God Disposes of His Rebellious People (Jer. 24:1-10)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/31/2014 10:40 AM

My Worship Time                                                 Focus:  God Disposes of His Rebellious People

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Jeremiah 24:1-10

            Message of the verses:  “1 After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the LORD showed me: behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of the LORD! 2 One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness. 3 Then the LORD said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" And I said, "Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness." 4  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5  "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ’Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. 6  ’For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. 7  ’I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart. 8  ’But like the bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness-indeed, thus says the LORD-so I will abandon Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land and the ones who dwell in the land of Egypt. 9 ’I will make them a terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, as a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse in all places where I will scatter them. 10 ’I will send the sword, the famine and the pestilence upon them until they are destroyed from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.’"”

            One thing for sure as I look at this short chapter in the book of Jeremiah and that is that I can see the sovereign hand of the Lord all over this chapter.  I can also see His grace, mercy, and also His wrath in this chapter.

            From our study of the book of Daniel we saw that there were three deportations from the land of Judah to Babylon, the first was in 605, which is the one that is believed that Daniel went, then in 597 when Jehoiachin went along with Ezekiel, and then there were also some who left in 586, but most of the inhabitants of Jerusalem stayed along with Jeremiah.  The year 597 was the beginning of the end for Judah.  As we read this and other parts of the book of Jeremiah we can see the distress that he must have been going through, for after all he is known as the weeping prophet.

            When one reads this chapter is it possible that what is found here would bring encouragement to Jeremiah?  Dr. Wiersbe believes that God told Jeremiah about the good figs and the rotten ones to give encouragement to him, because at least he could see that God was not totally abandoning the children of Israel all together, but has a plan for them as He shares in this short chapter.

            We have seen in this chapter that God explains to Jeremiah that the good figs were the ones whom HE sent into captivity, and would again bring them back to the land later on.  Jeremiah will tell us in the next chapter the length of their stay in Babylon.  The bad figs will remain in Jerusalem and their lives will be the ones that will be judged by the Lord for their unbelief, for this is what you do with rotten figs, you get rid of them.

            Let us look at Jeremiah 29:1-14, a letter he sent to those who went in the exile:  “1 Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2  (This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) 3  The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4  "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5  ’Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. 6  ’Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 7 ’Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’

    8 "For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ’Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. 9 ’For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares the LORD. 10 “For thus says the LORD, ’When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 11 ’For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ’plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 ’Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 ’You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14  ’I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ’and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ’and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”

            Dr. Wiersbe finishes this seventh chapter in his commentary on Jeremiah with these words:  “The destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of Judah were not accidents; they were appointments, for God was in control.  Now the land would enjoy its Sabbaths (2 Chron. 36:21; Lev. 25:1-4), and the people exiled in Babylon would have time to repent and seek the Lord. In far off Babylon, God the Potter would remake His people (Jer. 18), and they would return to the land chastened and cleansed.

            “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it,’ (Heb. 12:11 NIV).”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I look at the very famous 11^th verse in the 29^th chapter of Jeremiah, I can see hope for the times in my life when I am not following the Lord.  I must confess my sins to the Lord, and then seek Him with all of my heart, trusting that He will show me how this is done, and also remember that the successful Christian life is a series of new beginnings.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust that the Lord will show me how to seek Him with all of my heart.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-7

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question: “Jerusalem” (2 Kings 21:1).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who gave his nephew first choice of land?”

Answer in our next SD.

5/31/2014 11:12 AM

 

PT-3 of God Exposes the Sins of the False Prophets from Jer. 23:33-40

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/30/2014 9:38 AM

My Worship Time                                  Focus:  God Exposes the Sins of the False Prophets PT-3

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Jeremiah 23:33-40

            Message of the verses:  Today’s SD brings us to the last sub-point under this third main point from Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on the book of Jeremiah.

Their Disrespectful Attitude (Jeremiah 23:33-40):  “33 "Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you saying, ’What is the oracle of the LORD?’ then you shall say to them, ’What oracle?’ The LORD declares, ’I will abandon you.’ 34  "Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ’The oracle of the LORD,’ I will bring punishment upon that man and his household. 35 “Thus will each of you say to his neighbor and to his brother, ’What has the LORD answered?’ or, ’What has the LORD spoken?’ 36 “For you will no longer remember the oracle of the LORD, because every man’s own word will become the oracle, and you have perverted the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God. 37 “Thus you will say to that prophet, ’What has the LORD answered you?’ and, ’What has the LORD spoken?’ 38 “For if you say, ’The oracle of the LORD!’ surely thus says the LORD, ’Because you said this word, "The oracle of the LORD!" I have also sent to you, saying, "You shall not say, ’The oracle of the LORD!’"’ 39 “Therefore behold, I will surely forget you and cast you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers. 40 “I will put an everlasting reproach on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten."”

