Remnant Fless to Egypt

This was a long reading and so much was going on here, but the main idea here is that the people ask Jeremiah for his prayers and tell him that they will do what ever the Lord tells them to do. And yet when he gives them what the Lord says, they out right reject it.

The Lord tells Jeremiah to tell the people to NOT go to Egypt. That they must trust in the Lord for their food, water and all the things they need. That going to Egypt will in fact end their lives. They then have the audacity to claim the Jeremiah is working for Babylon. OK, that is from the devil! What do these silly people do?? Go to Egypt anyway. So Jeremiah warns them that all will perish either by sword or famine. They are told this over and over again that their wives burning of incense to the Queen of Heaven is wrong, that their drink offerings is wrong. They come back with the fact that they felt when they were doing this they had prosperity and as soon as they started worshiping the Lord everything failed. Ahhh, but not all were worshiping the Lord. Their wives were still idolaters. Their hearts were still idol worshiping.

Basically it is the same thing. If we know God's will for us, if we read the Bible and know His word, If we go to church and hear how our lives are suppose to be, it makes no difference if we are not willing to put it into action. Those who know and hear the word and do nothing to place it in their lives will perish!!! That means, go to church weekly, read the Bible daily, pray to God in thanks for what He gives you and walk away from the idols in your life. Money, vanity, possessions etc. Rely on God and trust in the Lord and He will give you what you need!

Continued Lamentations

The people finally realized the full extent of their loss. Jeremiah shows them their past and shows them how prosperous they were compared to now and their complete devastation due to theri sin. The Jews thought the fact of who they were...a line of David...would protect them. Crazy. Your name does not protect you but the wonderful loving arms of our creator. He finally cries out for God to restore the people. Help the people to come back to YOU Lord. You know God will always judge us, but He will never reject us. Just as we do with our children. There is always hope in the future even for those who have completely walked away.

Jeremiah's Lamentations

Today's readings are the Lamentations of Jeremiah. They seemed to be focused on the land of Jerusalem. He mentions himself a couple times, but his sorrow is for the land and the hell it had to go through because of the people not listening and continuing in their sinful ways without repenting. God has taken the city and laid His anger upon it. These proud people have now crumbled to the ground stunned (duh) and terrified. God's actions were laid out in front of them for a very long time, yet they did not want to see. Sometimes God will allow His people to suffer just so they will turn away from their dangerous and sinful ways.

Fall of Jerusalem

For 40 some years Jeremiah has been warming these hard hearted people that these things were going to happen and they finally come to be. His predictions of the Babylonians taking over and the walls falling down are now in front of their faces and the time to repent from sins are now passed. Zedekiah is taken, his sons and family are murdered in front of his face and his eyes are poked out as he waits to die. However Jeremiah is released from prison and given the chance for a future. He decided to stay with the poor people he warned over and over again.

We can never doubt the word of God as some of us do. We need to believe with a whole heart that what Gods' word says is true and what He says will happen will happen. There are no trick words, no play on words, no stories to scare us but truth for us to know what to do about our future and our future generations. Repent from your sins!

Jeremiah Escapes Death

Zedekiah begs Jeremiah to pray for the city, but Jeremiah only tells the king about more disaster and ruin. While there is a temporary stop on the attack, Jeremiah tries to leave the city, but unfortunately everyone he is a deserter and he gets arrested. He goes to prison, but after a bit of talking ends up in the courtyard to get bread then into a cistern that is empty but muddy.

The king is scared out of his mind that he will dies and his city will go with him so he secretly goes to Jeremiah to talk about what he should do.Jeremiah tells him to surrender, that the Lord will take care and he will not doe nor the city be burned. However, like anyone who does not trust in the Lord, this scares him even more. he make Jeremiah promise never to tell anyone about this conversation.

Just look at this. Do you see how strong Jeremiah is and how week the king is. There was something the king could have done and he chose not too. It goes to prove you do not have to be big, rich and in power to be brave or courageous. You just have to have faith!

Ezekiel Talks to Tyre and Sidon

Ezekiel talks now to the city of Tyer. He speaks that when this city falls their allies will tremble in fear. He even state that the city will die never to live again. I find that it is funny how he goes into the exact location of this city here. Usually it is just the city name and maybe a few neighbors, but here he goes to great detail as to where this city is. He then once again reminds them of their fall and then address Sidon with the same destructive end in mind. As we all know especially in these tough time, prosperity does not last forever. If you become a bit to arrogant with you wealth just remember you will fall hard!!

