QT 31 Aug 11, Having a desire to do something is not an indication of God's will

Rom 1:13 (NIV) I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

NOTE: Paul had planned to come to Rome many times.  Obviously, it was a desire on his heart. But, for whatever reason, God or circumstances (which God allowed) had prevented his fulfilling this desire.  So, the first point is this: having a desire to do something does not mean that it is God's will for your life.  I have heard people argue the opposite point many times.  They are convinced that God has placed a certain desire in their heart and they make foolish decisions to fulfill that desire.  Paul had a desire to go to Rome.  It appears he tried, but he also did not become obsessed with the idea or desire.  He submitted to God's "no."  He let God use him where he was.  At certain times, he appears to try again to fulfill the desire, but every time, he submitted to God.  He did not do foolish things and blame God for the desire on his heart.  Now, he is about ready to start the journey to Rome.  And while he is only a month or two, journey-wise, away from Rome, it will take a number of years to arrive in Rome.  He will spend two years in a jail in Caesarea awaiting a trial.  He does not let his desire for a certain ministry overwhelm him, but patiently waits for God to bring it about in his time.  This is a good lesson for me.  I may have a desire to do something, and it is okay to take steps toward that goal, but if / when God says "no," I need to continue in what he has given me to do now.

QT 30 Aug 11, Sometimes success is a sign that it is time to change

Rom 1:11-13 (NIV) I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

NOTE: Paul was successful.  His ministry was seeing spiritual fruit.  Paul was making an impact among the Greek Gentiles.  But, Paul also saw his ministry as mobile.  There were things he could impart to others which God had gifted him.  There was also a point where his ministry probably had diminishing returns.  Sometimes change can give a spark to ministry, as Paul says, "mutually encouraged."  What is that point in ministry where it is time to move on, to reach out to a new place, to start something new?  In discipleship, three years seems to be my personal limit.  At that point, there really is little that I can teach that I have not already taught and it is time for the person to get training from someone else, or hopefully be training others.  And, we learn so much more when we teach others.  That is another reason to move on, sometimes other individuals need the opportunity to step up and minister, and that won't happen if the "master-teacher" is still there.  God, what are you doing in my life?  Where do I need to move on?  Where do I need to do something new?  Help me to see your plan for my life.

QT 29 Aug 11, Obedience comes from faith

Rom 1:5 (NIV) Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

NOTE:  Paul's mission was to call people from among all Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.  The call is not exactly to obedience but to faith, because obedience comes from faith.  So, how might I express this differently?  We are not called, just to be obedient, because then it would depend completely on our own strength, and in that case, the new covenant wouldn't be any different from the old covenant.  No, we are called to an obedience that comes from faith, or in other words, we are called to a faith where obedience is the result.  While it may not always seem like it (down in the trees), our obedience or reflection of Jesus Christ grows as our faith in Christ grows (from the perspective of the forest).  Maturity in Christ does make us different.  But there is one warning.  Growing in faith is different from growing in knowledge, yet both use some similar means.  The word of God is indispensable in both.  Christian fellowship is an absolute necessity.  Witnessing is a natural byproduct.  But prayer may be the difference between the person whose (false) maturity is characterized by knowledge only, versus the person whose (real) maturity is characterized by faith.  Prayer expresses our dependence on God.  And as we grow in dependence, we grow in faith, and as we grow in faith, we mature, and as we mature, we grow in obedience.

QT 24 Aug 11, Seek God in good times and bad

Lam 3:17-18, 25-26, 38 (NIV) I have been deprived of peace;

I have forgotten what prosperity is.

18 So I say, "My splendor is gone

and all that I had hoped from the Lord."

. . .

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,

to the one who seeks him;

26 it is good to wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord.

. . .

38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High

that both calamities and good things come?

NOTE: We much rather quote verses 25-26 than 17-18.  And yet, Lam 3:32a says "Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, …." God brings or allows--it doesn't really matter, the result is the same--both pain and good.  I personally prefer "allows" since we were the ones who chose to rebel against God in the garden--we have what we thought we wanted.  Yet in the midst of the mess that we chose, God works.  In Romans, Paul writes that "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." So while my situation may not be directly from God, I am assured that he is working to bring good out of it--at least to those who know him personally and love him.  Now, my situation may in fact be directly from God, especially when God sees a need to discipline me. In which case, verse 40 tells me to examine my ways, test them, and return to the Lord.  If I am in sin or living in rebellion, I need to repent.  But in any case, I must seek God.  And even more importantly, I need to seek God in the good times as well as the hard times, because that is the most important thing to do, and often times the bad times are to remind me that I wasn't seeking God as I should in the good times.

QT 23 Aug 11, Tell people not what they want, but what they need

Lam 2:13-14 (NIV) What can I say for you?

With what can I compare you,

O Daughter of Jerusalem?

To what can I liken you,

that I may comfort you,

O Virgin Daughter of Zion?

Your wound is as deep as the sea.

Who can heal you?

14 The visions of your prophets

were false and worthless;

they did not expose your sin

to ward off your captivity.

The oracles they gave you

were false and misleading.

NOTE: The persons whose job it was to heal and protect the nation, the prophets, priests, and leaders, failed the nation.  The prophets' visions were worthless.  They provided people what they wanted to hear but not what they needed to hear.  They offered hope (a false hope), and instead they should have exposed sin.  If they had exposed sin, maybe captivity might have been warded off, but their messages misled those who were entrusted to them.

This is a warning to teachers as well.  Our job is to speak the word of God clearly and not hold back for fear of hurting someone's feelings or making someone fearful of their actions.  We are not to tear others down purposefully.  We are called to exhort people to obedience and to a right understanding of the word.  It can be done respectfully and gently and also without holding punches back.  Sometimes the word of God is brutal in its honesty.  We need to preach it clearly.  We don't have to single people out, we can let the Holy Spirit do that, but we should not hold back out of fear of offending someone with the message.  Lord, I don't want to be remembered as one who taught "worthless" things or one who "did not expose sin."  Give me grace to comfort, encourage, exhort, and expose where needed.

QT 22 Aug 11, The only remedy for sin is still repentance

Lam 1:12, 14 (NIV) "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?

Look around and see.

Is any suffering like my suffering

that was inflicted on me,

that the Lord brought on me

in the day of his fierce anger?

. . .

14 "My sins have been bound into a yoke;

by his hands they were woven together.

They have come upon my neck

and the Lord has sapped my strength.

He has handed me over

to those I cannot withstand.

NOTE: The Mosaic covenant was very clear in its blessings and curses.  There should be no surprise at the severity of the punishment.  In fact, the most surprising aspect is how long God delayed.  From 1375 BC to 586 BC, 790 years, Israel has gone back and forth in its relationship with God, alternating between disobedience and obedience, between good rulers and evil rulers.  And now, 20 generations later, God finally judges her sin. 

We all desire mercy.  We appreciate God's long suffering.  In the NT, there is no longer specific curses for failures, but there are warnings for backsliding and of discipline (the book of Hebrews).  These do not take away our salvation, just as those who walked through the Red Sea did not lose their salvation at Kadesh Barnea.  But they did suffer in not reaching the earthly rest promised in the promised land.

Father, as believers we all fail in many ways.  Forgive us and have mercy on us.  We repent of our sin and ask that you will again help us to live in a manner that pleases you.

QT 19 Aug 11, Don't take advantage of other's misfortunes

Jer 49:1-6 (NIV) Concerning the Ammonites:

This is what the Lord says:

"Has Israel no sons?

Has she no heirs?

Why then has Molech taken possession of Gad?

Why do his people live in its towns?

. . .

4 Why do you boast of your valleys,

boast of your valleys so fruitful?

O unfaithful daughter,

you trust in your riches and say,

'Who will attack me?'

5 I will bring terror on you

from all those around you,"

 declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

"Every one of you will be driven away,

and no one will gather the fugitives.

6 "Yet afterward, I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites,"

 declares the Lord.

NOTE: The king of Ammon had conspired in the assassination of Gedaliah.  They now seize some of the territory of Gad.  Jeremiah's point is that the heirs of Gad rightfully own the land given to them by God.  Ammon does not have right to it.  Interestingly, in verse 4, God calls Ammon a "unfaithful daughter" apparently in reference to her forefather Lot.  She has completely forgotten Lot's faith and now serves a foreign god.  Ultimately Babylon takes captive Ammon as well.  She reappears in the story of the Maccabees and is quite possibly Arabia today.  Unfortunately, she is an enemy of Israel today. 

