by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Jeremiah 49-50
God wants to clear out all of the attitudes which hinder our relationship with Him. He wants a family who spends time with Him, and listens to Him as the Father He is.
As mentioned earlier, these nations which are receiving judgment, represent erroneous attitudes which hinder our walk with our God.
Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Hazar, and Elam are types for worldly lusts and mindsets which cause people to despise God’s true church. We see those attitudes throughout our modern society.
Then we get to the “biggie.” Babylon. Babylon is the nation which took Judah into captivity and burned Jerusalem. It literally destroyed the foundations of what God had done in the earth.
The word Babylon is derived from the word Babel. (It actually sits on the site of the Tower of Babel). Remember that story? God confused the languages of the people so that they couldn’t agree and accomplish their evil schemes. The word means “confusion.”
Babylon actually means, “confusion by mixing,” and we can readily see where we are going here. The modern church is confused because of all of the mixing with the ideas of the world. Taking modern ideas and trying to incorporate them into a church representing God’s ideas has created havoc. And many people have been taken into “Babylonian captivity” by trying to do just that.
So how do we get out of captivity? We turn our minds and hearts back to the One True God, and we turn our minds and hearts back to His Word. When people are trying to incorporate current erroneous thinking into their theology, they treat the Bible as if it were just another book. They critique it – and they explain away many of the truths, in an attempt to be intellectual.
That is a dangerous deadend route to take.
God is God! He is the One who is all-knowing, and He has established His Word in the earth in order to share His wisdom with us. So what are we to do? We are to reject the teachings which try to discredit the Bible, and we are to embrace His Word and His Spirit.
Technology has changed. Modes of travel have changed. Modern conveniences have redirected our activities. However, the human heart has not changed. It still has the same issues it did from the fall of man. And God still has the answers.
The theology which teaches otherwise will be overthrown, just as Babylon was. Though it held the Judeans for a while, the day would come when it would be overthrown. And a remnant of people would be allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild.
I want to be a rebuilder, don’t you? I want to see the truth return to God’s church everywhere. I want His will to be preeminent in the earth. And I want to see eyes opened to His ways as never before.
Hebrews 6
“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (V. 11-12)
Faith and patience could be compared to a husband and wife in a marriage. They go together and they both are important.
Without faith, we cannot expect to have the promises of God in our lives. Jesus taught over and over that faith is the key to receiving God’s best.
Yet we also need patience, an attribute which undergirds our faith. With patience working on our behalf, we stay focused and assured even though we don’t see the answer yet. We don’t abort our mission, but we continue to press toward the goal set before us.
Sometimes the best God has for us takes some time to develop. Once when I was praying for my children, the Lord spoke to me. He said, “Marigolds spring up over night. Oak trees take longer.” I have remembered that moment many times when I would be praying for something which seemed to be out of reach.
Let’s allow the time necessary for our Father to bring about His best. Patience, along with our faith, will give Him whatever time He needs to create His best in our lives.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Jeremiah 46-48
No more warnings for Judah; they have reaped the reward of their indifference to God. Now attention is turned to Egypt, Philistia, Moab, and others. As we read these judgments, it’s important for us to read on two levels. God is speaking to these surrounding nations of the day. However, He is also speaking to attitudes and positions which apply to every generation.
What do I mean? Well, when the Word speaks of “going to Egypt for help,” it refers to the natural strength of man. From the time of the fall of man, people have wanted to trust in themselves and their own abilities without God. (This attitude in its ultimate form is Humanism, implying that there is no need for God). So as we read the judgments on Egypt, apply these judgments to self-sufficiency. We all have to watch this from time to time.
Next we have Philistia. In the early days of Israel, the Philistines were considered barbaric and violent. They were powerful, and thus greatly feared by the Israelites. So the spiritual parallel here would be people trying to attain their goals with brute force or bullying tactics. Sometimes this bullying can be psychological, and can often achieve a certain amount of success – just because others don’t confront. But it’s totally ungodly. (In fact, force is the technique of the devil).
