Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 23-25.

The passage begins with Jeremiah prophesying God’s anger at the leaders of His people for dividing and scattering them, rather than uniting them and bringing them together as God appointed them to do.  He goes on to specifically call out the religious leaders for being godless.  Then God gets even more particular, accusing the prophets of prophesying in the name of Baal, and committing adultery while living a lie.  Rather than call out the sins of evildoers, they encourage them to continue in their wickedness.  As I read this, I thought about many who claim to speak on behalf of God, while rejecting Scripture.  There are even “pastors” today who call themselves “Christian” yet admit to not believing in God.  There are also those who argue that Scripture does not say what it clearly does say.  God warns us against listening to what such false prophets have to say.  Jeremiah warns us to be skeptical of those who say, “This is a message from the Lord.”  Jeremiah tells us we should not make such claims because for too many, when they say, “This is a message from the Lord,” they are speaking a message from themselves, a message which furthers their own ends rather than brings people back to God.  Let us not boldly proclaim that God has spoken to us.  Instead, let us humbly ask others to seek God’s guidance as to whether the message we think we have heard is from Him.  Let us humbly search Scripture to see what God says to us through it.

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

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

Today’s passage begins with Jeremiah prophesying that God would destroy Jerusalem because they sacrificed their children to Baal, something which did not even mention, let alone command.  As I read that I realize that those listening to Jeremiah would have heard Baal as similar to the way we hear the word Allah.  Allah can be used by Arab speakers to refer to God, but most who use that term are referring to a different god (although they claim they are worshiping the God of Abraham).  In the same way, Baal worshipers seem to have claimed to be worshiping the God of Israel by other practices.  Jeremiah points out the lie in their claim, because the God of Israel rejected the sacrifice of children.  I want to return to God’s absolute condemnation of a society which sacrifices its children.  There are many in this country who refer to abortion as a sacrament.  God’s anger is building against them.  Jeremiah continues his prophecy against Jerusalem by saying that God will defile the houses in Jerusalem where they burned incense on the roofs to the starry hosts and poured out drink offerings to other gods.  So, God’s anger was not just against those who sacrificed their children, not even just those who took part in those practices.  As we read the rest of this passage we can see more of what led to God’s anger against Jerusalem.  Jeremiah told the rulers of Jerusalem and Judah to do what was right and just, to rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who had been robbed, and to do no wrong against the foreigner, the widow, or the orphan.  Do we support our government when it commits injustices?  I want to note that we often read “oppressor” and think of powerful people, but in the context here it seems that oppressor also refers to thugs who make people afraid to go out at night.  Oppressor here refers to both the powerful who use their wealth and power to impose their will on those less powerful and on the criminals who take advantage of the failure of government to prey on those weaker than themselves.  If we want to avoid the judgement of God upon our nation we must seek to do what is just and right, we must be content with enough and not seek ever greater wealth (mentioned by Jeremiah during his prophecy against the kings of Judah).

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

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

Jeremiah continues to prophecy that God’s anger will not be turned aside from Jerusalem to the point that God tells him to neither join in feasting celebrations, or in mourning the dead.  He reminds us that no matter how secretive we may have been, God sees our sins.  We cannot conceal our actions from Him.  Then he begins a slight turn in theme.  Jeremiah says that God will restore Israel to their land after banishing them to many nations.  In addition, people from all nations will turn to God after recognizing that the gods they had made were not truly gods.  Then Jeremiah tells the people of Jerusalem that if they were careful to obey God and keep His Sabbath, Jerusalem would remain inhabited forever.  So, despite having prophesied that Jerusalem and Judah would be destroyed with no chance of reprieve, here he says that if they were to truly reform and turn back to God that fate might be avoided.  Then in chapter 18, Jeremiah reconciles those two prophecies.  He tells the people if each one of them were to reform their ways and actions, God would relent the destruction He has declared, but that both Jeremiah and God know that they will not.  Jeremiah tells them that they have decided that there is no value in truly turning to God.  Here is how I see it.  Jeremiah started to prophecy while Josiah was king, when Josiah was reforming the religious practices of Jerusalem and Judah to serve God.  Josiah reined for thirty one years.  In that time, Jerusalem was not restored to the prominence it had when David was king.  Before Josiah, Jerusalem had been ruled for fifty seven years by kings who embraced evil, and the people had joined those kings in their evil.  They failed to see that to see the benefits of serving God we must commit to the long haul.  When thirty one years (actually less because it took years after he was crowned before Josiah was able to begin his reform) was insufficient to bring about the power for which they hoped, the people decided it was pointless.  It is never pointless to serve God, but we have to recognize that it may take years to undo the years of damage done by our sin.

