Jeremiah 37
No one listened to Jeremiah verse 1- 2
And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah
the son of Jehoiakim
whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon
made king in the land of Judah
BUT neither he – nor his servants – nor the people of the land
did hearken unto the words of the LORD
which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah
King asked Jeremiah to pray verse 3- 4
And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah
and Zephaniah the son of Maaselah the priest
to the prophet Jeremiah – saying
Pray now to the LORD our God for us
Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people
for they had not put him into prison
Egypt comes to help Judah verse 5
THEN Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt
and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem
heard tidings of them they departed from Jerusalem
LORD sends message through Jeremiah verse 6- 8
THEN came the word of the LORD to the prophet Jeremiah
saying
Thus says the LORD – the God of Israel
Thus shall you say to the king of Judah
that sent you unto ME to inquire of ME
BEHOLD – Pharaoh’s army – which is come forth to help you
shall return to Egypt into their own land
And the Chaldeans shall come again
and fight against this city – and take it
and burn it with fire
LORD states Jerusalem is going to burn verse 9- 10
Thus says the LORD
Deceive not yourselves
saying
The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us
FOR they shall not depart
FOR though you had smitten the whole army of the
Chaldeans that fight against you
and there remained but wounded men among them
YET should they rise up every man in
his tent – and burn this city with fire
Jeremiah arrested under false charges verse 11- 13
And it came to pass
that when the army of the Chaldeans
was broken up from Jerusalem
for fear of Pharaoh’s army
THEN Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go
into the land of Benjamin
to separate himself thence in
the midst of the people
And when he was in the gate of Benjamin
a captain of the ward was there
whose name was Irijah – the son of Shelemiah
the son of Hananiah
And he took Jeremiah the prophet
saying
You fall away to the Chaldeans
Jeremiah in prison verse 14- 15
THEN said Jeremiah – It is false
I fall not away to the Chaldeans
BUT he hearkened not to him – so Irijah took Jeremiah
and brought him to the princes
WHEREFORE the princes were wroth with Jeremiah
and smote him
and put him in prison
in the house of Jonathan the scribe
for they had made that the prison
King Zedekiah wants message from LORD verse 16- 17
WHEN Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon
and into the cabins
and Jeremiah remained there many days
THEN Zedekiah the king sent – and took him out
and the king asked him secretly in his house
and said
Is there any word from the LORD?
And Jeremiah said – There is – for – said he
you shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon
Jeremiah asks king for release from prison verse 18- 20
Moreover Jeremiah
said to king Zedekiah
What have I offended against you – your servants
this people that you have put me in prison?
Where are now your prophets which prophesied to you
saying
The king of Babylon shall not come again you
nor against this land?
THEREFORE hear now – I pray you – O my lord the king
let my supplication – I pray you – be accepted before you
that you cause me not to return to the
house of Jonathan the scribe
lest I die there
Jeremiah moved to palace prison verse 21
THEN Zedekiah – the king
commanded that they should commit Jeremiah
into the court of the prison
and that they should give him DAILY a piece of bread
out of the bakers’ street
until all the bread in the city were spent
Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah. (8085 “hearken” [shama] means obey, publish, understand, diligently, or pay close attention to.)
DEVOTION: We have been warned throughout the Bible that the end times were going to be bad. Some don’t believe we are in the end times. I had a problem with the end times as I have said before back in the 70’s when I started in ministry. I didn’t understand how people could be marked with the mark of the beast. The Bible informs us in the book of Revelation that there would be no buying and selling without the mark of the beast on the forehead or hand.
Now we know that there are computer chips that have been put in the hands of individuals who receive government help with the payment for their lunches. They just scan the hand of the individuals who go through line to see if they are paying with money or the government is paying the bill. No one knows which is true except the office.
Now there is new chips being put in our computers and animals. There might be even chips in humans that we don’t know about. We have to realize that the Bible is informing us of what is going to happen in the future today just like the LORD was informing Judah about their future.
Some people will listen while others will just want to kill the messenger. Jeremiah found himself in that circumstance because he was telling those in authority what was going to happen because God said so. The Bible is God’s Word and HE has given us enough information for us to realize that all the circumstances are lining up better today than ever before for the start of the end times.
