August 9: 2 Kings 24:1-6 and Jeremiah 22:18-23, 48, and 49

THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2012

2 Kings 24:1–6 and Jeremiah 22:18–23, 48, and 49

In today’s passage, we see the fruit of disobedience, both from the Israelites and those nations that surrounded them.  In actuality, despite God’s progressive revelation and lovingkindness towards them, the Israelites did little to distinguish themselves from these other nations.  Each will receive the due punishment for this disobedience.

 

 

Harassment before the Exile.  After Jehoiakim foolishly decided to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, the neighboring powers around Judah come to harass Israel, in fulfillment of prophecy:

 

“The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him.  He sent them to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets.  Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, including the shedding of innocent blood.  For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.”

 

 

The other nations.  The surrounding nations receive words of judgment from Jeremiah, who chides them for many of the same sins that Israel had flaunted.  In Moab, God points out that “you trust in your deeds and your riches” and that the nation’s “overweening pride and conceit” would draw the coming judgment.  At the time of judgment, the nation would find its wealth gone and its cities destroyed.  Ammon’s worship of Molech had drawn them away from the living God, and they too trusted in their riches.  Although God promises restoration for both Moab and Ammon, their sins would not go unpunished.

 

About Edom, the Lord throws out the question:  “Has their wisdom decayed?”  All human wisdom will decay, and Edom will face judgment for its wickedness towards others:

 

“The terror you inspire

                and the pride of your heart have deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks,

                who occupy the heights of the hill.

Though you build your nest as high as the eagle’s,

                from there I will bring you down,”

                                                                                                declares the Lord.

 

 

God speaks of Kedar and Hazor as “a nation at ease,/ which lives in confidence.”

 

These phrases suggest strong parallels with the present-day U.S.; may we trust in God’s provision and His character, not in our deeds, our riches, or anything else.

 

 

The disgrace of disobedience.  To conclude today’s upbeat message, Jeremiah speaks of the coming judgment on Israel because of Jehoiakim:

 

“God up to Lebanon and cry out,

                let your voice be heard in Bashan,

Cry out from Abarim,

                for all your allies are crushed.

I warned you when you felt secure,

                but you said, ‘I will not listen!’

This has been your way from your youth;

                you have not obeyed me.

The wind will drive all your shepherds away,

                and your allies will go into exile.

Then you will be ashamed and disgraced

                because of all your wickedness.”

 

 

The righteous may stand before God unashamed because their obedience shows their love for God and their desire to honor Him.  Jehoiakim – and, by extension, the unrighteous generally – face shame and disgrace; their disobedience points to the inward condition of their hearts.  Yet, God may display His grace in removing Jehoiakim and his line from power, to free the Israelites from following the footsteps of the spiritually lost.  In some way, the Exile will draw people back to God, and, through Daniel and others, His name will be glorified in all the earth.  True restoration would not come without the pain of exile.

 

 

QUESTIONS

 

1. What do you see as the results of pride in your life?

2. In what ways do you trust in your riches or other “safe havens”?

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Daniel 1 - 2

Daniel 1 – 2

 

Daniel is a character and a book of the Bible that entire books, sermon series and commentaries have been written about.  We only read the first two chapters today, but know that there are so many layers that can be discovered and studied.  The last few weeks we have read the prophets and have read about the upcoming exile for the Judeans.  We know Babylon is coming for them and we have now reached that moment.  Daniel and his fellow Judeans have been taken to the physically, culturally, and spiritually distant land of Babylon in Mesopotamia, ruled by the historically famous King Nebuchadnezzar II.  In this Iron Age, it is a land enchanted by astrology, the home of The Hanging Gardens (one of the Seven Wonders of the World) and darkness. 

 

As the Hebrews are brought there, they are immediately assimilated; unlike their captivity in Egypt, they are given new names, taught a new language, and are expected to be apart of the culture and day-to-day life.  This included idol worship, sorcery, and devotion to the king.  Imagine if we were in this situation.  Suppose we were taken to a land that was not our home, we knew we were different, stripped of our very own identities?  Daniel, for example, his Hebrew name means, "God is my judge" and was changed to Belteshazzar, meaning, "Bel [a god] protect the king" a total insult to YAWH, God of Israel and Judah.  They almost had to take a new identity, but as we will continue to read, these Judeans did not forget who they were and where they came from.  And remember that even though this captivity is a judgment orchestrated by God, He never leaves them either. 

 

God gave Daniel and his companions' quality features of good looks, strength, intelligence, "knowledge and understanding," and provided the king's dream as a way to glorify Himself.  Like we read in Genesis with Joseph and Pharaoh, God used dreams and interpretation to bring glory to His name.  It took time and training for Daniel to finally be at the king's court and in God's sovereignty, dreams haunted the king and it was a Hebrew man to tell him the meaning.  Chapter 2: 20 – 23 we see Daniel praising God and acknowledging Him.  I read that these verses can be seen as an underlining theme or the entire book, praising God for His control and might. 

