1 Zedekiah son of Josiah was made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin [a] son of Jehoiakim. 2 Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 King Zedekiah, however, sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: "Please pray to the LORD our God for us."
COMMENT:
Typical person, Zedekiah. He doesn't pay any attention to the words the Lord spoke through Jeremiah, but yet he wants Jeremiah to pray for him. Does he even believe in God really, or is he just hedging his bets? This is another stellar example of human nature. We want God's favor, but we don't want to pay attention to God's words. We want the 'good stuff', but we want it all for free, with no obligation or effort on our own part.
TANGENT:
Now, I might think "Well, salvation IS free!
Eph 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Yes it is a gift, and God made it that way because earning it is impossible since the wages of sin are death. We will never deserve salvation because of our own righteous actions, because we are already stained by sin.
However --- there is nevertheless an obligation involved. Our obligation is not to our sinful self, but to the Lord who has saved us.
Romans 8:12-14 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
Following God, putting to death the misdeeds of the body, shows -- AFTER the fact, AFTER being saved -- that we ARE saved. This does not entail perfection, but it does entail gradual changes toward obeying God in some areas of our lives.
Why, then, is it that Christians often don't seem like they are better people than anyone else? Some non-Christian people seem more 'good' than some Christians I know. I think this may be because we don't realize the depths of our sinfulness, and we don't start to discover the depths of our sinfulness until we start trying to follow Christ and we are in the process of sanctification. And as we discover the depth of our sinfulness, we discover in parallel the depth of the God's mercy. The phrase "The more I know, the more I realize how much I don't know" comes to mind here. As I start to learn what following Christ means, the contrast between what God created me to be and what I am in my day-to-day actions and attitudes becomes more and more stark. The more I try, the more I fail. I am thrown again into despair and awareness of my extreme need for Christ alone. I again bow at the foot of the cross. Gradually, Jesus makes the fruits of the spirit develop in my life but, apace with that 'progress' is my awareness of the depth of my sinfulness so that I will continue to be dependent on Him rather that stray into thinking that I can now live a godly life on my own, in my own power.
BACK TO ZEDEKIAH:
God isn't fooled. God does not relent. God does insist that we bow down to him and honor him and recognize that he is the one true God. Jeremiah lets Zedekiah know that the Babylonians will be back, and Zedekiah tosses him in the dungeon. Guess he didn't like that answer.
Neither do we, sometimes.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Jeremiah 36: Burning up the scroll
22 It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment, with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. 23 Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe's knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.
27 After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 28 "Take another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up.
32 So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.
COMMENTS:
What parts of my life are like burning up the scroll? When I hear or read God's word and refuse to heed it, it is essentially burning it up -- putting it out of my mind, ignoring it, rejecting it. Are there areas in which I am doing this?
God simply has Jeremiah write another one. He also intensifies and reaffirms the consequences that the Jehoiakim will experience as a result of his willful ingore-ance of God's word. God will not be thwarted.
27 After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 28 "Take another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up.
32 So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.
COMMENTS:
What parts of my life are like burning up the scroll? When I hear or read God's word and refuse to heed it, it is essentially burning it up -- putting it out of my mind, ignoring it, rejecting it. Are there areas in which I am doing this?
God simply has Jeremiah write another one. He also intensifies and reaffirms the consequences that the Jehoiakim will experience as a result of his willful ingore-ance of God's word. God will not be thwarted.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Serve God
Jeremiah 35
Serve God. It is as simple as that.
Some people do what they are told to do, and others ignore it. But it's clear that we are to serve God, and that God pays attention to whether we are doing so or not.
Serve God. It is as simple as that.
Some people do what they are told to do, and others ignore it. But it's clear that we are to serve God, and that God pays attention to whether we are doing so or not.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Jer. 33
14 " 'The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.
15 " 'In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it [c] will be called:
The LORD Our Righteousness.'
17 For this is what the LORD says: 'David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.' "
19 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 20 "This is what the LORD says: 'If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.
Comment:
Here are the wonderful promises that we so cling to today, the promises we see fulfilled in Jesus. He is on the throne of the house of Israel, and he also consistently offers his sacrifice in front of the Lord for our forgiveness. And the illustration of God's covenant with the day and night tells us how rock-solid is God's commitment to this plan.
Jeremiah 34
8 The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves. 9 Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Jew in bondage. 10 So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. 11 But afterward they changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.
Comment: This little story is dishearteningly like me. Sigh. Thank God for his provision of forgiveness, because people haven't changed. Our only help is in his provision for mercy.
14 " 'The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.
15 " 'In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it [c] will be called:
The LORD Our Righteousness.'
17 For this is what the LORD says: 'David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.' "
19 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 20 "This is what the LORD says: 'If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.
