Category: Jeremiah

When God Goes to War Against a Nation

4/11/2017

Read Jeremiah 21:1-14

As I have been reading through the book of Jeremiah I was once again struck by the timely message it holds for our nation's leaders. In the previous chapter Jeremiah was thrown in the stocks because of his prophecies. In this chapter, Pashhur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, whose father was a priest, are purposely seeking him out for guidance. They are on a mission for the king (whom Jeremiah has been prophesying against) and their actions seem to acknowledge that Jeremiah is a true prophet from God.

So they asked Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord on what they should do about Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, who was making war against them. In other words, they believed (or rather King Zedekiah believed) that if they begged God for help He would ignore all the warnings Jeremiah had been prophesying about and Nebuchadnezzar would leave them alone. Up until this point in time Jeremiah's prophecies about their coming destruction at the hands of the King of Babylon, were met with derision. But suddenly those prophecies started coming true and so they rushed to Jeremiah for advice on how to make it stop. They believed they could bargain with God.

They were wrong.

Jeremiah gave them startling news. They weren't just going to war with the King of Bablyon, they were going to war with God Himself.

Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; and I will assemble them in the midst of this city. I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger and fury and great wrath (Jeremiah 21:4-5, NKJV).

For years they had ignored Jeremiah's warnings to repent and return to God before it was too late. Now, when all seemed lost instead of repenting, they were looking for an easy way to escape the coming judgment. And God provided it, but it was costly.

“Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans [Babylonians] who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be as a prize to him" (Jeremiah 21:8-9, NKJV).

The Lord decreed that those who remain in the city would die by sword, famine and pestilence, but if they willingly went out of the city and defected to the Babylonian side, they would live. So the people of Zedekiah's kingdom had a choice to make. Reject their allegiance to him and their beloved Jerusalem and defect to the Babylonian side, thus saving their lives, or stay and fight a losing battle. As for King Zedekiah, his fate was already sealed.

The Lord reminded King Zedekiah that since he was from the Davidic line he had a responsibility to execute justice in his land for the oppressed. But Zedekiah was a wicked and arrogant king and the Lord knew this, so He told him he would be punished for his wickedness and Jerusalem would be destroyed. He knew King Zedekiah would never bow to another king and pledge allegiance to him. He would never defect to Babylon. He couldn't. He was the king of Judah, his pride wouldn't let him. He would fight against the Lord and lose.

It doesn’t matter how rich you are, how powerful you are or who you are related to, in the end God judges our hearts and our actions. King Zedekiah was a covenant king, responsible for the welfare of the people and ensuring that God alone was worshipped and glorified. But he was wicked and his arrogance lead him to believe he was untouchable. Imagine his surprise when the Lord waged war against him through the King of Babylon.

Governments from all over the world today act much the same way – with arrogance. Unafraid of the consequences of evil deeds. We need only to look at the current wicked President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, to see arrogance and defiance towards God and man in action. We see this kind of arrogance from leaders all over the world. Like Vladimir Putin, who long ago should have had sanctions against him because he has supplied the arms that contributed to Assad's murderous reign. We see it in terrorist groups like ISIS who are constantly shaking their fists at God by bombing churches and beheading Christians - just daring Him to stop them.

And one day He will, and those in power will have to answer to the King of Kings face to face for their wickedness, unless they heed the warning Jeremiah gave to King Zedekiah to repent and return to God.

As we draw closer to the Lord’s return, it is becoming more and more apparent how arrogant and wicked our leader’s in government are. They make decisions that affect millions of people and lead their nations further and further away from God. Today, I thank God for godly leaders but pray for those who do not acknowledge Him, to repent and return to Him before it is too late. Will you join me?

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A Lesson from the Prophet Jeremiah

2/21/2017

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Read Jeremiah 20:1-18

Jeremiah has been through a lot. He has been obedient to God. He has done everything he was told to do and say. Now, he is paying the price for it. But something happens. Depression grabs hold of Jeremiah and he regrets the day he was even born. If you are in ministry or are a Christian who has ever been depressed, this chapter of Jeremiah will likely speak volumes to you and hopefully bring you great comfort.

In this chapter we meet Pashhur, a priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord (the Temple in Jerusalem). He decided he didn't like all the things Jeremiah was hearing from God, so he struck Jeremiah and placed him in the stocks overnight. This was quite possibly the worst decision Pashhur ever made in his life.

