Jeremiah 12
Jeremiah questions God’s justice verse 1- 3
Righteous are YOU – O LORD – when I plead with YOU
yet let me talk with YOU of YOUR judgments
Wherefore does the way of the wicked prosper?
Wherefore are all they happy that
deal very treacherously?
YOU have planted them – yea – they have taken root
they grow – yea – they bring forth fruit
YOU are near in their mouth
and far from their reins
BUT YOU – O LORD – know me – YOU have seen me
and tried mine heart toward YOU
put them out like sheep for the slaughter
and prepare them for the day of slaughter
Jeremiah gives reason for the question verse 4
How long shall the land mourn – and the herbs of every field wither
for the wickedness of them that dwell therein?
the beasts are consumed – and the birds
BECAUSE they said
HE shall not see our last end
LORD warns family can’t be trusted verse 5- 6
If you have run with the footmen – and they have wearied you
THEN how can you contend with horses?
and if in the land of peace wherein you trust
they wearied you
THEN how will you do in the swelling of Jordan?
For even your brethren – and the house of your father
even they have dealt treacherously with you
YEA – they have called a multitude after you
believe them not – though they speak fair words unto you
LORD states that HIS chosen people are forsaken verse 7- 9
I have forsaken MINE house – I have left MINE heritage
I have given the dearly beloved of MY soul
into the hands of her enemies
MINE heritage is to ME as a lion in the forest
it cries out against ME – THEREFORE have I hated it
MINE heritage is to ME as a speckled bird
the birds round about are against her
Come you – assemble all the beasts of the field – come to devour
Chosen people have turned Promised Land into desert verse 10- 13
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 mourns to ME
the whole land is made desolate
BECAUSE no man lays 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
LORD gives future hope to Israel and other nations verse 14- 17
Thus says the LORD against all mine evil neighbors
that touch the inheritance
which I have caused MY people Israel to inherit
BEHOLD – I will pluck them out of their land
and I will pluck out the house of Judah from among them
And it shall come to pass
after that I have plucked them out I will return
and have compassion on them
and will bring them again
every man to his heritage
and every man to his land
And it shall come to pass
IF they will diligently learn the ways of MY people
to swear by MY name The LORD lives
as they taught MY people to swear by Baal
THEN shall they be built in the midst of MY people
BUT if they will not obey I will utterly pluck up
and destroy that nation says the LORD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Righteous are YOU, O LORD, when I plead with YOU: yet let me talk with YOU of YOUR judgments: Wherefore does the way of the wicked prosper? Wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? (898 “deal very treacherously” [bagad] means transgressor, deceitfully, unfaithful men, to do wrong against someone by not being faithful to a person or a standard, or betray.)
DEVOTION: This is the question of the century not only for Jeremiah but for every believer who is trying to serve the LORD faithfully. We are all sinners but we try to confess our sins on a daily basis to restore our fellowship with the LORD.
Here we find that the children of Israel were doing evil and not even thinking about the LORD and confessing their sins and asking forgiveness. They were not bring their offering to the LORD. They seemed to have forgotten all the LORD had done for them in the past and were either worshiping false gods or not worshiping at all.
God is RIGHTEOUS at all times. HE always does what is right but it seemed to Jeremiah that things were not going according to what he thought should be happening to those who claimed to be the LORD’S people and what they practiced.
All genuine believers want to prosper in this world. They want to succeed within the guidelines that the LORD set for honest living but here were people who were part of the children of Israel and were doing wrong without seeming judgment.
We have to remember that the LORD is longsuffering with us and with everyone. However, HE does reach a point where HE sends judgment. It might not be until the person dies but many times it is still while they are living.
CHALLENGE: We can ask questions like Jeremiah but we have to wait for HIS answer and be faithful during our waiting period. Sometimes the answer is not what we want to hear!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 But You, O LORD, know me; You have seen me, and You have tested my heart toward You. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: Jeremiah recognized that the Lord was in control of everything including his life. He gave the Lord the respect and honor that was due to him, yet sought permission to speak freely with the Lord. Jeremiah understood that the he was the Lord’s but was perplexed at the theology and work of the Lord. Jeremiah couldn’t understand why a holy God would permit the false prophets and the unfaithful priests to prosper in their ministries, while he, a faithful servant of God, was treated like a sacrificial lamb.
