TOMS: Jeremiah 50-51

For an introduction to this series, click here.

Sept. 21, 2006

Once again, Jeremiah is pronouncing God's coming judgment on a nation, this time upon Babylon. When Jeremiah was receiving this message from the Lord, Babylon was the most powerful city in the world. It was the capital of a mighty empire that stretched from Egypt to India. And yet God said that soon Babylon was to be laid waste, never to be rebuilt. In fact, Jeremiah sent his prophecy against Babylon with one of deposed Jewish king Zedekiah's attendants, with the command that he was to read it in Babylon. The fact that God was planning to destroy Babylon was probably an encouragement to the Jews living there (they would be the only ones interested in a prophecy from a Jew pronouncing destruction on Babylon). But at the same time, it did not change their present state of bondage. Some men like Daniel did see both the ruin of Jerusalem and the defeat of Babylon, but most did not. They just had to rely on the faith that God would avenge Babylon's harsh treatment and live their lives the best they could.

I wish I could see everybody who's done me wrong get exactly what I think they deserve, but that's not going to happen, just like most of the Jews did not see God's vengeance upon Babylon (not that I have been terribly mistreated in my life, but we all have been slighted, misjudged, and basically dissed lots of times). God said that vengeance belongs to Him, and most of us will not see that vengeance until we get to heaven, if we see it at all. A lot of the slights and insults we get in this life are often the result of our own actions. I think we will see our lives very differently when we begin to see it from God's perspective. Of course that can't really happen until we are with Him, but we should learn to be patient, just like the Jews listening to Jeremiah's word had to.

It's not my place to judge because I am partial and I want to get even. When God settles the score, it is settled perfectly, and none of us will be able to gloat or celebrate, because all of us who are saved get infinitely more than we deserve from God. As sinners we deserve nothing but hell, and whatever wrong is done to me pales in comparison to the wonderful gift God has given me.

TOMS: Jeremiah 48-49

For an introduction to this series, click here.

Sept. 20, 2006

I have to admit, I have a hard time with prophetic passages like this. In this passage, Jeremiah pronounces judgments on the nations of Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, and Elam. I am trying to make these as much about my reaction to the text as I possibly can, so I'm trying to just read and react without consulting a lot of commentaries, Bible notes, whatever. Actually one of my problems is I can't afford a lot of commentaries and it's too hard to find good commentary on the Internet.

Anyway, my reaction to this passage is simply that God is in control of everything, and He has His reasons for why he does everything. God's ways are not our ways. I hear people say "If I was God, I would do thus and such," to which I respond, verbally if appropriate, "No you wouldn't!  If you were omnipotent and omniscient and stood outside of time like He does, you would do things exactly the way He does them."

Back to the subject, these nations all in some way or another oppressed Israel, and that was their major sin, besides their idolatry and other sins listed. I guess the key verse here is 49:19, which reads, in reference to Edom, the descendants of Esau:

"Behold, like a lion coming up from the jungle of the Jordan, against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make him run away from her. And I will appoint over her whoever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd can stand before me?"

Psalm 115:3 is also applicable here:

"Our God is in the heavens; He does all that he pleases." (ESV)

I have given up trying to figure God out. I have come to the conclusion that I can rely on Him that as His child He is doing good for me, and that my attempts to fight it or try to figure it out are counter-productive to both my good and His glory.

TOMS: Jeremiah 44-47

For an introduction to this series, click here.

Sept. 19, 2006

This will be an introduction to what I hope is a daily or every few days' summary of what I am reading in my devotions.  I am now toward the end of the book of Jeremiah.

I never cease to be amazed when I read the book of Jeremiah. The man went through so much heartache and struggle. He was dropped into pits, thrown in jail, and so much more just for telling the people God's truth. It's too bad Jeremiah didn't have all the health-and-prosperity gospel preachers we have today. They could have told him a few things. I would like to see what Jeremiah's response. What would Jeremiah say if he were invited as a guest speaker at the Crystal Cathedral or Lakewood Church? It would certainly be entertaining.

One of the most amazing passages in all the Bible to me is the bold-faced response of the Jews to Jeremiah's message in chapter 44. They had already seen the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and they were living in Egypt (which Jeremiah told them not to do, by the way). Jeremiah has just told the people to get rid of their idols, and the people respond this way:

Then all the men who knew that their wives had made offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, all the people who lived in Pathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah, "As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you. But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven, and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and famine." Jer. 44:15-18, ESV

The people just said no, we are not going to listen to you, we don't care if your message is from the Lord or not. We had it good when we were worshiping our idols, but you persuaded us to quit, and we have had nothing but heartache.  

Most people are not that blatant about their rejection of God's Word, but in reality, the world and sadly too many Christians act the same way when they are confronted with their sin when reading the Bible or hearing a preacher or someone else teach the scripture. Man's wicked heart hates the truth of the Bible.  

Another thing I will say before I stop here is the fact that Jeremiah didn't sugar-coat his message. He didn't subscribe to the Mary Poppins philosophy (I think it was her) that "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." Sadly, too many churches today don't give their people any kind of medicine- just sugar.