...

"Lord, help me to always be sensitive to your Spirit's leading, to be obedient in all things, even the 'little things'." AMEN

Are not the little children already screaming? While they may not be being thrown into a physical fire, are they not already being thrown into a spiritual fire? Their little souls being consumed by the things of Satan? And is not the church playing loud music to cover their cries as this very same music drives them even deeper into the arms of the enemy?

Not willing to sacrifice their own idols, they are choosing instead to sacrifice the lives of their children.

Oh, HeartSong, you are so right! I never thought of this...

When one compares modern children's problems with what we had when we were young, the difference is astounding. But the parents will say the children will adjust...they may live through it but the damage to their souls....

Excellent point, HeartSong...glad you pointed this out.

And if the children end up going to hell, then they have indeed been thrown into the fire.

Where I sometimes attend church, they reward the knowledge of God with the things of the world. If that is not throwing a child into the fire, I do not know what is - for a reward is necessarily greater than what it is being given for.

Verse 35, 'They built the high places of Baal...'

The high places might no longer be in the valley of Ben-hinnom, but they are still being built. And by the people of God too, just as Israel did.

It reminds me of the scripture in 2 Kings 1, where Ahaziah sent messengers to enquire of Baal-Zebub.

Since our faith and confidence in God fails, we look to others, and other things, to find fulfilment and answers.

How we need God desperately. So desperately.

The devil works in sly ways to ensnare people, including children. For many it comes via of music, literature and movies. It appears as entertainment and is attractive, appeals to the thrills desired by all. Once a person's fear of 'ghosts' is minimized they will view them as friendly, helpful.

I have experienced real grief when I see mothers buy for their children Harry Potter books.

When our daughter was around 12 years old back in 1982, she loved to read, checking out books from the public library. One day I noticed the books she was reading: they were ghost stories. I told her in no uncertain terms "DO NOT EVER GET ANOTHER BOOK LIKE THIS- NO GHOST STORIES, UNDERSTAND?!!" "Yes,mom...."

A few weeks later, she came into our bedroom, crying, saying she was hearing strange noises at her window, etc. I said, "REGINA! are you reading ghost stories again??!? "Yes, mom!"

I forget what happened next, but she learned she better obey.

Thirty years ago (perhaps) I was reading the book "Occult ABC". The writer warned the reader of the danger in reading the book. I ignored it....and I became knowledgeable of the occult.

Soon thereafter, I awoke at night at 2:00 AM with a bad stomachache - I had to go to the bathroom to relieve myself. Next night the same thing happened at the same time. Weird. I was healthy with no health problems. Then I remembered the warning and I prayed and this was the end of that.

Yes, Enid, the enemy is so sly and people today are opening themselves up to demonic infestation and the price is so high! Lord have mercy!

(I did view Andrew Strom's video about the Kundalini spirits, did you?)

I have been thinking much about why did God allow people to persist as long as they did in offering human sacrifice as a ritual to false gods.

Is it possible that God allowed it to demonstrate to the world how low people can sink when they abandon Him? Human sacrifice is the utmost in human cruelty. One has to stifle all sense of compassion...

BTW, today they will kill babies in the womb, all with legal protection...and too many of their supporters say they are Christians!

And do you know that when they go into the womb with the currette to cut up the baby, it will try to move away from it? An assistant will put pressure on the abdomen to steady the fetus so the abortionist can cut it up, the pieces will then be vacuumed out... When I first heard this procedure described I was so infuriated I could not allow my self to visualize this hideous act...This knowledge, obviously, could not escape my mind...about makes one vomit!

(I did view Andrew Strom's video about the Kundalini spirits, did you?)

I did, and could not help but notice that the movements of some of the people remind me of how people move in response to certain music at the church that I attend.

Also, when I first heard abortions described as a sacrifice unto demons, it made perfect sense. A blood sacrifice unto demons. People sacrificing their own children as a blood sacrifice unto Satan.

Thank you for posting these things ginnyrose. The Lord is really using this to open my eyes to some things that He would have me to know and how to see it in Scripture. And enid, thank you also. I just love the way that the Lord works amongst His people.

Ginnyrose,

Yes, I did watch the Kundalini video. And I don't doubt many have seen such things take place in churches. I know I have.

Don't want to get away from the book of Jeremiah, but what you said about your experiences after reading the occult book, brings back memories to me.

Some years ago, I got a book out of the library, and there was a warning in it not to read it before going to bed, which I laughed at. I thought they only put that in there to get you to read it.

Well, I read the whole book, right until dark.

Then, it happened.

I'm a person who cannot go to sleep with the light on in the room.

But, that night, at 19 years old, I kept the light on the whole night, and could not sleep for fear.

I hung on until the day began to break, and then I was able to fall asleep.

Later on the same day, I returned the book to the library, and I haven't read any ghost stories since.

But, back to Jeremiah.

No offense to you all but music in itself can not be evil, Only the lyrics and the intent used in the music can be deemed as evil.

Matthew,

You wrote "Only the lyrics and the intent used in the music can be deemed as evil." A comment is called for...

Did you know there are many people who listen first and foremost for the sound? That lyrics are irrelevant? I am one of those people. I used to think I was weird because I keep hearing people talk about the lyrics and how they blessed them so or did not like them for whatever reason and then I wondered what they were talking about. SIGH

I have to hear a song many times before I can understand the lyrics (if I have no song book to follow along). And then regardless of the lyrics, if I do not like the music, I do not care for the song. The music speaks. I am one of those who listens for the sound of the music long before I know what the lyrics are. Some hear lyrics and others hear music. And if the music is irrelevant, then ya ought to tone it down for those where music does count!

I suppose many people will be shocked to learn there are people like me out there. And I am not alone.

Blessings,
ginnyrose

My point is this that the music in itself can't speak, it can set a mood or feeling sounding darker or lighter. Music has effect on emotions but I can't vouche for all but I would say that most praise and worship teams aren't seeking to conjure up demons, manipulate people's feelings, or anything weird of occultic. The only clear cut intent of the music would be the lyrics themselves. I can hear drums rythms that people use to conjure up demons and it doesn't effect me why? because I don't know that demon drumming sounds like, on top of this I could use the very same drum beat to Praise and Worship the Lord, God looks at the Heart of it all and makes His decisions from there. The Intent of the Music is what really matters and last I checked only the Person themselves and God know that. Maybe we could start a seperate thread on this though I don't want to defile this wonderful study on Jeremiah with talk about Music :)

I don't want to defile this wonderful study on Jeremiah with talk about Music :)

:-)

Jeremiah 33:3 NASB

3 'Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

COMMENT:

This verse reveals the heart of God.

Isaiah 64:4, 1 Corinthians 2:9 echo similar sentiments. Then Jesus invites us in Matthew 11:28-30 to

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

How many times has the devil deceived people into believing that to be yoked up with Jesus is too restrictive? that he is a party pooper who loves to rain on your parade?! The reality is that when we are yoked up with Jesus, He helps us carry this 'burden' where it becomes light AND a pleasure! When one is walking with the LORD one witnesses to a ting degree the joy of the LORD. This joy far surpasses any fun, pleasure the world offers.

God is so wonderful, so good! and who am I to judge God in this manner? But where else does one gain his perception, knowledge of goodness? and the quality of being wonderful? There is none.

Blessed be his name!

3 'Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

What an incredible verse; pregnant with promise beyond imagination!

I believe that, among other things, the "great and mighty things" that He tells us are simply the revelation of His ways, the way of the Lamb. When we give Him our hearts those ways are revealed Proverbs 23:26

Jer 29:12; Deut 4:7; Deut 4:29; 1Ki 8:47-50; Psa 50:15; Psa 91:15; Psa 145:18; Isa 55:6-7; Isa 65:24; Joe 2:32; Luk 11:9-10; Acts 2:21; Rom 10:12-13; 1Co 1:2

In Christ,

Ron

Jeremiah 34:8-17 NASB

8 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim release to them:

9 that each man should set free his male servant and each man his female servant, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman; so that no one should keep them, a Jew his brother, in bondage.

10 And all the officials and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant that each man should set free his male servant and each man his female servant, so that no one should keep them any longer in bondage; they obeyed, and set them free.

11 But afterward they turned around and took back the male servants and the female servants whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection for male servants and for female servants.

12 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

13 "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'I made a covenant with your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, saying,

14 "At the end of seven years each of you shall set free his Hebrew brother who has been sold to you and has served you six years, you shall send him out free from you; but your forefathers did not obey Me or incline their ear to Me.

15 "Although recently you had turned and done what is right in My sight, each man proclaiming release to his neighbor, and you had made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name.

16 "Yet you turned and profaned My name, and each man took back his male servant and each man his female servant whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your male servants and female servants."'

17 "Therefore thus says the LORD, 'You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming release each man to his brother and each man to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming a release to you,' declares the LORD, 'to the sword, to the pestilence and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

COMMENT:

I find this incident very unsettling - at the least.

When I imagine myself to be a slave, be set free only to have my former master come back to enslave me again, I would be furious! Likely, I may even question God, question how he controls kings, those in authority.

