Jeremiah 5-6

Although we are only about a tenth of the way through this Book of Jeremiah, it should already be clear that the nation of Judah is headed for disaster, but that the people — rich, poor, weak, powerful, blue collar, white collar, cleric, lay — aren’t listening. They are not heeding Jeremiah’s warnings. If that isn’t clear yet, then it should become abundantly clear as we proceed. Jeremiah sounds the alarm of approaching disaster and gives plenty of indications as to why judgment is falling (e.g., Jer. 5:19), but there are plenty of false prophets who say otherwise, proclaiming a more welcome message of “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace. (Jer. 6:14)

It’s rather easy to observe all this from afar, looking back on ancient Israel and Judah. But what about observing what is more up close and personal? How are we doing in our own self-evaluation? Does anything that Jeremiah says make you squirm a bit? If not, is that because you truly are walking closely with the Lord, or is it because you are casually inattentive? Or are you, like Judah and Israel, refusing to look and listen?

Jeremiah ministers over a period of about 40 years. Today, Ash Wednesday, we enter into the season of Lent, 40 days of reflection and repentance. Let’s not squander the opportunity to listen well.

---

See also: July 3 (2023) / Jeremiah 4-6.

Jeremiah 3:6-4:31

In considering the first few chapters of Jeremiah three years ago, I concentrated on Jeremiah 3:6-11. You might want to read that post first. I’ll wait…

The questions I posed then are still very much worth considering now: Are we, in fact, devoted to the LORD with our whole heart? Or only in pretense?

If answering those questions makes us at all uncomfortable, then perhaps we need to pay that much closer attention to what Jeremiah has to say. We need to look and see how we might be like Israel and Judah, how we, too, might need to return to the LORD. For it is in the LORD alone that we have life. All else is illusory.

So listen today to how the LORD urges His people to return to Him. Listen to what He tells His people to do and consider what that means for you personally. Is there anything in you that needs to change? Have you wandered away from Him? Do you need to return?

---

See also: July 2 (2023) / Jeremiah 1-3.

Jeremiah 2:1-3:5

Has a nation changed its gods,
even though they are no gods?
But My people have changed their Glory
for that which does not profit.
Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the LORD,
for My people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken Me,
the Fountain of Living Waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Jeremiah 2:11-13

This is just one of many rich images in today’s reading that the LORD uses to illustrate the utter insanity of Israel’s rejection of the LORD. For centuries Israel has had the LORD God Almighty, the Fountain of Living Waters, ready and willing to pour out His blessings of life, of loving kindness, of protection, and of welfare. Yet for centuries Israel has persistently turned away from the LORD, forsaking Him and going their own way, pursuing other gods and alliances with other nations, looking for love and life in all the wrong places — anywhere other than God — hewing out broken cisterns that can hold no water. Yes, the whole universe should be appalled at this.

But it is not only ancient Israel that behaves this way. Just look around. Just look within.

Perhaps it’s time to listen to Jeremiah and repent. Let’s abandon those broken cisterns and turn to the Fountain of Living Waters for a good long drink.

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Revelation 22:17

Jeremiah 1

Knowing something of the historical context into which a prophet speaks can greatly enhance our understanding of the prophet’s message. For Jeremiah, that historical context is the waning years of the Kingdom of Judah (aka the Southern Kingdom) as indicated by Jeremiah 1:1-3. So for your own benefit, as we begin to delve into the Book of Jeremiah, take some extra time to review that history, which can be found in II Kings 22-25 and II Chronicles 34-36. Similarly, read the introductory material in Search the Scriptures and in your study Bible or even this Wikipedia article. These are not happy years for Judah, and it is not a happy — or easy — ministry for Jeremiah, the “weeping prophet.”

---

Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”

Jeremiah 1:4–6

Today we have Jeremiah’s call as a prophet, ordained by the LORD to speak His word, not only to Judah and Israel, but to the nations. We should note that this calling is not the result of any spectacular deeds or talents of Jeremiah’s own making, for God sets him apart before he is even born. Nor is this a job that Jeremiah is seeking, for he protests (like Moses before him — Ex. 4:10) that he does not know how to speak.

Indeed it is a daunting task that the LORD sets before a young Jeremiah, but the LORD promises to be with him to deliver him:

But the LORD said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 1:7-8

And again:

And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.

