I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 36-38.

    Repeatedly throughout the book of Jeremiah, God has given Jeremiah prophesies which suggest that it is too late for the people to repent of their sins and avoid the coming punishment. However, in today’s passage God tells Jeremiah to write all of the prophesies he has made in a scroll and read it to the people in the Temple. The message was that perhaps they would turn from their sins. I believe that is where we are today in this country. God has promised that terrible tragedy is coming if we do not turn from our sins and selfishness. He has been sending this message for quite some time and time is running out. Just as the people of Jeremiah’s day made turned to God for short periods of time before returning to their sin, so have the people of this country. It is time for the Christians of this country to get down on their knees and pray that God’s Spirit come down and fill us. One of the failures of the Church of today is that we have prayed for revival for the people around us when we should be praying for our own revival.

    Zedekiah was a weak ruler. He believed that Jeremiah was a prophet of God, yet he did not have the strength of character to stand up to those who wanted Jeremiah dead. He was however willing to allow another man to rescue Jeremiah from his enemies. Zedekiah had Jeremiah brought to him for a private audience to ask Jeremiah what he should do. Jeremiah advised him to surrender to the king of Babylon. Unfortunately, Zedekiah was more afraid of his fellow man than he was of God. When faced with hard choices, I pray that I will not be afraid to take the path to which God directs me.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 33-35.

    The first part of today’s passage describes the land of Judah and Israel (modern day Israel and Palestine) as desolate and underpopulated, not even animals lived there. Reading this reminded me of what that land was like in the 19th Century. Jeremiah prophesies that this desolate land will once more be filled with people. As I read that Jeremiah’s prophecy of the future (to him) prosperity of Israel I am reminded of Israel today, a nation which is one of the most prosperous in the world with cities bustling with people. I cannot help but think that Jeremiah’s prophecy is fulfilled, to a degree by Israel of today. Yet despite the ways in which modern Israel fulfills this prophecy there are elements which are not yet fulfilled (at least, not as I read the passage). Jeremiah also prophesied that Israel would be ruled over by a descendant of David. The traditional Christian interpretation is that Jesus is that descendant of David who will rule from David’s throne. I think that is true to some degree, but I also think that some of modern Israel’s political leaders have been descendants of David in a figurative sense (It is possible that they are David’s descendants in a literal sense as well, but I do not think we will ever be able to know that for sure).

    I was going to stop writing after I finished the previous paragraph but I felt that there was more that needed to be said. Later in today’s passage Jeremiah condemns the leaders of Jerusalem for going back on their plan to free their Hebrew slaves. I spoke about how modern day Israel looks like it may be the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy about God restoring Israel. However, the modern nation of Israel will only last as long as its leaders and people avoid the sins of the people of ancient Jerusalem. If they oppress their fellow Jews and the foreigners among them, God will once more overthrow the nation of Israel. One could argue that the way they treat the Arabs living among them is an example of the modern nation of Israel oppressing foreigners among them. I will not make that argument, but, while I have sometimes made the counter argument, I am not convinced that such is not the case either. When I have argued that the modern nation of Israel is not oppressing the Arabs among them it has been to show someone who was arguing that they were oppressing the Arabs that there are reasons to question that conclusion. I believe that those who live in Israel need to seriously consider that question.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 31-32.

    Jeremiah prophesied that one day the people of Israel will repent of their sins and turn once more to God. They will give up their idols and selfish desires in order to serve God. He further prophesied that on that day there would no longer be a need to teach our neighbors, our relatives, or anyone else about God because God will write His will on everyone’s heart. Over all this passage is a prophecy about the future of Jerusalem and the Jewish people. However, I believe that there are elements of it which apply to all of God’s people, to anyone who faithfully serves and obeys God. I firmly believe that when Jeremiah predicts that God will write His instructions on the heart of the people he is referring to all people who choose to serve and obey God. If you genuinely wish to know God’s will so that you can follow it, you will not need to seek long and hard to find it. God will put His instructions within you for you to find them. If you are struggling to know God’s will it is likely because you do not want to accept what He is telling you.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 28-30.

    Jeremiah tells us an important thing about prophecy in today’s passage. He tells us that God sends prophets to warn us about dangers to come, not to reassure us that all will be well. As a result we should always be skeptical of those who claim that God has told them that the future will not be as bad as it looks. God sends prophets to call us to repent, not to tell us that all is well.

    In a different, but related, message, Jeremiah wrote a letter to those already exiled to Babylon. He told them to settle into the place where they found themselves and live their lives. He warned them not to listen to or trust those prophets who were telling them that they would not be there for long. The prophets that Jeremiah warned against remind me of the preachers who tell us not to spend any time working for the future because Christ will return soon. My thoughts on this are based on something my father said on numerous occasions. My father said that we should live our lives as if Christ will return tomorrow, but plan for the future as if we will live for another 100 years. I believe that the message from Jeremiah is that we should not listen to anyone who tells us that we do not need to plan for the future.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 26-27.

    Jeremiah prophesied that the Temple and all of Jerusalem would be destroyed if the people did not turn from their sins. Rather than support him the priests and prophets, the religious leaders, accused him of treason and demanded that he be put to death. I will be perfectly honest, as I read this I was a little confused as to who wanted to have Jeremiah killed and who defended him. However, it seems to me that those who wanted to be perceived as religious (the prophets, priests, and the people who were in the Temple at the time) were outraged that Jeremiah suggested that God had withdrawn His protection from Jerusalem. Some of the secular authorities intervened and saved Jeremiah from the mob. However, at the end of this portion of the passage, we are told that another prophet speaking the same message as Jeremiah (or, at least a very similar one) was killed on the orders of the king. The most important part of this passage, in my opinion, is the reminder that calling sinners to repentance can be dangerous, especially when those sinners perceive themselves to be righteous.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 19-22.