AND God did get furious! He proclaimed a judgement of "'to the sword, to the pestilence and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.'"

Modern day lesson: is it possible to release/forgive someone of a sin[s], release then only to come back and drag them through the mire again? Jesus talked about this, did he not when he gave the parable of the servant who was forgiven of much but refused to forgive one who owed little. Same principle.

How do I release on offender?

"14All your lovers (allies) have forgotten you; they neither seek, inquire of, or require you. For I have hurt you with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel and merciless foe, because of the greatness of your perversity and guilt, because your sins are glaring and innumerable."

This verse kind of struck me because God doesn't call Israel or Judah His enemy but simply says I am wounding you like an enemy as a chastiment. God's ways to the human heart seem cruel and merciless but in light of the truth He uses these things to draw us back to Him because He loves us. We may not see it as love at the time because we may be clinging to our sins as innumerable as they may seem. In times of trouble I hope to be faithful in looking to the Lord for a lesson instead of giving a faithless cry of Why God!?!

We all need a rebuke, We all need a chastiment, God will bring it if you are His and you are living in Sin. He corrects His children in Love and Righteousness. Kind of makes me wonder if the prosperity gospel ever reads Jeremiah or any of the bible through a correct lense of thinking.

He uses these things to draw us back to Him because He loves us. We may not see it as love at the time because we may be clinging to our sins as innumerable as they may seem.

AMEN, brother!

My attitude towards 'natural calamities' changed radically after I understood them to be a tool God will use to bring people to Himself. Now when I see rebellious people basking in the arms of affluence, I get real concerned - they are rich and have need of nothing. Everything is going their way; why do they need God? They have created their own little heaven on earth - they can come and go and buy as they please...

In my experience it is when my security has been destroyed that I looked to one who cannot be destroyed at all. He is secure and on this rock I will build.

Jeremiah 33:4-26 NASB

4 "For thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah which are broken down to make a defense against the siege ramps and against the sword,

5 While they are coming to fight with the Chaldeans and to fill them with the corpses of men whom I have slain in My anger and in My wrath, and I have hidden My face from this city because of all their wickedness:

6 'Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth.

7 'I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel and will rebuild them as they were at first.

8'I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me and by which they have transgressed against Me.

9 'It will be to Me a name of joy, praise and glory before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.'

10 "Thus says the LORD, 'Yet again there will be heard in this place, of which you say, "It is a waste, without man and without beast," that is, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast,

11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say,
"Give thanks to the LORD of hosts,
For the LORD is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting";
and of those who bring a thank offering into the house of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,' says the LORD.

12 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'There will again be in this place which is waste, without man or beast, and in all its cities, a habitation of shepherds who rest their (Z)flocks.

13 'In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the Negev, in the land of Benjamin, in the environs of Jerusalem and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who numbers them,' says the LORD.

The Davidic Kingdom
14 'Behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

15 'In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.

16 'In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called: the LORD is our righteousness.'

17"For thus says the LORD, 'David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;

18 and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to prepare sacrifices continually.'"

19 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

20 "Thus says the LORD, 'If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time,

21 then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers.

22 'As the host of heaven cannot be counted and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.'"

23 And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

24 "Have you not observed what this people have spoken, saying, 'The two families which the LORD chose, He has rejected them'? Thus they despise My people, no longer are they as a nation in their sight.

25 "Thus says the LORD, 'If My covenant for day and night stand not, and the fixed patterns of heaven and earth I have not established,

26 then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob But I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.'"

COMMENT:

I had jumped over this passage - it befuddled me, so I am coming back to it, hoping someone else could give us more enlightenment on its meaning.

It is so rich..God is anticipating some great day. People will respond with delight, v. 11. It sounds like a nation-wide occurrence. But is it on the scale I am thinking?

Or, is this something similar to how God viewed Sodom and Gomorrah. He told Abraham he will spare the city if ten righteous people lived there. A city with ten righteous people??? He would spare it for ten? What kind of influence do ten people have in a city? Must be immense.

What confused me is that I used to think this was talking about the time of Jesus' birth, his ministry and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, or the beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ. There was a lot of drama, if you want to call it that, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit...is that what he is talking about? Or something else. What say?

Jeremiah 35 NASB

The Rechabites' Obedience
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,

2 "Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak to them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink."

3 Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites,

4 and I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was near the chamber of the officials, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the doorkeeper.

5 Then I set before the men of the house of the Rechabites pitchers full of wine and cups ; and I said to them, "Drink wine !"

6 But they said, "We will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, 'You shall not drink wine, you or your sons, forever .

7 'You shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed and you shall not plant a vineyard or own one; but in tents you shall dwell all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.'

8 "We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons or our daughters,

9 nor to build ourselves houses to dwell in; and we do not have vineyard or field or seed.

10 "We have only dwelt in tents, and have obeyed and have done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

11 "But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, 'Come and let us go to Jerusalem before the army of the Chaldeans and before the army of the Arameans.' So we have dwelt in Jerusalem."

Judah Rebuked
12 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

13 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "Will you not receive instruction by listening to My words ?" declares the LORD.

14 "The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, which he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are observed. So they do not drink wine to this day, for they have obeyed their father's command. But I have spoken to you again and again ; yet you have not listened to Me.

15 "Also I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, sending them again and again, saying : 'Turn now every man from his evil way and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to worship them. Then you will dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your forefathers ; but you have not inclined your ear or listened to Me.

16 'Indeed, the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have observed the command of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to Me.' "'

17 "Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I am bringing on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them; because I spoke to them but they did not listen, and I have called them but they did not answer.' "

18 Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father, kept all his commands and done according to all that he commanded you;

19 therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me always

COMMENT:

This account is fascinating...a man, a father had earned the respect of his family to such a degree they obeyed him. He taught his family principles that went beyond what was allowable by law. The males obeyed, honored their dad and not even under the suggestion of a prophet would they compromise.

God used this incident to give Jeremiah an object lesson to teach the Jews about their stubbornness, in their refusal to obey God, their Father. These people lived among them...wonder if they were looked down upon by the wealthy elite? Those that owned lands, houses?

In any case, God used these people as an object lesson to teach a nation of stubborn, rebellious people. Is my walk with the LORD so righteous that He will use me as an object lesson to teach some rebellious, stubborn folks?

Like it or not, we are being watched. What is the public reading in their observation of our walk?

Sobering.

"Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD'S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word." -Jeremiah 26:2

A true prophet of God magnifies God's word. False prophets diminish it.

Sadly a significant amount of the evangelism I have witnessed in my life (until more recently) has been seriously pitted with the corrosion of diminishing the word. All too often I have heard only the benefits of the gospel offered, promises of shiny heaven and fruity lives, but so little talk about cross-bearing. The gospel has been so diminished as to be utterly unrecognizable from its original speaking and manifesting.

May we not diminish the word. May we not diminish the message we speak, nor diminish its power by living diminishing lives.

For the Power of God unto salvation is found in articulating clearly and exactingly the gospel as has been taught in the word, not explaining passages away, not coming up with fancy interpretations to fascinate and titillate itching ears. Oh the freedom that comes to our fearful hearts when we recognize that we are not the power of God unto salvation...the GOSPEL IS!!! His burden is easy, and his yoke is oh so light.

Brother Jeremiah I understand your heart on this matter very much that this is what I have been striving for Exogesis interpretation its very vital we take God's word seriously. The more I read the more the fear of the Lord grips me and also stirs in me a desire to throw off all the things of this world to know Christ Jesus and the Reality of the Gospel which I have come to the conclusion that the Gospel is Freedom FROM SIN!

Ever since I was gripped by this through the Holy Spirit it is all I can preach about or even talk about in regards to the bible and Christianity. Oh What Love God has given us to be freed from the chains and live through Christ Jesus! I pray that the false prophets come to repentance and see the error in their line of thinking.

God Bless,
Matthew

Stay the course, brethren!

Once one loses the fear of God in your life, you open yourselves to all manner of doubts of the validity of God's word.

And I would suppose this is a lifelong challenge. Even at my age the challenges come to diminish different segments of God's word. (My preacher-grandfather used to say he thought that when one gets older there would be fewer trials and temptations. But he learned that the older one gets the harder, the more severe they become. His reasoning for this to be the case is because the enemy knows he does not have much time left to get you.)

It is so encouraging to read of young men who are fervent, diligent in their pursuit of God.

Blessings

Jeremiah 36:26 NASB

26 And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the LORD hid them.

COMMENT:

Jeremiah had commanded a scribe, Baruch, to write the word of the Lord on a scroll as he dictated it to him. At the appointed time, Baruch read this at the temple. A gov official heard it and after reporting it to other gov officials asked for a private reading. He obliged, and later was asked to read it to the king who was sorely displeased with its message. The king then ordered Baruch and Jeremiah to be seized, but the Lord hid them.

Faithfulness will earn one enemies - always. No one likes to be opposed, so to rid one of opposition, you get rid of the person - like as though that would fix the problem!

Anyhow, God hid them. Their mission was not done. As I consider this, I am reminded what Richard Wurmbrand used to say, "If God wants me alive, nothing can kill me, not even communist persecution." And we all know about the horrible sufferings Richard endured for the sake of Christ. And he had this testimony; and it still speaks to us today.