God did indeed know Jeremiah and was directly at work in his life. In order to bring him to the place God wanted him to be He allowed difficulties to be in his life and prosperity to be in the wicked. This theology was and is difficult for His followers to understand yet it is a principle applied by God in several different places in the O.T. (Job 12; 21; Ps. 37; 49; 73; Hab. 1; Mal. 2:17; 3:15). The French mystic Madame Guyon wrote, “In the commencement of the spiritual life, our hardest task is to bear with our neighbor; in its progress, with ourselves; and in its end, with God.”
CHALLENGE: Laying hold of God’s promises and believing them in spite of the difficulties we are currently entwined in is never easy. Jeremiah teaches us in this chapter that God’s people do not live by explanations; they live by promises. By laying hold of His promises character and servanthood is developed. Trust in God’s control of your life today not the circumstances swirling around you! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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: 5 If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, wherein you trust, they wearied you, then how will you do in the swelling of Jordan? (7323 “run” [ruwts] means guard, post, dart, hurry, do quickly, or race.)
DEVOTION: I have never been a runner. I had a son who was a runner. I enjoyed the sport of tennis. I played against people who looked at my body and thought “he can’t run.” I managed to fool them.
Here we find the LORD giving Jeremiah an answer to his questions that were not really answers but statements about what was going to happen in the future of his ministry.
In this chapter we find that the people of his home town were against him and his message. They were family but still didn’t want to hear his message from the LORD regarding their future if they didn’t repent. He was upset that even his family would not listen.
The LORD gives him an illustration of him being in a race. At the present time he was racing against men. It should be easy for him to win some of these races. The men were people that he grew up with and thought were friends.
The future was going to be different. He was not going to just race against men but against horses which represented the rest of the nation of Judah. He was going to have to battle the whole nation. We will see in the future of this book that the leaders of the nation were also going to plot to kill him. This is the warning the LORD wanted Jeremiah to listen to regarding his future ministry.
The LORD also pointed out that the nation at present was at peace. He was still in the Promised Land that the LORD had promised to the children of Israel. He was on home turf. He wasn’t preaching to a foreign nation like some of the other prophets had to do.
However, the LORD informed him that his home turf was dangerous too. There were lions in the land. When the Jordan River overflowed its banks on occasion it would force all the animals that lived on the banks to move inland. That would mean that people who lived near or traveled near the Jordan were in danger of being attacked by these animals.
In the New Testament the LORD Jesus Christ warned HIS disciples about the religious leaders who were going to attack them just as much as they attacked HIM while HE was on this earth. HE warned that they were out to kill them. Also Paul wrote about our enemy, the devil, who roamed about seeking whom he might devour.
We live in a world that doesn’t want to hear that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. They don’t like our exclusive message. They think there should be other methods or ways to inherit heaven. Once we tell them that they are Biblically wrong – they don’t like us. In fact, they want to hurt us any way they can. They will plot against us and our reputation. If they could they would lock us up.
In many countries around the world those of other religions kill, take possession of property, or place Christians in jail where they can be beaten or have other things happen to them. Our world system just doesn’t like our message.
Jeremiah’s relatives didn’t like his message and wanted to kill him for it. Are we prepared to accept whatever happens to us in our service for the King of Kings and LORD of LORDS? We should be.
CHALLENGE: The LORD wants us to strengthen ourselves on a daily basis to face the battle that is before us. If we are stronger, HE will give us greater battles to fight. That should be our desire.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 11 They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourns unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man lays it to heart. (7760 “lays” [siym] means examine, appoint, care, cast in, commit, consider, determine, heap up, impute, preserve, purpose, or rehearse.
DEVOTION: The pastors or leaders of the people are destroying the vineyard of the LORD. The fruit that is being produced is all rotten. They were given a land that was flowing with milk and honey and have turned it into a wilderness. They have ruined everything.