Ezekiel's Prophecies During Seige

We see here that Ezekiel first has a few oracle against Judah's neighboring cities. Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia and Egypt. Each one has the same base line which is watch out cause God is against you and you will fall and then you will know that "I am" Lord. Ezekiel goes into an extensive amount of oracles directed to Egypt. Gee, I wonder why?! They have been a thorn in the Israelites side for years.

He talks about how not only will Egypt fall but all of her allies along with her. He goes and makes a comment about each city and how it will be destroyed. Then he speaks about the Pharaoh. he directs his writings to the Pharaohs arm...army and says that all his arms will be broken and that he will fall into the hands of the Babylonians. This will then break the poser that the Pharaoh has over the land. Because of the pride that the Pharaoh had, it caused his fall. This can happen o us today. Too much pride and self worshiping and worry about ourselves too much can cause us to fall and fall hard...just like Egypt!

Jeremiah Sees Spiritual Restoration Under the Messiah

This is a very cool reading today because even a person who may not understand the Bible or who has not been reading and opens to this can see the relationship of Jesus Christ in this. He clearly state that Jerusalem will fall, but all will be forgiven and God will heal the land, bring Judah and Israel back and allow then to enjoy of the milk and honey. When this is all said and done the promise of a Messiah from the line of David will end up ruling the land.

"Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done". That's you and me too you know. As you can plainly see here that God keeps all his promises. Even to those who really do not deserve to have Gods loving arms wrapped around them.

Record of God's Promise

Jeremiah is told to now record Gods word so that in the future when these things come about the people will know that they came from from God and not just by chance. Jeremiah gives a beautiful vision of Gods plans for His peoples future. He will first and foremost bring His people out of captivity and give them back the land. Eventually His people will be free again and ruled over by what is the Messiah.


God's discipline and judgment over the people of Israel and Judah will not end and His blessings will now come into play. They can look forward to this even though it is not to happen right away. Once again, God will transform the people and bless them, but with a new covenant, a new one. One that will overshadow the covenant of old. This will now make the Mosaic covenant irrelevant. It spells out the blessing instead of dwelling on the disciplines for those who will obey and have faith. God will put "The law in their hearts and minds...it will be made with the house of Jews". This covenant will now be a relational covenant with God instead of just a bunch a what could have felt like ritualistic rules and laws. As we will read later in the New testament, this new covenant relates directly to Jesus Christ. As Jeremiah says these laws belong in our heart. This is why we are to read the Bible over and over again, so we have these laws in our heart and mind everyday!

Jerimiah's Prophecies During Seige

We now move back over to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah announces that God has explained that He is going to be on the enemies side and Judah will be and is doomed. Jeremiah tells the people to go. Run. He urges the people to re=-think how they are dong things. He wants them to reform. He then predicts that Jehoahaz will be taken captive by the Babylonians and no long be in rule.

Babylon has taken over and Jeremiah has been taken under guard when the Lord tells him to purchase a land occupied by the Babylonians. He does as he has been asked. He tells the witness that for now the land is occupied, but in the future it will be houses and fields. He is puzzled by this so he prays to God to ansers why he had to purchase this field. God explains that he will soon hand His people over to Babylon, but a few of His people will be restored and those few will be the start of re-establishment. You know faith see things not exactly as they are but as they will be and Jeremiah has that FAITH. He also waited to ask God why and question Him till after he obeyed God. We can for sure take Jeremiahs example here and obey first then ask questions. Mind you only from God do we do this.

Seige Announced to Ezekiel

On the very day the King begins his attack on Jerusalem Ezekiel gets word from God to speak to his people about a cooking pot which represents Jerusalem. Basically that Babylon is going to boil up the people. Supposedly there is no way for Ezekiel to have gotten this message other then through God. a messanger would not have been quick enought to have gotten there at this point and time.

But then comes the message that is so close to home for Ezekiel. The Lord is going to take his wife away from him. He is asked not to do the traditional things people would do during mourning, but to continue on with the work of the Lord. Ezekiel does as he was asked and explains to the people that he and his wife are a sign. Soon Jerusalem will be destroyed and they too will not be able to mourn. Then Ezekiel is silent ed by God until the word comes from messengers that all these things he has spoken have come true.