On the personal level when the LORD calls a loved one home, even in the prime of life, it means this person's mission in life has been accomplished. To the rest of us who are still alive it means we have still much to do. God is there enabling, protecting us as we work to accomplish his will; nothing can prevent that as long as we remain faithful.

God is faithful, but are we?

Jeremiah 37:2-3 NASB

2 But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the LORD which He spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.

3 Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "Please pray to the LORD our God on our behalf."

COMMENT:

Human nature does not change, does it?

Jeremiah had preached, warning the people of their sins and the ensuing consequences if they do not repent. Now when the consequences are at the door, they want you to pray for them!

Today we teach/preach about sin and its consequences if repentance is not observed. Then when the results occur, they come to you and beg for your prayers that God would soften the pain they are going through!

Consider - the immorality that stalks the land; it occurs in the churches just as much as in the secular public. We speak of the dire consequences of this sin but we are called to tolerance and acceptance. In the meantime, God is ignoring these pleas and the tragedy of the sins are bearing fruit. And we are called to pray for their well-being...

Are we a facilitator or a prophet who remains faithful in calling people to repent?

Jeremiah 37:7-10 NASB

7 "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Thus you are to say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: "Behold, Pharaoh's army which has come out for your assistance is going to return to its own land of Egypt.

8 "The Chaldeans will also return and fight against this city, and they will capture it and burn it with fire."'

9 "Thus says the LORD, 'Do not deceive yourselves, saying, "The Chaldeans will surely go away from us," for they will not go.

10 'For even if you had defeated the entire army of Chaldeans who were fighting against you, and there were only wounded men left among them, each man in his tent, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.' "

COMMENT:

Verse ten demonstrates the power of God in empowering an army, even when all looks lost and hopeless. God is saying that even if the soldiers are wounded and in their tents I will enable them to go out and set you city on fire, destroying it.

Romans 13:1,4 NASB teaches us that governments are a minister of God and established by God.

How is a Christian supposed to relate to a government and its army? So far in this book one gets the message that the strength of a nation lies in its obedience to God, and that God will use an enemy nation to "whoop 'em into obedience" if they persist in their rebellion.

Much to consider when we become aware of the turmoil that engulfs the world.

ginnyrose asked me to inform you that the hard drive in her computer gave out. She is having it replaced and expects to be back by Fri. She misses all of you! :)

Tell her we love her and we look forward to hearing from her Friday.

God bless.

Thank-you, Enid...I look forward to coming back. My computer technician says the part may not be in until next Wednesday, July 21...SIGH

Now I am now using [son] Jonathan's laptop..it is OK but cannot post any inspirational pieces since I am surrounded by other people - I like to be alone to post anything serious.

In the meantime I am missing y'all...and sharing what Jeremiah is teaching me. Such a fascinating book...once again - and always - proving that God does not change.
If someone else wants to post insights, go ahead...

God bless all of you...

ginnyrose

Jeremiah 38:8-13,; 39:16-18 NASB

8 and Ebed-melech went out from the king's palace and spoke to the king, saying,

9 "My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the cistern ; and he will die right where he is because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city."

10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, "Take thirty men from here under your authority and bring up Jeremiah the prophet from the cistern before he dies."

11 So Ebed-melech took the men under his authority and went into the king's palace to a place beneath the storeroom and took from there worn-out clothes and worn-out rags and let them down by ropes into the cistern to Jeremiah.

12 Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, "Now put these worn-out clothes and rags under your armpits under the ropes "; and Jeremiah did so.

13 So they pulled Jeremiah out of the cistern, and Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guardhouse.

39:16: "Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Behold, I am about to bring My words on this city for disaster and not for prosperity ; and they will take place before you on that day.

17 "But I will deliver you on that day," declares the LORD, "and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you dread.

18 "For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword ; but you will have your own life as booty, because you have trusted in Me," declares the LORD.' "

COMMENT:

So much in this chapter - hard to know where to begin...

Jeremiah had been diligent in proclaiming the Word of God to the people. Threat to his physical well-being did not deter him. For the most part, most rejected the message from God and worked to silence him. But not Ebed-melech.

Ebed worked to rescue Jeremiah from the dungeon - and succeeded. In return God blessed him for his belief, his faith and did as he promised, fulfilling the Word he had spoken through Jeremiah.

What Ebed did was risky. He went against the prevailing mindset of the palace. He put his life, his reputation on the line - all because he knew what was done to Jeremiah was wicked.

Love for God emboldens a person. Fighting wickedness is in itself risky, but he did it and God blessed him.

Do we allow fear from the wicked to impede our obedience to the LORD?

(I am using Jonathan's laptop at the moment, and do not know how long he will leave it here for me to use...)

23And [each time] when Jehudi had read three or four columns [of the scroll], he [King Jehoiakim] would cut them off with a penknife and cast them into the fire that was in the brazier, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier.

24Yet they were not afraid, nor did they rend their garments--neither the king, nor any of his servants who heard all these words.

25Even though Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah tried to persuade the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.

The thing that struck me with this segment was everytime King Jehoakim listened to the Words of the Lord through Jeremiah's Book he would remove them with a penknife and burn those sections. To me this is a simple picture of picking and choosing scriptures to believe and live by while ignoring the ones that truly convict us, This is King Jehoakim with an incredibly hard heart showing that when we read the scriptures we must remain with a soft heart and a teachable spirit. Even in the midst of wise advisers such as Elnathan and Delaiah they couldn't break through the hard heart of the King, It is only the Holy Spirit that can cut and tenderize the heart.

Jeremiah 38:2-3 NASB

2“Thus says the LORD, ‘He who stays in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live and have his own life as booty and stay alive.’

3“Thus says the LORD, ‘This city will certainly be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and he will capture it.’”

Isaih 26:9-10 NASB:
9 At night my soul longs for You, Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently; For when the earth experiences Your judgments The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

10 Though the wicked is shown favor, He does not learn righteousness;

COMMENT:

Judgement - my mind pondered this fact all week - can't get away from it.

Judgement against any people is frightening, at the least. It means security is destroyed, at least the forms humans trusted in. When humans mete out judgement, the intent usually is to completely destroy with little or no compassion.

God's judgement by contrast, is mingled with compassion through and through with the idea of redeeming the offending persons. God promised judgement to Judah, but with it he gave them specific instructions on how to save their lives. If they followed a basic command, their lives could be spared and distress moderated. In obeying a basic command - like surrendering to an enemy nation - God would be placing them in a situation where he can show himself Mighty, protector of his people. In turn it will also work to destroy the idol worship that resides in the heart of its victims. These idols need to be destroyed in order for one to serve the LORD.

God's judgement is not to be feared because it will always be just, unlike man's. The goal is redemption - always - much like spanking a child when he disobeys, hoping the child will learn to obey because it is in the child's best interest to learn unconditional obedience.

The calamities prophecied in Revelation state repeatedly that the goal is to get people to repent...

How do we respond when we experience God's chastisement?

Jeremiah 38: 5, 10, 19-24; 39:6-8 NASB

5 So King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands; for the king can do nothing against you.

10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take thirty men from here under your authority and bring up Jeremiah the prophet from the cistern before he dies.”

19 Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I dread the Jews who have gone over to the Chaldeans, for they may give me over into their hand and they will abuse me.”

20 But Jeremiah said, “They will not give you over. Please obey the LORD in what I am saying to you, that it may go well with you and you may live.

21 “But if you keep refusing to go out, this is the word which the LORD has shown me:

22‘Then behold, all of the women who have been left in the palace of the king of Judah are going to be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon; and those women will say,
“Your close friends
Have misled and overpowered you;
While your feet were sunk in the mire,
They turned back.”

23‘They will also bring out all your wives and your sons to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape from their hand, but will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned with fire.’”

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know about these words and you will not die.

39:6 Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes at Riblah; the king of Babylon also slew all the nobles of Judah.

7He then blinded Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in fetters of bronze to bring him to Babylon.

8 The Chaldeans also burned with fire the king’s palace and the houses of the people, and they broke down the walls of Jerusalem.

COMMENT:

Here is a classic example of the truth as spoken in Matthew 6:24 NASB:“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Zedekiah wanted the best of both worlds: he was a very unstable king: if one group wanted to imprison Jeremiah, he gave them permission. Another one came up and said you did wrong and then gave him permission to rescue Jeremiah. Later he privately consulted with Jeremiah about the future. It appears he wanted to save his skin but was afraid to submit to another's authority. He was warned what would happen if he failed to do as God spoke through Jeremiah. And it happened just like Jeremiah said it would.

Zedekiah could have saved himself and others lots of grief, pain and sorrow had they only repented. After this moment seemed to have passed it was submit to the Chaldeans but once again they refused to submit. Then came payday as it always will.

This incident highlights the futility of trying to serve two masters. God will not share his glory with another. Man tries it but the idol will always win. Every time. It is all for God or nothing, even if man thinks it is otherwise.

Who am I serving?

