Jeremiah 38
Jeremiah had a message of surrender verse 1- 3
Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan – Gedaliah the son of Pashur
Jucal the son of Shelemiah – Pashur the son of Malchiah
heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto the people
saying
Thus says the LORD
He that remains in this city shall die by the sword
by the famine – by the pestilence
BUT he that goes forth to the Chaldeans
shall live
For he shall have his life for a prey and shall live
Thus says the LORD
This city shall surely be given into the hand of the
king of Babylon’s army which shall take it
Princes went to king calling Jeremiah a traitor verse 4
THEREFORE the princes said unto the king
We beseech you – let this man be put to death
FOR thus he weakens the hands of the men of war that
remain in this city – and the hands of all the people
in speaking such words unto them
FOR this man seeks not the welfare of this people – but the hurt
King gives leaders permission to kill Jeremiah verse 5
THEN Zedekiah the king said
BEHOLD – he is in your hand for the king is not he that can do
any thing against you
Jeremiah put into empty royal cistern verse 6
THEN took they Jeremiah and cast him into the
dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech
that was in the court of the prison
and they let down Jeremiah with cords
AND in the dungeon there was no water – BUT mire
so Jeremiah sunk in the mire
Ebed-melech the Ethiopian pleads for Jeremiah verse 7- 9
Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian
one of the eunuchs which was in the king’s house
heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon
the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin
Ebed-melech went forth out of the king’s house – and spoke to the king
saying – My lord the king
These men have done evil in all that they have done to
Jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the dungeon
and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is
for there is no more bread in the city
Ebed-melecah receives permission to save Jeremiah verse 10
THEN the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian – saying
Take from hence thirty men with you
and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon
before he die
Jeremiah raised out of cistern verse 11- 13
SO Ebed-melech took the men with him
and went into the house of the king under the treasury
and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags
and let them down by cords into the dungeon
to Jeremiah
AND Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah
Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes
under the cords
And Jeremiah did so
SO they drew up Jeremiah with cords
and took him up out of the dungeon
and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison
Jeremiah gives King message from the LORD verse 14- 18
THEN Zedekiah the king sent and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him
into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD
and the king said unto Jeremiah
I will ask you a thing hide nothing from me
THEN Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah
If I declare it unto you – will you not surely put me to death?
and if I give you counsel – will you not hearken unto me?
SO Zedekiah the king swore secretly unto Jeremiah – saying
As the LORD lives – that made us this soul
I will not put you to death
neither will I give you into the hands of these
men that seek your life
THEN said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah
Thus says the LORD – the God of hosts – the God of Israel
If you will assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes
THEN your soul shall live and this city shall not be burned with fire
and you shall live – and your house
BUT IF you will not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes
THEN shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans
and they shall burn it with fire
and you shall not escape out of their hand
King afraid of the people verse 19
AND Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah
I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans
lest they deliver me into their hand – and they mock me
Jeremiah says obedience more important verse 20- 23
BUT Jeremiah said
They shall not deliver you
OBEY – I beseech you – the voice of the LORD
which I speak unto you – so it shall be well unto you
and your soul shall live
BUT IF thou refuse to go forth
this is the word that the LORD hath shown me
And BEHOLD – all the women that are left in the king of Judah’s house
shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes
and those women shall say
Your friends have set you on and have prevailed against you
your feet are sunk in the mire and they are turned away back
So they shall bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans
and you shall not escape out of their hand
BUT shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon
and you shall cause this city to be burned with fire
King tells Jeremiah not to repeat message verse 24- 26
Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah
Let no man know of these words – and you shall not die
BUT if the princes hear that I have talked with you
and they come unto you – and say unto you
Declare unto us now what you have said unto the king
hide it not from us – and we will not put you to death
ALSO what the king said unto you
THEN you shall say unto them
I presented my supplication before the king
that he would not cause me to return to
Jonathan’s house – to die there
Jeremiah follows king’s instructions verse 27- 28
THEN came all the princes unto Jeremiah – and asked him
and he told them according to all these words
that the king had commanded
SO they left off speaking with him
for the matter was not perceived
So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day
that Jerusalem was taken
and he was there when Jerusalem was taken
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammeliech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire. (2916 “mire” [tiyt] means mud, clay, loam, damp dirt, or bog.)