Comment:
Here are the wonderful promises that we so cling to today, the promises we see fulfilled in Jesus. He is on the throne of the house of Israel, and he also consistently offers his sacrifice in front of the Lord for our forgiveness. And the illustration of God's covenant with the day and night tells us how rock-solid is God's commitment to this plan.
Jeremiah 34
8 The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves. 9 Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Jew in bondage. 10 So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. 11 But afterward they changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.
Comment: This little story is dishearteningly like me. Sigh. Thank God for his provision of forgiveness, because people haven't changed. Our only help is in his provision for mercy.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Big Time Out -- Jeremiah 32
The period of exile makes me think of a great big time out for the people of God. They are behaving inappropriately and ungratefully and disobediently, not appreciating the Lord and the favor he has bestowed on him. So -- they must be removed from the situation in order to get their priorities straight. They will be made to long for the God and the land that they now take for granted and so abuse. Then, when they have ordered their minds and repented of their sins, they will be welcomed back to live a life that gives to God the worship and obedience that is due him and that will make them happy and prosperous in their lives.
A succinct description of the whole scenario is found in this chapter, as the Lord speaks to Jeremiah to explain why he had him buy a field:
(the Lord speaking)
33 They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline. 34 They set up their abominable idols in the house that bears my Name and defiled it. 35 They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters [c] to Molech, though I never commanded, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.
37 I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. 38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. 41 I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.
42 "This is what the LORD says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them.
The phrase "they turned their backs on me and not their faces" is a great summary, and great description of what our position before God can be. It makes me think of Adam and Eve, hiding and unable to 'face' God after they sinned. It makes me think of Vic standing and turning his back when John Meyer stood at the pulpit talking about the need for abortion. It is a strong statement to turn your back on someone, and that is what Israel and Judah have done.
God desires to see our faces, not our backs. He desires also 'singleness of heart and action' and for us to 'fear' him for our own good and the good of our children.
A succinct description of the whole scenario is found in this chapter, as the Lord speaks to Jeremiah to explain why he had him buy a field:
(the Lord speaking)
33 They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline. 34 They set up their abominable idols in the house that bears my Name and defiled it. 35 They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters [c] to Molech, though I never commanded, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.
37 I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. 38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. 41 I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.
42 "This is what the LORD says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them.
The phrase "they turned their backs on me and not their faces" is a great summary, and great description of what our position before God can be. It makes me think of Adam and Eve, hiding and unable to 'face' God after they sinned. It makes me think of Vic standing and turning his back when John Meyer stood at the pulpit talking about the need for abortion. It is a strong statement to turn your back on someone, and that is what Israel and Judah have done.
God desires to see our faces, not our backs. He desires also 'singleness of heart and action' and for us to 'fear' him for our own good and the good of our children.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Jeremiah 31
This is an amazing chapter, so joyful and full of relief after the constant chastisement, wrath and grief of the earlier parts of the book. As I read it, I both take it at face value and wonder what the deeper meanings are, in terms of the cultural context in which it is written. The 'new covenant' is the covenant of Jesus' sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins and the giving of the Holy Spirit to teach us and remind us of the Word. That seems pretty plain. But there are other things I wonder about, and a few sections that I will comment on here.
FIRST: The following passage is so energetic and visual, I want to make a song out of it.
4 I will build you up again
and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel.
Again you will take up your tambourines
and go out to dance with the joyful.
10 "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations;
proclaim it in distant coastlands:
'He who scattered Israel will gather them
and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.'
(Song idea: Hear the word of the Lord, O nations
Tell it to distant lands, O nations:
He who scattered will gather his people,
Watch over them like a shepherd.
Dance! I will build you up again!
Dance! You'll be rebuilt, O Israel!
Dance! Take up your tam-bor-ine and
Go out to dance with the joyful..
(tune: very rhythmic and similar to What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor)
SECOND: I have been mulling over the horrific number of abortions and the existence of frozen embryos in today's world, ever since I read the earlier passage where God chastises Israel for sacrificing their children to false gods. Again I think about this, as I read the following passage. Who are the children that the Lord is referring to here? What is Ramah? I have always applied this passage to the slaughter of infants when Moses and Jesus were babies, although I suppose that the 'face value' of the passage is the sacrificed infants and those that died while Israel was in exile. And -- could it have yet another application, in reference to our modern infanticide? In any case, God tells 'Rachel' to stop weeping. Her work will be rewarded. The children will return from the land of the enemy to their own land. It is hard to get my head around the significance of return to the land, but I know it was huge in that culture. But obviously those exact children did not return from exile with their families. So it must have a symbolic meaning of some sort. Is it correct to read it with this meaning?: God will take care of those children, they do still exist and will in fact be a part of the coming Kingdom. There is no further need to mourn for them -- just repent and continue in your repentance, and you will be rewarded by being with those precious children once again.
