Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

No sooner did God take care of the two conspiracies than Jeremiah found himself struggling with a theological crisis. Jeremiah couldn’t understand why a holy God would permit the false prophets and the unfaithful priests to prosper in their ministries while he, a faithful servant of God, was treated like a sacrificial lamb.  So, Jeremiah has this discussion with God…

Admit it, we all want to know, don’t we?

Jeremiah 12, The Message

What Makes You Think You Can Race Against Horses?

12 ^1-4 You are right, O God, and you set things right.
    I can’t argue with that. But I do have some questions:
Why do bad people have it so good?
    Why do con artists make it big?

You planted them and they put down roots.
    They flourished and produced fruit.
They talk as if they’re old friends with you,
    but they couldn’t care less about you.
Meanwhile, you know me inside and out.
    You don’t let me get by with a thing!
Make them pay for the way they live,
    pay with their lives, like sheep marked for slaughter.
How long do we have to put up with this—
    the country depressed, the farms in ruin—
And all because of wickedness, these wicked lives?
    Even animals and birds are dying off
Because they’ll have nothing to do with God
    and think God has nothing to do with them.

* * *

^5-6 “So, Jeremiah, if you’re worn out in this footrace with men,
    what makes you think you can race against horses?
And if you can’t keep your wits during times of calm,
    what’s going to happen when troubles break loose
        like the Jordan in flood?
Those closest to you, your own brothers and cousins,
    are working against you.
They’re out to get you. They’ll stop at nothing.
    Don’t trust them, especially when they’re smiling.

* * *

^7-11 “I will abandon the House of Israel,
    walk away from my beloved people.
I will turn over those I most love
    to those who are her enemies.
She’s been, this one I held dear,
    like a snarling lion in the jungle,

Growling and baring her teeth at me—
    and I can’t take it anymore.
Has this one I hold dear become a preening peacock?
    But isn’t she under attack by vultures?
Then invite all the hungry animals at large,
    invite them in for a free meal!
Foreign, scavenging shepherds
    will loot and trample my fields,
Turn my beautiful, well-cared-for fields
    into vacant lots of tin cans and thistles.
They leave them littered with junk—
    a ruined land, a land in lament.
The whole countryside is a wasteland,
    and no one will really care.

* * *

^12-13 “The barbarians will invade,
    swarm over hills and plains.
The judgment sword of God will take its toll
    from one end of the land to the other.
    Nothing living will be safe.
They will plant wheat and reap weeds.
    Nothing they do will work out.
They will look at their meager crops and wring their hands.
    All this the result of God’s fierce anger!”

* * *

^14-17 God’s Message: “Regarding all the bad neighbors who abused the land I gave to Israel as their inheritance: I’m going to pluck them out of their lands, and then pluck Judah out from among them. Once I’ve pulled the bad neighbors out, I will relent and take them tenderly to my heart and put them back where they belong, put each of them back in their home country, on their family farms. Then if they will get serious about living my way and pray to me as well as they taught my people to pray to that god Baal, everything will go well for them. But if they won’t listen, then I’ll pull them out of their land by the roots and cart them off to the dump. Total destruction!” God’s Decree.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jeremiah was concerned for the welfare of his people. He saw the land distressed because of the sins of the leaders, with many innocent people suffering. God had sent drought to the nation, which was one of the covenant disciplines (See Deuteronomy 28:15–24), and the vegetation was withering and the animal life dying. But the evil leaders who were to blame for the drought were not only surviving but also were prospering from the losses of others.

In devasting times, the fall of stocks and bonds, the rich get richer it seems while the poor poorer.  The rich driven by self-made power and evil manipulation take advantage of a down turn market to reap great benefits.  Does that make all wise investors evil?  It depends on where their hearts are and to whom they give glory for their gain along with how they help others.  Did they seek God first?  This is the larger question of heart to consider.

“You will always have the poor among you,”says Jesus, “but you will not always have Me.”  (Matthew 26:11) So, does that mean the poor will always be poor?  No, again, Jesus is wanting us to look inside our hearts for what is His best response should be from us who say we believe.  “Seek God first,” Jesus tells his disciples often, “ask for God’s help and wisdom.”  We can get all caught up in what the world needs with grand social actions and forget God. 

We think we should and could solve all problems if we worked hard enough.  Some of us have a need to be needed that is so strong we forget God is the answer, not us.  “Seek God first,” Jesus says often, “and his righteousness…”.  In other words, seek first what God wants and what He says is right for each case in point!  Another translation of Matthew 6:33 states: “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 

Let God sort it all out.  He knows what He is doing.  God will tell us exactly what to do when as the best help of all.  To God then, be the glory!

Back to Jeremiah… God’s reply to Jeremiah, wasn’t what he expected. God’s focus was not on the wicked; it was on His servant Jeremiah. As most of us do when we’re suffering, Jeremiah was asking, “How can I get out of this?” But he should have been asking, “What can I get out of this?”  “What can I learn from this?” God’s servants don’t live by explanations; they live by promises. Understanding explanations may satisfy our curiosity and make us smarter people, but laying hold of God’s promises will build our character and make us better servants.

Growth only happens with challenge, and challenge always brings change. As we get older, many of us resist change, forgetting that without the challenge of change, we’re in danger of deteriorating physically, mentally, and spiritually. God wanted Jeremiah to grow, and He also wants us to grow.

Lord,

Sometimes I, too am overwhelmed with what is going on around me in the world.  I would rather be overwhelmed by your love, mercy and grace—and I am.  You are amazing as you teach us how to grow in your love and in your ways.  You help us and give us “signposts” all along the way.  So, I seek You first for that is the right way to go.  You taught me that many times.  I believe.  I trust in you, dear Jesus.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

I’m now singing an old hymn of praise…Let Him Have His Way with Thee

Would you live for Jesus, and be always pure and good?
Would you walk with Him within the narrow road?
Would you have Him bear your burden, carry all your load?
Let Him have His way with thee.

Refrain:
His pow’r can make you what you ought to be;
His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free;
His love can fill your soul, and you will see
’Twas best for Him to have His way with thee.

“OH GOD!  Help us!” 

“All hope is gone.  So, we turn to you.” 

“Get us out of this mess we are in.” 

“We are overwhelmed by the enemy, pull us out of danger!” 

The man falling off the cliff prayed the fastest crisis prayer on record, “Saaaave me!”  Suddenly his clothing was caught on a branch, stopping his fall.  While dangling in the air, he told God, “Never mind, I’ve got this.”  This is crisis-only praying.  And God does not like crisis-only praying.

Jeremiah 11, The Message

The Terms of This Covenant

11 The Message that came to Jeremiah from God:

^2-4 “Preach to the people of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them this: ‘This is God’s Message, the Message of Israel’s God to you. Anyone who does not keep the terms of this covenant is cursed. The terms are clear. I made them plain to your ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt, out of the iron furnace of suffering.

^4-5 “‘Obey what I tell you. Do exactly what I command you. Your obedience will close the deal. You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours. This will provide the conditions in which I will be able to do what I promised your ancestors: to give them a fertile and lush land. And, as you know, that’s what I did.’”

“Yes, God,” I replied. “That’s true.”

^6-8 God continued: “Preach all this in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. Say, ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and carry them out! I warned your ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt and I’ve kept up the warnings. I haven’t quit warning them for a moment. I warned them from morning to night: “Obey me or else!” But they didn’t obey. They paid no attention to me. They did whatever they wanted to do, whenever they wanted to do it, until finally I stepped in and ordered the punishments set out in the covenant, which, despite all my warnings, they had ignored.’”

^9-10 Then God said, “There’s a conspiracy among the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. They’ve plotted to reenact the sins of their ancestors—the ones who disobeyed me and decided to go after other gods and worship them. Israel and Judah are in this together, mindlessly breaking the covenant I made with their ancestors.

^11-13 “Well, your God has something to say about this: Watch out! I’m about to visit doom on you, and no one will get out of it. You’re going to cry for help but I won’t listen. Then all the people in Judah and Jerusalem will start praying to the gods you’ve been sacrificing to all these years, but it won’t do a bit of good. You’ve got as many gods as you have villages, Judah! And you’ve got enough altars for sacrifices to that impotent sex god Baal to put one on every street corner in Jerusalem!

¹⁴ “And as for you, Jeremiah, I don’t want you praying for this people. Nothing! Not a word of petition. Indeed, I’m not going to listen to a single syllable of their crisis-prayers.”

