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August 16, 2023 Bible Study — God Knows the Plans He Has for Us, Plans to Prosper Us, Not Plans to Harm Us

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

In today’s passage, Jeremiah addresses false prophets in both Jerusalem and among those already exiled to Babylon.  Apparently, these “prophets” were telling their audiences that Babylon would fall in a short time; the prophet in Jerusalem whose prophecies were, at least partially, recorded here said that the power of Babylon would be broken within two years time.  Jeremiah responded that historically, the prophets whom God had sent prophesied war, disaster, and plague.  Therefore, he said, those who prophesy peace must be held suspect until their prophecies were fulfilled.  A corollary to the false prophecies of peace for Jerusalem was that those already exiled would soon return.

However, Jeremiah prophesied that those already exiled should reconcile themselves with remaining in exile because God was not going to bring them back until seventy years had passed.  Further Jeremiah told the exiles to seek the peace and prosperity of the city in which they found themselves, even though they were living in exile.  They were foreigners living in a land which was not their own, but God told them to seek the peace and prosperity of the land to which He had sent them.  In the same way, we who serve Christ are foreigners in a land which is not our own.  Yet we also should seek its peace and prosperity.

The final point I want to make is that the people in Jerusalem, and even the exiles themselves, thought that the exiles were abandoned by God.  But the message God gave them through Jeremiah said that nothing could be farther from the truth.  God had plans for them, plans for them to prosper and have a future.  God has similar plans for us.  He told the exiles that they would seek Him, and that when they did so with all of their heart, they would find Him.  So, God has plans to prosper us.  Seek Him, seek Him with all of your heart.  No matter how far you think you are from Him.  He is closer than you can imagine.

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

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August 16, 2022 Bible Study — What Jeremiah Has To Say About Christian Nationalism

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

Every year when I read this passage I find myself focusing on Jeremiah’s letter to those who were already in exile in Babylon.  This year will be no different.  Today, I think of the message in the context of the fuss over the use of the term “Christian nationalism”.   Jeremiah tells those already exiled to pray for the peace and prosperity of the land in which they find themselves, because the prosperity of that land will be their prosperity.  But Jeremiah also tells them that the land is not their home, their first loyalty lies elsewhere.  In His time, God will bring them to His land and His Kingdom.  So, we should seek peace and prosperity for the land in which God has placed us, but that land is not God’s country.

In that same letter to those in exile, Jeremiah speaks about those still living in Jerusalem.  Jeremiah tells them that God has sent prophets to the King and the rest of those living in Jerusalem, but that they have refused to listen to them.  Further, those in exile are also refusing to listen to the prophets whom God is sending, instead choosing to listen to those who tell them what they want to hear.  I conclude from this that while some of those who use the term “Christian Nationalism” may use it in ways that are consistent with God’s will for His people, we should not use that term because too many will interpret it to mean that our nation is God’s nation and that serving its interests is the same as serving God’s interest.  No earthly nation is God’s nation and we cannot determine what God’s interests are by looking at the interests of any specific nation.  So, seek peace and prosperity for the land and people among whom you reside, but never forget that it is not your home.

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

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August 16, 2021 Bible Study — God Has Plans For His People To Prosper

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

I want to focus on Jeremiah’s message to the Exiles already in Babylon before the destruction of Jerusalem.  They were foreigners there, but Jeremiah tells them to settle in.  He tells them to pray for Babylon, and the Babylonians, because the prosperity of that land would be their prosperity as well.  He tells them to become a part of the land in which they live, but he does not tell them to be assimilated.  They are to remain God’s people and faithful to God. This message applies to us as well.  We should live as foreigners in the societies in which we dwell, but we should seek the best for those among whom we live.  Jeremiah goes on to tell them that God has plans for them, another message which I am convinced applies to us today.  God has plans for us to prosper, but those plans require us to call on Him and willingly serve Him.  Finally, Jeremiah gives them a message which I believe applies to everyone.  Those who seek God with all of their heart will find Him.  They will discover that He has plans for them to prosper as well.  We need to seek Him.

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

Daily Bible Study

August 16, 2020 Bible Study Prophets Predict War and Disaster, We Should Be Skeptical of Those Who Prophecy Peace and Prosperity

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 once again warns against prophets who lie in God’s name, prophets who claim to be speaking words from God but have not received any words from God.  Jeremiah points out that most prophets have a message of warning concerning war, disaster, and/or disease.  Any prophet who predicts peace and good fortune must be viewed skeptically until their prophecies come true.  God will punish those who prophecy lies in His name.  Those who use God’s name to serve their own interests will not escape God’s judgment.

Jeremiah’s message to the Exiles in Babylon carries meaning to me as a Christian in the world but not of the world.  The Exiles were in Babylon, but they were not of Babylon.  Nevertheless, Jeremiah told them to pray for the welfare of the city where they lived in exile, because their welfare was tied to the welfare of that city.  In the same manner, we should pray for the welfare of the city and country where we dwell, because our welfare is tied to the welfare of where we live.  Further, God has plans for us, just as He did for the Exiles.  Those plans are for good and not for disaster.

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August 16, 2019 Bible Study — God Has Plans For Us, Plans For Good

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.

