Jeremiah 30

Verse of the Week: V11 “For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”

1.  The child of God must stand to be corrected (V1-11)

V11 “For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”

Prophet Jeremiah was arrested and put in prison because of his stand for God and His Word. Even in prison, God spoke to him to write to the nation of Israel and warned them of His judgments upon them if they refused to repent of their wicked ways. However, if Israel correct their wicked ways and turn to God, they shall be saved.

2.  The child of God shall never be an outcast (V12-17)

V17 “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after."

Most parents if not all parents will never forsake their children because they are their parents’ flesh and blood. Similarly, the perfect heavenly Father will never forsake the nation of Israel who is His children. Even when the world treats Israel as an outcast, the perfect heavenly Father is still with them, and one day He shall restore Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, as the new and holy city of God, and also the bride of Christ.

Revelation 21:2 “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

3.  The child of God shall always be the child of God (V18-24)

V22 “And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.”

Once you are a child of your parent, you shall always be the child of your parent. Once you are a child of God, you shall always be a child of God. You who believe in Jesus Christ are called a Christian or the child of God, and even when you sin against God, you shall always be the child of God. However, just because you are a child of God, it does not mean that you have a license to sin, instead, when you sin, you shall be chastened of God and shall reap the consequences of your sins. Yet, count it all joy if you are chastened of God as it shows that you are His child because whom He loves He chastens!

Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.”

Prayer of the Week

Dearest God, please help me to know that I am Your child and always Your child.

Jeremiah 29

Verse of the Week: V11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

1.  God Thinks Of You 

V11 “For I know the thoughts that I think of you, saith the LORD, ...”

Have you been thinking of someone? Most likely the person you are thinking of is close to your heart. How lovely when God assured prophet Jeremiah that He was thinking of Jeremiah. It must have been a great encouragement to Jeremiah as he led a holy and pure life in a world of sinful and wicked people.
   
Jeremiah 2:13 “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”

2.  God Thinks Of Peace

V11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, …”

What are you thinking today? What you think is what you are! Our Almighty God thinks of peace and indeed He is God of peace. Even the apostle Paul encouraged Christians to think of peace in the world of chaos, conflicts, violence and wars.

Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

3.  God Lives Peacefully

V11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Our loving God encouraged Jeremiah that through it all he would come forth with an expected or a blessed end. Christians shall suffer in this world but at the end of our lives we shall have an expected or blessed end in heaven with God forever. Let us love and encourage one and live peacefully with all men!

Romans 12:18 “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”

Prayer of the Week

Dearest God, please help me to live peacefully with all men.

Jeremiah 28

Verse of the Week: V17 “So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.”

1.  The Popular Prophet 

V3 “Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon.”

Everyone likes to be popular and even the preachers will compromise the truth in order to be popular and grow his church. People prefer to hear comforting lies than painful truth. The prophet Hananiah in order to please his king falsely preached that God shall return all the vessels of the Lord’s house which were taken away by the Babylonians. Instead of preaching repentance and turning to God, he preached a false sense of security and hope.

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.  The Unpopular Prophet

V14 “For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.”

Alas, the truth hurts as prophet Jeremiah truthfully preached the bad news that the King of Judah and his people shall serve under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar.  The King of Judah and his people hated Jeremiah for the truth. Though Jeremiah was unpopular with his king and his people he could sleep peacefully as the truth of God shall set him free!

John 8:31-32 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If you continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

3.  The Grave Consequence

V17 “So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.”

Every sin has its grave consequences and God took the life of Hananiah because he lied against God’s truth in order to be popular and to please his king and his people!

Galatians 1:9-10 “And we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”

Prayer of the Week

Dearest God, please help me to please You and You only.

Jeremiah 27

Verse of the Day: V5 “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.”

Man thinks he is his own destiny, his own future and leads his own life. However, man fails to realize that there is a Creator who creates the heaven, the universe, the planets, the earth and every living creature in the air, on the ground and in the ocean.

1.  God is Creator 

V5 “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, ...”