Jeremiah was born a priest, but consecrated by God before his birth to be His prophet (Jeremiah 1:5). He was known as the son of Hilkiah, not only to distinguish him from others of the same name, but to prove that he was of priestly origin. He came from the priestly town of Anathoth, a name meaning, “answered prayers.” So to have Pashhur, the priest who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, commit such an act against him, was unheard of, because Jeremiah’s heritage itself designated him as one set aside for God. In other words, he had a holy calling. For Pashhur to attack one of God's prophets so publically not only showed his pride in his position, but his total disrespect for God. As far as he was concerned, Jeremiah wasn’t “towing the line” so to speak, and he deserved to be publically humiliated. Instead, Jeremiah while in the stocks, received yet another word from the Lord. This time for Pashhur, "You shall go to Babylon, and there you shall die, and be buried there, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied lies" (Jeremiah 20:6). Jeremiah was called by God to speak for Him and was punished for it by those who “thought” they represented God. Little did they know how far away from God they really were.

God defends Jeremiah for Pashhur’s mistreatment of him. Yet, Jeremiah doesn’t see it that way and falls into a great depression. He accuses God of deceiving him or “persuading” him to pronounce judgments upon Judah which has resulted in him being persecuted. He says in Jeremiah 20:7 that “everyone mocks him.” Like those who suffer from depression, Jeremiah goes from praising God to cursing the day he was born. He has been humiliated by suffering the shame of spending a night in the stocks in a very visible place for all to see (Jeremiah 20:2). He has spent the night mourning his choices in life (something Pashhur was hoping he would do) and yet even though he was persecuted in this way, and even though he thought it would be better if he’d never been born, he still praised God in the midst of it.

This chapter is perfect for pastors, missionaries, or any Christian proclaiming the Word of God today, who are becoming discouraged or facing outright persecution because of it. It shows, very clearly, that the truths Jeremiah had to proclaim were not welcome in a society that believed itself to be in the “right”. In today’s politically correct world we can take courage from this chapter to be faithful to God when He calls us to speak, no matter what the consequences might be.

We live in a volatile society where just stating your opinion (let alone speaking God’s word) can get you in trouble. Christians, for the second year in a row, were the most persecuted faith group on the planet and we know this is going to get worse. Today, spend some time thanking God, as Jeremiah did in the midst of his depression, and take comfort in the fact that God is on your side.

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Is Our Nation Doomed?

1/17/2017

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Read Jeremiah 19:1-15

It has been a while since I've been able to get back to my study of Jeremiah, but how appropriate that I begin the New Year with a post about a nation that has gone too far. During Jeremiah's time his people pushed God and pushed Him until He finally said, "That's it! I'm done with you! Get ready to see what life is like without me."

Of course, I'm paraphrasing here, but that is exactly what happened to Jeremiah's people. In this chapter the Lord continues on with using the potter and pottery as symbols for Him and His people. As Jeremiah is told once more to go and prophesy, we begin to realize how the Lord has taken His hands off the people, by letting them go their own way.

When a nation rejects God and His authority and supremacy over them, they soon begin to indulge in all manner of sins and they start accepting these sins as normal practices and beliefs. Unfortunately, they do not honour God. In Jeremiah’s day, this meant Israel indulged in and adapted the practices of idol worship from other nations. In particular, they began worshipping the demon god Baal and committed the ultimate blasphemy by sacrificing their children on altars of fire. Today, we draw back in horror at such a thought. Yet the practice of abortion is no different. Babies are sacrificed everyday in the name of a "woman's choice". At six-weeks old a baby's heartbeat can be detected. I know this for a fact as I heard my daughter's heart beat at six weeks old. At twelve weeks they have already developed fingers and toes and yet abortionists will claim to the moon and back they are nothing but a pile of goo. This lie has become so ingrained in society that to utter the truth is akin to blasphemy in secular society. Even when the truth comes out, people refuse to hear it.

So what happens when a nation rejects God and adapts pagan beliefs and practices? God gives them over to their depravity and in His anger makes it even worse. This particular chapter of Jeremiah is hard to read because God allows several things to happen that result in parents eating their own children due to starvation.

Jeremiah 19:9 says, "I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his friend in the siege and in the desperation with which their enemies and those who seek their lives shall drive them to despair.”

This is hard to fathom. God caused this? Why? We are told in Jeremiah 19:4-6:

“Because they have forsaken Me and made this an alien place, because they have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they, their fathers, nor the kings of Judah have known, and have filled this place with the blood of the innocents (they have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind), therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that this place shall no more be called Tophet or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.