DEVOTION: The word is used to represent instability, loneliness, and helplessness of one in distress in one’s current condition.
Here we find Jeremiah preaching the message the LORD had given him and yet the people wanted to kill him. They thought that he was causing the people of Jerusalem to lose hope.
The problem was that their disobedience was causing the people to lose hope. They didn’t want to listen to the message of the LORD and do what HE commanded. HE told the people of Jerusalem that their only hope to live was to surrender to the Babylonian army and go out of the city.
The prince’s solution was to go to the king and ask to kill Jeremiah. The king granted their request.
Jeremiah was put in a cistern without water. All that was in the cistern was mud. He was sinking in the mud with no food or water. They wanted him to suffer before he died.
We sometimes find ourselves in a position where the people around us would rather we just go away instead of them having to listen what the LORD was telling us to preach.
If we continue preaching against sin we will be judged of the LORD but if we continue the people around us might want to get rid of us. We have to remember that our security is in the LORD.
HE is the one who provides all our needs. HE will not fail us if we continue to be faithful to HIM. Jeremiah was faithful to HIM and the LORD sent a servant to King Zedekiah to plead for his life.
Our situation is never hopeless when we remain faithful to the LORD. HE will deliver us out of every situation by HIS grace. Even if we have failed in the past HE will forgive us if we repent. HE can then use us for HIS service.
Jonah is an example of HIS forgiveness. There are many other people throughout the Old Testament that give us an example of the LORD’S care for HIS people. Faithfulness can bring deliverance.
CHALLENGE: When everyone seems to be against you always turn to the LORD for help. HE is truly the only one who can get us out of bad circumstances.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver you. Obey, I beseech you, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto you: so it shall be well unto you, and your soul shall live. (8085 “Obey” [shama] means to hear, listen to, receive news, to understand, give heed, agree, consent, or to yield to.)
DEVOTION: The leaders around Zedekiah wanted to kill Jeremiah because of his message from the LORD. They were afraid his message would cause the people to surrender to the king of Babylon. The king let them do what they wanted with Jeremiah. They took him and put him in a dungeon by lowing him down into a cistern that had no water but only mire. He would die in this dungeon without food and water.
One of the servants named Ebed-melech the Ethiopian went to the king and asked for Jeremiah to be released. He was a eunuch in the service of king Zedekiah. He was a nobody that the LORD used to spare Jeremiah’s life. The king allowed him to go and with thirty of his men to release Jeremiah. He had to take rags and tie them together to get Jeremiah out of the cistern.
Once Jeremiah was released the king sent for him to give him a message from the LORD. Jeremiah told him that he would not like the message. The message told Zedekiah to surrender to the king of Babylon. The king told him he was afraid.
Now this verse comes into play. Jeremiah reminds the king to trust the LORD. If the king will listen to the LORD things would go well with him. If he didn’t listen there would be tragic consequences. He was more afraid of the people then the LORD.
Today we have choices to make every day regarding to whom we will listen. We can listen to man or we can listen to the LORD. Too often men want to run the LORD’S church the way they think it should be run.
They run off people who don’t agree with them. They think they are doing a good job. However, the LORD tells HIS shepherd to feed the flock NOT allow them to be run off.
As shepherds are we listening to the people or the LORD? God’s word is plain regarding a shepherd’s responsibility. We are not to look at people but to the LORD for direction.
Our paychecks come from the LORD not the people. Zedekiah was afraid of the princes and afraid of the people in captivity. Of whom are we afraid to state what the LORD gives us? We are to preach or teach without fear of the faces of the people we are teaching.
God want us to be faithful to HIS Word rather than please men. Jeremiah said things the king didn’t want to hear. We need to do the same today. There are a few people that are willing to listen.
God used a servant to spare the life of Jeremiah. Who will HE use to help us in our faithfulness to HIM?