 

In these beginning chapters we see the foundation and faith that Daniel has as he changes and transitions into this land.  He is now in the courts of a ruthless king who kills, controls, and does not know God.  I am reminded of a similar figure in our own history.  Saddam Hussein called himself Nebuchadnezzar's reincarnation; so know that Daniel is surrounded by evil, temptation, and his life is in constant danger.  Yet we will see how his faith is strong and he leans on God.  Just like we see in Hebrews 11 & 13, this world is not our home, we are strangers in this land…we have a heavenly home that awaits us.  I strongly encourage you to read Psalm 137.  It's a sad Psalm, but it gives me warmth and hope that we are all in our own Babylon yearning for Zion.  

Tuesday August 7

Jeremiah 36:2-3

"Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now. Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, each of them will turn from his wicked way; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin."

Jeremiah 36:23-24

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. The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes.

God instructed Jeremiah to record His words on a scroll so they could be shared. The people of Israel and Judah continued to ignore God's directions and followed their own desires. The scroll was yet another way that God wanted to give His people a chance to turn repent of their wickedness and return to Him. After all they had done to turn their backs on Him, He still was giving them the option to choose His mercy over His judgement. 

How did they respond to the scroll? King Jehoiakim burned the scroll piece by piece and tried to have Jeremiah arrested. My heart breaks as I think about this. Because the king took a message straight from the Lord (a message of warnings, repentance, and forgiveness) and he burned it as if it were garbage... and I know that I do the same thing when I stubbornly refuse to repent of my sins. 

How did God respond to the king's actions? Jeremiah 36:31 "I will punish him and his children and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster I pronounced against them, because they have not listened."

My prayer is that all of us will learn from the mistake that King Jehoiakim made. He was given a chance to repent of his sins and he literally threw it away. God wants to give us all the gift of forgiveness, a gift that is to be cherished, not thrown away!

Monday August 6th

Sometimes I fail to really ponder all that Christ did for me when he suffered and died on the cross. 

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."                 Matthew 26:39

It really wasn't until today's reading in Jeremiah 25:15-38 that I realized the magnitude of what it was that Christ was praying in the garden that night over 2000 years ago.

In Jeremiah we read that the cup of God's wrath was literally being passed to those who had chosen to live a life of wickedness and sin.  A life in opposition and rebellion to God.  A life void of obedience to his word: his laws and commands.  They had no choice but to drink, as God's wrath was imminent, ready to be poured out on the people of the earth (Jer 25:30-38)

This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.  When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them."  Jeremiah 25:15-16

That is when it hit me. This is the cup that I was to drink before a new one was poured out for me.  This cup of wrath was meant for me not for Christ.  It was filled for my destruction because of my rebellion and sin.  But, because God so loved the world (you and I) he gave his one and only son to drink of this cup (of wrath) in my place (in your place).  He gave me (and you) another cup to drink from if I  (we) trust him and believe in him: the cup of forgiveness and mercy so that we could be spared his wrath and death and have eternal life (John 3:16 with my spin added to it).

Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.  (Jesus speaking to his disciples and ultimately to us) Matthew 26:27

When we drink of the communion cup it is not just acknowledging what Christ did on the cross.  When we drink that cup we should lift up abundant thanks to our God who spared us the cup of wrath by having his son drink it for us.  In return, through grace (not deserving it in any way shape or form) we get to drink of the sweet cup of forgiveness and bask in the mercy that has been shown to us.

What a truly gracious God I have that loved me so much more then I can possibly fathom.

Thank you Lord for submitting to your father's will and for drinking my cup of wrath so that I could partake in the healing, quenching cup of forgiveness.  No words can truly express my gratitude but my heart is overwhelmed with thanks at the magnitude of this precious gift.  Thank You!!!

August 5th

August 5^th 2012

Habakkuk

Today's reading answers two big questions for those doubting their faith. The first asks how can a God so caring allow evil to exist? The answer is so sophisticatedly simple: free will. God doesn't want to force anyone to follow Him; He wants people to follow Him because they want to, not because they have to. Because of this, He gave us free will. Free will is the ability to make choices without constraint. Sounds pretty great, right? No limitations, anything goes. People are free to do whatever they want, whenever they want. But doing whatever you want, whenever you want, doesn't always match up with what other people want. If I wanted to mow my lawn, and my neighbor has one of those nice ride on lawn mowers, free will allows me to go into his shed and borrow his lawn mower. Free will allows me to return it with no gas left, or to not return it at all. Free will then allows my angry neighbor to egg my car. Free will is starting to sound a little less awesome now, isn't it? If you think of this on a national level, free will is what allowed the Babylonians to do all of the evil things they did, but it is also what brings them down. When free will is abused, or used in an evil way, God doesn't have to do any work to eliminate the evil, it will eventually eliminate itself. This is why He allows it, allows being the key word. Obviously He would rather us choose Him and His path in the first place, but by giving us the ability to chose for ourselves, He is allowing us to grow as people, and to grow in faith.