This reading came at a perfect time for me. We had a few things happen yesterday that I was just blown away and I was questioning myself as to whether or not I am trusting in the Lord enough. Am I failing You Lord is that why these things are happening to me and my family? And this made me realize it is not always a punishment when things happen but can be a learning experience either for us or for others. As believer we are not immune to pain.

Alegory of the Prostitutions

Well, we have a great picture of what the people of Israel have been doing to God. Using the twin sisters as prostitutes was a fantastic idea to really hone in what the heck these people are doing to God. Ezekiel accuse the leaders of leading the people into the adultery. By trying to get security with other nations that ware their enemies and that God has instructed to stay away from, they are leading their people to idol worshiping and dependence on someone else other then God.

We as children of God must be careful not to follow a leader that is corrupt and will lead us away from God. I don't just mean the president or senate or mayors or whatever in our government, but I mean even the people around us in our day to day life. Even in our companionship that we have. If they are leading us astray we need to either cut the ties or keep that relationship at a distance. Because just like the people of Israel, we too can easily be led astray.

Lament for 2 of Judah's Kings

Ezekiel saw that they all looked up to Zedekiah to get them out of this mess, but he is to be uprooted and burned. You see the leaders are not reliable and they are sinful and rebellious and evil. Lets look at history. They rebelled in the desert after the exodus and since then NOTHING has changed! Now, they will all be slaughtered. They just have yet to learn from their discipline. They get swatted over and over. They get told what to do over and over, yet their down right disobedience will now for sure bring on a discipline they shall not forget!

Ezekiel tells the leader that since they have deliberately disobeyed Gods commands that the city will become a furnace and the people will be purified. Think about it. The priests do not listen to what God has told them to do, the people follow the leaders that are liers, cheaters and are in it solely for some sort of riches and personal gain. And they all seek advice from pagan gods. God will judge them all. We, as God's children, today need to find leaders that are Godly and follow them not the sinful ones we see all around us. We to will someday be judged by God for the people we follow and the things we do and say...the choice to follow God or not!

God fortells Judah's Imminet Destruction

The Jews I think figured they were safe because they are God's chosen people. But Ezekiel soon points out that yes they are the chosen, but they were chose to be righteous. And so far they have been like "a vine that produces no grapes". Just think about what God has gone through. The first people here on earth were so bad and all worshiped idols except for 1 that He had to wipe them out. Now we have a new set of people and we/they are doing the same thing. The difference? God made a promise to us not to wipe us out like that again. I bet He is regretting that! But still He never said He would not judge the wicked in His chosen people. And that you can bank on. These people are in a higher place then the norm. They are to live a life different then those around them. That is their responsibility! To show others who God is through their actions.

Now they start asking Ezekiel that if God does judge it will actually be for their ancestors sins not their. Right? Uuuh, WRONG! It is not my fathers fault of the choices I make. My parents may have formed who I am (my personality), but it is my choice to follow God or not. "The soul that sins in the one who dies". If your are righteous, you will live. I think it is pretty simple, "repent and live!" We are each judged for our own actions and we must take responsibility for those actions. We must change the future of our world and teach our children that. Our country has gone way to long blaming others for our actions and making others pay. No, we need to pay for our own sins!

Two Signs from Ezekiel

"The word of the Lord came to me" was what Ezekiel said! Still after all the Jews have been through they still show doubt. The Jews feel that if judgment comes that they will not see it but their relatives will in the future. But Ezekiel warns them that soon all His people will be scattered among the nations.Then he proceeded to act out the terror that will come to Jerusalem. I think that sometime we think well if it has not happened yet it will never happen. But this is such a false thing to believe in. You have to remember that a lifetime to us is a blink of an eye for God. Don't make the fatal mistake of thinking that since you can get away with it for so long so far, that judgment will not eventually come to you!