The LORD was stating that the land was crying out to HIM because of their present condition. The first time we hear of the land talking to the LORD was back in Genesis when Cain killed his brother Abel. The blood of Abel was crying out to the LORD. There was a lot of innocent blood being spilled in the Promise Land. It was the blood of the prophets that the LORD was sending to warn the people of coming judgment. The people instead of listening to the prophets, they killed them.
The people of Jeremiah’s day were not living examined lives. They were just living the way they wanted to without regard for the LORD or HIS commands.
And examined life is one that looks at the Word of God and compares their life with the commands of the LORD. If they find that they are not in compliance with HIS rules, they change their living habits. They set out in a new direction. The direction is toward the LORD.
The unexamined life is one where people do whatever they want without regard for what others think or God thinks. They are doing whatever is right in their own eyes. Their hearts are selfish and lazy. They don’t want to change. That would take work and that is a four letter word.
Our world today is full of people who don’t want to examine their lifestyle by the standard of the Word of God. They want to be spiritual in their own way. They don’t need church or the Bible or a preacher to tell them how they should live.
We need to commit our heart to the LORD. I am talking to those who are really followers of the LORD. HE has a mission for us. Our mission is to reach our world with the Word of God. We need to do it in a loving manner that is not disobedient to the Word of God. God is love but HE is also just as holy.
CHALLENGE: Touch people in your world with the message of salvation. The message should include both the love of God and the holiness of God. Change has to happen in our life and in the lives of those we teach.
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: 15 And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. (7355 “compassion” [racham] means to show kindness or forgiveness toward, to love, to behold with tender affection, pity, love, find compassion, or be compassionate.)
DEVOTION: The problem with those who claim to follow the LORD is that many times during a time period they seem to forget their commitment to HIM. The children of Israel had a problem of following the LORD faithfully for long periods of time. They would be faithful to HIM after HE saved them from their enemies but as time when on they forgot what HE had done for them and they thought it was better to worship false gods rather then HIM. It seemed like those who were worshiping false gods had more fun. They had wild drinking parties. They had sex with anything in sight. They didn’t have to go to the Temple to worship. They didn’t have to give some of their money to the LORD. They thought is was more fun to worship with the rest of the world rather than stay true to the LORD.
However, they found that it was not true. The LORD would only put up with it for a short time and then HE would judge them. They knew that those who didn’t follow the LORD were going to spend eternity in hell but that seemed to leave them while they were living like the rest of the world.
Today we have the same things happening even in the church. People go to church to be entertained rather than to worship a Holy God. They want to have fun in church and not hear about their responsibility to serve the LORD seven days a week and give a tenth of their income to HIM each week.
However, after some time genuine believers will face the judgment of God to have them return to worship HIM in spirit and in truth. Once this happens, they will willingly give HIM what HE requires because their love for HIM has returned.
CHALLENGE: Where are you in your relationship with the LORD? Are you in a time of chastening or a time of blessing? Only you know what is going on in your life. The LORD knows but HE is watching to see what you will do next. If you repent then HE can bless.