Promises and Pious Programs

^15-16 “What business do the ones I love have figuring out
    how to get off the hook? And right in the house of worship!
Do you think making promises and devising pious programs
    will save you from doom?
Do you think you can get out of this
    by becoming more religious?
A mighty oak tree, majestic and glorious—
    that’s how I once described you.
But it will only take a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning
    to leave you a shattered wreck.

¹⁷ “I, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who planted you—yes, I have pronounced doom on you. Why? Because of the disastrous life you’ve lived, Israel and Judah alike, goading me to anger with your continuous worship and offerings to that sorry god Baal.”

* * *

^18-19 God told me what was going on. That’s how I knew.
    You, God, opened my eyes to their evil scheming.
I had no idea what was going on—naive as a lamb
    being led to slaughter!
I didn’t know they had it in for me,
    didn’t know of their behind-the-scenes plots:
“Let’s get rid of the preacher.
    That will stop the sermons!
Let’s get rid of him for good.
    He won’t be remembered for long.”

²⁰ Then I said, “God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
    you’re a fair judge.
You examine and cross-examine
    human actions and motives.
I want to see these people shown up and put down!
    I’m an open book before you. Clear my name.”

^21-23 That sent a signal to God, who spoke up: “Here’s what I’ll do to the men of Anathoth who are trying to murder you, the men who say, ‘Don’t preach to us in God’s name or we’ll kill you.’ Yes, it’s God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaking. Indeed! I’ll call them to account: Their young people will die in battle, their children will die of starvation, and there will be no one left at all, none. I’m visiting the men of Anathoth with doom. Doomsday!”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Crisis only praying is not what God desires from his people.  Daily communication with God followed by obedience will “close the deal” of a growing, intimate relationship with God.  This is what I’m learning from Jeremiah who speaks for God to God’s people who are crisis-only-praying to merely get out of the trouble they put themselves in by worshiping and sacrificing to other gods.  I don’t know about you, but I’m learning that worshipping other gods, giving time to along with sacrificing to all the gods of this world takes more work than worshiping the One and Only God who speaks, hears, listens, loves, provides, protects, and heals—the God who is always at work on our behalf. 

God gives us all we need.  God deserves a lot more from us than crisis-only praying.  He loves hearing from us daily and loves to walk with us, helping us through all the details of our lives each day.  What can we give the Lord?  Complete obedience.  Full attention.  Generous giving.  Loving sacrifice of all our hearts, minds and souls to His guidance.  “Pray without ceasing” means just that—constant communication avoids crisis-only praying.  (See Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Paul describes this “daily” walk to new believers in Jesus clearly and understandably: 

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”  Romans 12:1-2, MSG 

There is no longer a need for crisis praying when we know God is already at work in our lives daily.  He is there solving our “crisis” before we arrive in the chaos.  Those who really believe in God, believe in all He is capable of doing and being.  We know that God is always at work and will do what is best to accomplish His will.  Even when bad things happen to us or around us, God will turn all the bad to good in miraculous ways.  His glory will be seen when what is meant for evil is used for good. That’s God.

Trust in other gods?  Mm, I don’t think so.  I will trust in God who is forever faithful, unconditional loving, with generous grace and mighty mercy.  I will leave all the other gods in this world that try to take my time or distract me and lean into the God of all.

Crisis-only praying could be a sign of crisis of faith.

Oh Lord,

Thank you for this dally time together to learn from you, hear your voice, be encouraged by you with guidance from your Holy Spirit with lessons of obedience to you.  Thank you for always being with us. Thank you for solving our problems before we are in crisis.  May we avoid crisis of faith and grow in our knowledge of you—daily.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Because of being a short-term mission planner for college students, I’ve traveled to places such as Haiti, Brazil, Moldova, Bolivia as well as our own country that includes the Navajo nation in the southwest many times.  What is prevalent in these different cultures and highly visible to outsiders is the inclusion and mashing together the old traditions with the new belief of knowing God through believing in Jesus as Savior.  Many new believers cannot let go of the idols, symbols and beliefs, at least not at first.  Believing in Jesus is appreciated but Jesus/God/Holy Spirit are not exclusive to belief and practice and become a collaboration of what was formerly believed.

After observing these meshing idols with worship of God for myself, I cannot judge them harshly this collaboration for we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” in this area of our growing and maturing in following God alone—as the only God for us.  We all have our “idols” that we have trouble letting go.  What is an idol in our world?  The answer lies withing each one of us.  Our idols are anything and everything that stands between our view of God and hinders or growing intimate relationship with God. 

Our “stick idols” that cannot give back to us, cannot hear or see us, cannot love us back, cannot walk on their own unless we carry them around are all around us.  We can begin with our phones that have become an extension of our bodies—like an idol that we cannot seem to do without.  Think about it.  Can you go anywhere without it?  We make ourselves feel better about this idol by installing the Bible app in with the collaboration with other apps.  However, how much time is spent on the Bible app?  What app is really taking our attention from God?  Yikes, you do know that your phone can tell exactly how much time is spent on each app, right? 

Jeremiah looked around and ridiculed the idols all around him. Instead of separating themselves from the evil practices of the nations as Moses had instructed (See Deuteronomy 7:1–11), Israel gradually imitated those practices and began to worship pagan gods. But these gods were worthless, manufactured by craftsmen.  And idols still are today—worthless, when it comes to knowing God.

Jeremiah 10, The Message

The Stick Gods

^1-5 Listen to the Message that God is sending your way, House of Israel. Listen most carefully:

“Don’t take the godless nations as your models.
    Don’t be impressed by their glamour and glitz,
    no matter how much they’re impressed.
The religion of these peoples
    is nothing but smoke.
An idol is nothing but a tree chopped down,
    then shaped by a woodsman’s ax.
They trim it with tinsel and balls,
    use hammer and nails to keep it upright.
It’s like a scarecrow in a cabbage patch—can’t talk!
    Deadwood that has to be carried—can’t walk!
Don’t be impressed by such stuff.
    It’s useless for either good or evil.”

^6-9 All this is nothing compared to you, O God.
    You’re wondrously great, famously great.
Who can fail to be impressed by you, King of the nations?
    It’s your very nature to be worshiped!
Look far and wide among the elite of the nations.
    The best they can come up with is nothing compared to you.
Stupidly, they line them up—a lineup of sticks,
    good for nothing but making smoke.
Gilded with silver foil from Tarshish,
    covered with gold from Uphaz,
Hung with violet and purple fabrics—
    no matter how fancy the sticks, they’re still sticks.

¹⁰ But God is the real thing—
    the living God, the eternal King.
When he’s angry, Earth shakes.
    Yes, and the godless nations quake.

^11-15 “Tell them this, ‘The stick gods
    who made nothing, neither sky nor earth,
Will come to nothing
    on the earth and under the sky.’”
But it is God whose power made the earth,
    whose wisdom gave shape to the world,
    who crafted the cosmos.
He thunders, and rain pours down.
    He sends the clouds soaring.
He embellishes the storm with lightnings,
    launches wind from his warehouse.
Stick-god worshipers looking mighty foolish,
    god-makers embarrassed by their handmade gods!
Their gods are frauds—dead sticks,
    deadwood gods, tasteless jokes.
    When the fires of judgment come, they’ll be ashes.

¹⁶ But the Portion-of-Jacob is the real thing.
    He put the whole universe together
And pays special attention to Israel.
    His name? God-of-the-Angel-Armies!

* * *

^17-18 Grab your bags,
    all you who are under attack.
God has given notice:
    “Attention! I’m evicting
Everyone who lives here,
    And right now—yes, right now!
I’m going to press them to the limit,
    squeeze the life right out of them.”

* * *

^19-20 But it’s a black day for me!
    Hopelessly wounded,
I said, “Why, oh why
    did I think I could bear it?”
My house is ruined—
    the roof caved in.
Our children are gone—
    we’ll never see them again.
No one left to help in rebuilding,
    no one to make a new start!

²¹ It’s because our leaders are stupid.
    They never asked God for counsel,
And so nothing worked right.
    The people are scattered all over.

²² But listen! Something’s coming!
    A big commotion from the northern borders!
Judah’s towns about to be smashed,
    left to all the stray dogs and cats!

