JEREMIAH 2
Early days of Israel described verse 1- 3
Moreover the word of the LORD came to me
saying Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem
saying Thus says the LORD
I remember you – the kindness of your youth
the love of your espousals
when you went after ME
in the wilderness
in the land that was not sown
Israel was holiness to the LORD
and the firstfruits of HIS increase
all that devour him shall offend
evil shall come upon them
says the LORD
Israel worshiped worthless idols in wilderness verse 4- 6
HEAR you the word of the LORD – O house of Jacob
and all the families of the house of Israel
Thus says the LORD
What iniquity have your fathers found in ME
that they are gone far from ME
and have walked after vanity
and are become vain?
Neither said they
Where is the LORD that brought
us up out of the land of Egypt
that led us through the wilderness
through a land of deserts and of pits
through a land of drought
and of the shadow of death
through a land that no man passed through
and where no man dwelt?
Israel worshiped Baal in Promised Land verse 7- 8
And I brought you into a plentiful country
to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof
BUT when you entered – you defiled my land
and made mine heritage an abomination
The priests said not
Where is the LORD?
And they that handle the law knew ME not
the pastors also transgressed against ME
the prophets prophesied by Baal
and walked after things that do not profit
Nations don’t usually trade gods verse 9- 13
Wherefore I will yet plead with you – says the LORD
and with your children’s children will I plead
For pass over the isles of Chittim and see
and send to Kedar – and consider diligently
and see if there be such a thing
Has a nation changed their gods
which are yet no gods?
BUT MY people have changed their glory
for that which does not profit
Be astonished – O you heavens – at this
and be horribly afraid
be you very desolate
says the LORD
For MY people have committed two evils
they have forsaken ME
the fountain of LIVING WATER
and hewed them out cisterns – broken cisterns
that can hold no water
Israel in captivity verse 14- 17
Is Israel a servant?
Is he a homeborn slave?
Why is he spoiled?
the young lions roared upon him – and yelled
and they made his land waste
his cities are burned without inhabitant
ALSO, the children of Noph and Tahapanes
have broken the crown of your head
Hast you not procured this to yourself
in that you have forsaken the LORD your God
when HE led you by the way?
Israel looked to other nations for help verse 18- 19
AND now what have you to do in the way of Egypt
to drink the waters of Sihor?
OR what have you to do in the way of Assyria
to drink the waters of the river?
Thine own wickedness shall correct you
and your backslidings shall reprove you
Know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter
that you have forsaken the LORD your God
and that MY fear is not in you
says the Lord God of hosts
Israel didn’t look to the LORD for help verse 20- 22
FOR of old time I have broken thy yoke – and burst your bands
you said – I will not transgress
when upon every high hill
and under every green tree you wander
playing the harlet
Yet I had planted you a noble vine – wholly a right seed
how then are you turned into
the degenerate plant of a strange vine to ME?
For though you wash you with niter – and take you much soap
YET your iniquity is marked before ME
says the Lord GOD
Israel in love with foreign gods verse 23- 25
How can you say
I am not polluted
I have not gone after Baalim?
See your way in the valley – know what you have done
you are a swift dromedary traversing her ways
A wild ass used to the wilderness
that snuffed up the wind at her pleasure
In her occasion who can turn her away?
all they that seek her will not weary themselves
In her month they shall find her
Withhold your foot from being unshod
and your throat from thirst
BUT you said – There is no hope – No
for I have loved strangers
and after them will I go
Israel like a thief – only guilty if caught verse 26- 30
As the thief is ashamed when he is found
so is the house of Israel ashamed
they – their kings – their princes
their priests – their prophets
Saying to the stock – You are my father
and to a stone – You have brought me forth
for they have turned their back unto ME
and not their face
BUT in the time of their trouble they will say
Arise, and save us
BUT where are your gods that you have made you?
let them arise
if they can save you in the time of your trouble
for according to the number of your cities
are your gods – O Judah
Wherefore will you plead with ME?