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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)
Plead with God verse 1
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Swear by MY (LORD) name verse 16
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Righteous verse 1
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 3, 12- 14, 16, 17
Judge verse 1
I have forsaken MINE house verse 7
I have left MINE heritage verse 7
I have given the dearly beloved of MY soul
into the hands of her enemies verse 7
MINE heritage: cries out against ME verse 8
Many pastors have destroyed MY vineyard verse 10
Sword of the LORD verse 12
no flesh shall have peace
Fierce anger of the LORD verse 13
Touch the inheritance I caused Israel to inherit verse 14
Going to pluck out evil neighbors verse 14
I will return to the land and have compassion verse 15
I will bring Israel back verse 15
every man to his heritage and land
If others not obey – I will utterly pluck
up and destroy that nation verse 17
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)
Enemies verse 7
All evil neighbors verse 14
Diligently learn the ways of MY people verse 16
Swear by God’s name: The LORD lives verse 16
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wicked prosper verse 1
Deal very treacherously with God verse 1, 6
Speak of God but don’t believe verse 2
Far from God verse 2
Wickedness verse 4
Say HE shall not see our last end verse 4
Brethren of father’s house deal treacherously verse 6
Speak fair words verse 6
False pastors [leaders] verse 10, 11
have trodden MY portion
make MY portion a desolate wilderness
land mourns to the LORD
No man lay land to his heart verse 11
Spoilers verse 12
Worship in high places verse 12
False peace verse 12
Ashamed of revenues verse 13
Evil neighbors verse 14
Swear by Baal (false god) verse 16
Not obey verse 17
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Righteous verse 1
Plead with God verse 1
God knows us verse 3
God sees us verse 3
God tries our hearts verse 3
Heritage of the LORD verse 7- 9, 15
Dearly beloved verse 7
Peace verse 12
Inheritance verse 14, 15
Compassion verse 15
Learn verse 16
Swear by the name of the LORD verse 16
Obedience verse 17
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jeremiah with plead with the LORD verse 1- 15
talks to HIM regarding HIS judgments
LORD you know me and try me
judge the people like sheep to slaughter
LORD says HIS pleasant portion turned
into a desolate wilderness
No man lays the land to heart
No flesh shall have peace
Sown wheat but reap thorns
LORD will allow other who swear by
HIS name to live in the land
LORD will pluck out the house of Judah from among enemies
LORD will have compassion on them and
every man to heritage and his land
Brethren verse 6
House of your father verse 6
God’s people verse 14, 16
Israel verse 14
House of Judah verse 14
LORD will allow other nations in HIS land verse 16
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Day of slaughter verse 3
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QUOTES regarding passage
10–13 The Lord’s great love for his land is reflected in his three endearing designations of it (v.10). The shepherds, who have devastated his vineyard, Israel (cf. Isa 5:1), are the heads of the invading army (cf. 6:3). They have done what they wished, heedlessly breaking through and trampling the well-tended area. It is impossible to see here, as some have suggested, mere nomads with their flocks trampling vineyards (so Cowles). Though the desolation has been thoroughgoing, no one considers the causes that have brought such judgment. There is a splendid example of assonance in the Hebrew text of v.11, with its six sibilants—śāmāh lišmāmāh (“it will be made a wasteland”), šemēmāh nāšammāh (“[it] will be laid waste”), ʾiš śām (“[no] man places [it to heart]”; NIV, no one cares). The sword of the Lord (v.12) in the hand of the Lord’s agents will do its work throughout the country. Apparently the enemies will invade from the east. As far as Judah is concerned, nothing has turned out successfully for her people. In spite of all their labors in the field, they gain nothing (v.13). They reap the opposite of what they expect. Their crops are a failure (cf. 14:3–4). In fact, the harvests are so poor that even the farmers are ashamed of them. The Lord had not prospered them at all. (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 460). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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12:7–13. God continued His pronouncement of judgment that was interrupted in 11:18 by the explanation of the plot against Jeremiah’s life. God would forsake and abandon Judah and turn her over to her enemies. By describing the nation as His house, His inheritance (cf. 10:16 and comments on Deut. 4:20), and the one He loved, God was indicating that the judgment was not coming from the hardened heart of a capricious king. Though He wanted to do just the opposite, God was forced to judge because of the people’s sin. The nation had become like a lion who had raised her voice (roars) in opposition to Him.