The third nation we see judged is Moab. Now this is an interesting one, and we need to listen up to what God is saying here. Moab was the incestuous son of Lot, born to his daughter, and the word means, “From Father.” In a spiritual sense, this word can refer to traditions – learned from our fathers.
So what’s so bad about traditions? Aren’t they good? Don’t they keep us grounded? Sometimes.
However, there are times when the traditions of men will completely conflict with what God is trying to do in our lives, and we have to choose.
You may have heard the joke about the lady who always cut off the end of her ham before cooking it – because that’s the way her mother and grandmother did it. Curious about why she would throw away perfectly good meat, her husband went on a pursuit to discover the answer. His wife’s mother did it because her mother did it. So he pursued further to the origin, and found the reason. The grandmother cut it off because her pan was too short.
That’s the way it is with traditions. There may be a good reason, or there might not be.
So let’s apply these concepts to our walk with God. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Your traditions make the Word of God of no effect.”( Matthew 15:6). They ignored the Word in order to honor traditions.
Any of us who have grown up in a church environment know how many customs are involved. There are customs of worship, order, sacraments, and doctrines. There’s really nothing wrong with all of that.
However, when our customs are held higher than what God says in his Word, we are in trouble. He won’t be able to teach us anything, and we won’t grow in our walk with Him.
So let’s stay meek and teachable. Let’s allow our Father to guide us into more and more of what He wants us to know. Our ancestors didn’t know all there was to know about God – and neither do we. Let’s reach out for all that He has for us, and stay pliable in His hands.
Hebrews 5
Jesus changes the priesthood. During the Old Testament all of the priests came from the tribe of Levi. They were holy men, but of course, they were not perfect. They had to sacrifice a lamb for themselves as well as for others.
When Jesus completed His earthly mission and sat down beside His Father, He became our High Priest, but not like the earthly one. He is perfect. He paid the price once for all sin for all eternity – for those who receive the gift.
Paul begins to admonish the listeners because he wants to reveal more of his revelation, but feels hindered. The Hebrews need elementary principles explained again and again. Only through listening and applying the Word to their lives will they grow. They will be able to have “solid food” and not just “milk,” when they apply what they have learned.
That applies to us too. We should strive to practice what we know, so that we too can grow up and be ready for the meat of the Word.
That’s what I’m striving for.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Jeremiah 43-45
Famous last words, “I’ll do whatever you say, Lord.” How many times are promises made to the Father which are not kept? (Maybe we have been guilty of that ourselves from time to time). In an emotional moment, there is nothing we won’t do. Then the promise gets harder, and… you know how it is.
Well, that’s the way it is with Johanan and all the “proud men” who are left in Judah. (43:2) Afraid that they will suffer a fate similar to Gedaliah, these men plan to go to Egypt. However, the Word from God as spoken through Jeremiah is “Don’t do it. If you go, I can’t bless you.”
Do they listen? Of course not. These “proud men” are just like the “proud men” of any era. They think that they are too smart for God’s man.
So they go to Egypt and even take Jeremiah with them.
Our Father’s plan had been to leave in Judah a remnant to “keep the fires burning” for His land. They would be blessed and be forerunners for the return of His people several decades later. However, not listening to Him, they forfeit that blessing.
Egypt, like Judah, is to be ravaged by Babylon. Alas.
There are times in our walk with God when we think we know what we should do, but He has other plans. Sometimes those plans may seem illogical, but if we know for sure that He is leading us in a certain direction, we must go there. Only our Father knows the end from the beginning, and His way is always the best way.
We must listen to Him.
Hebrews 3-4
We come to the most important principle in the Word for a successful Christian life. We come to the principle of Faith.
We often think of sin as mistreatment of others, or of unholy living. And indeed those things are sin. Yet God considers the greatest sin to be doubting Him.
The children of Israel are our example. When the Lord reached into Egypt and dramatically delivered this nation, He displayed great signs and wonders. There was no question left that God was God and all-powerful. He showed His ability for all the people to see. (Just think about seeing a great sea part in the middle, with the water standing up on either side so that they could walk across on dry ground).
