Jeremiah 14
Message of the LORD to Jeremiah regarding famine verse 1
The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah
concerning the dearth
Description of the famine verse 2- 6
Judah mourns – and the gates thereof languish
they are black to the ground
and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up
And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters
they came to the pits – and found no water
they returned with their vessels empty
they were ashamed and confounded
and covered their heads
BECAUSE the ground is chapt – for there was no rain in the earth
the plowmen were ashamed – they covered their heads
YEA – the hind also calved in the field – and forsook it
BECAUSE there was no grass
AND the wild asses did stand in the high places
they snuffed up the wind like dragons
their eyes did fail – BECAUSE there was no grass
People of Judah realize reason for famine verse 7- 9
O LORD – though our iniquities testify against us
do YOU it for YOUR name’s sake
for our backslidings are many
we have sinned against YOU
O the hope of Israel – the savior thereof in time of trouble
why should YOU be as a stranger in the land
and as a wayfaring man that
turns aside to tarry for a night?
Why should YOU be as a man astonished
as a mighty man that cannot save?
YET YOU – O LORD – art in the midst of us
and we are called by YOUR name
leave us not
LORD responds to people of Judah verse 10
Thus says the LORD
to this people
Thus have they loved to wander
they have not refrained their feet
THEREFORE the LORD
does not accept them
HE will now remember their iniquity
and visit their sins
LORD commands Jeremiah not to pray for people verse 11- 12
Then said the LORD to me
Pray not for this people for their good
When they fast – I will not hear their cry
and when they offer burnt offering
and an oblation
I will not accept them
BUT I will consume them
by the sword – famine – pestilence
Jeremiah mentions false prophets verse 13
Then said I – Ah – Lord GOD BEHOLD
the prophets say to them
You shall not see the sword
neither shall not see the famine
BUT I will give you assured peace in this place
LORD calls false prophets liars verse 14- 16
Then the LORD
said to me
The prophets prophesy lies in MY name
I sent them not
neither have I commanded them
neither spoke to them
they prophesy to you a false vision and divination
and a thing of nought – and the deceit of their heart
THEREFORE thus says the LORD
concerning the prophets that prophesy in MY name
and I sent them not
yet they say
Sword and famine shall not be in this land
By sword and famine shall
those prophets be consumed
And the people to whom they prophesy
shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem
BECAUSE of the famine and the sword
and they shall have none to bury them
them, their wives – nor their sons
nor their daughters
for I will pour their wickedness upon them
LORD has a message for the false prophets ` verse 17- 18
THEREFORE you shall
say this word to them
Let MINE eyes run down with tears night and day
and let them not cease
for the virgin daughter of MY people is broken
with a great breach
with a very grievous blow
If I go forth into the field
THEN behold the slain with the sword
And If I enter into the city
THEN behold them that are sick with famine
YEA – both the prophet and the priest go about into a land
that they know not
People of Judah pray for healing verse 19- 21
Have YOU utterly rejected Judah?
Has YOUR soul loathed Zion?
Why have YOU smitten us and there is no healing for us?
we looked for peace and there is no good
and for the time of healing and behold trouble
We acknowledge – O LORD – our wickedness
and the iniquity of our fathers
for we have sinned against YOU
Do not abhor us – for YOUR name’s sake
do not disgrace the throne of YOUR glory
remember – break not YOUR covenant with us
People of Judah acknowledge power of the LORD verse 22
Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles
that can cause rain?
or can the heaven give showers?
Are not YOU HE – O LORD our God?
THEREFORE we will wait upon YOU
for YOU have made all these things
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 10 Thus says the LORD to this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD does not accept them: HE will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. (5128 “wander” [nuwa] means to move aimlessly or without any destination, wave, quiver, to move to and fro, to vacillate, without shelter or home, unsteady, or quiver)
DEVOTION: One of the problems of those who claim to follow the LORD is that we are prone to wander from the LORD because of our sin nature. We claim to be a follower of the LORD but we move away from HIM many times throughout a given day. We are not a faithful as we should be each day. This takes work and we are lazy most of the time. Her we find the children of Israel doing the same thing that we do on a regular basis. They were looking at the gods of the lands they were in and thinking that could worship them and the LORD at the same time. This was not what the LORD wanted for HIS people.