Jeremiah 38:19, 24; 41:18 NASB

19 Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I dread the Jews who have gone over to the Chaldeans, for they may give me over into their hand and they will abuse me.”

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know about these words and you will not die

41:18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, since Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.

COMMENT:

In reading through this book I am struck with the fact how people acted out of fear. It mattered nothing what Jeremiah said, they allowed their own common sense dictate their decisions not considering seriously that God is in control and will perform as He says he would.

Isaiah:12-14a NASB says:
12 You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.

13 “It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy.
And He shall be your fear,And He shall be your dread.

14“Then He shall become a sanctuary;

This is an eternal truth that will stand the test of time. Always.

We live in very uncertain times. Will we be as sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, even when he leads us to do what seems to fly in face of our best interests?

Jeremiah 40:10-16; 41:1-2 NASB

10 "Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay at Mizpah to stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, gather in wine and summer fruit and oil and put them in your storage vessels, and live in your cities that you have taken over.”

11 Likewise, also all the Jews who were in Moab and among the sons of Ammon and in Edom and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.

12 Then all the Jews returned from all the places to which they had been driven away and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered in wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

13 Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah

14 and said to him, “Are you well aware that Baalis the king of the sons of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.

15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and not a man will know! Why should he take your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the remnant of Judah would perish?”

16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”

Chapter 41:1 In the seventh month Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family and one of the chief officers of the king, along with ten men, came to Mizpah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. While they were eating bread together there in Mizpah,

2 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him arose and struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword and put to death the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.

3 Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.

COMMENTS:

Some semblance of order and peace appeared in the country. Jews from other places moved in. The gov told the people they should submit to the king of Babylon and most people complied. The summer ended with a bountiful crop and people were happy.

In the meantime, a report reached Gedaliah that someone is planning to to kill him. He chose to disbelieve him, saying the report is a lie.

Sometime later this report proved to be true and it was carried out, once again undermining their comfort and security.

The people had been in a turmoil politically. It effected all phases of life. Now some semblance of order had prevailed; they harvested a bountiful crop and their guard was dropped. They did not regard any other threat to their well-being as anything of consideration. Gedeliah chose to not take seriously the message given to him by a loyal supporter which then proved to be a disaster for him personally and the people under him.

How often does it happen to us that when things go well, we have plenty to eat, the government is doing well that we drop our guard and regard any warnings that seem to threaten our well-being as being mere rumor, a lie or the product of an over active imagination?

Spiritually things may be going smoothly. The devil has been laying quietly and not giving us much trouble. We feel like we are on top of the world and perhaps we get slack in our prayer time and Bible study. Any threat out there does not appear to be serious and then the enemy strikes while we have our defenses down and we get the jolt of our life...

Is it not true that when things seem to be the most quiet that this is the most dangerous time for us spiritually?

"Then they (the remnant safe in Judea) said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us. Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God."

This is the voice of the remnant people post the evacuation of Jerusalem. They have approached the prophet of God and asked of him what it is that Jehovah expects of them.

For the last week I have been thinking about what happens next, and to be honest I am completely baffled by this narrative. Jeremiah Responds by warning them that if they go down into Egypt, God will basically upend that nation and punish the remnant to an utter extent. It is not the hardened response they give Jeremiah that surprises me. At this point, Jeremiah has had almost no responsiveness to his message in any positive fashion, why would that change? (this is a lesson on the deceitfulness of sin to be certain.) What surprises me, and has me so baffled is, why on earth did they boast they would do whatever the prophet told them God said? I mean, what is really going on here? Did they mean that? Were they sincere? How do we get to this point? I think that maybe chapter 44:15-20 may be giving me a clue, I am wondering if they were so used to their worship of the Queen of heaven and her responsiveness to their meaningless petty worship of cakes and offerings, that they may have thought that Jehovah would require something simple like this? A form of worship that allows both the citizenship of the world, and the benefit of Godly prosperity? Did they think that God would speak something like, make honey cakes to God and he will be happy with you while you cavort like demons in Helios and Memphis? Rather, the LORD told them not to go down to Egypt explicitly. He told them exactly what they did not want to hear. How often this is the case. We so easily put up a front and a show that we want God's reality in our lives, but how hard we can be to what he really wants.

I remember how much sin blinds, and I remember how in the peak of my own rebellion against God that I never saw things His way, the Bible was like a coiled snake on my desk. It's words were always so foreign, and I found much more peace by discussing God on my own terms. If I am not careful, I can sidle back into these craggy desolate climbs of carnal reasoning. God help me...

In reading this portion, I asked the same questions.

Jeremiah never changed the message God gave him. God always said the same thing.

How can people promise to be so obedient only to do the opposite? Is this a classic example of 'whosoever thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall' failing?

Jeremiah 40:16; 41:1,2 NASB

16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”

Chapter 41:1 In the seventh month Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family and one of the chief officers of the king, along with ten men, came to Mizpah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. While they were eating bread together there in Mizpah,

2 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him arose and struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword and put to death the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.

COMMENT:

The dynamics of this political situation struck me this morning.

In rereading this portion, the point in made in v.1 that Ishmael is from the royal family. He is the one who conspired to kill Gedaliah and succeeded. He was a fellow Israelite.

The royal family was in charge of Judah for hundreds of years. They had the preeminence politically. They were the ones who called the shots, they had the power. Perhaps Ishmael could not stand to see a lesser man assert authority apart from the ruling family?

Assuming this was Ishmael's driving motivation one could see the destructiveness of the lust for power. This lust will destroy everytime unless it is corralled by the power of the Holy Spirit which Ishmael obviously did not have.

This reminds me of Matthew 10:36 NASB: and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.

One must be ever so vigilant.

As it was, Gedaliah did not want to hear what Johanan had to say. If he had, it might have saved his life.

But, isn't that how we are? Some just live in such self-deception that it will destroy them.

There is an ear-tickling generation that hates the truth, and that generation is found in churches the world over.

And yes, as scripture tells us, some of our enemies are in our homes. May God be with us.

God bless.

some of our enemies are in our homes.

And this is the most painful thing one has to endure. And it is all because people do not want to hear the truth, just like you said.

When I stop to think about it, I was this way at one time. It was only through the mercy and grace of God that he brought me out of it. For me there was an abiding sin that needed attention, one that I could not lay my finger on until God did and it was called evil imagination. The best way I can describe it is believing lies. For me it took a supernatural deliverance to get rid of it. Praise the LORD for his kindness and mercy!

Jeremiah 42:10-14 NASB

10 If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you.

11‘Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing; do not be afraid of him,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand.

12 ‘I will also show you compassion, so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own soil.

13 ‘But if you are going to say, “We will not stay in this land,” so as not to listen to the voice of the LORD your God,

14 saying, “No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of a trumpet or hunger for bread, and we will stay there”;

COMMENT:

God had been warning the Israelites about their need to submit to the authority of Nebuchadnezzar but they were too afraid to do so. Failure to do so will result in disaster.

Now they were again in a situation where they thought their security was threatened. Egypt looked inviting. At the moment it promised security, enough food to eat and no war. But God said "no, you stay and submit to Nebuchadnezzar; I will be with you and show you compassion", v.12. This they could not visualize. The Chaldeans were not the kindest people in the neighborhood. But God was using them to teach them and they refused to submit to His authority. Had they obeyed they could easily have experienced the mercy and grace of God on a level unimagined.

Jeremiah preach much, warning people to repent and failure to do so will invite the wrath of God. They chose to go their own way, ignore the warnings from Jeremiah. The wrath came and now they wanted to run away from it - naturally. But you cannot run away from God's judgement against sin.

No man can ever successfully escape, run away from the consequences of sin, hard as they try.

Jeremiah 42: 1-6; 43:1-4 NASB

1 Then all the commanders of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people both small and great approached

2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our petition come before you, and pray for us to the LORD your God, that is for all this remnant; because we are left but a few out of many, as your own eyes now see us,

3 that the LORD your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.”

4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I am going to pray to the LORD your God in accordance with your words; and I will tell you the whole message which the LORD will answer you. I will not keep back a word from you.”

5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the LORD your God will send you to us.

6 “Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the LORD our God.”

1But as soon as Jeremiah, whom the LORD their God had sent, had finished telling all the people all the words of the LORD their God—that is, all these words—

2 Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You are not to enter Egypt to reside there’;

3 but Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us to give us over into the hand of the Chaldeans, so they will put us to death or exile us to Babylon.”

4 So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces, and all the people, did not obey the voice of the LORD to stay in the land of Judah.

COMMENT:

People sure have not changed any since this was written...

A few observations:
1. The people, including the leaders, did have a certain fear or respect for Jeremiah, even though they chose to rebel against his advice.

2. A stubborn people cannot be reasoned with.

3. A stubborn people want the blessings of those they consider to be close to God.

4. A stubborn people want to chose a philosophy that seems to make their lives more pleasant, regardless where it comes from.

5. A stubborn people serve self: me, myself and I.

6. Unless the god of self is forsaken, all the God of Heaven can do is make life miserable for them, wrecking their idols, demonstrating their impotency. This is what God did when he sent the plagues upon Egypt during the time of Moses.

