Jeremiah 9
Jeremiah crying over judgment of Judah verse 1- 2
Oh that my head were waters – and mine eyes a fountain of tears
that I might weep day and night for the slain of the
daughters of my people
Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men
that I might leave my people – and go from them
for they be all adulterers
an assembly of treacherous men
Children of Judah don’t know the LORD verse 3
And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies
BUT they are not valiant for the TRUTH on the earth
for they proceed from evil to evil
and they know not ME
says the LORD
Children of Judah a pack of liars verse 4- 6
Take you heed every one of his neighbor
and trust you not in any brother
for every brother will utterly supplant
and every neighbor
will walk with slanders
And they will deceive every one his neighbor
and will not speak the TRUTH
they have taught their tongue to speak lies
and weary themselves
to commit iniquity
YOUR habitation is in the midst of deceit
through deceit they refuse to know ME
says the LORD
Children of Judah planning to hurt neighbors verse 7- 8
THEREFORE thus says the LORD of hosts
BEHOLD – I will melt them – and try them
for how shall I do for the daughter of MY people?
Their tongue is as an arrow shot out – it speaks deceit
one speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth
BUT in heart he lays his wait
Jeremiah lamenting over outcome for animals verse 9- 11
Shall I not visit them for these things? – says the LORD
shall not MY soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
FOR the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing
and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation
BECAUSE they are burned up
so that none can pass through them
neither can men hear the voice of the cattle
BOTH the fowl of the heavens
and the beast are fled
they are gone
And I will make Jerusalem heaps – a den of dragons
and I will make the cities of Judah desolate
without an inhabitant
LORD states why this is happening verse 12- 16
Who is the wise man
that may understand this?
And who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD has spoken
that he may declare it
FOR what the land perishes and is burned up like a wilderness
that none pass through?
AND the LORD says
BECAUSE they have forsaken MY law which I set before them
and have not obeyed MY voice – neither walked therein
BUT have walked after the imagination of their own heart
and after Baalim – which their fathers taught them
THEREFORE thus says the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
BEHOLD – I will feed them –even this people
with wormwood
and give them water of gall to drink
I will scatter them among the heathen
whom neither they nor their fathers have known
and I will send a sword after them
till I have consumed them
LORD wants them to call for funeral mourners verse 17- 19
THUS says the LORD of hosts
Consider you – and call for the mourning women
that they may come
send for cunning women
that they may come
And let them make haste – and take up a wailing for us
that our eyes may run down with tears
and our eyelids gush out with water
FOR a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion
How are we spoiled! – we are greatly confounded
BECAUSE we have forsaken the land
BECAUSE our dwellings have cast us out
LORD wants all women to teach daughters to mourn verse 20- 21
Yet hear the word of the LORD – O you women
and let your ear receive the word of HIS mouth
and teach your daughters wailing
and every one her neighbor lamentation
FOR death is come up into our windows
and is entered into our palaces
to cut off the children from without
and the young men from the street
LORD states that there will be bodies everywhere verse 22
Speak – thus says the LORD
Even the carcasses of men shall fall as dung
upon the open field
and as the handful after the harvestman
and none shall gather them
LORD instructs those who want to boast verse 23- 24
THUS says the LORD
Let not wise man glory in his wisdom
neither let the mighty man glory in his might
let not the rich man glory in his riches
BUT let him that glories – glory in this
that he understands and knows ME
that I am the LORD which exercise loving-kindness
judgment – righteousness in the earth
for in these things I delight
says the LORD
LORD is going to judge all uncircumcised hearts verse 25- 26
BEHOLD – the days come – says the LORD
that I will punish all the which are circumcised
with the uncircumcised Egypt – Judah – Edom
children of Ammon – and Moab
and all that are in the utmost corners
that dwell in the wilderness
for all these nations are uncircumcised
and all the house of Israel are
uncircumcised IN THE HEART
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 5 And they will deceive every one his neighbor; and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. (3925 “taught” [lamad] means learn, instruct, exercise in, to create by training and teaching, be skillful, well-versed, or to accustom oneself)
DEVOTION: We live in a world that is full of individuals who lie to get what they want out of other people. This is something that is wrong in the eyes of the LORD. HE wants us to tell the truth at all times.
