Category: Jeremiah–BibleTrekToday
God’s Word as a hammer!
Scripture reading for August 9th: Jeremiah 21-25
“Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. for what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23:28-29
When we were much younger and had small children we were in a church that sang Scripture songs. A lady named Laura would use her King James Bible and lead us in singing. One of the songs we sang was from these verses in Jeremiah. My youngest son, Marshal, loved this song and is now preaching God’s Word!
Jeremiah had to deliver some hard messages to his own peers in the ministry of that day. He spoke a word to the shepherds of that day and accused them of scattering the sheep and destroying them. (Jeremiah 23:1-3) They were not caring for God’s people and were bringing about their death and captivity. The shepherds he was talking to were the kings of Judah. He warned them repeatedly but few appreciated his warnings! (Jeremiah 22:11-12) (Jeremiah 22:28-30)
God, Himself, promised to raise up a ‘righteous Branch’ from the line of David who would restore justice and save the nation. (Jeremiah 23:5-6) This righteous king would bring God’s people out of captivity in the lands where they would be scattered and bring them into their own land. (Jeremiah 23:7-8)
The godless priests and prophets were the cause of the people going astray. They committed adultery and lived a lie. They prophesied by Baal, the false idol of the Canaanites.(Jeremiah 23:13-14) They told people who were living in sin that they would have peace when God’s word said they would have trouble. (Jeremiah 23:16-17) God was sending a storm that would destroy the wicked and these prophets should have been giving them God’s word to turn around.
Jeremiah saw the word of God as a fire that would burn out the dross of sin and bring judgment on the wicked. Jeremiah saw God’s word as being a strong hammer that could shatter the hardened hearts. Jeremiah’s heart was broken and his bones trembled at the thought of God’s holy words and their supernatural power. (Jeremiah 23:9)
Foolish argument!
Scripture reading for August 8th: Jeremiah 16-20
“Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.” Jeremiah 18:5-6
An experienced potter would moisten the clay and work it to make it pliable. It was placed on the wheel and spun as he applied pressure with his fingers on the outside surface and then thrust them inside to form the vessel. Sometimes the clay was flawed and needed to be reworked and the potter would smash it down and start over again!
God sent Jeremiah down to the potter’s house and had him watch the potter working on his wheel. As the potter was working, his pot was flawed, and he formed it into another pot, as it suited him. (Jeremiah 18:1-2) God then spoke to Jeremiah about his people being like the clay in the hand of the potter. God was in charge of the clay and the shaping of the vessel that was formed! If the flaws that were in the clay were not eliminated by repentance, then the potter would have to reshape the pot!
After Jeremiah preached this message, the people plotted against him. (Jeremiah 18:18) They had viewed his message as evil when God had meant it for good! (Jeremiah 18:19-20) They plotted to kill the prophet and do away with him. Jeremiah was angry and asked God to not forgive them! (Jeremiah 18:23)
In response to all of this, God gave Jeremiah another object lesson. He was to buy a pot and take it to the valley of Ben Hinnom, near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. Ben Hinnom was the city garbage dump where there were fires burning all the time. It was a reminder of punishment for the wicked. Jeremiah was to tell the people about how they had resisted the hand of their Potter and angered Him. Then he was to smash the pot as an example of what would happen to them if they failed to respond. (Jeremiah 19:1-10) In the end, a useless vessel ends up in the valley of Ben Hinnom! God wants none to end up there!
God can use dirty underwear!
Scripture reading for August 7th: Jeremiah 11-15
Object lessons employ the principle that a ‘picture is worth a thousand words’. God has always given object lessons through His prophets. Some of these are pretty graphic. In today’s reading God instructs Jeremiah to go and buy a linen belt and put it around his waist. This belt was a type of underwear that Jeremiah would wear close to his body in the most intimate place. He was to wear it for a period of time but not wash it in water. (Jeremiah 13:1) Can you just imagine body sweat and the dust of the daily walk on the roads of that day causing the white linen underwear to soil?
The next thing God instructed Jeremiah to do was to take the underwear and hide it in a crevice of a rock. After many days he was to go and retrieve it. (Jeremiah 13:3-6) There were no surprises; the linen belt was ruined and completely useless. What was this object lesson meant to teach God’s people?
God said that His people were like the white linen underwear. He wanted to keep them close to Him in intimacy and as a special treasure. They refused to listen and instead were filled with stubborn pride and rebellion. The went after other gods and worshiped them and became useless, just like the linen undergarment. They were supposed to be God’s people for ‘renown, praise and honor’, but fell far short of their calling. (Jeremiah 13:11)
God’s Word contains another statement similar to this in the New Testament book of 1st Peter. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praise of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (1st Peter 2:9-10) Another version uses the term “peculiar people”. This term speaks of a special treasure–pocket change that God can use for His special purposes. We belong to God and must choose to stay close to Him. Intimacy requires purity! He won’t wear “dirty underwear”!