CHALLENGE: Are we going to listen or just think that either the Bible isn’t the Word of God to us today or think that we have a lot of time to witness to our friends and relatives about the LORD?
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 10 For though you had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire. (1856 “wounded” [daqar] means thrust through, pierced, stricken, riddled, or be very hungry.)
DEVOTION: Numbers mean nothing to God. HE can use a large army or a small army. HE can use 300 men to defeat an army of 185,000 trained soldiers. HE can use a young lad to defeat a warrior giant.
Strength means nothing to HIM. HE used one man to defeat the Philistines. HE used one man to preach a sermon to save a city of over two hundred thousand. Here HE states that HE can use dying soldiers to defeat the city of Jerusalem and burn it to the ground.
Too often we count on numbers to succeed. One person who has given his life wholly to the LORD can win a multitude of sinners. The Holy Spirit wants us to count on HIM to help us against any army against us.
Judah thought that because the Egyptian army was coming to help them against the Babylonians they didn’t have anything to worry about. They were sadly mistaken. God had spoken and HIS word was final. They were going to go into captivity for seventy years.
The king thought if he put the messenger in prison there would be peace. Jeremiah in prison was still the LORD’S prophet. He still told the king that he was going to go into captivity.
Our world should never revolve around numbers. If we count on our bank account to get us through a crisis, we would be wrong. If we count on our talent to get us through a crisis, we would be wrong. If we count on human beings to get us through a crisis, we would be wrong. The true of the matter is that we need to count on the LORD alone and HE can deliver us from any crisis. Can HE use money? YES!! Can HE use our talent? YES!!! Can HE use other humans? YES!!
CHALLENGE: Our confidence has to be in the LORD alone. If we continually put this into practice, we can give a proper example to those around us.
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: 18 Moreover Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah, What have I offended against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison? (2398 “offended” [chata] means to violate a divine law, to wrong, to err from the mark, to sin, harm, trespass, miss the mark, miss the goal or path of right and duty or to incur guilt.)
DEVOTION: Jeremiah was trying to be a faithful witness for the LORD to the people of Israel. He was trying to convey to them what the LORD told him to say. He was being honest with them and not sugarcoating what the LORD was doing to them because of their sin against the LORD.
The children of Judah didn’t want the LORD to judge them for their sins. They really didn’t think they did anything that bad against the LORD. Why should HE want to send the army of Babylon against them.
The problem is that we don’t understand that the LORD wants us to live a life that is pleasing to HIM, just like, HE wanted the children of Israel to live a life that was pleasing to HIM.
Our thoughts are not HIS thoughts. We can only receive HIS thoughts if we meditate on what HE says to us in the Word of God and through the Holy Spirit. The children of Judah had the Word of God that Jeremiah shared with them but they didn’t want to obey it.
They seemed to think that if they put the prophet in prison the judgment of the LORD would go away. It was wrong thinking on their part and on our part even today that we think that we don’t have to change.
CHALLENGE: The only way that we can avoid judgment from the LORD is to be obedient. If we are not obedient than we have to confess our sins and HE will be faithful and just to forgive them and cleanse us. It doesn’t mean that there will be no consequences but they might be lighter.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 20 Therefore hear now, I pray you, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray you, be accepted before you; that you cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there. (8467 “supplication” [t@chinnah] means favor, grace, plea, petition, request, asking for mercy or showing of kindness to someone.
DEVOTION: Zedekiah didn’t listen to the LORD. His servants did not listen to the LORD. However, he wanted Jeremiah to pray for him. He was trying to cover all the bases even if he didn’t really believe in the LORD or HIS prophecies.
Pharaoh came from Egypt to help the people of Judah. The army of Nebuchadrezzar went out to meet them. Zedekiah thought that they were going to be safe. He wanted Jeremiah to talk with the LORD regarding their future.
The LORD told Jeremiah that even if all the soldiers of Nebuchadrezzar were wounded, they would still burn Jerusalem.