You all have transgressed against ME – says the LORD
In vain have I smitten your children – they received no correction
your own sword has devoured your prophets
like a destroying lion
Israel has forgotten God verse 31- 32
O generation
see you the word of the LORD
Have I been a wilderness unto Israel?
a land of darkness?
Wherefore say MY people
We are lords
We will come no more unto YOU?
Can a maid forget her ornaments
or a bride her attire?
YET MY people have forgotten ME
days without number
Israel claims to have never sinned verse 33- 37
Why trim you your way to seek love?
THERFORE have you also taught
the wicked ones your ways
Also in your skirts is found
the blood of the souls of the poor innocents
I have not found it by secret search
but upon all these
YET you say
Because I am innocent
surely HIS anger shall turn from ME
BEHOLD – I will plead with you – because you say
I have not sinned
Why gad you about so much to change your way?
you also shall be ashamed of Egypt
as you were ashamed of Assyria
YEA – you shall go forth from him
and your hands upon your head
for the LORD has rejected your confidences
and you shall not prosper in them
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 5 Thus says the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in ME, that they are gone far from ME, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? (1891 “vain” [habal] means to talk of nothing, to make void, carry on what is empty, delude, or to be or become empty or meaningless or futile or absurd.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever been blamed for something that you didn’t do? This is what people do when they don’t want to take responsibility for their own actions. We find that someone says they told us something and they really didn’t and then say they did. Life can get interesting when people play the blame game and never take responsibility for their own actions.
Here we have the children of Israel blaming God for all their problems. The LORD asks a question of the children of Israel. HE knows the answer to the question but they have a different answer.
Remember God is HOLY and NEVER SINS or causes anyone to sin. We sin because we are sinners. We need a Savior and forgiveness for our sins which only God can provide if we come to HIM in genuine repentance and ask HIM to forgive and restore us to a proper relationship with HIM.
Our first time of repentance will be to become a follower of HIM. All of the next times will be for restoration of fellowship with HIM. HE sent HIS SON Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Once we trust in HIM, we join the family of God.
Just like any family there are times when there are problems. It is never on the part of God but on our part. If we don’t ask for forgiveness by confessing our sins then our fellowship with HIM is broken and if we wait too long to confess, HE will send chastening our way to bring us back to HIM. HE doesn’t want us far from HIM at any time.
The children of Israel were always wandering away from the LORD to the point they were worshiping false gods on a regular basis. HE had to chasten them to bring them back to HIM with proper actions.
Here the question needs an answer. Do we blame God for our problems? Are we walking in the wrong direction today? Do we think God is the problem? Sometimes the children of Israel thought HE was the problem because they didn’t want to admit their sins and come back to HIM.
CHALLENGE: Do we find ourselves acting like the children of Israel? If so, what do we do? Confession is necessary for a proper walk with the LORD. Is our conversation void of understanding?
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 8 The priests said not, Where is the LORD? And they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors, also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit. (8610 “handle” [taphas] means to manipulate, be an expert or skilled, control, deal with, seize, arrest, capture, wield, to overlay, catch, or to take of)
DEVOTION: The start of the ministry of Jeremiah was not easy. His first message was one of condemnation of Judah. Judah started out holy. However, they proved Psalm 1: 1 true. They walked in the way of sin. They then stood with other nations instead of asking God for help. Finally, they sat in sin. They were surrounded by sin. Their three groups of leaders were not leading them toward God but away from HIM.
This verse starts with the first group: the priests. They were the ones who were to be experts in the law of the LORD. They were individuals who were supposed to be close to the LORD. They were to take hold of the law first in their life and then set the example for the rest of the people. They were to offer the sacrifices to the LORD. This verse says that: “they knew ME not.” They didn’t even know the LORD. How could they teach others correctly?
The second group: pastors. This is the political leaders of the day. First it was the judges and then the kings. They were not following the LORD. They were looking in other directions for help. They thought they didn’t need God. Their false gods were fine until they got into trouble and then they tried to call on the LORD. HE told them to go to their false gods for help.