Compared to the other Prophets speaking of a bright future, Ezekiel was all gloom and dark. God tells them that these other Prophets are false and they are spreading lies. They rely on witchcraft and sorcery to give the people what they want. They too will be punished! The leaders are so determined to have the future be sun shine, that they actually persuade the false Prophets to prophesy what they ask them to. Just wait, they too will be judged accordingly. The people followed those leaders. And for not using their smarts and following the one true God they will be judged too. Even today, we have to be careful what leaders we follow in our lives. Whether that be in church, at work or government! We too will be judged on whom we follow.

Exekiel's Denunciations of Judah

As Ezekiel lay by this toy he had mad, he had a vision of Jerusalem under attack. He see the actual temple where idolatry takes place, he see woman at the north gate worshiping Tammuz, the goddess of fertility. The he see 25 men at the entrance to the temple worshiping the sun instead of worshiping the Lord. The dream show how each of these example of idolatry was being played out right there in front of the temple of God. The all abandoned God and soon they will have consequences.

As he continues to dream he sees some executors as well as a scribe to place a mark on those who have remained faithful. At this same time we see Gods Glory moving around the temple. The he see the cherubim with God in the wheeled vehicle just like his first vision. Now this vehicle with the glory of God leaves I think to show God leaving the temple and leaving his people. Another words, there is no more protection from harm. As I read this I felt that it was very sad, dark and scary. But Ezekiel has a word of hope that God will one day bring his people home. the people will have judgement on their acts, but God is gracious enough to save those who still believe.

Ezekiel, Prophet in Exile

Today's reading is long and I decided to break it down by passage. There was so much going on I thought it was easier for me to write it, remember it and explain it! So this one is long.

Ezekiel is a young priest who is called by God who lives in the Jewish community in Babylon. He opens his books with a wonderful vision. For this vision I had to consult some books because I had no way of really understanding what he was seeing. It seems that this is obviously symbolism. These living creatures have these gigantic wheels which may symbolize some sort of freedom. When he speaks of this sapphire throne and this light I needed no book to help me know that he was seeing the glory of God. Oh, how this must have made him want to worship the Lord even more. As I read this I realized I needed to not read and re-read and dwell on all the fine details of what Ezekiel saw, but on the big picture and what it means.

God now tells Ezekiel that he is to carry out Gods word. OMGosh, I loved the symbolism here. He talks about how God had him eating the scroll. This is exactly what we should be doing today. And those of you who are reading with me are doing just that. Eating God's word daily so that we may have knowledge to know what to do. He is making the message that God gives him his own. He talks about how sweet it is on his tongue. This is how Gods word is. But how it burned in his tummy. It is so sweet to be called by God, but we must remember that the cost of discipline is high. It is not all roses. In Ezekiel's case it was the cost of sitting mute among the people for several days. He is then told he will be held accountable for those who do not hear the word of God. We, today, are responsible for warning others and for telling other just like Ezekiel. God tells Ezekiel that if he does not tell the people Gods word, Ezekiel is held responsible as you and I are too. But if he tells them and they still turn away, he (we) are saved! What a wonderful payment for a little work done for God. As I was reading this passage I kept thinking about the missionaries and how this must have been their vision when they decided to become missionaries!

Ezekiel is asked to make a replica of the city and lay on his side for 390 days and then again for 40 days which represents a day for each year the people have sinned against God. This represents him coming up against these two peoples and confronting them. He then continues with his symbolism by cutting off his hair and scattering it in several different ways the Lord tells him to. Just think of how he must have looked to his people. Everyone was watching him and every move he was making. Curiosity made them want to watch and listen. And this is exactly what the Lord wanted because then came his speech.

Ezekiel's first oracle to the people has now started. He tells them how God will purge all the idols from the land. That their gold will become unclean. Judgement has been delayed and now is upon them. No matter how they may think they can escape, Jerusalem will be so weak they will be unable to resit. All pagan nations will be taken over. They have lived for far too long disobeying the Lord and turning away from Him. Now is the time. An now is the time for us to turn back to God. Even if you are not sure about all this, just start asking questions of someone you know that knows God. Even if you think you know God, but have doubts, talk to a pastor and make sure that the word of God is on solid good ground in your heart and not thorny or rocky ground. Maybe you are a true believer with Gods word planted firmly in your heart, but you know someone who is not. Talk to them. DO NOT shove the word of God in their head, but talk to them and moreover, show them. Make sure of where you are with God because the day will come when He will judge all of us once again!

