Constructive/Destructive

Reading in Jeremiah 1.10 this morning in which God describes to Jeremiah what his ministry of prophecy will look like. It will be constructive or destructive, meaning it will either encourage the people or declare God's judgment to the people. Judging from the words (and as proven by history) it will end up being more destructive than constructive, because Jeremiah is the last of the prophets before the exile to Babylon. He will proclaim God's words to Judah. They will not listen.

A ministry which proclaims God's judgment is not an easy one to carry out—who wants to hear THAT message—but Jeremiah faithfully proclaims the word that God gives him, despite opposition, oppression, and imprisonment.

He is a good example to us to be faithful to do what the Lord calls us to do, even when there is opposition, and even when that opposition comes from the "church."

The Purpose of Ezra

Thinking about Ezra 1.1, this morning. Ezra is quite clear about what his purpose is in the book that bears his name. He is not setting out to just recount historical events surrounding the return of the exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem, as if, were he not to do so, they would be lost to history. He is writing about God moving, about God fulfilling his promise. Cyrus moved that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. This is the key point in the book of Ezra (it seems to me), against which we must set every event. Ezra's purpose is to describe how God fulfilled the prophecy that he had made through Jeremiah. Consequently, this is not a historical book per se, it is a book of promise fulfillment.

Created By Power, Wisdom, and Understanding

The Scriptures are remarkably consistent in their claims concerning how the world was created. Jeremiah 51.15 agrees with John 1.1-3. The universe was made by the power of God. As he spoke it came into being. This is a theological description of origins, not a science textbook, so the mechanics of the world coming into being are only described in the vaguest way. The reason for this is that the Scriptures' emphasize who created the world, not how it was created.

The world was created by God's power, wisdom, and understanding and this is self-evident by simply looking at what is around us. This is exactly Paul's argument in Romans 1.20. It is a measure of how deep God's wisdom is, how great his power is, and how rich his understanding, that the deeper we delve into the mystery of nature, the more complex it becomes. Our God is great!

Humility and How the Remnant did not Attain It

Jeremiah 44.10 this morning. Despite Jeremiah's faithfully proclaiming the word of the Lord to those left in the land by the Babylonian army, they would not listen to his message and fled to Egypt for safety and then took up their practice of sacrificing to the queen of heaven, vowing that they would continue to do so! As Jeremiah describes their situation he gets to the crux of the problem. Even though God had brought all of this calamity on Judah, they did not humble themselves. They did not fear God. They did not walk in his ways and according to his statutes.

From this we can easily see that God's aim for God's people is to fear him, to walk in his commandments, and to walk in humility before him. So...how are you doing?

The Dangers of Man's Logic

In Jeremiah 43.2 this morning. The remnant who had been left in the land promised Jeremiah that whatever God spoke through him, they would do. “Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to us.” (Jer 42:5 ESV) Jeremiah comes back in 10 days and tells them to remain in the land of promise. Jeremiah 43.2 is their response. "Jeremiah, you are lying!"

Why this response? Human logic and reason. There were two great powers in the world at the time. Babylon and Egypt. If Babylon was your enemy, then Egypt was your friend. For protection from Babylon, you go down and live in Egypt. They took everyone and moved into Egypt. In 568 BC, Babylon conquered Egypt, just as Jeremiah prophesied.

This is the danger of Man's logic and reason, and the necessity of faith. Sometimes the proper thing to do is not to rely on your reason, especially when there is a conflict between what seems smart, and what God calls you to do.

A "Graced" Woman and a Servant of The King

Two compelling biblical characters today. First from 1 Samuel 1.20, we see Hannah whose name means "grace." She thought that her name was a mockery, since she was childless which was about the worst thing that could happen to a Hebrew wife. Yet in due time she who thought she was "graced-less" received a son of the Lord. He would be the greatest judge in Israel's history and a type of Christ (see Galatians 4.4). She who thought she was cursed of God discovered that her name was true. Hannah was graced by God in a marvelous and unmistakable way.