15 This is what the LORD says:
"A voice is heard in Ramah,
mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because her children are no more."
16 This is what the LORD says:
"Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for your work will be rewarded,"
declares the LORD.
"They will return from the land of the enemy.
17 So there is hope for your future,"
declares the LORD.
"Your children will return to their own land.
THIRD: What does the second half of this verse refer to? The footnote gives alternates of 'will go about seeking' or 'will protect', but none of the options seem to mean very much to me. Could it possibly refer to Mary giving birth to the Savior?
22 How long will you wander,
O unfaithful daughter?
The LORD will create a new thing on earth—
a woman will surround [b] a man."
FOURTH: I've always wondered what exactly is the substance of the idea that God will 'put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts', and 'they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest'. Surely it doesn't mean we no longer need the Bible to tell us about God, because God has given a general revelation to all people... So what exactly does this mean? Has it already happened? Will in happen in the future, when Jesus returns? Is this what it is like in heaven, or is there some current phenomena that this refers to? After all, the new covenant is now in place. Did this come about when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, and does it occur when each person becomes a believer and the HS enters them?
31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to [d] them, [e] "
declares the LORD.
33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time," declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,"
declares the LORD.
"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."
FIRST: The following passage is so energetic and visual, I want to make a song out of it.
4 I will build you up again
and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel.
Again you will take up your tambourines
and go out to dance with the joyful.
10 "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations;
proclaim it in distant coastlands:
'He who scattered Israel will gather them
and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.'
(Song idea: Hear the word of the Lord, O nations
Tell it to distant lands, O nations:
He who scattered will gather his people,
Watch over them like a shepherd.
Dance! I will build you up again!
Dance! You'll be rebuilt, O Israel!
Dance! Take up your tam-bor-ine and
Go out to dance with the joyful..
(tune: very rhythmic and similar to What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor)
SECOND: I have been mulling over the horrific number of abortions and the existence of frozen embryos in today's world, ever since I read the earlier passage where God chastises Israel for sacrificing their children to false gods. Again I think about this, as I read the following passage. Who are the children that the Lord is referring to here? What is Ramah? I have always applied this passage to the slaughter of infants when Moses and Jesus were babies, although I suppose that the 'face value' of the passage is the sacrificed infants and those that died while Israel was in exile. And -- could it have yet another application, in reference to our modern infanticide? In any case, God tells 'Rachel' to stop weeping. Her work will be rewarded. The children will return from the land of the enemy to their own land. It is hard to get my head around the significance of return to the land, but I know it was huge in that culture. But obviously those exact children did not return from exile with their families. So it must have a symbolic meaning of some sort. Is it correct to read it with this meaning?: God will take care of those children, they do still exist and will in fact be a part of the coming Kingdom. There is no further need to mourn for them -- just repent and continue in your repentance, and you will be rewarded by being with those precious children once again.
15 This is what the LORD says:
"A voice is heard in Ramah,
mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because her children are no more."
16 This is what the LORD says:
"Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for your work will be rewarded,"
declares the LORD.
"They will return from the land of the enemy.
17 So there is hope for your future,"
declares the LORD.
"Your children will return to their own land.
THIRD: What does the second half of this verse refer to? The footnote gives alternates of 'will go about seeking' or 'will protect', but none of the options seem to mean very much to me. Could it possibly refer to Mary giving birth to the Savior?
22 How long will you wander,
O unfaithful daughter?
The LORD will create a new thing on earth—
a woman will surround [b] a man."
FOURTH: I've always wondered what exactly is the substance of the idea that God will 'put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts', and 'they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest'. Surely it doesn't mean we no longer need the Bible to tell us about God, because God has given a general revelation to all people... So what exactly does this mean? Has it already happened? Will in happen in the future, when Jesus returns? Is this what it is like in heaven, or is there some current phenomena that this refers to? After all, the new covenant is now in place. Did this come about when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, and does it occur when each person becomes a believer and the HS enters them?
31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to [d] them, [e] "
declares the LORD.
33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time," declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,"
declares the LORD.
"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Jeremiah 30
3 The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity [a] and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess,' says the LORD."
8 " 'In that day,' declares the LORD Almighty,
'I will break the yoke off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;
no longer will foreigners enslave them.
9 Instead, they will serve the LORD their God
and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them.
11 I am with you and will save you,'
declares the LORD.
'Though I completely destroy all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only with justice;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.'
24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand this.
