June 28, 2009 Jeremiah Chs 17-20

For Wordlisteners tonight we had 7, and we read and discussed Jeremiah
chapters 17-20. Next week is Praise and Worship, so it will be two
weeks (July 12) before we meet again. A story was told about how at some
Bible schools the kids don't want to go home afterwards because of their
lives. The parents don't care. It came up after the text about how
Judah had burned their kids with fire. Selfishness can get to such a
condition that our own kids don't matter, the same happened then as now.
Lord Jesus come quickly.

Chapter 17
Judah's sin is engraved, there is clear evidence of it. God will give away their possessions- what He in fact had given them, they will become slaves.

His message: strong and proud who feel that God is unnecessary, they will be cursed. They will have no roots or purpose, they will blow around like tumbleweeds. These are people who feel like their efforts have made their life, they don't realize it is of God.

Those that trust in God- like a tree planted in Eden. Trust in God is the way back to Eden folks. Worries are unnecessary even in bad circumstances. Those that trust God bear fruit every season.

Recently in Sunday school people were reminded of the need to "trust and obey"

Trust your heart? (as opposed to God?) - the heart is dark and deceitful, and can't be figured out (by us). We can never really know another's heart, only suspect. Some people are good at pretending. God searches hearts, He finds the truth there and treats people as they really are – He can't be fooled.

Cheaters and deceivers will be exposed, since God knows people's hearts He will expose them. We are living in pride if we think He has to settle all accounts in our time and not His. A dishonest rich person will look like a fool- riches is something we tend to respect, yet a lost rich person is a tragedy. A lost person is just as much a tragedy.

God is the hope of Israel, those who leave Him will end up looking like fools, again He doesn't leave us. Jeremiah asks Him to pick up the pieces- all his proclaimed doom from the mouth of God hasn't happened - again people in pride expecting God to act on their time and not His.

God gave Jeremiah a message- keep the Sabbath Holy, don't turn it into another day. Which God said they had done- not kept the Sabbath properly- like their ancestors. So He tells them that if they will do that then Jerusalem would always be filled with people. If they choose not to listen then Jerusalem will be destroyed. Obeying God brings blessing, disobeying Him brings tragedy (Trust and obey).

Chapter 18
More obedience, Jeremiah is told to go to the potter's house (without any idea why) just that he would get the message when he got there. One of the instances in the Bible where God tells people what they need as they need it. If He tells us too much in advance our pride tends to cause us to question God. God used the potter as an example to Jeremiah to show we are like clay in His hands. If we don't turn out He might get rid of us, if we repent, He might start over with us. If we don't listen to Him, He might give up on us. I wonder how close He is to doing that with this country? He has plans for us, if we are obedient.

For Judah and Jerusalem He is planning doom, but still giving them an opportunity for real repentance. He says then that they have left Him for the big lie, gotten off the well worn trail in favor of bush whacking through underbrush. They will look for God on the day of their doom and see His back, what they have shown Him for so long.

Some get the idea that shutting up Jeremiah the messenger will somehow shut up the message. They will still have others that say what they want to hear. In my work a lot of effort is put into making sure people get certain information. Posting it and expecting them to read it on their own is not acceptable, usually it has to be read to them and a signature obtained that they were made aware and agree to abide by it. This way certain policies can be enforced, ignorance of the law is an excuse these days. This strikes me as similar, people are trying to make God jump through that hoop, claiming they don't know of Him or His message to Him. In fact this action is a denial of God and His authority. So many of our actions testify to God. I think the greatest one is our acknowledgment that we don't know everything. All of us have to acknowledge that. I don't know Chinese- one of thousands of examples. I don't know other's hearts but I believe SomeOne does, that someone being God.

Jeremiah knows of the plot against him, and it wears down some of his resolve and his softness for his people. He has had enough and he is ready for God to act. He goes from praying for them in one sentence to asking God to send judgment on them.

Another interesting thing is that his rant to God against those out to get him. God listens, but then starts Chapter 20 by sending Him to do something positive. At least potentially positive.

Chapter 19
The clay pot example. Go buy a pot, call the leaders together, and say what the Lord tells you. God warns of impending doom – which probably means there is a way out, He wants them to turn to Him. They have served other gods and sacrificed children, turning their back on God. God is canceling His plans -for the town and the people, and will let them be killed instead. People will become cannibals- eating one another just to trying to cling to survival in this life.

Jeremiah is then to smash a clay pot- such that it can't be put back together. Like a Topheth, the whole city will be an open grave. Then Jeremiah went to Jerusalem and preached the doom of it- why? Because the people were set in their ways and were not listening to God. It wasn't that God was mad, but rather that we wouldn't obey Him.