^23-25 I know, God, that mere mortals
    can’t run their own lives,
That men and women
    don’t have what it takes to take charge of life.
So correct us, God, as you see best.
    Don’t lose your temper. That would be the end of us.
Vent your anger on the godless nations,
    who refuse to acknowledge you,
And on the people
    who won’t pray to you—
The very ones who’ve made a meal out of Jacob,
    yes, made a meal
And devoured him whole,
    people and pastures alike.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Our contemporary idols might not be as ugly, as were the pagan idols in Jeremiah’s day, but they capture just as much affection and do just as much damage. Whatever we worship and serve other than the true and living God is an idol, whether it’s an expensive house or car, the latest electronic device, a boat, a library, a girlfriend or boyfriend, our children, a career, or a bank account. 

Jeremiah makes it clear:  The remedy for idolatry is for us to get caught up in the majesty and grandeur of God, the true God, the living God, the everlasting King. An idol is a substitute, and no one would ever want a substitute after having experienced the love and power of the Lord God Almighty.

A nation went into captivity because its leaders forsook the true and living God.  What captivates us today?

I need to take a “phone fast” for at least 24 hours to evaluate the importance this device has on my life with God, the Father.  Is it being used for good or distraction? Who or what is really Lord of my life?  Jesus or my phone?  Who’s with me? 

Lord,

I’m sorry for underestimating the power of idols in our lives right now.  I repent of the attachment I have for them.  I love you with all my heart, mind and soul.  It is time I prove that love for you alone. That time is now.  I don’t invite you to my world, to be incorporated into it!  No, You have invited into Your Kingdom and Your Kingdom thinking, leaving the world behind me.  And it is here I want to be—learning and growing in your love.  

In Jesus Name, Amen

Jeremiah wept over the sad spiritual condition of the people, and this is one reason he is known as the weeping prophet. Today, finding tears either in the pulpit or the pews is unusual, with the emphasis in church seeming to be enjoyment. After all, we want people to leave in good spirits, right?  Mm.  As ministers of the gospel, we have all felt like Jeremiah at times; there is no denying it.  When the troubles of the people we minister to, the sins of the lost we pour out our hearts to with the message of salvation, along with seeing the consequences of living the opposite of God’s ways overwhelm us—and we weep. 

We are human and have our own challenges with keeping our own hearts in check with God.  Sometimes we want to run and hideout for a while, too!  Jeremiah would rather have fled from the people to a place of peace but he knew that his calling was to stay and minister God’s Word. His soul was grieved at the sins of the people—their immorality, idolatry, deception, and slander. Truth was a precious commodity; a person couldn’t even trust his or her friends and relatives.  This is the sadness of sin.  And we weep.

Jeremiah 9, The Message

^1-2 I wish my head were a well of water
    and my eyes fountains of tears
So I could weep day and night
    for casualties among my dear, dear people.
At times I wish I had a wilderness hut,
    a backwoods cabin,
Where I could get away from my people
    and never see them again.
They’re a faithless, feckless bunch,
    a congregation of degenerates.

* * *

^3-6 “Their tongues shoot out lies
    like a bow shoots arrows—
A mighty army of liars,
    the sworn enemies of truth.
They advance from one evil to the next,
    ignorant of me.”
        God’s Decree.
“Be wary of even longtime neighbors.
    Don’t even trust your grandmother!
Brother schemes against brother,
    like old cheating Jacob.
Friend against friend
    spreads malicious gossip.
Neighbors gyp neighbors,
    never telling the truth.
They’ve trained their tongues to tell lies,
    and now they can’t tell the truth.
They pile wrong upon wrong, stack lie upon lie,
    and refuse to know me.”
        God’s Decree.

^7-9 Therefore, God-of-the-Angel-Armies says:

“Watch this! I’ll melt them down
    and see what they’re made of.
What else can I do
    with a people this wicked?
Their tongues are poison arrows!
    Deadly lies stream from their mouths.
Neighbor greets neighbor with a smile,
    ‘Good morning! How’re things?’
    while scheming to do away with him.
Do you think I’m going to stand around and do nothing?”
    God’s Decree.
“Don’t you think I’ll take serious measures
    against a people like this?

^10-11 “I’m lamenting the loss of the mountain pastures.
    I’m chanting dirges for the old grazing grounds.
They’ve become deserted wastelands too dangerous for travelers.
    No sounds of sheep bleating or cattle mooing.
Birds and wild animals, all gone.
    Nothing stirring, no sounds of life.
I’m going to make Jerusalem a pile of rubble,
    fit for nothing but stray cats and dogs.
I’m going to reduce Judah’s towns to piles of ruins
    where no one lives!”

* * *

¹² I asked, “Is there anyone around bright enough to tell us what’s going on here? Anyone who has the inside story from God and can let us in on it?

“Why is the country wasted?

“Why no travelers in this desert?”

^13-15 God’s answer: “Because they abandoned my plain teaching. They wouldn’t listen to anything I said, refused to live the way I told them to. Instead they lived any way they wanted and took up with the Baal gods, who they thought would give them what they wanted—following the example of their parents.” And this is the consequence. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so:

“I’ll feed them with pig slop.

“I’ll give them poison to drink.

¹⁶ “Then I’ll scatter them far and wide among godless peoples that neither they nor their parents have ever heard of, and I’ll send Death in pursuit until there’s nothing left of them.”

A Life That Is All Outside but No Inside

^17-19 A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“Look over the trouble we’re in and call for help.
    Send for some singers who can help us mourn our loss.
Tell them to hurry—
    to help us express our loss and lament,
Help us get our tears flowing,
    make tearful music of our crying.
Listen to it!
    Listen to that torrent of tears out of Zion:
‘We’re a ruined people,
    we’re a shamed people!
We’ve been driven from our homes
    and must leave our land!’”

* * *

^20-21 Mourning women! Oh, listen to God’s Message!
    Open your ears. Take in what he says.
Teach your daughters songs for the dead
    and your friends the songs of heartbreak.
Death has climbed in through the window,
    broken into our bedrooms.
Children on the playgrounds drop dead,
    and young men and women collapse at their games.

²² Speak up! “God’s Message:

“‘Dead bodies everywhere, scattered at random
    like sheep and goat dung in the fields,
Like wheat cut down by reapers
    and left to rot where it falls.’”

^23-24 God’s Message:

“Don’t let the wise brag of their wisdom.
    Don’t let heroes brag of their exploits.
Don’t let the rich brag of their riches.
    If you brag, brag of this and this only:
That you understand and know me.
    I’m God, and I act in loyal love.
I do what’s right and set things right and fair,
    and delight in those who do the same things.
These are my trademarks.”
    God’s Decree.

* * *

^25-26 “Stay alert! It won’t be long now”—God’s Decree!—“when I will personally deal with everyone whose life is all outside but no inside: Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab. All these nations are big on performance religion—including Israel, who is no better.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Should we pretend that all is well when the world is not well?  Being God’s covenant people offers no escape from judgment. If anything, their favored relationship with the Lord invited an even greater judgment; for everyone to whom much is given, from that person much will be required says Jesus.  (See Luke 12:48).

Warren Wiersbe relates; “Being God’s covenant people offers no assurance of spiritual understanding. No amount of education, power, or wealth—three attributes the world today depends on and boasts about—can guarantee God’s blessing. God doesn’t delight in a nation’s learning, political influence, armies, or gross national product. He delights in a people who practice kindness, justice, and righteousness because they know and fear the Lord. God promises covenant blessings to those who obey Him, not to those who only submit to religious ceremonies.”

“I’m God, and I act in loyal love.  I do what’s right and set things right and fair, and delight in those who do the same things.  These are my trademarks.” –God

Lord,

I repent of trying to please others that leads nowhere and is not helpful or truthful for anyone concerned.  Help me to please you alone, to follow your ways that you taught us, dear Jesus.  Help us to seek justice (what is right in your word), love mercy and walk humbly with you.  Thank you for delighting in us as we walk with you.  You are life, love, mercy and generous grace.  Thank you for always being with us.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Who grieves the most, with hearts breaking, when our children are in trouble with seemingly no way out?  As parents, we are given the task to raise, love and nourish the children God has given to us in His ways.  We are to show them how to live by our example.  We are charged with providing wisdom and discipline of life skills so they can someday thrive and continue to grow and mature by God’s leading.  We pray for this wisdom and guidance from God who is eager to give it when we ask.  But when our kids say no to all that is God, we grieve.  When they are in trouble, our hearts break.  We want to step in and fix it but we cannot.  There are some things we cannot make better.  Only God can.

