READINGS FOR AUGUST 7 - AUGUST 13

AUGUST 7

God directed Jeremiah to write down all the words of warning He had spoken to the nation of Judah.  Then God said, "Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, each of them will turn from his wicked way; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin."

This is a very clear directive that it is a matter for each individual to repent.  Only when individuals repent will there be forgiveness for the nation.

When the scribe Baruch read the scroll that he had dictated from Jeremiah, the people responded with repentance and fasting. The officials however were afraid of what the king might say and reported the reading of the scroll to him.

Of course what followed was the burning of the scroll because there were words there that the king didn't want to know about. Ever feel that way sometimes? Some words of Scripture that we just don't want to be reminded of? Seems as if some words of Scripture are so convicting that we want to delete them or simply not read them.  We need only look at what happened to the Word of God during the Dark Ages.

The burning of the scrolls is symbolic of destroying the truth of God's Word.  How often is that done today?  Destruction can be done with a match or a tongue.

As we looked holistically at the writing for today, it seemed that the burning of the scroll was the "last straw" for God. The people had consistently disobeyed Him and refused to listen to the prophet Jeremiah and then the king ordered the burning of the scroll. It made us think about what our "last straw" as a nation, as a church, as individuals will be. Think about all the things we tolerate. Just which of these will be the "last straw"?

Then poor Baruch, he had to redo the tedious writing of the scroll. Ever think about service to the Lord as being tedious?

What if Baruch hadn't rewritten the scroll?

Jeremiah 36:32
And many similar words were added to them.

AUGUST 8

Daniel 1:3
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility. 

What royal family?  What nobility?  Scripture doesn't tell us.  However there are other writings that do tell us.  In a Jewish writing, Lives of the Prophets (4:1-2), penned in the first century AD are some details.  According to this writing, there was a child taken from the Israelites to the land of the Chaldeans, who was of the tribe of Judah.  This child's name was Daniel.  Similar information can be found in Josephus' Book of Antiquities (18, 186-189).  The king of Babylon took children of nobles, from the family of Zedekiah, who were handsome, showing aptitude for learning to be tutored by the Babylonian officials. One of the children was named Daniel.  Mention is also made from these sources that these young men were made eunuchs.  More details can be found in Isaiah 39:5-7.

Did you catch the qualifications for the young men chosen to enter the king’s service in the first part of the book of Daniel? Daniel and his friends had some pretty impressive credentials, young men without physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of leaning, well informed, quick to serve, and qualified to serve in the king's palace (most likely this referred to castration - most of the time those who served the king were castrated to protect the harem). And as if these weren’t enough, God gave them some additional abilities, knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and all kinds of learning.

Concerning the royal food - Daniel didn't just refuse to eat the rich food, he said, let me prove to you that the vegetables and water will be much better for us. Notice that the test of the food lasted for 10 days and God blessed Daniel and his friends by making them 10 times better than all the others who were in the king's service.

Daniel found himself in a very precarious position.  The king ordered the execution of all the wise men in the kingdom.  Daniel sought out his friends and urged them to plead for mercy from God.  When these prayers were answered, Daniel praised God for the answered prayers. There are times when we forget to give Him the praise for our answered prayers.

When Daniel was taken to the king to interpret the dream, he goes with a very humble attitude and is quick to give God the glory for the interpretation.  Love the verse that God is a "revealer of mysteries".

This dream has such profound and significant meaning. God sets the context for what the statue represents.  The gold stands for Babylon - with Nebuchadnezzar as the head.  The silver represents the Medes and Persians.  The bronze stands for the Greeks.  The iron represents the Romans.  All these parts of the statue are metal.  The feet of the statue are a mixture of iron (government) and clay (religion) representing Greco/Roman principles mixed with and polluted by a much weaker element, not made of metal.  The clay can be and probably will be religion which will mix with legitimate government and weaken it.  This religion could be a mixture of many religions including Christianity, Judaism, Islam (including Sharia and Jihad).

The destruction of the statue in the dream is representative of the destruction of the governments of the earth when Jesus (the rock) returns. This dream is a perfect example of what will happen in the last days and into the Millennium.

Daniel 2:35b
The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

This verse ties in beautifully with the following.

Isaiah 11:9
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

After the destruction will be the Millennial Kingdom. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord just as the rock became a huge mountain.

Daniel 2:44
"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.