The third group: prophets. Jeremiah was a prophet. They were to warn people about the coming judgment if they didn’t return to the LORD. Jeremiah was carrying this message to the people. The other prophets were not. In fact, they were telling the people to worship Baal, which was a fertility god. They were leading them in the wrong direction.
Today we can have individuals who are supposed to lead us right, leading us in the wrong direction. Only those who preach the Word of God faithfully are to be followed. Only those who believe in the inerrancy of the Word of God are teaching the truth. The Bible IS the Word of God. Are we listening to the right message each week? Do we know what the right message sounds like?
CHALLENGE: Learn what the Word of God teaches. Handle it faithfully. Explain it to those who will listen.
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: 13 For MY people have committed two evils: they have forsaken ME the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. (5800 “forsaken” [‘azab] means to leave, to refuse to accept or acknowledge something, conceived of as leaving it behind or forsaking it, loose, abandon, release, or apostatize.)
DEVOTION: Here we find that the LORD is talking to HIS people that HE has protected and provided for many years.
They have entered the Promised Land and observed all the land had to offer and thought they didn’t need the LORD to help them take advantage of the land and so they decided to just forget the LORD and enjoy all the blessings of the land without being thankful to HIM for HIS provision.
So the LORD confronted the children of Israel with the facts that they were not living according to HIS standards and because of that HE was going to take steps to show them that they were going in wrong direction.
Too often when we or the children of Israel experienced the blessings of the LORD we tend to think that we have done it all on our own. This is happening today even here in a America. We think that we have done all that we have in our own strength instead of acknowledging the LORD for blessing our nation.
Israel was heading in a wrong direction and Jeremiah was trying to warn them to stop what they were doing before all the blessings they were experiencing was taken away by the LORD.
But like today, the people were not listening to the LORD because they had fooled themselves into thinking that it was them instead of God that was providing all the blessings.
Too often we can develop and attitude that we don’t need God because things are going well and we think it is because of our abilities that have given us all the wealth that we have but we forget it was the LORD who gave us the abilities and provisions to live the way we presently are.
CHALLENGE: It is sad that we can’t learn from the sins of the past and repent and turn back to the LORD for blessings instead of judgment. Israel faced the LORD’S judgment because of their neglect of HIM and we are experiencing it too.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 19 YOUR own wickedness shall correct you, and your backslidings shall reprove you: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that you have forsaken the LORD your God, and that my fear is not in you, says the Lord GOD of hosts. (5800 “forsaken” [azab] means leave behind, loose, to depart from, abandon, neglect, apostatize, or neglect.
DEVOTION: This message from the LORD was very negative. Jeremiah came to the children of Israel when they were headed in the wrong direction. It is hard to stop someone who is headed in the wrong direction and liking it.
The children of Israel liked where they were in their religious life. They had a little of the LORD and a lot of the fertility god of the other nation, Baal. They wanted to do their own thing their own way without any restrictions.
The LORD informs us that those HE loves HE chastens to show HIS love. The children of Israel didn’t want any correction. They didn’t feel they were going in the wrong direction. They didn’t realize that they were backsliding toward an eternity in hell. They didn’t want the LORD to confront them or anyone else.
Jeremiah had a tough job. He was trying to confront a people who didn’t want to listen. He was giving the LORD’S instructions to them for them to correct their ways.
The children of Israel were leaving the LORD behind. They had outgrown the LORD. They didn’t need HIM anymore. Does that sound like the times we are living in?
Many in our nation think that belief in the Bible is old fashioned. They don’t think that Christians should judge others actions as wrong. In fact, we have Christians who feel that marriage between two men or two women is wrong and will not allow them to stay in their bed and breakfast or take pictures at their weddings and our courts are telling these individuals that they have no right to keep such a standard in their life or business.
Our world is heading in the wrong direction like the children of Israel. The LORD has sent messengers to tell them they are wrong but they will not listen. They think that they have outgrown the God of the Bible. HIS commands are no longer in affect.
CHALLENGE: We have to talk to those who will listen to inform them that they are wrong and judgment is coming. If they listen great, if they don’t it is sad but we have given a warning as the LORD commands.