Society thinks that always telling the truth can hurt people so they think it is better to tell little white lies to not hurt people’s feelings.
However, we also realize that once the person finds out that we have not been telling them the truth they will lose a friendship over the fact that most people what to hear the truth the first time they ask.
Here we find that we can teach ourselves to lie without the help of others. The children of Israel were supposed to represent the LORD to the rest of the world but it was found that they were lying to one another and also to other nations.
We have to keep close watch on our tongue every moment of every day because even believers can say things that are not true because we don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings but that is not what should be done.
It is said “if you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all.” It would be good that we practiced this principle in our daily walk with the LORD.
We should be stopping each time we have a conversation with others and ask the LORD to give us wisdom in all the words we say at any given time. HE will give us the right words to say each time if we ask.
It doesn’t seem that God’s people should “weary” themselves with lies when they can either tell the truth with love or not say anything at all.
CHALLENGE: In our society it is easier to lie to people instead of speaking the truth in love! Each day we have to ask the LORD to give us the right words to say to everyone we meet. HE will answer our prayers.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 23 Thus says the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: (1984 “glory” [halal] means praise, boast, shine, celebrate, or brag.)
DEVOTION: We like to brag. If we have any characteristic that shows that we excel in something we like to let others know about it. Sports figures brag on their gift. Scholars brag on their knowledge. Others seem to brag about something.
Here we have the LORD warning HIS people not to brag about these things because HE wants them to realize all of what they have is a gift from HIM. They should be praising HIM instead of themselves.
The children of Judah thought that their position in Jerusalem should protect them from any judgment of God. They were wrong.
The LORD expected obedience. They were walking after the imagination of their own heart. Their imagination led to the worship of false gods. Their imagination made them think that truth telling wasn’t important. Their imagination taught them to not treat others nicely.
The outcome of their type of living caused sorrow for the LORD and Jeremiah. It was sad because they had the world promised to them by the LORD if they were obedient but they chose to want only the bread crumbs. They only wanted what they could take from others instead of what the LORD was willing to give them.
The problem is that this is true today just like it was in Jeremiah’s day. We would rather gather what we can on our own than give God the glory by serving HIM as HE commands. We are setting for the bread crumbs of the world rather than the blessings of the LORD.
This needs to change but can only change through a revival of our willingness to serve the LORD with all our heart. The children of Judah were accused of the LORD of having an uncircumcised heart. Can we be accused of the same sin?
CHALLENGE: Evaluate your motives and objections in life. Ask yourself if you give God the glory for all the good things that are happening in your life.
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: 24 But let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says the LORD. (6213 “exercise” [asah] means to do or make, appoint, bring forth, labor, maintain, offer, deed, work or expend considerable effort and activity in any task or endeavor.)
DEVOTION: Jeremiah states the chapter with a desire to leave Jerusalem behind and go to a lodging place. He can only cry for his people because they are full of sin and need to be judged.
They are valiant in lying. They want nothing to do with the TRUTH. They lie to their neighbors. They cannot be trusted by anyone. All of their activities are full of deceit. They walk after the imagination of their own heart. They worship Baal because that is what they were taught by their fathers.
The LORD informs Jeremiah that HE is going to visit HIS people because of these things. HE is going to destroy Jerusalem. HE instructs Jeremiah to hire mourning women to wail over Jerusalem.
The LORD warns Jeremiah that those who want to glory in something should glory in loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness.
Loving-kindness is loyal love. Their love should start with closeness to the LORD. Then it should move to our families and finally to those neighbors and friends.
Judgment is a state of fairness in disputes. Our relationship with others should not be to get what we can from them but to give what we can to them. Even if we have no money to give we can give time and talent to help them with projects. We can pray for them.
Righteousness is living by the standard that the LORD has set down for HIS people. Right living is one that honors the LORD. Right living shows those around us that we want to serve the LORD with gladness. Right living put a smile on our face when everything seems to be going in the wrong direction.
This is the opposite of what is happening in Jerusalem during his time. They were so bad and yet they didn’t care about serving HIM. This one verse describes that God wants to maintain these three characteristics in the world.
