Jeremiah 11
LORD gives Jeremiah a history lesson in obedience verse 1- 5
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD
saying
Hear you the words of this covenant
and speak unto the men of Judah
and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
And say you to them
thus says the LORD God of Israel
Cursed be the man that obeys not the words of HIS covenant
which I commanded your fathers in the day that
I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt
from the IRON FURNACE – saying
Obey MY voice – and do them
According to all which I command you
so you shall be MY people – and I will be your God
that I may perform the oath which I have
sworn unto your fathers
to give them a land flowing with
milk and honey as it is this day
Then answered I – and said
So be it – O LORD
LORD sends Jeremiah to the streets of Jerusalem verse 6- 8
Then the LORD
said to me
Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah
and in the streets of Jerusalem
saying
Hear you the words of this covenant
and do them
For I earnestly protested to your fathers
in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt
even unto this day
rising early and protesting – saying
Obey MY voice
Yet they obeyed not – nor inclined their ear
BUT walked everyone in the imagination of their evil heart
THEREFORE I will bring upon them
all the words of this covenant
which I commanded them to do
BUT they did them not
LORD knows people will not listen and obey verse 9- 10
And the LORD
said to me
A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah
and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem
They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers
which refused to hear MY words
They went after other gods to serve them
the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken
MY covenant which I made with their fathers
LORD warns people that their false gods will not save verse 11- 13
THEREFORE
thus says the LORD
BEHOLD – I will bring evil upon them
which they shall not be able to escape
and though they shall cry to ME
I will not hearken unto them
THEN shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go
and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense
BUT they shall not save them at all
in the time of their trouble
For according to the number of thy cities were your gods – O Judah
and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem
have you set up altars to that shameful thing
even altars to burn incense to Baal
LORD commands Jeremiah not to pray for them again verse 14
THEREFORE pray not you for this people
neither lift up a cry or prayer for them
for I WILL NOT HEAR them
in the time that they cry
unto ME for their trouble
LORD gives judgment verse 15
What has MY beloved to do in MINE house
seeing she has wrought lewdness with many
and the holy flesh is passed from you?
when you do evil – then you rejoice
LORD commands “olive tree” to be judged verse 16- 17
The LORD
called your name
A green olive tree – fair –of goodly fruit
with the noise of a great tumult HE has kindled fire upon it
and the branches of it are broken
For the LORD of hosts – that planted you
has pronounced evil against you
for the evil of the house of Israel
and of the house of Judah
which they have done against
themselves to provoke ME
to anger in offering incense
to Baal
LORD informs Jeremiah of plot to kill him verse 18- 19
And the LORD has given me knowledge of it – and I know it
then YOU showed me their doings
BUT I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter
and I knew not that they had devised devices against me
saying
Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof
and let us cut him off from the land of the living
that his name may be no more remembered
Jeremiah prays for LORD’S protection verse 20
BUT – O LORD of hosts – that judges righteously
that tries the reins and the heart
let me see YOUR vengeance on them
for to YOU have I revealed my cause
LORD promises to deal with enemies of Jeremiah verse 21- 23
THEREFORE thus says the LORD of the men of Anathoth
that seek your life – saying
Prophesy not in the name of the LORD
that you die not by our hand
THEREFORE thus
says the LORD of hosts
BEHOLD – I will punish them
the young men shall die by the sword
their sons and their daughters shall die by famine
and there shall be no remnant of them
for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth
even the year of their visitation
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:3 And say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel: “Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). Curse – to curse, lay under a curse, put a curse on.
DEVOTION: Jeremiah is speaking to a group of people that had just received the word of God if this is the time of the discovery of God’s word being discovered during the reign of Josiah in 2 Chronicles 34. Jeremiah is calling on the people of God to heed the words of this covenant that Josiah has read to them.
The reading of God’s word is an important part of the growth of the believer and it is a tragic wrong doing on the part of the church to remove the reading of God’s word in favor of other items in the service time. Nehemiah read the word and revival erupted (Nehemiah 8-13); Josiah had the word read and massive reformation took place in the nation. Paul exhorts Timothy to public reading of the word of God (1 Timothy 4:13).