Most of God’s people, including priests and other influencers, have turned their backs on God.  They are living delusional lives of selfishness, greed, unholy desires with perverted behaviors.  Jeremiah shares the heart of God for His people who He loves.

When the time comes for punishment for who they are their behaviors are recalled, truth is out and the realization of their sins revealed.  And God? God is heartbroken.

But God is not like we parents who feel helpless for our children in troubles beyond us.  God has a Plan. That Plan is Jesus, His Son.  When the time comes for Jesus, God and Word in the flesh, to be born of a virgin, to grow up in the neighborhood of humanity He came to save, God is there to fulfil His Plan through Jesus, His Son.  This Plan for you and I was created and driven by God’s great love for the world.

Jeremiah 8, The Message

^1-2 “And when the time comes”—God’s Decree!—“I’ll see to it that they dig up the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the princes and priests and prophets, and yes, even the bones of the common people. They’ll dig them up and spread them out like a congregation at worship before sun, moon, and stars, all those sky gods they’ve been so infatuated with all these years, following their ‘lucky stars’ in doglike devotion. The bones will be left scattered and exposed, to reenter the soil as fertilizer, like manure.

³ “Everyone left—all from this evil generation unlucky enough to still be alive in whatever godforsaken place I will have driven them to—will wish they were dead.” Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

To Know Everything but God’s Word

^4-7 “Tell them this, God’s Message:

“‘Do people fall down and not get up?
    Or take the wrong road and then just keep going?
So why does this people go backward,
    and just keep on going—backward!
They stubbornly hold on to their illusions,
    refuse to change direction.
I listened carefully
    but heard not so much as a whisper.
No one expressed one word of regret.
    Not a single “I’m sorry” did I hear.
They just kept at it, blindly and stupidly
    banging their heads against a brick wall.
Cranes know when it’s time
    to move south for winter.
And robins, warblers, and bluebirds
    know when it’s time to come back again.
But my people? My people know nothing,
    not the first thing of God and his rule.

^8-9 “‘How can you say, “We know the score.
    We’re the proud owners of God’s revelation”?
Look where it’s gotten you—stuck in illusion.
    Your religion experts have taken you for a ride!
Your know-it-alls will be unmasked,
    caught and shown up for what they are.
Look at them! They know everything but God’s Word.
    Do you call that “knowing”?

^10-12 “‘So here’s what will happen to the know-it-alls:
    I’ll make them wifeless and homeless.
Everyone’s after the dishonest dollar,
    little people and big people alike.
Prophets and priests and everyone in between
    twist words and doctor truth.
My dear Daughter—my people—broken, shattered,
    and yet they put on Band-Aids,
Saying, “It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.”
    But things are not “just fine”!
Do you suppose they are embarrassed
    over this outrage?
Not really. They have no shame.
    They don’t even know how to blush.
There’s no hope for them. They’ve hit bottom
    and there’s no getting up.
As far as I’m concerned,
    they’re finished.’” God has spoken.

* * *

¹³ “‘I went out to see if I could salvage anything’”
    —God’s Decree—
    “‘but found nothing:
Not a grape, not a fig,
    just a few withered leaves.
I’m taking back
    everything I gave them.’”

^14-16 So why are we sitting here, doing nothing?
    Let’s get organized.
Let’s go to the big city
    and at least die fighting.
We’ve gotten God’s ultimatum:
    We’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t—
    damned because of our sin against him.
We hoped things would turn out for the best,
    but it didn’t happen that way.
We were waiting around for healing—
    and terror showed up!
From Dan at the northern borders
    we hear the hooves of horses,
Horses galloping, horses neighing.
    The ground shudders and quakes.
They’re going to swallow up the whole country.
    Towns and people alike—fodder for war.

¹⁷ “‘What’s more, I’m dispatching
    poisonous snakes among you,
Snakes that can’t be charmed,
    snakes that will bite you and kill you.’”
        God’s Decree!

Advancing from One Evil to the Next

^18-22 I drown in grief.
    I’m heartsick.
Oh, listen! Please listen! It’s the cry of my dear people
    reverberating through the country.
Is God no longer in Zion?
    Has the King gone away?
Can you tell me why they flaunt their plaything-gods,
    their silly, imported no-gods before me?
The crops are in, the summer is over,
    but for us nothing’s changed.
    We’re still waiting to be rescued.
For my dear broken people, I’m heartbroken.
    I weep, seized by grief.
Are there no healing ointments in Gilead?
    Isn’t there a doctor in the house?
So why can’t something be done
    to heal and save my dear, dear people?

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

I’m reminded of “when the time came” for Jesus to show his disciples “the full extent of His love” before going to the cross for our sins—God’s Plan.  Jesus took off His robe as Teacher and laid it aside.  He wrapped a towel around his waist.  He went by the door and pour water into a basin.  He then bent down with basin and towel to wash and dry His disciples’ dirty feet—all of them—including his betrayer’s feet.  Jesus came to serve, not to be serve.  Jesus, Messiah, Son of God, was sent to seek and to save the lost people who had all but forgotten who God was and is and is to come.  (See John 13)

Jesus, Son of God, had the heart of God.  Jesus’ heart was broken and spilled out for mankind.  Jesus, our great example of how to live.

I ask myself this morning,

Did God’s broken heart for his people then derive His Plan to save the world someday?  

Was the formation of His Plan designed to clearly show the full extent of His love for us?

Why then, when the time comes for us to accept His saving grace, do we say no?

Don’t say no.  Believe in this love beyond our kind of love, repent of our messy sins, follow the King of kings with a plan for our lives that is greater than what we can dream or imagine and be saved from death to eternal life!    

Lord,

I repent of my sins and say yes to all you want for me to live a life worth living.  I choose you over the know-it-alls whose sayings lead nowhere.  I say yes to your plan for my life.  I will follow you all the days of my life.  You are my everything.  There is no one like you, God.  I trust in you alone, dear Jesus.  Come Holy Spirit and guide me.  I’m listening.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

God is perfect.  God’s Son, Jesus is perfect.  God’s Holy Spirit is perfect.  Only if we obey God and turn to Him, offering our very lives as a living sacrifice to Him will He abide in us.  Only then can we grow in God’s character and be all He created us to be.  “I formed you…”, says God, “I have a plan, not to hurt you but to prosper you.”

But the nation of God’s people refused to listen to Him.  They refused to love Him back as He loved them.

Because the people believed the lies of the false prophets, the people thought they could live in sin and still go to the temple and worship a holy God. They were guilty of breaking at least five of the Ten Commandments, but the false prophets assured them that the presence of God’s temple in Jerusalem guaranteed the nation God’s blessing and protection from every enemy.

As long as the people had a Temple building, they thought they were “safe” to do what they pleased in all kinds of perverted ways…even murdering their own children to please the gods of their making.

God will not reside where sin lives and thrives.  Only if we repent of our sins, in Jesus Name, can we see God and hear His voice guiding us.  Only then can we be saved from our sins, redeemed (bought back) for eternity. 

Jeremiah 7, The Message

The Nation That Wouldn’t Obey God

^1-2 The Message from God to Jeremiah: “Stand in the gate of God’s Temple and preach this Message.

^2-3 “Say, ‘Listen, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship God. God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, has this to say to you:

^3-7 “‘Clean up your act—the way you live, the things you do—so I can make my home with you in this place. Don’t for a minute believe the lies being spoken here—“This is God’s Temple, God’s Temple, God’s Temple!” Total nonsense! Only if you clean up your act (the way you live, the things you do), only if you do a total spring cleaning on the way you live and treat your neighbors, only if you quit exploiting the street people and orphans and widows, no longer taking advantage of innocent people on this very site and no longer destroying your souls by using this Temple as a front for other gods—only then will I move into your neighborhood. Only then will this country I gave your ancestors be my permanent home, my Temple.

^8-11 “‘Get smart! Your leaders are handing you a pack of lies, and you’re swallowing them! Use your heads! Do you think you can rob and murder, have sex with the neighborhood wives, tell lies nonstop, worship the local gods, and buy every novel religious commodity on the market—and then march into this Temple, set apart for my worship, and say, “We’re safe!” thinking that the place itself gives you a license to go on with all this outrageous sacrilege? A cave full of criminals! Do you think you can turn this Temple, set apart for my worship, into something like that? Well, think again. I’ve got eyes in my head. I can see what’s going on.’” God’s Decree!

¹² “‘Take a trip down to the place that was once in Shiloh, where I met my people in the early days. Take a look at those ruins, what I did to it because of the evil ways of my people Israel.