I am still in a shock at these politicians who declare they will do as the Lord informs them but when Jeremiah tells them, they say he lies! Yes, rebellious people want the blessings of those they consider God's people without submitting to his will.

This mindset persists to this day! It is all around us...(Ever heard of politician who will teach a Sunday School class in his church, yet in the meantime operate a whore house? Politicians - Missippi style...)

Concerning Jeremiah 42:1-6, 43:1-4, that has always astounded me. Why ask to please yourself?

I was talking with my sister last night, about a move of God we saw back in the early '80's. How it was that the leadership wanted us to 'get back to normal' as soon as possible.

First, we say we want God, yet, when we hear from Him, the real us shows up. And it's not a nice us at all.

Either we want God, or we don't. He sure isn't coming on our terms.

Jeremiah 43:8-10 NASB

8 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,

9 “Take some large stones in your hands and hide them in the mortar in the brick terrace which is at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of some of the Jews;

10 and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am going to send and get Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I am going to set his throne right over these stones that I have hidden; and he will spread his canopy over them.

COMMENT:

I have a question which I hope someone can answer...

I have heard that this prophecy seemed so far out to the people because the Babylonians never before had invaded Egypt, hence the Jews decision to run from Judah to Egypt to get away from the Chaldeans.

Can anyone enlighten us on this question?

If this is true, the implications are serious: one cannot run away from God. He will allow the most improbable thing, the most unthinkable, to happen to you to prove his sovereignty.

Jeremiah 44:13-19 NASB

13 And I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine and with pestilence.

14‘So there will be no refugees or survivors for the remnant of Judah who have entered the land of Egypt to reside there and then to return to the land of Judah, to which they are longing to return and live; for none will return except a few refugees.’”

15 Then all the men who were aware that their wives were burning sacrifices to other gods, along with all the women who were standing by, as a large assembly, including all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, responded to Jeremiah, saying,

16 “As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we are not going to listen to you!

17 “But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, by burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food and were well off and saw no misfortune.

18 “But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine.”

19 “And,” said the women, “when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”

COMMENT:

This portion is a classic example of the truth expressed elsewhere. Consider these scriptures:

Ecclesiastes 8:11 NASB: Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.

AND

Isaiah 26:9-10 NASB: At night my soul longs for You,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
For when the earth experiences Your judgments
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

10Though the wicked is shown favor,
He does not learn righteousness;
He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness,
And does not perceive the majesty of the LORD.

AND

2Peter 3:9 NASB: The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

How often do we see people who are so satisfied in their sins because things go so well for them! They see no need to repent. They have all the toys and pleasures that bring them delight; nothing bad is happening, so why should I surrender my lifestyle for something else?

Since this is happening in our own family I pray much that I would not interfere in God's working in the lives of these loved ones. When one sees harvest being reaped of what was sowed we want to hasten to soften the blows, but how many times by doing thus are we hindering the work of the Holy Spirit? A body must experience the grave discomforts of the pig pen before there will be a motivation to seek the comforts of the Father. And that long journey home is essential for the prodigal so he will have time to evaluate the path he has been on and where he is going to now.

While one can easily see how this scripture refers to gross sinning, how about those who displace portions of God's word with one of their own choosing and marketing it? And are getting rich? Am I an enabler?

Lord, this scripture has such far reaching applications...help me LORD to surrender all that interferes in my relationship with you!

Jeremiah 45:1-5 NASB

1 This is the message which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written down these words in a book at Jeremiah’s dictation, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying:

2 “Thus says the LORD the God of Israel to you, O Baruch:

3 ‘You said, “Ah, woe is me! For the LORD has added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning and have found no rest.”’

4 “Thus you are to say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Behold, what I have built I am about to tear down, and what I have planted I am about to uproot, that is, the whole land.”

5 ‘But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I am going to bring disaster on all flesh,’ declares the LORD, ‘but I will give your life to you as booty in all the places where you may go.

COMMENT:

I see here a display of the mercy and grace of God bestowed upon a weary scribe.

Baruch was Jeremiah's secretary who recorded the messages God gave him. It appears to have wearied him, the messages of woe. But God comes along and says he will keep him through out all these calamities, "but I will give your life to you as booty in all the places where you may go."

It becomes wearisome to teach, warn people of the things to come. One can get very paranoid, discouraged when people refuse to listen. Besides, the message is wearisome as well. God did not rebuke Baruch but instead told him he will survive these judgments he has pronounced upon these people. God did not promise us that he will spare us any chastisements, in fact he promised us He will chastise his children. But he did promise us to be with us and that he does allow it for our own good. Hebrews 12:5-8.

I guess it would be wearisome writing about woe, woe and more woe, every time you wrote.

But, God sees and knows all. And if God said to Baruch that his life would be spared, then it was.

God is true to His word. He is not a man that He should lie.

If only we would not call Him a liar, and accept what He says.

We don't think we call Him a liar, but if we can't believe what He says...

We don't think we call Him a liar, but if we can't believe what He says...

then we are calling Him a liar...

Glad you pointed this out.

Jeremiah 46:25-28 NASB

25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says, “Behold, I am going to punish Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh, and Egypt along with her gods and her kings, even Pharaoh and those who trust in him.

26 “I shall give them over to the power of those who are seeking their lives, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his officers. Afterwards, however, it will be inhabited as in the days of old,” declares the LORD.

27 “But as for you, O Jacob My servant, do not fear,
Nor be dismayed, O Israel!
For, see, I am going to save you from afar,
And your descendants from the land of their captivity;
And Jacob will return and be undisturbed
And secure, with no one making him tremble.

28 “O Jacob My servant, do not fear,” declares the LORD,
“For I am with you.
For I will make a full end of all the nations
Where I have driven you,
Yet I will not make a full end of you;
But I will correct you properly
And by no means leave you unpunished.”

COMMENT:

This scirpture is a reminder how God is in TOTAL control of ALL political and natural events. There is nothing that happens that is beyond his control. He decrees it and so it will be.

On the surface this sounds so simplistic, and perhaps it is, but it is the truth. We cannot change what God has determined for whatever reason.

The comforting word here is that through out all this political upheaval, war, God still has his eyes of caring on his people.

And this has not changed, not at all.

"I will be with you unto the end of the world" says our beloved Savior. Even in the midst of severe persecution.

Jeremiah 47: 1-7 NASB

1 That which came as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh conquered Gaza.
2 Thus says the LORD:
“Behold, waters are going to rise from the north
And become an overflowing torrent,
And overflow the land and all its fullness,
The city and those who live in it;
And the men will cry out,
And every inhabitant of the land will wail.

3 “Because of the noise of the galloping hoofs of his stallions, The tumult of his chariots, and the rumbling of his wheels,The fathers have not turned back for their children, Because of the limpness of their hands,

4On account of the day that is coming
To destroy all the Philistines,
To cut off from Tyre and Sidon
Every ally that is left;
For the LORD is going to destroy the Philistines,
The remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.

5 “Baldness has come upon Gaza;
Ashkelon has been ruined.
O remnant of their valley,
How long will you gash yourself?

6 “Ah, sword of the LORD,
How long will you not be quiet?
Withdraw into your sheath;
Be at rest and stay still.

7“How can it be quiet,
When the LORD has given it an order?
Against Ashkelon and against the seacoast—
There He has assigned it.”

COMMENT:

Tyre was a great Phoenician city. They had considered themselves invincible, if I recall. Here, God through Jeremiah, is foretelling its destruction including the cities of the plain.

The Philistines had been a severe thorn in the Jews' flesh during their entire history in Palestine. They were stronger militarily then the Jews. They had iron before the Jews did and made instruments of war with it. Militarily they were superior. Now God is saying he will wipe them out.

I wonder whether these people heard of Jeremiah? What did they think of him? Did they laugh at him because he was predicting Judah's destruction and telling its people to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar? And now Jeremiah is saying they, too, will become history. One can only speculate, based upon human behaviors that have not changed in the years since. Whether they did or not, the Philistines had good reasons to feel secure since they were much stronger then Judah.

But when God decrees otherwise, not even your fortresses can withstand the sword of God. (v. 7)

Jeremiah 48: 11 NASB

11 “Moab has been at ease since his youth;
He has also been undisturbed, like wine on its dregs,
And he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into exile.
Therefore he retains his flavor,
And his aroma has not changed.

COMMENT:

In Jeremiah 48:1-10 details are shared about the mental, emotional anguish that will be suffered by the Moabites when judgement will visit their land/nation.

Now v.11 details what life is like for them - at the present.

They are undisturbed. Never have been emptied from one vessel to another.

When this is the case, self-satisfaction creeps in and people become proud, arrogant and resort to self-exaltation. (v. 29). They trust in their own achievements and treasures. (v.7) Being undisturbed will allow one much time to settle into this mindset. "Everything is working OK, so we must be doing something right."

Sounds like moderns, does it not?

It does sound like moderns.

There seems to be so much apathy around that it's almost unbelievable.

Nothing at all seems to stir us into urgency.

Don't want to take away from Jeremiah, but where is the spirit of Nehemiah? He heard about the wall of Jerusalem being broken down, and it broke him.

