QT 29 Jul 11, Now is the time of salvation, before the wrath of God is poured out on the earth

Jer 33:14-16 (NIV) "'The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

15 "'In those days and at that time

I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line;

he will do what is just and right in the land.

16 In those days Judah will be saved

and Jerusalem will live in safety.

This is the name by which it will be called:

The Lord Our Righteousness.'

NOTE: The real promise of hope to Israel was not the return from Babylon in 70 years, but of a day and time when a "righteous branch" will sprout from David's line.  His name will be the "The Lord Our Righteousness."  This is a pretty strong indication of the divine aspect of the messiah.  The passage says that in "those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety."  But Judah rejected the Messiah (Matt 12:22-24ff) and Jerusalem crucified him.  Because of that action, God withdrew his offer of salvation for a time.  We live in that time now, the time of the Gentiles.  Paul says it will continue until the full number of Gentiles have come in (Rom 11:25).  And then, God who has not forgotten his people will once again work in their lives.  The tribulation period will cause Israel to turn back to the Lord.  At the very end of the tribulation, Jesus will return and will defeat the antichrist, and will establish his new kingdom in a new Jerusalem, and so this prophecy will see its literal fulfillment.  To the Gentile and Jew, this is also a sort of warning.  I would not want to wait until the tribulation to make a decision for Christ.  I believe that believers will be rescued, raptured, from the earth prior to that time (as 1 Thess 1:10, 5:9 indicates).  Now is the best time for salvation, before the wrath of God is poured out on the earth.  Father, may I be a bold witness to this truth

QT 28 Jul 11, As the bride of Christ, we are to be wholly devoted to Christ

Jer 31:22 (NIV) How long will you wander,

O unfaithful daughter?

The Lord will create a new thing on earth —

a woman will surround a man."

NOTE: This is a particularly difficult verse to understand.  In context, the unfaithful daughter is Israel.  Some have suggested that to surround a man means: the virgin birth (a woman having a child without a man), a woman (Israel) defeating a man (Babylon), a woman courting a man, and others.  I think the term "a new thing" is mentioned elsewhere in Jeremiah as well and it refers to a heart that wants to know God--so the new thing would be Israel (the woman) seeking the savior (Jesus), whereas, normally it has been God seeking Israel.  Some day, all Israel will recognize their sin and repent.  They will turn and call upon God, and God will place his spirit in their heart.  That is the new thing and it could be happening right now with the church and the remnant of believers who are Jewish (or still be later when it is all Israel at the end of the tribulation).

How does this apply to me?  I am part of the body of Christ, the bride of the savior.  I need to be fully devoted to God.  I must not let things, especially material things, steer my devotion away from my savior.  That is adultery with the world, where material things become an idol and take my devotion away from my savior.  Father, forgive me for my failures.  I want to be wholly devoted to you.

QT 27 Jul 11, As the days grow shorter, our responsibility is even greater

Jer 30:3-7 (NIV) The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess,' says the Lord."

4 These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5 "This is what the Lord says:

"'Cries of fear are heard —

terror, not peace.

6 Ask and see:

Can a man bear children?

Then why do I see every strong man

with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,

every face turned deathly pale?

7 How awful that day will be!

None will be like it.

It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,

but he will be saved out of it.

NOTE: This passage refers to the tribulation, a time of trouble for Jacob.  We may be very close to that time, and then again we may not be.  God brought his people back to the land during the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, and even gave them some limited sovereignty in the days of the Maccabees.  Then as a result of their rejection of the Messiah they were again scattered during the destruction of Jerusalem and the surrounding cities … although most actually died.  In 1948, they were once again brought back to the land.  I think I read somewhere that there are now more Jews in Israel than in any other single country .  It is possible that they will be scattered again, but I think this last re-gathering is the promised return mentioned here in Jeremiah, and not the 70 year return mentioned earlier.  But with it comes a judgment that will cause great pain for those who live in the land.  In the end, a remnant will come forth, saved, and wholly devoted to God.  Verse 9 says that David will be raised up and rule.  This would be the millennial kingdom.  As the world hurtles toward this destiny, a time of great sorrow and wrath for all nations of the world, we need, more than ever, the courage to share our faith boldly.  We need to reach out to our unsaved neighbors and co-workers, for the days are short.  We are here to be witnesses not observers.  We need to be different in our morality than those around us or we will have no credibility.  God help us not to shirk our responsibility as ambassadors for you.

QT 21 Jul 11, Our success is not how well the message is received by the masses, but it is how faithful it is to God

Jer 28:10-11, 15-17 (NIV) Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, 11 and he said before all the people, "This is what the Lord says: 'In the same way will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.'" At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.

. . .

15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, "Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. 16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: 'I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.'"