CHALLENGE: Obedience is hard. Applying the Word of God to our daily life is work. We need to fight the laziness and selfishness that is part of our human nature each day.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 27 Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him: and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived. (8085 “perceived” [shama] means to understand things heard, discerned, to be regarded, be heeded, or reported)
DEVOTION: In a court of law in the United States the witness is “to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help them God.” Once they are on the stand they should tell the truth. This is something that is important to the LORD. HE wants us to tell the truth at all times.
Now we have Jeremiah before the princes again asking him what he said to the king and what the king send to him. It is thought that he might have had two conversations with the king one about what was going to happen in the future and one where Jeremiah asked not to go back into prison.
We don’t have all that was said in the conversation but we have the first conversation and what the king told Jeremiah to say to the princes because he didn’t want to have them against him.
So we find that commentaries disagree as to whether Jeremiah lied to the princes or not. We know that the princes didn’t understand the conversation that Jeremiah gave them because of the word that we have picked from the verse. So it is hard for us to judge Jeremiah. He didn’t want to hurt the king or himself.
When we read this passage we have to make sure that we don’t just Jeremiah as a hypocrite. We have to watch what we say to people on a regular basis. We have to speak the truth in love. We have to make sure that we are saying things that will help people and not hurt people. If something is told to us in confidence we have to make sure that we keep the confidence.
There is a fine line between not sharing the whole truth to an individual and lying. We have to ask the LORD for discernment in every conversation we have with people. If we say too much we can hurt them or too little we cannot help them.
CHALLENGE: Are we praying for discernment in our every conversation with people? Is what we say pleasing to the LORD? Our prayer life before every conversation makes a difference because the LORD has promised to give us just the right words.
_____________________________________________________________
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)
Jeremiah submitted to the kings request verse 27
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)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
House of the LORD verse 14
________________________________________________________
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 2, 20, 21
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 2, 3, 14, 16, 17, 20, 21
Creator verse 16
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 17
God of hosts verse 17
God of Israel verse 17
Voice of the LORD verse 20
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)
Chaldeans verse 2, 18, 19, 23
King of Babylon verse 3, 17, 18, 22, 23
Ebedmelech the Ethiopian (eunuch) verse 7- 12
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Not like message from God verse 4,
Killing God’s messenger verse 4
Not protecting God’s messenger verse 5
Evil verse 9
Afraid to obey verse 19
Mock obedient people verse 19
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Give message from God verse 2, 3, 14- 18
Hearken to message from God verse 15
Obedience verse 20
Begging people to obey God verse 20
Promise of wellness to those who obey verse 20
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Shelphatiah verse 1
Gedaliah verse 1
Jeremiah verse 1, 6, 7, 9- 18, 20- 24, 27, 28
Princes verse 4
King Zedekiah verse 4, 5, 9, 10, 14- 19, 22, 24, 27
Dungeon of Malchiah verse 6
Benjamin verse 7
Israel verse 17
Jonathan verse 26
Jerusalem verse 28
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
_____________________________________________________________
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
_____________________________________________________________
QUOTES regarding passage
38:27 Even as Zedekiah anticipated, the officials did question Jeremiah about his conversation with the king. Jeremiah answered as the king had instructed him. Jeremiah’s answer creates a troublesome question about his ethics. Hyatt called it a “white lie” or “half truth.” It raises the question of whether there is ever an appropriate situation not to be truthful. In defense of Jeremiah, some have said he was not concealing the truth to protect himself but to protect the people, who would have been subjected to a bloody purge if they had heeded Jeremiah’s advice and had begun surrendering to the enemy. Others have suggested that Jeremiah was protecting the king’s life by not revealing the true conversation; they reason that it is right to lie if it means saving a life. Some have justified Jeremiah by saying he was not untruthful but did not reveal the entire conversation. He may have asked Zedekiah not to return him to Jonathan’s house. The most likely explanation for Jeremiah’s response is that it reveals his humanity (as did the confessions in chaps. 11–20). In a weaker moment of remembering past abuse and anticipating more suffering, and perhaps still picking mud from between his toes, Jeremiah complied with the king’s request. For the moment he had no desire for further abuse and possible death.
