Worship as a Lifestyle

This is from the blog ecomalen:

Jeremiah 35 was given to me. This is a chapter I had never read before but I believe is relevant to us today. It tells the story of how Jeremiah was instructed to go and speak to the Racabites.

They were a group of very simple living people who lived above the sinful lifestyle of the cities. They were nomads. They did not even settle down to one spot when they were in the city. They were constantly on the move. They were people of very high morals.  Their lifestyle depicts the fact that all believers are strangers in this land. This is not our home. We are headed for our home in heaven. They were not materialistic people and we can learn from this. Their religious convictions were similar to the Israelites but the difference was that they lived more holy lives than the Israelites.

These Rechabites were rewarded for living a holy life by obeying the commandments of Jonadab. God never overlooks even one person who is living upright before Him. They had made a stand, and had not backslidden . God respects this type of loyalty and faithfulness. I believe this applies to us. We are not called to be just ‘christians’. With so many people using the word and with so many different meanings perhaps it has little relevance to us now. People often think of the Israelites but not much mention is given to the Racabites who lived a very holy life, a life set apart and although they lived among and were related to the Israelites God used them to show the Israelites that if you want to follow God you have to set yourself apart. There have been many movements that we can learn from like this and again in the 16th century the movement of the ‘Quakers’ was founded , a movement that pushed away from ‘mainstream Christianity’ (whatever that means) to search for truth and the roots of faith and God’s face.

I wanted to share this with you that when you set yourself apart God can do mighty things so don’t go with the flow and follow the crowd. God bless you.

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The Nearer They Draw to Destruction, The More They are Overgrown with Blindness

This is from The John Trapp Blog:

"The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin." (Jeremiah 1:1)

Long time he had laboured among this perverse people, but to very small purpose, as himself complaineth, {1} after Isaiah, {2} whom he succeeded in his office as a prophet, some scores of years between, but with little good success.

For as in a dying man his eyes wax dim, and all his senses decay, till at length they are utterly lost, so fareth it with commonwealths, quando suis fatis urgentur, when once they are ripe for ruin; the nearer they draw to destruction, the more they are overgrown with blindness, madness, security, obstinace, such as despiseth all remedies, and leaveth no place at all for wholesome advice and admonition.

Lo, this was the case of those improbi et reprobi -“reprobate silver shall men call them” {3} -with whom our prophet had to do.

Moses had not more to do with the Israelites in the wilderness than Jeremiah had with these “stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears,” {4} as good at “resisting the Holy Ghost” as ever their fathers were.

The times were not unlike those described by Tacitus, concerning which Casaubon saith, Quibus nulla unquam aut virtutum steriliora, aut virtutibus inimiciora, that no times were ever more barren of virtues, or greater enemies to virtues.

And to say sooth, how could they be much better, when the book of the law was wanting for over sixty years, and the whole land overspread with the deeds of darkness?

Quoted Bible verses:

1. "Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?   Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you." (Jer 27:13,14)
2. "Then I said, I have laboured in vain,
   I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain:
   yet surely my judgment is with the Lord,
   and my work with my God." (Isa 49:4)
3. "Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them." (Jer 6:30)
4. "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye." (Ac 7:51)

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Jeremiah 29: 24-32

This is from the blog Kevin Lotz:

Jeremiah 29: 24-32:

"Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,  Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,   The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.   Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you?   For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.   And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

 "Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,   Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORDconcerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:   Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD."

In the previous post, we saw the Lord deal with two exiled false prophets in Babylon.  The Lord’s charges against them were adultery and prophesying lies to the exiles.  Because the false prophets also committed rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar had them burned alive.

In today’s passage, we catch a glimpse of the ongoing correspondence between Jerusalem and Babylon.  Jeremiah’s letter has reached Babylon, and Shemaiah, one of the exiled prophets in Babylon has responded.

Shemaiah wrote to three groups in response to Jeremiah’s message:

• The remaining people of Jerusalem
• Zephaniah the priest
• All the other priests in Jerusalem

Shemaiah calls out Zephaniah the priest for not dealing with Jeremiah.  Zephaniah was the priest in charge of the Temple in Jerusalem; he had the authority to address all issues, including disciplinary actions against priests and prophets.

Shemaiah calls Jeremiah a “maniac”, a madman if you will, and a false prophet.  And what are the basis of Shemaiah’s charges?  Jeremiah’s claim that it would be a long time (seventy years) before the exiles would be released to return to Jerusalem (vs. the two years all the false prophets were saying).  And what was Shemaiah’s recommendation for Jeremiah’s punishment?  Public humiliation again via stocks and neck irons.

What was Zephaniah’s response?  Instead of carrying out Shemaiah’s demands, Zephaniah the priest took Shemaiah’s letter and read it to Jeremiah.  Why did Zephaniah the priest not implement Shemaiah’s demands?   Was he sympathetic to Jeremiah and wanted to obey the Lord?   Or did Zephaniah remember what happened to the last priest who put Jeremiah in stocks (see 20:1-6) and showed Jeremiah the letter just to save himself?   Scripture does not say.

Notice that in verses 30 – 32 that Jeremiah does not respond, but rather waits for a word from the Lord.  When the Lord answers, He tells Jeremiah to address the letter to the exiles in Babylon.  The Lord’s message?  Shemaiah was preaching rebellion against the Lord.   The Lord’s judgment on Shemaiah?  The same fate as Hananiah (see 28:15-17) – the death sentence for false prophets (see Deuteronomy 18:20-22).