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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)
Prayer of backslidden Israel verse 27, 28
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Priests verse 8
Priests handle God’s word verse 8
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1, 4, 31
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1- 6, 8, 9, 12, 17, 19, 29, 31
HE remembers Israel in their youth verse 2
Their kindness
Their love
Their going after HIM
Question the LORD asks fathers verse 5
Brought Israel out of land of Egypt verse 6
Led Israel through the wilderness verse 6
Through the deserts and pits
Through a land of droughts
Through the shadow of death
Through a land that no man dwelt
I brought you into a plentiful country verse 7
LORD going to plead with Israel verse 9
Told heavens to be astonished verse 12
MY people verse 13
Committed two evils
forsaken ME
hewed cisterns that can’t hold
water
Fountain of Living Water verse 13
Asked questions of Israel verse 14
Is Israel a servant?
Is he a homeborn slave?
Why is he spoiled
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 17
LORD your God verse 17, 19
Led Israel by the way verse 17
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 19, 22
GOD – Jehovah verse 19, 22
Lord GOD of hosts verse 19
Broken Israel’s yoke and burst their bands verse 20
I have planted Israel a noble vine verse 21
wholly a right seed
Lord GOD verse 22
In vain have I smitten your children verse 30
Children received no correction verse 30
LORD has rejected Israel’s confidences verse 37
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)
Land of Egypt verse 6, 18, 36
Isles of Chittim verse 10
Kedar verse 10
Children of Noph and Tahapanes
have broken Israel verse 16
Way of Egypt verse 18
Waters of Sihor verse 18
Way of Assyria verse 18, 36
Way of Baalim verse 23
Kings verse 26
Princes verse 26
Priests verse 26
Prophets verse 26, 30
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Devour verse 3
Evil verse 3, 13, 19
Iniquity verse 5, 22
Gone far from LORD verse 5
Walked after vanity verse 5
Become vain verse 5
Defiled verse 7
Abomination verse 7
Priests sinned verse 8
Transgressed verse 8, 20, 29
Prophesied by Baal verse 8
Walked after evil things verse 8
Changed to false gods verse 11, 28
Changed away from God verse 11
Changed their glory for what does not profit verse 11
Forsaken the LORD your God verse 13, 17, 19
Wickedness verse 19
Backslidings verse 19
Not fear the LORD verse 19
Worshiping false gods verse 20
Playing the harlot verse 20
Degenerate plant verse 21
Polluted verse 23
Worshiped Baalim verse 23
No hope verse 25
Loved strangers verse 25
Thief verse 26
House of Israel ashamed
their kings, princes, priests, prophets verse 26
Israel saying to a
stock: you are my father
stone: you have brought me forth verse 26
Turned their back on God verse 27
False gods verse 28
No correction verse 30
Killed prophets verse 30
Say: We are lords; we will come
no more to YOU verse 31
Forgotten God verse 32
Taught wicked ones your ways verse 33
Blood of innocent souls verse 34
Say I have not sinned verse 35
Rejected thy confidences verse 37
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Holiness verse 3
Firstfruits verse 3
Servant verse 14
Leading of the LORD verse 17
Correction verse 19, 30
Reprove verse 19
Fear of the LORD verse 19
Prayer verse 27
Deliverance verse 27, 28
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jeremiah (me) verse 1
Cry in the ears of Jerusalem
Jerusalem verse 2
Israel verse 3, 4, 14, 26, 31
Israel was the holiness to the LORD
and the first fruits verse 3
House of Jacob verse 4
Hear you the word of the LORD
Hear all the families of the house of Israel verse 4
Led through wilderness verse 6
Led to a plentiful country verse 7
Israel defiled the land verse 7
Make God’s heritage an abomination verse 7
Noble vine verse 21
How can Israel say – I am not polluted verse 23
Compared to a swift dromedary reversing
her way verse 23
House of Israel verse 26
In time of trouble will say Arise and save us
to the LORD verse 27
Judah verse 28
According to the number of cities
are your gods
Prophets verse 30
Ashamed of Egypt and Assyria verse 36
Israel shall not prosper verse 37
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
2:4–5 Employing the language of a court of law, God challenged the “house of Jacob” to accuse him of any “fault” (Heb. ʿāwel, “injustice”) that would justify their faithlessness (cf. 1 Sam 12:3). They had become as “worthless” to the Lord as the idols they worshiped (Isa 41:21–24, 29; Jer 10:8). The idea that we become like that which we worship is also found in Ps 115:8 and Hos 9:10. (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 63). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers)