But we seem undisturbed, as did the Moabites. We retain our flavour, as did the Moabites. I wonder what we taste like to God? And what aroma do we have, that of life or death?

God is watching, listening and recording?

Do we care?

Jeremiah 48:29,30,47 NASB

29 “We have heard of the pride of Moab—he is very proud—
Of his haughtiness, his pride, his arrogance and his self-exaltation.

30 “I know his fury,” declares the LORD,
“But it is futile;
His idle boasts have accomplished nothing

47 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
In the latter days,” declares the LORD.
Thus far the judgment on Moab.

COMMENT:
Jeremiah 48 details the destruction of Moab and how the people will react to this ongoing process. It will evoke much grief, sorrow from its people, whether they be male or female - all alike will suffer tremendously.

They are a people who felt secure; they were comfortable; they looked in scorn at those who suffered, v. 27. They produced a people who became haughty, proud, arrogant and resorted to self-exaltation.

Self-exaltation is a sin that permeates society all around us. It is an "I" centered mentality, fed by pride, sustained by own sense of security.

In v. 47 God says he will restore the fortunes of Moab. But he first has to rid from their midst all these things that work to sustain pride, arrogance and self-exaltation.

Self-exaltation is built upon the sand now just as it was back then. It is to anyone's best advantage spiritually to allow God to destroy these things that promote this mindset.

This might be a painful procedure. (Hebrews 12:11) It will be less painful if we allow God to do this work of cleansing, saying "yes, LORD."

As we noticed in this book the pain was enhanced by their refusal to listen and take action. God wants to spare his people this enormous grief, but when people refuse to listen He has no other choice but to rid the land from those that work to undermine his will. He will do it, of this we can be certain.

(Mind if I share something that I heard yesterday at church? We had a speaker who spoke about the church in North Korea. He told us how N. Korea was evangelized in the late 1800s onto the 1900s. There was a great revival among its people. However, on its heels came great apostasy - like it usually does when there is a great revival - and it made fast inroads into the church. Today the church suffers tremendously at the hands of its government. Just recently an underground church was discovered and all 23 of its members were imprisoned except for the three that were killed. The remaining will likely not endure prison long because most die while there. The cost to follow the LORD Jesus is extremely high in N. Korea. Persecution is strengthening the church, producing strong Believers. An aside - did you know that Kim Il Jung had a Pentecostal mother, Kang Ban Sok? Source: "Juche; a Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion" by Thomas J. Belke.)

Jeremiah 48:1; 49:1,7,23,28,34 NASB

1 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel,
“Woe to Nebo, for it has been destroyed;
Kiriathaim has been put to shame, it has been captured;
The lofty stronghold has been put to shame and shattered.

49:1 Concerning the sons of Ammon. Thus says the LORD:
“Does Israel have no sons?
Or has he no heirs?
Why then has Malcam taken possession of Gad
And his people settled in its cities?

7 Concerning Edom.
Thus says the LORD of hosts,
“Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman?
Has good counsel been lost to the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?

23 Concerning Damascus.
“Hamath and Arpad are put to shame,
For they have heard bad news;
They are disheartened.
There is anxiety by the sea,
It cannot be calmed.

28 Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. Thus says the LORD,
“Arise, go up to Kedar
And devastate the men of the east.

34 That which came as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:

COMMENT:

I am impressed with God's concern and love for Israel's enemies.

A casual reading of the OT one gets the impression that the Jehovah God is the God of the Jews only. Very little is recorded in the WORD about God's dealings with other peoples. There are hints of it but these dealings are not shared in detail. The most notable one is Jonah and Nahum concerning Nineveh.

These neighboring nations must have known something about the LORD. He tells them they will destroyed but will at some point in the future restore their fortunes.

It seems as though the principle as noted in Romans1:20 - "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse" - was operational since day one.

Since this is the case, how do I fit in God's scheme of evangelizing? sharing the WORD? Is it perhaps more to prove the validity of what is sensed in the unbeliever's spirit concerning God then anything else? I sometimes wonder.

Jeremiah 50:11 NASB

11“Because you are glad, because you are jubilant,
O you who pillage My heritage,
Because you skip about like a threshing heifer
And neigh like stallions,

COMMENT:

I reading this chapter, I got stuck on this verse, couldn't go any further....

God had earlier told the Israelites how they needed to surrender to the Chaldeans and if they didn't woe will befall them at the hands of the Babylonians which is what happened. Now it appears these people have become arrogant and proud of their accomplishments. "..you are jubilant...who pillage My heritage.." Maybe they carried their destruction of Judah to an extreme?

What arrested my imagination is "Because you skip about like a threshing heifer".

I grew up on a working farm - this was dad's occupation. Dad raised all kinds of farm animals for market and was successful. Among these animals were cattle, primarily dairy cattle. These cows were bred, had calves and we raised them to market size or kept the heifers for milk cows.

Sometimes these cattle would get real frisky, especially when you wanted to herd them up to the barn for milking. Dad used to say that when they did this there must be a change in the weather coming up. These animals would jump, swing wide their tails, twist their bodies...actually, it was fun to watch them act so frisky but that is where the fun ends. If most of the herd was frisky it was a real trial to herd these animals. If only a few, the problem was minimized. (On day our son Dean's calves got out of the pen, got on the highway and headed towards town. They were so frisky, so wild I could do nothing to stop their progress. I had to call my husband, who was at the church, to come home and get these calves.)

Wild, cannot be herded, cannot be corralled [without being lassoed and hustled to the ground]. This is how God described the Babylonians....hmmm, seems like their progeny are all around us. Does this describe me? You?

Seems like the Babylonians are gloating over the fall of Israel.

They seem to be getting hyper about it. Too arrogant.

God forbid the people of God should take on those characteristic. If we are doing so, we are really in danger.

We should test our faith daily.

God bless.

Jeremiah 50: 20 NASB

20‘In those days and at that time,’ declares the LORD, ‘search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.’

COMMENT:

I find this prophecy fascinating....

I have been told that after the Jews returned from Babylon they never again worshiped idols, which was their downfall that brought about God's judgement. Which then was a fulfillment of this prophecy.

Remnant: in chapter 52 v.30 it tells us how many were carried away into Babylon:4600. In Nehemiah 7:66 it tells us that 46,360 people returned after a 70 year captivity. WOW! What multiplication!

These numbers fascinate me. The number that returned were ten times the number that were carried away. In the meantime there were those that had died and were buried.

I compiled a genealogy book eight years ago of my maternal g-grandparents and their descendants. There were almost 1500 biological descendants from a couple born in 1866. In doing this I am also becoming aware of a trend in family lines becoming extinct. Most of the time it happens when there are small families - like one or two children. Then they may not marry and produce children. And then you have families fragmented by divorce who become anti-family. As long as the families feared the LORD there was multiplication. When apostasy sets in, there is a trend to extinction. Doesn't happen overnight but it does in time - one has to stand back and take a long range look to see the trends.

Remnant? God can do much with a remnant. He will multiply it as long as they honor Him.

Jeremiah 50:11, 24, 29 NASB

11“Because you are glad, because you are jubilant,
O you who pillage My heritage,

24“I set a snare for you and you were also caught, O Babylon,
While you yourself were not aware;
You have been found and also seized
Because you have engaged in conflict with the LORD.”

29“Summon many against Babylon,
All those who bend the bow:
Encamp against her on every side,
Let there be no escape.
Repay her according to her work;
According to all that she has done, so do to her;
For she has become arrogant against the LORD,
Against the Holy One of Israel.

COMMENT:

In chapters 50 and 51 God seems to be really cutting loose on Babylon and Israel.

God used Babylon as a tool of judgement against Israel. After they accomplished this task, he will then in turn inflict judgement upon that nation as well. It is indeed as the saying goes; God will use a more wicked nation to judge a less wicked one and then will turn and judge that nation as well.

This does not make sense to the logical mind unless one considers that in God's economy nothing, absolutely nothing goes to waste. If something is bad, He will use it somewhere for his honor and glory and once he is done with it he will destroy it as well.

Consider Pharaoh, he had a hard heart. Scriptures tells us that God hardened it as well. To many of us this does not make sense when one considers the mercy and grace of God: how can a benevolent God harden a person's heart and send him to hell? God knew Pharaoh will never repent so to make sure he will never capitulate to any of Moses demands out of sympathy or for financial advantages, he had to harden it so he can use him to accomplish his will to deliver the people from Egypt and demonstrate his sovereignty to the Israelites and the Egyptians.

What was so wrong with Babylon? (1) They became jubilant in their role in trashing Israel, (2) They engaged in conflict with the LORD, (3) and they became arrogant against the LORD. In other words, power corrupted them; and there is a price to pay.

When we see God use us and experience any kind of power in our hand, does it make us proud? do we become jubilant to see God's enemies trashed? God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked - Ezekiel 18:23; 33:11.

There is so much here, it boggles my mind....the sovereignty of God: his wrath, his justice, his love, his mercy...all wrapped up in one package called Jehovah, the Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

edit: I am overwhelmed.

I'm overwhelmed right along with you. For our God is awesome.