Jeremiah 1:18–19

As we shall see, the LORD’s promise to deliver Jeremiah does not mean that Jeremiah is to have an easy time of it or that he will not suffer greatly at the hands of others, and Jeremiah must wrestle with that reality.

Although we may not be called in quite the same way as Jeremiah or bear the burden of prophesying to the nations, the LORD has a purpose for each of us and calls us to walk faithfully with Him. Do we perceive that call? Do we submit to His call? Or do we resist? Do we trust Him for our deliverance, despite the difficulty of our circumstances and the suffering we may face?

Let’s learn from Jeremiah. Let’s listen to the LORD. Let’s answer His call, follow Him, and trust in His faithfulness.

Matthew 18:1-35

Dear RTB’ers,

Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! (v. 7) This verse got my attention because of how I read it in my NASB translation, where “stumbling blocks” was used instead of temptations: Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes! And I wondered if I had ever been a stumbling block to anyone? Some of my college professors (one in particular) had been stumbling blocks to me – made me wonder if I had been a serious problem for any of my students along the way?

But then I take that a step further and wonder about the positive and negative impacts any one of us might have had on anyone around us. What sort of example do we set? Carol and I are traveling this week and the next. It’s interesting to watch people at the airport, where you can often see people at their highest levels of anxiety. What is the example that they are setting for their children and others around them? Or drivers on the road, weaving in and out of traffic, who absolutely must get ahead of that next car? Or me, in everything that I do? Am I that humble person that Jesus is seeking? Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (v. 4) No, I am not. …unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (v. 3b) I’ve got a lot to work on.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Blessings!

---

See also:

• March 24 (2021) / Matt. 17:24-18:9; Mark 9:33-50; Luke 9:46-50
• April 12 (2021) / Matt. 18:10-14, Luke 15:1-10
• November 3 (2023) / Luke 16; Matthew 18:15-35; Luke 17:1-18:14
• April 15 (2021) / Matt. 18:15-35

Matthew 17:14-27

Dear RTB’ers,

Jesus again foretells His death and resurrection. But this time, instead of being confused Matthew writes that they were “greatly distressed”. But no doubt, they were still confused…!

Two incidents today leave me wondering about Jesus’ relationship with His Father. In the first, Jesus seems not to know His time frame here on Earth and is looking for that end: O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? (v. 17) That is, He knows that there is an end to His earthly life, but it seems that He is wanting to get it over with.

The second is this incident of Jesus paying the temple tax. How did He know that Peter could simply cast out a line and catch a fish and find the payment amount for the temple tax in its mouth? Evidently His connection to His Father was that great, that the Father could make it happen and that Jesus could see all that in advance. It leaves me bewildered and makes me wonder how closely we could hear the Father if we truly listened? After all, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within ourselves, so why not? Why not…?

Blessings!

---

See also:

• October 29 (2023) / Matthew 17:14-18:9; Mark 9:14-50; Luke 9:37-50
• March 23 (2021) / Matt. 17:14-23; Mark 9:14-32; Luke 9:37-45

Matthew 16:21-17:13

Dear RTB’ers,

All four gospels have specific “turning points” in Jesus’ earthly ministry. Here’s Mark 8:31: And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. Luke’s turning point is in 9:51, When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set his face to go to Jerusalem. John has his turning point in 12:23, And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Finally, today’s first verse has Matthew’s turning point, very similar to Mark’s: From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. (v. 16:21) This is the first note that we get from Matthew of Jesus’ death and resurrection. And, not surprisingly, in the very next verse we see that the disciples don’t get it – in this case, specifically Peter!

Then, Jesus’ Transfiguration is the first incident after his turning point in Matthew’s gospel. I think it would have been tough to be Peter. First we saw Jesus rebuking him in the previous chapter. (v. 16.23) Then Jesus takes Peter up with Him to the top of the mountain for His Transfiguration. In the midst of that glory, Peter stumbles again, wanting to build tents and hang around a while. (v. 17:4) Then on His way down Jesus tells these three disciples not to speak of this revelation until He has been raised. How could they possibly keep quiet at what they just saw!! Then He tells them again of the suffering that He must undergo: But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands. (v. 17:12) Another message of suffering, after seeing Jesus in all His glory! Yes, for Peter, confusion. For us, salvation!

Blessings!

