Jeremiah 42
Prayer for direction for remnant verse 1- 3
THEN all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah
and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah
and all the people from the least even unto the greatest
came near
And said to Jeremiah the prophet
Let – we beseech you our supplication be accepted before you
and pray for us to the LORD your God
even for all this remnant
(for we are left but a few of many – as your eyes do behold us)
that the LORD your God may show us the way
wherein we may walk and the thing that we may do
Jeremiah prays for remnant verse 4
THEN Jeremiah the prophet said to them
I have heard you
BEHOLD – I will PRAY to the LORD your God
according to your words
And it shall come to pass
that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you
I will declare it to you
I will keep nothing back from you
Johanan promises to obey LORD verse 5- 6
THEN they said to Jeremiah
The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us
if we do not even according to all things for the
which the LORD your God shall send you to us
Whether it be good – or whether it be evil
we will OBEY the voice of the LORD our God
to whom we send you
That it may be WELL with us
when we OBEY the voice of the LORD our God
Ten days later answer comes to prayer verse 7- 8
And it came to pass AFTER TEN DAYS
that the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah
THEN called he Jonanan the son of Kareah
and all the captains of the forces which were with him
and all the people from the least even to the greatest
Jeremiah gives LORD’S answer verse 9- 12
AND said to them – Thus says the LORD – the God of Israel
to whom you sent me to present your supplication before HIM
IF you will still abide in this land
THEN I will build you – and not pull you down
and I will plant you – and not pluck you up
for I repent ME of the evil that I have done to you
BE not afraid of the king of Babylon – of whom you are afraid
BE not afraid of him – says the LORD
for I am with you to save you
and to deliver you from his hand
I will show mercies to you
that he may have mercy upon you
and cause you to return to your own land
Disobedience has consequences verse 13- 18
BUT IF you say – We will not dwell in this land
neither OBEY the voice of the LORD your God
SAYING
NO – BUT we will go into the land of Egypt
where we shall see no war
nor hear the sound of the trumpet
nor have hunger of bread
and there we will dwell
AND NOW THEREFORE – hear the word of the LORD
you remnant of Judah
THUS says the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
IF you wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt
and GO to sojourn there
THEN it shall come to pass – that the sword – which you feared
shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt
and the famine – whereof you were afraid
shall follow close after you – there in Egypt and there you shall DIE
SO shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt
to sojourn there – they shall DIE by sword – famine – pestilence
and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil
that I will bring upon them
FOR thus says the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
As MINE anger and MY fury has been poured forth upon
the inhabitants of Jerusalem
SO shall MY fury be poured forth upon you
when you shall enter into Egypt – and you shall be an
execration – astonishment – curse – reproach
and you shall see this place NO MORE
Jeremiah warned them for dishonesty verse 19- 22
THE LORD has said concerning you – O you remnant of Judah
GO you not into Egypt know certainly that I have admonished
you this day
For you dissembled in your hearts
when you sent me to the LORD your God – saying
PRAY for us unto the LORD our God
and according unto all that the LORD our God
shall say
SO declare unto us – and we will do it
AND NOW I have this day declared it to you
BUT you have NOT OBEYED
the voice of the LORD your God
nor any thing for the which
HE has sent me to you
NOW THEREFORE know certainly that you shall DIE
by sword – famine – pestilence in the place
whither you desire to go and to sojourn
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 That the LORD your God may show us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do. (5046 “show” [nagad] means report, declare, expound, announce, or make known)
DEVOTION: Directions are always necessary if we are going to travel. Today we have GPS in our cars to help us find places that we need to go. Sometimes they take us the long way around. Sometimes if they are not updated we can get lost. Most of the time they will help us get from point A to point B, so that we arrive safely at our destination.
Here we find Johanan asking Jeremiah to pray to the LORD for directions concerning which way they should head. He wanted the LORD to tell him to go to Egypt. When the LORD told him to stay in the land he disagreed with Jeremiah. It wasn’t Jeremiah that told him what to do it was the LORD.
He went in his own direction and paid the consequences of disobeying the LORD. Jeremiah warned him what would happen and he didn’t care.
If we follow his example we will have the same consequences. We need to ask the LORD for direction. Sometimes it takes prayer and fasting to find out what the LORD wants us to do with our life.