As we close out Chapter 29, we also come to the end of this group of events in Jeremiah’s history.  Let’s take a quick look back on the events of the last few chapters of Jeremiah’s life:

• He preaches of the Temple’s destruction and Jerusalem’s desertion; a lynch mod immediately forms and demands his death (Chapter 26)
• He disrupts a high-level international gathering of ambassadors coming together to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar by wearing an oxen’s yoke and preaching subservience to Nebuchadnezzar (Chapter 27)
• He has a face-to-face confrontation with a rival prophet who represented the majority opinion of the prophets and who had the heart and minds of the people (Chapter 28)
• He writes what many would consider a letter of treason to the exiles in Babylon, encouraging them to settle down and get on with their lives in Babylon (Chapter 29)

And if we could ask Jeremiah why he did all these things, he would likely let out a deep breath and say with quiet but firm conviction, “I am doing what the Lord told me to do.”

May we, like Jeremiah, have the courage to follow the Lord’s leadings, to be faithful to the Scriptures and God’s prompting, no matter what the cost.

May we, like Jeremiah, wait on the Lord for our response, even when the attacks are personal and unfounded, or the majority of public opinion has turned against us.

May we, like Jeremiah, be more concerned about giving God glory and speaking the truth in love than worrying about our reputations.

May we, like Jeremiah, put our confidence in the Lord and leave the results of our obedience in His hands, and not try to control the outcome of events in our lives.

Blessings,
~kevin

Jeremiah 12: 7-13

This is from the blog Kevin Lotz:

Jeremiah 12: 7-13:  "I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.  Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it.  Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.  Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.  They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.   The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.   They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD."  (King James Version)

In the previous two passages, Jeremiah:

• uncovers a conspiracy to kill him, and the Lord reiterating His promise to protect Jeremiah and punish those involved in the plot (11:18-23)
• asks the Lord the bigger question of “why does evil flourish?” and God provides an unexpected answer of “take heart; it’s going to get worse”  (12:1-6)

On first reading of today’s passage, it appears the Lord has moved on to a new topic.  Upon further investigation, however, we discover that today’s passage links to the previous two passages.  In essence, the Lord is saying to Jeremiah, “your personal experience of betrayal, heartbreak, and rebellion is just a small taste of what I am experiencing right now.”

In particular, Jeremiah’s family speaking kindly to his face but plotting his demise (v. 6) provides the context for verse 7, where Judah speaks the Lord’s name but worships the foreign gods.  The Lord uses verbal imagery of a father talking about his daughter (“my inheritance”, speaking of Judah in general and Jerusalem in particular) in verses 7 – 9.

God loves His whole household (Judah) and this daughter (Jerusalem) more than words can express. The pain the Lord feels over the self-destruction of the home and the daughter’s shameful behavior break the Father’s heart.  The consequences are inevitable.

When the Lord says, “therefore I hate her” (his daughter Jerusalem) in verse 8, he is expressing the heart-breaking effects of betrayal and defiance.  We often associate love as the opposite of hate.  In fact, the opposite of love is indifference.  The Lord is saying, “I love you more than you could ever know.  I hate what you have become and the choices you have made when I have loved you faithfully your entire life.  It breaks my heart.”

In verse 9, the Lord further expresses His heartbreak as He sees His beautiful daughter go from an honored princess and example of good to the world to being ridiculed and robbed by those whom she chose to associate.

Verses 10 – 13 depict the destruction that will take place at the hands of the invaders from the north.  Th destruction will include the towns and villages all over Judah, as well as the fields and crops that provided their food and living.

May we remember that whatever profound emotions we feel when we are hurt, lied to, and betrayed by those whom we love, the Lord has experienced those same realities at the city, national, and world level.  Indeed, He has walked in our shoes before we have, and still chooses to love His children despite their waywardness.

May we choose to love others unconditionally as He loves us, as we were once His enemies when we walked our selfish path in defiance, rejection, and betrayal of Him.

Blessings,
~kevin

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Prophecy Against Moab

You could also say that Jeremiah 48 is a prophecy against Babylon (spiritual Babylon) or the Godless world system. Babylon is a spiritual city and Zion is a spiritual city. Those who are in bondage to Satan dwell in Babylon; those who abide in Christ dwell in Zion (the Presence of God).

I still believe that the United States is the most blessed nation on earth, but there is a lot of sin in this nation. People are still fighting for abortion rights and homosexual rights; we have too many people who live off of other people's taxes; the United States is 12 trillion dollars in debt; evolution is being taught as a science, when it is really a religion; people worship the creation more than the Creator (Romans Chapter 1).

So what is the Son of God (Jesus) supposed to do? Smile on the United States and say keep up the good work? No. The Lord is judging the United States (or aspects of the United States) for sin. The Lord is a God of love and a God of judgment. The Lord chastens those whom He loves: "He who spares the rod [of correction] hates his child."

Jeremiah 48: 1: "Against Moab thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed."

Jeremiah 48: 4: "Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard."

Jeremiah 48: 11-12: "Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send unto him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles."

Jeremiah 48: 14-16: "How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war? Moab is spoiled, and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts. The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast."

Jeremiah 48: 20: "Moab is confounded; for it is broken down: howl and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled."

Jeremiah 48: 25-26: "The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the Lord. Make ye him drunken: for he magnified himself against the Lord: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision."

Jeremiah 48: 29: "We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart."

Jeremiah 48: 33: "And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting."

Jeremiah 48: 36: "Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kirheres: because the riches that he hath gotten are perished."

Jeremiah 48: 38-39: "There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the Lord. They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him."

Jeremiah 48: 42-45: "And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the Lord. Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the Lord. He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the Lord. They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones."