Throughout history, arrogant leaders have blamed the God of the Bible for the problems that they have brought upon people. However, evil is the tap from which evil flows.
For example, in the days of Jeremiah, government officials heard him, say, “Thus says the Lord: ‘He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes over to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.’” [1]
These corrupt officials responded to Jeremiah’s words by asking the king, “Please, let this man be put to death, for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm.” [2]
The truth was absolutely the opposite. Jeremiah urged his nation to repent and turn back to God to avoid harm. He worked to strengthen them in the Lord, but they ignored his preaching for forty years, and now, it was too late to avoid the consequences of their evil doings. They needed to face reality, humble themselves, and pay the price for the evil they had done.
His nation’s officials thought they were wiser and more perceptive than God, so they ignored the warnings of God. What was the outcome?
“The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes in Riblah; the king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah. Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon. And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people with fire and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.” [3] The arrogance of corrupt leaders brought their nation to ruins and themselves to an horrific conclusion.
In the days of Jesus, corrupt religious leaders colluded with corrupt politicians to misinform the people. The religious leaders said of Jesus, “If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” [4] The opposite was absolutely true. It was their evil deeds that brought destruction to Jerusalem and to them, not faith in Jesus Christ.
Please pray for the political and religious leaders of the nations to listen to God and to His servants. The future of any nation depends on how people listen to and respond to the Word of God.
[1] Jeremiah 38:1-2
[2] Jeremiah 38:5
[3] Jeremiah 39:6-8
[4] John 11:48
Thursday, October 12, 2023
Sunday, October 1, 2023
Heal Me, O Lord
“The word of the Lord also came to me, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place.’ For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning their mothers who bore them and their fathers who begot them in this land: ‘They shall die gruesome deaths; they shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried, but they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, and their corpses shall be meat for the birds of heaven and for the beasts of the earth.’” [1]
The Lord warned Jeremiah against marriage to any of his nation’s people because they were all under His wrath and would die horrible deaths.
“For thus says the Lord: ‘Do not enter the house of mourning, nor go to lament or bemoan them; for I have taken away My peace from this people,” says the Lord, “lovingkindness and mercies. Both the great and the small shall die in this land. They shall not be buried; neither shall men lament for them, cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them. Nor shall men break bread in mourning for them, to comfort them for the dead; nor shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or their mother. Also you shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and drink.” [2]
The Lord warned Jeremiah against attending the funeral of his nation’s people because He did not want them to have peace, loving kindness, and mercy. He did not want them to be mourned or their survivors to be comforted. Not even in the case of the death of their parents! They had betrayed the Lord for false gods and were not worthy of any special kindness.
“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will cause to cease from this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.’” [3]
Some may consider non-marriage a freedom of choice, but in truth, it is a judgment. Marriage is a blessing from God. It is His way, and His way is good for us who are created in His image. The discontinuation of the marriage ceremony and all the festivities that go with it was God’s judgment on their unfaithful ways.
“And it shall be, when you show this people all these words, and they say to you, ‘Why has the Lord pronounced all this great disaster against us? Or what is our iniquity? Or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Because your fathers have forsaken Me,’ says the Lord; ‘they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them and have forsaken Me and not kept My law. And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me. Therefore I will cast you out of this land into a land that you do not know, neither you nor your fathers; and there you shall serve other gods day and night, where I will not show you favor.’” [4]
God is not against marriage, nor against funerals, but He does oppose those who deny Him, and behave as they are their own gods. “Each one follows the dictates of his own heart so that no one listens to Me.” That is why God allowed a foreign army to conquer their nation, to take them captive, and to lead them to serve the gods that are no gods. They sowed idolatry and reaped more idolatry, but it was not a pleasant harvest for them.
“For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes. And first I will repay double for their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable idols.” [5]
The Lord had seen their sins. In due season, He let them reap the consequences of their unrepentant behavior before Him.