The Valley of the Son of Hinnom was also known to the people as Tophet, which means “place of fire” it was known as the place where people sacrificed their children by fire to Molek (Molech) who was associated with Baal worship. In later years, the valley became the city’s garbage dump where the corpses of criminals were thrown and trash was burned. Fires burned there continually and so it soon became a symbol of future judgment. The word “hell” is derived from the Greek Gehenna, which comes from the Hebrew ge’hinnom, which is in reference to the Valley of Hinnom.

God took His hands off the nation of Israel and they would go into captivity in Babylon and would stay in captivity for seventy years. This blatant disregard for God and His ways resulted in horrors that the people brought on themselves. God just allowed their depravity to increase. He took His hands off them and let them go their own way.

What can we learn from this? Quite a bit actually! But the main question we need to ask ourselves is this - has the world reached this point yet? I live in Canada, but I'm thinking of America too while I write this. While both nations are bad and governments the world over are overflowing with corruption, I ask myself - have we reached the point of no return? Has God taken His hands off us to let us go further into depravity and seal our own fate?

Time will tell.

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What is God Really Saying with a Trump Win?

11/10/2016

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For the last little while I have been studying the book of Jeremiah and sharing my insights here. Jeremiah was a prophet who lived during Daniel's time and he was charged by God to warn the people of their impending destruction if they didn't repent and turn back to God. They refused to heed Jeremiah's warnings from God and their eventual destruction came at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, a man who did not acknowledge God at all, yet God used him for His own purposes. God sent Jeremiah to warn the people of what was going to happen to them if they didn't repent and turn from their sins, but they did not listen. We have not had a Jeremiah sounding an alarm of God's impending judgment, but we have been hearing the cry of Jesus' return and God's ultimate judgment for years. The warnings have always been there.

Which brings me to Donald Trump and his unexpected win as the next President. Christians are saying God put Him in power. Which is true. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power (Daniel 4:17; Daniel 2:21; Romans 13:1). He put Obama in power and unfortunately, He has also put Donald Trump in power.

During the last election, when Obama won Christians on the right wondered aloud why God didn't answer their prayers, while those on the left were thrilled that their prayers had been answered. This time however, the situation is reversed. The Democrats did not get their candidate elected and they are not accepting defeat gracefully, nor are they acknowledging the electoral process. Instead, they are behaving like children who, because they didn't get what they wanted, are throwing the biggest temper tantrum the world has ever seen before. How could God let someone like Donald Trump become President? Did God not hear the prayers of the Democrats or does He perhaps have something else in mind?

There is no question that Donald Trump is an arrogant man. In fact, many compare his attitude to that of King Nebuchadnezzar who bragged about how great he was (Daniel 4:28-30). Trump's rhetoric and election tactics are eerily similar to those of Hitler and there is a legitimate fear among Americans that Trump will run his government in much the same way that Hitler did. This is frightening to imagine, but I think we are forgetting something very important - as hard as it is to accept, even evil governments are put there by God (Romans 13:1). It may not be apparent why God appoints them, but appoint them He does. One hundred and fifty years before the birth of Cyrus the Great, God was already calling him by name and promising to set him on the throne of Persia (Isaiah 45:13). Cyrus was a pagan king who did not acknowledge God at all. Yet God’s sovereign plan included pagan kings like Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus. One king would destroy the Jews' homeland and temple, and take them captive for seventy years. And the other would restore the Jews to their homeland and temple. Each had a purpose that God used them for to carry out His plans, despite whether they believed in God or not. And yes, God's plan even included evil kings like Herod the Great and Nero. In Romans 13:1 Paul said, "There is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." This is an incredible statement when you realize that at the time Romans was written, Nero was rounding up Christians and lighting them up as torches for his garden. Yet Paul insisted God put Nero on his throne. This is a hard thought to digest. What good would God possibly have in giving such an evil man that kind of authority?

Well, for starters, Nero's persecution of Christians resulted in Christians being scattered and the gospel being spread. If there had been no persecution of Christians whatsoever, we would never have known about Jesus because the impact of any message about Him would have been lost. What about people like Hitler? How could someone who killed millions of people be part of God's plan? I think the better question to ask is, how can God turn evil that He knew was going to happen, into good? Why didn't he stop Hitler BEFORE he killed six million Jews? I don't know the answer to that, I only see the end result. Hitler's persecution of Jews ultimately resulted in them returning to their homeland and Israel becoming a nation again after more than 2000 years. Yes, these men were evil and at the time of their reign no one could fathom why or how God could place them in power. Nevertheless, God used their wickedness for His purposes.