Sometimes, thinking about God just leaves you breathless.

Lord Willing, this will likely be my last post on the thread for at least a week unless I find a computer to use to access the web.

My husband and I plan to go on vacation next week and be gone most of it. We have no laptops nor any other gizmos that can access the web, so we will be out of pocket! :-)

In the meantime, I would encourage others to go ahead and share your insights with rest of this book - or anything else in this book. Chapters 50 and 51 are loaded with profound truths that cannot be exhausted very quickly.

Usually, I do not study Jeremiah on Saturdays because then I am studying for the Sunday School lesson I teach on the LORD's day at our church. Sunday our lesson is from Titus 1 and I find it amazing how this message dovetails right in with the book of Jeremiah. The warnings against false teachers is pertinent for all generations. There will never be a time when one can relax and not be on guard against the enemy of our souls.

God bless....and let us all stay on watch because the LORD's return is drawing closer with each passing day...

ginnyrose

Jeremiah 50:6-7 NASB

6 "My people have become lost sheep;
Their shepherds have led them astray.
They have made them turn aside on the mountains;
They have gone along from mountain to hill
And have forgotten their resting place.

7 “All who came upon them have devoured them;
And their adversaries have said, ‘We are not guilty,
Inasmuch as they have sinned against the LORD who is the habitation of righteousness,
Even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’

COMMENT:

After reading this I did more searching and found this:

Ezekiel 34:1-19 NASB:
1 Then the word of the LORD came to me saying,

2“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?

3“You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock.

4“Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.

5“They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered.

6“My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.”’”

7Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

8“As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock;

9therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

10‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”’”

The Restoration of Israel

11For thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.

12“As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.

13“I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land.

14“I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

15“I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord GOD.

16“I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment.

17“As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats.

18‘Is it too slight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must foul the rest with your feet?

19‘As for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet and drink what you foul with your feet!’”

Sheep. They need a shepherd because without one they will wander off to who knows were and get lost. Ignorant and not very smart. This describes humans. But a shepherd is smarter then the sheep. He knows their character, their strengths and weaknesses and will work to save them from themselves and their predators.

In the scripture we read where the shepherds led their charges away, they plundered them to feed their own lusts which bring to mind the incident recorded in 1Samuel 2:12-16 NASB:

12Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD

13and the custom of the priests with the people. When any man was offering a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand.

14Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. Thus they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.

15Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat for roasting, as he will not take boiled meat from you, only raw.”

16If the man said to him, “They must surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as you desire,” then he would say, “No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force.”

17Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for the men despised the offering of the LORD."

Note v. 16. These priests took what they wanted regardless....

Today one sees many 'ministries' who operate giving the impression they are working for God but the are destroying the sheep by greed. Greed is bundled up in wrappings of piety and appeal to ones self interests for a better life. But they plunder.

Our Master Shepherd is so wonderfully kind who does look out for the welfare of his flock. Then there are pastors who do work to feed their flocks - Praise the LORD for faithful shepherds.

Jeremiah 50:24, 29-32 NASB

24 “I set a snare for you and you were also caught, O Babylon,
While you yourself were not aware;
You have been found and also seized
Because you have engaged in conflict with the LORD.”

29“Summon many against Babylon,
All those who bend the bow:
Encamp against her on every side,
Let there be no escape.
Repay her according to her work;
According to all that she has done, so do to her;
For she has become arrogant against the LORD,
Against the Holy One of Israel.

30 “Therefore her young men will fall in her streets,
And all her men of war will be silenced in that day,” declares the LORD.

31 “Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one,”
Declares the Lord GOD of hosts,
“For your day has come,
The time when I will punish you.

32 “The arrogant one will stumble and fall
With no one to raise him up;
And I will set fire to his cities
And it will devour all his environs.”

COMMENT:

Babylon. Babylon teaches us much about the stability of a nation grown large in power, might and self-confidence. Other smaller nations trembled when it set its sights on them. Secular-wise they were winners everywhere in every sense of the word. They intimidated and became very arrogant against the LORD. What they desired they acquired.

But God used their strength to punish his people. Doesn't make sense. And I would suppose there would have been those Chaldeans who felt God was blessing them for succeeding in conquering Israel?

The day came when God was done with them and he called for their demise because of their arrogance.

What people today have a mindset similar to the Chaldeans? As a nation the USSR seemed very formidable years ago. They supported insurrection all over the globe and succeeded. They were unstoppable, or so it seemed. Today many youth will wonder who I am talking about here!

On the personal level are there individuals who are so powerful that others will quake at their presence? their will? They intimidate; no one is able to withstand their will. They are so arrogant that one feels like they are knee-high to a grasshopper and know they could easily get stomped on...How do we respond when we find ourselves in this situation? If it is a boss, we submit. Titus 2:9,10. Otherwise, we know that God knows and that he is allowing these powerful forces to exist in our lives, be it government, boss, family or whoever and we are to recognize this fact - that God is in control,we are to submit to the authorities set above us and that one day God will call these forces into account.

Yes...I do have my own Babylon to deal with. It is a mindset, an arrogant one in people I love whom I am required to honor. And the lesson? I suspect humility is on God's agenda in his allowing Babylons in our own personal lives....

As I've heard it said, our lives will glorify God, whether we serve Him or not.

Just think, Daniel was in Babylon all those years, but Babylon was not in him.

If only we could be the same.

Just think, Daniel was in Babylon all those years, but Babylon was not in him.

Glad you made this point, Enid. After reading this post I could see that perhaps I was not clear when I said about having to deal with a personal Babylon. I would hope to God I am not of this mindset. But I do have loved ones who are and having to deal with them on a regular basis is nothing less then difficult. And therein lies the opportunity to learn humility. God does allow these people in our surroundings to teach us whatever is lacking.

Appreciate your point very much, Enid.
ginnyrose

Jeremiah 51:45-48 NASB

45“Come forth from her midst, My people,
And each of you save yourselves
From the fierce anger of the LORD.

46“Now so that your heart does not grow faint,
And you are not afraid at the report that will be heard in the land—
For the report will come one year,
And after that another report in another year,
And violence will be in the land
With ruler against ruler—

47Therefore behold, days are coming
When I will punish the idols of Babylon;
And her whole land will be put to shame
And all her slain will fall in her midst.

48“Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
Will shout for joy over Babylon,
For the destroyers will come to her from the north,”
Declares the LORD.

COMMENT:

The entire chapter of Jeremiah 51 records Gods anger with Babylon and what he will do to bring about about his judgement upon her. His anger seems to me to be so intense that he can hardly quit talking about it...

Then in verse 45 on God tells his people to get out away from her...Ah - even in the midst of his anger God remembers his people! Is this not awesome? He does not forget, unlike we humans.

The language used in verse 45 reminded me of Revelation 18. There God is venting his anger again at Babylon and it is fierce. But look at verse 4: "I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;"

God's mercy is still operational even in the midst of judgement. He tells his people to get out of her! Wonder how that translates into the here and now?

Jeremiah 51:59 NASB

59 The message which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (Now Seraiah was quartermaster.)

COMMENT:

I became fascinated with Neriah, so I did more checking to see what all Jeremiah had to say about him, especially since his name occurs frequently in this book.

Jeremiah mentions two sons of Neriah: Baruch and Seraiah. Baruch was a scribe who worked as Jeremiah's secretary, recording his sermons. Baruch was a quartermaster according to Jer. 51:59. The only time his name is mentioned is here in chapter 51.

Both of these brothers were faithful, loyal men. Baruch took a lot of heat from the prevailing rulers for standing with Jeremiah. The king and his men recognized the authority invested in him by Jeremiah. (cha. 36)

I see here God's mercy, love, and concern for Jeremiah's emotional, mental well-being. He was not alone. God gave him faithful supporters who did his (Jeremiah's) bidding. Jeremiah had a tough job preaching gloom and doom all his life. (Lamentations 3:17: And my soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness. NASB)

Not many of us could withstand this type of ministry - alone. Whether we have a public ministry or not, we still cannot function well alone. Brother Paul admonishes us in Hebrews 10:25 "not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." Brother Paul had an associate that went with him on many of his travels. Jesus had his close friends. We all need close friends to lift us up when we are down; to sharpen us when we need sharpening. Proverbs 27:17.

Let us not separate ourselves from those who can help us. We need others and they need us. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit would show us who is in need of encouragement and get with it, asking Him to reveal to us how this can best be done.

Blessings....

I'm not sure whose name it is you say is mentioned only in chapter 51, but if it's Baruch, his name is mentioned in chapter 45 as well. But, it might not be him.

We do need encouragement, and godly fellowship, especially in these days.

God is faithful, and we should be faithful to Him.

God bless.

Jeremiah 52:13, 17-20 NASB

13 He burned the house of the LORD, the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire.

17 Now the bronze pillars which belonged to the house of the LORD and the stands and the bronze sea, which were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon.

18 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the pans and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service.

19 The captain of the guard also took away the bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the pans and the drink offering bowls, what was fine gold and what was fine silver.

20 The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the LORD—the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight.