We as a people need to be more observant and determined to read the word of God and to obey them as we read. Too often we are prone to read and then go about our day as if nothing has changed. Reading without application is not reading at all.
CHALLENGE: Hear the word of the Lord and be obedient! It may mean speaking to someone or writing a note. It could suggest memorizing a portion of Scripture that the Lord has laid on your heart. Whatever the piece of Scripture is that you read seek to be obedient to the spirit as He speaks through it. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 7 For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice. (8085 “obey” [shama] means to hear intelligently, understand, pay attention, consider, discern, listen, or regard.)
DEVOTION: The LORD made it simple when HE delivered the children of Israel from Egypt. HE commanded them to just pay attention to what HE had to say to them. HE wanted them to listen to HIS commands. HE repeated these words often to the children of Israel but they didn’t want to listen. They didn’t want to understand what was required of them. They didn’t want to pay attention.
What should the LORD do with these kind of children? What would we do? HE warned them what would happen. Remember that in the Old Testament parents could take their rebellious children to the elders of the town and they could judge whether they should be stoned to death.
Here we have God stating that HE was going to deal with HIS rebellious children in the same way using the nation of Babylon. They continued to walk after the imagination of their evil hearts. They continued to break HIS covenant agreement with them.
HE stated to Jeremiah that HE would not hear their prayers. HE told Jeremiah to not pray for them. HE said they could pray to their false gods for help.
Finally, HE told Jeremiah that they wanted to kill him because he was speaking the truth to them about their condition. They didn’t want to hear the truth. They thought if Jeremiah was dead the message would go away.
Jeremiah prayed for help from the LORD. The LORD promised HE would deal with those who wanted to kill Jeremiah.
The LORD wants us to listen to HIS Son and the Word of God. HE continues to send individuals who love HIM to share the truth of the Word of God. Many are not listening to them. They would rather not hear them. Some church leaders do not even bother sharing from the Word of God any more. They tell stories. They tell the people that the Bible only contains the Word of God. It is not all true.
What are we to do? We need to continue to share with people the TRUTH of the Word of God. We need to do it until HE comes for us or we leave this world.
There could come a time, even here, where people will try to kill us for telling them the TRUTH that is found in the Word of God. Should we stop? NO!!!
Pay attention to the Word of God. Jeremiah did and the LORD promised to protect him. HE will do the same for us!! Praise HIS name!
CHALLENGE: God is still protesting in heaven to those who will not hear intelligently the TRUTH of HIS word. Find out the TRUTH of the Word of God and spread even if it could be hazardous to your health.
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: 11 Therefore thus says the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry to ME, I will not hearken to them. (2199 “cry” [za‘aq] means assemble, call, call for help, cry out in need, to utter aloud a request for help with intensity, or to summon)
DEVOTION: Throughout the Word of God we will find times when the LORD will not hear the prayers of those who are suffering. Here is an example of this happening to Israel because they would not hear HIS prophets, then HE would not hear their prayers.
The LORD wants HIS people to listen to HIM and to those HE sends to warn them of coming judgment. If the people who claim to be God’s people are not willing to listen to the messengers HE send to them, then the LORD is not going to listen to their prayers.
Sometimes we wonder why the LORD is not answering our prayer and it might be we are not listening to HIM or HIS servants when they try to tell us that we are walking in the wrong direction and we don’t want to change.
God is interested in helping HIS servants as long as they are listening to HIM and repenting of their sins and walking in a manner that is pleasing to HIM.
This is not only true of individuals but of nations. Here we find a nation that the LORD loved being judged because they are willing to change their behavior. Could this be true of our nation that was founded on Christian principles? Are we willing to listen to the LORD when we hear HIS Word preached? Can a nation have a revival like Israel has in the past?
We need to be encouraging fellow believers to be listening to the instructions of the LORD. Pastors need to be teaching the truth of the Word of God rather than just entertaining those who claim to be believers but who are not willing to change their behavior to please the LORD fully.
CHALLENGE: We have to ask ourselves as individuals if we are following the LORD with all our heart? Also we need to consider only attending a church that is giving us the truth of the Word of God rather than just entertaining us for an hour!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 14 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble. (8605 “prayer” [taphillah] means pray a prayer, house of prayer, entreaty, supplication, plea, or request.)