Jeremiah had left the city of Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his inheritance but was stopped by the captain of the ward. He was asked questions – to which – he gave a truthful answer but was taken to the princes and beaten and put in prison. He stayed there many days. He was falsely accused but still spent time in prison.
The king secretly sent for him to ask him questions regarding the LORD’S answer to pray. Jeremiah asked the king not to send him back to prison. The king gave him his request and also daily bread to eat.
Our KING is greater than Zedekiah. HE answers our conversation with HIM (prayer) on a daily basis by giving us our daily bread. HE is a great provider. Are we communicating with HIM? What are we praying for today? Is our need as real as Jeremiah’s need?
CHALLENGE: Remember that even when we are telling the truth, we might not be believed. The LORD knows the truth and our actions. HE knows our hearts.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Jeremiah asked to pray Judah verse 3
LORD replies to Jeremiah verse 7
Supplications verse 20
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Zephaniah – – son of Maaseiah the priest verse 3
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Words of the LORD verse 2
Word of the LORD verse 6
Any word from the LORD verse 17
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10,17
Said “Deceive not yourselves saying
The Chaldeans shall surely depart
from us: for they shall not depart
For though you had smitten the whole army of
the Chaldeans that fight against you, and
there remained but wounded men among
them, yet should they rise up every man in his
tent, and burn this city with fire
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 3, 7
LORD our God verse 3
the LORD, God of Israel verse 7
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)
Nebuchadrezzar – king of Babylon verse 1, 17, 19
made Zedehiah king in land of Judah
Babylon verse 1, 17, 19
Pharaoh army verse 5, 7, 11
shall return to Egypt into their own land
Egypt verse 5, 7
Chaldeans verse 5, 8- 11, 13, 14
besieged Jerusalem
heard of Pharaoh army coming
departed from Jerusalem
shall come again and fight against this city
and burn it with fire
fear of Pharaoh’s army
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Not listening to words of the LORD
spoken by Jeremiah verse 2, 20
Deceive self verse 9
Lie about God’s prophet verse 13, 14
Hitting a prophet of God verse 15
Offend others verse 18
False prophets verse 19
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Prophet verse 2, 6, 13
Prison verse 4, 15
Separate verse 12
Hear the Word of the LORD verse 20
Daily bread verse 21
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Zedekiah – king of Judah (son of Josiah) verse 1- 3, 7, 17, 18, 21
made king in the land of Judah
didn’t hearken to the words of the LORD
spoken by the prophet Jeremiah
sent and took Jeremiah out of prison
into the court of the prison
and that they should daily a
piece of bread out of the bakers street,
until all the bread in the city was spent
asked Jeremiah secretly – said – Is there
any word from the LORD?
Coniah – son of Jehoiakim verse 1
not picked to reign
Judah verse 1, 7
Jeremiah the prophet verse 2- 4, 6, 12- 21
word of the LORD came to him
asked to pray to the LORD
came in and went out among the people
for they had not put him in prison
word of the LORD came to him
went out of Jerusalem to go into the land
of Benjamin – to separate himself
thence in the midst of the people
gate of Benjamin met captain of the ward
called what Irijah said “False”
entered into the dungeon and into the cabins
remained there many days
answered Zedekiah’s question: There is: for said he,
you shall be delivered into the hand of the
king of Babylon
Said to king Zedekiah – What have I offended
against you, or against your servants, or
against this people, that you have put me
in prison?
Where are now yoru prophets which
Prophesied to you, saying,
The king of Babylon shall not come
against you, nor against this land?
