A Little R&R

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Pete

The reality is that there’s not too much to stoke the fire in Lamentations. After all, it’s . . . well, it’s a lamentation . . . a dirge, a wailing born out of mourning. This really isn’t the morning devo book if you’re looking for a “pick me up.” I wrapped up my readings in Lamentations this morning and as I reflect on it I’m can’t help but think that one of its messages is that our God is not to be messed with. His fury is fearful . . . His fierce anger is devastating . . . you don’t want to be on the other side of His chastening rod. But sprinkled within this sorrowful lament are diamonds . . . shining lights concerning our God and His goodness and grace.

Though both good and bad proceed from the mouth of the Most High (Lam. 3:38), He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men (3:33). God has no delight in judging sin . . . no pleasure in meeting out consequences upon His people for their disobedience and wayward determinations. But His holy character demands that sin be judged . . . and His desire for relationship propels Him to acts that will bring restoration. His purpose in judging Judah so severely was that they would return to Him and again seek Him that they might again know the blessing of being His people. His outpoured wrath and then silence were not rejection . . . “For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love” (3:31-32). God is compassionate and God remains faithful . . . even amidst His holy chastisement of His people. It’s because of the Lord’s mercies that the people of Israel and Judah were not totally consumed for “His mercies never come to an end.” Even in the midst of God ordained refining, He is faithful, every morning providing sufficient grace for the day (3:22-25).

And what grabbed me this morning was this closing plea by Jeremiah:

Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old . . . (Lamentations 5:21 ESV)

Restore us . . . Renew us. How’s that for a little R&R?

I’m certainly not in Judah’s place . . . scores dead . . . scores taken captivity . . . Jerusalem in shamble. But I have known times of feeling like I’m in a barren land . . . times when my sin has separated me from my God. And at some point God has faithfully done what He’s needed to do to bring me to the point of crying out, “Restore me to Yourself . . . Restore the joy of my salvation . . . Renew within me a Spirit-filled vitality.” Ok, maybe not those words exactly . . . but the same idea.

Isn’t that one of the great things about the compassion and faithfulness of God? There’s always a way back.

Jeremiah was in a pit of despair . . . literally he was in a pit (Jer. 38:6) . . . and cried out to God for rescue (3:55). Our “pits” are sometimes those of guilt because of our failure or waywardness. Those miry bogs created by knowing we’ve not been following our King wholeheartedly. But Jeremiah knew the Father’s heart for His people, and so, his encouragement to his people can be our encouragement, “Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD! Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven” (3:40-41).

That’s what the Father’s “new every morning” mercies are about . . . that’s what His never failing compassion accomplishes . . . the turning of hearts back to Himself. Yes! There’s always a way back . . . it is the way opened up through the cross of Christ . . . that once for all offering fully paying the price for all my transgressions – past, present, future . . . that shed blood of Jesus, sufficient to cleanse me from all sin. And with this way open, ours is to cry out to the God of grace, “Restore me to Yourself, Lord! Restore a right spirit within me! Renew and revitalize a flame of passion for Your presence. Nothing but You will do!”

Oh, what a great God is our God! Truly His compassions fail not. He is my portion. In Him I will hope. He will restore us . . . He will renew us . . . for our benefit and blessing . . . and for His glory. Amen?

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Good Stewards of God’s Varied Grace

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Pete

Last night we went to hear a father and his daughter speak. It was a solid, practical discussion on how upside down our world is when it comes to thinking about personal finances. Credit is king . . . we earn money so that we can finance debt. Crazy! They also offered very practical and prescriptive advice on how to shake off the chains of the lender/borrower, aka ruler/slave, relationship (Prov. 22:7). And yet, when I left I was uneasy about something. This morning, I as I reflected on last night the unease came back. As I was reading 1Peter 4, the source of the unease clicked.

“You work too hard to retire broke!” A few times that’s what was offered up as a motivation for getting out of debt . . . for getting your finances in order . . . for learning how to accumulate some wealth. I work too hard to retire broke. Reading Peter this morning presented another motivation . . .

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of Gods varied grace . . . in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1Peter 4:10, 11b ESV)

Now, I really don’t want to come across as critical. I buy the principles presented last night and know how helpful they have been to those who have adopted them. And, to be fair to the man and his daughter, their mission is focused on helping those, who have loaded themselves with a burden of debt, to remove that burden. Though this father/daughter team believe the gospel, their mission, and last nights presentation, were not for the purpose of preaching a gospel. And to be even more fair, not retiring broke wasn’t the only motivation they offered up. They also emphasized that once you are no longer a slave to the lender your are then free to be generous and become a giver. And perhaps that lines up closer to Peter’s motivation of being “good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

But for the believer, at the end of the day, what I do with my finances, or any other gifting received of the Lord, should be less motivated by how I retire or how good I might feel when I am generous, and be more motivated, I think, by the desire to bring glory to God. That’s why Peter says earlier in the chapter that followers of Christ should live their time in the flesh “no longer for human passions but for the will of God” (4:1).

