Verse of the Week: V5 “And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.”
Are you the president of the most powerful country in the world? Are you the chief executive of the richest company in the world? Are you the most famous celebrity of the world? Are you the leader of the largest religion of the world?
1. Without God, You Shall Fail
V5 “And seekest thou great things for thyself? ...”
What were the great things that the people of Judah seek or the world seeks? Fame, fortune, power, pleasure? Man throughout the centuries seeks anything and everything except the true and living God. Man fails to realize that unless he seeks God, whatever he does or builds shall be in vain and shall fail and shall never truly satisfy his soul and heart.
Psalms 127:1
“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”
2. Without God, You Have Nothing
V5 “And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not: ..."
Unless you seek God and His righteousness first, all the things that you seek and possess shall never truly satisfy you or fulfill the deepest desire of your heart.
Matthew 6:33
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’
3. Without God, You Are Nothing
V5 “And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.”
God shall judge man for what he seeks, and if he seeks not God, his name shall not be written in the book of life and he shall be condemned into the lake of fire or hell forever.
Revelation 20:15
“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, I seek You for You are my God and I am Your precious child.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 02:53 pm
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Verse of the Week: V6 “Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.”
1. Pride (V1-10)
V10 “They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.”
The people of Judah were so proud that they refused to learn from their past mistakes and continue to sin against God. As a result, God severely judged and punished them.
2. Rebellion (V11-19)
V16 “As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee.”
The people of Judah were so rebellious that they refused to acknowledge and obey the true and living God but instead worshipped their so-called false god, the queen of heaven.
1 Samuel 15:23
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king.”
3. Evil (V20-30)
V22 “So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.”
The people of Judah were so evil that God could no longer bear their evil deeds but had to severely judge and punish them. Though God had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that He shall richly bless their descendents, the nation of Israel or the people of Judah, yet God’s promise was conditional, that is, provided the people of Judah loved, obeyed and cleaved to the true and living God.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help to do what pleases You.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 06:11 pm
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Verse of the Week: V7 “So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.”
1. The Pride Of Man (V1-6)
V2 “Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:”
The people of Judah falsely accused Prophet Jeremiah of preaching falsely. They were so proud that not only they refused to listen to what God had to say to them through His prophet Jeremiah, but they even falsely accused God’s man. This is the point where either man repents of his sin of pride or he awaits the judgment of God.
Proverbs 16:18
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
2. The Disobedience Of Man (V7-9)
V7 “So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.”
The people of Judah chose the path of disobedience as they refused to heed the Word of God through Prophet Jeremiah that they should stay put in Judah. It is sad when man refuses to submit to His Creator and Maker.
3. The Destruction of Man (V10-13)
V10 “And say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.”
The safest place is the most dangerous place when we disobey God. Conversely, the most dangerous place is the safest place when we obey God. The people of Judah thought that they could take refuge in Egypt as it was the most powerful nation at that time, and it would be the safest place, yet little did they know that God would sent their enemy, Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon and his mighty army to attack and destroy Egypt. Let us realize that man can never outsmart, outplay and outwit God because He is the sovereign and supreme God.
V11 “And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please humble me to know that without You, I am nothing.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 06:09 pm
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Verse of the Week: V3 “That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.”
1. God’s Prophet (V1-6)
V4 “Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto 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 unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.”
Prophet Jeremiah preached what God said to him and held nothing back from the people. God’s prophets in the Old Testament as well as God’s pastors in the New Testament must only preach what God says - nothing more, nothing less and nothing else. Yet during the days of Jeremiah till today, some so-called preachers have been preaching on popular messages that people like to hear and have been found guilty of not preaching the truth of the Word of God. Indeed, one day God shall judge and punish these false preachers.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
2. God’s Promise (V7-18)
V11 “Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.”
Prophet Jeremiah encouraged the people of Judah not to be afraid of the king of Babylon as God was with them and He shall surely save and deliver them from their enemies.
3. God’s Punishment (V19-22)
V19 “The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.”
The people of Judah asked God, through Prophet Jeremiah, to show them the way and yet when God told them to stay put in Judah, they refused to obey God. They had already made up their mind to go to Egypt rationalizing and thinking that it was a safer place than Judah. They went to Egypt and God punished them. Many times, we pray to God for His will, yet when God show us His will, we refuse to obey and submit to His perfect will.
V22 “Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to be in the centre of Your perfect will.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 02:53 pm
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Verse of the Week: V4 “And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it,”
1. The Evil Prince Committed Murder (V1-6)
V1 “Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.”
Baalis, the king of the Ammonites, instigated Ishmael, the seed royal or one of the princes of Judah, to kill Gedaliah, his own governor of Judah. It was a tragic end to the life of Gedaliah as he did not take heed to the warning given by his fellow leader, Johanan, that Baalis had send Ishmael to kill him.
Jeremiah 40:14 “And said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not.”
2. The Evil Prince Committed Mass Murder (V7-10)
V7 “And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him."
One sin leads to another sin. After the murder of Gedaliah, Ishmael thought that no one knew it, and he also started to kill the men from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, who were coming to Judah to offer their sacrifices and to worship in the house of the Lord, as well as to meet Gedaliah whom they thought was still alive.
3. Your Evil Will Find You Out (V11-18)
V11-12 “But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon.”
Ishmael thought that no man knew it, but the Almighty and all knowing God knew it. God sent Johanan, to fight with Ishmael, and stop him from further evil and wickedness.
Numbers 32:23 “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to do right even when no one is around.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 02:47 pm
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