The men accepted his version of the conversation because none of them had been present to hear the actual words. Jeremiah’s moment of weakness is a reminder that all have their times of weakness and sin, but if the sin is confessed, God will forgive (1 John 1:9). (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, pp. 339–340). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
_________________________________________________________
27 Jeremiah’s compliance with the king’s request has been severely criticized on ethical grounds. One scholar thinks he agreed to tell a lie. Though he would not compromise on the word of God, he was more compromising in lesser matters (so Frost). Jeremiah’s answer has been called a “half-truth” or “a white lie” for the king’s sake (so Hyatt). But another interpretation is that he told the truth, nothing but the truth, but not the whole truth (so Clarke). Still another interpretation is that for Jeremiah to tell the partial truth was misleading, but he did it to shield the king (so Bewer). We must be extremely reluctant to fault a true prophet of God like Jeremiah—a man of courage, brotherly love, patriotism, tremendous spiritual stature, and unparalleled devotion. In his defense the following facts need to be considered.
1. The precarious position of the king must be taken into account.
2. To allay suspicion was as much in the king’s interest as in his own.
3. Jeremiah’s answer was not a falsehood because the petition was implied in vv.15–16 (so Laetsch).
4. At this critical time, the king did not want to occasion a break between himself and his generals (so Payne Smith).
5. Actually, the officials had no authority to question either the king or the prophet.
6. The officials wanted to use the information for evil purposes.
7. Jeremiah told only what was necessary and no more.
8. It was his way of bolstering Zedekiah’s battered morale (so Cunliffe-Jones) (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, pp. 619–620). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
____________________________________________________________
Still afraid of his own officers, the king told Jeremiah to keep their conversation confidential. There’s no suggestion that Jeremiah lied to the officers who questioned him. To begin with, we may not have a transcript of the complete conversation between Jeremiah and Zedekiah, and Jeremiah may have asked not to be returned to the house of Jonathan. Certainly in their second conversation, Jeremiah had made such a request (37:17–21). He was under no obligation to report everything to the officers, and he didn’t have to lie in order to keep the conversation confidential. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (pp. 148–149). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
______________________________________________________________
Ver. 27. Then came all the princes to Jeremiah, and asked him, &c.] After he had parted with the king, and was come back to the court of the prison; as soon as the princes had been informed of the interview between the king and the prophet, which soon came to their ears, they came in a body to him, to the court of the prison, where he was, and asked him of what passed between him and the king: and he told them according to all those words that the king had commanded; what he told them, no doubt, was truth; though he did not tell them all the truth; which he was not obliged to do, having no command from God, and being forbid by the king: so they left off speaking with him; or, were silent from him; went away silent, not being able to disprove what he had said, or object unto it, and finding they could get nothing more out of him: for the matter was not perceived; or, was not heard; though there were persons that saw the king and the prophet together, yet nobody heard any thing that passed between them; and therefore Jeremy could not be confronted in what he had said, or be charged with concealing any thing. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 620). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
__________________________________________________________
Figuratively, this noun is employed to portray God’s deliverance of believers from enemies (II Sam 22:43) or his judgment upon foes (Mic 7:10; Zech 10:5) by trampling them like “mud” or dust in the streets. The figure of one sinking into the “mire” at the bottom of a cistern is used to depict the instability, loneliness, and helplessness of one in distress (Ps 40:2 [H 3]; 69:2, 14 [H 3, 15]). The abundance of “mud” in the ancient streets is employed to describe Tyre’s wealth in gold (Zech 9:3). (Alexander, R. H. (1999). 796 טוט. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (347). Chicago: Moody Press.)
_____________________________________________________
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!!)
_________________________________________________________
Destroyers play by a different set of rules. There is plenty of sorrow for themselves but none for those they’ve injured. (p. 53)
We can destroy people in smaller ways, but ways that are just as sure. We can be destroyers with our words, with our attitudes, and with our critical spirit. You need to be honest enough to face just how difficult you are to live with. (p 53)
A pastor had a clock in his office that was well-known for its inability to keep time; sometimes it was too fast, sometimes too slow. He put a sign under it; “This clock is not dependable, don’t blame the hands, the trouble is deeper.” Our trouble is deeper than we imagine it to be, But God can change us form the inside out.