---

See also:

• October 28 (2023) / Matthew 16:1-17:13; Mark 8:11-9:13; Luke 9:18-36
• March 20 (2021) / Matt. 16:13-28
• March 22 (2021) / Matt. 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36

Matthew 16:1-20

Dear RTB’ers,

I was so focused on the Canaanite woman yesterday that I failed to mention Jesus feeding the 4000, a second major multiplication of loaves and fish. Although scholars have questioned whether Jesus in fact did two major feeding miracles (or even one!), Jesus clearly speaks to the two miracles in today’s reading: Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? (vv. 9b-10) So Matthew leaves us no doubt as to the two food multiplications – and he was one of the twelve, likely one of those disciples distributing the bread! Interesting.

Peter’s confession – a powerful story, one that gives us confidence for the church of which we are members: And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (v. 18) This church has lasted these two millennia, and will continue another two – or as many as needed until Jesus returns. It is fractured in many ways, but not broken. Our own ACNA denomination is facing some difficult leadership times, but Jesus’ church will continue!

The timeliness of the disciples’ response is intriguing to me: And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (v. 14) What strikes me here is the mention of Jeremiah. His book is where we are headed after three more days in Matthew’s gospel. If you have a Study Bible, you might want to begin reading ahead. My own Study Bible has some two-and-a-half pages of introduction to this book! Jeremiah is my favorite of all the prophetic books.

Blessings!

---

See also: March 19 (2021) / Matt. 16:1-12; Mark 8:11-26.

Matthew 15:21-39

Dear RTB’ers,

Jesus now leaves Capernaum, leaving Galilee altogether and travels to the northwest to Tyre and Sidon, coastal cities on the Mediterranean Sea. There He meets a woman from that region who has a demon-possessed daughter. I love this story, both the attitude of this Canaanite woman and her response to Jesus’ denial to heal her daughter. First, …she came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, help me.” (v. 25) Matthew specifically indicates that she knelt before Him. Many people have approached Jesus for their needs, but I don’t recall anyone else simply, humbly kneeling before Him. To me, very touching. Then, when Jesus denies her request, she answers in the same context as His denial: She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” (v. 27) Taking this sentence to ourselves, can you imagine eating even the crumbs that fall from God’s table??!! What a feast that would be! And yet He is not satisfied with us getting only the crumbs – He has invited us to sit at table with Him at that very feast, the eternal banquet! (See Matthew 8:11, Revelation 19:9a.) All it takes is us kneeling before Him and asking in faith. Let’s do that.

Our dear friend, John, often adds, “One more thing…” I also have one for you, the words and music to a song that I love, “God and man at table are sat down”. Beautiful words, beautiful music! (But I’ve heard better versions of this song.) Enjoy!

Blessings!

---

See also:

• October 27 (2023) / Matthew 15:1-39; Mark 7:1-8:10
• March 17 (2021) / Matt. 15:21-31; Mark 7:24-37
• March 18 (2021) / Matt. 15:32-39; Mark 8:1-10

Matthew 15:1-20

Dear RTB’ers,

Scribes and Pharisees again…: Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem… (v. 1) It is reasonable to give the scribes and Pharisees a break once in a while. Yes, they always seem to be testing Jesus, but they had a valid reason – there often appeared a number of people in Israel claiming to be the messiah and showing “signs and wonders”. The Jerusalem leaders would send out their “agents” to test out these people. Jesus’ fame had spread and He needed to be tested, according to this way of thinking. So, not unreasonable that these agents came from Jerusalem.

But to take Jesus to task for His disciples simply not washing their hands before they ate??!! That seems a bit unreasonable! Maybe challenge Him on bigger items, like casting out demons (from a few days ago). Charlatans could easily bring in a friend with a fake demon-possession and heal him. That item is worthy of a test. But challenging Him on their own traditions…! Isaiah nailed it – “…teaching as doctrines the commandments of men…” (v. 9b, quoting Isaiah 29:13). And then Jesus’ calling them out offends them! Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” (v. 12) I’m sorry, but putting myself into this story, I think that I would just be standing around and chuckling to myself! Until I realized that He was also speaking to me: But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. (v. 18) I remember stories from “back in the day” of parents washing their children’s mouths out with soap after they heard or learned of some vulgarity spoken by their child. Bad parenting or not, the sad thing is that those parents should have listened to Jesus and found a way to “wash their child’s heart”, not their mouth.

Could someone please lend me a bar of heart-soap?

Blessings!

---

See also: March 15 (2021) / Matt. 15:1-20.