Doubt

Do you doubt the existance of God? Do you wonder if the earth is billion so fyears old? Do you thin that once you die you are no longer or do you beilieve in afterlife? Check out this article.

Warm up for Judgement

I am putting the 13th as well as the 14th reading in one study note today.

"I will bring back Israel to his own pasture"

This is Jeremiahs final prophecy and is directed against Babylon. He states it very easily that Babylon will fall and the Jews will go back to where they once came from. He starts out with the doom and gloom of what will happen to Babylon and how their sin must be judged. God will bring Babylon down...FOREVER. Jeremiah explains exactly the vengeance that God will take against this nation called Babylon which will show just how useless the idols these people have been worshiping are to them. That they really are only wood and metal, not living gods. He also warns all Jews to flee quickly because the city will be devastated and all will die.

You see God once told us that all who come up against the descendants of Abraham must and will be judged. He is keeping that promise that He made 100's of years earlier. The thing that we can take away from all this is that we must look into ourselves and see where are idolatry is in our own heart and family. We must keep ourselves clean from this. Moreover, we are not the judge of those who do not believe or who are lost. God is that judge. God is the one who will ultimately deal with the descendants of Abraham (all of us) and will curse, judge and punish them. Keep ourselves clean, teach those around us about sin and God's love and judgment, but do not be the judge. Let God do his work.

Attack against False Prophets

Here we have these false prophets who think they have been doing God's work yet have been leading the people of God farther away then ever! Jeremiah mentions that he is looking forward to the Messiah so that He will "do what is just and right". Then God speaks to Jeremiah about these false prophets. He is told that if they are to continue to speak these false words in the name of the Lord then there will be consequences. If they continue to look to idols for answers once again there will be consequences. The prediction of the false prophets are LIES. Only God know the future, the truth and the way! I read somewhere one that really stuck with me. "A lie and a truth are both heard and can both be seen." We need to be very awake and keep our eyes open for false prophets today even. Think about the government and how easy a false prophet can swindle his way in spreading what can at first seem like good news, but in the end can be evil. Just like in the days of Jeremiah. Pray, pray and pray before every election! Pray before changing a church. Make sure that every person who is over you you pray about before you listen to them. False Prophets are here today too!

Jeremiah's Prophecies Under Zedekiah

OK, so now Jeremiah goes preaches tot he people to surrender to the King of Babylon. He tells Zedekiah not to listen to the preaching and teachings of the lying prophets who are trying to tell them that there will be independence from Babylon. then he states that all the temple articles will be taken to Babylon and not brought back soon. He talks about a wooden yoke and has one present to help teach about the warnings.

The the prophet Hananiah comes into the picture. He preached the opposite of what Jeremiah is teaching. Hananiah breaks the yoke from Jeremiah to symbolize the submission to Babylon and even states that Judah will be sent home in 2 years. But God tells Jeremiah to get a iron Yoke for Hananiah and to tell the false prophet that he will die within the year. And guess what? He does!

God gives us plenty of warnings in our lifetimes. He also gives us many choices along the way. He will say if you do this I will do that. Our goal in life is to listen. We may not like everything He has to say and wants us to do, but if we enter into this relationship with him with an open heart then we will listen and do as He wants us to. Heck we sure would probably be a lot more content in our life if we would do just that!

The Great Deportation

After Jehoiakim's death his son becomes king for a short while until he surrenders and become a captive. All the gold and stuff that King Solomon made fort he temple of God is now in the hands of the Babylonians. Then Nebuchadnezzar put Zedekiah on the throne more as a puppet for 11 years until the complete fall and judgment has now come upon God people. God keeps his promise. And I am sure we will read tomorrow all about the destruction. The one thing that could have been mistaken back then and even now as we read this is the thought that there was no judgment against the evil doers. But we have to remember that it is all in Gods time. there is a reason He waited so long. Why? Only God knows that answer. Delayed judgment is no the lack of judgment its just not in our human timing!

Jehoiakim's Last Years

Jeremiah still continues to be a messenger of God. As he looks across the nations he continues to tell of the judgment that will sweep across each nation.He speaks of Moab and how it will lie in desolation. He even speaks of Edom, Ammon Kedar, Hazor as well as Damascus and how their fall will be just like Moab's. They will all fall into the grip of guess who? Babylon. Basically what Jeremiah has been telling them will all come to pass. There is no nation that will be able to withstand God wrath. if we can just live a Godly life on a daily basis, which means to read, pray and trust in Him then we can surely allow God to take care of the worlds affairs. I am not saying not to vote etc, I am just saying that it ultimately is all in gods hands. Just in case you have not been reading with me....IT IS IN HIS HANDS!

