Jeremiah 6  The Lord has tested Judah.  He has given them many warnings and opportunities to return to Him, to repent and be forgiven.  But, they have closed their ears to His word.  They have all refused to listen.  "For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet, even to the priest everyone deals falsely." 


The enemy is coming upon her, " The comely and dainty one, the daughter of Zion, I will cut off." 
War is coming and God will not stop it. The full punishment for their sins of rebellion and injustice, idolatry and wickedness.. total disaster is on its way "Because they have not listened to My words, and as for My law, they have rejected it also." 

Because they rejected the Lord their God, they were rejected also.  The enemy from the north, Babylon, would not only take many captive, they would tear down the walls and the temple.  Jerusalem would lay in ruins for 70 years.

Our God is unchanging.  He tests every nation and every one of us to see if we will hear His voice, if we will turn to Him.  His desire is to see us heed His voice, repent, and live.  But, if we do not take heed... as Jesus said, " He who has ears to hear, let him hear."  and " Therefore take care how you listen;" we too will be rejected.

 Jesus gives us another warning also:

"For what is a man profited, if he gains the whole world,

and loses or forfeits himself?

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, 

of him will the Son of Man be ashamed

when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father

and of the holy angels." 

Luke 9:25-26

Judah forfeited herself because of greed and sensuality.  America is following her example. 

O Father, forgive us and turn our hearts back to Yourself!  Help us to have ears to hear and to really listen to Your Word.  There is no profit in living for the things of this world.  We must have Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  He is our King by Your command and we bow before Him. Thank You for providing a choice.. the revelation given to us by the Son of Man.. the Gospel of Truth. May many more hear the Word and receive the Truth today.. here and in the nations around the world.  All glory to You and to the Lamb, in Who's Name we pray. Amen. 

Jeremiah 5   The Lord makes an offer, " If you can find a man, if there is one who does justice, who seeks truth, the I will pardon her."

But, there are none to be found.  Jeremiah searches through streets of Jerusalem and finds many who will say "As the Lord lives,".. but they are swearing falsely.  They are using the Lord's name in vain. There is no truth in them. They have hard hearts and "faces harder than rock".  They refuse to repent.

Then Jeremiah goes to the "great". Those who "know the way of the Lord".  The leaders, the priests, or the prophets... "But they too, with one accord, have broken the yoke and burst the bonds." 
Sin has completely consumed the land.  They are rebellious.  They have forsaken the Lord their God.
Idolatry.
Adultery.
Deceit.
Oppression.
"They are fat, they are sleek, they also excel in deeds of wickedness." 
( Sounds familiar doesn't it).

The people of God have no knowledge of Him.
They don't fear Him. They don't listen to Him.
They don't believe He will punish them for their sins.
They lie about Him.
And,  they refuse to heed the warnings that He has given them.

"Shall I not punish these people? declares the Lord, on a nation such as this shall I not avenge Myself?" ( v29)

There is a question that ends this chapter that should ring in the ears of our nation too.. "But what will you do at the end of it?" Because judgement did come. And they were swept away into exile.

Our nation began with godly men and godly principles.
But now, the majority of people have no knowledge of Him.
There is no fear of God.  No belief that He will one day punish sin.
The man on the street and the rich and powerful have all gone their own way... rebelling against God's authority.. refusing to repent, lying about Him or completely ignoring Him. They refuse to even believe that He exists.

The truth is needed once again. The truth that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Paul's letter to the Romans makes this clear:
"There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God."
Therefore, " because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds. "
Judah couldn't believe that God would bring destruction to Jerusalem or that He would punish His people for their sinfulness.  But, He did.
We may not think that God will bring judgement upon America, but He will.  He has said it and He will do it.
We may not think that God will judge our sins.. but He will.  Paul writes, " Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" 

 If we continually refuse to turn back to Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies.. then we deserve the judgement that comes. We do not know the day or hour when we will be called to give and account to the Lord our God.  We must live in utter humility, submission, and dependance upon Him.

O, how thankful we are that despite our failures and weaknesses, we have a Savior Who paid our debt, Who covers us with His shadow, and Who lives in us so that we can walk in Truth.. so that we can Know Him, and so that we can be ready for that day when we meet Him face to face. Praise to Jesus Christ our Advocate and to the Father who accepts us because of Him.

Father in Heaven,  holy, holy, holy.. the Lord God Almighty, who was and is, and is to come. May our hearts seek Your will.  May You rule and reign over us completely.  May Your righteousness be our breastplate, Your truth our belt, Your salvation our helmet, Your peace our shoes.  May faith be our shield and the Spirit and the Word our sword.  May we stand in this day of evil.. steadfast in our Lord Jesus Christ.. and deeper in love with You.
Amen.