            The first thing I want to do is to look at this passage in the “Living Bible” which is a paraphrased version of the Bible and not a translation of the Bible, but it helps me sometimes when I come to a difficult passage to read it in a Bible like this:  “33When on of the people or one of their ‘prophets’ or priests asks you, ‘Well, Jeremiah, what is the sad news from the Lord today?’  You will reply, ‘What sad news?  You are the sad news, for the Lord has cast you away!’  34 And as the false prophets and priests and people who joke about ‘today’s sad news from God, ‘ I will punish them and their families for saying this.  35 You can as each other, ‘What is God’s message? What is he saying?’  36 But stop using this term, ‘God’s sad news.’  For what is sad is you and your lying.  You are twisting my words and inventing ‘messages from God.’ That I didn’t speak.  37 You may respectfully ask Jeremiah, ‘What is the Lord’s message? What has he said to you?’  38-39 But if you ask him about ‘today’s sad news from God,’ when I have warned you not to mock like that, then I, the Lord God, will unburden myself of the burden you are to me.  I will cast you out of my presence, you and this city I gave to you and your fathers.  40 And I will bring reproach upon you and your name shall be infamous through the ages.”

            Dr. Wiersbe explains about this word that is translated “oracle” in his commentary:  “The key Hebrew word in this section is massa, which means ‘a burden.’  Jeremiah used it to refer to bearing burdens on the Sabbath (Jer. 17:21-27), but in this context it means the burden of the message that the Lord places on His prophets (Nahum 1:1; Hab. 1:1; Mal. 1:1).  For this reason, some scholars translate it ‘oracle,’ but ‘burden’ is perfectly acceptable (See NIV and NASB, both of which put ‘burden in the margin).”

            It is easier to see from the way the Living Bible is written that the people of Judah, the false prophet, priest, and even the people were poking fun at Jeremiah and God is cautioning them not to do this. We can see this in today’s world how the news media and even common every day people poke fun at those who say that they are “born again.”  I am sure that this is displeasing to the Lord as much as it was in Jeremiah’s day when they were making fun of Jeremiah and other prophets who actually had the Word of God come to them, and because it was bad news for those who would not listen to it they made fun of Jeremiah.  There is a story in the OT in, I think 2 Kings, when a king from the southern kingdom comes to the king in the northern kingdom in order for them to go to war against a common enemy.  The king from the northern kingdom gets advice from his “false prophets.”  The king from the southern kingdom asks if there were not a prophet of God to ask what the outcome will be if they go to war.  The king of the northern kingdom says that there is one here but he never gives any good news.  He was making fun of the true prophet of God in a similar way that the people were to Jeremiah.  The story ends with the true prophet telling the king of the north that he would die in the battle so he disguises himself but a random arrow hits him between his armor and he dies just like the prophet told him that he would.  So much for making fun of God’s true prophet.

            I suppose one would wonder why these priest, and false prophets were asking Jeremiah to give them a word from the Lord when he already had given them one from the Lord, but I think that they were not really interested in a word from the Lord as much as they were at poking fun at Jeremiah and what the Lord told him to say.  Jeremiah’s answer to their question was that they were the “burden.”  As I look down at Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary he actually quotes verse 33 from the Living Bible:  ““33When on of the people or one of their ‘prophets’ or priests asks you, ‘Well, Jeremiah, what is the sad news from the Lord today?’  You will reply, ‘What sad news?  You are the sad news, for the Lord has cast you away!’”

            Wiersbe concludes his commentary with the following paragraph:  “A worldly church puts an emphasis on fun and entertainment and forgets about tears.  We now have Christian comedians who generate laughter for thirty minutes and then tack on the Gospel and give an invitation.  While there’s a proper place for humor in the Christian life, the church today needs to hear the words of James:  “Lament and mourn and weep!  Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up’ (James 4:9-10, NKJV).  The church isn’t taking God’s Word seriously at an hour when the world is in serious trouble.”    

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I like to have as much fun as other believers, but I agree with Warren Wiersbe that their needs to be a balance in my life as a believer and to try and do the things that are pleasing to the Lord.  “1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven- 2 A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. 3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. 4 A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. 5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. 6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. 7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. 8 A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.”  (Ecc. 3:1-8)

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Keep my life in the proper balance.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-7

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 8 but emptied Himself taking on the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Isaiah” (Isaiah 6:8).

Today’s Bible question:  “In what city did Manasseh reign?”

Answer in our next SD.

