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. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Jeremiah continues his condemnation of false prophets who claim to speak in the name of the Lord in order to lead people into sin. He tells us that rather than listening to God, they steal messages from each other. They use false messages and false dreams to get people to forget God. This reminds me of today, many people try to use the name of God to promote their own agenda rather than God’s agenda. We must listen carefully and ask, “What is the Lord’s answer?” We have a reference to judge all such messages against. We must use it.
Jeremiah tells the people of Judah that he has been calling them to turn from their evil and back to serving God for twenty-three years, but they have not listened. Now God is going to bring Nebuchadnezzar to conquer the land and destroy it. The people will be taken into exile for 70 years. After that He will bring judgement on Babylon and return His people to Jerusalem. Then Jeremiah concludes today’s passage by prophesying that God is going to make all of the nations of the earth drink from the cup of His anger. He is going to punish all of them for their sins with war and destruction. While Jeremiah was speaking of a time in his near future, I wonder of this prophecy might not also apply to the world today. It certainly looks like God is about to pour out war upon the earth again in our near future because so few still acknowledge Him. Few of the rulers of nations today even bother to pay lip service to justice and righteousness and for the most part the people like it that way. We need to pray and fast that God’s Spirit will move in the hearts of the people and bring a revival throughout the world.
Today’s passage begins by telling us not to be easily alarmed by those who claim that the Day of Jesus’ Return has already happened. Paul tells us that that Day will not occur until the “man of lawlessness” has been revealed. That will be a time of great rebellion against God. The man of lawlessness will exalt himself and defy everything that anyone calls holy. He will set himself up as God. He will perform signs and wonders and many will be fooled, but only those who refuse to accept the truth of God’s word. People will be fooled because they want to be fooled. If you look around, you see this all of the time. Someone comes along and claims to have the answer to our problems. They offer a shortcut to solving life’s problems that does not involve doing what is right and working hard. People don’t look closely at what the solution being offered looks like because they want the easy way out. There is only one easy way out of our troubles, that is to trust God and strive to live righteously. We cannot continue to wallow in our sins and work our way out of our troubles.
O Lord, let me wish for the same things that the psalmist does in this psalm. Let us desire with our entire being to be servants in God’s house, knowing that such a role is more fulfilling and a source of greater happiness than being master in the house of the wicked. A day before God is better than a thousand anywhere else. Let us sing for praise because we have the honor of serving the Lord.
Patience and soft speech are often seen as the province of the weak. But this proverb tells us that there is more power in them than we realize. I have seen this. Those who are not easily convinced by urgency and strong words often respond to those who are patient and speak softly.