We have many people who want to tell us what we should do with our life. We had a college professor tell my future wife what the LORD’S will was for her life. The LORD was telling her something different. She listened to the LORD.
We need to consult people we respect regarding our future. Others can see our gifts sometimes better than we can. Once we seek direction we need to take our steps of faith and go in that direction. The LORD only opens doors in front of us. If we go in a direction after seeking counsel and find the door closed it is time to pray again.
Paul tried to go in a direction and the LORD closed the door. He was trying to serve the LORD and the LORD opened and closed doors according to HIS will.
CHALLENGE: Prayer and fasting are necessary many times when major decisions are going to be made for the family and the church. Spiritual wisdom always comes from the LORD.)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us. (5707 “witness” [‘ed] means testimony, evidence, or recorder)
DEVOTION: Here we find Johanan and his army promising Jeremiah that they will do what the LORD says for them to do. They make the statement that they want the LORD to be a true and faithful recorder of what they promised HIM. The LORD does keep a record of what we say to HIM. HE doesn’t want us to say we will do something and then not do it. They had asked Jeremiah to pray for direction. They wanted the LORD to lead them in the right way to go.
Jeremiah went to the LORD in prayer. The LORD answered after ten day. Some think that the LORD gave them time to confess their sin and agree to follow HIS counsel. He gives the answer to Johanan and the remnant regarding what the LORD wants them to do. HE wants them to say in the land of Judah. HE doesn’t want them to go to Egypt.
However, Johanan had already planned on going to Egypt. He just wanted the LORD to tell him that it was OK. The LORD didn’t. He was going anyway. Johanan was a hypocrite when he asked for the LORD’S counsel (see verse 20).
Jeremiah told them that if they went they would die by sword, famine and pestilence. They didn’t care.
Have we ever gone to the LORD with a request for direction but decided ahead of time what we were going to do? Have we ever just wanted God to give HIS stamp of approval for what we wanted to do? We prayed but only wanted one answer and that answer had to be our way. That is not really asking the LORD – it is telling the LORD.
Jesus prayed and asked the LORD’S direction and followed it. We need to follow HIS example. Not the example of Johanan. Remember where the LORD leads us HE protects us. That is HIS promise. HE keeps HIS word. HE never lies. HE is faithful and true in all HE does.
CHALLENGE: Some of the answers to prayer seem wrong but the LORD knows what HIS plan is for our life. Our spirit and HIS Spirit should agree with the Word of God
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
:6 Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: Be careful what you ask for! The people of Israel had stated that they would listen to the prophet if he would pray for them. They wanted their desires to be blessed more than they wanted to know God’s plans for them. How many times have we gone before the Lord and asked Him to bless the plans that we have decided upon instead of waiting for His decisions? Johanan and Jezaniah had spoken and made a promise that they would obey whatever the Lord declared through Jeremiah, but that was before they heard the word of the Lord! (v.2-3) In verse 6 they had declared that they would follow the Lord’s voice no matter what.
The Lord speaks after ten days and it was clear to the people in verse 19-20 that they were not to go to Egypt. When promises are made to the Lord and then the Lord speaks differently than we anticipate there will be a conscious decision made. To either follow or reject and go your own way! How will we respond to difficult responses from the Lord?
CHALLENGE: God sometimes speaks to us and challenges our walk by asking us to remain instead of going, to face obstacles instead of running. It seems opposite of what is reasonable and good but the Lord is clear in His direction. It is then we must decide, trust or thrust out on our own! The apostles remained in Jerusalem when the church scattered due to persecution, Paul steadfastly traveled to Jerusalem even though in each city prophecy spoke of hardship and imprisonment. Instead of living in fear the people of God walked by faith, instead of being rational they sought God and were blessed. Today if God is directing you to stay and face the difficulty rest in His unchanging power to protect and bring peace. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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: 19 The LORD has said concerning you, O you remnant of Judah; Go you not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day. (5749 “admonished” [’uwd] means to call or require as witness, bear witness, warn, to testify, to protest, exhort or enjoin solemnly)
DEVOTION: The children of Israel were told to not go into Egypt but to go with their Babylonian captors. The LORD wanted them to know that HE was watching over them if they were obedient. HE wanted them to realize that there was going to be a time of captivity but HE was going to restore them to the land if they were obedient.