    The passage begins by Jeremiah prophesying against Judah and Jerusalem to the religious and secular leaders of the people. He condemned them for sacrificing their children to their idols, just as the people of the United States sacrifice their children on the altar of abortion. This condemnation is for those who defend the practice as much or more as for those who actually practice it. Throughout history, if there has been a more vile sin than sacrificing one’s own children it is encouraging others to sacrifice theirs. No people who practice child sacrifice, and abortion in the U.S. is child sacrifice, will escape punishment (unless they repent of this evil practice).

    Jeremiah complains that he is mocked for speaking the words God gives him, that even his closest friends are seeking to use the words he speaks against him. However, when he vows to keep silent, God’s words burn in his heart. He is exhausted by the effort to not speak. Despite the fact that he is mocked, belittled, and attacked for speaking God’s word, Jeremiah is not afraid. He committed his life to God and knows that God will protect him. If we follow Jeremiah’s example, we can be sure of the same protection. God will stand at our side like a mighty warrior and cause our enemies to stumble.
    I am hesitant to say my next point because I am not Jeremiah. Nevertheless, I understand what he is talking about when he says that the words burn inside him when he tries to keep silent. From time to time, I say something which causes people to turn on me (often times because I have said something I should not have said, but not always). Then I promise myself that I will watch my tongue and avoid saying anything I know will offend someone. But before long I find myself unable to keep my silence any longer, and once more I start confronting those whose words seem foolish to me. Lately, when I have been tempted to keep silent I have read passages such as today’s which encourage me to speak up when I feel the need. I have, also, read passages which remind me to watch my tongue and only speak the words which God gives me to speak.

    Today’s passage ends with Jeremiah warning the leaders, and the people who supported them, that if they did not change their ways they would be conquered by the Babylonian army. He condemns them for their corruption, for oppressing the poor, and for killing the innocent. These same charges can be leveled against our political leaders today. If we want to avoid the fate which befell those to whom Jeremiah spoke we must follow the advice he gave them. That advice is that we should be fair-minded and just, help those who have been robbed, rescue the oppressed from their oppressor, do not mistreat foreigners, widows, or orphans. And stop murdering the innocent. Jeremiah emphasized that last and we must do the same. There are many among us who emphasize, at least by their words, the importance of the former while at the same time promoting abortion, which is the murder of the innocent.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 16-18.

    I am not sure where I am going with this today. My thoughts are all a jumble. There are several places where I thought of starting to write, but there was no transition from there to the next thought. Then I came to Jeremiah warning us against trusting in people. It struck me that in this election season this summed up what has gone wrong: too many people put their trust in this or that politician. As a nation, we vote for someone and expect them to fix what is wrong. It does not work that way. Jeremiah tells us that trusting in humans, whether that is a politician, a preacher, a spouse, or ourselves will result in a stunted life with no real future. No, if we want things to change, if we want things to get better we need to trust in God. When God heals us we are truly healed, when He saves us we are truly saved.

    God is like a potter, molding us to His purpose. There are multiple layers to that metaphor in this passage. The first is that God will mold us to whatever purpose He desires. However, as the potter, God is free to change His mind about what type of vessel He is shaping us into. If He has decided to make us into a vessel intended to be used and destroyed because of our wickedness and we renounce our evil ways and begin to do good, He will freely change His mind and instead form us into a vessel of beauty to be admired and displayed. On the other hand if He had decided to make us into a vessel designed to be admired and displayed and we turn from doing good to doing evil, He will change His mind and shape us into a vessel to be used and destroyed. This is true of us as individuals and as nations (and every type of group in between).

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 13-15.

    Today’s passage starts with a metaphor which compares the people of God to a loincloth. Our purpose is to cling to God, to take pride in Him, not ourselves. If we allow our pride to lead us to think that we are the important ones, that pride separates us from God and acts like rot to destroy our usefulness. If we do not listen to God and allow ourselves to become like that rotted loincloth God will destroy us just as we would destroy such a rotted piece of clothing.

    I am struggling with how to word another thought (possibly two thoughts) which this passage generates in my mind. There will come a time when God will tell us to stop praying for those around us. Yet, in the middle of the passage where God is telling this to Jeremiah He also tells Him that He will protect those who return to Him. If we speak God’s words, those who rebel against Him will fight against us. But God will be our fortress and they will fail to conquer us. God calls us to influence those around us, but not be influenced by them. **I want to note that this assumes that those around us are in rebellion from God. It does not mean that we should not allow our fellow believers to influence us.** God will protect us and rescue us from the hands of the wicked.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 10-12.

    Jeremiah points out the futility of relying on gods made by our fellow man (or by ourselves). We need not fear such gods, they can neither harm us nor help us. God is the only god we should fear, because only He has the power to bring us help or pass judgment upon us. Unlike all other gods, God was not made up in the mind of man. He created all that exists. Everything else that we might worship, idols, sports teams, material goods, nations, etc. are lies. They will not help us in times of trouble, nor will they bring us happiness.

    How have things gotten so bad? The leaders of the people no longer seek God’s wisdom, instead they believe that they can lead the people according to their own desires. Whether we are leaders or just common folk our lives are not our own. God has planned our lives out to serve His purposes. I know that I will not always act according to His plans and He will need to correct me. And I seek His correction, I just pray that He does so gently. However, if we do not respond to His gentle corrections He will use more strenuous means to compel us to His plan.