The nation had changed so much that she had become … like a speckled bird of prey. A “speckled” (colored) bird was one whose markings were different from the other birds of prey. Consequently those other birds would surround and attack this strange bird. Judah had become so different that the other nations of the world would attack her. The devastation coming on Jerusalem was compared to shepherds and their flocks entering a vineyard and ruining it by trampling it down. God’s once-productive nation would become a wasteland as the sword of the Lord (i.e., the Babylonians’ swords wielded as God’s instruments) killed its inhabitants. Those who had sown wheat would reap only thorns (because of the devastation of war) and would be forced to bear the shame of their harvest of judgment. (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. 1145). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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You can’t miss the anguish of God’s heart as He spoke concerning His beloved people. Instead of loving Him, they were roaring at Him like an angry lion, and He couldn’t express His love to them as He yearned to do. Judah’s enemies were like birds of prey and wild beasts, just waiting to attack. The leaders of those nations (“shepherds”; “pastors”) and their armies would turn the beautiful vineyard into a wasteland, and the Jewish people would be uprooted from their inheritance. The people of the neighboring nations—Syria, Moab, and Ammon—who had attacked Judah in the past would also be punished by Babylon, and some of them would also be taken captive. The Lord, however, added a word of hope: “I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land” (Jer. 12:15). The people would be in captivity for seventy years (25:11–12; 29:10) and then be permitted to return to their land and restore their temple and nation. God would invite the people of the other nations to worship Him—the true and living God—and they would no longer teach His people how to worship false gods. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (p. 64). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Ver. 10. Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, &c.] This is a metaphor which is often used of the people of Israel and Judah; see Psal. 80:8; Isa. 5:1–7 and 27:2 the pastors that destroyed them are not their own governors, civil or religious, but Heathen princes, Nebuchadnezzar and his generals. So the Targum paraphrases it, “many kings slay “my people;” so Kimchi and Ben Melech. They have trodden my portion under foot; the people of the Jews, that were his portion, and before called his heritage: whom the Chaldeans subdued, and reduced to extreme servitude and bondage; and were as the dirt under their feet, greatly oppressed and despised. They have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness; by pulling down stately edifices, unwalling of towers, and destroying men; so that there were none to manure the fields, to dress the vineyards, and keep gardens and orchards in good case; but all were come to ruin: and what before was a delightful paradise was now like an heath or desert.
Ver. 11. They have made it desolate, &c.] Which is repeated to denote the certainty of it, astonishment at it, and that it might be observed: and being desolate it mourneth unto me; not the inhabitants of it for their sins, the cause of this desolation; but the land itself, because of the calamities upon it; it crying to God, in its way, for a restoration to its former beauty and glory. The whole land is made desolate; it was not only the case of Jerusalem, and the parts adjacent, but even of the whole land of Judea: because no man layeth it to heart took any notice of the judgment threatened, foretold by the prophets; nor repented of their sins, for which they were threatened with such a desolation; nor even were properly affected with the destruction itself; the earth seemed more sensible of it than they were; this expresses the great stupidity of this people. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 471). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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1. The Prophet’s Prayer: Verses 1–6. In his outburst of grief and in great mental perplexity Jeremiah states the old question, why does the righteous man suffer, why does the wicked prosper? And then the prayer for His intervention. Such will be again the case with the godly remnant in the end of this present age. They will suffer and be persecuted as godly Jeremiah was and pray as Jeremiah prayed: “Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.” The imprecatory psalms are of the same prophetic meaning. Jehovah’s answer tells him that greater trials were in store for him (verses 5, 6).
2. The House Forsaken; Yet Compassion: Verses 7–17. The house is to be forsaken. The dearly beloved is to be given into the hands of the enemies. The sword of the Lord would now devour them. But there is the warning to the nations who touch His inheritance. He will deal with them in judgment as He dealt with Judah. Then we find the promise, “I will return and have compassion on them.” This is still future. The compassion for Israel comes in the day of His return. (Gaebelein, A. C. (2009). The Annotated Bible: Proverbs to Ezekiel (Vol. 4, p. 201). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software)
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10 Many pastors have destroyed pmy vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my †pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
By pastors most here think civil persons, not ecclesiastical officers, are meant; but they are divided, some interpreting it of the rulers and princes of Nebuchadnezzar’s army, who took Jerusalem, and destroyed Judah, called God’s vineyard, Isa. 5:1, 2; others understanding it of the rulers of the Jews, who by their wicked government, and as wicked example, had ruined their country, and caused God to turn the country which he had chosen for his portion, and declared such a pleasure in, into a wilderness, and such a wilderness as was not only thinly inhabited, but wholly desolate.( Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 537). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
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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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Then Peter began to say unto Him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee.… Mark 10:28.