^13-15 “‘So now, because of the way you have lived and failed to listen, even though time and again I took you aside and talked seriously with you, and because you refused to change when I called you to repent, I’m going to do to this Temple, set aside for my worship, this place you think is going to keep you safe no matter what, this place I gave as a gift to your ancestors and you, the same as I did to Shiloh. And as for you, I’m going to get rid of you, the same as I got rid of those old relatives of yours around Shiloh, your fellow Israelites in that former kingdom to the north.’

^16-18 “And you, Jeremiah, don’t waste your time praying for this people. Don’t offer to make petitions or intercessions. Don’t bother me with them. I’m not listening. Can’t you see what they’re doing in all the villages of Judah and in the Jerusalem streets? Why, they’ve got the children gathering wood while the fathers build fires and the mothers make bread to be offered to ‘the Queen of Heaven’! And as if that weren’t bad enough, they go around pouring out libations to any other gods they come across, just to hurt me.

¹⁹ “But is it me they’re hurting?” God’s Decree! “Aren’t they just hurting themselves? Exposing themselves shamefully? Making themselves ridiculous?

²⁰ “Here’s what the Master God has to say: ‘My white-hot anger is about to descend on this country and everything in it—people and animals, trees in the field and vegetables in the garden—a raging wildfire that no one can put out.’

^21-23 “The Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God: ‘Go ahead! Put your burnt offerings with all your other sacrificial offerings and make a good meal for yourselves. I sure don’t want them! When I delivered your ancestors out of Egypt, I never said anything to them about wanting burnt offerings and sacrifices as such. But I did say this, commanded this: “Obey me. Do what I say and I will be your God and you will be my people. Live the way I tell you. Do what I command so that your lives will go well.”

^24-26 “‘But do you think they listened? Not a word of it. They did just what they wanted to do, indulged any and every evil whim and got worse day by day. From the time your ancestors left the land of Egypt until now, I’ve supplied a steady stream of my servants the prophets, but do you think the people listened? Not once. Stubborn as mules and worse than their ancestors!’

^27-28 “Tell them all this, but don’t expect them to listen. Call out to them, but don’t expect an answer. Tell them, ‘You are the nation that wouldn’t obey God, that refused all discipline. Truth has disappeared. There’s not a trace of it left in your mouths.

²⁹ “‘So shave your heads.
    Go bald to the hills and lament,
For God has rejected and left
    this generation that has made him so angry.’

^30-31 “The people of Judah have lived evil lives while I’ve stood by and watched.” God’s Decree. “In deliberate insult to me, they’ve set up their obscene god-images in the very Temple that was built to honor me. They’ve constructed Topheth altars for burning babies in prominent places all through the valley of Ben-hinnom, altars for burning their sons and daughters alive in the fire—a shocking perversion of all that I am and all I command.

^32-34 “But soon, very soon”—God’s Decree!—“the names Topheth and Ben-hinnom will no longer be used. They’ll call the place what it is: Murder Meadow. Corpses will be stacked up in Topheth because there’s no room left to bury them! Corpses abandoned in the open air, fed on by crows and coyotes, who have the run of the place. And I’ll empty both smiles and laughter from the villages of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. No wedding songs, no holiday sounds. Dead silence.”

WHAT WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND

“A cave full of criminals…”  Jesus referred to this verse after He cleansed the temple (Matthew 21:13). A “den of thieves”, according to Jesus, is the place where thieves go to hide after they’ve committed their crimes. Jeremiah was declaring that the Jews were using the temple ceremonies to cover up their secret sins. Instead of being made holy in the temple, the people were making the temple unholy!

This begs the question from us today:  Do we, as a church, the bride of Christ, think the building is our safe place, our cover, our place to look good in front of others as well as a place to hide who we really are the other six days of the week?  There is a deeper question to consider:  Does today’s church affect society with all that is God, or has society affected the church.  Which is more? This was the heart cry of Jeremiah directed by God.  Only if…only then.

What are some only if’s we need to “clean up” and repent of so God can come near with His only then’s?

That’s what I am pondering this morning.  Do we really believe what God says is really real?  Our behaviors will reflect what we believe.

Lord,

I repent of going about life thinking I can handle the small stuff.  All the stuff of life belongs to you and your care.  I give myself to you again today, offering my very life as a living sacrifice.  Use my life for your glory.  May others see your glory at work in me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

First, the Lord spoke to His people and warned them that judgment was coming. The Jews had three main ways to get military information: from the watchmen on the walls, from trumpet signals, and from signal fires lit on high places. Jeremiah’s hometown of Anathoth was in Benjamin tribal lands, so he started by warning his own neighbors to get out of Jerusalem.  But still God’s people refused to listen to God’s warnings through his prophet Jeremiah.  They are now at the point of no return.  They will be captured and exiled to Babylon. 

How close are we to the point of no return?  After God’s prophets sounded the warnings of impending danger for centuries were ignored; God sent His One and Only Son to earth to seek and to save the lost who were without God.  Jesus, God in flesh, spent time on earth as Son of Man and Son of God to teach people who God was, is and is to come.  God had a plan to redeem people once and for all.  That Plan was Jesus, the final way back to God.  God’s Plan took all the sins of the world and placed them on His Son.  God then turned his back on His Son with all our sins on His shoulders while Jesus stood in our place of punishment to die for our sins.  The repented list of our sins are wiped clean, to be remembered no more, all because of His great love for each one of us.  Our part?  Believe, repent and be saved forever.

The alarms are going in our lives as we see troubles ahead if we do not change our thinking from the world to Jesus.  Warnings have been preached with fiery words of compassionate to stir and refine our souls.  Our point of no return will come with the final trumpet sound of the return of Jesus.  When that occurs it’s too late to ask and debate: Who are we? Where will we be standing?  What will we be saying?  What will we be doing?  When Jesus comes back, and He will, what will His words be to us? “Well done, good and faithful servant” or “depart from me—I never knew you.”

Yes, it is that serious. 

Jeremiah 6, The Message

A City Full of Lies

6 ^1-5 “Run for your lives, children of Benjamin!
    Get out of Jerusalem, and now!
Give a blast on the ram’s horn in Blastville.
    Send up smoke signals from Smoketown.
Doom pours out of the north—
    massive terror!
I have likened my dear daughter Zion
    to a lovely meadow.
Well, now ‘shepherds’ from the north have discovered her
    and brought in their flocks of soldiers.
They’ve pitched camp all around her,
    and plan where they’ll ‘graze.’
And then, ‘Prepare to attack! The fight is on!
    To arms! We’ll strike at noon!
Oh, it’s too late? Day is dying?
    Evening shadows are upon us?
Well, up anyway! We’ll attack by night
    and tear apart her defenses stone by stone.’”

^6-8 God-of-the-Angel-Armies gave the orders:

“Chop down her trees.
    Build a siege ramp against Jerusalem,
A city full of brutality,
    bursting with violence.
Just as a well holds a good supply of water,
    she supplies wickedness nonstop.
The streets echo the cries: ‘Violence! Rape!’
    Victims, bleeding and moaning, lie all over the place.
You’re in deep trouble, Jerusalem.
    You’ve pushed me to the limit.
You’re on the brink of being wiped out,
    being turned into a ghost town.”

⁹ More orders from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“Time’s up! Harvest the grapes for judgment.
    Salvage what’s left of Israel.
Go back over the vines.
    Pick them clean, every last grape.

Is Anybody Listening?

^10-11 “I’ve got something to say. Is anybody listening?
    I’ve a warning to post. Will anyone notice?
It’s hopeless! Their ears are stuffed with wax—
    deaf as a post, blind as a bat.
It’s hopeless! They’ve tuned out God.
    They don’t want to hear from me.
But I’m bursting with the wrath of God.
    I can’t hold it in much longer.

^11-12 “So dump it on the children in the streets.
    Let it loose on the gangs of youth.
For no one’s exempt: Husbands and wives will be taken,
    the old and those ready to die;
Their homes will be given away—
    all they own, even their loved ones—
When I give the signal
    against all who live in this country.”
        God’s Decree.

^13-15 “Everyone’s after the dishonest dollar,
    little people and big people alike.
Prophets and priests and everyone in between
    twist words and doctor truth.
My people are broken—shattered!—
    and they put on Band-Aids,
Saying, ‘It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.’
    But things are not ‘just fine’!
Do you suppose they are embarrassed
    over this outrage?
No, they have no shame.
    They don’t even know how to blush.
There’s no hope for them. They’ve hit bottom
    and there’s no getting up.
As far as I’m concerned,
    they’re finished.”
        God has spoken.