So what is the application?  Ammon seeks to take advantage of the difficult situation of another country.  God rebukes her for such thoughts.  There is a tendency for us to "take advantage" of another's misfortune by procuring an item at a very reduced price.  I don't think that honors God as a believer.  Obviously if we don't need the item, that is a different story.  But if there is something we want and we procure it through another's misfortune, why not pay fair price?  In which case, the individual is better off and we have a better conscience for the deal.

QT 18 Jul 11, Pride is a dangerous emotion that blinds us to others

Jer 48:29-33 (NIV) "We have heard of Moab's pride —

her overweening pride and conceit,

her pride and arrogance

and the haughtiness of her heart.

30 I know her insolence but it is futile,"

 declares the Lord,

"and her boasts accomplish nothing.

31 Therefore I wail over Moab,

for all Moab I cry out,

I moan for the men of Kir Hareseth.

32 I weep for you, as Jazer weeps,

O vines of Sibmah.

Your branches spread as far as the sea;

they reached as far as the sea of Jazer.

The destroyer has fallen

on your ripened fruit and grapes.

33 Joy and gladness are gone

from the orchards and fields of Moab.

I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses;

no one treads them with shouts of joy.

Although there are shouts,

they are not shouts of joy.

NOTE: The concluding chapters of Jeremiah focus on the nations around Judah: Egypt, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom and others.  Moab is destroyed for a number of reasons--one of which is highlighted rather strongly, and that is pride.  Pride is a very ugly sin.  And while there is a good side to it--such as the pride a Parent takes in a child as he/she takes the first steps in multiple adventures--there is a very dark and grievous side as well.  The evil of pride is first and foremost a feeling of being better than others, or deserving of special attention.  The person (or nation) looks down upon others with a sense of superiority, and assumes he/she is better.  Pride focuses us inwardly and causes us to forget others or to treat them rudely.  It is really the opposite of love in almost every sense of the word.  Truly, people, deep down, are not as different as we like to think.  Some of us have been blessed by opportunity and birth right, but that does not make us deserving of special status.  The Lord will hold us accountable some day for the prideful way we have treated others, just as he held Moab accountable. 

God, open our eyes and help us to see all people as you see them.  Help us to live like Jesus with love for every person.  Help us to consider others as more important than ourselves (Phil 2:1-4).

QT 17 Aug 11, Don't jump on near term decisions before considering the long term

Jer 46:13-14, 25-26 (NIV) This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to attack Egypt:

14 "Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol;

proclaim it also in Memphis and Tahpanhes:

'Take your positions and get ready,

for the sword devours those around you.'

. . .

25 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes, on Pharaoh, on Egypt and her gods and her kings, and on those who rely on Pharaoh. 26 I will hand them over to those who seek their lives, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past," declares the Lord.

NOTE: The remnant from Judah have run from one conflict into another conflict.  It does take some time for Babylon to give up on its attack on Tyre and attack Egypt .  Babylon had already defeated the armies of Egypt at Carchemish, but had not yet invaded the nation.  Most commentators believe that this particular prophecy was made well before the incident with Gedaliah.  Still, that would be even another argument not to run to Egypt.  While Egypt looks safe for the present, the future had already been prophesied as bad. 

We need to be careful about heading into "situations" that look safe in the near term but are less safe in the long term.  As I look at my own job situation, I must make sure I don't take the best position as it stands now, but that I also considered how things may look a few years from now.  And in any case, it is always prudent to bathe decisions in prayer.

QT 16 Aug 11, God warns us, but lets us choose our disaster

Jer 44:25b-28 (NIV) "Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows! 26 But hear the word of the Lord, all Jews living in Egypt: 'I swear by my great name,' says the Lord, 'that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, "As surely as the Sovereign Lord lives." 27 For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed. 28 Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand — mine or theirs.

NOTE: The Jews had made vows to foreign gods in an attempt to save themselves from disaster.  It reminds me of the torches that Isaiah prophesied against when he said "But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze.  This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment" (Isa 50:11).  Israel had once again sought a solution to their problems that did not include the God of the universe, and God says "fine."  God says in similar words, to follow through on your solution to the problem, but let me warn you what to expect, you will experience "harm" and "torment."  God is more than willing to let us live our lives apart from him, but he warns us of the disaster that awaits us.  That is why Jesus' response to disasters and evils of life was to tell us to "repent, for we too will die."  It is not the way God intended life to go when he created us in the garden, but it is what we chose.  And it is amazing to see how many shake their fists at God today, even though we are experiencing exactly what we chose.

