Tag: Jeremiah 31:31-34
The Glory returns!
Scripture reading for August 28: Ezekiel 40-43
“Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with His glory. The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell face down. The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. The the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.“ Ezekiel 43:1-5
Ezekiel had been taken with the “hand of the Lord” upon him to the city of Jerusalem. (Ezekiel 40:1) It was not quite the “hair-raising” experience of his first trip! (Ezekiel 8:3) This time Ezekiel found a heavenly being with an appearance that glowed like bronze. This man had a linen cord and measuring rod in his hand and told Ezekiel to pay attention and tell the house of Israel everything he saw. This ‘man’ proceeded to measure everything in the temple and surrounding area, showing Ezekiel that the temple had been precisely rebuilt.
It was after this measuring job that Ezekiel beheld his vision of a returning Glory! He saw the cloud of glowing Glory coming from the east! The land was radiant with the glowing fire, and the Lord’s voice was like roaring waters! He saw the glory of the Lord enter the temple where it had departed, through the east gate! Suddenly, Ezekiel found himself inside the temple and it was filled with Glory! (Ezekiel 43:3-5)
From inside the temple, a Voice spoke to him. “Son of Man, this is the place of My throne and the place for My feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever.” (Ezekiel 43:7) Ezekiel was told that he was to describe the temple to the Israelites and that as they considered the plan, if they would be ashamed of all their sins, God would reveal His design of the temple to them! (Ezekiel 43:10-11)
Today, this beautiful restored temple is currently composed of living stones. God’s glory fills each stone as they look to Jesus Christ, Who baptizes them in His Holy Spirit! They now know Him and His laws are written on their hearts and God has forgiven them their sins and remembers them no more. (Ezekiel 36:24-27) (Jeremiah 31:31-34) We will behold His glory from within the heavenly city forever and ever!
Sunday rest–trust and obey!
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ! Today we have another opportunity to enjoy a Sabbath rest. We can join with others of precious faith and worship and pray together. The church is the Bride of Christ and meets together to prepare for His coming and to reach out to those who are yet to know Him. The Sabbath is for man’s benefit and blessing.
As I reflect back on this week’s readings in Jeremiah, I am again encouraged with the simplicity of God’s message to His children. Trust and obedience will bring blessing! It is so simple yet it seems to be so difficult for the people of God to trust Him! We see over and over people who say they want to hear His Word and follow His directions turning the other way and doing their own thing. This always lead to disastrous consequences.
A group of people mentioned by Jeremiah and singled out by God for blessing were the Rechabites. (Jeremiah 35) These people had sworn in a covenant oath to their father Jonadab that they would not drink wine, plant grapes, sow seed, or build houses but would live in tents. They had been faithful to their oath for years. Jeremiah tried to entice them to drink wine and they refused. They were commended as being faithful to their oath while the Israelites had broken their covenant vows to God over and over. (Jeremiah 35:18-19) The Rechabites were rewarded and commended for their faithfulness! They had learned to trust and obey their earthly father while the Israelites refused to trust and obey their heavenly Father! But in their limited obedience, they still needed God’s grace because they too were sinners.
Thanks be to God for He did for us what we could not do! We have the Holy Spirit living in us today and God’s power and presence to enable us to live holy, obedient lives of faith. We have the New Covenant and God’s law written on our hearts and minds as promised through the prophet Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 31:31-34) We are born again by the Spirit and adopted as God’s children. We are being transformed daily by the Spirit by an ever-increasing glory! Check your trust level in Jesus Christ, the One who totally trusted and obeyed on our behalf! Rest in His complete obedience! In His Love, Pastor John
Ask and Receive!
Scripture reading for August 10: 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 loves His people! He always has and always will love them! He draws His people to enter into a love relationship with Him by cords of loving-kindness. He knows that love must be freely given by His people and that they must be drawn back to Him from the world and it’s enticements. God’s love will ransom them from the hand of the enemy. (Jeremiah 31:11) He will cause them to take up the tambourine and dance with the joyful! (Jeremiah 31:4, 13)
God declared to Jeremiah a time that was coming when He would make a new covenant with Israel and Judah. 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. His forgiveness of sin would be experienced by all and God Himself would remember it no more. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
These visions of restoration came to Jeremiah at a most unlikely time in the history of the nation. The nation was surrounded by the Babylonians and Jeremiah was confined to the courtyard of the guard under house arrest. In the natural, it did not look good. 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 send His people into captivity. He promised restoration and the coming of the New Covenant.
The amazing promises of great things 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” is 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 and draws us with His loving-kindness! These are great and unsearchable things revealed to those who call on Him!