5/30/2014 10:41 AM

           

God Exposes the Sins of the False Prophets PT-2 (Jer. 23:16-32)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/29/2014 8:15 AM

My Worship Time                                  Focus:  God Exposes the Sins of the False Prophets PT-2

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Jeremiah 23:16-32

            Message of the verses:  We want to look at the second sub-point under this third main point from Dr. Wiersbe commentary on the book of Jeremiah.

            Their Dishonest Message (Jeremiah 23:16-32):  “16 Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD. 17 “They keep saying to those who despise Me, ’The LORD has said, "You will have peace"’; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, ’Calamity will not come upon you.’ 18 “But who has stood in the council of the LORD, That he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and listened? 19 “Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked. 20  "The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; In the last days you will clearly understand it. 21 “I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied. 22 “But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds. 23 “Am I a God who is near," declares the LORD, "And not a God far off? 24 “Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?" declares the LORD. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the LORD. 25 “I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ’I had a dream, I had a dream!’ 26 “How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the deception of their own heart, 27  who intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal? 28 “The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?" declares the LORD. 29 “Is not My word like fire?" declares the LORD, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock? 30 “Therefore behold, I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who steal My words from each other. 31 “Behold, I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who use their tongues and declare, ’The Lord declares.’ 32  "Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams," declares the LORD, "and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit," declares the LORD.”

            As I begin to look at these verses I see a number of things that I want to first of all write about.  I see God’s contempt for the false prophets in this section, false prophets who prophecy on their own, and sometimes do it because of the dreams that they have.  In verse twenty I see the doctrine of the last days, and also I see the attribute of God’s sovereignty.  I have mentioned a few times as we study the prophets that as we read through them we can see things prophesied that have to do with the time that the prophet is writing, and then there are some things that will happen in the future and there are times when the writings affect both the time written and the future. Now in verse twenty-four we see the attribute of the omnipresence of the Lord showing that He is everywhere. 

            In verses sixteen through twenty we see that these false prophets offered false hope for the people.  God had warned the people that He was going to use the Babylonians to destroy the city of Jerusalem and the temple and then take some of the people to Babylon as captives, but many of the people believed the lies of the false prophets.  We have mentioned the covenant that God made with Israel in the 28^th chapter of the book of Deuteronomy on several different occasions.  We have mentioned that this covenant was a conditional covenant between God and the children of Israel, unlike other covenants that we unconditional, like the covenant God made with Abraham in the fifteenth chapter of Genesis.  The false prophets taught that God would not destroy the city of Jerusalem or the temple because of the covenant that God made with David, but they were wrong because God was going to do this because of the sins of the people, and because of His covenant He made with them.  God is a jealous God who wants all true worship to be directed to Him, and He is worthy of all worship, but Israel worshiped Idols thus breaking the first of the Ten Commandments and because of His being jealous He had to punish them.  God was also long-suffering with them as He did not do this right away, but gave them plenty of time to repent, but they would not repent so He had to keep His Word and punish them.  Now did the covenant that God made with David become null and void when God used the Babylonians to destroy the temple and the city?  No for God’s fulfillment of that covenant with David was the birth of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.  This happened even though God sent Judah into exile. 

            As we look at verses 21-24 we see also that the false prophets ministered under a false authority, for God had not spoken to them.  The people should have stoned these false prophets for the lies that they were telling them for a prophet had to be 100% correct in their prophesying in order to prove that they were a true prophet of God.  Another proof that they were not a true prophet was that their lives were lived in an ungodly way, and the people should have noticed this also. 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “Jehovah wasn’t a local deity like the pagan idols, but a transcendent God who reigns above all things and fills heaven and earth (vv. 23-24).  Nor was He blind like the idols (Ps. 115:5), unable to see the sins of the people.  ‘Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him?’  (Jer. 23:24)  Because they listened to the false prophets, the people believed lies about God, and what we believe about God determines how we live.”

            As we look at verses 25-32 we see that these false prophets were speaking under a false inspiration, for they were depending upon dreams and also delusions of their minds.  They were also plagiarizing messages from one another.  As we compare the message of the “wheat” of the Word their messages were only straw.

            Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “The message of the true prophet is like a hammer that can tear down and build up (see 1:10) and even break the hardest rocks (23:29).  The Word is like fire that consumes waste and purifies whatever it touches.  Jeremiah had the Word burning in his heart (20:9; see Luke 24:32) and on his lips (Jer. 5:14).  He was God’s assayer, using the fire of the Word to test the lives of the people (6:27).”