Chapter 20
Pashur (which means prosperity everywhere), the senior priest in God's Temple did not like Jeremiah's message when he heard it, so he had Jeremiah whipped, and then put him in stocks. Just overnight. Rather than considering the message may be from God and doing some reflecting, submitting and repentance, he went after the messenger. How many time do we defend our actions rather than considering the source of the information we hear? We feel we are enlightened and I'm sure Pashur with his position felt he knew "best"- its pride.

Jeremiah says that God's new name for him is "danger everywhere". This isn't Jeremiah mad about what had happened to him, but rather a man in relationship with God, sharing what he is told to. Exactly what the priest was supposed to do. He continues to prophesy about Jerusalem's and Pashur's fate.

Pashur's decision will affect his family, and examples of this happen many times in the Bible as well as in our lives. Where one person's decision causes his/her family to be destroyed or blessed. Often times we get too much into self, and we deny this truth. Parent's actions or lack thereof often cause kids lives to be affected.

Jeremiah then shares his experience of being obedient to God, but not being well received by people. He is obedient by faithfully delivering the words he is given although they aren't what the people want to hear. He tires of their lack of positive response and tries to resist giving God's messages, and the words burn- he has to let them out. His audience doesn't want to hear them. Its interesting that Jeremiah is labeled by the people something close to what God had renamed the chief priest that put him in stocks. Is this the people confessing through their ignorance that Jeremiah was God's chosen for chief priest? The people are looking for Jeremiah to misstep in his walk with the Lord, the same as they would do to Jesus. God protects him though, God that looks on the hearts, Jeremiah can rest his case with God and not have to worry.

Now for a little depression, a man who walked with God longing to have never been born? Same as Job? He sees the future and he knows it is grim. He has said it over and over and he believes it. Even though it hasn't happened yet, it will because God said it.

June 21, 2009 Jeremiah 14-16 notes

We had four tonight for Wordlisteners. Jeremiah 14 and 15 have some
good points. When I prepared the notes for Chapter 14 I outlined a
"sermon" - its just so relevant for today. We had a lively discussion
and I enjoyed it.

My notes are as follows:

Chapter 14
There is a drought, the rich are suffering- the rich usually are last to suffer. Farms are in ruins, animals are abandoning their young- a sign of severity.

They have exhausted all efforts and come back to God (have they?) begging Him to act. They admit they are sinners, and they come to Him as their last resort. They know they don't deserve it, but they ask Him to act for His own sake. They accuse Him of not caring- acting like a tourist. Wondering why He is leaving them in a lurch. His response – they did their own thing, and never gave Him a thought, so He will let them continue in the same way. He will merely note their guilt and punish them.

Notice- they came to God as the "last resort". They verbalized they were guilty, but no actions corresponding with repentance are present (no turning away from sin- its all verbal). They have Jeremiah who intercedes for them, and God tells him not to pray for these people. God says they will skip meals in order to pray, bring Him offerings but the underlying fault they still haven't addressed is that God desires their obedience to Him. They won't give it. There are preachers who tell them things will be all right- but these people aren't listening to God, nor is God telling them to say such- they are making it up. Sheer illusions. God is going to make the preachers eat their words and the people will experience the full brunt of their own evil.

Jeremiah cries. He sees his people battered and bruised, sees fields of unburied dead. He sees starvation – he sees preachers pretending nothing has happened. How does God let this happen? They wanted peace, they wanted healing, they admit they are sinners, then they try to control God by talking about His reputation, His temple, They even put God nearly in the right position- by saying He is above all the gods they have been serving. They are waiting on God, but only because they have exhausted all their other possibilities.

Chapter 15
God has had enough, even intercession by Moses and Samuel would not be enough. The people wonder what God wants (He still wants obedience) but now the choices aren't comforting. He has assigned some to die, some to be killed in war, some to starve, and some to exile. Go do what you were assigned to He says- He consistently wants our obedience. The dead won't be buried, but rather be food for dogs, vultures and hyenas. The entire world will see. Not because God isn't fair, but because of Man's choice- Mannasseh is the example held up. The people followed Manasseh as he (2 Kings 21:1-16)- He re-introduced previously purged moral rot, he built sex shrines, he listened to constellations- building temples for these within God's temple, he burned his own son, practiced black magic and fortune telling, held seances and consulted spirits, placed an image of asherah (sex god) in the Temple, he indiscriminately murdered people.

Who will feel sorry for those people who went along with the evil king? Obey leaders as they obey God. Following a leader's sin is not going to be a valid excuse before God.

The people left God, it wasn't that God left them (it never is). He was tired of letting them off the hook, so He let them be scattered. He made sure they lost all He had given them. Widows will be created, and moms will lose their children. Death will happen, and those that aren't killed will be rounded up and killed.

Jeremiah was obedient to God by telling the country exactly what God had asked him to. The country responded to him by hating him, some plotted to physically hurt him to stop the messenger. Jeremiah prayed for them and their best interests.