Regardless of whether you are the victim or the perpetrator, I want to offer you some practical lessons from the tragedy of Cain. (p. 54)
Unless you open yourself continually to the work of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to control your thoughts and motives, you too can play into the Devil’s hands. (p. 54)
Second, we can be healed by the blood that forgives.
Jesus offers to us “the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12: 24). Abel’s blood cried out words of judgment against Cain and all who would choose his sinful ways. The blood of Jesus offers words of forgiveness and reconciliation to all who embrace the cross. At the foot of the cross both destroyer and victim can come together and find healing. (p. 55)
And I’m not just writing to the Cains who are reading this chapter, but also to the Abels, the man who was a victim of his brother’s anger/ Abel, of course, died, but you are alive and perhaps living with the pain of someone else’s wrong. (p. 55) (When You’ve Been WRONGED “Moving From Bitterness To FORGIVENESS by Erwin W. Lutzer)
________________________________________________________
April 5, 2019 (Morning Star News) – A human rights committee in Malaysia has concluded that police officers were responsible for the 2017 disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh, according to published reports.
The prime minister of Malaysia told reporters late Wednesday (April 3) that the government would investigate the abduction of the pastor and the 2016 disappearance of a Shiite charity leader if it determines the committee’s conclusion that police abducted them is factually based.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the National Human Rights Commission must have evidence to support its conclusion that the special branch of police forced Pastor Koh into a car in Selangor state on Feb. 13, 2017. He has not been seen since. The commission also concluded that the special branch was responsible for the Nov. 24, 2016 disappearance of Amri Che Mat, the Shiite leader of a charity in the officially Sunni Islam country.
Asserting that police cannot be allowed to break the law, the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship called on officials to reopen the investigation into the “heinous injustice” against the two religious leaders, the AP reported.
The National Human Rights Commission announced on Wednesday (April 3) that its two-year investigation showed direct and circumstantial evidence that the two religious leaders were victims of “enforced disappearance by state agents” involving the special branch.
The retired judge who headed the commission’s inquiry, Mah Weng Kwai, said Thursday (April 4) that police were reluctant to cooperate but that circumstantial evidence in both cases strongly pointed to police involvement, which he called “heinous and despicable,” according to the AP.
Mah said the three-member commission had done “sufficient fact-finding” to warrant a further government investigation, the AP reported, and that the onus was on the government to prove that officers were not involved.
The commission noted that both men were targeted by religious authorities and police, and that they were abducted in similar ways, according to the AP, which reported, “Their cars were blocked by several four-wheel drive vehicles before they were swiftly seized by men in black wearing ski masks.”
The commission stated that it also expects to investigate the disappearance of Joshua Hilmi and his wife Ruth Hilmi, evangelists and converts from Islam who disappeared six days after Amri did in 2016.
Prior to their disappearances, Amri Che Mat and Pastor Koh were under direct surveillance, according to the inquiry, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) noted in a statement. The commission concluded that both men were “individuals targeted by religious authorities and the police on allegations that they were involved in matters against Islam in Malaysia,” according to CSW.
Closed Circuit TV footage shows Pastor Koh was taken from his car by 15 men dressed in black clothes and balaclavas who surrounded his vehicle in three black cars.
Pastor Koh, previously a pastor at the Evangelical Free Church in Petaling Jaya, founded Harapan Komuniti (Hope Community), a non-profit organization that undertakes social and charity work among marginalized and underprivileged communities, including people living with HIV/AIDS, recovering drug addicts, single mothers and their children, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
In 2011, 30 officers from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) raided a dinner organized by Hope Community and accused those present of “proselytizing Muslims.” No charges were filed, but Pastor Koh’s family later received death threats, according to CSW.
Prime Minister Mahathir has said that national police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun will be allowed to retire soon, and that a new police chief could investigate him later, according to the AP. Fuzi had made no comment at this writing.