            Wiersbe concludes this portion by talking about what is going on in our world today:  “There are false prophets and teachers in our world today (2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1-6), people who claim to know God’s will because of their dreams, their study of astrology, or their special ‘spiritual’ gifts.  Some of them have invaded the church (Jude 3-4).  Whatever anyone says who claims to be speaking for the Lord must be tested by the Word of God.  ‘To the Law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them’ (Isa. 8:20).”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  One of the things that bother me today is that many believers believe the lie that there is a gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.  They believe that the theory of evolution is a fact.  This lie comes right from the pit of hell, from Satan himself.  The “theory of evolution” is impossible, as it has been proved in many ways.  DNA has proved that it is impossible. This false teaching has made its way into the Church today, and this both saddens and angers me.  It does make a difference what we as believers believe about God created this earth and the universe.  If they are totally successful in tearing this doctrine down then what will be next.  Yes we still have false prophets in the Church today!

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Always teach the truth of the Word of God.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-7.

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 8 but emptied Himself taking on the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “The quick (living) and the dead” (Acts 10:42).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said ‘Here am I, send me’?”

Answer in our next SD.

5/29/2014 9:10 AM

PT-1 of God Exposes the Sins of the False Prophets from Jer. 23:9-15

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/28/2014 9:30 AM

My Worship Time                                  Focus:  God Exposes the Sins of the False Prophets PT-1

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                Reference:  Jeremiah 23:9-15

            Message of the verses:  Perhaps a little review before we move into what we will be looking at in Today’s SD.  Warren Wiersbe wrote the following at the beginning of his commentary for his seventh chapter in which he entitled “Kings on Parade.”  “In these pivotal chapters, Jeremiah delivered four important messages to the leaders and to the people.”  We will be looking at the third message over the next three days, (Lord willing).

            Verse fourteen is a capsule of what we will be looking at in this section:  "Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood; And they strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one has turned back from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like Sodom, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.”   

            Their Disgraceful Conduct (The False Prophets) (Jeremiah 23:9-15:  9 As for the prophets: My heart is broken within me, All my bones tremble; I have become like a drunken man, Even like a man overcome with wine, Because of the LORD And because of His holy words. 10 For the land is full of adulterers; For the land mourns because of the curse. The pastures of the wilderness have dried up. Their course also is evil And their might is not right. 11 “For both prophet and priest are polluted; Even in My house I have found their wickedness," declares the LORD. 12 “Therefore their way will be like slippery paths to them, They will be driven away into the gloom and fall down in it; For I will bring calamity upon them, The year of their punishment," declares the LORD. 13 “Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an offensive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray. 14 “Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood; And they strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one has turned back from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like Sodom, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah. 15 “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets, ’Behold, I am going to feed them wormwood And make them drink poisonous water, For from the prophets of Jerusalem Pollution has gone forth into all the land.’"”

            We see in verse nine that because of what the false prophets were doing in Jerusalem it caused Jeremiah to have a broken heart and act as if he were drunk.  Dr. Wiersbe has an endnote to explain how he was feeling:  “The Hebrew word refers to the hot desert wind that smothers you, leaving you lifeless and ready to give up.  In the KJV, the word is translated ‘terrible’ in Lamentations 5:10 (‘Our skin was black [hot] like an oven because of the terrible famine’) and ‘horrible’ in Psalm 11:6 (Upon the wicked he shall rain…an horrible tempest).”  Jeremiah was a true prophet of the Lord and because of this he loved the Lord and thus hated what the Lord hated, and the Lord hated the words of the false prophets because they were leading the people astray.

            In chapter five and verse seven we read: ‘"Why should I pardon you? Your sons have forsaken Me And sworn by those who are not gods. When I had fed them to the full, They committed adultery And trooped to the harlot’s house.”  These false prophets were going to the house of the harlots and committing sexual sins with them and then going to the temple to give their offerings as if nothing was wrong with that.  This goes along with what is written in verse ten of chapter 23.  We have gone over this in earlier SD’s that the word adultery also means the worship of idols and this goes against the first commandment:  “5  "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6  but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”  (Exodus 20:5-6). 

            When we look at the word Samaria in verse 13 we know that Jeremiah is speaking of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and all the people had to do was look at how the false prophets of that kingdom led the people astray and then what God did to them and they should have learned that they should not listen to them.  In verse fourteen we see the god Baal spoken of and this is the god (idol) that caused much of the trouble in both kingdoms of Israel.  We also see Sodom and Gomorrah spoken of and we know from our previous study in the book of Genesis that God destroyed these two cities because of their great wickedness of sexual sins.  By the way God has not changed His mind as far with how He will eventually deal with these types of sins even though we haven’t seen God destroy cites like He did in Genesis 20. 