I know that I love the 'restoration' and 'forgiveness' passages in the Bible and shy away from the 'fierce anger' wrathful ones. But God is both. I can't choose one or the other. Here is a passage that combines both -- that really shows God's anger and wrath toward his unfaithful people but yet reiterates his commitment, his compassion, his commitment to fully accomplish 'the purposes of his heart.' And it ends "In days to come you will understand this." Lord, give me the beginnings of understanding now. I want to have a full picture of you so that I will rejoice in your forgiveness and mercy, but not presume upon it by continuing in sin. I want to see you as my heavenly father who is approachable through Jesus Christ, but I want to remember that you are wholly other, just and righteous, awesome in your glory, fearsome in your righteous wrath, demanding of complete loyalty. I am aware that I take any opportunity to cut myself slack by making excuses. You do not do this. Your mercy is not the same thing as excusing my sin -- your mercy paid for my sin in the most costly of ways, and I should abhor the thought that I would go on sinning after receiving your costly mercy.
8 " 'In that day,' declares the LORD Almighty,
'I will break the yoke off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;
no longer will foreigners enslave them.
9 Instead, they will serve the LORD their God
and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them.
11 I am with you and will save you,'
declares the LORD.
'Though I completely destroy all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only with justice;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.'
24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand this.
I know that I love the 'restoration' and 'forgiveness' passages in the Bible and shy away from the 'fierce anger' wrathful ones. But God is both. I can't choose one or the other. Here is a passage that combines both -- that really shows God's anger and wrath toward his unfaithful people but yet reiterates his commitment, his compassion, his commitment to fully accomplish 'the purposes of his heart.' And it ends "In days to come you will understand this." Lord, give me the beginnings of understanding now. I want to have a full picture of you so that I will rejoice in your forgiveness and mercy, but not presume upon it by continuing in sin. I want to see you as my heavenly father who is approachable through Jesus Christ, but I want to remember that you are wholly other, just and righteous, awesome in your glory, fearsome in your righteous wrath, demanding of complete loyalty. I am aware that I take any opportunity to cut myself slack by making excuses. You do not do this. Your mercy is not the same thing as excusing my sin -- your mercy paid for my sin in the most costly of ways, and I should abhor the thought that I would go on sinning after receiving your costly mercy.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Jeremiah 29
I guess at this point some of the things Jeremiah has prophecied have come true: Some people have gone into exile, some have stayed in Judah. God reiterates, through Jeremiah, that those who stayed in Judah will be in dire straights, but tells those in exile to basically settle down there and make a life for themselves for the next 70 years, until the time comes that He restores them back to Judah. Then comes one of those passages we hear all the time, and that sounds so good to our ears, and that we want to apply to ourselves as well as to this long-ago situation:
10 This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. [b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."
Alongside this comforting promise, the Lord also uses Jeremiah to again chastise and foretell doom to false prophets. Ahab, Zedekiah, and Shamaiah are all three made aware of the punishment in store for them because they have claimed to proclaim God's words falsly.
Back to the healing thing and possible parrallels between healing gifts and gifts of prophecy and whether they are part of the way God is working today: I think I feel safe sticking to the Bible and its words, which I am convinced are from the Lord, rather than looking around for anything more spectacular today. Certainly anything that happens needs to be measured against the Bible. Lord, if you choose to heal someone you certainly can and will, and we can certainly pray for it. However, to say that it is your will that someone we pray for be healed seems really presumptuous to me.
I wonder what Peter V is thinking these days about the seminar?
Now, back to those wonderful words in verses 10-14, about God's plans to prosper his people. I need to especially pay attention to verse 13: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Lord, help my heart to be wholly drawn to you, wholly seeking you.
Another thought to note: Kurt talked about predestination on Sunday, and one thing he said was that the election of believers was set before the world began. This led me in a somewhat roundabout way to some additional thoughts about the whole abortion issue and trying to understand how predestination fits into the picture of all these many babies that never see the light of day on earth. God's will is so funny and clever -- because at the same time that a horrible sin is being perpetrated on these babies, and the perpetators of that sin ( not only the abortionists but our culture and society) will reap the just punishment for their actions, God is also delighting in every little human that comes into existence for even a split second. And the baby that is miscarried or aborted escapes the suffering of this life and goes directly home to his Father in heaven to delight him and bring him joy without having to suffer the struggles of the battle against sin or embrace the joys of life. Does that sound boring to us? Going to be with God without ever living? Well, Kurt said that whatever we like to do the very most is just a shadow of the enjoyment of living with God -- so these babies are most fortunate of all, while those who act against them are least fortunate and destined for the terrible wrath of God unless they repent of their sins. But the babies? We don't have to worry about them -- God is fully caring for them, his plan is to prosper and not harm them, they have entered a future that we here on earth long for every day.