Who can endure God's judgment, what are the chances of outlasting Him? As vast as God's universe is and as small and insignificant we are compared to that, our pride tends to want to elevate us. God planned to take what He had given to Israel (which would be everything) and give it to someone else. What would Israel be left with? Nothing, making them slaves.

Now an interesting little sidebar. Jeremiah states his obedience and his submission. He longed for God's word and eagerly accepted it. Jeremiah never joined the party crowd with their focus on self interest. Yet he was in pain, severe chronic pain that he wasn't healed from (compares to some extent to Paul's thorn in the flesh). His pain was so bad that he called God a mirage. God responded take your words back and use your words carefully. Use words well, no cheap whining. Do we complain about the state of the world and how bad things are and how we wish they would get better? Thats what I see as cheap whining- God wants us to stay on message (His message)- His positive message and come to the place where we won't change our message to suit others. When we do that he will protect us, and the attacks will bounce off. God will defend us.

Chapter 16
A message for Jeremiah- don't get married, don't have a family. The judgment is pronounced. Will a similar message come out for the faithful just before the trib period? Since people will marry up the last day I think this means He will take us, and protect us, a subtle point that supports rapture. In Jeremiah's day His people were about to endure His judgment so not marry or have kids was actually a statement to protect them, or make it easier for them.

In Judah children will be killed, there will be stacks of dead- unburied like the result of Armageddon. Jeremiah had a tremendous heart for these people – often crying for them and with them. God said stop. His judgment is pronounced, famous and obscure will be affected- this is a comprehensive judgment. Don't attend funerals, no laughter, no smiles. As bad as he can imagine, it will be worse. In the last days it will be worse than our active imaginations can think. Jeremiah was told he would see the judgment in his time- God said it.

Jeremiah continues to share with the people. They ask what they had done wrong. They had no idea that they had continued the actions of their ancestors by turning away from God. They turned from His ways in favor of their own. They did what they wanted and ignored God. They paid Him no attention. Its interesting in our day there are two un-churched generations. People like to plead ignorance of God but can they really? Or is it just denial and an avoidance of what acknowledging God has to mean. God's word is at an all time high in terms of availability, but God denial may be just as high.

God will act and bring Israel back from exile, gather them from all over the world. A miracle on the order of (and more recent than) the parting of the red sea. People will talk about it. This I believe is prophecy of the future (now) - post WW2.

On a more immediate note (Jeremiah's time) people will be looking for the jews trying to escape God's judgment (God will see that it happens), and bring them back for His judgment. He knows where they all are, and they won't get away without facing it. I think the Babylonians were the group, and God set judgment in motion.

God is then called a safe retreat when trouble descends (His church will be safe during the tribulation period?). He will protect and it will be clear to the world that it is Him (some may try and deny). The godless nations will come, and God will teach the wrongheaded people (Himself). He will teach them who He is and what He does.

June 14th 2009 Wordlisteners

Tonight we had 7 total and we went over 4 chapters. Jeremiah 9-13. I
read out of the message. The comparisons between Judah before the
Babylonian invasion and exile and the worldly conditions we currently
find ourselves in is striking.

Hard times with the root cause of wickedness.
Denial of God- widespread.

Its amazing, but hopefully it means Jesus is coming soon.

Chapter 10
Listen to God's message, don't look at what others are doing, focus on God. They look like they have it all together, like they have all the answers, but there is no substance. They are worshiping a god that gives them pleasure but has no power.

God cannot be compared to what the other nations worship, there is no comparison. When God is angry the earth shakes, even the godless nations. God made the earth and the heavens, their gods were made by people like us, that really God created. A disobedient or unknowing people.

God sends the rains, their gods get wet, good for starting fires. Our God put the entire universe together. He gives notice of His actions to those willing to listen. He says what He will do, other gods have no voice.

When God says it is bad, it is bad, it will be complete, total, unless He says otherwise. We need to believe Him for what He says and not put our own interpretations on it. Property and children gone as a result of invasion, nobody to help rebuild. God wasn't asked for counsel, it was reasoned out by human thought. His counsel comes in the form of prayers to Him and listening to His answers, without His counsel and following His direction, nothing works right. He warns that something is happening (prayer or not?) -are we listening? Mortals can't run their own lives, we get too caught up in our ways, wants and desires. Here is a request for God to correct us as he sees fit. This is a submitted position before God. His anger is recognized as something to avoid as it is asked that he send it to the godless nation, those that don't acknowledge Him, and those that don't pray. Also those who are actively opposed to His people. Four different groups, all of which we can readily think of examples of.

Chapter 11
One of Jeremiahs sermons- direct from the mouth of God. Jeremiah is told to preach to the people of Judah that not keeping the covenant will mean a curse. The same covenant made to the people that left Egypt. Its all about obey God, obedience closes the deal. Not sacrifice, but a listening to God and being obedient to what He says.