It is because of this wandering that HE judged HIS people to show them they were not going to have blessings if they continued in this way. This is true even today. HE is not going to bless us if we are not walking right by HIS side each day.
It takes confession and prayer and study of the Word to keep us on the right course to follow HIM fully each day. We too are prone to wander and have to each day confess our sin and ask for forgiveness and help to stay on the right path of service to HIM.
Each day we need to ask the LORD to help us walk and serve in a manner pleasing to HIM. We can’t do it without a time of fellowship with HIM each day. This time of fellowship needs to be renewed every hour to keep us serving HIM in a right manner. There is a song: Prone to wander LORD I feel it! Remember this song and this verse to stop us from wandering.
CHALLENGE: Are you and I willing to each moment of each day to examine ourselves to see if we are walking right with the LORD? If not, we need to change our attitude and do it!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 14 And the LORD said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart. (The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982),
DEVOTION: False teachers are a dangerous group of people that work tirelessly to spread their message and deception. Jeremiah interrupts God by reminding Him that false prophets were contradicting His message. Promising prosperity and peace instead of sword and famine was their message for the people of Jerusalem. Of course. which message would most people prefer to hear and heed? Reassuring words are can be a rallying point for people but when they are false the destruction is greater than the truth. Jeremiah was speaking truth but it was harsh and difficult to listen to. God would hold individuals responsible for their decisions and if the choices made are from listening to the wrong message they are responsible.
It is imperative that the truth be clearly presented even if the words are hard to hear. Faithfulness to God’s message will lead to difficult teachings but the faithful teacher and preacher must speak what God reveals. Anything else is falseness and compromise.
CHALLENGE: These words contain a warning for today’s preacher or teacher that he must be careful not to cloak his own desires under the guise of being God’s desires. They also warn people to be responsible in discernment when listening to “prophetic” voices (John 4:1). Listen carefully to the speakers you are under. Ask questions and study independently to see if the message is in line with the Scripture. We are to be like the Bereans and search for the truth of God’s word. (Acts 17:10-15) (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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: 20 We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee. (3045 “acknowledge” [yada] means to know, familiar with, answer, admit, be aware, declare, feel, be sure, and understand.)
DEVOTION: There was a famine in Jerusalem. There was an army coming to fight against Jerusalem.
The false prophets were telling the people that there would be peace. They tried to put a guilt trip on the LORD. They told HIM that they were HIS people even through they were not obeying HIM. They told HIM that HE was breaking the covenant because HE promise to always take care of them. They asked HIM not to leave them. They even tried to fast and pray for deliverance. IT was too late. It was done with the wrong motives.
The LORD told Jeremiah not to pray for them. They had reached the point of no return. The LORD is long-suffering. However, there is a limit even to long-suffering.
We can be familiar with our sin. We can admit we are sinners. The action the LORD wants is a change of direction. HE wanted the children of Judah to REALLY turn and follow HIM. HE didn’t want them to just come when it was convenient. HE wanted them to mean business with HIM. That was not the case. HE knew their hearts.
HIS desire for them and us is to keep short accounts with HIM. HE knows our hearts. When we confess, HE sees if we are just saying it because we got caught or if we mean business with HIM.
Remember that those that are not keeping short accounts have weakness, sickness and pre-mature death coming their way. IF we seem to get away with sin and the LORD doesn’t chasten us, then we may not be one of HIS children. It is time to truly turn our heart over to HIM. Whom the LORD loves HE chastens!!!
CHALLENGE: Admit your sins before the LORD. Don’t walk in the pride of your commitment to HIM and think that HE will let you get away with sin in your life because you are one of HIS children.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 21 Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake; do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us. (5006 “abhor” [na’ats] means despise, condemn, spurn, disdain, reject with contemn, scorn or blaspheme.)
DEVOTION: The children of Judah clung to the promises that the LORD had made in the wilderness with Moses and the children of Israel. The problem was in their memory of the event.
They thought that they had a free pass to do anything they wanted to and the LORD would continue to bless them. They didn’t think that HE would judge HIS people for their sins. They were wrong.