In my book Unlocking the Truth of Daniel I take you throughout history to see how God's plan unfolded for the Jewish people. Prophecies made were fulfilled and yes, evil people brought destruction in their wake, but ultimately it would result in the birth of Jesus and redemption for mankind.

Which brings me back again to Donald Trump. There is one constant in the universe that we can cling to during these tumultuous times. God has a plan. He is still in control and Jesus is coming back. So how should Christians behave during these uncertain times? We must trust in God and accept the fact that He has placed Trump in power (for now) and God will use him for His purposes. Only time will tell what that will mean for the world.

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Are You Allowing God to Shape You?

10/20/2016

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Read Jeremiah 18:1-11

Many times when we see the verse above we are drawn to the beauty of knowing that God is shaping us into the people He wants us to be. Philippians 1:6 affirms that "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."
This is something that gives me great comfort, because despite all my flaws and my sins, my Heavenly Father has committed to making me into the person He knows I can be. He has designed each of us with a purpose in mind. In the picture above, the potter is designing a vessel that has a purpose. Whether it is to be a decoration or a jug to hold flowers and water, only the potter knows. When it is complete, the potter will make the necessary finishes that will decide how it is to be used.

We are much the same way. Our heavenly Father knows our purpose and He knows when we will be completed for that purpose. He also, like the potter, realizes when something needs to be fixed. We are either not learning, growing in our relationship with Him, obeying Him, or simply not hearing Him, and like the potter, He has to take drastic measures with us and start over again. Sometimes, the moulding and shaping is for our benefit. He sees the end result. He knows our future and we have to trust that whatever happens in our lives is ultimately according to His purposes.

This is what happened to Jeremiah's people. They had forgotten their purpose, that they were chosen by God to be an example to the nations of how a holy people are supposed to live. But instead, they exchanged God for the false idols of the nations that surrounded them and they forgot about God and fell into sin.

The following verses show us that God doesn't just deal with individuals but He deals with nations the same way.

"Oh, house of Israel can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. Look, as the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it."

Jeremiah 18:6-8, NKJV

Notice that while these verses are concerning Israel and their coming judgment (they would go into captivity in Babylon for seventy years), God also addresses any nation or kingdom. The Bible tells us that it is God alone who puts people in positions of power (Romans 13:1-2; Daniel 2:21) and as the verse above suggests, because He is the potter, if a nation does not repent of its evil He will pluck it up, pull it down and destroy it - IF it is a nation He has spoken against to destroy. The key is that He will relent of any disasters He intends to bring upon them if only they will repent.

While the verses above resonate with many individuals in that we recognize God is our "Master Potter" and we are the clay, imagine what could happen to our great nation if our leaders recognized God's sovereignty as well. At least one very special and significant nation is currently doing that today. Israel's leaders are urging the Jewish people to read through the Bible, the whole Bible, verse by verse, chapter by chapter. They are returning to the Word of God and recognizing God's sovereignty over them as a nation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kicked off the new school year in Israel by encouraging children to rediscover the Word of God and Biblical roots of their Jewish heritage.

“First of all, the study of the Bible,” he said in August. “Knowledge is a critical word. We want to give it [knowledge of the Scriptures] to every child in Israel, Jews and non-Jews as one, religious and secular. This is the basis of the new world, and the basis of Israel as a strong nation in the world.”

Will the people of Israel listen to her leaders? I pray they do and as a nation submit themselves once again to the Master Potter. Imagine the blessings that God will pour out on them if they did so. Imagine how great our nation could be if our leaders humbled themselves before God as well and acknowledged God's sovereignty over them. One day every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. May it be so! Come Lord Jesus come!

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When God Goes to War Against a Nation

Read Jeremiah 21:1-14

A Lesson from the Prophet Jeremiah

Read Jeremiah 20:1-18

Is Our Nation Doomed?

Read Jeremiah 19:1-15

What is God Really Saying with a Trump Win?

Are You Allowing God to Shape You?

Read Jeremiah 18:1-11

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When God Goes to War Against a Nation

Read Jeremiah 21:1-14

A Lesson from the Prophet Jeremiah

Read Jeremiah 20:1-18​

Is Our Nation Doomed?

Read Jeremiah 19:1-15

What is God Really Saying with a Trump Win?

Are You Allowing God to Shape You?

Read Jeremiah 18:1-11

Archives

Categories

Read Jeremiah 20:1-18