Jeremiah 3-4  This message brought Jeremiah to tears. " My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart!" ( 4:19)    It is the message of God's own anguish at the rebellion and treachery of His people.

Israel had been faithless.
She turned away from her Lord.
She had turned to every idol.
She had been given a "writ of divorce" and sent away.

But, Judah did not learn from her sister's failures or judgement.
Instead, she became worse.. she is accused of treachery. A betrayal, a treasonous, covert and deceitful rejection of the Lord.

The Lord says that Judah is like an adulterous woman who sneaks out to see her many lovers, but then comes back home to her husband, and is not even ashamed at her actions.
He says that Judah still calls Him, "My Father" and wonders why He is angry or indignant with her as she goes after every idol.. every tree and stone image she can find!

Judah's treachery makes Israel look "more righteous". 
The Lord would even bring Israel back home if they would, "Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God and have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree and you have not obeyed the My voice." 

The Lord wanted His people to return.. and one day they will fulfill all that is written here:
Jerusalem will be called "The Throne of the Lord". 
"...All the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord;" 

God offers to Israel and to all of us what we can never have on  our own -
a "beautiful inheritance. " v19
healing of our faithlessness v22
" truth... justice and righteousness, " 4:2
blessing and glory in Him.

But we must do as He asks:

We must put away our "detested things" from His presence.  There must be NO things that come before Him and we cannot waver in our complete commitment and devotion to Him!

We must be willing to "circumcise" ourselves to the Lord,  and "remove the foreskins of your heart".
This entails a total exposure of our hearts to Him.. allowing Him to cut away and destroy everything that keeps us from being His completely. (v3)
We must "wash [our] heart form evil.. that [we] may be saved." (v14)

Our Lord, the One and only God, the self-existent One who is the Creator and King of all the universe calls each of us to "come".  To come in repentance, in humility, in submission, and in brokenness before Him.. so that we can live.  The gift of abundant life filled with love and joy, peace and grace.. is well worth everything we think we have.. which in reality is only rubbish.  But, like Judah so many of us are  "... foolish.  They know me not; they are stupid children, and they have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, but to do good they do not know. " 

Pretty accurate description of our world today, I am sad to say.
Jeremiah goes on in chapter 4 to describe the fate of Judah.. and perhaps of the earth itself;
it becomes formless and empty v23
there is no light from the heavens v23
the mountains quake v24
no men are left v25
the birds of the heavens flee v25
the once fruitful land is a desert v26
the cities are destroyed v26
"The whole land shall be a desolation," says the Lord.

BUT,  there is hope,  " Yet I will not execute a complete destruction. " 

Like Israel and Judah, judgement will come to every nation and to every individual.  Judgement for rebellion and treachery.  Judgement for faithlessness and for deception.  Judah tried to cover up her idolatry and proclaim her faith in God.. but that does not work.  Our God is a jealous God and He will not accept a divided heart. If we do not worship and serve Him and only Him, we will find ourselves devastated like Judah.  Are we "stupid children" without understanding ? Do we really Know Him?
If we think that we can live any way we want to.. we are foolish.

If we belong to the Lord, and are indeed saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, then we need to fully live for Him and in fellowship with Him. We must confess our sins and open our hearts to Him.  We must wash our hearts from evil and put away anything that comes between us and our Lord. 

Father in heaven, hallowed is Your Name.  Your kingdom come!  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  We want to live in complete dependance and submission to You, our God.  Father, forgive us our trespasses and deliver us from all evil.  Circumcise our hearts and renew our minds.  We offer our bodies... our entire beings into Your service. Thank You for being gracious and merciful.  Thank You that you are not angry with us forever, but that You keep offering us forgiveness and salvation, truth, justice and righteousness.. when we turn to You.  Bring our wayward loved ones back to You we pray, in Jesus' mighty Name. Amen.

Jeremiah 2:20-37  The Lord, the God of hosts, is pronouncing judgement on Judah. They have forsaken Him, the One who:
Freed them from slavery in Egypt
Planted them as a choice vine in Canaan
Treated them as one would a son or as a bride.
And calls them "My people". 

They have forsaken Him, lost the dread of Him, turned themselves from Him, turned their back to Him, and forgotten Him.  ( v19,21, 27, and 32)

Instead, they have:
acted as a harlot with idols
become  "degenerate shoots of a foreign vine"- a weed, kudzu !
become "stained with iniquity"
gone after the Baals
"loved strangers"
looked to a tree or a stone as their gods, as their father or mother.
contended with Him
Refused His discipline
killed the innocent
denied their sinfulness

The result will be "shame" when they are marched out of the land with their hands on their heads. (v37)

The Lord compares Judah's idolatry to a wife who has committed adultery.  They have polluted His land. They are harlots. Brazen and full of evil.