They also thought that if HE did judge them that HIS name would be blasphemed by the people of other nations. They brought this up to HIM, so that, HE would end their judgment. God’s name will always be supreme. HE will always be sovereign. Even the heathen nations knew what HE expected of HIS people.
The next excuse they used for God not to judge them was the fact that the Temple was in Jerusalem. It was the place of HIS glory. However, the heavens declare the GLORY of GOD. One city, even Jerusalem, could not declare all the glory of God. HE chose it because HE wanted HIS people to worship HIM but HE didn’t NEED their worship. HE wanted their obedience and they didn’t give it.
Finally, they told HIM that HE was breaking HIS covenant with them. This was a lie too. The false prophets were lying to them and they started to believe their lies. Some people think that just because they made a commitment to HIM, HE would have to honor them no matter how they acted. That is a lie from our enemy the devil. The actions of Judah and our actions have consequences. Those consequences were given in the wilderness if they didn’t obey the commands of the LORD. There were blessings AND cursings mentioned to the children of Israel in the wilderness.
Today, we need to remember the lessons that we can learn from the children of Israel. We have the Old Testament to give us an example of how God works with HIS people.
If the church honors and obeys the LORD, HE can bless it. If the church is teaching lies to the people that are not found in the Word of God and the people believe the lies they will be judged. There are some things that are different that are taught in some churches but they deal with no essentials. The essential doctrines of the church cannot be changed or ignored. The basic doctrines are mentioned in the doctrinal section of this devotional. If you have any questions regarding basic doctrine – write me.
CHALLENGE: Don’t throw Scripture at the LORD to get what you want if you are sinning and not confessing – HE will send judgment. HE wants us to be pure through the blood of Jesus Christ. Confession keeps our fellowship sweet with the LORD.
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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)
Children of Israel confessed too late verse 20
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Cry has gone up verse 2
Children of Judah pray to the LORD verse 9
Jeremiah commanded not to pray for the people verse 11
LORD won’t answer prayer verse 12
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Burnt offering verse 12
Oblation verse 12
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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, 7, 9- 11, 14, 15, 20, 22
Word of the LORD verse 1
LORD’S name sake verse 7, 21
Hope of Israel verse 8
Savior verse 8
Like a stranger in the land verse 8
Like a wayfaring man verse 8
Like a man astonied verse 9
Like a mighty man that cannot save verse 9
In the midst of Israel verse 9
Says Israel loved to wander verse 10
LORD does not accept Israel verse 10
HE will remember Israel’s iniquities & sins verse 10
HE will not hear their cry when they fast verse 12
HE will not see when they offer burnt offering
and oblations verse 12
HE will consume them by sword, famine
and pestilence verse 12
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 13
GOD – Jehovah verse 13
Lord GOD verse 13
LORD said “The prophets prophesy lies in
MY name – I sent them not verse 14, 15
False prophet will be consumed by sword
and famine verse 15
I will pour their wickedness on them verse 16
Name’s sake verse 21
Throne of YOUR glory verse 21
Covenant verse 21
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 22
LORD our God verse 22
Creator verse 22
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)
Stranger verse 8
Wayfaring man verse 8
Gentiles: vanities of verse 22
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Iniquities verse 7, 10, 20
Iniquity of our fathers
Backslidings verse 7
Sinned verse 7, 10, 20
Loved to wander verse 10
Not refrained their feet verse 10
False prophets verse 13- 15
will be consumed by sword and famine
False peace verse 13
Lies verse 14
False visions and divination verse 14
Deceit of their heart verse 14
Wickedness verse 16, 20
Vanities verse 22
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Cry has gone up verse 2
Hope verse 8
Savior verse 8, 9
Fast verse 12
Peace verse 19
Healing verse 19
Covenant verse 21
Wait upon the LORD verse 22
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jeremiah verse 1-
concerning the dearth
asks LORD not to leave Israel
LORD told him not to pray for Israel
LORD said to him – the prophets
prophesy lies in MY name
To say to people: Let MINE EYES run down
will tears night and day, and let them
not cease: for the virgin daughter of
MY people is broken with a great
breach, with a very grievous blow
Asked: Has YOU utterly rejected Judah?
Has YOUR soul loathed Zion?
Why have YOU smitten us, and there is
no healing for us?
We looked for peace, and there is no good
and for the time of healing, and
Behold trouble!