Our Lord replies, in effect, that abandonment is for Himself, and not for what the disciples themselves will get from it. Beware of an abandonment which has the commercial spirit in it—‘I am going to give myself to God because I want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy.’ All that is the result of being right with God, but that spirit is not of the essential nature of Christianity. Abandonment is not for anything at all. We have got so commercialized that we only go to God for something from Him, and not for Himself. It is like saying—‘No, Lord, I don’t want Thee, I want myself; but I want myself clean and filled with the Holy Ghost; I want to be put in Thy showroom and be able to say—“This is what God has done for me.” ‘If we only give up something to God because we want more back, there is nothing of the Holy Spirit in our abandonment; it is miserable commercial self-interest. That we gain heaven, that we are delivered from sin, that we are made useful to God—these things never enter as considerations into real abandonment, which is a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself.
When we come up against the barriers of natural relationship, where is Jesus Christ? Most of us desert Him—‘Yes, Lord, I did hear Thy call; but my mother is in the road, my wife, my self-interest, and I can go no further.’ ‘Then,’ Jesus says, ‘you cannot be My disciple.’
The test of abandonment is always over the neck of natural devotion. Go over it, and God’s own abandonment will embrace all those you had to hurt in abandoning. Beware of stopping short of abandonment to God. Most of us know abandonment in vision only. (Chambers, O. (1986). My utmost for his highest: Selections for the year. Grand Rapids, MI: Oswald Chambers Publications; Marshall Pickering.)
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“Thou shalt love thy neighbour.” —Matthew 5:43
“Love thy neighbour.” Perhaps he rolls in riches, and thou art poor, and living in thy little cot side-by-side with his lordly mansion; thou seest every day his estates, his fine linen, and his sumptuous banquets; God has given him these gifts, covet not his wealth, and think no hard thoughts concerning him. Be content with thine own lot, if thou canst not better it, but do not look upon thy neighbour, and wish that he were as thyself. Love him, and then thou wilt not envy him.
Perhaps, on the other hand, thou art rich, and near thee reside the poor. Do not scorn to call them neighbour. Own that thou art bound to love them. The world calls them thy inferiors. In what are they inferior? They are far more thine equals than thine inferiors, for “God hath made of one blood all people that dwell upon the face of the earth.” It is thy coat which is better than theirs, but thou art by no means better than they. They are men, and what art thou more than that? Take heed that thou love thy neighbour even though he be in rags, or sunken in the depths of poverty.
But, perhaps, you say, “I cannot love my neighbours, because for all I do they return ingratitude and contempt.” So much the more room for the heroism of love. Wouldst thou be a feather-bed warrior, instead of bearing the rough fight of love? He who dares the most, shall win the most; and if rough be thy path of love, tread it boldly, still loving thy neighbours through thick and thin. Heap coals of fire on their heads, and if they be hard to please, seek not to please them, but to please thy Master; and remember if they spurn thy love, thy Master hath not spurned it, and thy deed is as acceptable to him as if it had been acceptable to them. Love thy neighbour, for in so doing thou art following the footsteps of Christ. (Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). Morning and evening: Daily readings. London: Passmore & Alabaster.)
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A church filed a federal lawsuit Friday against the state of Washington over a new law that forces it to cover abortions in its health care plans.
The law, SB 6219, passed the Democratic-controlled Washington legislature last year and was signed by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who recently announced he is running for president. The law requires insurance plans to cover abortion if they also cover maternity care. It has no religious exemptions.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed the suit on behalf of Cedar Park Assembly of God, a Kirkland, Wash., congregation. The suit claims the law violates the congregation’s constitutionally protected freedom of religion and displays hostility toward religious groups that oppose abortion.
“Washington’s attack on people of faith is intentional. It represents the kind of deliberate religious persecution that our country was founded to prevent,” the suit says. “… The strong statutory language, lack of any church exception, and anticipated evidence that pro-abortion groups assisted in drafting and enacting SB 6219, indicates that Washington and its officials deliberately targeted religious organizations and intentionally violated those organizations’ religious beliefs.”
Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice Washington helped draft the bill before it was signed, according to the suit.