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

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

God gives Jeremiah a prophecy that the people of Jerusalem and Judah have become worthless to Him because they have not listened to Him and have instead chosen to serve and worship gods who call them to practices contrary to His.  Rather than acting to bring honor and renown to God, they have brought contempt to His name.  A little further on, God tells Jeremiah not to pray for this people because they will not listen to His voice.  Jeremiah responds that the problem is that the prophets keep telling them that God will give them lasting peace, despite the sins they keep committing.  God tells Jeremiah that He will bring a special level of destruction upon those prophets, but the people who listen to them will still pay the price of their sin.  In all of this, the essence of the prophecy seems to be that it is too late for the people to avoid the death and destruction which God was bringing upon them.  I feel there is an element of this prophecy which applies today.  When I look at society around us I sometimes wonder if we are in a time more similar to that of Isaiah, where God says that time is running out for society to turn from its despicable sins, or a time more similar to that of Jeremiah, where God says that time has run out and He is going to bring death and destruction to society.

Having said that, the prophecy from Jeremiah in today’s passage contains an interesting follow up.  After telling Jeremiah that he was not to pray for the people because God had determined to bring death and destruction upon them no matter what they did going forward, God tells Jeremiah “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me.”  Now the easy explanation is that the first prophecy in today’s passage applies to the people around Jeremiah and this second prophecy applies to Jeremiah.  However, I think the first prophecy applies to the society around Jeremiah, not specifically to any of the people.  While the second prophecy here applies individually to any of the people around Jeremiah.  The society is doomed.  The majority of the people are going to experience death and destruction, but those who repent and utter God’s worthy words, will be restored to serve God.  In part, this second prophecy did apply to Jeremiah, but it applies to each of us.  We must repent and speak God’s worthy words, not the worthless words of the prophets to whom the people around us listen.  We must seek to get the people to turn to us, but not allow ourselves to be turned to them.  If we speak God’s worthy words, when the people turn to us, they will be turning to God.  However, if we turn to them, we will be turning away from God.  If we follow these instructions, God will save us from the hands of the wicked.

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

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

Today’s passage begins with Jeremiah comparing idols to a scarecrow in a cucumber field (I find that image interesting, in America today we tend to imagine scarecrows in corn fields or pumpkin patches).  What Jeremiah says here bears a close resemblance to what the prophet Isaiah said. Isaiah said that those who worship such gods are blind and ignorant.  Here Jeremiah says that those who put their trust in something other than God are foolish and senseless.  While Jeremiah speaks specifically about idols, images which people have made in order to worship them, his prophecy applies to any man-made thing which people worship.  It may be an object, an idea, or an organization.  So, let us examine our lives and thoughts to see if we are allowing our thoughts to be formed by something or someone other than God.  Let us compare everything we hear to what God teaches us.  If the thought or idea does not come from God, let us reject it.  Let us seek God’s discipline before He becomes angry so that we might live according to what He has declared is best for us.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Jeremiah 7-9.

Jeremiah told the people of Jerusalem that if they wanted God to bless them and give them peace, they needed to genuinely turn to Him.  They could not continue to treat each other unjustly and follow the practices of other gods, practices which led to their own harm.  It is not enough to go to Church on Sunday and take part in the worship service.  We need to obey all of God’s commands.  God has given us His commands, all of His commands, because they are in our best interest.  All too many think that they can pick and choose which of God’s commands they need to obey.  They think that they only need to obey those Scriptures which they like and can reject those which teach things they do not like.  They do not see how all of God’s commands are interconnected.  They do not understand how rejecting one of God’s instructions undermines the commitment to obeying all of them.  They preach that if we just obey this, or that, of God’s commands while rejecting others, all of our problems will be solved.  They fail to realize that they are placing a band-aid on a wound which requires surgery, antibiotics, and physical therapy.  I was tempted as I wrote that to give examples of the sorts of things which I have heard people focus on, but I realized that it is broader than that.  Unfortunately, there are people on all sides of most issues who are dishonest, and will use lies and deceit to convince others to take their side.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 4-6.

Jeremiah continues his prophecy against the people of Jerusalem and Judah, a prophecy which we should take to heart.  God is looking for people who will turn from all other gods and will say in a truthful, just, and righteous way, “As surely as the Lord lives.”  We need to examine our lives and look for the places which have become hardened in doing that which is not God’s will.  We must allow God’s Spirit to enter into us and plow up those areas, breaking up the hard ground.  This comes in reaction to the verse which says,
“Break up your unplowed ground
    and do not sow among thorns.”
I have always thought of the second part as being something that happened during plowing up the unplowed ground, which is not wrong.  However, it just occurred to me that we should also keep it in mind relative to Jesus’ instructions about sowing the Word of God.  We should recognize that we are not called to do God’s will in places where we cannot resist the temptation which is present there.  For example, if you are an alcoholic, you are probably not called to minister in a bar.  