We acknowledge our wickedness and
the iniquity of our fathers: for we
have sinned against YOU
Do not abhor us, for YOUR name sake,
Do not disgrace the throne of YOUR glory
remember – break not YOUR
covenant with us
Judah verse 2, 19
Mourns
Gates languish
Jerusalem verse 2, 16
Cry of is gone up
People cast out into streets
Nobles verse 3, 4
Sent little ones to the waters
and found none: ashamed
and confounded
covered their heads
No rain in the earth verse 4
Plowmen were ashamed = covered their heads verse 4
Hind also calved in the field and forsook it
Because there was no grass verse 5
Wild asses did stand in the high places
they snuffed up the wind: no grass verse 6
Israel verse 8
We are called by YOUR name verse 9
Prophets verse 13
said they would not see sword, or
famine but would have peace verse 13
People cast out into streets of Jerusalem
because of sword and famine verse 16
None to bury people verse 16
My people verse 17
Prophet and Priest shall go about into the
land that they know not verse 18
Zion verse 19
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
Ver. 7. O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, &c.] That we deserve such judgments to be inflicted on us; and that God is righteous in bringing them; and we are altogether undeserving of the favour now about to be asked. These are the words of the prophet interceding for his people, and confessing their sins and his own: do thou it for thy name’s sake; that is, give rain; which was the thing wanted, and which none but God could give, ver. 22 though we are not worthy to have it done for our sakes, do it for thine own sake; for the honour and glory of thy name, of thy goodness, power, and faithfulness: for our backslidings are many; and so had many witnesses against them; and which shews how unworthy they were, and that they had no reason to expect the mercy on their own account; and especially as it follows: we have sinned against thee; as all sin is against God, contrary to his nature and will, and a transgression of his law; and what aggravates it is, that it is against him as a God of goodness, grace, and mercy. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, pp. 480–481). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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14:7–9 Verses 7–9 contain a response to the desperate situation created by the drought. It is uncertain whether the people were confessing their sins or Jeremiah was confessing on their behalf and pleading with God for relief. If Jeremiah was speaking for himself, his words contain a strong accusation against God. That is not impossible since Jeremiah on other occasions spoke harshly against God (15:18; 20:7). However, here it is more likely that the words reflect a presumptuous attitude of the people. They believed they could call on God whenever they were in trouble (cf. 7:9–10). They were not as concerned about their “backsliding” (the same word in 2:19; 3:6, 8, 11, 12, 22) as they were about what they felt was God’s indefensible position. They taunted him that his honor was at stake so he must do something for the sake of his name, i.e., his reputation (cf. Ps 31:3; Isa 66:5; Ezek 20:9). (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 151). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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7–10. The prophet knows that confession will result in forgiveness (cf. 1 John 1:9), and if the nation will not acknowledge its sin, Jeremiah will do so vicariously. Whereas the prophet thinks of God as a traveller who has no interest in the inhabitants of the land through which he is passing, God replies by insisting upon his covenantal rights. (Harrison, R. K. (1973). Jeremiah and Lamentations: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 21, p. 105). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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7 Expositors differ about whose confession this is. It is conceivably Jeremiah’s, but he usually expresses his intercession personally and uses singular pronouns. But the portrayal of the nation’s agony is incomplete if the people are not making their own confession. Some expositors think that the people are more concerned about the Lord’s not intervening on their behalf than about the gravity of their sins. There is, however, a good case for the contrary position. In this verse the people acknowledge their apostasy and sin, which deserve only death. But they plead on solid ground—viz., that the Lord’s honor may be exhibited to the pagan nations. Because there is no merit in Judah, the Lord’s work in the people’s behalf will reveal his nature as a God of compassion. (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, pp. 468–469). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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14:7–9. The severity of the drought forced the people to cry to God for deliverance. While admitting their sins and their backsliding, they asked God to intervene and supply rain. By calling God the Hope of Israel (cf. 17:13) and the Savior, the people acknowledged God’s unique position as the only One who could deliver their nation from its current crisis.