DEVOTION: We found in chapter seven verse sixteen that the LORD told Jeremiah to not pray for the children of Judah. They enjoyed sinning. They didn’t want to change. Judgment was coming.
When those who claim to be followers of the LORD live outside HIS commandments they will be chastened of the LORD. The LORD states many places in the Bible that was established before the foundation of the world that those HE loves HE chastens.
Now there were two groups of people in Judah. There were those who were trying to follow the LORD and those who didn’t care. The ones who cared about listening to the LORD were in the minority. They are called the remnant throughout the books of prophecy.
Those who don’t care to follow the LORD are those who will not listen to the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit would leave individuals who would not listen to the LORD.
In the New Testament the Holy Spirit indwells those who make a commitment to the LORD. This commitment was known of the LORD before the foundation of the world. Does that mean that there was no choice involved? NO!!! God is omniscient and doesn’t live in time. HE will send sickness, weakness and pre-mature death to those individuals who are genuine believers that are not listening to the LORD.
Now we have two groups of people in our world today. One group rejects Jesus Christ and all HE teaches without reservation but also part of this group are those who claim to have said a prayer or made a commitment to the LORD at a meeting but there have been little or no change in their life. They continue to live as they please. They are not committed to studying the Word of God or prayer. They attend church regularly or at least some of them do but that is as far as their commitment goes. They are considered by some as baby or carnal Christians. However, there was never a real commitment. The LORD will say on judgment day “I never knew you.”
Finally, there are those like Jeremiah living in Jerusalem who were going to see captivity but would be preserved through it all. They were the ones who were genuine followers of the LORD that want to learn more of the Word of God and want a close relationship with the LORD. They will fall down at times but the LORD will lift them up. If they continue in sin the LORD will send warnings because again those HE loves HE chastens.
CHALLENGE: Our heart informs us, as to which groups we are in. Our actions show us our heart’s desire. If there is any doubt go to the LORD in prayer and settle it with HIM. HE will answer the prayers of HIS children.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Jeremiah responses to LORD with prayer verse 5
LORD tells Jeremiah he will not hear prayer verse 11
Jeremiah told to NOT pray for Israel verse 14
Jeremiah prays for his own deliverance verse 20
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Incense verse 12, 13
Altars verse 13
God’s house verse 15
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 3, 5, 9, 11, 16– 18, 20- 22
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 3, 4
LORD God of Israel verse 3
Oath to fathers of Israel verse 5
land flowing with milk and honey
I earnestly protested : “Obey MY voice” verse 7
Bring evil on Israel verse 11
LORD of hosts verse 17, 20, 22
I will punish (men of
Pronounced evil against Israel verse 17
Judge (judges righteously, tries the reins and
heart verse 20, 22
Tries reins and heart verse 20
I will punish men of Anathoth, their sons
and their daughters will die by famine verse 22
No remnant of men of Anathoth verse 23
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Egypt- Iron furnace verse 4, 7
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Not obeying words of covenant verse 3, 8, 10
Obeyed not God’s voice verse 8
Not listening to LORD verse 8
Walking – imagination of evil heart verse 8
Conspiracy verse 9
Iniquities of forefathers verse 10
Refused to hear LORD verse 10, 21
Served other gods verse 10, 12, 13
Broken LORD’S covenant verse 10
Evil verse 11, 15, 17, 23
Wrong type of prayer verse 11, 12, 14
Worshiping false gods (cry unto) verse 12, 13
Offer incense to false gods verse 12
Set up altars to false gods verse 13
Worshiping Baal verse 13, 17
Lewdness verse 15
Rejoicing in evil verse 15
Provoke LORD to anger verse 17
Offering incense to Baal verse 17
Devise devises against prophet verse 19
Murder verse 19, 21
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Covenant verse 2, 3, 6, 8
Obey verse 4, 6, 7
Do (Keep) covenant verse 4
Inheritance verse 5
Prayer verse 11
Knowledge verse 18
Let God give vengeance verse 20
Reveal cause to LORD verse 20
Speak in name of the LORD verse 21
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jeremiah verse 1
Told to proclaim God’s words