HE is the one who keeps bringing them to the forefront in our lives and our world. Christians are to bring forth God’s loving-kindness, judgment and righteousness in our world.
God is a God of love but HE is also a God of judgment and a God of righteousness. We must remember all three. Do we understand this? The man who understands and knows the LORD should glory in the fact that HE knows what God’s true character is all about in our world as revealed by HIS inerrant WORD, the Bible.
Our world is not practicing these three characteristics today. Some Christians are not practicing these characteristics. Can our neighbors trust us? Is the LORD glorified by our actions?
CHALLENGE: Let us bring glory to the LORD in all that we say and do. Our world needs good examples to follow. Let them follow your example today.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 25 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “that I will punish all who are circumcised with the uncircumcised-” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: The Jews boasted in the covenant sign of circumcision, but it was only in their flesh; the true spiritual circumcision had never reached their hearts (4:4; Deut. 10:16; Acts 7:51; Rom. 2:25–29). People today who depend on baptism and other church sacraments (ordinances), but who have never repented and trusted Christ, are in the same situation as the Jews in Jeremiah’s day; they think they’re a part of the divine covenant, but their confidence is a false one. [Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Decisive, Victor Books, 1996), 49–50.]
So many people today think that some distant act or religious practice will protect them and secure a relationship with Christ. James in the New Testament seems to warn against that mentality (James 2:17) and Jeremiah here declares the same. Whether it be an act of circumcision outwardly or baptism and communion today these ordinances will not save or protect an individual from the judgment of God.
Paul was a good example of understanding this as he declares in Philippians 3:1-11 of all the outward symbols, acts and institutions he belonged to and it amounted to nothing in the sight of God. His relationship with Jesus Christ was the only thing that mattered.
CHALLENGE: Today we have many who want to be religious and point to activities or religious ordinances to prove their standing before God. While those aspects are important and have validity to some degree, they mean nothing to God without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Do not be fooled by teachings and organizations that claim an easy religious existence. Christ wants us to daily pick up the cross and follow him. We need to live for Christ all the time not just occasionally. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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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)
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)
Law verse 13
Word of the LORD verse 20
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 3, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22- 25
LORD of hosts verse 7, 15, 17
Judgment of LORD verse 7, 15, 16
Mouth of the LORD verse 12, 20
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 15
God of Israel verse 15
Feed wormwood verse 15
Give water of gall to drink verse 15
Word of the LORD verse 20
Exercises: loving-kindness, judgment,
righteousness verse 24
Punish circumcised with the uncircumcised verse 25
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)
Wayfaring men verse 2
Neighbors verse 4, 5, 20
Heathen verse 16
Egypt verse 26
Edom verse 26
Amon verse 26
Moab verse 26
Uncircumcised verse 26
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Adulterers verse 2
Treacherous verse 2
Lies verse 3, 5
Not valiant for the truth verse 3, 5
Evil verse 3
Know not the LORD verse 3
Supplant others verse 4
Slanders verse 4
Deceive verse 5, 6, 8
Commit iniquity verse 5
Refuse to know the LORD verse 6
Lay in wait verse 8
Forsaken law of the LORD verse 13
Not obeyed voice of the LORD verse 13
Walked after the imagination of their heart verse 14
Worshiped false god: Baalim verse 14
Elders taught wrong beliefs verse 14
Forsaken land verse 19
Glory in wisdom verse 23
Glory in might verse 23
Glory in riches verse 23
Uncircumcised in the heart verse 26
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Truth verse 3, 5
Knowing the LORD verse 3, 6
Trust verse 4
Heart relationship with the LORD verse 8, 14
Wise man verse 12, 23
Understand the LORD verse 12, 24
Obey the voice of the LORD verse 13
Hear the word of the LORD verse 20
Teach the word of the LORD verse 20
Understands the LORD verse 24
Know the LORD verse 24
Circumcised heart verse 26
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jeremiah’s people verse 1, 2
God’s people verse 7, 15
Nation verse 9