Though God had the power to help, He did not answer the people’s pleas for rain. He was acting like a stranger or traveler who had no real concern for the country through which He was traveling. God’s failure to act reminded them of a man taken by surprise (one who had been ambushed and overcome before he could offer any resistance) or a warrior who was powerless. Because of God’s lack of action the people pleaded with Him not to forsake them. (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. 1147). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The plea of the people (vv. 7–12). As people usually do when they’re in trouble, the Jews turned to God and prayed, but their prayers were insincere and not linked with repentance. Jeremiah had already confronted these pious hypocrites with their sins when he asked, “Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations?’ ” (Jer. 7:9–10, NKJV)
Because they couldn’t plead for help on the basis of their repentance and God’s covenant promise (Deut. 30:1–10; 2 Chron. 7:12–15), the people of Judah asked God to help them for His own name’s sake. “After all,” they argued, “it’s Your reputation that’s at stake, because we’re called by Your name.” The Hope and Savior of Israel was like a tourist in the land, unconcerned about either its present condition or its future destruction. The Lord was like a person shocked into paralysis or a warrior completely without strength.
When God disciplines us, it isn’t enough that we pray and ask for His help; anybody in trouble can do that. We must repent of our sins, judge and confess them, and sincerely seek the face of God. To weep because of the sufferings that sin causes is to show remorse but not repentance. “Rend your heart, and not your garments” (Joel 2:13) was the Prophet Joel’s counsel to the Jews during another time of great calamity; and David, when he sought God’s forgiveness, said, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise” (Ps. 51:17).
God responded to the people’s words, not by sending rain, but by announcing judgment! (Jer. 14:10) For the third time, He told His servant Jeremiah not to pray for the people (v. 11; see 7:16; 11:14). His long-suffering had run out, and He was determined to punish them for their sins. They could fast, pray, and bring sacrifices, but nothing would change His mind. The nation was destined for the sword, famine, and pestilence (14:12). The Babylonian army would bring the sword, and the results of its devastating invasion would be famine and pestilence. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (pp. 68–70). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The language is most pathetic, the condition of the people heartrending. The children cried, with parched tongue and fever-cracked lips, for drink; but there was no water to be had. They went in vain, at the behest of the hopeless nobles, to the dry wells. There was no refreshment there. All farming operations were at a standstill. No rain meant no crops and no food. The very beasts of the field shared in the general desolation. The hind, tenderest of animals, forsook her offspring “because there was no grass;” the eyes of the wild asses failed as they looked for a few spears of herbage. (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (p. 65). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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7 ¶ O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name’s sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.
The prophet having described their misery, both in the cause of it, the drought for want of rain, and the effects of it, he applieth himself to that God who he knew was he who alone could give the former and the latter rain; confessing that their sins and backslidings were very many, and testified against them that they had deserved God’s severe scourge, and God was righteous in what of this nature he had done against them. But yet, saith he, do thou it; that is, do thou what we desire, and what we stand in need of; give us rain; though not for our sake, we deserve no such kindness from thee, yet for thy name’s sake, thy word, or promise; or rather, hear for thine honour and glory’ sake. So Isa. 43:25; 48:11, where God promiseth them to show them kindness for his name’s sake; so as Jeremiah’s prayer is but a pleading of God’s promises, that he would fulfil his word. For our backslidings are many; for here signifies though, and might have been better so interpreted. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 541). 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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VERSE 1
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the name! I’m fixed upon it
Name of Thy redeeming love
VERSE 2
Hitherto Thy love has blessed me
Thou hast brought me to this place
And I know Thy hand will bring me
Safely home by Thy good grace
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
VERSE 3
Oh to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, oh take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above
VERSE 4
Oh that day when freed from sinning
I shall see Thy lovely face
Full arrayed in blood-washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry
Bring Thy promises to pass
For I know Thy pow’r will keep me
Till I’m home with Thee at last
Credits: Words by Robert Robinson (1758), fourth verse alternate words by Bob Kauflin, music by Asahel Nettleton (1825) Public Domain.
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Messages from the Messiah’s Life: The Resurrection of Lazarus
“Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.” (John 11:1)
The family of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus was well known to Jesus and His disciples. They lived in Bethany, less than two miles from Jerusalem. Jesus often stayed with them during His ministry, and several memorable events transpired in their home.