10 This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. [b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."
Alongside this comforting promise, the Lord also uses Jeremiah to again chastise and foretell doom to false prophets. Ahab, Zedekiah, and Shamaiah are all three made aware of the punishment in store for them because they have claimed to proclaim God's words falsly.
Back to the healing thing and possible parrallels between healing gifts and gifts of prophecy and whether they are part of the way God is working today: I think I feel safe sticking to the Bible and its words, which I am convinced are from the Lord, rather than looking around for anything more spectacular today. Certainly anything that happens needs to be measured against the Bible. Lord, if you choose to heal someone you certainly can and will, and we can certainly pray for it. However, to say that it is your will that someone we pray for be healed seems really presumptuous to me.
I wonder what Peter V is thinking these days about the seminar?
Now, back to those wonderful words in verses 10-14, about God's plans to prosper his people. I need to especially pay attention to verse 13: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Lord, help my heart to be wholly drawn to you, wholly seeking you.
Another thought to note: Kurt talked about predestination on Sunday, and one thing he said was that the election of believers was set before the world began. This led me in a somewhat roundabout way to some additional thoughts about the whole abortion issue and trying to understand how predestination fits into the picture of all these many babies that never see the light of day on earth. God's will is so funny and clever -- because at the same time that a horrible sin is being perpetrated on these babies, and the perpetators of that sin ( not only the abortionists but our culture and society) will reap the just punishment for their actions, God is also delighting in every little human that comes into existence for even a split second. And the baby that is miscarried or aborted escapes the suffering of this life and goes directly home to his Father in heaven to delight him and bring him joy without having to suffer the struggles of the battle against sin or embrace the joys of life. Does that sound boring to us? Going to be with God without ever living? Well, Kurt said that whatever we like to do the very most is just a shadow of the enjoyment of living with God -- so these babies are most fortunate of all, while those who act against them are least fortunate and destined for the terrible wrath of God unless they repent of their sins. But the babies? We don't have to worry about them -- God is fully caring for them, his plan is to prosper and not harm them, they have entered a future that we here on earth long for every day.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Jeremiah 27-28
27:
Every nation gets handed over to Babylon. If the nations go along with this, then they get to stay on their own land during the occupancy. If not, they get removed. Then, at a later time, Babylon gets its comeuppance and becomes subjugated to the other nations. Also, the holy things from the temple will be taken from Jerusalem, but God is already planning for their eventual restoration.
How can Udo Middelman say that God doesn't determine/control the flow of history in view of this passage, I wonder?
28:
Claiming that God says something that he really doesn't is a big deal to God. Enough to kill Hananiah after he made these false prophecies. I've heard people occasionally say something about having a word of prophecy, although I can't think of a specific instance and I have not taken them seriously anyway. But God certainly takes Hananiah seriously here. What Hananiah has done is an affront to God as well as a disservice to God's people, and God acts.
Lord, this whole area of supernatural gifts such as healing or prophecy has me confused and wondering. How do you work in the world today? Do you do spectacular healings? Do you send prophets? Some say we should rule these things out because the era of such things has past. Is that correct, or is that placing limitations on you? What am I to make of the claims of Cynthia Harris, that she clearly believes and says she approached with a critical eye? And Phyllis saying she has her sense of smell back? I am a doubting Thomas, and you had the chance to convince me a few weekends ago but didn't... Is generalizing from healing gifts to prophetic gifts and visa versa even legitimate? Should I expect anything that appoies to one to apply to the other, or am I just mushing everything together.
Maybe Vic can recommend a book on the subject.
Every nation gets handed over to Babylon. If the nations go along with this, then they get to stay on their own land during the occupancy. If not, they get removed. Then, at a later time, Babylon gets its comeuppance and becomes subjugated to the other nations. Also, the holy things from the temple will be taken from Jerusalem, but God is already planning for their eventual restoration.
How can Udo Middelman say that God doesn't determine/control the flow of history in view of this passage, I wonder?
28:
Claiming that God says something that he really doesn't is a big deal to God. Enough to kill Hananiah after he made these false prophecies. I've heard people occasionally say something about having a word of prophecy, although I can't think of a specific instance and I have not taken them seriously anyway. But God certainly takes Hananiah seriously here. What Hananiah has done is an affront to God as well as a disservice to God's people, and God acts.
Lord, this whole area of supernatural gifts such as healing or prophecy has me confused and wondering. How do you work in the world today? Do you do spectacular healings? Do you send prophets? Some say we should rule these things out because the era of such things has past. Is that correct, or is that placing limitations on you? What am I to make of the claims of Cynthia Harris, that she clearly believes and says she approached with a critical eye? And Phyllis saying she has her sense of smell back? I am a doubting Thomas, and you had the chance to convince me a few weekends ago but didn't... Is generalizing from healing gifts to prophetic gifts and visa versa even legitimate? Should I expect anything that appoies to one to apply to the other, or am I just mushing everything together.