Daniel the Faithful Captive

So now we come to where Daniel is taken to Babylon with three other guys to train to be in the kings court (nebuchadnezzar). Here they get their names changed byt the King. Daniel (Beltechazzar), Hananiah (sharach), Mishel (Meshach) and Azariah (Abenego). Daniel was ready to serve but not at the cost of defiling himself and his Jewish laws. He was respectful and talked to the cheif official for permission with a test of 10 days. If they were not still healthy eating only veggies, then they would eat the kings food. Of course they were in top condition. And of course they were the smartest, bestest and the favorite of the king. Unlike most of us, Daniel was un-willing to abandon his commitment to God in order to get along with the others. i love that commitment!

Now the king has a dream and puts it upon his magicians etc to tell him not only the interpretation but also the dream. As they all tell him that only a god can do that he tells them they will all die if they do not tell him the dream and the interpretation. When they can not he is about ready to kill them when Daniel steps up and says he will pray to God and be able to tell him. Of course as good as God is, he give Daniel a vision and the interpretation as well as the dream is revealed to the king. With this the king is so impressed he quickly makes Daniel a big official in his kingdom. Daniel did not panic when he thought that everyone was going to die at the hand of the king. He turned to God knowing that there was no limit to Gods understanding and power. We can learn to do just that when faced with something fearful in our lives.

God and doG

Just thought you would all get a smile out of a pure and simple explantion of how god will wait for us to come back to Him. Check it out.
www.nutbugs.com/dog-and-god

Jeroiakim burns Jeremiah's scroll

Jeremiah was directed by God to now put down on a scroll all of his preaching’s. He decided to hire Baruch to help him with this task of writing. Baruch now feeling a bit tired and discouraged from months and months of work has been given perspective. God tells him to be assured that he will be protected. He is now feeling more encouraged and told by Jeremiah that he must go to the temple to read the scroll since he can not. Well once some of the officials from the king heard him reading they had to go back and tell the king. But first they warned Baruch for him and Jeremiah to go and hide before they tell the king.

With that, the king heard of this and decided to burn the scroll. But this did not stop Jeremiah. He told Baruch to get more paper and ink and he would dictate the words once again to him. But this time Jeremiah adds a little note to king Jehoiakims. He will die!

This brings to mind one thing to me. That we must read Gods word daily. That we must use our heart and brain when we read it. We must not just read it to say we have read it. We need to read scripture with a sense of knowing this is God’s word. Not just a bunch of words in a book. And we must try to bury the word deep in our heart. The more we read the more we know and the more we can sense God in everything around us. The more we understand what is expected of us!

First Deportation from Judah

God states it very clear “Do not provoke me to anger”. Yet day by day they did with their idol worshiping.. In this chapter we see that Jeremiah’s ministry is still rejected by Judah. God calls Nebuchadnezzar “My Servant” and foretold Jeremiah the coming exile. He then is given a cup in a dream and is told to pour it out which symbolizes Gods wrath. On his enemies. We have to remember if God is so willing to punish His own people then He for sure will punish those who are His enemies.
I love what the commentary said here. If a man will remain faithful for generations to a man’s command, then there ought to be more people obeying the commands of God, their very creator. LOVE IT. We are NEVER free from the consequences of our choices. Whether it be a good or bad choice. There are consequences.

Habakkuk's Questioning Prophecy

Habakkuk is so upset about the violence he see in his nation. So much so that he asks Gd the basic question we all ask...Why? He does not understand why he would allow a nation like Babylon to win at destroying Judah. Ahh, but God answers him nicely. he tells him that first off Judah need to be punished and that not bad deed will go un-punished whether if be from Judah or from Babylon. Babylons win will only be superficial. They will continue to do this and will create enemies which will lead to their demise. Habakkuk listens to God, understands what he is saying and accepts His words. But like all of us asks God to hurry it up a bit.