“O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say, ‘Surely our fathers have inherited lies, worthlessness and unprofitable things.’ Will a man make gods for himself, which are not gods? Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; and they shall know that My name is the Lord.” [6]
The good news is that God planned to bring the Gentiles into His family. By His grace, they would see that their gods were worthless lies, and that He, the true God, could be known, and they could enjoy a personal relationship with Him. God has a name. God has hands and might greater than any human being on earth.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” [7]
Those who trust and hope in the Lord are blessed and happy. This is not true for the humanist who denies God and thinks he can do well without Him. The one who trusts in the Lord flourishes even during difficult seasons.
Thus, we should seek the Lord to heal us from a backsliding heart. We should gather to praise and worship the Lord for He is worthy of adoration.
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise.” [8]
[1] Jeremiah 16:1-4
[2] Jeremiah 16:5-8
[3] Jeremiah 16:9
[4] Jeremiah 16:10-13
[5] Jeremiah 16:17-18
[6] Jeremiah 16:19-21
[7] Jeremiah 17:7-8
[8] Jeremiah 17:14
The Lord warned Jeremiah against marriage to any of his nation’s people because they were all under His wrath and would die horrible deaths.
“For thus says the Lord: ‘Do not enter the house of mourning, nor go to lament or bemoan them; for I have taken away My peace from this people,” says the Lord, “lovingkindness and mercies. Both the great and the small shall die in this land. They shall not be buried; neither shall men lament for them, cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them. Nor shall men break bread in mourning for them, to comfort them for the dead; nor shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or their mother. Also you shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and drink.” [2]
The Lord warned Jeremiah against attending the funeral of his nation’s people because He did not want them to have peace, loving kindness, and mercy. He did not want them to be mourned or their survivors to be comforted. Not even in the case of the death of their parents! They had betrayed the Lord for false gods and were not worthy of any special kindness.
“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will cause to cease from this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.’” [3]
Some may consider non-marriage a freedom of choice, but in truth, it is a judgment. Marriage is a blessing from God. It is His way, and His way is good for us who are created in His image. The discontinuation of the marriage ceremony and all the festivities that go with it was God’s judgment on their unfaithful ways.
“And it shall be, when you show this people all these words, and they say to you, ‘Why has the Lord pronounced all this great disaster against us? Or what is our iniquity? Or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Because your fathers have forsaken Me,’ says the Lord; ‘they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them and have forsaken Me and not kept My law. And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me. Therefore I will cast you out of this land into a land that you do not know, neither you nor your fathers; and there you shall serve other gods day and night, where I will not show you favor.’” [4]
God is not against marriage, nor against funerals, but He does oppose those who deny Him, and behave as they are their own gods. “Each one follows the dictates of his own heart so that no one listens to Me.” That is why God allowed a foreign army to conquer their nation, to take them captive, and to lead them to serve the gods that are no gods. They sowed idolatry and reaped more idolatry, but it was not a pleasant harvest for them.
“For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes. And first I will repay double for their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable idols.” [5]
The Lord had seen their sins. In due season, He let them reap the consequences of their unrepentant behavior before Him.
“O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say, ‘Surely our fathers have inherited lies, worthlessness and unprofitable things.’ Will a man make gods for himself, which are not gods? Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; and they shall know that My name is the Lord.” [6]
The good news is that God planned to bring the Gentiles into His family. By His grace, they would see that their gods were worthless lies, and that He, the true God, could be known, and they could enjoy a personal relationship with Him. God has a name. God has hands and might greater than any human being on earth.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” [7]
Those who trust and hope in the Lord are blessed and happy. This is not true for the humanist who denies God and thinks he can do well without Him. The one who trusts in the Lord flourishes even during difficult seasons.
Thus, we should seek the Lord to heal us from a backsliding heart. We should gather to praise and worship the Lord for He is worthy of adoration.
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise.” [8]
[1] Jeremiah 16:1-4
[2] Jeremiah 16:5-8
[3] Jeremiah 16:9
[4] Jeremiah 16:10-13
[5] Jeremiah 16:17-18
[6] Jeremiah 16:19-21
[7] Jeremiah 17:7-8
[8] Jeremiah 17:14
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