As we know they were not obedient. They went their own way and paid the consequences for their actions. This was true then and it is true now for those who are not obedient to the commands of the LORD.
HE chastens HIS children today as HE did in the Old Testament. Those who claim to be Christian today have to follow the LORD’S leading in their lives through their reading of the Bible, prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit gives us guidance through our reading of the Bible and prayer times. HE wants us to follow HIS leading on a daily basis which means a daily time in reading the Bible and prayer. If we have our devotional life and follow HIS instructions, we can have a genuine walk with the LORD.
That doesn’t mean that we won’t have hard times but it does mean that HE will be with us during our hard times. HE will give us strength to face whatever HE allows in our lives. HIS goal is our spiritual growth in our relationship with HIM.
The children of Israel were told what they were supposed to do but they still went in another directions. This even happens today in the lives of genuine believers. Both groups had to face chastening of the LORD because of their disobedience but then they were restored to fellowship with the LORD.
CHALLENGE: We have to ask ourselves the question each day about our walk with the LORD. Are we being obedient and accepting all the challenges the LORD sends our way or are we fighting HIM because we expect only a rose garden relationship with HIM with no trials?
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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)
Johanan asked Jeremiah to pray for them verse 2
Jeremiah tells Johanan he will pray verse 4
LORD answers prayer (ten days later) verse 7- 9
Still abide in this land
Then I will build you and not pull you
Down
I will plant you and not pluck you up
for I will repent ME of the evil
that I have done to you
Jeremiah confronts Johanan verse 20
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 7, 15
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 2- 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18- 21
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 2- 6, 9, 13, 15, 18, 20, 21
LORD your God verse 2- 5, 13, 20, 21
LORD answers prayers verse 4
True and Faithful Witness verse 5
Voice verse 6, 21
Judgment of God (evil) verse 6, 10, 17
LORD our God verse 6, 20
God of Israel verse 9, 15, 18
End of judgment promised verse 10
Told people not to be afraid of king of Babylon verse 11
Told people that HE was with them to save
and deliver them and show mercy and
cause them to return to their own land verse 11, 12
LORD of hosts verse 15, 18
LORD says NONE will escape from the evil
that I will bring on them verse 17
Anger and fury of the LORD verse 18
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)
King of Babylon verse 11
Egypt verse 14- 19
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Afraid verse 11, 16
Disobey voice of the LORD verse 13, 14, 21
Dissembled in hearts verse 20
Not listening to prophet of God verse 21
Going away from the LORD verse 22
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Proper walk verse 3
Proper actions verse 3
Obey the LORD verse 4
Prayer verse 4
Good verse 6
Obedience verse 6
Supplication (prayer) verse 9
Fear not verse 11
Presence of the LORD verse 11
Deliverance verse 11
Mercy verse 12
Inheritance verse 12
Hear the Word of the LORD verse 15
Admonishment verse 19
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Captains of the forces verse 1, 8
Called by Jeremiah to come
Johanan – the son of Kareah verse 1, 8
Jeremiah called them together
Jezaniah – the son of Hoshaiah verse 1
All the people from the least even to the
greatest verse 1, 8
Gathered together to hear answer to prayer
Jeremiah (prophet) verse 2, 4, 5, 7
Said I have heard them
I will pray to the LORD your God
I will declare answer to you
I will keep nothing back from you
After ten days LORD answers his prayer
Remnant verse 2, 5, 6, 15, 19
We will do what the LORD says
Promise to obey voice of the LORD
Believed LORD’s answer to prayer
LORD says “Go you not into Egypt
know certainly that I have
admonished you this day
Israel verse 9, 15
LORD gives them a choice: If you say –
We will not dwell in this land,
neither obey the voice of he
LORD your God verse 13
Think of going into land of Egypt verse 14= 17
Told the sword would follow them
Into Egypt
Told there would be famine
Told they would die
Judah verse 15
Jerusalem verse 18
Inhabitants shall see MY fury poured
out when you enter into Egypt verse 18
They shall be an execration, astonishment,
curse, reproach and not see land
any more verse 18
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Die verse 16, 17
by the sword, famine, pestilence
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QUOTES regarding passage
42:19–22 Jeremiah warned the remnant of Judah not to go to Egypt. He admonished them that they had made a “fatal mistake”23 by asking him to seek God’s will for them when they had no intention of keeping their promise. It was a mistake that would cost them their lives. Those who seek God’s will and then refuse to do it risk God’s punishment (cf. Jas 1:23; 4:17).