Death Is on the Prowl

^16-20 God’s Message yet again:

“Go stand at the crossroads and look around.
    Ask for directions to the old road,
The tried-and-true road. Then take it.
    Discover the right route for your souls.
But they said, ‘Nothing doing.
    We aren’t going that way.’
I even provided watchmen for them
    to warn them, to set off the alarm.
But the people said, ‘It’s a false alarm.
    It doesn’t concern us.’
And so I’m calling in the nations as witnesses:
    ‘Watch, witnesses, what happens to them!’
And, ‘Pay attention, Earth!
    Don’t miss these bulletins.’
I’m visiting catastrophe on this people, the end result
    of the games they’ve been playing with me.

They’ve ignored everything I’ve said,
    had nothing but contempt for my teaching.
What would I want with incense brought in from Sheba,
    rare spices from exotic places?
Your burnt sacrifices in worship give me no pleasure.
    Your religious rituals mean nothing to me.”

²¹ So listen to this. Here’s God’s verdict on your way of life:

“Watch out! I’m putting roadblocks and barriers
    on the road you’re taking.
They’ll send you sprawling,
    parents and children, neighbors and friends—
    and that will be the end of the lot of you.”

^22-23 And listen to this verdict from God:

“Look out! An invasion from the north,
    a mighty power on the move from a faraway place:
Armed to the teeth,
    vicious and pitiless,
Booming like sea storm and thunder—tramp, tramp, tramp—
    riding hard on war horses,
In battle formation
    against you, dear Daughter Zion!”

^24-25 We’ve heard the news,
    and we’re as limp as wet dishrags.
We’re paralyzed with fear.
    Terror has a death grip on our throats.
Don’t dare go outdoors!
    Don’t leave the house!
Death is on the prowl.
    Danger everywhere!

²⁶ “Dear Daughter Zion: Dress in black.
    Blacken your face with ashes.
Weep most bitterly,
    as for an only child.
The countdown has begun . . . 
    six, five, four, three . . . 
    The Terror is on us!”

* * *

^27-30 God gave me this task:

“I have made you the examiner of my people,
    to examine and weigh their lives.
They’re a thickheaded, hard-nosed bunch,
    rotten to the core, the lot of them.
Refining fires are cranked up to white heat,
    but the ore stays a lump, unchanged.
It’s useless to keep trying any longer.
    Nothing can refine evil out of them.
Men will give up and call them ‘slag,’
    thrown on the slag heap by me, their God.”

Lord,

Our sin condition must break your heart.  You have done all we need to be redeemed by you.  You are Provider in times of trouble.  You are Healer when we are sick and depressed.  You are Protector through trials.  You are God alone and we are not.  Because of your unfailing, compassion love for us, we are saved by the sacrifice of you, dear Jesus.  I believe.  I repent of all sins.  Show me your ways and I will walk in them.  There is no greater love than what you have done for me.  I choose you.  I trust in you, dear Jesus.  You are all I need.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Imagine some ordinary person jumping into the middle of your “make do” life with a message he says comes from God.  You’re just trying to survive the day to day.  You eek out a living so you can put food on the table and clothes on the backs of your family.  You have been pushed around and mocked as a captive of the powerful, those who play “king of the hill”, battling for who gets what in this world. 

You have given up on the God you knew from generations past.  If fact, you’re not sure your kids know what you were brought up to know about God.  You just do what the world does so you can fit in and not make waves.  It’s less trouble that way.  Doing what the world does is easier for now.  But then this guy, who cries a lot, who is not known for a sunny disposition, comes into your life to disrupt the culture.

Jeremiah, why are you all up in our grill? –Because God said so.

Jeremiah 5, The Message

Sins Are Piled Sky-High

5 ^1-2 “Patrol Jerusalem’s streets.
    Look around. Take note.
Search the market squares.
    See if you can find one man, one woman,
A single soul who does what is right
    and tries to live a true life.
    I want to forgive that person.”
        God’s Decree.
“But if all they do is say, ‘As sure as God lives . . . ’
    they’re nothing but a bunch of liars.”

^3-6 But you, God,
    you have an eye for truth, don’t you?
You hit them hard, but it didn’t faze them.
    You disciplined them, but they refused correction.
Hardheaded, harder than rock,
    they wouldn’t change.
Then I said to myself, “Well, these are just poor people.
    They don’t know any better.
They were never taught anything about God.
    They never went to prayer meetings.
I’ll find some people from the best families.
    I’ll talk to them.
They’ll know what’s going on, the way God works.
    They’ll know the score.”
But they were no better! Rebels all!
    Off doing their own thing.
The invaders are ready to pounce and kill,
    like a mountain lion, a wilderness wolf,
Panthers on the prowl.
    The streets aren’t safe anymore.
And why? Because the people’s sins are piled sky-high;
    their betrayals are past counting.

^7-9 “Why should I even bother with you any longer?
    Your children wander off, leaving me,
Taking up with gods
    that aren’t even gods.
I satisfied their deepest needs, and then they went off with the ‘sacred’ whores,
    left me for orgies in sex shrines!
A bunch of well-groomed, lusty stallions,
    each one pawing and snorting for his neighbor’s wife.
Do you think I’m going to stand around and do nothing?”
    God’s Decree.
“Don’t you think I’ll take serious measures
    against a people like this?

Eyes That Don’t Really Look, Ears That Don’t Really Listen

^10-11 “Go down the rows of vineyards and rip out the vines,
    but not all of them. Leave a few.
Prune back those vines!
    That growth didn’t come from God!
They’ve betrayed me over and over again,
    Judah and Israel both.”
        God’s Decree.

^12-13 “They’ve spread lies about God.
    They’ve said, ‘There’s nothing to him.
Nothing bad will happen to us,
    neither famine nor war will come our way.
The prophets are all windbags.
    They speak nothing but nonsense.’”

¹⁴ Therefore, this is what God said to me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“Because they have talked this way,
    they are going to eat those words.
Watch now! I’m putting my words
    as fire in your mouth.
And the people are a pile of kindling
    ready to go up in flames.

^15-17 “Attention! I’m bringing a far-off nation
    against you, O house of Israel.”
        God’s Decree.
“A solid nation,
    an ancient nation,
A nation that speaks another language.
    You won’t understand a word they say.
When they aim their arrows, you’re as good as dead.
    They’re a nation of real fighters!
They’ll clean you out of house and home,
    rob you of crops and children alike.
They’ll feast on your sheep and cattle,
    strip your vines and fig trees.
And the fortresses that made you feel so safe—
    leveled with a stroke of the sword!

^18-19 “Even then, as bad as it will be”—God’s Decree!—“it will not be the end of the world for you. And when people ask, ‘Why did our God do all this to us?’ you must say to them, ‘This is back on you. Just as you left me and served foreign gods in your own country, so now you must serve foreigners in their own country.’

^20-25 “Tell the house of Jacob this,
    put out this bulletin in Judah:
Listen to this,
    you scatterbrains, airheads,
With eyes that see but don’t really look,
    and ears that hear but don’t really listen.
Why don’t you honor me?
    Why aren’t you in awe before me?
Yes, me, who made the shorelines
    to contain the ocean waters.
I drew a line in the sand
    that cannot be crossed.
Waves roll in but cannot get through;
    breakers crash but that’s the end of them.
But this people—what a people!
    Uncontrollable, untamable runaways.
It never occurs to them to say,
    ‘How can we honor our God with our lives,
The God who gives rain in both spring and autumn
    and maintains the rhythm of the seasons,
Who sets aside time each year for harvest
    and keeps everything running smoothly for us?’
Of course you don’t! Your bad behavior blinds you to all this.
    Your sins keep my blessings at a distance.

To Stand for Nothing and Stand Up for No One

^26-29 “My people are infiltrated by wicked men,
    unscrupulous men on the hunt.
They set traps for the unsuspecting.
    Their victims are innocent men and women.
Their houses are stuffed with ill-gotten gain,
    like a hunter’s bag full of birds.
Pretentious and powerful and rich,
    hugely obese, oily with rolls of fat.
Worse, they have no conscience.
    Right and wrong mean nothing to them.
They stand for nothing, stand up for no one,
    throw orphans to the wolves, exploit the poor.
Do you think I’ll stand by and do nothing about this?”
    God’s Decree.
“Don’t you think I’ll take serious measures
    against a people like this?