17 In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.

NOTE: In Jer 20, God lets Pashhur live but pronounces a judgment against him that includes exile to Babylon and seeing all the things that he prophesied, not come true.  Besides his false prophecies, Pashhur had thrown Jeremiah in the stocks.  But in this passage, God deals very differently with Hananiah, instead of watching his prophecies not come true, Hananiah dies in two months (comparing 28:1 to 28:17).  I still wonder if Pashhur was redeemable for the work of the Lord, but Hananiah is too stubborn to believe the truth.  Hananiah really does not have much of an excuse.  At this point, many of Jeremiah's prophecies have come true (two deportations to Babylon and the loss of much wealth).  I wonder if Hananiah's prophecy was especially popular -- something the people wanted to hear.  No one wants to remain under another nation's control.  The people probably like Hananiah, spoke well of Hananiah, and loved to listen to Hananiah, but Hananiah did not listened to God.  It is not the popularity of the message as measured by attendance (people in the pews) that is our measure of success, but it is the preaching the word of God faithfully that should be our measure of success.  And that requires prayer and communion with God.  God is the one who will provide us with our "well done" compliment.

QT 20 Jul 11, Man continually chooses what he wants over what is best

Jer 27:16-22 (NIV) Then I said to the priests and all these people, "This is what the Lord says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, 'Very soon now the articles from the Lord's house will be brought back from Babylon.' They are prophesying lies to you. 17 Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this city become a ruin? 18 If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord, let them plead with the Lord Almighty that the furnishings remaining in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon. 19 For this is what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the Sea, the movable stands and the other furnishings that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem —  21 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: 22 'They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them,' declares the Lord. 'Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.'"

NOTE:  The prophecies in these chapters are a collection of prophecies to the monarchs.  Chapter 26 was early in the reign of Jehoiakim (26:1), prior to the attack of Babylon, and during a time where the real enemy seemed to be Egypt.  This prophecy is early in the reign of Zedekiah (27:1) and after the first and second deportation to Babylon.  At this point, the items mentioned are still in Jerusalem.  Nine years after the start of Zedekiah's reign, Babylon will come to take all the items mentioned because of Zedekiah's rebellion.  It will take of siege of two years, but in the end Jerusalem falls. 

Here is my question.  At this point, every one of Jeremiah's prophecies have proven correct and the false prophet's messages have proven wrong.  Why does Zedekiah choose to listen to a false message when the truth, verified prophecies, is right before him?  In other words, we can know what is right and choose the opposite because … we don't want to hear what is right and we don't want to do what is right--we want to do things our way.  Isn't that the message of the garden of Eden?  We did not want God to rule our lives.  We believed the serpent when he said we could be gods.  We rebelled against what is right because we wanted what was false.  And we still do the same thing today.  The gospel message is historically accurate to those who are willing to research it.  But we deny it, because we don't want submit to God's rule in our life.  Lord, open our eyes to see our own deceit.

QT 18 Jul 11, Listen the first time to correction before it is too late

Jer 26:1-3, 16-19 (NIV) Early in the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 "This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord's house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord. Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word. 3 Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from his evil way. Then I will relent and not bring on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done.

...

16 Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, "This man should not be sentenced to death! He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God."

17 Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people, 18 "Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says:

"'Zion will be plowed like a field,

Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,

the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.'

19 "Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah fear the Lord and seek his favor? And did not the Lord relent, so that he did not bring the disaster he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves!"

NOTE: In chronology, this prophecy must appear before the breaking of the pottery.  Jewish culture grouped items by theme more so than by chronology as is done in the west.  So, at the beginning, or at least early in Jehoiakim's reign (26:1), God did offer the people a chance to repent (26:3).  And while the majority of people wanted to put Jeremiah to death (as was done to Uriah, son of Shemaiah, for the same prophecy, Jer 26:20-23), there were a few elders who recognized that Jeremiah's prophecy, while treason-ness in nature, was very possible correct.  At his point, there is still some hope.  I think what turns ugly is after the broken pottery, when the finality of the decision is revealed, that even those who might have supported could not take the answer of no hope.

We don't like bad news.  We don't like being told that what we are doing is wrong.  We don't like to be corrected.  It is our sin nature and pride that rebels against good.  But if we don't listen when God speaks gently, there is always the possibility that we will reach the point of no return, when we wished we had listened to God but did not.  God keep my heart sensitive to correction.  Protect me from my own pride.

QT 15 Jul 11, What kind of figs am I producing?

Jer 24:1-10 (NIV) After Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the craftsmen and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very poor figs, so bad they could not be eaten.

3 Then the Lord asked me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?"

"Figs," I answered. "The good ones are very good, but the poor ones are so bad they cannot be eaten."

4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.  6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

8 "'But like the poor figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,' says the Lord, 'so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. 9 I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, an object of ridicule and cursing, wherever I banish them. 10 I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their fathers.'"