Therefore hear now, I pray you, O my lord
the king: let my supplication, I pray you,
be accepted before you, that you cause
me not to return to the house of Jonathan
the scribe, let I die there
Put in the court of the prison
Give daily bread until bread in the city was spent
Remained in the court of the prsion
Jehucal – son of Shelemiah verse 3
Jerusalem verse 5, 11, 12
besieged by Chaldeans
Israel verse 7
Benjamin verse 12, 13
Irijah – captain of ward at gate of Benjamin
son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah
said to Jeremiah “You fall away
to the Chaldeans
didn’t listen to Jeremiah but brought
him to the princes verse 13, 14
Princes verse 14, 15
wroth with Jeremiah and smote him
and put him in prison in the
house of Jonathan the scribe
for they had made that the prison
Jonathan the scribe verse 15, 20
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
21 Solicitous for the welfare of the prophet, Zedekiah reversed the decision of his officials and transferred Jeremiah to the guardroom, a move that doubtless gave him more security and saved him other indignities. The king also gave him a daily allotment from the rapidly failing food supply. But he did not liberate the prophet, because he still feared his officials. This verse is the only place in Scripture where the name of a street in Jerusalem appears: “the street of the bakers,” i.e., Baker Street. It was a Near Eastern custom to name streets after those who worked in them. (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 614). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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37:21. Granting Jeremiah’s request, Zedekiah had him transferred from the underground vaulted cistern to the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace (cf. 32:2). Here Zedekiah could better protect Jeremiah from his enemies-though Zedekiah was a weak-willed protector (cf. 38:4–10). Zedekiah also arranged for Jeremiah to be given bread … each day so he would not starve. This continued until the siege depleted the supply of grain so that all the bread in the city was gone (cf. 52:6). (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. 1183). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Jeremiah was beaten and put into prison. When Zedekiah heard about it, he recognized it as an opportunity to talk safely to Jeremiah, for the officers would think the king was looking into Jeremiah’s case. After bringing him to the palace, the king asked, “Is there any word from the Lord?” The prophet gave him an immediate answer, “Yes … you will be handed over to the king of Babylon” (37:17, NIV). Why say more? Jeremiah had already declared God’s message many times, only to see the message rejected.
Jeremiah took the opportunity to expose the deceptive, optimistic messages of the false prophets. If they had been speaking the truth, the king should have asked them for a message from the Lord! Meanwhile, Jeremiah asked to be delivered from prison, a request that Zedekiah granted. The prophet was placed in the court of the prison and granted a daily ration of bread as long as the supply lasted. While we appreciate Zedekiah’s concern to save Jeremiah, we wonder why the king didn’t have a concern to save his people. He was afraid to change his policies because he was afraid of his advisers and officers. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (pp. 147–148). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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37:21 bread. The king showed a measure of kindness by returning Jeremiah to “the court of the guardhouse” (cf. 32:2; 33:1), promising “bread” as long as it lasted in the siege (cf. 38:9). He remained there until Jerusalem was taken soon after the food was gone (38:28), with only a brief trip to a pit (38:6–13). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Je 37:21). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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Ver. 21. Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, &c.] He did not think fit to discharge him entirely, lest it should give offence to the princes, who had committed him; but be ordered him to be put in a court belonging to the prison, where he might breathe in a freer air, and have liberty of walking to and fro, where his friends might be admitted to come and see him: and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers’ street; it seems there was a street in Jerusalem so called, where the bakers lived; and perhaps the king’s bakers; who had orders to deliver to the prophet every day a piece or loaf of bread, as much as was sufficient for a man; or, however, as much as the scarcity of provisions in a siege would allow. Kimchi makes mention of a Midrash, which interprets this of bread made of bran, which was sold without the palace; as if it was coarser bread than what was eaten at court: until all the bread in the city was spent; that is, as long as there was any. These were the king’s orders: thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison; until the city was taken; unless a small time that he was in the dungeon of Malchiah, out of which he was taken again, and restored to the court of the prison, and there continued; see ch. 38:6, 13, 28. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, pp. 614–615). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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That the king knew the prophet was innocent of the charge upon which Irijah had arrested him is evident from the remaining verses of the chapter (16–21). Jeremiah was cast into the dungeon and into the cells—probably underground apartments, gloomy and damp. There he was allowed to remain for many days, neglected, and with no opportunity given to clear himself of the imputation of treachery. Eventually Zedekiah sent and took him out for a secret conference in the palace, and asked him, “Is there any word from the Lord?” What a picture is here presented for us: the man on the throne and the man from the dungeon confronting each other, and the former is forced to own the superiority of the latter. The falsely accused prisoner has the secret of the Lord, and the haughty monarch is dependent on the prisoner to learn of Jehovah’s purpose.