Basically He is telling us that we need to open out eyes. We can not deceive ourselves by just looking at there here and now or looking at the appearance of something. The successful people do not need to be envied. We have something much better then money, silver and Gold. We have a God that will protect us in times of disaster and guide up through any troubles we may have. Judgment and discipline will always come upon those who are un-just and disobedient to God. You want an answer...go to Gods word and He will provide answers for you!

Jeremiah's Judgemnet Against Egypt

So here Jeremiah gives us messages about the fall of nations. It is described how Carchemish will be defeated and he sort of taunt them with his words. Or at least that is how it felt. he also talks about the evasion of Egypt that will happen. How Nebuchadnezzar will defeat the Egyptian military. Then lastly he talks about how he wants the sword to rest. How he wants to see peace, but he is not sure how this will happen since the Lord has commanded all this death on the nations. But there will be peace to come.

You could say...God is in charge! He is the one and only one who ultimately is in charge of what will happen around the world! But even as all this stuff is happening to His people, He still loves them and cares for them. It is the same and just as true for us today.

I am not sure why Josiah decided to fight against Egypt. It seems weird, but he of course had his reasons. It is a bummer that he had to die. He was just getting the nation back to worship God the way they are suppose to. Because of a possible poor decision, his sons becomes king and the first one died at the hand of Pharaoh. Then Jehoiakim becomes king, but he basically is doing whatever the Pharaoh wants him to do. As this passages is titled…The Pharaoh’s puppet! So once again the nation is lead by horrible un-Godly king.

Funny how the king wanted Jeremiah dead, but he was able to talk his way out of it. With a little help from the few around him and God. But this other prophet Uriah who was prophesying the same thing as Jeremiah ended up being put to death by Pharaoh. You know what I see going on here is the same thing we have been talking and reading about for months now. It is the vicious cycle of listening and obeying and then getting a new evil king to throw the nation off track once again. Even today we see this happening in our own nation or even in our own homes or churches. You know discipline from God has limits. He sets those for a reason, but His judgment does NOT! He punishes those people who know him. What do you think He will do to those who do not. Judgment will come onto those people too.

Effect of Jeremiah's Preaching

Gosh from the first part of today's reading you would think that the King had no idea of what was expected of them from God. He reads the book of law and tears his robe and starts to do as the law states. but who has been preaching to them this whole time and they Have not been listening????? Don;t get me wrong. I love the idea that they turned things around. And that is why God is so forgiving and gave them so many warnings. But why did they not believe Jeremiah?

Josiah's reign I think must have been such a Happy day for God. He must have been jumping up and down. Kinda like he might for each of us when we turn from Him and then return to Him. You see there is always hope if we just humble ourselves enough to admit when we are wrong and go to the Lord. That's exactly what King Josiah did. He humbled himself and then he used his influence to lead others back to God. Today is a new day. We can do the same.

Keeping the Sabbath Holy

Wow, God spelt it out clearly. It could not be any more clear. Obey the Sabbath Day and live or disobey and your city will die! Basically He is just asking to keep their commitment to the Old Testament Law. But still they can not even do that. No matter how much they are disciplined they still will not obey!

Jeremiah is led by God to watch a potter form a ball of clay into a pot. When it comes out wrong he lumps it back up and starts over. This is great example of what God can do for us. If we soften out hearts (clay) then He can mold us into what He wants us to be and ultimately what we want to be instinctively. God tells him that this is exactly what He will do with the nation. He will keep re-forming it through judgement. The leaders are so upset they plot against him and plan on attacking him verbally and by ignoring him and his message. Well, Jeremiah strikes back through angry plea to God to strike out his enemy!

Then he is told to purchase a clay jar and to take a few of the leaders and go to the dump right outside the city and break the jar which will symbolize the destruction that God is going to bring upon them if they do not start listening. Then he went back to the temple and preached the same thing as always, but this time, Pashur decided to beat him and put him in jail.

Once he was out the next day, he went through a mix of emotions. He is sad that everyone hates him. He feels as God has lied to him. But still yet he is driven to prophesy and he knows that God is there for him. God can do as He please. And judgment is for sure when we disobey Him. We all know it whether we are Christians or not. We know and feel it. We were made to have that feeling built into us. The best thing we can do is to be completely honest with God about how we feel about everything. Even how we may feel about Him!