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4–5. The ingratitude and stupidity of the entire nation are evident here. Though Israel had been dignified uniquely by becoming God’s bride, she had soon forgotten her first love (cf. 2:32; 3:21). The question what wrong did your fathers find in me? (rsv) actually expressed an emphatic negative. In the phrase went after worthlessness (rsv) the noun hahebel and its related verb probably constitute a play on the name ‘Baal’, the principal deity of Canaanite worship. In Deuteronomy and secular Near Eastern international treaties the phrase ‘to go after’ meant ‘to serve as a vassal’. (Harrison, R. K. (1973). Jeremiah and Lamentations: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 21, p. 59). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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4–5 Because of the covenant relationship, Israel was and still is under divine protection (v.4; cf. Gen 12:1–3). But what happened to that beautiful union between the Lord and his people? The answer is now addressed to the entire nation. The strange question in v.5 is intended to awaken the people’s consciences. Its only logical answer is that the change in relationship of Israel to God was not his fault but theirs. They had broken the marriage covenant by their infidelity in going after impure lovers. A play on words in v.5b (heḇel [“vanity,” “worthlessness”] with yehbālû [“became vain, worthless”]) reveals how worshipers become like the objects they worship. The translations “empty,” “vain,” or “worthless” correctly convey the idea that the Lord regards idols as without substance or reality (cf. 1 Kings 16:13; 1 Cor 8:4). Jeremiah levels as scathing denunciations against idols as any prophet, idolatry was Israel’s chief and besetting sin. In a sense Jeremiah’s whole book is an elaboration of what 1:16 says of this sin. Near-Eastern treaties show that ḥalôḵ ʾaḥarê (Heb., “to walk after”; NIV, “followed”) meant to serve as a vassal (cf. IOT, pp. 24–26). How base was the ingratitude of the Lord’s favored nation! (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 388). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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2:4–8. Israel’s faithfulness to God, however, did not last. Jacob (a synonym for Israel, v. 4) followed worthless idols (v.5; cf. v. 8, 11; 8:19; 10:8, 14–15; 14:22; 16:19; 18:15; 51:17–18) forgetting that the Lord had led them through the desert (2:6) into a fertile land. And the people defiled the land with their idolatry (v. 7).
Jeremiah singled out the three groups charged with leading the nation and exposed their lack of obedience (v. 8). The priests who were to instruct the people in the ways of God did not know God, that is, they themselves did not an have an intimate relationship with the One about whom they were teaching (see comments on “knew” in 1:5).
The leaders (rō‘ îm, lit., “shepherds”) were the political and civil leaders appointed by God to guide and protect the nation. In the early history of Israel this function was fulfilled by judges, but later the duty was assigned to kings. Ironically the ones who were to lead Judah were themselves in need of correction. They rebelled against the One who had appointed them to their task. The prophets were the third group charged with leading the nation. But instead of declaring God’s words of rebuke and correction, they prophesied by Baal and urged the people to follow worthless idols (cf. comments on 2:5). Baal was a Canaanite god of fertility whose worship was a constant thorn in Israel’s side (cf. 1 Kings 18:18–40; 2 Kings 10:18–28; 21:1–3. (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. 1132). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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An unfaithful wife (vv. 1–8). When the Lord gave the Israelites His covenant at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19–20), He entered into a loving relationship with them that He compared to marriage. “They broke My covenant, though I was a husband to them” (Jer. 31:32, NIV; see 3:14). In the Old Testament, Israel’s idolatry is compared to adultery and even prostitution (see Isa. 54:5; Hosea 2:16). At the beginning of this covenant relationship, the Jews were devoted to the Lord and loved Him, but once they conquered the Promised Land, their hearts lusted after the gods of the nations around them and they sank into idolatry (Jud. 1–3). Although God had taken them safely through their wilderness journey and given them a wonderful inheritance in Canaan, they abandoned Him for man-made gods. What kind of loyal love is that? (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (p. 24). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Ver. 4. Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.] The Lord, by the prophet, having observed his great kindness to this people, what they were unto him, and what a regard he had for them, proceeds to upbraid them with their ingratitude, and requires an attention to what he was about to say; all are called upon, because all were guilty. This respects the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the several families in them. The ten tribes had been long carried captive.
