I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Another prophet contradicted Jeremiah’s prophecies. Jeremiah responded by saying that he hoped the prophet was correct, but the prophets who had preceded the two of them had consistently prophesied war and disaster. As a result, a prophet who prophesied peace can only be accepted as a prophet of the Lord when his prophecies come true. Jeremiah then prophesied that the other prophet would die within the year and the prophet died in the seventh month of that same year (the other prophet had contradicted Jeremiah in the fifth month).
Jeremiah then wrote a letter to those who had been taken into exile in Babylon. He tells them to accept their lives in exile, to plant gardens, to marry and have children, and to find spouses for their children. They are to pray for the prosperity of the land in which they find themselves because its prosperity would be their prosperity. Further Jeremiah told them not to believe those who claimed to be prophets who said that they would return to Judah soon.
Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles in Babylon has bearing on us today. The recipients of Jeremiah’s letter were not citizens of the land in which they lived. They were citizens of Judah, from which they were exiled. In much the same way, Christians today are citizens of a land far from where they live, we are citizens of heaven. But just as Jeremiah told the exiles in Babylon that they should pray for the land in which they found themselves we are to pray for the land in which we find ourselves. This is not our home, but the prosperity of our neighbors is our prosperity. God wishes for us to seek the well-being of those among whom we find ourselves. Let us seek their well-being and petition God to meet their needs and soothe their hurts.
Once more Paul talks about the law and not getting caught up in parsing every jot and tittle of the law. As I was reading it I realized he was making a point that I have known, but never thought of in this context. Paul tells us that the law was not intended for the righteous, rather it was meant for those who will not follow it. This applies not just to our Christian faith, but to all of life. Those who are truly striving to please God do not need the law, or rules, to tell them how to behave. They are seeking to act in the best interests of those around them. Laws and rules are written for those who are trying to find loopholes through which they can advance their own desires at the expense of others. Their standard fallback when confronted over their wrongdoing is, “Well, the rules/law doesn’t say I can’t do that.” Here, and elsewhere, Paul points out that the shortcoming of following the law is that those who want to do wrong will always find a loophole that allows them to behave in a wicked manner. And those who wish to serve God do not need rules to do the right thing.
I take part in a competitive activity that has some rules and every few years they add new ones. However, for the most part the activity is governed by people who are designated by the governing body to interpret the rules. One gets to the point of being considered someone who can take that role by demonstrating that they understand the most basic rule of the organization, “Is that behavior safe?” There is very little need to make drastic changes to the rules because everyone understands that it is about what is safe. There are very few things which the rules explicitly forbid, for the most part the rules list things that might appear dangerous, but which have been determined to be safe. This all works because those involved understand this is not about what can I get away with. Rather it is about having fun without anyone getting hurt.
This psalm fits right into the thread of what I have been experiencing for the last little while. I need to pray more. Here the psalmist sets the stage by entering the right state of mind:
Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer;
answer me, for I need your help.
I need to approach God with humility. I come to Him in prayer because I need His help. I am unable to face life without Him. But there is more to my prayers than requesting God’s aid. I come to God in prayer to hear what He has to say to me.
Teach me your ways, O Lord,
that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
so that I may honor you.
I will praise God and give glory to His name for as long as He makes me able. God has rescued me from great tragedy.
Do not over indulge in the hospitality of others. Carefully pay attention to when you may be overstaying your welcome.