            Some of the results of Judah’s sins can be seen from verse ten where we read that there was a famine in the land and God spoke about this in Deuteronomy 28 when He gave them the covenant.  “24 “The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.’”  (Deu. 28:24) 

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes this section with these words:  “Whenever a nation needs healing, it’s usually because God’s people aren’t’ obeying and serving Him as they should.  We like to blame dishonest politicians and various purveyors of pleasure for a nation’s decline in morality, but God blames His own people.  ‘If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land’(2 Chron. 7:14).”

            Spiritual meaning form my life today:  Our nation is surely on the decline and I agree with Warren Wiersbe that it is because the people of God are not living in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.  Salvation is more than an escape from hell, it also has responsibilities that go along with it and one of them is living a life that is pleasing to the Lord, along with telling others about how they too can receive this gift of salvation.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Fear the Lord, and live a life that is pleasing to Him.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-7

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “The disciples” (Luke 18:15).

Today’s Bible question:  “Peter said that Jesus was ordained of God to be the judge of whom?”

Answer in our next SD.   5/28/2014 10:13 AM   

           

PT-V of God Discloses the fate of the Kings from Jer. 23:1-8

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/27/2014 9:49 AM

My Worship Time                                             Focus:  God Discloses the Fate of the Kings PT-5

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Jeremiah 23:1-8

            Message of the verses:  I mentioned in our last SD that it was the last of the sub-points in this main point about the kings, but then found out that it was not the last one we will look at.  In Today’s SD we will be looking at the best of the best, as we will be looking at our Lord Jesus Christ as King of Kings who will rule from planet earth in the Millennial Kingdom which is promised in the OT, but in the NT it is given the length of time that it will last, and this is found in the book of Revelations.

            Now we mentioned that we have seen the end of the kings in the Davidic Dynasty as far as kings ruling the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  This happened after Zedekiah went into captivity in Babylon, but was out lived by Jehoiachin who then would be the last king that ruled over Judah.  As one looks at this one would think that this was bad news for the Jews, and one may also look at it that God had not kept His promise to David, but then when we move into chapter 23 we find out that there is good news, and that God will keep His covenant with David through the coming Messiah, a righteous branch of David.  Now I want to look at verse five of chapter 23 from Jeremiah and then look at some of the other verses that speak of this “Branch”

5  "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land.

Isa 11:1  Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

Isa 4:2  In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel.

Jer 33:15  ’In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.

Zec 3:8  ’Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you-indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch

Zec 6:12  "Then say to him, ’Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD.

            We can see from all of these verses that the word “Branch” refers to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

            Messiah The King-Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:1-8):  “1 "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!" declares the LORD. 2 Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: "You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds," declares the LORD. 3  "Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 “I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the LORD. 5  "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. 6 “In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ’The LORD our righteousness.’ 7 “Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when they will no longer say, ’As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ 8 but, ’As the LORD lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil."”

            As we look at the first four verses in this 23^rd chapter we can see that the shepherds that Judah had did not care much for the sheep.  Now let me contrast their care of Judah with the care that our Lord gives to His sheep:  “14  "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15  even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. 17 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father." (John 10:14-18)   This section of John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus Christ will give His life for His sheep, and that He has other sheep than those in Israel who were also given to Him by His Father.  This is how God’s Shepherd will care for His Sheep, unlike those shepherds that Judah had who cared not for their sheep.

            Verse three speaks of a remnant, a word used nineteen times in the book of Jeremiah.  In this case I believe that it is used perhaps in two ways.  First there was a remnant that came back to Jerusalem and built the temple of God again.  Next I believe that it can be used of those whom God calls back to the nation of Israel of which He will call some of them to be a part of the Millennial Kingdom.  We also see that the Lord says that He will not be known as the One who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, but as the One who brought the children of Israel back to their land.  Those who have a hard time believing the Bible need to look at the nation of Israel.  God called Abram to begin the nation of Israel, and then He called them out of Egypt into their land.  Next He took them out of their land and after 70 years brought them back into their land, but the land at that time did not belong to them.  After they crucified the Lord Jesus Christ God sent them out of their land in 70 AD where they were dispersed all around the world.  In May of 1948 God brought them back into their land and this time they will not leave it even though there will be great times of trouble while they are now in their land, trouble we can see if we listen to the news or look at a newspaper.  Yes one who looks at the history of the nation of Israel has to believe the Bible for in a large part the Bible is about the history of the Jews.

            We looked at verse five and when we look at verse six one can see why I believe that God is not only talking about when the Jews come back from Babylon, but also in that day when as Paul writes that “all Israel will be saved.”  Verse six speaks of in the day of Messiah Judah will be saved.