Before the final fall of Jerusalem many of the people of Judah had already been taken into Exile by the Babylonians.  They mourned being exiled from their homeland and wished to return.  God directed Jeremiah to write them a letter.  In that letter Jeremiah told them to accept their lives in this new location.  I want to focus on a small portion of that letter, but one which represents much of God’s message for all who love Him.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord.

God has plans for us, and they are plans for good, not for disaster.  When we pray, God will listen.  If we look for God, we will find Him.  This is true for all people.  If you seek God with your whole heart, you will find Him. 

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August 16, 2018 Bible Study — Distinguishing Between a True Prophet and a False Prophet

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.

    While Jeremiah was wearing an ox yoke to illustrate his prophecy about Judah and the surrounding countries submitting to King Nebuchadnezzar another prophet contradicted Jeremiah’s prophecy. This brings up the question of how someone was determined to be a prophet. At several points in the Old Testament it refers to people as prophets who did not speak a message from God. I do not think that we can answer this question, but it suggests that there was some characteristic of the people who were considered prophets that has nothing to do with from where they got their messages. That being said, Jeremiah tells us that prophets speaking on behalf of God usually warn of war, disaster, and/or disease. So, a prophet who predicts peace and/or prosperity must be held to a higher standard before being believed. We should be skeptical of those who prophesy peace and prosperity until their prophecies come true. For that matter we should always be a little skeptical of those who prophesy the future. My favorite statement about someone who was asking why no one acted on his predictions of a devastating earthquake was, “He has predicted 10 of the last two major earthquakes.” In many ways we can judge a prophet based on the actions they call us to undertake. If the actions are a good idea even if there is not a disaster coming (such as when a prophet tells us to stop sinning and start following God’s commands) then we should follow their advice whether we believe a disaster is coming or not.

    When I first read Jeremiah’s letter to the Exiles I had one set of thoughts, but by the time I got to this portion of writing I had forgotten what that point was. However, one thing which struck me was the contrast between Jeremiah’s advice to the Exiled Jews and the advice given to the Arab refugees from Palestine. Jeremiah’s advice to the Exiled Jews was to settle in, get married, have children, plant gardens, and seek to prosper where they found themselves (and seek the prosperity of the land they found themselves in). He told them they were going to be there for awhile, 70 years to be exact. Other prophets told them that they should not settle in, that they should keep their bags packed because they would be going home soon. It is worth noting that the Exiled Jews were living among people who had a different religion and culture from themselves. On the other hand, the Arab refugees from Palestine were told to not settle in to the lands they were in and to expect to return to their homes presently. Now 70 years later, they are still in exile among people who share their religion, culture, and ethnic background. I do not bring this up to take a position on the Arab-Israeli conflict, merely to highlight the differences between good advice given by prophets and bad advice given by other prophets. Jeremiah’s advice the the Jewish Exiles was worth following because even if he was wrong about the future they would not be harmed by following it. On the other hand, we can see the harm which has been suffered by the Arab refugees, and their children and grandchildren.

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August 16, 2017 Bible Study — The Burden Of Proof Rests On Those Who Prophesy That Everything Is Fine

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.

    At the end of yesterday’s passage, Jeremiah had employed another one of his metaphors. He had put on a wooden yoke to indicate that the Kingdom of Judah, and many of the surrounding nations would be bound to serve the king of Babylon. Another prophet, Hananiah, contradicted Jeremiah’s prophecy and said that God would break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Jeremiah exclaimed that he desired for Hananiah to be correct, however, the prophets who preceded the two of them had all prophesied war and destruction. Therefore, the burden of proof was on any prophet who prophesied peace. Hananiah then broke the yoke which Jeremiah was wearing, and repeated his prophecy that God would likewise break the yoke which Babylon had put on the people of Jerusalem. Jeremiah did not immediately respond to this confrontation, and thus escalate it. He went on his way. Later he prophesied that Hananiah was lying and offered as support for his statement the prediction that Hananiah would die before the year was out. Which happened just as Jeremiah had predicted.
    There are two key elements here for us today. When the prophet who disagreed with him began to physically interfere with his message, Jeremiah did not respond in kind. He went on his way and allowed the situation to de-escalate. Second, the burden of proof rests on those who claim that God is not calling us to repentance. Jeremiah’s message was that we had better change our ways because terrible times are coming. Hananiah’s message was that there is no need to change, God is going to come to our rescue as we are. When things are bad and there are more storm clouds on the horizon, our default should be to examine ourselves and look for the sin in our life from which we need to repent.

    Later, Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles living in, or near, Babylon. His message was one of hope, but not the message they wanted to hear. They wanted to hear that Jerusalem was going to throw off Babylonian control and they would soon be able to go home. They had plenty of people among them willing to tell them that such was the word from God. Jeremiah told them that they would not soon be returning to Jerusalem. However, Jeremiah also told that that if they were faithful and lived their lives patiently serving God where He had put them, God would look out for them. Jeremiah’s message to them is one for those who seek to serve God in all ages:

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.

IF we seek God with our whole heart, with our entire being, we will find Him.

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August 16, 2016 Bible Study — False Prophets and Planning For the Future

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

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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.

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    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.