Once the Millennium starts, it will continue on for a thousand years. At the end of the Millennium, the eternal kingdom will begin. While the earth may not be filled with the knowledge of the Lord in our lifetime, our lives can be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.  After all, God is a "revealer of mysteries".

AUGUST 9

In all the judgments against the enemies of Judah we have this verse.

Jeremiah 48:10
"A curse on him who is lax in doing the LORD's work! A curse on him who keeps his sword from bloodshed!

A curse, you say? Oops. Makes us want to not be lax in doing the Lord’s work, whatever that may be. How are we lax in doing the Lord's work?  Does it have anything to do with not recognizing and using our spiritual gifts?  Or being obedient to God's call - whatever that may be?

However, since this verse in in reference to the judgments against the enemies of Judah, it could mean that God is pronouncing a curse on any Babylonian who does not execute God's wrath against Judah.

Many times in Scripture, the sword is used figuratively for the Word of God. When we use the sword (the Word of God) properly, sins are amputated (ouch), often causing trauma, which can only be relieved by submitting to...the Word of God and His authority.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

In chapter 8, Jeremiah relates that the people of Moab have shaved their heads, cut off beards, covered with sackcloth...all the customary signs of repentance. But were they truly repentant or were they just in mourning and depressed about their situation?  Can we make connections to us as believers in Jesus today?  God will not hear us, forgive us, and restore us unless we are humble in our prayers to Him and truly repentant of our sins.  We must seek His presence with us...then and only then will He heal our land.  With our repentance comes our restoration.

As God pronounces judgment on Moab and Ammon, He ends with saying He will restore their fortunes. What's this about? Didn't they deserve all the judgments? Uh, oh...I sound a bit like Jonah. However, on Edom, He didn't say He would restore their fortunes. Bozrah is mentioned. It was the capital of Edom, homeland of Jacob's twin brother Esau.  Interestingly, in Jeremiah's condemnation against Edom, are very similar to the words spoken by the prophet Obadiah. (See pages 727-728)

Interestingly, Moab, Edom, and Ammon will be places of safety during the wrath of God in the last days.

In the reading today, Jeremiah relates that God weeps over a pagan nation.  If God will weep over a pagan nation, does He not weep also for a Christian nation that doesn't repent?

AUGUST 10

Jehoiachin was only eighteen years old when he became king.  He only ruled for three months and yet "He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father had done." 

Of course, God looks at the heart and knew that Jehoiachin's heart was evil.  But look at the role model he had for a father.

In the great deportation, Nebuchadnezzar took the treasures of the temple and from the royal palace, including the gold articles.  He also took the skilled, educated and fighting men leaving only the poor of the land. These who were left worked the land and kept the buildings repaired.

Under Zedekiah’s reign, the leaders and the priests became more and more unfaithful following the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord. And yet, our ever faithful God sends them messengers because He has pity on them and on His dwelling place.

2 Timothy 2:13
if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

God continues to give us chance, after chance, after chance.

At the end of today's reading is an accurate summary of much of the Old Testament.  God's messengers were despised by God's people, mostly their message was despised.  And in the end, after giving chance, after chance, after chance, God thrust His people from His presence.

How is it with all of us as Believers today.  Are we listening to the message from God's prophets?  His warnings are applicable today.  God continues to give us chance after chance after chance to repent.  As was stated yesterday, restoration follows repentance.

AUGUST 11

Jeremiah 24 contains this great verse. "I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord.

"What a great promise. Just as God promised the exiles of Judah, whom He compared to good figs, He wants to give us a heart to know Him.

In the LETTER TO EXILES (Jeremiah 29) Jeremiah warns the exiles not to listen to the dreams they encourage the prophets and diviners to have.  The exiles were encouraging the prophets and diviners to report good dreams for them.

We hear verse 11 in Jeremiah 29 quoted often. The only problem is people don’t want to read the verses prior to verse 11 or after verse 11. While God certainly does have plans to prosper us, plans to give us hope and a future, He tells the people of Judah that they will go into captivity (70 years to be exact). Sometimes God sends us places that are uncomfortable and unpleasant. But ultimately they are plans that will prosper us and give us hope and a future, even though we may not see it at the time. I heard someone say once that trouble is a blessing when it makes us stronger. Prosperity is a curse when it takes us away from God. Verse 13 says we need to seek Him. How exactly are we supposed to do that? What does it look like to seek Him?  As we examine the Hebrew word for "seek" we understand that "to seek" Him means that we crave being in His presence.