Even as he spoke, Jeremiah could see by the faces of the people that they had no intention of obeying his counsel. Before they could reply, he told them that their disobedience would bring death by sword, famine, and plague in the very place they hoped to settle in order to escape the rigors of war, hunger, and disease. It is clear that they had learned nothing from the calamity of 587. They were the same disobedient people after Jerusalem’s fall as before. Unfortunately, Judah’s obstinacy was no exception; it continues to be all too characteristic of people today. (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 361). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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18–22 The survivors of the Fall of Jerusalem and Judah would suffer the same fate in Egypt that had overtaken them because of their disobedience (v.18). Egypt, instead of being a refuge, would be the place of their undoing, without a glimmer of hope of their returning to their native country. In an epilogue after the Lord’s reply, Jeremiah adds to the admonition in vv.13–18. The Lord’s message remains unchanged—stay in the land and do not settle in Egypt (v.19). He rebukes them for asking his will with no intention of following it. The warning is unmistakable; the doom is certain (v.20). Jeremiah shows the remnant their duplicity in asking for a message from God when they had no intention of following it. All the time they had intended doing their own will in the hope that God’s will would coincide with theirs (v.21). So they were victims of self-deception and self-delusion. How little did they realize that in Egypt the temptation for them to worship idols—the very sin that had led to the nation’s fall—would be even stronger than before! Jeremiah also reminds them it was not he that had instituted the inquiry; they themselves were responsible for provoking the Lord’s severe answer. The passage closes with the threefold judgment of sword, famine, and plague ringing in their ears (v.22). The issue was clear, the warning was faithfully transmitted; but the remnant were set on having their own way. (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 636). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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Jeremiah ended his address with an exposure of their hearts (vv. 19–22). He announced publicly that they had tried to deceive him when they promised to obey the Lord’s commands (42:5–6). They really didn’t want either his prayers or God’s plans, they wanted the Lord to approve what they had already decided to do. But this was a fatal decision on their part, for if they carried out their plans, they would die in Egypt.
This event is a warning to us not to be insincere as we seek the will of God. In my itinerant ministry, I’ve frequently met people who wanted my counsel, and when I asked them if they had talked with their own pastor, the answer was often “Well, no, but he really doesn’t know me or understand me.”
“But I’m a total stranger to you!” I’d reply.
“Yes, but you seem to understand things better.” Flattery!
My conviction is that these people have gone from one speaker to another, looking for somebody who will agree with what they already want to do. When they find him, they’ll let their pastor know that “a man of God” gave them wise counsel. It’s the Johanan syndrome all over again. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (pp. 157–158). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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That the captains and the people had in no sense deceived the Lord with their fair words is evident in what follows. He admonished them faithfully not to go into Egypt, and then makes bare their hearts: “For ye have used deceit against your souls,” the prophet declares, “when ye sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us unto the Lord our God; and according unto all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it” (vers. 19, 20—margin). It was in vain to seek to deceive Him whose eyes as a flame of fire penetrate the inmost secrets of the being. They were not upright before Him. He knew it well, and yet condescended in grace to point out the path of blessing, and warn of the road to ruin. The word had been set before them. Already their downcast faces gave the answer. Jeremiah waits for no reply, but announces: “Now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor anything for the which He hath sent me unto you. Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn” (vers. 21, 22). (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (p. 240). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 20. For ye dissembled in your hearts, &c.] Did not honestly and faithfully declare their intentions; they said one thing with their mouths, and meant another in their minds; they pretended they would act according to the will of God, as it should be made known to them by him, when they were determined to take their own way. Some render it, ye have deceived me in your hearts; the prophet, so Kimchi; by that which was in their hearts, not declaring what was their real intention and design: or, ye have deceived your soulsa; you have deceived yourselves and one another; I have not deceived you, nor the Lord, but you have put a cheat upon your own souls: or, you have used deceit against your souls; to the hurt of them, to your present ruin and everlasting destruction: when ye sent me unto the Lord your God; the prophet did not go of himself, they desired him to go: saying, pray for us unto the Lord our God; to be directed in the way they should go; so that the prophet did nothing but what they desired him to do: and according to all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it; they pressed him to a faithful declaration of the will of God to them, and promised they would act according to it. Now he had done all this; he had been with God, prayed unto him as they requested, and had brought them his mind and will, and made a faithful relation of it, and yet they did not attend to it; so that the deceit was not in him, but in them, as follows:
Ver. 21. And now I have this day declared it unto you, &c.] The whole will of God, and had not kept back any thing from them: but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God; or, ye will not obey; the prophet knew they would not obey the command of the Lord not to go into Egypt, either by his conversation with them during the ten days the answer of the Lord was deferred, by which he plainly saw they were determined to go into Egypt; or by their countenances and behaviour, while he was delivering the Lord’s message to them; by what he observed in them, he knew what was said was not agreeable to them, and that their mind was to go into Egypt: or he had this, as others think, by divine revelation; though without that he knew the cast of this people, and what a rebellious and disobedient people they were, and had been, never obeying the voice of the Lord: nor any thing for which he hath sent me unto you; not any one particular thing respecting this present affair; nor indeed any of his prophecies had they regarded, with which he had been sent to them before. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 635). 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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Jesus explains the spiritual nature of salvation.