Prophet Jeremiah warned the people of Judah that God who made the earth, the man and the beast was the same God who set up and destroyed kingdoms, and there was nothing that they could do except to submit to God’s perfect plan and purpose.

V6 “And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.”

2.  God is Power

V5 “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.”

However, the people of Judah refused to heed Jeremiah’s warnings and God severely punished them through wars, famine and diseases, and millions died because of their rebellion and disobedience.

V8 “And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.”

3.  God is I AM 

God is I AM WHO I AM. Whatever, whenever and whoever God determines, it shall be fulfilled and done! No man can stop God’s perfect plan and purpose and even when all things seem doom and gloom, God allows all things for His greater plan and purpose!

Exodus 3:14 “And God said unto Moses. I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”

Prayer of the Week

Dearest God, please help me to submit to You as You are God.

Jeremiah 26

Verse of the Day: V14 “As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.”

Faithfulness is a rare commodity. Look around us and we can see that people are no longer faithful in many aspects of our lives, especially faithfulness in our marriage vows and faithfulness in God and His church. In spite of man’s unfaithfulness, God is always faithful and has blessed us with faithful men and women in the Bible for our examples and encouragement and one of them was faithful Prophet Jeremiah.

1.  Faithful in Speech

V2 “Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’s house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:”

Jeremiah was faithful in his speech as he spoke to the people of what the Lord commanded him. He never diminishes any word but preach all the words pleading with the people to repent of their sins otherwise God’s judgment shall be upon them.

V3 “If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.”

2.  Faithful in Submission

V13 “Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that He hath pronounced against you.”

Jeremiah was not only faithful in his speech but also faithful in submission to God. He never once questioned God even when he went through much rejection, persecution, sorrow and suffering while preaching God’s message of repentance and judgment. 

3.  Faithful in Sacrifice 

V14 “As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.”

Jeremiah told the princes and the people that his life was in their hands and he was prepared to sacrifice his life for the sake of God’s plan and purpose.

Revelation 2:10 “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

Prayer of the Week

Dearest God, please help me to be faithful to You in life and in death.

Jeremiah 25

Verse of the Day: V6 “And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt."

1.  Rely not on other gods

V6 “And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, ...”

Other gods are people or things that take the place of the true and living God. God creates us and He knows all about us. Only God can fulfill the purpose of our existence and gives us complete joy and satisfaction in our lives. Yet man serves and worships other gods such as their families, careers, sports, hobbies, etc., instead of God. There is nothing wrong with loving our families, careers, sports, hobbies, etc., but if these things take the first place of our lives instead of God, then we have provoked God and incurred His anger. These other gods can never take the place of the true and living God as they shall fail us. Only God and God alone shall never fail us.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

2.  Rely not on self

V6 “And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; ...”

Not only shall other gods fail us even we shall fail ourselves. People reject God thinking that they are gods themselves and rely on the works of their own hands. They think that their success is due to their own capabilities, knowledge and competence and they fail to realize that it is God, their Creator, who gives them everything including the breath of life!

Romans 1:25 “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

3.  Rely only on God 

V6 “And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.”

People may continue to mock at Christians for serving and worshipping God but soon they shall realize that they have been deceived by the devil, and they together with the devil shall be cast into the lake of fire and be tormented forever for rejecting God.

Revelation 20:10 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Prayer of the Week

Dearest God, please help me to serve and worship You and You alone.

Jeremiah 24

Verse of the Day: V6 “For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.”

1.  God will set His eyes on those who suffer.

V6 “For I will set mine eyes upon them for good ...”

Nobody likes to suffer in poverty, hardship or captivity, yet God comforted His people, the nation of Israel, and assured them that suffering was good for them. The loving God set His eyes upon His children even when they were disobedient to Him because He truly loved them. God allowed their enemies to defeat them and forced them as captives in a foreign land so that His people would turn to Him in repentance through their suffering.

Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.”

2.  God will build the lives of those who suffer.

V6 “For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; ..."

It is difficult to understand when we are in great suffering. However, after we have experienced suffering, we realized that we learn much more from suffering than from an easy life, and that God has actually built our lives through suffering for our own good.