Jerusalem verse 11
Cities of Judah verse 11, 26
Zion verse 19
House of Israel verse 26
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
9:4–6 The people had become so wicked that they could not trust one another. Every brother was a “deceiver,” an unmistakable pun on Jacob’s name (cf. Gen 27:36), who is infamous for his deception of his brother Esau. It is from the same root and could be translated, “Every brother is a Jacob/supplanter”). Friends did not hesitate to deceive friends (even as Judas Iscariot did). They were people who had practiced lying until they were skilled at it. Lying is contrary to human nature; it must be learned. A small child naturally tells the truth. When he discovers that he can lie, it makes him uncomfortable at first, but later it becomes easy. God reminded Jeremiah that he lived in the midst of deception. In 9:3 God had said, “They do not know me” (NASB); but 9:6 makes clear that they refused to know him (Isa 1:3). (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 118). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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9:3–6. A person used his tongue as an archer would use a bow- it became a weapon to shoot lies. Honesty was not being practiced by those living in Judah. One had to watch his friends, and no one could trust his brothers. As the very fabric of society unraveled, no one would speak the truth. Jeremiah (you is sing.) lived in a nation that was full of deception and refused to acknowledge God. (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. 1141). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Being God’s covenant people is no excuse for sin (vv. 1–6). Like Jesus (Luke 19:41) and Paul (Rom. 9:1–5), Jeremiah wept over the sad spiritual condition of the people, and this is one reason he’s known as “the weeping prophet” (see Jer. 9:18; 10:19; 13:17; 14:17; Lam. 1:16; 2:11, 18; 3:48). It’s unusual today to find tears either in the pulpit or the pews; the emphasis seems to be on enjoyment. Instead of evangelists and revivalists, the church now has “religious comedians” who apparently have never read James 4:9–10, “Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (NKJV). Vance Havner was right: “Never in history has there been more ribald hilarity with less to be funny about.”
Jeremiah would rather have fled from the people to a place of peace (see Ps. 55:6), but he knew that his calling was to stay and minister God’s Word (Jer. 40:6). His soul was grieved at the sins of the people, their immorality, idolatry, deception, and slander. Truth was a precious commodity; you couldn’t even trust your friends and relatives!
The people of Judah thought they were “free to sin” because they’d been born children of Abraham and were the people of the covenant. On the contrary, being a part of God’s covenant gave them a greater responsibility to live to glorify Him and obey His will! “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid” (Rom. 6:1–2). As I said before, any theology that minimizes personal holiness and excuses sinfulness is not biblical theology. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (pp. 48–49). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Lying, only mentioned in 8:10, is now treated in full as a major problem (9:3–9). Deception has replaced integrity as a way of life.
The usual translation of verse 3 pictures the tongue as a bow and lies as arrows. Equally possible and more stinging (and more in line with v. 8) is the translation that makes the lies the bow and the tongue the arrow. Out of a false person come falsehoods. In any case lies have a lethal quality about them. Verse 4 has a clever turn of phrase: “Jacob” is synonymous with “deceiver”; hence, literally, every one deceives (“Jacobs”) his brother.
For any other nation such flagrant violation of truth and integrity would mean God’s punishment. Should Israel be spared? It is as though God throughout wrestles with the issue of what is the just and right thing to do. (Martens, E. A. (1995). Jeremiah. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 528). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)
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Ver. 5. And they will deceive every one his neighbour, &c.] In conversation, with lying words; and in trade and commerce, by art and tricking: and will not speak the truth; with respect to facts they report, or goods they sell: they have taught their tongue to speak lies; and become so accustomed to lying that they can’t do otherwise; it is as it were natural to them: and weary themselves to commit iniquity; spare no pains to come at it, nor any in it, and go on even to weariness; are more laborious and indefatigable in committing sin than good men are in doing good; which shews great folly and stupidity. The Targum is, “they are become foolish, they have erred.”