That was in a way a side track from my main point today.  In chapter five, Jeremiah returns to the theme about God looking for and calling people to honestly serve Him.  God tells Jeremiah,
“If you can find but one person
    who deals honestly and seeks the truth,
    I will forgive this city.
 Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’
    still they are swearing falsely.”
Which tells us the importance of being honest and righteous and just, even when everyone else sins.  Just as when God spoke to Abraham about destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, it does not take many righteous people in a society to transform that society.  Jeremiah warns us that those around us are foolish and senseless, they have eyes but do not see what God has revealed, they have ears but do not hear the Word which God has spoken,  Going back to the verse about breaking up our unplowed ground, we must seek those areas in our life where we are resistant to doing God’s will.  We must seek justice by promoting the case of the fatherless and defending the just cause of the poor.  Actually, that contains something that too many miss.  Jeremiah does not tell us to “defend the cause of the poor.”  Rather he tells us to “defend the JUST cause of the poor.”  When you hear someone leave out that piece of the equation it is because they are practicing deceit in order to benefit themselves.  All too many leaders, even religious leaders, speak lies in the name of God, and rule as if their authority derives from themselves.  And too many of us follow leaders who we know are doing it that way because they tell us what we want to hear.  God tells us through Jeremiah to seek out the ancient paths, then ask which is the good way, and walk in it.  Not all of the ancient paths are the good way, but the good way is an ancient path.  All too often, we seek a new way, a new path, and end up following an ancient path which is not the good way.  We think we have found a new way which is better than the old ways, because we have not truly looked at those ancient paths.  So, begin by seeking the paths which mankind has trod over and over again.  Then ask, which of these has been shown to be the good way.  Follow that way, and our souls will find peace.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 1-3.

Jeremiah’s ministry began when God came to him and declared that He had known, and chosen, Jeremiah before he was formed in his mother’s womb.  Each and every one of our stories begins at the same place.  God knew His plans from us before we were conceived.  He knew who we would be, and He chose us for His purposes.  I want to note that Jeremiah began to prophecy while Josiah was king, Josiah who was recorded as leading a revival of worship of God.  Despite that, Jeremiah prophesied that the people had forsaken God.  He refers to the people as having forsaken God’s spring of living water in order to dig their own cisterns, cisterns which cannot hold water.  How does that apply to us today?  Many people have chosen to abandon the teaching of Scripture in order to create their own faith.  However, if you examine their belief system, it often relies on things taken from Scripture in order to look like a good thing.  All of those systems, in time, break down as the good drains out of them without a sound basis in Scripture.  They started by picking and choosing which Scripture to follow and as time goes on they choose to reject ever more because they have no basis to accept anything which tells them to do something they did not already want to do.  They have forsaken God in order to pursue their own desires.  However, let’s not make the mistake of thinking Jeremiah’s prophecy does not apply to us.  Let us examine our lives and confess our sins, because if we say, “I have not sinned,” God will judge us.  And one way we have sinned is by rejecting part of what God teaches us through Scripture.  God chose us before we were born for a purpose.  Let us seek to fulfill His purpose, acknowledging that we have not always been faithful.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Jeremiah 51-52.

Before the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah had told those already in exile in Babylon to make lives for themselves there because their fortunes were tied to that of Babylon.  Right after the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah made a prophecy warning those living in Babylon, specifically those taken there in exile from Jerusalem, to be careful and to prepare for the fall of Babylon.  This was at the height of Babylon’s power, or near enough to not matter.  Yet, Jeremiah, after for years predicting Babylon’s dominance over all of the powers of the world, prophesied that Babylon would fall, and would fall catastrophically.  The lesson for us is that no matter how powerful a nation, or other human institution, may seem, God will bring it down when those who run it begin to believe that they will not be held to account for their actions.  I fear that day is fast approaching for many powerful nations and organizations.  Let us separate ourselves from such institutions, even if they claim to serve the Lord.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Jeremiah 49-50.

I am not sure how I am going to tie my thoughts about today’s passage together.  Jeremiah prophesied the destruction of Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar and Hazor, Elam, and finally Babylon.  Jeremiah warned Ammon that their trust in wealth would prove misplaced, and he warned Edom that their trust in their geographic protections would prove to have been foolish.  He went on to prophesy that each of the other nations would suffer because they had not relied on God, because they had not followed His directions.  Actually, his prophecy against Babylon was more a warning to those who put their trust in Babylon’s might.  Do we put our trust in our riches? Or our geographic locations?  Or, perhaps we put our trust in the power of our government?  If we put our trust in anything other than God, we will face terrible suffering.

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