SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
6/16/2014 11:08 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
Judgment for the Gentile Nations PT-2
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Jeremiah
25:30a-33
Message of the
verses: Just a reminder what we are
looking at as I quote Warren Wiersbe to set the stage for what we will be
looking at this morning: “In this
message, Jeremiah used eight vivid images to describe the judgment God was
sending to the Gentiles.” We looked at
the first image in our last SD, and will look at five more today.
The roaring lion
(vv. 30a, 38): “"Therefore you
shall prophesy against them all these words, and you shall say to them, ’The
LORD will roar from on high And utter His voice from His holy habitation; He
will roar mightily against His fold.
(30-a)” “38 "He has left His hiding place like the
lion; For their land has become a horror Because of the fierceness of the
oppressing sword And because of His fierce anger."”
As we look at the Lord pictured as a lion there will be
some who do not like this picture, but as we look at the attributes of God we
see that one of them is wrath and one of them is justice, and of course one is
love which the Lord had been showing to the people of Judah for many years
which shows His long-suffering too. We
know that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world but He
is also the Lion of Judah and will poor out His wrath on the wicked world: “3 And
no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book
or to look into it. 4 Then I began to
weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into
it; 5 and one of the elders *said to me,
"Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root
of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” 6 And I saw
between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb
standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven
Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the book
out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne (Rev. 5:3-7).” This book is the title deed to planet earth
and only the Lord Jesus Christ could open it, and in it were the final
judgments that will be taken out on those unbelievers who live on planet earth
during the tribulation period.
The winepress
(30b): “He will shout like those who
tread the grapes, Against all the inhabitants of the earth.”
Warren Wiersbe writes “This is another familiar metaphor
for judgment (Isa. 63:3; Joel 3:13; Rev. 14:19-20). As they shared in the joy of the harvest,
those treading the grapes shouted and sang to one another (Isa. 16:10), but God
would do the shouting as He judged the nations that had resisted His will.”
The lawsuit (v.
31): “31 ’A clamor has come to the
end of the earth, Because the LORD has a controversy with the nations. He is
entering into judgment with all flesh; As for the wicked, He has given them to
the sword,’ declares the LORD."” 31
The noise reverberates all over the earth; everyone everywhere hears it. GOD
makes his case against the godless nations. He’s about to put the human race on
trial. For the wicked the verdict is clear-cut: death by the sword.’"
GOD’s Decree (Message).”
God first brought judgment against His own people and now
the rest of the nations as seen in this verse, and made clear in the Message
paraphrase. There will be only a Judge,
and no jury, there will be an indictment by no defense, and there will be a
sentence, but no appeal. God is
long-suffering, but that has come to an end at this point.
The storm (vv.
32-33): “32 Thus says the LORD of
hosts, "Behold, evil is going forth From nation to nation, And a great
storm is being stirred up From the remotest parts of the earth. 33 “Those slain
by the LORD on that day will be from one end of the earth to the other. They
will not be lamented, gathered or buried; they will be like dung on the face of
the ground.”
John MacArthur has a note in his Study Bible that I would
like to quote here from verses “25:30-33:
“While embracing the judgments soon to come to Judah and other nations,
this has end-time language (‘one end of the earth to the other’) and must be
ultimately fulfilled in the time of tribulation described in Rev 6-19.”
It is very possible that Jeremiah is talking about the
“storm” that Nebuchadnezzar would bring upon the region as he marches like a
tornado, and gives that kind of destruction.
“32 “This is what the LORD of
Hosts says: Pay attention! Disaster goes
forth from nation to nation. A great storm is stirred up from the ends of the earth.” 33 Those slain
by the LORD on that day will be /spread/ from one end of the earth to the
other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like manure
on the surface of the ground (HCSB).” As
MacArthur’s note states this not only speaks of what happened to Judah, but
also has end-time implications.
The refuse (v. 33): “33 “Those slain by the LORD on that day will
be from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be lamented, gathered
or buried; they will be like dung on the face of the ground.”
Dr. Wiersbe writes:
“Not to have a proper burial was a disgrace, for then the body was being
treated like common rubbish (8:2; 9:22; 16:4; 22:19). The Hebrew word means ‘dung’ which is even
worse (see Isa. 25:10-11 NIV).” I have
used the NASB which has the word dung in it, whereas Warren Wiersbe uses mostly
the KJV.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: It is good to
understand and to study all of the attributes of God, so when I come to verses
like this and those in the book of Revelations I can understand that God not
only loves, but also has to judge sin.
The Good News is that He judged my sins on the cross in the Person of
Jesus Christ so that my sins are forgiven since I have accepted the forgiveness
offered by the Lord.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to guide my steps this day, so
that I can do the things that He wants me to do, things that will glorify His
name.
Memory verses for the
week: Philippians 2:5-9
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. 8 Being found in appearance as a
man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death
on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God
highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
Answer to our last Bible
question: “Stephen” (Acts. 6:8-9).
Today’s Bible
question: “To support the divinity of
Christ, how many miracles did John record?”
Answer in our next SD.
6/16/2014 11:54 AM
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