The prime minister pointed out that the disappearances occurred under a previous government that lost power in elections last May, according to the AP. Former national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar has denied that the special branch was involved in the disappearances, according to the AP.
Malaysia’s population is about 61 percent Muslim, the official religion is Islam, and there are signs that hard-line Islamist influences are growing. With Islam as the state religion, the government provides financial support to Islamic establishments and enforces the tenets of Sunni Islam. State governments have fined or imprisoned Muslims who have tried to convert out of Islam.
“We urge the government of Malaysia to act swiftly to ensure that the recommendations are implemented fully and effectively,” CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said in a statement. “We call on the Malaysian authorities to do everything possible to establish the truth about the whereabouts and well-being of Pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat and ensure that such incidents never recur. Enforced disappearances have absolutely no place in a civilized, democratic society where the rule of law should be respected and fundamental human rights upheld.”
Malaysia ranked 42nd on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2019 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
______________________________________________________
Pilate sentences Jesus to be crucified on the hill called Golgotha, “The Skull.”
INSIGHT
Without conflict, there are no heroes. The hero and coward look alike until the battle begins. Then and only then, in the face of the challenge, is each one’s true character manifested.
In Jesus’ time, you do not expect heroes of the Christian faith to emerge from the ranks of the Pharisees. But Joseph of Arimathea defies the expectations.
This godly man risks wealth, reputation, and perhaps personal safety, when he asks for and receives the permission to take down Jesus’ body from the cross and lay it in his own tomb. (Quiet Walk)
_______________________________________________________
Brute Beasts
“But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.” (Jude 1:10)
Both Jude and Peter use essentially the same terms when they speak of people who are like “brute beasts” (2 Peter 2:12). Both use the qualifying adjective “natural” to draw a precise distinction between those who are only alive physically and those who have been given eternal life by the Spirit of God.
Prior to being twice-born, all men are “by nature the children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3) and have not yet been given “the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). Such “natural” people are “sensual, having not the Spirit” (Jude 1:19) and therefore cannot receive “the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
These strong pictures are not incidental for understanding the challenge to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3). Jude and Peter are describing the intransigence of those who resist the truth—especially of the “tares” who have been planted by the Enemy among the “wheat” in the Lord’s field (Matthew 13:24-30).
The Greek term translated “brute” by both Jude and Peter is a combination of the negative particle a and the basic word for intelligent communication, logos. We must therefore expect the resistance to take form “without reason.” The unsaved cannot understand God’s message without the transformation of the new birth. Their efforts to undermine “the faith” will always be based on human (natural) reasoning.
Contending for the faith will always be a “labour, striving according to his working” (Colossians 1:29). May God grant us a “good fight,” having “kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
______________________________________________________
THE CROSS AND THE GRACE OF GOD
By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8
If you want to know God, if you want to know the everlasting and eternal God, this is the way, the only way: Look at the cross. Gaze on, meditate on, survey the wondrous cross. And then you will see something of Christ.
The first thing you will see is the grace of God. Grace is a great word in the Bible, the grace of God. It is most simply defined in these words—it is favor shown to people who do not deserve any favor at all. And the message of the Gospel is that any one of us is saved and put right for eternity solely and entirely by the grace of God, not by ourselves. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). My friend, is it not about time we all admitted it? Do what you like, you will never save yourself. You will never save yourself from the world, the flesh, or the devil; you will never save yourself from your own misery. Still less will you save yourself from the law of God and judgment and hell. You cannot do it. Men have tried it throughout the centuries. They have all admitted failure.
Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfill thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and thou alone.
Augustus M. Toplady
A Thought to Ponder: Do what you like, you will never save yourself. (From The Cross, pp. 74-75, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
______________________________________________________
Wayne S. wrote five years ago: Joy!
What is JOY to the Christian?
It is not happiness. Something far deeper than that.
How can a believer be happy when the world around him is in such a state and the Lost are on their way to Hellfire?
No, Joy for the Christian is knowing that I am secure in Christ for eternity with Him.
Even Jesus was not always happy! Have you ever wept drops of blood? Yet, he knew the calling of the Father and submitted to it for His and my future JOY.
_______________________________________________________
We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.