Maybe Vic can recommend a book on the subject.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
All Mixed Up - Jeremiah 26
ONE WOULD THINK it would be the priests and prophets that would have enough discernment to see that Jeremiah was from God and/or enough humility to engage in reform and repentance in order to avoid destruction. We expect our religious leaders to be more spiritually attuned to God, to be discerning, to understand what is in our best interests. And, at this point, Jeremiah was even still offering a way out of the doom he was predicting:
"Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from his evil way. Then I will relent and not bring on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done."
Nevertheless, getting rid of him seemed to the prophets and priests to be in their best interest. It also was according to the precedent they had set with the prophet Uriah, whom they had killed. Letting Jeremiah continue would mean that they had erred with Uriah, which was perhaps an error they did not wish to admit. Unfortunately for them, both Uriah and Jeremiah were speaking the true words of the Lord.
Thankfully the officials and people respond to Jeremiah's defense of himself and prevent him from being killed:
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people: "The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the things you have heard. 13 Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the LORD your God. Then the LORD will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. 14 As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right. 15 Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing."
So we have prophets and priests versus officials and people. In this case, the officials and people are the ones who are able to think back to Micah and the relenting of the Lord after the people repented, a more relevent precedent than the self-serving precedent of the prophets' and priests' own wicked actions against Uriah.
How, Lord, can we know what our own motives are? How can we know when we are listening to you and when we are not? How can we know when our religious leaders are listening to you and when they are not? I struggle to know whether I am being honest with myself and about myself. Are my worst thoughts/fears about myself always the truest ones?
"Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from his evil way. Then I will relent and not bring on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done."
Nevertheless, getting rid of him seemed to the prophets and priests to be in their best interest. It also was according to the precedent they had set with the prophet Uriah, whom they had killed. Letting Jeremiah continue would mean that they had erred with Uriah, which was perhaps an error they did not wish to admit. Unfortunately for them, both Uriah and Jeremiah were speaking the true words of the Lord.
Thankfully the officials and people respond to Jeremiah's defense of himself and prevent him from being killed:
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people: "The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the things you have heard. 13 Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the LORD your God. Then the LORD will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. 14 As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right. 15 Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing."
So we have prophets and priests versus officials and people. In this case, the officials and people are the ones who are able to think back to Micah and the relenting of the Lord after the people repented, a more relevent precedent than the self-serving precedent of the prophets' and priests' own wicked actions against Uriah.
How, Lord, can we know what our own motives are? How can we know when we are listening to you and when we are not? How can we know when our religious leaders are listening to you and when they are not? I struggle to know whether I am being honest with myself and about myself. Are my worst thoughts/fears about myself always the truest ones?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Jeremiah 25
On and on it goes -- 23 years worth of prophesying to Judah without their repentance -- and Jeremiah announces the cup of destruction to all the nations, to take place after the 70 years of exile that Judah will experience.
I guess this is all history that has happened already.
Is it fair to look at today's worldwide crises, and also see the Lord's judgement in them? To notice that today's people and cultures commit the same sins of idolotry and the slaughter of children, and to expect an outcome that is similarly an irrevocable judgement of God? Why pray against the outcome -- rather, we should pray and work against the sin that is the cause of this outcome. I don't claim that this prophecy is in any way specifically directed to 21st century US and world, but it does tell us and remind us of what God cares about. He wants our hearts to belong to him, He wants our worship to be directed toward him and him only, He wants us to live righteous and just lives, and he wants us to care for our children.
I guess this is all history that has happened already.
Is it fair to look at today's worldwide crises, and also see the Lord's judgement in them? To notice that today's people and cultures commit the same sins of idolotry and the slaughter of children, and to expect an outcome that is similarly an irrevocable judgement of God? Why pray against the outcome -- rather, we should pray and work against the sin that is the cause of this outcome. I don't claim that this prophecy is in any way specifically directed to 21st century US and world, but it does tell us and remind us of what God cares about. He wants our hearts to belong to him, He wants our worship to be directed toward him and him only, He wants us to live righteous and just lives, and he wants us to care for our children.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Jeremiah 23
Well, finally I get to some of the 'nuggets' people mention from Jeremiah...
5 "The days are coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will raise up to David [a] a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
The LORD Our Righteousness.
A prediction of the coming Messiah, again from the line of David -- and God shows his tenderness to Israel again, confirming that the relationship is still in place despite all the discipline and consequences that the leaders and people must bear for their unfaithfulness to God.