INSIGHT
Faith, or belief, is often misunderstood. Faith has been defined as “believing in spite of there being nothing to believe” or “believing in spite of the evidence to the contrary.” It is often viewed as identical with wishful thinking. If we believe hard enough, we can make something come true (regardless of whether or not God may approve).
None of these concepts is biblical. Faith is belief based on sufficient evidence. In other words, faith is trusting what God has revealed in His Word and in the world, both of which give ample testimony to the truth. (QuietWalk)
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THE CROSS AND THE WORLD
…greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4
What is a Christian? Paul tells the Colossians that a Christian is a person who has been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. I no longer belong to the world—I belong to the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of light, the kingdom of glory, the kingdom of God. Here I am, and the world has nothing to do with me. I am not of it. I am in this other kingdom.
Oh, I am still existing in this world, but I no longer belong to it. I have been translated. And my citizenship is now in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, and we know that we shall ever go on and be with the Lord. He, by dying on the cross, separates me from the world, puts me into His own kingdom, introduces me to God, and makes me a child of God and an heir of eternal bliss. He delivers me from the world. He died so that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” He does more—He gives me a power that is greater than the world. Listen to John…“greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world,” and “this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith,” our faith in Him (1 John 4:4; 5:4).
And thank God, He gives us occasional glimpses of that other world, that real world, that pure, holy world that is yet going to be. This old world can never be improved and reformed. He will set up a new world: “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). A renovated cosmos, a perfected universe, with glory everywhere. The glory of the Lord shall cover everything as the waters cover the seas.
A Thought to Ponder: I am still existing in this world, but I no longer belong to it.
(From The Cross, pp. 104-105, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones).
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Balaam’s Error
“Woe unto them! for they . . . ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward.” (Jude 1:11)
Balaam is a very complex character recorded in Numbers 22–24. He is cited for an ability to communicate with “the LORD” and had a reputation for accurate prophecy (Numbers 22:6-8). As the new nation of Israel traveled northward into the Sinai Peninsula, Balak the king of Moab became worried that Israel would subjugate his nation and recruited Balaam to curse them.
Balaam “loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15) but was astute enough to know that he could not talk God into doing anything God did not want to do! But even though Balaam was aware of the dangers of getting involved on the wrong side of God’s work, he wormed and squirmed through several interchanges with God until he was finally allowed to go. “God’s anger was kindled” at the stubbornness of this man, and the famous interchange with the donkey took place (Numbers 22:22-31).
Still Balaam persisted with his venture for Balak of Moab and “ran greedily” after the reward that he had been promised. When he arrived at the place where he planned to curse Israel, Balaam knew enough about the correct sacrifices to build the right kind of altars and sacrifice the right kind of animals, then proceeded to seek God’s “word” for Israel. Three times God “put a word” in Balaam’s mouth to bless Israel, and three times Balak insisted that he try again to curse them.
