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 45-48.

    The beginning of this passage is a message from Jeremiah to Baruch (the man who had assisted Jeremiah by transcribing onto a scroll Jeremiah’s prophesies and reading them to the people in the Temple). The timing of my reading this passage is interesting. I wrote a blog entry on Jesus parable of the three servants just yesterday. In it I commented that one of my concerns was that I identify with the third servant. In many ways, Jeremiah’s message to Baruch is God’s answer to me about my fear. Jeremiah’s message to Baruch was that he should not seek great things for himself. In light of that message I will continue to seek ways to use my talents for God’s glory, but will be content with the small audience I have on this blog for as long as God so desires.

    I am not quite sure what to make of Jeremiah’s prophesies against the nations around Judah, but I think they are important to note. They are not just examples of God predicting through His prophets what is coming. I believe they are warnings to us today that when God’s judgment comes down on one nation, those nations surrounding the judged nation will suffer as well. War and destruction are no respecters of borders. This is not just about nations either. When we see our neighbor’s (whether that be our personal or national neighbors) doing that which will bring God’s judgment, we must not just look the other way thinking it will not affect us. We must warn them of the tragedy they are inviting, and we must seek to help those who are suffering as a result of our neighbor’s sin.

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 42-44.

    After they had chased down and killed the man who had killed the man who Nebuchadnezzar had appointed governor over Judah, the leaders of the various bands of guerilla fighters came to Jeremiah for advice on what to do next. The interesting thing about their request is that they asked Jeremiah to pray that the “Lord your God” would show them what to do. They did not ask Jeremiah to pray to the “Lord our God” or even the “Lord God.” No, they asked him to pray to the “Lord your God.” Jeremiah uses the same language in responding to them, telling them that he will ask the “Lord your God” what they should do. I think there are two elements to their word choice. First, they knew they did not deserve to have a claim on God because of their idolatry and sin, but they nevertheless felt abandoned by Him. They knew that Jeremiah had been faithful to God in the face of opposition and persecution. More importantly, the things Jeremiah had said would happen happened.

    However, I think the second element is the bigger one. They were pushing responsibility off on Jeremiah. The message would come from Jeremiah’s God, not their God. In choosing to ask Jeremiah to request an answer from “his” God rather than from “their” God, they were signaling that they were seeking confirmation for what they had already decided rather than true guidance. We discover later in the passage that the people who had come to Jeremiah for guidance from the Lord were practicing idolatry. They thought that they could worship God alongside of other gods and gain God’s favor by doing so. If we are going to worship God, and wish to rely on Him for protection and guidance, we need to seek and worship Him as “the Lord Our God,” not as someone else’s god whom we worship alongside of other gods.

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 39-41.

    Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar just as Jeremiah had predicted. King Zedekiah, still afraid to follow the advice Jeremiah had given him, attempted to avoid the fate which Jeremiah had told him he would receive if he failed to do as Jeremiah recommended. Jeremiah had been imprisoned during the final days of the siege. Nebuchadnezzar gave orders for his release and offered for him to either stay in Judah or go to Babylon. Jeremiah chose to stay. He also sent word to the man, a court functionary, who had saved him from the cistern, that God would be with him and protect him from those he feared.

    Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as governor over Judah. It is worth noting that Gedaliah’s grandfather was the scribe given the task of taking the scroll of the law to King Josiah (the scroll was discovered during the Temple repairs which Josiah had ordered). In addition, Gedaliah’s father saved Jeremiah’s life at one point. Gedaliah was able to convince most of the leaders of guerrilla forces opposing the Babylonians to lay down arms. Unfortunately, Gedaliah was unwilling to listen to those who warned him against the one leader who was unwilling to accept the Babylonian conquest of Judah. Gedaliah was a good man who gave everyone the benefit of the doubt.

    I am unsure what message we should take from this passage. Certainly, we learn from King Zedekiah’s actions that we cannot avoid the consequences of failing to follow God’s instructions. However, I am unsure if the story of Gedaliah is there as simply a recounting of the events that led to what happened next, or as an object lesson on not relying on our judgment of other’s character against advice we have received.

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.