29 "Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
And this is a verse we used in Son Dance the first year -- one of the verses of "It's God's Word" is based on the idea of God's word being like a hammer, and Kurt has used the illustration at other times as well. God's word purifies. God's word breaks lies into pieces. This verse comes in the context of the Lord chastising and condemning prophets who lie and make false claims about his word:
36 But you must not mention 'the oracle of the LORD ' again, because every man's own word becomes his oracle and so you distort the words of the living God, the LORD Almighty, our God.
The Lord will defend his word.
This brings me to an opportunity to think about the Prayer for Healing conference last weekend. It is a puzzler to me, and I really don't want to do what these false prophets did (take words of men and claim that they are the word of God). I don't wnat to see more than was really there in the events of the weekend and the stories Cynthia told about healing in India and USA that she has witnessed. But I don't want to discount or dismiss anything that might be your work, Lord. I guess that's the question I am asking: Are you doing something important here that we should pay attention to and receive as your work consistent with your word, or is this an instance of getting more excited about the gift than the giver, an out-of-focus view of what you are really doing in our lives, and a path that will just lead us away from the work you have called us to at Grace & Peace, making us tend to focus on ourselves, our wants/'gimmes', and feel discourageda about our unhealed ills rather than asking "Lord, how are you using this circumstance in my life to help me love you and others? How are you 'working all things togehter for good'?"
Points about the conference:
1. Cynthia is convinced. Cynthia seems to have scrutinized a number of healings carefully, participated in them, and come away believing that they are authentic. Her experiences with her mom and her self, coupled with things she's seen in her travels, have firmly convinced her that spectacular miraculous healings still happen today.
2. Cynthia presented anecdotes, not evidence. There were no 'before-and-after' pictures of significant healings -- spinal cords straightened, eyeballs changed, tumors gone. No doctor's reports and documentation. We did not see evidence ourselves, we simply heard Cynthia's story.
3. Nothing convincing happened at the conference to demonstrate this phenomenon. We prayed a lot, and there is the possibility that the one boy and Phyllis had some positive effect, but no clear proof as of yet. And numerous people were prayed for with no discernable healing, which is not to say the prayers went unanswered or unheard but that God has other things in mind for us.
I feel very cautious about the whole thing. My fears are enlightened a bit by this little exerpt from an article posted by Evelyn Tomlinson on her facebook page:
"Even good things can unbalance our loyalties, especially good causes. We can get so caught up in, say, pro-life activities that our loyalty shifts from Christ to the cause. Or we can put our hope in a political party or ideology and loyalty to that overrides our loyalty to Christ. We can even convince ourselves that they are one and the same."
I'm not saying that Cynthia or anyone else has shifted their loyalty -- but I think that it is a danger I want to be aware of as the interest in healing prayer continues to simmer at church, and as I continue to consider these things. It would be so easy to get the cart before the horse. Some people's misery runs so deep and their hope for healing is so fearfully gained.
5 "The days are coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will raise up to David [a] a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
The LORD Our Righteousness.
A prediction of the coming Messiah, again from the line of David -- and God shows his tenderness to Israel again, confirming that the relationship is still in place despite all the discipline and consequences that the leaders and people must bear for their unfaithfulness to God.
29 "Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
And this is a verse we used in Son Dance the first year -- one of the verses of "It's God's Word" is based on the idea of God's word being like a hammer, and Kurt has used the illustration at other times as well. God's word purifies. God's word breaks lies into pieces. This verse comes in the context of the Lord chastising and condemning prophets who lie and make false claims about his word:
36 But you must not mention 'the oracle of the LORD ' again, because every man's own word becomes his oracle and so you distort the words of the living God, the LORD Almighty, our God.
The Lord will defend his word.
This brings me to an opportunity to think about the Prayer for Healing conference last weekend. It is a puzzler to me, and I really don't want to do what these false prophets did (take words of men and claim that they are the word of God). I don't wnat to see more than was really there in the events of the weekend and the stories Cynthia told about healing in India and USA that she has witnessed. But I don't want to discount or dismiss anything that might be your work, Lord. I guess that's the question I am asking: Are you doing something important here that we should pay attention to and receive as your work consistent with your word, or is this an instance of getting more excited about the gift than the giver, an out-of-focus view of what you are really doing in our lives, and a path that will just lead us away from the work you have called us to at Grace & Peace, making us tend to focus on ourselves, our wants/'gimmes', and feel discourageda about our unhealed ills rather than asking "Lord, how are you using this circumstance in my life to help me love you and others? How are you 'working all things togehter for good'?"
Points about the conference:
1. Cynthia is convinced. Cynthia seems to have scrutinized a number of healings carefully, participated in them, and come away believing that they are authentic. Her experiences with her mom and her self, coupled with things she's seen in her travels, have firmly convinced her that spectacular miraculous healings still happen today.