“Cedar Park’s deeply held religious belief is that abortion is the ending of a human life, and is a grave sin,” the suit says. “Therefore, in furtherance of such beliefs, Cedar Park does not provide coverage for abortion or abortifacient contraceptives in its employee health insurance plan.”
The church runs a Christian school and childcare program, and it has 185 employees. It chose a group health insurance plan as the best way to save money on health care. Switching to a self-insured model would cost $243,125 in additional costs, according to the suit.
The Washington State Catholic Conference expressed concern over the bill’s lack of religious exemptions before it passed last year. But the bill’s sponsor, Democrat state Sen. Steve Hobbs, declined to change it, saying employers had the option of suing.
“Health care is about the individual, not about them,” Hobbs told KOMO.
ADF attorney Kevin Theriot said the U.S. Supreme Court “has consistently held that government hostility toward people of faith is unconstitutional and has no place in our society.”
“The state’s policy crushes dissent and violates the Constitution’s Free Exercise Clause by targeting Cedar Park’s entirely legitimate internal policies and religious beliefs,” Theriot said.
Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.
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Jesus chooses 12 followers to be His disciples.
INSIGHT
God takes ordinary people and does extraordinary things through them because of their devotion to Him. A look at the 12 men Jesus chooses to be His disciples does not reveal a “Who’s Who” in Judea. Rather, the men seem to be unknown and undistinguished.
The work of God does not depend on talent or intelligence. Different people have different strengths, but God uses all of us to accomplish His purposes. The body of Christ is made up of many parts — some highly visible, some hidden, all useful. God makes the most of the talents and spiritual gifts He has given each of us. (Quiet Walk)
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Messages from the Messiah’s Life: Walking on the Water
“And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.” (Mark 6:48)
Right after feeding the 5,000 just outside Capernaum, Jesus remained behind to pray while His disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee at night. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John all record some details of this event.
After the disciples had gotten about “five and twenty or thirty furlongs” across the sea (about halfway), “the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew” (John 6:18-19). Somewhere between three and six in the morning, “Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea” (Matthew 14:25).
When the disciples saw Him, “they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear” (Matthew 14:26). Jesus “talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid” (Mark 6:50). Peter asked to join Jesus on the water and stepped out. When he “saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30).
When Jesus brought Peter into the boat, “the wind ceased” (Matthew 14:32), and “they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened” (Mark 6:51-52). But Jesus gently said to them, “It is I; be not afraid. Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went” (John 6:20-21).
This event displays Christ’s omnipotence by the way He ignored gravity, immediately stopped the wind and waves, and instantaneously transported the ship to shore from the middle of the Sea of Galilee. (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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GOD’S NAME MANIFESTED
I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. John 17:6
Notice that our Lord says here that He has “manifested” the name of God unto men whom God had given Him out of the world. He does not say merely that He told them about it. He goes beyond that. He says, “I have manifested”—there has been a revelation, there has been an expounding of the name. That which was concealing it has been taken away, and there has been an unveiling or an unfolding—that is the meaning of the word “manifested.” Our Lord has made the name appear, and He has put it obviously before them. This is a very rich and comprehensive term, and our Lord undoubtedly uses it deliberately so that these men who are listening to Him as He prays to God might realize the variegated and manifold character of this manifestation of the name of God that He has given.
So how does the Lord Jesus Christ manifest the name of God, and especially how does He do so in a way that is superior to the Old Testament revelation? The author of the letter to the Hebrews argues for the preeminence of Christ. The Old Testament was a true revelation, but it was only in part and in pieces; now, in Christ, it has come in all its fullness and glory.
Here, then, our Lord says that because He is the Son of God, He has manifested the name of God in a way that nothing and no one else could ever have done. He puts it like this: “They have received them [the words God gave Him], and have known surely that I came out from thee.” “These,” He says in essence, “are Your people; these are true Christians because they know that I have come out from You.” That is just another way of saying that these people knew that He was, in a unique and absolute sense, the Son of God.
A Thought to Ponder: These people knew that He was, in a unique and absolute sense, the Son of God. (From Safe in the World, pp. 59-60, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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