* * *

^30-31 “Unspeakable! Sickening!
    What’s happened in this country?
Prophets preach lies
    and priests hire on as their assistants.
And my people love it. They eat it up!
    But what will you do when it’s time to pick up the pieces?”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God commanded Jeremiah to conduct a search of all the city of Jerusalem. If He discovered just one righteous person, the Lord would forgive the wicked city and call off the invasion. Sound familiar? The background for this action sermon is God’s agreement with Abraham to spare Sodom if the city had ten righteous people (Genesis 18:22–33).  God uses us to assess the sin of our culture so we can sound the alarm.  They way we treat each other is in direct correlation to how we treat God.

Survey says…When Jeremiah’s survey was concluded, he had found not one person who was honest and truthful. These days we learn of new technological advances weekly; we’re surrounded by change. But human nature has not changed. What Jeremiah found in his day, we find today, don’t we?  What would be the results of a God-survey today?  It’s been done…often.  Google George Barna, Christian statistician of our day.

This is the heart of the matter: Since the people did not believe God’s Word, they turned their backs on God and went their own way.  The Jews had forsaken the Lord and served idols in their own land. Now they would be temporarily forsaken by the Lord and taken to Babylon, where they would serve idols in a foreign land.  Sin compounds sin.

ANY GOOD NEWS?  YES!  “In this bleak pronouncement, God gives good news. Later we see this prediction fulfilled: Eventually a remnant returned to Judah from Babylon after the captivity and restored the nation, rebuilt the temple, and maintained the testimony, preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah. God had covenanted with Abraham that through his descendants all the world would be blessed (Genesis 12:1–3), and God kept His promise.” –Warren Wiersbe, “Wiersbe Study Bible”

Jeremiah, a plain man, boldly spoke God’s message.  “Getting up in the grill”, face to face, with God’s people probably angered them, but it didn’t shake them out of their complacency.  The rich got richer, the poor, poorer.  The courts were corrupt, the prophets were liars, the priests went right along with them—and the people approved what was done and enjoyed it! A nation that is corrupt has no hope.

Jesus is our Hope.  The promised Messiah came, died and rose again, to save us.  Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life.  Believe and be saved.

Lord,

Thank you for Jeremiah and other prophets who obeyed your call to speak your message of love and care, protection, and provision for those who believe.  You just want us to love you back.  Why do we turn from all that is good?  Thank you for bringing me back to you years ago.  Thank you for continuing to teach me your ways. Thank you for forgiveness, mercy, and grace because of your deep love.

In Jesus Name, Amen

When a man abuses a woman, the woman can no longer trust the man’s talk of love.  When a woman berates a man for his lack of self-control or achievement (another form of abuse), the man no longer trusts the woman.  When a person smiles and gives hugs all around the room, then gossips about the ones hugged with slanderous words behind their backs, trust in that person is shattered.

When a loved one steals from us in some form or another, trust is gone.  When a coworker takes the credit for what you did, trust is gone.  When a boss blames his team for work not assigned but expected to be completed, trust is gone.  When attacked in this world and none of our friends or family come to our aid, trust is gone.  These examples of our sin nature destroy trust.

Trust is precious and hard to find in others who consistently blame others for their sins and shortcomings.  Trust is built over time with truth.  Truth of a person’s character is readily seen when a person is pressured in a challenging situation or backed into a corner with seemingly no place to go.  Fear of failing compounds this problem. Fear of being found out for who we really are drives us to react in ways that are unbecoming and childish. 

As I read Jeremiah this morning, the first words of God to His people leap from the page and stir my heart.  “If you want to come back, you must REALLY come back to me.”  We are told often to trust God—but can He trust us?    

Jeremiah 4, The Message

^1-2 “If you want to come back, O Israel,
    you must really come back to me.
You must get rid of your stinking sin paraphernalia
    and not wander away from me anymore.
Then you can say words like, ‘As God lives . . . ’
    and have them mean something true and just and right.
And the godless nations will get caught up in the blessing
    and find something in Israel to write home about.”

* * *

^3-4 Here’s another Message from God
    to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
“Plow your unplowed fields,
    but then don’t plant weeds in the soil!
Yes, circumcise your lives for God’s sake.
    Plow your unplowed hearts,
    all you people of Judah and Jerusalem.
Prevent fire—the fire of my anger—
    for once it starts it can’t be put out.
Your wicked ways
    are fuel for the fire.

God’s Sledgehammer Anger

^5-8 “Sound the alarm in Judah,
    broadcast the news in Jerusalem.
Say, ‘Blow the ram’s horn trumpet through the land!’
    Shout out—a bullhorn bellow!—
‘Close ranks!
    Run for your lives to the shelters!’
Send up a flare warning Zion:
    ‘Not a minute to lose! Don’t sit on your hands!’
Disaster’s descending from the north. I set it off!
    When it lands, it will shake the foundations.
Invaders have pounced like a lion from its cover,
    ready to rip nations to shreds,
Leaving your land in wrack and ruin,
    your cities in rubble, abandoned.
Dress in funereal black.
    Weep and wail,
For God’s sledgehammer anger
    has slammed into us head-on.

⁹ “When this happens”
    —God’s Decree—
“King and princes will lose heart;
    priests will be baffled and prophets stand dumbfounded.”

¹⁰ Then I said, “Alas, Master God!
    You’ve fed lies to this people, this Jerusalem.
You assured them, ‘All is well, don’t worry,’
    at the very moment when the sword was at their throats.”

* * *

^11-12 At that time, this people, yes, this very Jerusalem,
    will be told in plain words:
“The northern hordes are sweeping in
    from the desert steppes—
A wind that’s up to no good, a gale-force wind.
    I ordered this wind.
I’m pronouncing
    my hurricane judgment on my people.”

Your Evil Life Is Piercing Your Heart

^13-14 Look at them! Like banks of storm clouds,
    racing, tumbling, their chariots a tornado,
Their horses faster than eagles!
    Woe to us! We’re done for!
Jerusalem! Scrub the evil from your lives
    so you’ll be fit for salvation.
How much longer will you harbor
    devious and malignant designs within you?

^15-17 What’s this? A messenger from Dan?
    Bad news from Ephraim’s hills!
Make the report public.
    Broadcast the news to Jerusalem:
“Invaders from far off are
    raising war cries against Judah’s towns.
They’re all over her, like a dog on a bone.
    And why? Because she rebelled against me.”
        God’s Decree.

¹⁸ “It’s the way you’ve lived
    that’s brought all this on you.
The bitter taste is from your evil life.
    That’s what’s piercing your heart.”

* * *

^19-21 I’m doubled up with cramps in my belly—
    a poker burns in my gut.
My insides are tearing me up,
    never a moment’s peace.
The ram’s horn trumpet blast rings in my ears,
    the signal for all-out war.
Disaster hard on the heels of disaster,
    the whole country in ruins!
In one stroke my home is destroyed,
    the walls flattened in the blink of an eye.
How long do I have to look at the warning flares,
    listen to the siren of danger?

Experts at Evil

²² “What fools my people are!
    They have no idea who I am.
A company of half-wits,
    dopes and donkeys all!
Experts at evil
    but klutzes at good.”

^23-26 I looked at the earth—
    it was back to pre-Genesis chaos and emptiness.
I looked at the skies,
    and not a star to be seen.
I looked at the mountains—
    they were trembling like aspen leaves,
And all the hills
    rocking back and forth in the wind.
I looked—what’s this! Not a man or woman in sight,
    and not a bird to be seen in the skies.
I looked—this can’t be! Every garden and orchard shriveled up.
    All the towns were ghost towns.
And all this because of God,
    because of the blazing anger of God.

^27-28 Yes, this is God’s Word on the matter:

“The whole country will be laid waste—
    still it won’t be the end of the world.
The earth will mourn
    and the skies lament
Because I’ve given my word and won’t take it back.
    I’ve decided and won’t change my mind.”

You’re Not Going to Seduce Anyone

²⁹ Someone shouts, “Horsemen and archers!”
    and everybody runs for cover.
They hide in ditches,
    they climb into caves.
The cities are emptied,
    not a person left anywhere.

