Sunday, May 25, 2014

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 24th chapter of Matthew, and then the 13th 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  

           

No comments:

Post a Comment