Instead of repenting of his foolishness, Balaam bragged about his ability to know what God wanted and “taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel” (Revelation 2:14). Those who prostitute the gifts of God for their own profit will come under a “greater condemnation” (James 3:1). May God protect us from the Balaams among the churches. (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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BREAKPOINT: John Stonstreet
The New York Times recently told the story of Maha Kassef, an elementary school teacher in Montreal who, like many teachers, dreams of one day being a principal. That dream may never happen, and for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with her qualifications.
Quebec’s new government recently proposed a law that would bar public employees, such as teachers and police officers, from wearing religious symbols while at work.
Thus, a Muslim like Kassef could not wear a hijab or headscarf. A Jew would be forbidden to wear a yarmulke; a Sikh a turban; and a Christian a cross.
While Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedom says that freedom of “conscience and religion” is “fundamental,” the Quebec government has invoked the “notwithstanding clause,” which allows federal and provincial governments to temporarily override some provisions of the Charter.
Under the proposal, current employees like Kassef would be “grandfathered” and could continue to wear their headscarves, turbans, or crosses. But if they ever changed jobs or sought a promotion, the new provisions would then apply to them as well.
François Legault, the premier of Quebec, continues to insist that, despite the proposal, Quebeckers remain free to practice their religion. He also maintains that the proposal represents the values and desires of the people of the province.
That sort of reasoning should sound familiar to those of us south of the Canadian border. Most infringements on religious freedom here in the U.S. also come with an insistence that people are still free to practice their religion, just not in the workplace. And just like the Quebec proposal, infringements here are often justified by an appeal to some “values.”
In Quebec, the values come from an almost-fanatical secularism.
Legault’s party controls the legislature, so he has the votes to enact the proposed bill. The question is whether the widespread condemnation of the proposal outside the province and opposition to it within, will cause Legault to table it.
The United States Constitution, as Rod Dreher correctly pointed out, makes a similar proposal here a nonstarter. But still there are some important lessons we have to learn from this story.
The most important lesson is that religious freedom is indivisible. As we see in Quebec, a law that bans the wearing of a hijab in the workplace also bans yarmulkes, turbans, and crosses. To the aggressive secularists behind such proposed laws, any religion other than their own, which they deny to be a religion, is a private matter that has no place in the public square.
This lesson was recently driven home to us in Texas. Patrick Murphy, a man scheduled to be executed, asked that his Buddhist spiritual advisor be able to accompany him in his execution. But the state said “no.” If he were Christian, yes. Muslim? Of course. But not a Buddhist. The case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled that only allowing Christian and Muslim clergy in the death chamber violated Murphy’s free exercise rights.
So what did Texas do? Rather than find Murphy a Buddhist spiritual advisor, it just banned all clergy from the execution chamber. That removed any possibility of Buddhists being singled out for discrimination.
I doubt that Justice Kavanaugh and the other members of the majority had this so-called “solution” in mind. Even so, it offers us a powerful reminder that religious freedom is for everyone. Texas, like Quebec, decided that, rather than accommodate the religious freedom of some death row inmates, it would deny the religious freedom of every death row inmate.
Religious freedom has its limits, as it should; but it must be for all, or we’ll soon discover it’s for no one.
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Quotes from: Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World
by Dr. David Jeremiah
We need devoted followers of Christ who are at their best when the clouds come out. (p. 28)
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The Spirit encourages us to go outward and become all the more loving and forgiving – including forgiving oneself. (p. 29)
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What would happen if we replaced the here-today-gone-tomorrow love of contemporary marriage with the ironclad, unconditional love of I Corinthians 13? (p. 30
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Just as we wouldn’t be angry with a blind man for stepping on our toes, we should be nothing but compassionate to people who don’t know Christ. (p. 30)
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People are watching and they watch more closely when they know we are people of faith. It has been said that we are the only Bible some people will ever study. (p. 32)
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Loving our loved ones is a good start. If we can’t do that , we definitely have a problem. The higher standard, on the other hand, sends a strong, clear message that we, the people of Christ, are not your average, everyday human being. Those who are watching us don’t weigh the size of the Bible we carry. The don’t keep a calendar for totaling the number of Bible study meetings we attend, nor do they give us a test on mastery of biblical trivia. But they watch with intense interest to see how we treat others: first, those close to us and then – the championship round – everyone else. Paul writes, “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all” (I Thessalonians 3: 12). Those final three words are the tricky part. (p. 33)
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