Confronting church-goers!
Scripture reading for August 6th: Jeremiah 7-10
Jeremiah was sent to preach to his people and told up front that they would not listen! (Jeremiah 7:27) He was told on several occasions not to pray for his people because their sins had removed them from God’s grace! (Jeremiah 7:16) (Jeremiah 9:22-23) He was known as the “weeping prophet” because of his many tears over God’s people!
“Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty, The God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, and in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.” Jeremiah 7:2-7
God’s people were going through the motions of religion and were deceived! Jeremiah’s words struck to the heart of the matter without beating around the bush. God was not interested in religious activities, but in each heart! Their trust was in their attendance at the temple. God was calling for a change in their daily walk with God. He cared about orphans, widows, the alien, and the poor. His heart was broken when innocent blood was shed and people deal unjustly with one another. He hated adultery and lying. He loved His people enough to confront them through Jeremiah!
Six hundred years later, Jesus Christ went to the temple and saw the same things with the money changers. He quoted from Jeremiah: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a ‘den of robbers’.” (Mark 11:17) (Jeremiah 7:11) He then cleansed the temple! He stands at the door of our heart, which is now His temple. What will He say to us?
God has a plan for each person!
Scripture reading for August 5th: Jeremiah 1-6
“The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:4-5) This scripture and others in the Bible indicate that God knows each person before they are formed in the womb! Ephesians 1:4 states that God chose us to be in Christ before the creation of the world! God knew everything before anything visible was even created! We are more significant than we might think to God and He has a plan for each of us!
Jeremiah was appointed by God to be a prophet. Prophets listen to God and then speak His thoughts and word to people God wants to talk to. God doesn’t do anything by way of judgment without warning people by the prophets. (Amos 3:6-7) When God spoke to Jeremiah he was only a child. God told him not to worry about his youth and inexperience, but to speak the word of God.
God promised to be with Jeremiah and deliver him. When any prophet spoke the word of God, it always brought some kind of response. God used His Word through the prophet to uproot and tear down or to build up and plant. (Jeremiah 1:7-9) God’s decrees often brought conflict that caused the need for His deliverance!
God gave Jeremiah a vision of an almond tree and asked him what he saw. The almond tree was the first tree to bloom in the spring in Israel and it was watched by all the people as a sign that spring was coming. God promised Jeremiah that He would watch over His word to bring it to pass. (Jeremiah 1:11-12)
I believe that as we read through the Bible, God will speak to us about our time and day! Listen closely for God speaking to you and confirming His call. He wants each of Jesus’ followers to share God’s Word and live by faith in it. He will watch over it and bring it to pass! We have a calling planned by our Father God before we were formed in the womb!
New Mercies each morning!
Scripture reading for August 16th: Lamentations 1-5
Lamentations is a series of five funeral songs about the death of Jerusalem and the captivity of God’s people. This book is helpful to gain insight into the process of grief and helping people deal with death and loss. Mourning people go through stages ranging from disbelief and shock, to mourning and depression, blaming others or God, to quiet acceptance and finally readiness to move on. These stages may take various amounts of time to process. God understands our grief. Jesus was a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. (Isaiah 53:3)
Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. (Lamentations 1:16) He had warned the Israelites faithfully of the coming judgment and destruction of Jerusalem. He witnessed this destruction and now was writing to chronicle the grief process. Jeremiah was a lot like Jesus Christ, who wept over the city of Jerusalem as He saw prophetically the destruction that was to come upon it for their rejection of Him as their Messiah. (Matthew 23:37-39) God values tears so much that the Psalmist said He gathers them up in a bottle and records them on a scroll. (Psalm 56:8)
In Lamentations 3, the prophet was recounting his misery and described it with images that bring Isaiah 53 and the crucifixion to mind. In the middle of his lament, his thoughts turned to hope! (Lamentation 3:20-21) The cause of this hope was God’s steadfast love, great compassion and mercy. Jeremiah stated that this mercy was “new every morning”. (Lamentations 3:22-23) The Lord is good to those who wait for Him and put their hope in Him!
This funeral lament ends with words of faith and hope and a prayer. God is sovereign and reigns forever. He would have compassion and restore as they had prayed. Take a moment and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s compassion and renewing mercies. His Son Jesus Christ wept over us and bore our sorrows and tears that we might live in the joy of His love and receive new mercies every morning!