What must the Lord think of our land?  We may not have idols of wood or stone like Judah did, but nonetheless  there is a spirit of idolatry in the USA.
There is a stain of iniquity, the killing of innocent babies.
There is a worship of other "gods" - entertainment , media or sports - where it becomes more important to do anything else before going to church or spending time in God's word. Where thousands of dollars go into nothing and people are dying of starvation and abuse next door.

Jesus said it clearly. "But seek  first the His Kingdom and His righteousness.."   Honor His Name.  Indeed, He calls us to lay down our lives and take up the cross and follow Him.  That is the only way to find Life. The only way to restore the relationship with the One who is our Father, our Creator, and our King.  It begins every day as we choose to put Him first.  He is the most important Person in our lives.  And the beautiful thing is.. when we learn to do that.. He makes all things beautiful and flourishing, and alive! And that includes those relationships that are most precious to us - our marriages, our families, and our friendships in Christ.

Father in Heaven,  we hallow Your Name.  You are worthy of all our praise and worship and we will give it to no other.  "My heart will sing, no other name, JESUS! JESUS!"  You are Savior, King, Shepherd, and Lord.  Your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven - completely, quickly, perfectly, and powerfully!  May Your Kingdom come and fill this land.  Thank You for daily bread, for forgiveness of sins, and for Your Spirit to guide us in ways of righteousness and grace. Be glorified in our lives and help us to make every decision... every decision, every day, that will honor You.  In the Name of our Heavenly Mediator, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Jeremiah 2: 1-19  The word of the Lord given to Jeremiah to proclaim begins with a reminder of what Israel once had - a covenant with the One True God, in love and devotion, in faithfulness and holiness.  He was their provider and guide.  He was their shield and their shelter. There was no reason for the rebellion that came after.. " What injustice did your fathers find in Me... ?"  Why?

Why did they go far from Him?
Why did they choose emptiness and become empty?
Why did they not seek Him?
Why did they not remember Who had brought them out of Egypt?
Why did they forget Him, Who brought them into a fruitful land?
Why did they defile the land and make His dwelling place and "abomination"?

Why did the priests fail to seek Him and know Him?
Why did the rulers fail to obey His Law?
Why did the prophets betray Him by serving Baal and choosing "things that did not profit"?

Why did the nations of Israel and Judah exchange the glory of their One true God for idols?
"For that which does not profit." 

"They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water."

v14 "Is Israel a slave? Or is he a home born servant?"  The answer to this is "No".  Israel was not forced to serve other gods.  They willingly turned from the One True God and brought upon themselves their own destruction. " Have you not done this to yourself, by forsaking the Lord your God, when He led you in the way?"

The sins of Judah are not unique to them.  The same questions that God asked them then, He asks us now.
Why do we seek the things that do not profit? Those things that are vain and empty and hold no value?

Paul wrote in Romans1:21 "For even though they knew God they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened." 
Why do men continue to choose lies over the Truth?
Why do we fail to "see fit to acknowledge God any longer"?

"Be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be very desolate, declares the Lord." 

We have no one to blame. We all have a choice- To turn to that which is empty and vain and futile... or to the Lord, "the God of heaven above and the earth below.. and there is no other."
And we must make that choice every day!

Our world is obsessed with the futile and empty things..
The politicians are obsessed with their power and positions.
The newsmen are obsessed with their own opinions and viewpoints.
The entertainers are obsessed with their selves.
The athletes are obsessed with winning and boasting and money.
Many of our countrymen are willing to spend thousands of dollars and thousands of hours on things that are "cisterns that hold no water".  Sports, movies, tv, video games,  drinking, drugs.... emptiness that makes them empty. Vanity.  Futility.

Father in Heaven, "Where are You Lord?"  What the priests failed to ask, we humbly cry out... we do not want to live futile and empty lives running after the things that will perish or the things that will separate us from You.  We come to You, the "fountain of living water", and drink deeply !  We acknowledge You in all our ways and lean on Your understanding, not on our own.  We honor You as the One and Only True God. We choose You, Your Life, Your Way, and Your Truth.. Jesus Christ our Lord.  We give You glory and praise, with thanksgiving. Amen.

Jeremiah 1  Jeremiah is from a family of priests that live outside of Jerusalem . He is called to be a prophet while he is still a young man.  His encounter with God is powerful and unique.  God says:

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."  God "knew" him... saw him, acknowledged him, recognized him, observed him, considered him.... before he had been conceived by his parents, before he had a body, before his heart began beating, before he took his first breath.