Ver. 5. Thus saith the Lord, what iniquity have your fathers found in me, &c.] What injustice or injury has been done them? there is no unrighteousness in God, nor can any be done by him; or what unfaithfulness, or want of truth and integrity in performing promises, had they found in him? he never suffers his faithfulness to fail, or any of the good things he has promised. So the Targum, “what falsehood have your fathers found in my word?” none at all; God is a covenant-keeping God: that they are gone far from me; from my fear, as the Chaldee paraphrase; from the word and worship, and ways of God: and have walked after vanity; after idols, the vanities of the Gentiles, ch. 14:22: and are become vain? in their imaginations and in their actions, in their knowledge and in their practice, worshipping idols, as well as guilty of many other sins. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 404). 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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Matthew records Jesus’ miraculous conception and birth.
INSIGHT
The birth of Jesus splits time and space like a lightning bolt in a hot July sky. The stage is set for the most important event in history. It has been planned before the foundation of the world. It is promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. The prophets have heralded it, the people long for it, and the culture is ripe for it.
The Messiah is coming to establish His kingdom. More importantly, He is coming to effect a new relationship between God and man.
Jesus is not just another world leader. He is God in the flesh. God, who has previously made Himself known through a nation, and through a law, is now coming to make Himself known through a man, a God-man, Jesus. (Quiet Walk)
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OUR SAVIOR PRAYS FOR US
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. John 17:9
Our Lord prays for His followers here. Some would put it as strongly as to say that He pleads for them; He does not merely make requests—He produces arguments and makes statements. This is a point that we must surely observe, for it is of great value to us. It reminds us that God’s omniscience is no reason for our not telling Him things that He already knows.
You must have often found yourself facing a particular difficulty or situation. You feel that because God knows everything, there is no point in telling Him anything about it. God knows our need, He knows all about us before we get on our knees to pray; so why then do we need to tell Him anything? What seems to be the obvious conclusion to that thought is that there is no need to pray at all: If God knows all about us, why not let things take their course and all will be well.
Now the answer to that is what we find in John 17. Our Lord knew, in a way we can never know, about God’s omniscience, His perfect and complete knowledge, and yet He told His Father certain things about those disciples, things that God knew already. He prayed about them and repeated them, and, of course, that is characteristic of Bible prayers everywhere—not only the prayers of our Lord but also those of the apostles and of the saints of the Old Testament. This is something that is wonderful the moment you begin to contemplate it. God after all desires us to think of Him as our Father. It is a kind of anthropomorphism; God is stooping to our weakness.
So when we come into the presence of God with our requests and our petitions, let us never fear to bring the details, for nothing is too small for God’s loving care and attention.
A Thought to Ponder: God’s omniscience is no reason for our not telling Him things that He already knows. (From Safe in the World pp. 9-10, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Good Pleasure of God
“Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11)
God’s good pleasure withholds judgment! “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalm 145:8-9).
God’s good pleasure is to do good to His people! “The LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:3-4).
God’s good pleasure forgives us! “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19).
God’s good pleasure is to bring about His will! “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. . . . So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:9-11). “The Lord . . . is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). When we live in God’s good pleasure, we are able to “delight” in Him. (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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When you open this Book, you are not just opening a book. When you read the Word, you are doing more than reading words. You are not simply taking in information; you are taking in life, warm from the breath of God. Nor are you studying the works of dead writers – rather you are hearing the voice of the living Lord. (p. 141, Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World by Dr. David Jeremiah)
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