So the Israelites come to the border of the Promised Land, and they send spies to see what the land is like. One from each tribe goes into the land and looks around. All of them come back reporting that the land is magnificent. The produce is huge and it’s generally a terrific place.
However, there are some giants there, and that sways most of the spies. 10 of the 12 spies report that the giants are too big and that they feel like grasshoppers in their presence. There are only two brave, faithful men in the bunch. Joshua and Caleb report that there are indeed giants, but they know that the mighty God who delivered them out of Egypt will carry them into the Land of Promise.
The majority of spies influence the masses of people, and they cry all night – blaming the Lord for bringing them out of Egypt just to die in the wilderness. Shocking! Such disbelief! So the Lord refuses to take them in. They cannot enter in because of unbelief.
So it’s your turn. Do you believe God? I mean really believe Him? Do you believe for miracles in your life and the lives of those around you? Do you believe for healing? Your family delivered? Your needs met?
When we are walking in God’s will, there are blessings which are promised to us. That’s our Promised Land: the land of our promises from Him. Now there are giants there (demonic forces which try to keep us from receiving), but we can conquer them if we believe Him and His Word. The key is having faith in what He says.
One of the most provocative scriptures in the Bible is Hebrews 4:2. “For the gospel was preached to us as well as them, but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”
We have a part in what our God does for us. He has promised us lots, but we have to mix those promises with our faith. Only when we believe what God says, do we profit from what He says. In fact, when we don’t believe Him, we displease our Father greatly.
This is a principle which we would do well to meditate on again and again. I would suggest reading and re-reading these two chapters until we “get it.”
When we become people of faith in God, we will see Him work amazingly in our lives. So let’s go after it!
Our God can do anything in our lives when we put our trust in Him.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Jeremiah 37-39
There’s an old saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” When the time comes – in any life – for death and destruction to be at the door, people instinctively reach out for God, even if they don’t know Him.
That’s what we see with Zedekiah. He has been appointed king by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. (The Chaldean country had besieged Judah and taken off some of the elites. Now they were demanding their choice of leadership in the land). Certainly, Nebuchadnezzar had not chosen someone who would be faithful to his God. So we have a lukewarm Jew as king.
Publicly Zedekiah persecuted and abused Jeremiah, but there are hints that he had the aforementioned “foxhole syndrome.” When the king discovered that Jeremiah had been thrown into a cistern and bogged down in mud, he engineered the prophet’s secret release. And he brought him to his own guardhouse.
Soon thereafter, promising to keep him safe and not to punish him for his words, Zedekiah calls Jeremiah to him. “What’s God saying to you?” is his request.
The prophet boldly tells Zedekiah the word of the Lord. Judah will be overthrown by Babylon; there is no stopping it. If the king will willingly go and turn himself over to Nebuchadnezzar, then he will not be harmed and Jerusalem will not be burned. If the king resists, however, the reverse will be true.
Zedekiah stubbornly remains in his place, and is soon carried away against his will. His palace and many fine homes are burned by the invading army, and Zedekiah’s sons are killed before his eyes. Then he is blinded and carried away. The king’s life is spared, but just as Jeremiah predicted, he suffers greatly.
When God speaks, we must listen. He is calling to His church today, stirring hearts to return to Him. He is a glorious, wonderful, merciful God who wants to bless us all abundantly.
If we will just listen, obey, and receive from Him!
Hebrews 1
Heads up! Every time we read Hebrews we should be energized in the spirit. It’s such a wonderful rendition of Christ and what he has done for us. And it is the best comparison between the old and new covenants.
First we establish who Jesus is. He speaks to us in these last days to bring us the revelation of God’s plan – and just what He wants to do through us.