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes this section of his second main point with the following “No matter how dard the day may be, God sends the light of hope through His promises.  The godly remnant in Judah must have bee encouraged when they heard Jeremiah’s words, and the promise must have sustained them during the difficult days of the Captivity.  The return of the Jews to their land after the Captivity was but a foreshadowing of the great worldwide regathering that will occur in the last days when ‘He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’ (Matthew 24:31).”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It was back in January of 1974 when I believed the truth of what I am reading about today, from what Jeremiah writes to what Matthew writes to what John writes.  I was not looking to God for salvation, but God was calling me to salvation and He used the end times to draw me to Himself, and it has been a very important part of my study of God’s Word ever since.  Not only that but the Lord has used the end times teachings for me to led a number of people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  I love reading and studying about it and telling others about it for in understanding what is going on in our world today we can see that we are getting closer to the time when the Lord will call His Church home to be with Him.  We are truly living in exciting times.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to bring people into my life who are ready to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-7

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “By the ravens” (1 Kings 17:5-6).”

Today’s Bible question:  “Who rebuked the people that brought infants to Jesus?”

Answer in our next SD.

5/27/2014 10:44 AM

God Discloses the Fate of the Kings PT-4 (Jer. 22:24-30)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/26/2014 10:07 AM

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  God Discloses the Fate of the Kings PT-4

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Jeremiah 22:24-30

            Message of the verses:  Today’s SD is the last sub-point under this main point that we have been looking at for four days now.  It is interesting to me, yet not at all surprising to me that Jeremiah was able to see into the future on who these kings would be, even though they were all related to David.  We will be looking at a king named Jehoiachin who is called Coniah in today’s SD.

            Jehoiachin (Coniah, Jeconiah)—childlessness (Jeremiah 22:24-30):  “24  "As I live," declares the LORD, "even though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull you off; 25  and I will give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life, yes, into the hand of those whom you dread, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 “I will hurl you and your mother who bore you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27 “But as for the land to which they desire to return, they will not return to it. 28 “Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar? Or is he an undesirable vessel? Why have he and his descendants been hurled out And cast into a land that they had not known? 29 “O land, land, land, Hear the word of the LORD! 30 “Thus says the LORD, ’Write this man down childless, A man who will not prosper in his days; For no man of his descendants will prosper Sitting on the throne of David Or ruling again in Judah.’"”

            Before I begin to say something about these verses I have to say something that I have been thinking about for a few days, and that is what Dr. Wiersbe wrote about in an endnote several days ago.  He stated that the word “house” not only referred to the temple, but also to the house of David, which was seen in 2 Samuel chapter seven when God told David that He would build a house (dynasty) for him because David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Lord.  What I have been thinking about is that when we come to the New Testament and look at the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ, both in Matthew and in Luke we see that it goes back to David even though from the time when Judah went into captivity there had been no kings on the throne of Israel or Judah.  The next King will be the Lord Jesus Christ and He will reign in the 1000 year kingdom after He returns in glory at His second coming after the tribulation period.  I think that the thing that I was thinking about was that the kingdom through David continued on even though there was no kingdom after the exile in 586.

            Jehoiachin was the son of Jehoiakim and he not only had a wicked father, but also a wicked mother and he reigned for only three months and ten days and then both he and his mother were taken to Babylon and his uncle Zedekiah was made king over Judah.  I am not sure how much of a kingdom was left at this point, but at any rate Zedekiah was made king over what was left.  Second Chronicles 36:9-10 and also Second Kings 24:8-17 tell this story.

            In verse twenty-four we read that the Lord says “even though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull you off.”  A signet ring was used to the one who has it as a sign of power.  We read in the book of Genesis that Joseph was given the signet ring of Pharaoh so that he could do the kings business.  Now I want to quote an endnote by Warren Wiersbe to help us better understand this verse:  “Zerubbable, a grandson of King Jehoiachin was one of the Jewish leaders who helped the exiles return to the land after the Captivity and reestablish their government and worship.  He was a representative of the Davidic line though he didn’t reign as a king.  The Lord ‘reverses’ the curse and said that Zerubbable was to Him like a signet ring (Hag. 2:20-23), which means he was chosen and precious to God. 

            When we look at verse twenty-eight we can see that the answer to the question purposed there would be no, for the people of Judah did not see Jehoiachin as a broken piece of pottery, but one of the false prophets said that he would return from Babylon and again rule over Judah.  God had other plans for this wicked man and his mother as they both died in Babylon.