QT 15 Aug 11, If Christianity is true, all other religions are false

Jer 44:15-18 (NIV) Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were present — a large assembly — and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah, 16 "We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord! 17 We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. 18 But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine."

NOTE: This certainly shows the deceptiveness of sin.  Some Jews have interpreted God's mercy as favor from false gods.  They have created for themselves a theology that suits their desires.  This despite all the prophecies from Jeremiah over the last 30 years and the refusal to believe by the Jews at the time.  And yet still, the people choose to believe what their own hearts want to believe over the idea of truth.  We are like that today.  Any religious idea is okay if you want to believe it.  If you want a God without Hell, that is fine.  If you want spiritual stones and peace with nature as your religion, that is fine.  But the problem is that there is only one truth and it does not matter how much a person believes in a false truth as okay, it is still false.  Christianity is exclusive, it can be nothing else.  It claims that God himself came to earth to die for our sins.  God himself claimed to be the only was to salvation.  If those statements are not true, then it was not God.  And if it was not God, then our salvation was not paid for on the cross.  One cannot have it both ways.  Either Christianity is true and all other religions false, or Christianity is not true and all other religions are questionable.

QT 12 Aug 11, Prudence fails when God's word is clear

Jer 41:17-42:2; 42:9-11, 19a; 43:1-2, 4 (NIV) And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt 18 to escape the Babylonians. They were afraid of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

42:1 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 2 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.

. . .

He said to them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: 10 'If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted on you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands.

. . .

19 "O remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, 'Do not go to Egypt.' . . .

43:1 When Jeremiah finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God — everything the Lord had sent him to tell them —  2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, "You are lying! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, 'You must not go to Egypt to settle there.'

. . .

4 So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people disobeyed the Lord's command to stay in the land of Judah.

NOTE: Jeremiah has been proven right over and over again.  He is a legitimate prophet of God.  He has never been wrong (which would disqualify him).  He is recognized as a prophet by the people as evidenced by their stopping (on the way to Egypt) and asking him for God's guidance.  They even wait ten days for the answer.  The Lord tells them to stay in the land and not go to Egypt.  They refuse for fear that they will be killed by the Babylonians for the actions of Ishmael in killing the governor, Gedaliah.  They were not guilty.  They even took action to try to capture Ishmael, without success.  And now God has confirmed that they should stay in the land.  But out of fear, they refuse to obey.  Here is a case where too much prudence and thinking through a problem can become bad.  They know the right thing to do, they know what God is telling them to do, they know that they were not party to the assassination, but they reason that one) they are related in some small way to the culprit, two) that they did not capture the culprit (suggesting complicity), and three) that the King of Babylon will kill someone just to make an example of the consequences of raising a hand against his authority.  Those are very good prudent arguments, but where prudence and trust cross paths is when God's word is clear on our actions.  In this case it is clear.  They need to stay and they must trust God to protect them.

Most of the time, we do not have such clear guidance from God and so prudence takes a larger role in our decision making process.  But when God has shown us the right thing to do, we need make sure that we do not allow arguments to overshadow God's will.

QT 9 Aug 11, Trust God, but be prudent

Jer 40:15-16, 41:1b-3 (NIV) Then Johanan son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, "Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?"

16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Don't do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true."

. . .
While they were eating together there, 2 Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

NOTE: It is hard to understand the purpose of this narrative.  Gedaliah is appointed governor after the destruction of Jerusalem and the taking of Zedekiah to Babylon.  A character, Ishmael, is sent from the King of the Ammonites to kill the governor.  Gedaliah is warned but Gedaliah refuses to believe the warning.  Consequently, Gedaliah is killed.  Ultimately, Ishmael's captives are rescued by Johanan, but in fear of the Babylonians, they flee to Egypt.  Consequently, the Jews who had come back from refugee status in the other nations, leave the area as well.  All this also sets up Chapter 42 and Jeremiah's response.

One major item stands out, and that is the constant tension between prudence and trust in God.  I can't tell if Gedaliah was confident of his safety because of his trust in God (he never mentions God) or was just being foolish and not taking prudent steps toward his safety.  Jesus does tells us that in dealing with the world we need to "be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves" (Matt 10:16). And in another place,  "[F]or the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light" (Luke 16:8).