Jesus is the heir of all things, being the exact representation of God’s nature. (If we’ve seen Jesus, we’ve seen the Father). But His magnificence is explained even more. Jesus “upholds all things by the Word of His power.” (V. 3) It was Jesus who spoke the world into existence, and the power in that word is still here today. The world is still spinning as it was in the beginning – and won’t stop until He tells it to. Think about that!
One Word of His power can create or destroy. When he speaks, things happen. Mind-boggling.
So this mighty, perfect Son of God paid the price for our sins and sat down at the right hand of his Father in heaven.
Now all the hosts of heaven – the angels and the demons are subject to Him. The demons have to flee when He tells them to. And the angels scurry about doing His will in the earth. They are ministering spirits sent to help those who inherit salvation.
Now we usually can’t see these spirits, but they are there. If you think about it, I bet there have been times when you knew they had to be helping you. Maybe a car accident avoided or a dangerous situation averted. Or maybe you knew that they helped you to find something you lost.
We have so many advantages as we walk with our God. As we pray, we can pray for angels to bring people across the paths of our loved ones who haven’t come to know Jesus yet. Using the authority delegated to us, as we speak God’s word, angels must obey us also.
They are at work on our behalf, so let’s be aware of them as much as we can. We will become more and more mindful of the benefits they provide.
We have everything we need for this abundant life we are living.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Jeremiah 34-36
The kings are no longer appointed by God. The king of Egypt came, deposed the king, and made Eliakim king over Judah, renaming him Jehoiakim. (II Chronicles 36:3-4) Needless to say, they didn’t pick a holy man to reign. So Jeremiah’s words mean nothing to him.
Since Jeremiah is no longer allowed in the temple, he tries to get his message to the leadership some other way. First he brings in some nomads who live in the area. They are true to their traditions as presented to them by their fathers. They don’t drink wine and they never build houses, but live in tents. Those ancestral traditions are obeyed to the letter.
Jeremiah uses these people as representatives of those who follow the leading of their fathers, in contrast to the Jews who don’t. He sends these people with that word to the leaders. To no avail.
Then the prophet calls Baruch the scribe to him. He dictates all of the words which God has spoken to him – from the beginning. Baruch writes them on a scroll, and takes them to the temple. As he reads them, some of the leaders feel compelled to take the messages to the king. Again to no avail.
The king, appointed by Egypt, burns the scrolls and tries to find Baruch and Jeremiah.
It’s ironic how evil tries to silence the messenger. As if the truth won’t be the truth when it’s not being spoken.
On his 95th birthday, Billy Graham aired on TV what he calls his final message: the message of the cross. The message of hope for all mankind.
This sweet, holy man, who reminds everyone of God’s forgiveness awaiting them, speaks very plainly. He said, “The cross confronts, and sometimes makes them hostile.” The reason? “It doesn’t suggest, but it commands that people receive it and change their lifestyles.” Those who don’t want to change, fight against the message ,and they fight against the messenger.
It was the same in the days of Jeremiah. Those who didn’t want to hear what God was saying would try to stop the message. But they couldn’t.
The truth is the truth. Eventually everyone will know it, but for some it will be too late.
That’s the way it was in the days of Jeremiah. That’s the way it is today.
Philemon
Even though slavery was a common practice in the early days of the church, it’s easy to see God’s attitude toward it here.
Paul is appealing to Philemon to accept Onesimus, his former slave, as a brother in Christ. He has come to the Lord under Paul’s ministry while in prison. Onesimus is being sent back, to fulfill the law of the land, but Paul’s appeal is for pardon and freedom.
This is such a good picture of the way God works in our hearts. Our works are no longer under the law, but they are fruits emanating from spirits loyal to our God.
When we become new creatures, our hearts are sensitive to what our Father wants. No longer are we compelled, but we are led, to do what is right toward our brothers and sisters.
The urgings of the Spirit should be our guide. God’s Word in accordance with these leadings bring us to a higher level than any law – whether an earthly one or the God-ordained Old Testament law.
It’s always a higher standard, but one we embrace willingly when we allow our Father to work within our hearts.
A better covenant and a better way of life.