            It is interesting that Jehoiachin had seven children by several wives, but God said that he was going to treat him as being childless as none of them would set on the throne of David and they didn’t.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, saw the Babylonians slay his sons, and it’s likely that he himself died before Jehoiachin was freed from prison (Jer. 52:10-11, 31-34).  This means that Jehoiachin was the last surviving king in David’s line.”

            As I listened to verse twenty-nine and read it I wondered what the repeated word “land” meant.  In the KJV it is the word “earth” repeated three times and Calvin has this to say about these three repeated words:  “The Prophet more fully confirms what I have lately referred to; and the repetition was not superfluous in exclaiming "earth" three times, for as the hardness of iron is overcome by the repeated strokes of the hammer, so the Prophet repeated the word "earth," that he might subdue that perverseness in which the Jews had so hardened themselves that no threats of God moved them. He did not adopt this vehemence, as rhetoricians do who aim to appear eloquent; but it was necessity that constrained him thus to assail that refractory people, who would have otherwise turned a deaf ear to what we have observed and read. By this preface, then, the Prophet especially shews that he spoke of God’s dreadful judgment, and also reminded the Jews of the certainty of this prophecy, though they were persuaded that the kingdom would never fall. Hence in this repetition we see that there is an implied reproof, as though he had said that they were indeed deaf, but that it was to no purpose, for they would be constrained to see the fulfillment of what they did not then believe. Earth, earth, earth, hear, he says. {1}”

            Just a quick note and that is we do have one more sub-section under this main section that we will look at in our next SD, and that has to do with the Messiah, the King of Righteousness and it comes from chapter twenty-three and verses 1-8.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I look Romans 8:28 where it says “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose,” I can see this happening in the nation of Judah, as God would bring good even out of what was going on in Judah during the times of Jeremiah.  He will do this for my life too, even though it is a painful process at times.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord even through times of troubles and temptations that He will work it out for my good and His glory.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-7

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 8 but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “1000 Years.”

Today’s Bible question:  “How was Elijah fed at the brook Cherith?”

Answer in our next SD.

5/26/2014 10:58 AM

 

  

God Discloses the Fate of the Kings PT-3 (Jer. 22:13-23)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/25/2014 8:58 AM

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  God Discloses the Fate of the Kings PT-3

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Jeremiah 22:13-23

            Message of the verses:  “13 “Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness And his upper rooms without justice, Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay And does not give him his wages, 14 Who says, ’I will build myself a roomy house With spacious upper rooms, And cut out its windows, Paneling it with cedar and painting it bright red.’ 15 “Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. 16 “He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?" Declares the LORD. 17 “But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, And on shedding innocent blood And on practicing oppression and extortion." 18 Therefore thus says the LORD in regard to Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, "They will not lament for him: ’Alas, my brother!’ or, ’Alas, sister!’ They will not lament for him: ’Alas for the master!’ or, ’Alas for his splendor!’ 19 “He will be buried with a donkey’s burial, Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.  20 "Go up to Lebanon and cry out, And lift up your voice in Bashan; Cry out also from Abarim, For all your lovers have been crushed. 21 “I spoke to you in your prosperity; But you said, ’I will not listen!’ This has been your practice from your youth, That you have not obeyed My voice. 22 “The wind will sweep away all your shepherds, And your lovers will go into captivity; Then you will surely be ashamed and humiliated Because of all your wickedness. 23 “You who dwell in Lebanon, Nested in the cedars, How you will groan when pangs come upon you, Pain like a woman in childbirth!”

            We begin this SD with an endnote from Dr. Wiersbe:  “Obviously this message was delivered to King Jehoiakim before he died in 598 BC.  It’s included in this section of Jeremiah’s prophecy because it fits with the special messages to the four other kings.  We’ve noted before that the Book of Jeremiah isn’t assembled in chronological order.  Chapters 21-24 focus especially on the royal house of David.”

            We also want to remember that Jehoiakim ruled for eleven years and was also a son of Josiah and that he was a covetousness king.  We can see this because it was during this time of international crisis that he was more concerned about building his new spacious place than he was about building a righteous kingdom.  This reminds me of Solomon who was chosen by the Lord to build the first temple in Jerusalem.  I don’t remember exactly how long it took to build the temple, but seven years runs in my mind, but then he took a much greater time to build his own house.  This never set well with me when I read about it.  Josiah seems to have the same traits.

            Jehoiakim must have not paid those who worked on his house, and this was against the Law of the Lord, and it is also in the book of James chapter five and verses one through six.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “Jehoiakim wasn’t much different from some modern politicians who profit from dishonest gain while they ignore the crises of the poor and needy.”  Makes me think of some of the costs of the vacations that our president and first lady take where the cost of where they stay is $10,000 per night.