Hebrews 12:11 “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

3.  God will plant the lives of those who suffer.

V6 “For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.”

God desires to plant our lives in the rivers of waters, the Word of God, so that during storms or suffering, we shall not be plucked out as we are deeply planted in the rivers of waters and eventually we shall prosper in God’s spiritual blessings for our own good.

Psalms 1:3 “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Prayer of the Week

Dearest God, please help me to know that suffering is good for me though it is tough and painful.

Jeremiah 23

Verse of the Day: V6 “In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Prophet Jeremiah wept and warned the pastors, prophets and people to truly live what they preach, teach and believe otherwise the judgments of God shall be upon them. Yet time and time again, they sinned against God, and hence God’s judgments were upon them through enemies’ invasion and disasters such as famines, earthquakes and flood. 
  
1.  The Pastors failed to live what they believe.

V1 “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! Saith the LORD.”

The pastors or the kings were not leading the people according to God’s Word but instead used their own wisdom and led the people astray in worshipping other gods and idols.

V2 “Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.”

2.  The Prophets failed to live what they believe.

V30 “Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbor.”

The prophets in order to be appealing in their messages as well as popular with the people who were openly sinning against God, stole God’s Word by preaching their own words of vain hopes without God’s messages of repentance and obedience.

V16 “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.”

3.  The Righteous Lord never fails His people!

V6 “In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
   
However, God never fails in spite of the false pastors and prophets because He shall preserve a remnant who shall be His righteous pastors, prophets and people!

V3 “And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.”

Prayer of the Week

Dearest God, please help me to live what I believe.

Jeremiah 22

Verse of the Day: V30 “Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.”

1.  God judged Coniah

V28 “Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? Is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? Wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?”

Jeconiah was called Coniah because the “Je” in Jeconiah stood for Jehovah or God, and God had pronounced judgment on him and refused to identify with him as he had forsaken God and worshipped other gods!

V9 “Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.”

2.  Jesus was not from Joseph

God pronounced that no child of Coniah, the descendent of Solomon, the son of David, shall sit on the throne of David. This was why Joseph, though he was the legal line of Jesus, was not the blood line of Jesus, as Joseph was from the line of Coniah.

Matthew 1:6 “And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;”

Matthew 1:11 “And Josias begat Jechonias (Je Coniah) and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:”

Matthew 1:16 “And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”

3.  Jesus was from Mary

Luke 3:31 “Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,"

However, God fulfilled His prophecy in that Jesus came through Mary’s blood line from Nathan, another son of David. Ultimately, Jesus was from the legal and blood line of the Holy Ghost or God Himself!

Matthew 1:18 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”

Prayer of the Week

Dearest God, please help me to know that Jesus is the Son of God.

Jeremiah 21

Verse of the Day: V8 “And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.”

1.  The Way of Life

V8 “And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, ...”

In the beginning, God promised Abraham that He shall make the nation of Israel His chosen people, a great nation above all nations. God shall bless them and grant them the way of life or life with Him forever when they trust Him and obey all His commandments.

Genesis 12:2 “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:”

2.  The Way of Death

V8 “And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.”

However, the people failed to trust and obey God and as a result, God became their Judge and punished them by allowing their wicked enemy, the Babylonians, to destroy them and made many of them as slaves in the land of Babylon. It was a tragedy for the people of God as instead of being an example for all nations of the world to emulate them as a great and blessed nation of God, they became an enslaved nation by their enemies.

V14 “But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.”

3.  The Choice Is Yours

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

God is our Creator and He knows exactly what we need most, how we can fulfill the duty of man and live life to the fullest. It is just like the maker of the beautiful and reliable Rolex watch who knows exactly what his product needs, how best it can function and how long it will last. As God asked the nation of Israel to choose between the way of life or the way of death, God is also asking you whether you will choose the way of life with Him forever, or the way of death that forever separate you from Him. The choice is yours!
  
Prayer of the Week

Dearest God, please help me to live life to the fullest by choosing the way of life with You forever.