“You, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.” Lamentations 5:19-22
Is there any word from the Lord? (Part 2)
Scripture reading for August 14th: Jeremiah 40-45
“Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” Jeremiah 42:1-3
These Jews were scared and feared the wrath of Babylon because their Babylonian appointed leader, Gedaliah, had been assassinated. They were thinking about fleeing to Egypt but decided to seek a word from the Lord. They approached Jeremiah and asked him to pray for them to “your God”. People often ask spiritual leaders for a word, but not necessarily so they can obey!
After this group promised Jeremiah to abide faithfully by God’s word, he agreed to seek Him. They said the right words and seemed so sincere. (Jeremiah 42:5-6) As Jeremiah prayed over their request, ten days passed before the answer came. He called the Jews together to hear the Lord’s directions. If they would stay in the land, God would plant them and build them up. He would protect them from the King of Babylon and show them great compassion. (Jeremiah 42:10-12) However, if they did not obey and chose to go down to Egypt, what they feared would overtake them and they would surely die by the sword, famine and plague! (Jeremiah 42:13-18) Just to help them out, Jeremiah emphasized the right choice, “Do not go to Egypt.” (Jeremiah 42:19)
However, their words and actions were not really sincere because their hearts were not right with the Lord. They had no fear of the Lord or His holy word. They accused the prophet of lying and chose to do their own thing! (Jeremiah 43:2-7) They gathered everyone and headed for Egypt! Why would a people who knew God’s word and the penalty for disobedience choose to disobey and die?
As you think about this story today, examine your own life and check out your heart. Are you seeking the Lord to hear His word and obey? Or are you just curious about how He thinks? Knowing truth means responsibility to act!
Is there any word from the Lord?
Scripture reading for August 14th: Jeremiah 37-39
“Jeremiah was put in a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained for a long time. Then King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there any word from the Lord?” “Yes,” Jeremiah replied, “you will be handed over to the king of Babylon.” Jeremiah 37:16-17
Jeremiah was in prison for giving an unpopular word to the kings of Judah about God’s coming judgment. None of the kings of Judah wanted to hear Jeremiah’s words. King Zedekiah really did not want to hear of coming judgment but instead hoped for a word of peace and safety! When he sent again for Jeremiah, he was not receptive to the truth of the coming judgment that Jeremiah gave him. God’s word cannot be changed because He cannot lie!
Today, people are running around looking for a “word from the Lord”. They go to conferences and seek out those with prophetic gifts. They want to hear the latest prophetic predictions but often are not obeying what has already been spoken and written from the Lord. If we have been ignoring simple truths, how can we be sure we will be given additional truth? In the last days there will be a famine, not for bread or water, but for hearing the word of the Lord! (Amos 8:11-12)
Jesus Christ Himself is the last word from God for the world. He offers grace and forgiveness of sins to all who will repent and believe on Him. He promises salvation, healing and eternal life. Have you responded to this word or do you expect something different? Are you curious but not ready to respond? Today is the only day you know for sure that this Word will be available!
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification of sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3
Great and unsearchable things!
Scripture reading for August 10th: Jeremiah 30-33
“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3
“While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the Word of the Lord came to him a second time: “This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it–The Lord is His name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ “ Jeremiah 33:2-3
God loved His people! He drew His people to Him with cords of loving-kindness from the enticements of the world. God’s love ransomed them from the hand of the enemy. (Jeremiah 31:11) His Love would cause them to take up the tambourine and dance with the joyful! (Jeremiah 31:4, 13)
God spoke to Jeremiah of a time when He would make a new covenant with Israel. This covenant would be different than the old one made with those who came out of Egypt. This covenant would include God writing His law on the human heart and mind. God would personally be their God and each person would personally know God. He would forgive their sin and remember it no more! (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
The visions of restoration came to Jeremiah at a most unlikely time in Israel’s history. The nation was surrounded by the Babylonians and Jeremiah was confined to the courtyard of the guard under house arrest. But in the midst of the troubling time, God’s word brought hope and encouragement to Jeremiah and His people. God would allow the destruction of the Temple and city and send the people into captivity but He promised restoration and the New Covenant!
The amazing promises given to Jeremiah included the promise of the righteous “Branch” that would sprout from David’s line. (Jeremiah 33:14-16) This “Branch” would bring salvation to Judah and peace and safety to Jerusalem. His name would be “The Lord our Righteousness”. This “Branch” was none other than Jesus Christ! He brought the “New Covenant” in His own blood that would enable eternal forgiveness of sins and the law written on hearts. He was the embodiment of the everlasting love of God in human flesh! These are great and unsearchable things revealed to all who call on Him! Call out in faith today!