            Verse fifteen asks this question “‘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.”  (NIV)  Jeremiah reminds Jehoiakim that his father lived comfortably, but he did right in the sight of the Lord so it can be done.  Josiah defended the rights of the people while Jehoiakim did the opposite and this does not please the Lord as Jeremiah told the king.

            Jeremiah mentions Jehoiakim by name in verse eighteen and then speaks of how his burial would be like a donkey thrown out of into the garbage dump of Jerusalem.  I can’t say for sure but that dump of Jerusalem burned continuously and its name was used to speak of hell, so perhaps that is where Jehoiakim ended up.

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes by writing “Before going on to discuss the next king, Jeremiah paused to address the people of Jerusalem and describe their terrible plight (Jer. 22:20-23).  The advance of the Chaldean army had crushed their allies (‘lovers’), who also would be sent into exile.  Like the desert wind, the Babylonians soldiers would round up’ Judah’s evil leaders and sweep them away.  The king and his nobles, living carelessly in the cedar palace (‘Lebanon”), would soon suffer terrible pain like a woman in travail.  The Lord had warned them, but they felt so secure that they wouldn’t listen.  The peace promised by the false prophets would never materialize.  For the city of Jerusalem, it was the end.”

            The phrase about the woman having birth pangs is also used in the NT when our Lord speaks of the end times and is also speaking about what will happen to Israel and Jerusalem during the tribulation period.  Just as the pains of a woman continue to get closer so when the events described by the Lord get closer and closer then the end will come.  For more on this look at the 24^th chapter of Matthew, and then the 13^th chapter of Mark, for this is known as the “Olivet Discourse,” as it was given near the Mount of Olives.  Judah would go into exile in 586 BC and then again in 70 AD, and then the next time this type of language is given about them it is talking about the tribulation period which is still in the future.  The “Rapture of the Church” will happen before the tribulation period and one needs to have a “ticket” to be a part of that event.  The Philippian Jailer asked the question “What must I do to be saved?”  Paul’s answer was to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and you will be saved.  He did that and his life was changed.  I know about that because my life was changed in Jan. of 1974 when I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into my life as Savior and Lord.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I can see that I also need to treat those who are poor the way the Lord desires me to do so. 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Believe the promises of the Lord that He will cause me to walk worthy of the calling He gave me.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-7

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Lot” (Genesis 12:4).

Today’s Bible question:  “How long is a millennium?” 

Answer in our nest SD. 

5/25/2014 9:37 AM  

           

God Discloses the Fate of the Kings PT-2 (Jer. 22:10-12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/24/2014 9:59 AM

My Worship Time                                             Focus:  God Discloses the Fate of the Kings PT-2

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Jeremiah 22:10-12

            Message of the verses:  We will look at the second king whom Jeremiah is speaking of in this 22^nd chapter of Jeremiah in today’s SD.

            Jehoahaz (Shallum)—Hopelessness (Jeremiah 22:10-12):  “10 Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him, But weep continually for the one who goes away; For he will never return Or see his native land. 11  For thus says the LORD in regard to Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of Josiah his father, who went forth from this place, "He will never return there; 12  but in the place where they led him captive, there he will die and not see this land again.”

            Jehoahaz was the son of Josiah and he ruled after his father’s death, but only for three months as he was taken from Judah captive to Egypt.  The people mourned over this loss, as they missed their king, but Jeremiah told the leaders that he would not return to Judah, for he would die in Egypt.   Instead of mourning for him the leaders should have been crying out to the Lord for help, as they were looking at a dead past or were trusting in a deposed leader.  God surely waned them to cry out to Him for help, but they were sunk deep in their sins and would not cry out to God.

            Yesterday I was listening to a message that is in a series of messages entitled “Ten Lies About God.”  The lie that was spoken of in this message was the lie that God does not experience pain, or is not capable of experiencing feelings.  When you look at situations like we are looking at during this time in Judah’s history we know that this truly saddened the heart of God.  Jesus, The God man surely experienced pain and His Father also did when Jesus was being punished upon the cross for our sins.  God took out all of our sins on His Son because of His great love for us, but that does not mean that God the Father did not have great pain in doing what He did in order to satisfy His wrath and justice so that we would one day be able to come and live with Him in eternity.  It was painful to the Lord to see Judah in the situation that they were in, but God’s justice would cause Him to remove them from the Promised Land.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I don’t want to cause the Lord to experience pain over my sins and so I desire to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to see me through the things that I will be doing today, and that what I do will be pleasing in His sight.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-6

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Jabesh-Gilead” (1 Samuel 11:2).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who was Abraham’s nephew?”

Answer in our next SD.

5/24/2014 10:20 AM