"And before you were born I consecrated you."  God "consecrated " Jeremiah.  He dedicated him, separated him, prepared him, purified him.. kept him holy.

" I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."  Not to Israel only, but to the gentiles.. to the world, Jeremiah would speak the Word of God.

The Lord promises Jeremiah that He will:

Send him.. and he will go. v7
Command him.. and he will speak. v7
Deliver him. v8
Make him a like a "fortified city... a pillar of iron.. and walls of bronze." v18
"And they will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you." v19

The Lord puts His words directly into Jeremiah's mouth. v9  And then appoints him "over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."   Jeremiah  was given a task that was beyond his ability to perform.  It is a ministry of warning and judgement.. sorrow- filled and tragic.  He began his ministry in the days of Josiah, a king who did right in the eyes of the Lord.. but after Josiah came only those who did evil.. and Jeremiah was still there when Judah is taken into exile.

The Lord prepares Jeremiah for what is coming - " And I will pronounce My judgements on them concerning all their wickedness, whereby they have forsaken Me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands."   But, " don't be dismayed before them, lest I dismay you before them, " the Lord warns Jeremiah.

Jeremiah is a remarkable man... called as a boy and given a task that had to be so heart-breaking, that only with the Hand of God on him.. could even begin to obey it.  The Lord speaks to Jeremiah twice more in this chapter.  Both times He begins with a question, " What do you see Jeremiah?"
This is a way that is used again during the years of Jeremiah's ministry.  The Lord opens Jeremiah's eyes, taking his physical sight and revealing spiritual truths. 
Jeremiah sees an almond branch.  The Lord tells him that he has "seen well"  and then reveals that He is "watching over [His] word to perform it." 
Jeremiah sees a boiling pot, facing the north.  The Lord reveals that evil is coming from the north against Jerusalem to bring judgement.

So, what do we hear the Shepherd saying to us from this message to Jeremiah?
The same God who knew Jeremiah before his conception.. knows each of us too.
The same God who chose Jeremiah before his birth .. calls us too.
God, the Holy Spirit puts His words in our mouths.. we are promised. ( Luke 21:14-15)
God is with us and will deliver us also.

May we be faithful to speak all that the Lord commands and to go everywhere the Lord sends us.

Father in heaven,  Holy and exalted God, You have made us, knit us together in our mother's wombs. You call us to Yourself and give us a ministry of telling others the good news of Jesus Christ.  Open our eyes to see the spiritual realities before us.. to keep our eyes on You.. on the unseen reality of Your Kingdom.  It is so easy to be living in this temporary and carnal world without acknowledging that what is really True is what we need to live for .. Your Kingdom come and Your will be done, we pray in the mighty name of Jesus, our King and Great High Priest. Amen.

Luke 23-24  Chapter 23 tells of the trials before Pilate and then Herod.  Over and over Pilate declares that Jesus is not guilty, but the voices of the chief priests, rulers, and the people  " began to prevail".. and Pilate finally granted them their demand.  Jesus was delivered "to their will".  He was crucified and buried.  Luke writes this, " and all the multitude who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts."  

I find that I cannot read of the death and burial of my Lord without going on to the 3rd day.. His resurrection!  It is important to know that Jesus died on the cross.. that His blood was spilled and His body broken...as Isaiah wrote,  that " ..... He Himself bore the sin of many..." But, how glorious is the truth that He rose on the third day, just as He said!  He is alive and is at the right hand of the Father even now, interceding for us!

Luke abbreviates the account of what happens on that glorious day:
The women come and find the empty tomb and speak to the angels there.
Peter runs to the tomb and finds it empty.
Jesus walks with 2 men on the road to Emmaus.
Jesus appears in the upper room and speaks with His disciples.

Twice we are told Jesus explains "... the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures."  First to the two men in Emmaus and then to the disciples in the upper room.  ( v27, 44-45).  This time, they truly understand.

Clothed with "power from on high" they are declared to be His witnesses, ".. that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem." 

Father in Heaven, You are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.  How thankful we are that Your plan to bring us to salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord, is to bring "all nations" to repentance and reconciliation with Yourself.  What good news!
We are amazed at the death of One so innocent on our behalf.  We are amazed at the resurrection and at the glorified body of Jesus Christ.  We are in awe of His ascension into Heaven... to sit at Your right Hand and to mediate for us.. who are born in sin and enemies until Your love reaches us and we turn to You confessing our sins and calling upon the Name of Jesus!  We are so thankful that He covers us.. He overshadows us and that His blood makes the payment for our sins.  Fill us, Lord, with power from on high.. that we will also be Your witnesses to the ends of the earth. Amen.