NOTE: Despite God's discipline on the people of Judah for their sins, God does not give up on his people.  He is working on their hearts even while they are in exile.  He promises to protect them and to bring them back to the land in the future.  In the next recorded prophecy, the actual time of 70 years is decreed for their captivity. 

Jesus, near the end of his ministry, curses a fig tree for not producing fruit, and then uses it as an illustration of the end times.  The interesting point is that it was not the time for figs when Jesus curses the tree.  So, Jesus knew it would not have figs on it.  But I think Jesus' point might be related to this verse.  God withdrew his offer of salvations to the Jews and gave it to the Gentiles because they did not recognize the time of their salvation.  But at some point in the future, God will save all Israel.  He has never abandoned his people both in the past and in the future.

What do I learn from this verse?  I think a good question to ask is what kind of fruit am I producing in my Christian fruit?  Is it useful or is it so poor that it has no usefulness in the kingdom?  I think our fruit is more related to our relationship with Christ than to the amount of time that we spend in ministry.  Our core strength comes from a deep walk with God.  Out of that relationship flows changes in our lives that can't help but impact others for good.

QT 14 Jul 11, "Many ways to God" is a lie

Jer 23:33-36 (NIV) "When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, 'What is the oracle of the Lord?' say to them, 'What oracle? I will forsake you, declares the Lord.' 34 If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, 'This is the oracle of the Lord,' I will punish that man and his household. 35 This is what each of you keeps on saying to his friend or relative: 'What is the Lord's answer?' or 'What has the Lord spoken?' 36 But you must not mention 'the oracle of the Lord' again, because every man's own word becomes his oracle and so you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God.

NOTE:  The philosophy that there are many ways to God is not supported by God himself.  Essentially, there is only one truth.  The other ways are a "man's own word" and "distort the words of the living God."  Earlier in the passage God addresses false dreams (verses 25-32), and God clearly says "I did not send or appoint them."  If there are not multiple messages from Judaism, but only one right and true message, how can multiple messages from other religions that disagree with the God of the OT be any more right or true?  There is only one God and there is only one message.  The message of the new covenant does not contradict anything in the old testament.  The new covenant is the fulfillment of the promises in the old testament.  It agrees one hundred percent with the message and the person of God.  And, similarly, Jesus boldly says that he is the only way to God.  He is the only truth.  He is the only one who represents life, eternal life.  Anyone who agrees with the philosophy of many ways to God is a false prophet who is only bringing a message of disaster to those who hears his remarks.  God will judge him for his misleading of those around him, and for his own sins.

QT 13 Jul 11, God's punishment is greater for his shepherds

Jer 23:14-15 (NIV) And among the prophets of Jerusalem

I have seen something horrible:

They commit adultery and live a lie.

They strengthen the hands of evildoers,

so that no one turns from his wickedness.

They are all like Sodom to me;

the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah."

15 Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:

"I will make them eat bitter food

and drink poisoned water,

because from the prophets of Jerusalem

ungodliness has spread throughout the land."

NOTE:  God's word has many warnings for the teachers, prophets, and shepherds of his people.  They are held under a stricter judgment than others.  Here, God's anger is directed against the prophets, for they "live a lie."  If we were honest, we would admit that we all struggle at one time or another with living a lie.  We do the very things we teach that others should not do.  The key test, is whether we are willing to repent of our sins or not.  Or do we try to ignore our sin, or even worse to justify our sin.  The man seeking God will respond to God as David, "against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge (Ps 51:4)." 

Father, may I never harden my heart to my sin.  May I never hide from you.  Always have mercy on me, for I know I am a sinner.  Forgive me and restore me when I fail.  Thank you for your mercy and kindness.

QT 11 Jul 11, Are we faithful in what God has given us?

Jer 22:15-17 (NIV) "Does it make you a king

to have more and more cedar?

Did not your father have food and drink?

He did what was right and just,

so all went well with him.

16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,

and so all went well.

Is that not what it means to know me?"

declares the Lord.

17 "But your eyes and your heart

are set only on dishonest gain,

on shedding innocent blood

and on oppression and extortion."

NOTE:  When the position is more important than the duties, then something is wrong.  We are not given jobs to glory in (talking to those with significant high-paying jobs), but to make a difference.  When we achieve self-importance, then we have sunk to valueless-ness.  It is not the titles, or the money, or the prestige.  Jesus said it well, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded."  The kings forgot why they had been given much and they misused what God gave them.

God has given me much as well.  Am I using what he has given me rightly?  Am I using it for others?  Obviously we do give our money to many, and use it in many ministries.  But, the answer to that questions varies with the amount given.  And it is worthwhile to ask the question again.  Am I using what God has given or am I trying to keep some of it for myself?  God, help me to see what you would have me do.