Word came that Lazarus was very sick. Jesus’ disciples reminded Him that “the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?” (John 11:8). Finally it was clear Lazarus had died, and Jesus directed that they go to Bethany “to the intent ye may believe” (John 11:15). Thomas, however, could only see the danger: “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16).
By the time they got to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days (John 11:17). Jesus insisted they open the door to the tomb. Martha tried to stop Jesus because “by this time [Lazarus] stinketh” (John 11:39).
Bodies begin to decompose within three to six hours after death; muscular tissues become rigid, cells lose structural integrity, and the chemical process of decomposition causes breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and bone.
Death is horrible. Death processes cannot be stopped or reversed. Death is the “last enemy” to be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26). Yet at the command of the Creator, Lazarus walked out of the tomb fully whole: no decay, no sickness. Jesus simply said: “Loose him and let him go” (John 11:44). Why did Jesus do this? Because “this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby” (John 11:4). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Jesus helps the people understand the significance of John the Baptist and his ministry.
INSIGHT
“Don’t confuse me with the facts; my mind is made up!”
Sometimes unbelief can’t be shown enough proof of God and His Word. No matter how much evidence is compiled, if a person refuses to believe, nothing will convince him. The scribes and Pharisees have already rejected God before Jesus or John ever came on the scene. That is why they reject John when he comes preaching a message of preparation for the Messiah and for Jesus when He comes.
We must know in order to believe, yet we must also believe in order to know. Many truths in the Bible may puzzle us. To begin mastering them, we must first rest completely in the character and power of almighty God. (Quiet Walk)
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JUDAS ISCARIOT
…none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
John 17:12
If there is one thing in the Scriptures that proves more conclusively than anything else the absolute necessity of the rebirth, it is the case of Judas Iscariot. What differentiates the Christian from the non-Christian is not that the Christian lives a better life than he did before, nor that he knows more of the Scriptures and all these other good things. Judas knew all that, and he probably lived a good outward moral life during the three years he was among the disciples. What makes a man a Christian is that he is born again; he has received the divine nature; he has indeed become indwelt by the Spirit of the living God. It is this that gives understanding and everything that Judas did not have. It was because Judas was never renewed and given the new life that he remained “the son of perdition.”
And here I want to utter a solemn, terrible word. The end of the non-Christian, even though he may be highly religious, is perdition,which means perishing. Though Judas was in the company of the apostles all along, he really belonged to the world, and the fate of the world is to perish. Whatever its appearance may be, its end is destruction, with no hope whatsoever; because it has not truly believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God, it perishes.
This is an unpleasant subject, and yet we have to face it, because in the very center of this most wonderful prayer our Lord had to mention it as a solemn warning. He was not praying for Judas—He was praying for those who were God’s people, those who belong to God. My dear friends, are we certain that we belong to God? Do not rely upon anything but the certain knowledge that you have received life from God.
A Thought to Ponder: The end of the non-Christian, even though he may be highly religious, is perdition, which means perishing. (From Safe in the World, pp. 129-130, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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For Better, for Worse
Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. PHILIPPIANS 2:4
I’ve been doing daily radio since 1992, and I can recall only one time when I was weeping so hard I couldn’t speak. It was the day I interviewed Charlie and Lucy Wedemeyr.
At the age of 30, Charlie began experiencing the early symptoms of ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. A successful high-school football coach, he was given one to three years to live. Even now as I reflect on our time with them in the studio—with Lucy reading his lips and speaking for him—the emotion is profound. They recalled a day when Charlie, his care becoming more and more demanding on his wife and children, whispered to Lucy, “Maybe it would be better if I just died.” Lucy took a deep breath, asked the Lord for just the right words, and said to Charlie, “We’d rather have you like this than not at all.”
Having him “like this” has meant more than two decades of continual life support. It takes Lucy three hours to get him ready each day! Lucy is a model of what we promised to each other in our wedding vows. In sickness and in health. For better or for worse. Keeping our covenant means more than avoiding divorce—it means we’ll be there, living out our love, no matter what. Don’t wait until you get in a dramatic situation where you’re facing something like Lucy and Charlie before you cement your promise to care for one another through any circumstance. If you don’t prepare for it today by submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over your life and clinging to God’s blueprints, you’ll be unprepared when—not if—your crisis comes. (Moments with You Couples by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
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