Told to not pray for people of Israel
Told to not lift up a cry
LORD gave him knowledge
LORD showed him Israel’s doings
Like a lamb brought to slaughter
Didn’t know Israel had devised
devices against him
Wants to see HIS vengeance of LORD
Revealed his casue
Men of Judah verse 2, 9, 10
conspiracy found
Jerusalem verse 2, 6, 9, 12, 13
streets
inhabitants of – conspiracy
turned back to iniquities of fathers
Israel verse 3, 10, 17
Covenant given verse 3
Cursed are those who don’t obey covenant verse 3
Brought out of Egypt verse 4
Given a command verse 4
God’s people verse 4
Fathers verse 4
Cities of Judah verse 6, 12, 13, 17
Told to “Hear” the words of covenant and Do verse 6
House of Judah verse 10, 17
House of Israel verse 10, 17
Time of trouble verse 12
God’s beloved verse 15
Holy flesh is passed from Israel verse 15
Noise of a great tumult verse 16
Men of Anathoth verse 21- 23
Seek life of Jeremiah
Didn’t want Jeremiah to prophecy
in name of the name of the LORD
Wanted Jeremiah to die by their hand
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Year of their visitation verse 23
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QUOTES regarding passage
18–23. These verses describe the hostility which Jeremiah encountered among the people of his birthplace. The Anathoth priests had lived there since the time of Solomon (1 Kgs 2:26f.), and by force of circumstances were excluded from priestly functions in Jerusalem. Perhaps their jealousy of Jeremiah’s support for Josiah’s reforms stirred up their opposition. Although God had given the prophet some warning, his relationship to the people of Anathoth was that of an animal which is completely unaware of the intentions of its owner to slaughter it. The resentment of the townsmen was evidently aroused when Jeremiah, the son of a priest, actively supported the suppression of local shrines in conformity with Josiah’s legislation. Hence the native sons wished to destroy the prophetic tree with its fruit, as with most evv. An alternative rendering would be ‘in flowing sap’, reading bĕlēḥô (‘in its sap’) for bĕlaḥmô (‘with its bread’). As another Lamb of God observed, a man’s foes shall be those of his own household (Matt. 10:36). Jeremiah was not to be deterred from prophesying, however, being assured that none of the conspirators would survive. According to Ezra 2:23, 128 men of Anathoth returned to post-exilic Judea. (Harrison, R. K. (1973). Jeremiah and Lamentations: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 21, pp. 99–100). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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11:18–23. The people responded to Jeremiah’s rebuke by trying to kill him. This is the first episode in their continuing opposition to his ministry (cf. 1:8, 17–19). However, God revealed their plot to Jeremiah. These enemies planned to cut Jeremiah off from the land of the living, that is, to kill him. His response was to ask God to execute His vengeance on these conspirators.
God responded by assuring Jeremiah of His swift judgment. The plot against Jeremiah was formulated by the men of Anathoth, Jeremiah’s own hometown (1:1), who ordered him not to prophesy or he would die by their hands. God promised to punish these rebels with the sword and with famine. Anathoth would suffer disaster because of her opposition to God’s message and messenger. (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Jeremiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1144). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The conspiracy against Jeremiah (vv. 18–23) grew out of the people’s rejection of God’s Word, for if they had accepted the Word of God, they would have honored His prophet and listened to what he had to say. You would think that the priests in Anathoth would have had more discernment than to listen to the false prophets, but holding a religious office is no guarantee that people possess spiritual wisdom.
The men of Anathoth, Jeremiah’s hometown, plotted to kill him because his message convicted them. Rather than repent, they decided to destroy the messenger. But they had a second reason: as loyal Jews, they felt that his prophecies were harmful to the welfare of the nation. Jeremiah preached impending judgment from Babylon, while the false prophets were declaring messages of peace (Jer. 6:14; 8:11). Jeremiah insisted that the people obey the law and bring their sacrifices to the temple and not to the local shrines (“high places”), some of which were dedicated to idols, and the priests didn’t like that. Jeremiah was pro-Babylon while the rulers were pro-Egypt. In other words, Jeremiah was out of step with his times, and because he was decisive, he had to walk alone and “vote with God.”