Ver. 6. Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit, &c.] In the midst of a people of deceit, as Kimchi and Ben Melech. These are the words of the Lord to the prophet, shewing what a people he dwelt among, and had to do with; how cautiously and prudently he should act; how little they were to be trusted to and depended upon; and what little hope there was of bringing them to true repentance, since there was so much deceit and hypocrisy among them. The Targum interprets the words not of the habitation of the prophet, but of the people, thus, “they sit in the house of their own congregation, and talk of their iniquities deceitfully;” and so Jarchi, “whilst they are sitting they devise deceitful devices.” Through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord; or, because of deceit; hypocrisy being a reigning and governing sin in them; they liked not the true knowledge of God, and refused to worship him according to the revelation of his will. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 454). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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In this section it is more the temple that is before us, and the incongruity of professing great reverence for it while idolatrous practices and their accompanying evils are not only tolerated but diligently persisted in. The prophet had been addressing the people rather as a civil community before. Now he sees them in connection with the newly-cleansed house of Jehovah. His message is addressed to those “that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord” (ver. 2). This is shown to be all a mere pretence, for while they talked loudly of the temple—made it their rallying-cry, so to speak—their ways were anything but in accordance with the holiness that became God’s house. “Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, are these. For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor; if ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt; then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever” (vers. 4–7). (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (p. 47). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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6. A continuation of the warning given in v. 4. Trust no one: for thou dwellest surrounded by deceit on every side. Their rejection of God is the result of their want of honesty in their dealings with one another (1 John 4:20). (Barnes, A. (1879). Notes on the Old Testament: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Jeremiah, Lamentations & Ezekiel. (F. C. Cook & J. M. Fuller, Eds.) (p. 173). London: John Murray.)
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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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Mark tells of Jesus’ early ministry in Capernaum.
INSIGHT
When a paralyzed man is brought to Jesus, He says, “Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:5). The scribes are incensed. No one can forgive sin but God, and they do not believe that Jesus is God. In response, Jesus says, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’?” (Mark 2:9).
Of course, it is easier to say that your sins are forgiven. After all, who can verify if it is true? So, to prove that He is God and has the power to forgive sins, Jesus says to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed and go your way to your house” (Mark 2:11). Jesus’ miracles are often timed strategically to demonstrate the validity of a central truth which He is teaching (Quiet Walk)
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GOD’S PARTICULAR POSSESSION
That ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. Ephesians 1:18
God desires us as His own particular possession and portion, and ultimately as those who are to share His glory. Look again at Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church in Ephesians 1. It is that they may know what is “the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (verse 18). To talk about God’s “inheritance in the saints,” the God who made everything and to whom all things belong and by whom all things are, to talk in this way is the most amazing and daring piece of anthropomorphism that Paul ever produced, and yet he has put it like that in order to give believers an understanding of it. What he means is that these are the people in whom God delights and whom God is going to enjoy.
Let me give an illustration in order to make this point clear. Take a child who has many toys, all of which he likes. Yes, but there is one particular favorite, the toy that is always with him. The child is fond of them all, but that one is something special. And it is the same with us. We all have certain possessions that we prefer to others; there is always something especially dear and of interest to us. That is the idea—that the great Lord of the universe has a special object of interest and affection—His own people, those whom He has taken and, as Paul puts it in writing to the Galatians, separated out of this evil world and put into a special category and compartment. That is the whole message of the Bible—God preparing for Himself a people who are going to be His joy throughout eternity.
A Thought to Ponder
These are the people in whom God delights and whom God is going to enjoy. (From Safe in the World, pp. 37-38, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Messages from the Messiah’s Life: The Nobleman’s Son Healed
“This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.” (John 4:54)
Jesus had returned from the Passover celebration in Jerusalem and stopped in Cana to visit friends. The news of the Messiah’s return traveled 20 miles away to Capernaum, where a nobleman whose son was deathly sick with a terrible fever heard that Jesus was in the area (John 4:47).
As quickly as he could, the nobleman went to Cana and asked Jesus to come and heal his son. The Lord’s response was almost a sarcastic rebuke: “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe” (John 4:48). Rather than giving up or getting angry at Jesus’ apparent indifference, the nobleman begged him, “Sir, come down ere my child die” (John 4:49).
Often the Lord tests our commitment, and just as often does not respond the way we expect Him to. In this case, Jesus sends the nobleman back to his home (20 miles away) with the instruction: “Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way” (John 4:50). Jesus promised; the nobleman believed and left to return home.
When the nobleman’s servants met him with the news that his son’s fever had left him “yesterday at the seventh hour . . . So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house” (John 4:52-53).
How did Jesus do this? The Creator has authority over disease; distance is irrelevant. “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. . . . . For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:6, 9). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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