So, the application would seem to be, trust in God, state your trust in God, pray as if everything depended on God, but also take prudent steps when dealing with a sinful world.  Clearly God can miraculously protect, but why should we test the Lord when there are prudent steps within our own capability.

QT 3 Aug 11, God's word cannot truly be burned

Jer 36:20-25 (NIV) After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him. 21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king and all the officials standing beside him. 22 It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment, with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. 23 Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe's knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire. 24 The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes. 25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.

NOTE:  Unfortunately, this is the attitude of many today toward the word of God.  If they could, those who disdain God would burn his word page by page in the fire and would show no fear.  Three advisors urged King Jehoiakim not to burn the scroll.  Why?  Because the king's actions show utter contempt for God's word.  It is as if, by burning the words, they lose their effectiveness.  If that was the case, why did the king even bother listening?  Listening, in a perverse sense, is actually an admission that there might be truth.  Destroying the words is an act of defiance that sets the person up against the idea of God.  Obviously, in the king's mind, he cannot be fighting against God, for that would be foolish.  The king has decided that God cannot exist, and that the words are not really God's word (or at least he hopes which is why he listens).  Even today, those who show the most defiance are not entirely sure of their own position.  They are watching, looking for reasons to disbelieve.  But in that very act, they are open to truth.  As believers, our best apologetic is the lives we live as followers of Jesus Christ.  Jesus set the example.  If we follow that example, not even burning our lives will remove the truth from the mind of the defiant listener/watcher.

QT 2 Aug 11, We must choose to obey

Jer 35:12-16, 19 (NIV) Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 13 "This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem, 'Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?' declares the Lord. 14 'Jonadab son of Recab ordered his sons not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather's command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me. 15 Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, "Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your fathers." But you have not paid attention or listened to me. 16 The descendants of Jonadab son of Recab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.'

. . . 19 Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'Jonadab son of Recab will never fail to have a man to serve me.'"

NOTE:  Because of our sin nature, there are certain things that we will always struggle against.  But there are some things, which while a struggle, it is possible to defeat in one's own strength.  God compares the Recabites ban on drinking with God's ban on idols.  The Recabites obeyed their forefather's word, and since they did not have the Holy Spirit living within them, they did it in their own strength.  The Israelites had the ability to say no to the worshipping of idols, but they failed.  Israel's failure results in much loss of life, the loss of the land, and exile to a foreign country.  The Recabites obedience to their forefather results in a promise to always have a man to serve God.  Today, there is a Recabite, one of the remnant, who believes in the savior, and is serving God.

While we must rely on the Holy Spirit for strength to say no to sin, there are things which must start with us.  We must choose to do the right thing.  God will give the strength to do what is right, but only after we choose to do what is right.  Father, help me to see those choices so that I can make the right choice.

QT 1 Aug 11, We need to respond to sin seriously

Jer 34:8-12,15-18 (NIV) The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves. 9 Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Jew in bondage. 10 So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. 11 But afterward they changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.

12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: . . . 15 Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to his countrymen. You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name. 16 But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.

17 "Therefore, this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom for your fellow countrymen. So I now proclaim 'freedom' for you, declares the Lord — 'freedom' to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 The men who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces.

NOTE:  This has always been the rules for slaves in Israel.  There are usually given a sum of money in exchange for a period of service, not unlike a sports contract.  But the maximum length of the contract was always seven years and typically less, depending on the number of years until the next release.  Apparently, Israel somewhere decided to stop obeying this rule, as well as not planting crops once every seven years.  God is aware of this sin but has not specifically called it out, at least not very often.  In this case, the King and the people recognize their sin, repent, and agree to do the right thing.  But after making that choice, some go back to their sin despite their commitment to change.  Consequently, God gives them 'freedom,' freedom to fall by calamity.  Additionally, God invokes the ancient ceremony of passing through the halved animals, where the oath taker agrees to be like the halved animals if he does not follow through on his promise.

As believers, we still struggle with sin.  Partly because we live in a fallen body.  Someday we will have a new body and the battle with sin will be over.  But, despite our fallen nature, we must take sin seriously.  We must never give in and give up.  We will fall again, but each time our repentance needs to be real and genuine.  We need to take sin seriously.  God takes it seriously, and using our body of flesh as an excuse is not sufficient if we are not serious about changing our course.