Until God warned him about it, Jeremiah knew nothing about the plot against his life, and when he heard the news, he felt like a helpless lamb being led to the slaughter (11:19; see Isa. 53:7). All he could do was commit himself and his enemies to the Lord and trust God to work. This is the first of several occasions in his life when Jeremiah privately poured out his heart to the Lord and asked Him to fight his battles and help him with his depression and fears (Jer. 11:19–20; 12:1–4; 15:10–17; 17:12–18; 18:20–23; 20:7–18). Publicly, Jeremiah was bold before people, but privately, he was broken before God. God assured His servant that his enemies would be dealt with when the day of disaster came and the Babylonians captured Jerusalem. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (pp. 58–59). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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11:18–23 You showed me. Jeremiah’s fellow townsmen from Anathoth, one of the 48 cities throughout the land dedicated to the Levites, plotted his death. Their words, “Let us destroy the tree,” indicate their desire to silence Jeremiah by murder. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Je 11:18–23). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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Ver. 23. And there shall be no remnant of them, &c.] And thus the measure they meted out to the prophet was measured to them; they devised to destroy him root and branch, the tree with its fruit; and now none shall be left of them; such who escaped the sword and the famine should be carried captive, as they were; for though there were none left in Anathoth, there were some preserved alive, and were removed into Babylon; since, at the return from thence, the men of Anathoth were a hundred twenty and eight, Neh. 7:27: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation; or, in the year of their visitation; that is, of the visitation of their sins, as the Targum; which was the year of the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem, and was in the nineteenth of Nebuchadnezzar, ch. 52:12 and this was not a chance matter, but what was fixed and determined by the Lord. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 468). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Daniel 2
Nebuchadnezzar requires the wise men to tell him his dream and its interpretation.
INSIGHT
One of our responsibilities as children of God is to give God credit for who He is and what He does. It is a careless Christian who stands under the showers of God’s blessings without recognizing them. It is an irresponsible Christian who recognizes God’s blessings and does not give God the credit. Daniel recognizes God’s work and tells the king that it is God who “reveals deep and secret things” (v. 22). And through this, God is glorified. We must always be alert to the blessings of God in our lives, express our gratitude to Him, and give Him public credit. (Quiet Walk)
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THE HOLINESS OF GOD
Be ye holy; for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:16
God’s moral attributes are, in a sense, communicable. Something corresponding to them is to be found in men and women. What are these? Well, first we must mention the holiness of God. What is holiness? I think we almost inevitably tend to deal with it in negative terms, and we define it as meaning that God is entirely separate from and apart from sin. Holiness primarily means separation–separation from evil.
But, of course, holiness is also something positive. It is absolute purity. The Bible teaches us everywhere that God is holy, and a part of the manifestation of this holiness is His hatred of sin and His separation from sin, from the sinner and from all that is evil.
Let me give you certain outstanding examples and illustrations of the Bible’s teaching on this. God has revealed His holiness by granting visions of Himself to certain people. There is the great case of Moses, in Exodus 33 and in other places, where God appeared, as it were, to Moses, and Moses was overwhelmed by the sense of His holiness. The same thing happened to Job, to Isaiah, and to Ezekiel. Anyone who has ever come anywhere near to God has always been impressed by His absolute holiness.
The Bible teaches this in certain terms that it uses; it refers to God as “the Holy One” (Isaiah 40:25), and we have God’s injunction, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16), which is a specific, explicit statement of God’s holiness.
I suppose if you were to be asked to say where the Bible teaches the holiness of God most powerfully of all, you have to go to Calvary. God is so holy, so utterly holy, that nothing but that awful death could make it possible for Him to forgive us. The cross is the supreme and the sublimest declaration and revelation of the holiness of God.
A Thought to Ponder: The cross is the supreme and the sublimest declaration and revelation of the holiness of God.
From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 69-71.
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Listen to Jesus!