God has warned those who were disobedient for a multitude of generations. He has always had that reminder in front of them in some form or fashion. They didn't listen, and He finally acted. Its interesting that they "mindlessly" broke the covenant. Not thinking, not studying, not paying attention to details can cause all kinds of damage to a lot of things. It is also easier to justify non-action, and ignoring. Ignoring God doesn't mean He isn't there, but rather is a measure of our hard headed-ness and stubbornness. Not only won't He not go away but ignoring Him brings about doom for everyone. Stubborn humans will still try to ignore Him , and look for ways out by praying to the things they value. The things that are valued by humans seem to be what they seek in crisis. Not God. For Judah they have reached a point that God tells Jeremiah not to intercede for them. When they do try and pray to God as a last resort, He will not hear them.

In the house of worship during the crisis promises will be made to God, programs developed and people will become more religious. Their goal is to get out of crisis and not establish relationship with God. They still want their own way, and would rather not suffer as any of us would. They hope by acknowledging God they will have their crisis alleviated, but still be in control of their lives. Rather than surrendered and obedient to God. They are far more fragile than they realize, or are willing to admit.

Doom pronounced by God comes about by our disastrous life, and a point of continually denying Him in favor of other gods.

There is a subplot here- Jeremiah was informed of it by God. A plot to kill him to prevent Jeremiah from spreading a message God told Him to. Denial of God can get to the point where we avoid things, and we try to shut people up who say things we don't like- it happened then, it happens now. Jeremiah asks God to be the judge, and God responds by sending doom to that town (Anathoth was Jeremiah's hometown). The people closest too him worldly speaking were the ones that were most upset about his message from God. This is repeated again in Jesus time, their unbelief in Him was so prevalent, that He didn't do many miracles for them. The really sad thing hear is that in trying to stop the words and message of Jeremiah they were really opposed to God. We need to widen the focus of our lives, put God and His will at the center, its so easy in our world to leave Him out.

Chapter 12
God is right (always) and He sets things right. Now Jeremiah asks the question why do bad people seemingly have it so good. They act as if they know God, and meanwhile He feels like he can't get by with anything. He asks how long does a people (we) have to put up with a depressed country with farms in ruins- root cause = wickedness, and wicked lives. Sounds like today (2009). The Lord's answer is that it will get worse. The depressed country and ruined farms is nothing compared to what is ahead, and the wicked haven't gotten away with anything.

Jeremiah didn't feel he could away with anything because his relationship with God was so close that when he felt he was doing something wrong he became acutely aware of it and it saddened him. Probably prompting from God's spirit. The wicked on the other hand, in denial of God, can sin all day and will never experience remorse. So they appear happy, they may even feel they have figured God out and pretend to be friends with Him- without really obeying.

It will get worse and the Lord warns Jeremiah that those closest to him are working against him. He will turn His back on His people Israel. Invaders will trample His land that He gave to His people. Nothing living will be safe, the crops will fail (sowing and reaping will not work as it has- because God will no longer be involved). The plans of the people will fail, all a result of their turning away.

He will relent and restore them, and give them another chance to live His way. Hopefully they will serve God with the same fervor as they served baal. If so things will go well, if not then total destruction. I don't think we have seen this- Israel serving God.

Chapter 13
This is almost a parable showing what pride can do. The people are the new shorts that God wears, then Jeremiah is told to send them out away from God- who really is the one who takes care of the shorts. Over time and being separated from God the caregiver the shorts rot. Our pride, our plans, our confidence can absolutely get the best of us, and we will lose sight often of our constant dependence on God. He cared for His people but He will no longer, and the consequences of their actions will become apparent. God protects us from a lot that we often don't realize, let alone give Him credit for.

Now he switches to a wine example. People are going to get so intoxicated with pride that they will be smashed. Their actions will bring about their destruction, and this will apply to young and old alike.

Jeremiah then pleads with them, and informs them that the message he is proclaiming is really from God. He reminds them that God is still currently protecting them even though they don't realize it, but it is about to end. The light they see by will be gone and they will grope in the dark. Jeremiah longs to go off on his own so he doesn't have to see it, and weep. He sees their fate, even though they don't.

The position of king and queen will be removed, the country will be surrounded by enemies. Ending in being conquered and exile. He points out the facts- invaders to the north. When they do realize their fate they will wonder why, almost as a surprise. They took for granted protection from God and did their own thing rather than His will, and it will end badly- when I write that I think of the US. Its on the same path. The people of Judah were guilty.

What are the odds someone so well practiced in evil will suddenly do good? This implies that godliness (doing good) should be a regular practice. What is coming to them is justice, they have turned away from God and embraced Baal (the big lie). God will remove His protection and all the world will see their shame. All the things they hoped in and put before God will fail, and for some that is a lot.