QT 7 Jul 11, God thinks a whole lot different than we do

Jer 20:1-6 (NIV) When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the chief officer in the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the Lord's temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, "The Lord's name for you is not Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib.  4 For this is what the Lord says: 'I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. 5 I will hand over to their enemies all the wealth of this city — all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.'"

NOTE: When I read this passage, my thoughts go to the verse that says God's ways are not our ways.  Two things happen here, both of which are the opposite of what we think should happen.  There is no denying that God is in charge as history itself is proof.  First, God promises to protect Jeremiah, and Jeremiah is thrown into prison.  Well, that would not be my idea of protection, but apparently God did not promise Jeremiah that bad things would not happen to him, only that he would ultimately protect him.  Jeremiah is protected, but Jeremiah suffers.  And by the verses which follow, he suffers emotionally in his faith as well.  Secondly, Pashur is judged for his action of throwing Jeremiah into prison.  What happens to Pashur?  He goes on to live through the attack and into exile into Babylon.  He will die in Babylon, but he will not die by sword or plague or famine or any other incredibly painful death.  Instead, he watches as Jeremiah's prophecy is fulfilled and his prophecies turn out to be lies.  I suppose that is a punishment, but it seems light on the surface.  Maybe he spends the rest of his life trying to figure out how he thought he could be so right and yet so wrong.  Maybe he doesn't care.  And maybe he is too thick-headed to even recognize the truth.  Still, in both cases, God is sovereign, and God does as he pleases.  His ways are not my ways, and I suppose that is a good thing.

QT 6 Jul 11, Idols are still a danger, even today

Jer 19:3-4, 15 (NIV) 'Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. 4 For they have forsaken me and made this a place of foreign gods; they have burned sacrifices in it to gods that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent. …

15 "This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'Listen! I am going to bring on this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.'"

NOTE:  There are many reasons for God's judgment against Judah.  Near the top of the list is the worship of foreign gods, idols.  But what are idols, and what is the worship of idols in this day and age?  I think an idol, and the worship of an idol, is anything that captures our affections to the point of negatively changing our relationship to God.  This is a difficult definition to develop and I'm not sure I have it right.

Some affections are good, such as the affection of a husband for his wife.  Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians also states that a man's interests or affections are divided by marriage, but that is still okay.  On the other hand, a car or home or hobby that consumes our attention and affects our relationship with God can easily become an idol.  A thing is not an idol by the amount of time it requires.  In that case, work would be an idol to everyone.  Work is an idol for some, but work is, generally, a good thing which God created.  But when my idol consumes so much of my time and interest that I don't have time for God, as measured by fellowship (church and small group involvement), devotional time (reading the word and prayer), witnessing (standing up for what is right),  and obedience (responding to God in areas where he reveals sin), then I have an idol.  And an idol, is a terrible thing to God.

God destroyed Israel and Judah for their idols. Of course, the old testament believers were under the old covenant which included blessings and curses (mostly curses).  The new testament believer is under a different covenant that is characterized by spiritual blessings and some warnings.  One warning, "do not be deceived, God is not mocked, a man reaps what he sows," should cause us to reconsider our lifestyle (in context it relates to our use of money and giving).  God forgives, but God will not be mocked by our stiff-necks and unwillingness to listen to his words, which is not any different than how he treated the old testament saints (Jer 19:15).

QT 4 Jul 11, Why does God ruin our plans?

Jer 19:1-2, 6-7a This is what the Lord says: "Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people and of the priests 2 and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you,

...

6 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call this place Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.

7 "'In this place I will ruin the plans of Judah and Jerusalem.

NOTE: Why does God 'ruin' their plans?  Because they rebelled against him, and according to the terms of the covenant, they were deserving of the curses.  The ruin was death by sword, famine, and plague.  Death will put a crimp in most people's plans.  The new covenant does not include any specific curses, although one can argue that there are many warnings.  In fact, I believe Hebrews is a warning to Jewish believers falling back into the old covenant that physical fire and physical death await them if they do not repent (as did happen in AD70 when Rome burned the city and killed its inhabitants).

But we are all in rebellion to God.  A rebellion which began in the garden and continues to this day.  The result of that rebellion was death too, just not immediate.  God promised us that our bodies would return to dust.  It was  not God's original plan, but it was what we chose because we did not want to be under his authority.  And yet today, people scream up at God for the pain and misery of this world.  God did not choose  that course, we chose that course.  If we curse at anyone, it should be ourselves.  Jesus words are beneficial, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish (Luke 13:2,3)."  Pain is part of our choice in this world.  We can't escape it.  But we can repent, and in that we have a future and a hope.  God doesn't ruin our plans, we already did that.  But God provides a plan which will not disappoint.