“And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.” (Mark 9:7-8)
The transfiguration of Jesus is the greatest miracle during His time on Earth outside of His resurrection. Jesus led His inner circle, Peter, James, and John, to a “high mountain” to pray. While Jesus was praying, He was transfigured (metemorphothe, English metamorphosis) into a glorified state. Moses and Elijah then appeared “in glory” and spoke with Him of His coming death in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). At this time, Jesus was preparing for His death, and His disciples couldn’t accept it (Mark 8:31-33).
When the three disciples saw Jesus’ glory and who was with Him, Peter suggested building three tabernacles, or booths, like those used in the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-43), one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah—placing Jesus on the same level as these Old Testament prophets. But a terrifying, Mount Sinai-like “bright” cloud overshadowed the mountaintop, engulfing them (Matthew 17:5). The First Person of the Trinity rebuked Peter for marginalizing His Son by declaring, “This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Mark 9:7). In other words, God called on them to honor His Son. Listen to Him! When the cloud cleared, only one person remained in front of them—the Lord Jesus Christ.
What’s our implication? Every believer is to listen to the Lord Jesus Christ and experience an equally radical “metamorphosis” in our thinking. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed [metemorphothe] by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). (CM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Patti Garibay, founder and executive director of American Heritage Girls (AHG) announced that the Girl Scouts USA “have lost their moral compass,” drawing attention to the organizations continued engagement with “left-wing political activism,” and close partnership with pro-abortion organizations such as Planned Parenthood, “exposing young girls to liberal politicians and promoting their ideology.”
With the 107thanniversary of the founding of Girl Scouts approaching, Garibay addressed how far the present-day organization has come from its inception, and how much its values and emphases have changed.
Girl Scouts USA recently honored a recipient of the Gold Award, Girl Scout’s highest achievement, to an Arizona girl scout for her project in which she organized a pro-choice campaign promoting “reproductive health justice,” according to Life News.
The young high schooler said she became interested in advocating for abortion after the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. She worked with the Women’s March to “educate people about and de-stigmatize access to women’s healthcare.”
The Girl Scouts organization states on its website that it “develop materials” or “take a position” on issues relating to birth control, sexuality, and abortion, said CBN News. In spite of this the Girl Scouts have a “cozy relationship” with the abortion industry, according to co-editor of MyGirlScoutCounsil.com, Christy Volanski.
Girl Scouts’ statements concerning these relationships conflict with the organization’s history. Their website clearly states they do “not have a relationship or partnership with Planned Parenthood.”
Yet Kathy Cloninger, former Girl Scouts CEO told NBC in that Girl Scouts “partner with many organizations. We have relationships with our church communities, with YMCAs, and with Planned Parenthood organizations across the country, to bring information-based sex education programs to girls.”
CBN News reveals that in a 2013 national survey, 17 Girl Scouts councils admitted to partnering with Planned Parenthood.
Many faith-based communities and leadership have broken ties with the organization because of its continued connection to Planned Parenthood, and instead have been encouraged to turn to American Heritage Girls troops, an organization which “stands for Life and created a Respect Life Patch in 2015 to reinforce the organization’s commitment to honoring life from conception to natural death.”
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Jesus teaches on the Beatitudes.
INSIGHT
Love is the fundamental factor of all meaningful relationships. Love is an action — the action of selflessness, of esteeming others above ourselves. All interpersonal problems could be solved with a faithful, mutual expression of love.
Imagine what the world would be like if everyone acted in love. No war. No divorce. No AIDS. No murder. No rape. No tears.
Though Jesus knew that sin presently prevents perfect love, He held believers to a high standard of showing His love in this world: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). (Quiet Walk)
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THE NAME OF GOD
I have manifested thy name… John 17:6
In Scripture the name always stands for the character; it represents what a person really is. Let me remind you of some of the names that are used for God in the Scriptures. God is given the name Jehovah-nissi—the Lord Our Banner—in Exodus 17:15. That is the name He revealed to the children of Israel after a great victory, a victory won not by their own strength, nor by their own military prowess, but because God enabled them to obtain the victory—the Lord Our Banner.