Jeremiah 29:11-13
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Hananiah (a false prophet) foretells a portion of the truth. He soft pedals and tells Judah that they will only be in captivity for two years, something that the people really wanted to hear! (Remember the people were warned not to encourage them to report only good dreams).  Hananiah was trying to soften the blow. God calls this a rebellion against Him. That should tell us something about how God feels about false prophecy and false teaching. Often there is an element of truth. False teachers tell enough of the truth to make it believable and enough lie to make it wrong.

Often people take Scripture out of context and make it say what they want it to say.   Reading Scripture is a great thing to do and we will always be blessed when we do.  But even better is to study Scripture using the 5 Cs method; content (what does it say), context (reading the verses in context using all surrounding verses), culture and customs of the day in which they were written, and the fifth C is current (how does the Scripture relate to our current situation).  An easy task?  Hardly!  Worth every second we spend?  Absolutely!!!

AUGUST 12

Jeremiah 23:14
"And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible:  They commit adultery and live a lie.  They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness.  They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah."

This verse reminds us of those spiritual leaders who embrace the homosexual or transsexual agenda.

There is a New Testament connection to a comparison of Sodom to Jerusalem concerning the two witnesses who are killed in the last days.

Revelation 11:8
And their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 

Jeremiah 23:16-18
This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They keep saying to those who despise me, ‘The LORD says: You will have peace.’ And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’ But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word?

Is this happening now? Are pastors preaching prosperity and peace?  Are they giving people the impression that God is nothing more than an "ATM machine"?  Are they filling people with false hope telling the people that they will escape trials and tribulations?  Especially during the last days?

God is saying through the prophet Jeremiah that these false prophets have not taken counsel from Him. They prophesied in their own power telling the people what they wanted to hear. The book of Jude is filled with words concerning false prophets in his time and on into the future.  Makes us want to really study Scripture for ourselves using the 5 Cs method - with the help of the Holy Spirit of course.

Jeremiah 23:28b
...but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully.
This is another confirming verse for Truth Tellers. If we know a truth, we must be faithful in speaking that truth, whether or not anyone listens.

Jeremiah 23:30
Therefore, declared the Lord, "I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me."

People quoting commentaries that are in error, perhaps?

A great lesson to learn from all this is:
Don't take one person's opinion solely. Listen to good counsel but also read God's Word and let the Holy Spirit teach.

AUGUST 13

Jeremiah 50:2 mentions the names Bel and Marduk.  These were Babylonian deities, false gods.  Nebuchadnezzar appears to be especially drawn to Marduk because he named his son Evil-Marduk.

Jeremiah 50:5
They will come and bind themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.

This verse made us think how we as Believers have the Holy Spirit to bind us to the Lord in a salvation covenant that is eternal and never-ending.

Jeremiah warns of "an alliance of great nations from the land of the north".  This is a confederation of Medes and Persians, known as Afghanistan and Iran today, who did indeed come against the Babylonians, just as Jeremiah had said.  Gates were found during an excavation that were four stories high and more than 20 feet thick.  One of the gates is now in a British museum.  Excavations are no longer allowed.

When Jeremiah tells the future of the captives in Babylon, he mentions that a "search will be made for Israel's guilt, but there will be none."    Isn't that consistent with God's character?  He is so willing to forgive!  Good news for us as Believers in Jesus.  When we stand before the throne on Judgment Day, we have the assurance that all our sins have been atoned for by Jesus.

Jeremiah 50:24
I set a trap for you, O Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it; you were found and captured because you opposed the LORD.

Daniel (in Daniel 5) deciphered the mysterious handwriting on the wall that was foretold by this passage in Jeremiah. King Belshazzar was killed while he and his nobles were having a drunken banquet and orgy. They were caught before they knew it, just as Jeremiah had prophesied.

Jeremiah also tells Judah and Israel that the Redeemer will defend their cause.

Jeremiah 50:34
Yet their Redeemer is strong; the LORD Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest (salvation) to their land, but unrest (damnation) to those who live in Babylon.

Indeed, Jesus is strong.  He does vigorously defend our cause.  He most assuredly brings salvation to those of us who believe.   Ponder this today.