2. Cynthia presented anecdotes, not evidence. There were no 'before-and-after' pictures of significant healings -- spinal cords straightened, eyeballs changed, tumors gone. No doctor's reports and documentation. We did not see evidence ourselves, we simply heard Cynthia's story.
3. Nothing convincing happened at the conference to demonstrate this phenomenon. We prayed a lot, and there is the possibility that the one boy and Phyllis had some positive effect, but no clear proof as of yet. And numerous people were prayed for with no discernable healing, which is not to say the prayers went unanswered or unheard but that God has other things in mind for us.
I feel very cautious about the whole thing. My fears are enlightened a bit by this little exerpt from an article posted by Evelyn Tomlinson on her facebook page:
"Even good things can unbalance our loyalties, especially good causes. We can get so caught up in, say, pro-life activities that our loyalty shifts from Christ to the cause. Or we can put our hope in a political party or ideology and loyalty to that overrides our loyalty to Christ. We can even convince ourselves that they are one and the same."
I'm not saying that Cynthia or anyone else has shifted their loyalty -- but I think that it is a danger I want to be aware of as the interest in healing prayer continues to simmer at church, and as I continue to consider these things. It would be so easy to get the cart before the horse. Some people's misery runs so deep and their hope for healing is so fearfully gained.
Monday, March 2, 2009
No relenting -- Jeremiah 22
God is relentless here in his expressions of judgement. Of course, Jehoakin has been relentless in his injustice and lack of mercy, his wrongful use of people for his own gain, his worship of false Gods. God will not let up on the one who does not turn to him or obey.
It is 'him who is exiled' that has God's sympathy, because they will die there and will not return to the land.
10 Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss;
rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return
nor see his native land again.
29 O land, land, land,
hear the word of the LORD!
This is a strange verse. I don't understand quite whether this particular land is significant in and of itself, or whether it is the best/most fruitful land around, or whether its significance to God is purely the result of the covenantal connection between God, Israel, and this particualar place. But there's no doubting that everybody over there wants this land, and seems to 'get' the fact that it is very significant.
It is 'him who is exiled' that has God's sympathy, because they will die there and will not return to the land.
10 Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss;
rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return
nor see his native land again.
29 O land, land, land,
hear the word of the LORD!
This is a strange verse. I don't understand quite whether this particular land is significant in and of itself, or whether it is the best/most fruitful land around, or whether its significance to God is purely the result of the covenantal connection between God, Israel, and this particualar place. But there's no doubting that everybody over there wants this land, and seems to 'get' the fact that it is very significant.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Jeremiah 21
Funny how easily I can relate to Zedekiah and the prophets he sent to inquire of Jeremiah. They don't want to change. They just want to be spared the consequences of their actions. They want God to come to their defense and perform wonders for them, but they don't want to follow him day-to-day, changing their ways and administering justice.
I also would like God to act on my behalf without having to change any of my ways.
They must have gulped in shock at the words Jeremiah spoke back to them, telling them that God was not going to relent and let them off the hook:
"I have determined to do this city harm and not good"
"I am against you, Jerusalem"
"I will punish you as your deeds deserve"
Still, God provides an 'out', a way of life: go out of the city and surrender. In their case, they must surrender to their enemies in order to live. They must humble themselves to the events that God has proclaimed and is bringing about -- the conquest of Judah at the hands of Babylon, a result of their own sin -- and in doing so they will save their lives and still be the people of God, although they will be in exile from their land.
What is my way out and how is it similar to theirs? It is Jesus, the lamb of God sacrificed for my sins. He comes as an enemy of the world of sin and death in which I live. I must surrender -- surrender to Jesus, humble myself to receive his forgiveness. I then receive a new home, and this present home becomes my exile. I live in this world of sin as an exile waiting to go home to the new Jerusalem, my true home.
I also would like God to act on my behalf without having to change any of my ways.
They must have gulped in shock at the words Jeremiah spoke back to them, telling them that God was not going to relent and let them off the hook:
"I have determined to do this city harm and not good"
"I am against you, Jerusalem"
"I will punish you as your deeds deserve"
Still, God provides an 'out', a way of life: go out of the city and surrender. In their case, they must surrender to their enemies in order to live. They must humble themselves to the events that God has proclaimed and is bringing about -- the conquest of Judah at the hands of Babylon, a result of their own sin -- and in doing so they will save their lives and still be the people of God, although they will be in exile from their land.
What is my way out and how is it similar to theirs? It is Jesus, the lamb of God sacrificed for my sins. He comes as an enemy of the world of sin and death in which I live. I must surrender -- surrender to Jesus, humble myself to receive his forgiveness. I then receive a new home, and this present home becomes my exile. I live in this world of sin as an exile waiting to go home to the new Jerusalem, my true home.
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