You and I have enemies to meet in this world—sin and temptation. The world is full of these subtle enemies, and behind them all is the devil himself with all his power. Do you know what it is to be attacked by him? Do you know, for example, what it is to have blasphemous thoughts insinuated into your minds? The saints of God have had to experience that. The devil hurls fiery darts, says Paul, and who are we to meet such a foe? We are small and weak and helpless, but thank God, we know One whose name is Jehovah-nissi, the Lord Our Banner, who can help us smite every foe and rout and conquer every enemy.
But let me give you another: Jehovah-shalom—The Lord Is Peace. That was the name by which God revealed Himself to Gideon. Gideon was fearful and unhappy, but God told him that He was Jehovah-shalom (Judges 6:24), and this is one of the most precious promises. It does not matter what kind of turmoil you are in or how heart-sore you may be. If you are beside yourself and cannot understand why things are happening to you, go to Him. He has promised to give you peace. Remember that noble statement in Hebrews 13:20, “…the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus.” Jehovah-shalom—The Lord Is Peace—He makes peace with His people.
A Thought to Ponder: We know One whose name is Jehovah-nissi, the Lord Our Banner. (From Safe in the World, pp. 46, 51-52, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Messages from the Messiah’s Life: The Feeding of the 5,000
“When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.” (John 6:5-6)
Word began to get out about the Lord Jesus healing all who came to Him, and a “great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased” (John 6:2). An exasperated Philip noted that “two hundred pennyworth of bread” would not be enough so that “every one of them may take a little” (John 6:7).
Andrew found a “lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes, but what are they among so many?” (John 6:9). Jesus calmly told the disciples to seat the crowd, gave thanks, and distributed the food to the disciples, who then dispersed the food until the crowd was filled (John 6:11). Twelve baskets were collected of leftover bread “that nothing be lost” (John 6:12-13).
What actually happened? New matter was created—instantly! Since “all things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16), the Lord Jesus not only demonstrated His power to create, but also the design to conserve that which is created. Remember the first law of thermodynamics: Matter can neither be created nor destroyed.
Those who insist that the structure of the universe must have taken eons to develop are going against the evidence given by the Creator Himself when He was on Earth. The incarnate Son of God openly demonstrated His power over all creation by miracles like this event. Jesus later said, “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him” (John 10:37-38). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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This Is the Church
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ACTS 2:42
I hope you’re already part of a church family—not as a spectator but as a committed, involved participant in a community of followers of Jesus Christ. But if you’re not, here are five things you should look for as you consider establishing yourself in a church. If you’re already an active member and any of these things are lacking in your congregation, consider what you can do and how you can be praying for these characteristics to blossom there:
1. Is it anchored in the Scriptures? Is the Bible clearly taught as the authoritative Word of God? Is the gospel of Jesus Christ the anchor, motivating you to live and proclaim the transforming grace of God in every area of
your life?
2. Does it have a sense of community? Is there a connectedness between people when the service is over on Sunday morning? Does there seem to be authenticity and honesty in the relationships?
3. Is it characterized by worship? Today’s culture is incredibly self-centered. You need an interruption in your week to jerk you out of that stream and say, “There’s something much bigger than me going on here. Life is not about me; it’s about who God is and what He’s doing.”
4. Is there opportunity for involvement? Is this a church where you’re encouraged to minister to others? One of the greatest joys of life is to be used by the Lord God Almighty in another human being’s life.
5. Does it build men? I’m not minimizing ministry to women and children, but a lot of the struggles in our families and culture could become points of victory if men were equipped with a vision for manhood and
were living it out.
DISCUSS
Give your church—or the church you are considering—a letter grade in each of these five areas. Compare grades and talk about how you can help your church become more effective. (Moments with YOU by Dennis & Barabara Rainey)
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Daniel 1
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, chooses Israelite captives to be trained to serve him.
INSIGHT
Moral courage. It is the resolve to do what is right–even if no one knows. Regardless of the consequences. Even when you are weary. Even when there are extenuating circumstances and when everyone would understand if you “caved in.” Daniel is a man of moral courage. The food he is offered probably violates the dietary restrictions in the Law of Moses. Note the words: “Daniel purposed in his heart” (1:8). Then God brings Daniel into favor. He gives him skill; He gives him a healthy glow. When faced with moral challenges, we must do our part–be obedient from the heart. And then trust God to do His part. (Quiet Walk)
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