^30-31 And you, what do you think you’re up to?
    Dressing up in party clothes,
Decking yourselves out in jewelry,
    putting on lipstick and rouge and mascara!
Your primping goes for nothing.
    You’re not going to seduce anyone. They’re out to kill you!
And what’s that I hear? The cry of a woman in labor,
    the screams of a mother giving birth to her firstborn.
It’s the cry of Daughter Zion, gasping for breath,
    reaching out for help:
“Help, oh help me! I’m dying!
    The killers are on me!”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The prophet doesn’t clean up the message with euphemisms so that it is easier to hear, digest and swallow.  Nope, no sugar coating the words of God who is angry.  Why is God so angry?  Is it because of their foolish behaviors?  Behaviors are only symptoms of a much deeper problem.  God is angry because of His deep, abiding love for people who have turned their backs on Him.

Let’s camp on this thought.  God loves us, really loves us.  God loves us with a love we cannot wrap our heads around because it is higher thinking.  God’s compassion and love for His people is unchanging and forever.  Their sin behaviors break His heart because of this higher thinking love.  He would rather bless His beloved people with all He has to offer which is beyond their wildest dreams or imaginations!  But they have turned their backs on what is best for them.

As parents, have you ever said, “I’m doing this for your own good because I love you?”  (And we wanted them to “love us less” at that point?)  God’s love goes beyond this thinking!  He has so much to give and we turn away?

God allows punishment from other nations to get their attention.  “Come back to me and really mean it so I can bless you again” is the real message of meaning.  God can be trusted.  When we trust in ourselves, we fall into sin.  God cannot and will not be where sin resides.  God is the opposite of sin.  God is angry because of all His people are missing out on that He wants to give!  God can be trusted.  Can we?

“You must get rid of your stinking sin paraphernalia and not wander away from me anymore”, for what you are doing leads to death and destruction which is the opposite of what I want to give you.  In other words, don’t mess with me, says God.  He has so much more to give…God can be trusted.  Can we be trusted?

We must examine our own hearts by “plowing up the soil” to see what is growing—weeds of sin or the character traits of God?

“If you want to come back, you must really come back to me.” –God

Lord,

Your love goes beyond our thinking no matter how hard we try to imagine it.  Your love sent your Son to die for our sins.  Your love redeemed us and set us free from the punishment that should have been ours to receive.  Your love is a gift that keeps on giving.  Your love can be trusted.  I trust in you, dear Jesus.  I trust God, our Father.  I trust Your Holy Spirit to lead me to your love and all that is good for me and causes my love to grow.  All for you.  All to give you honor and praise. I’ve plowed my heart and I see I need more of you and less of me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

God created all so He is in all.  We, as His created, rebel against the One who made us and loved us so much He would die for us.  When we rebel against the One who wants the best for us, the worst happens.  Why?  Because the reality of rebellion is turning our backs on all that is right, good, and pleasing to God, our Father who gives us all we need to live at our best.

The Rebels Reality is going our own way with no one telling us what to do.  The rebel in us assumes we know it all so we are unteachable and no one can tell us any different.  The rebel’s character traits follow the desires of our sinful nature, and the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these that are not of God. The rebels’ reality is living a life opposite of a God driven life.  (See Galatians 5)

God’s message through Jeremiah is describing the rebel reality life that God’s people were living which grieved the heart of God greatly.  As we read you can hear God’s passion through Jeremiah—he longs for their return to his great love for them.  He longs to bless them once more with all that is good for them as He watches them waste the best years of their lives.  

God has not changed in His love for us.  God still longs for his created to come to Him.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  Turn from a rebel’s realty that leads to death and live with Christ forever.  This IS a matter of life and death.  We choose.

Jeremiah 3, The Message

God’s Message came to me as follows:

“If a man’s wife
    walks out on him
And marries another man,
    can he take her back as if nothing had happened?
Wouldn’t that raise a huge stink
    in the land?
And isn’t that what you’ve done—
    ‘whored’ your way with god after god?
And now you want to come back as if nothing had happened.”
    God’s Decree.

^2-5 “Look around at the hills.
    Where have you not had sex?
You’ve camped out like hunters stalking deer.
    You’ve solicited many lover-gods,
Like a streetwalking whore
    chasing after other gods.
And so the rain has stopped.
    No more rain from the skies!
But it doesn’t even faze you. Brazen as whores,
    you carry on as if you’ve done nothing wrong.
Then you have the nerve to call out, ‘My father!
    You took care of me when I was a child. Why not now?
Are you going to keep up your anger nonstop?’
    That’s your line. Meanwhile you keep sinning nonstop.”

Admit Your God-Defiance

^6-10 God spoke to me during the reign of King Josiah: “You have noticed, haven’t you, how fickle Israel has visited every hill and grove of trees as a whore at large? I assumed that after she had gotten it out of her system, she’d come back, but she didn’t. Her flighty sister, Judah, saw what she did. She also saw that because of fickle Israel’s loose morals I threw her out, gave her her walking papers. But that didn’t faze flighty sister Judah. She went out, big as you please, and took up a whore’s life also. She took up cheap sex-and-religion as a sideline diversion, an indulgent recreation, and used anything and anyone, flouting sanity and sanctity alike, stinking up the country. And not once in all this did flighty sister Judah even give me a nod, although she made a show of it from time to time.” God’s Decree.

^11-12 Then God told me, “Fickle Israel was a good sight better than flighty Judah. Go and preach this message. Face north toward Israel and say:

^12-15 “‘Turn back, fickle Israel.
    I’m not just hanging back to punish you.
I’m committed in love to you.
    My anger doesn’t see the nonstop.
Just admit your guilt.
    Admit your God-defiance.
Admit to your promiscuous life with casual partners,
    pulling strangers into the sex-and-religion groves
While turning a deaf ear to me.’”
    God’s Decree.
“Come back, wandering children!”
    God’s Decree.
“I, yes I, am your true husband.
    I’ll pick you out one by one—
This one from the city, these two from the country—
    and bring you to Zion.
I’ll give you good shepherd-rulers who rule my way,
    who rule you with intelligence and wisdom.

¹⁶ “And this is what will happen: You will increase and prosper in the land. The time will come”—God’s Decree!—“when no one will say any longer, ‘Oh, for the good old days! Remember the Ark of the Covenant?’ It won’t even occur to anyone to say it—‘the good old days.’ The so-called good old days of the Ark are gone for good.

¹⁷ “Jerusalem will be the new Ark—‘God’s Throne.’ All the godless nations, no longer stuck in the ruts of their evil ways, will gather there to honor God.

¹⁸ “At that time, the House of Judah will join up with the House of Israel. Holding hands, they’ll leave the north country and come to the land I willed to your ancestors.

* * *

^19-20 “I planned what I’d say if you returned to me:
    ‘Good! I’ll bring you back into the family.
I’ll give you choice land,
    land that the godless nations would die for.’
And I imagined that you would say, ‘Dear father!’
    and would never again go off and leave me.
But no luck. Like a false-hearted woman walking out on her husband,
    you, the whole family of Israel, have proven false to me.”
        God’s Decree.

^21-22 The sound of voices comes drifting out of the hills,
    the unhappy sound of Israel’s crying,
Israel lamenting the wasted years,
    never once giving her God a thought.
“Come back, wandering children!
    I can heal your wanderlust!”

* * *

^22-25 “We’re here! We’ve come back to you.
    You’re our own true God!
All that popular religion was a cheap lie,
    duped crowds buying up the latest in gods.
We’re back! Back to our true God,
    the salvation of Israel.
The Fraud picked us clean, swindled us
    of what our ancestors bequeathed us,
Gypped us out of our inheritance—
    God-blessed flocks and God-given children.
We made our bed and now lie in it,
    all tangled up in the dirty sheets of dishonor.
All because we sinned against our God,
    we and our fathers and mothers.
From the time we took our first steps, said our first words,
    we’ve been rebels, disobeying the voice of our God.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We have been rebels from the beginning.  Turn to God, hear His voice above all the rest, repent of rebellion and follow Jesus.  Jesus is the Way to Truth and gives us Life forever.  Jesus taught us how to love like God loves us.  Be like Jesus.

A life opposite the rebel’s reality, guided by God’s Holy Spirit, develops character traits of God in us which include: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  (Galatians 5)

We choose.  Choose wisely.  Don’t waste another minute!

Lord,

I repent of thinking I know what is best.  I trust in you, dear Jesus, for all matters, all concerns, challenges, and situations in daily living this life on earth.  Be in all the details as I know you delight in our details.  I choose you.  I believe.  I want what you want for me.  Guide and lead me.  I’m yours.

In Jesus Name, Amen