From Jeremiah 39.16 we find Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian whose name means merely "servant of the king." We aren't even told his Ethiopian name. Ebed saved the life of Jeremiah, no doubt because he believed Jeremiah's word and honored the God whom Jeremiah served. Ebed-melech is in some danger—he is fearful of those who oppose him at the (now destroyed by Babylon) court. Jeremiah promises him that he has nothing to fear because God will deliver him from these evil men. So the one who is nothing more than the "servant of the king," is proven to be the "servant of the True King."

Like Hannah, may we find God's grace in our greatest difficulties, and may we serve the True King with the devotion and commitment of Ebed-melech.

A People of (Very) Hard Hearts

Thinking about Jeremiah 37.2 this morning. The people of Israel had everything that they needed to repent and turn away from their sins. They had the prophecy that Nebuchadnezzar and the army of Babylon would destroy them. They had Jeremiah's repeated warnings of God's impending judgment. They would not listen.

A couple of thoughts. First, God will do what he says. All of the hope in the world will not undo what he has said that he will do. King Zedekiah was hoping that the withdrawal of the Babylonian army after their first venture into Israel meant that Jeremiah was wrong. Zedekiah was the one who was wrong.

John Calvin makes the second point: For he intimates, that though God did not appear from heaven, it was sufficient to condemn the unbelieving, that he spoke by his Prophets. Hearing God's word through Jeremiah ought to have been enough to make them repent. They did not need for God to appear to them. The lesson for us is that we have God's word. It ought to be sufficient for us to repent of our sins and follow God.

Third, as Calvin also points out, the people exhibit a strange blindness to their position. They have already seen the king's own sons slain before his eyes by the Babylonians, and yet they do not listen to God's word through Jeremiah.

The Danger of Prosperity

Thinking through the implications of Jeremiah 22.21 this morning. I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, "I will not listen." The Hebrew word translated "prosperity" ‏בְּשַׁלְוֹתַ֔יִךְ is one that means "a time of ease or unconcern." So God is saying, "when things were going well for you, I tried to get your attention, but you would not listen." This is the danger of prosperity, the danger of having it too good. When all of our needs are met; when we are not in a crisis, we tend to forget God and rely on ourselves. It's no use damning the people of Judah if we do not bother to search through our own hearts and ask, "Lord, is this me?"

My own heart is prone to wander in prosperity; prone to forget about God, or, as the songwriter put it, Prone to wander, Lord I feel it; Prone to leave the God I love. Just so. What can keep us faithful? What can keep us obedient? My own theory is that saturation in the word of God is the first key, because it exposes our heart again and again as the Holy Spirit uses it—it is, after all, sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb 4.12)—to get at our heart and motives and remind us again and again how essential it is to obey God's word.

Are you saturated in the Word of God? If not, you are treading a thin plank indeed.

The Lord is...

The hope of Israel. The fountain of living water. Our healer. Our Saviour. The focus and end of our praise, all taken from Jeremiah 17.13, 14. One could chew on those truths for a while, couldn't one?

Harsh Words for "Shepherds"

Harsh words for the shepherds in Jer 10.21, but then, everywhere in the Scriptures those who lead God's people are held to a higher standard. Here they are described as "stupid." The Hebrew word is ‏ ּ֙ורֲעְבִנ‎and means to be stupid, or in Syriac, "uncultivated." It's use in the OT always implies stupidity, not mentally, but is connected with those who do not believe in God, or those who do not do what he says. So the shepherds whose main job is to inquire of the Lord and explain to the people what God expects of them, do not do it. Because they do not inquire of the Lord, they have not prospered.

This is a sobering thought for anyone who aspires to be a shepherd, and for any man who heads a family because God calls him to be a shepherd of his household. High responsibility which we should accept gladly. May we (men) be good shepherds of our households and inquire of the Lord.

Becoming What We Pursue

Thinking through the implications of Jer 2.5 this morning. Pursuing worthlessness leads to becoming worthless. A strong statement from the Scriptures. Israel, in the process of pursuing worthless things, had become what it pursued. This is a forthright message to us that we will value the most what we pursue the hardest. Will we pursue God and his glory, or be content to pursue the creation rather than the creator?