COMMENT:

I was at a loss to know what inspiration there is for us here in chapter 52, but this morning I sensed I need to revisit this chapter...

2Chronicles 36:21 NASB tells us: to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete.

Sabbaths. hmmm

Then I went to Leviticus 26: 34-35 NASB:
34 ‘Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths.

35 ‘All the days of its desolation it will observe the rest which it did not observe on your sabbaths, while you were living on it.

It would do us all well to read and study Leviticus 36....

Anyhow...."enjoy its sabbaths" - this phrase grabs me like none other at the moment. Does the land suffer from lack of its observance? Actually, I have heard of farmers resting their fields every seven years, but doing it in rotation...but this practice is not widespread. If one suggests it you will be met with scorn - too many are so heavily in debt they cannot afford it...

Still..

What does 'sabbath' mean to me? Obviously, it was very important to God. He observed it after the creation and this observance was a part of the lifestyle of God's people since then.

Sabbaths...perhaps one should make an indepth study of it, then perhaps one can understand Paul's teaching of it in Hebrews. I sense there is a whole lot more here then meets the eye.

I saw this thread and watched it rest at the top of the recent posts for a very long time but never felt led to read it. However, in the past few weeks in a time set aside to pray for revival the Lord led us to start reading Jeremiah before the prayer time.

Tonight I read from chapter 41 to 48 which includes the prophecy against the remnant of Judah who survived the siege of the Babylonians but then decided to flee to Egypt. Jeremiah is included in this group who were free to remain in the land so the people turned to him to get a word from the Lord. I found three things interesting about this passage. The first was that Jeremiah had to wait ten days to get the word. Second that even though the people had asked him for the word of the Lord, they had already made up their minds to go to Egypt. And finally, that their going to Egypt meant not only their judgement but that of the country into which they fled. I wonder how my own refusals to obey have brought judgement not only on myself but those around me. I think about how judgement begins with the House of God so if we are unfaithful it will massive repercussions not only for ourselves but for the entire nation or nations around us.

All I want to do is sigh.

Wow, I hate to admit that I forgot all about this, thank you guys for bringing it up. This was wonderful fellowship.

Last weekend I was in the Biggest bookstore in Oregon, and I had been looking for some Greek helps and I saw this little lady, about a foot shorter than myself, and probably thirty years my elder thumbing through about 20-30 commentaries on the Book of Jeremiah. I could not help just watching her, she got down on her knees and pulled every commentary out with a rapid zeal, and stuffed them back into their place when she did not find what she was looking for. All the while I kind of pretended to look at books next to her, but really I was completely riveted by what she was doing. Finally after about three minutes of watching this, she finally found the commentary she wanted and pulled it out and clutched it to her chest as if it was her own grandchild.

I laughed out loud and told her how rare it was in this day and age to see someone so passionately seeking a commentary on the book of Jeremiah, especially where I was. We talked for about ten minutes, and shared fellowship. There are amazing things to learn from this weeping prophet. I hope I have a desire to embrace his message to my own heart as she did.

Loved your insight Jeremy.

Waiting on the LORD...this concept is woven throughout all of Scripture.

Wait.

Wait.

And wait some more.

It as to be done NOW! Don't you understand? And therein one runs into trouble.

Appreciate your observation and for sharing it. Important point, Jeremy.

I am glad this thread was "revived" it has been interesting going through and rereading some of the posts and seeing some of the conclusions we came to, I have to keep asking myself, Wow where did we come up with that(in a good sense)?

And Matthew, if you get more insights, share it! I would love to read them.

And you know what? That is the beauty of the Scriptures. You can read and reread it and new inspiration crops up all over again! Amazing, is it not?!

so I'm asking if someone could just tell me - is the link broken - is the sermon there - or is it just my slow dial-up again?

When I clicked on the link it opened right away and started talking. Maybe it is your dial-up connection. I have DSL and it is speedy.

I listened to this audio for a few moments and what I heard is....tragic, if it is true, but from other reports here on SI I assume it is.

Hope this helps...

If those Great men could "have their days" - our compassionate High Priest understands ours.

They talk like we do and feel sometimes, don't they? Must be human, too. Now, don't you feel better? :-)

Don't you think people are too quick to suggest someone is mentally unbalanced when they are in the dumps emotionally? Secular society wishes to haul you off to the shrink if you feel blue for too long. Or, maybe there is some nutritional supplement that will bring your spirits up...and you'll live happily ever after. This seems to be the modern mantra from the health industry...But do you not think this just sets a person up for drug abuse? Feel bad? pop a pill.

When one feels bad emotionally faith and trust is in short supply. But you know this will soon pass. Hey, a body cannot be in high spirits all the time! It is a test God allows us to live through to determine whether we will still believe in Him.

Yup, I have those days, too. Gets worse when your body no longer wants to cooperate with your ambition: it says you are tired but you do NOT want to tired! Bummer.

We're dying by degrees. That's what's wrong. Lets face it and find something else to laugh at!

I see your view point JiG and agree but I think we may have missed something in this context dealing with the role of bearing God's word. The joy of seeing the Lord redeem the poor does not mean he is exempt from feeling the pain for the loss of those who are under judgement because of the Word the Lord has spoken through him. Jeremiah is lamenting the reality that God has revealed to him about the cities and nations that are going to fall because the Word of the Lord is always Yes and Amen, if it is spoken it will come to pass.

This week I read chapters 49-51 which talks about the Lord's judgement of Babylon for their treatment of the Jews and other nations and their pride, claiming to have done all these things by their own hand. When I read that, it hit me like a load of bricks because the USA and the UK have had similar roles in the world. God raised them up to subdue nations but they became proud and claimed that it was by their own power that they had done these things. We have seen how God has already done much humbling of the UK and we are on the cusp of the Lord doing the same with the US after WWII. The thing that is so frightening about this passage of Jeremiah is that the Lord decrees that Babylon is being cast down never to rise again, never to be inhabited. The power and pride of Babylon were indeed great in their day but they were just a flash in the pan historically. I do not know personally of what Lord has in mind for the US but I know He is just.

I pray that grant the wicked repentance. To see the world as already judged because of an eternal view point, will stop one's mouth from light talking and jesting because the judgement is before your eyes will put you on your knees.

Do not fear, Peace be on you.

Jeremiah 6:27-30 (KJV)
27I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way. 28They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters. 29The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away. 30Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them.

Perhaps I have no faith but it feels like we live among these people now. Sigh...

One of God's favourite verses for me (when I complain):

Jer. 12: 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?

https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=0&topic_id=33031&forum=34&post_id=&refresh=Go

This is a link to a thread with an article by Andrew Strom entitled, "Practical Tips for the End-Time Church' which deals with discerning the spiritual source behind any phenomenon.

Thanks JiG for the Katz sermon, very appropriate and a blessing.

I know, it has been three years since I visited this thread...but in the adult sisters class we were skimming through Jeremiah with me teaching since nobody else wanted to touch it. Like usual - I gained more insights - that is the beauty of the WORD - never can exhaust it. Anyhow, our lesson was from this chapter today and I was so richly inspired. ginnyrose
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1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

2 He did evil in the sight of the LORD like all that Jehoiakim had done.

3 For through the anger of the LORD this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

4 Now it came about in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it and built a siege wall all around it.

5 So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

6 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

7 Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled and went forth from the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah.

8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him.

9 Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him.

10 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

11 Then he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.

12 Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

13 He burned the house of the LORD, the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire.

14 So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.

15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the rest of the artisans.

16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

17 Now the bronze pillars which belonged to the house of the LORD and the stands and the bronze sea, which were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon.

and etc...

COMMENT:

Jeremiah had the most thankless job - that of warning stubborn, bull-headed people to repent who never had a mind to do so. And they didn't. He warned them of calamities to come but they paid no heed. None. It seemed as though they were bent on doing the opposite of what he said. And so they did.

In this scripture we read how Jeremiah's prophecies did come to pass. They experienced some terrible things, awful things, horrible things, even getting to the point where they resorted to cannibalism for survival. But it did not stave off the inevitable - the Babylons still took them captive - all that resisting to the will of God got them nowhere but more suffering - all self-inflicted because of their disobedience.

In the meantime, how were the people who were carried off to Babylon earlier faring? How were they getting along? (Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel's lives and ministry overlapped.)

Daniel and his three friends earned high positions in the Babylonian government; Nehemiah was a cup-bearer to the Babylonian king - no mean job; Esther rose to prominence and saved her people all while living in Babylon. These are merely a few examples of people who bloomed where they were planted (Jer. 29:6,7).

A few lessons:

1. God is to be obeyed - his word is not to be modified to our liking.
2. Disobedience always brings severe consequences.
3. Sin will always effect others, even innocent people like it did Daniel and his three friends.
4. Obedience is not always fun or pleasant.
5. The prophet will rarely experience approval by the people he is ministering to. He will be subjected to severe persecution, disapproval by the people.
6. God's judgement is always undertaken with the purpose of motivating people to repent.

There may be more lessons...

Then I wonder - what would be the state of the modern church if God's people would always challenge sin when they see it indulged in?

This is what I have been thinking recently...maybe someone else can relate?