In reply to the anxious question Jeremiah gives the old answer. There is indeed a message from the Lord: it is the same so often given before, and unheeded. “For,” said he, “thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” There is no effort to palliate the terrible truth; no endeavor to win the king’s favor by good words and fair speeches. The plain, unwelcome truth is declared; and then, with neither apology nor flattery, he pleads his cause before the king: “What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee, that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.”
Manifestly the army of the king of Babylon had again invested the city; the word of Jeremiah had proved true, and the false prophets had been put to shame. Convinced that injustice and wrong had been done the man of God, Zedekiah gives order that his circumstances be made more endurable, though he does not release him nor declare abroad his innocence. With the shame of supposed crime against his country hanging over him still, Jeremiah is taken from the dungeon and given a place in the court of the prison, with the allowance of “a daily piece of bread out of the baker’s street,” so long as any bread remains in the city. Famine rations are being served out by weight. The end cannot be far away. (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (pp. 209–210). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux 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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Jesus shares the Passover meal with His disciples.
INSIGHT
At the beginning of human history, the first people disobeyed God. That fateful choice proved spiritually fatal-for Adam, Eve, and all their descendants.
Since the fall, we have all imitated our first parents. We have tried to usurp God’s right to control His creation. We have demanded the right to control our own destinies, our own moral judgments, our own decisions.
Even those who actually walked with Jesus fell prey to this proud way of thinking. During the Last Supper, which you might think would be one of the most spiritually intimate moments in the disciples’ experience, an argument broke out about who was the greatest among them. Jesus replied that the greatest among them must be a servant to all.
Beware when you find yourself striving for preeminence. Instead, your quest must be servanthood. (Quiet Walk)
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WHY DID THE CROSS HAPPEN?
…brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep… Isaiah 53:7
Why is the Son of God there on the cross? The first thing the Scriptures say is that it is not merely the action of men. Oh, but, you say, it is men who are hammering in those nails. I agree, but that would be the remark of a very superficial observer. What made the men do it? Is there nothing behind them? You see, the whole trouble in the world today is that we are all looking at everything superficially. We choose some activity, then we set up a royal commission to look into it, and we have a little superficial reporting. It makes no difference, nothing is any different, because we are superficial in our diagnosis—we are not able to see the depths of things beneath the surface. It is the same here. Why do I say that it was not merely the action of men? Why am I saying that it was not merely an accident? My answer is, of course, that it was something that had been prophesied.
Take the passage in Isaiah 53, an exact prophecy of what happened on the cross. Again, read the 22nd Psalm. That is another perfect prophecy of the death of our Lord upon the cross. It is prophesied many times in the Old Testament. Indeed, you will see it if you go back to books like Leviticus and other books of the law that people say they find utterly boring and beyond their understanding. If you only know how to read them, you will find that they are all pointing to the cross.
Or go back to Exodus and the story of the exodus of the children of Israel from the captivity of Egypt. Why did they have to kill that lamb, the paschal lamb as we call it, at night and put its blood on the doorposts and the lintels? It is a prophecy of this. Everything in the Passover story points to this event.
A Thought to Ponder: Everything in the Passover story points to the cross. (From The Cross, pp. 65-66, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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As I Have Loved
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34)
No Christian could ever question the preeminent importance of love. “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16), and the greatest of the Christian virtues is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). The first and second commandments of the law are love for God and love for one’s neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). Christ’s new commandment, however, gives us a definition of love! To love as He loved, we must observe how Christ loved.
In the first place, His love was not ephemeral. “When Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end” (John 13:1).
The Lord Jesus Himself defined love this way: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). However, Christ died not only for His friends but for all sinners, including His bitter enemies. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. . . . Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:9-11)
The measure of love is the undeserved, yet gladly offered, substitutionary death of Christ for our sins. Whenever we think the love commandment is demanding too much of us, we should compare our love to His. “For the love of Christ constraineth us [not our love for Him, but His love for us] . . . that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19), and we must live for Him. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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