The second important question is in the very second line of today's reading. "How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?" This is a question we have probably all asked while praying. It is in our nature to turn to God when we need some help. It is also in our nature to expect immediate and complete results. God doesn't work that way, however. Because He wants us to grow, He wants us to solve as many of our own problems as we can. This, for most people, seems entirely too hard, and it's understandable. A lot of us have a lot on our shoulders, and a lot of us would love to have someone take care of these problems for us. But if He just took away all of our problems, we wouldn't grow. He does not, however, neglect our problems entirely. When He sees us struggling, He sends help, sometimes subtly, and sometimes pretty bluntly, but either way He does send help. And for the rest of our problems, He knows that we can solve them ourselves, and that problems most often have a way of working themselves out if a little effort is put into it.

Hope that you all had a lovely Sunday, and congratulations to those baptized today!

Gina  

August 4: Jeremiah 46,47

(Posted on behalf of Jon Lanuza)

Jeremiah 46, 47

 

Finally the Lord punishes Israel's oppressor...yet it is interesting that (1) He does not eradicate Egypt completely - "'Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past' declares the Lord."  He seems unprepared to condemn Egypt eternally for its sinfulness.  And (2) the instrument of His judgement is yet another sinful nation, perhaps an even more sinful one - Babylon. 

 

As I reflect on this I am reminded of the times I was discouraged seeing people prosper despite their sinfulness, sometimes because of their sinfulness; of all the times I was dismayed by the success and prosperity of people whom I knew to be corrupt, whom I knew were breaking the law, whom I knew thought nothing of the means by which they were achieving the success others could only dream of, but would never enjoy, others who played by the rules, even better others who were close to the Lord and walked in His ways.

 

And then I read the reassurance - "'Do not fear...do not be dismayed...I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile.  Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.  Do not fear, O Jacob my servant, for I am with you' declares the Lord..."I will not completely destroy you.  I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished."  And then I realize, what God permits others really should not matter to me - far more important the state of my relationship with God, and His willingness to forgive me, to discipline me with justice by not letting me go entirely unpunished for my own sinfulness.  And whomever He chooses to use, however He chooses to use them, is up to Him, for He knows best.  If He wants to use a sinner, a Babylon, to put me in situations that will ultimately reconcile me back to Him, then I thank Him for the persistence of His mercy, and the perfection of His wisdom, a wisdom that allows Him to use the imperfect to put me back on the path to His perfection.  And I beg Him the grace to permit this exile to survive until he is permitted to return home.

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Friday, August 03, 2012 - God's Word

Friday, August 03, 2012
God's Word

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God." (John 1:1)

Think about that – before we were even created, God's Word existed.
The wisdom of the Bible, which is God-breathed, has always been. When
God first brought us into being (via Adam and Eve), we naturally
walked in this wisdom. We were in perfect fellowship with God and His
Word. Subsequently, through an act of disobedience, we separated
ourselves from God and His Holiness. Since then, every human has spent
their earthly days moving towards and away from God.

In yesterday's reading, we witnessed a revival (a recovery of
fellowship with God) that began with the reading of the Book of the
Law. Through hearing God's Word, King Josiah (of Judah) was convicted
of his sin and the sin of the nation. Immediately, Josiah destroyed
every pagan altar and idol in the land that the Israelites had put
above God. The people then repented and recommitted themselves to the
Lord, choosing to follow His Word with all their heart, soul, and
strength.

Unfortunately, in today's reading, the Israelites turned away again
when Josiah's sons (first Jehoahaz, then Eliakim) chose to live for
themselves and follow false gods. The prophet Jeremiah spoke at length
about Jehoahaz's sin:

Jeremiah 22:13-17
13 "Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
not paying them for their labor.
14 He says, 'I will build myself a great palace
with spacious upper rooms.'
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedar
and decorates it in red.

15 "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."

I encourage you all to continue to stay in God's Word and follow it.
Otherwise, we might fall into worshipping the idols around us and live
selfishly. Ultimately, we're all worshipping someone or something.
Perhaps, it's a significant other, who we're expecting to make us
happy. Perhaps, it's our job, house, or bank account. These are all
temporary power sources. They will all fail at fulfilling our needs.
There's only one eternal power source. Only one that can fulfill. He's
the Great "I Am." Let's plug into Him today by filling our stomachs
with His Word.

God Bless,
Anthony