I think it changes things when I shift from “I’ve worked too hard” to “He has given so much.” When it’s not about my money but about His varied grace. When my greatest motive for no longer being a slave to the lender elevates to wanting to be a faithful steward for the LORD. When everything that flows through my bank account becomes part of the everything in which God might be glorified through Jesus Christ. When my desire to be solvent is fueled by an overriding desire to serve the One to whom belongs all glory and dominion forever.

Again, not slamming last nights presenters. God’s blessing their efforts and many are finding their way to financial freedom.

But, when all is said and done, the people of God should desire financial freedom in order to glorify God. As His people, we should look not only at the treasure that flows through our hands, but also the time and the talents given to us, and seek to be just as “debt free” concerning them. We should be good stewards not only of our treasures, but also good stewards of the time allotted us . . . and good stewards of the talents God has gifted to us . . . in order that in everything God may be glorified.

Living in all things for His glory . . . relying in all things on His grace.

 

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Eating Is Believing

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Pete

Even if you don’t know what it means, you can’t help but know without a doubt what Jesus was saying. What started out as day trip to find Jesus and hopefully some more food, has escalated into a head-to-head debate between Jesus and “the Jews that grumbled.” Having followed Jesus across the sea, the people were hoping to be the beneficiaries of another food miracle. But Jesus calls them on it . . . and says that rather than wanting to fill their bellies, they should be seeking after “food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.”

Ok . . . now He has them thinking. How do we get it? What do we have to do? But, says Jesus, it’s not about what you do, but about what you believe. And then He tells them of a bread from heaven, like manna . . . but not like manna. Manna in that it too is bread given by the Father . . . not like manna in that those who ate manna eventually died, but those who eat the bread Jesus speaks of will live forever.

And then, it starts getting a bit more complicated.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35 ESV)

The people are intrigued. The Jews, the religious leaders, start to grumble. “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” And Jesus doesn’t back off a bit.

He repeatedly affirms His claim to being “living bread” come down from heaven. And if that isn’t weird enough to them, He presses it further by stating that He’s not just showbread, but that He is bread to be eaten.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh. . . . Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. (John 6:51, 53 ESV)

Ok, so that even assaults my sensitivities. Eating flesh . . . drinking blood. No doubt of what Jesus is saying, He states it repeatedly. So what does it mean? For me it comes down to one of the first mathematic formulas I learned. If   A=B   and   B=C   then   A=C.  And here’s how I apply it

In John 6:47 Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.” Then, in John 6:54, He says, “Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” Believe and have eternal life . . . feed on His flesh, drink of His blood and have eternal life. Therefore feeding on His flesh and drinking His blood equals believing.

Jesus wasn’t talking about some mystical cannibalism . . . He wasn’t even talking about some religious rite as being the secret to eternal life . . . He was talking about believing. And not some simple, superficial mental assent. But an all in, as in consuming it all, trust and faith. Seeing in Jesus the bread that gives eternal life and pursuing it with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength. Seeking Jesus and Him alone . . . wanting nothing more than to abide with Him and for Him to abide with us. All because we believe He is the bread of life.

Eating is believing.

By the grace of God . . . for the glory of God.

 

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Seeking Jesus

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Pete

Right action . . . wrong motive. Right pursuit . . . but focused on the wrong prize. Very commendable effort . . . but too common an expectation. John says they were “seeking Jesus” . . . so they got in their boats and crossed over the sea and went to Capernaum (John 6:24). Right action . . . right pursuit . . . commendable effort. Good on them for seeking Jesus. But when they found Him, Jesus kind of asks the tough question, Why are you seeking Me?

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on Him God the Father has set His seal.” (John 6:26-27 ESV)

They sought Jesus because they had been there when He fed the 5,000 with just a few loaves and fish. But they sought Him not because they desired the One who had performed such a great miracle . . . instead they wanted more of the miracle. It was less about seeking Jesus because He just might be the Messiah, and more about seeking Jesus because they just might get to feed their fleshly wants. Though God the Father had set His seal on Jesus as the promised One through the wondrous sign of taking essentially nothing and providing food enough to feed all who are hungry, their primary focus remained on “food that perishes” rather than on the Son of Man.

And so, Jesus seeks to elevate their gaze. To turn their eyes from their stomachs and to the things of eternity.

Then they said to Him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” (John 6:28-29 ESV)

Seek not just the benefit . . . but believe in the Benefactor. When it’s just about the bread, then Jesus becomes, in a sense, our genie . . . us thinking that our wishes become His command. But when it’s about believing in the Giver-of-Bread, then Jesus becomes our Lord . . . His commands becoming our desires.

So do not labor for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:36 ESV)

Jesus offers so much more than food for the stomach. And so much more than any blessing we would desire in this life. Whoever comes to Him . . . and not only to the blessings they might get through Him . . . there is a satisfaction of soul that is beyond imagination . . . beyond explanation . . . that is, quite literally, out of this world!

Oh, that having tasted of His goodness we might seek Jesus for no other reason than that He is good. That having believed He is the Son of God, we might pursue all that it means to follow the Son of God.

Seeking Jesus. Not for some food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life. Not relying on our strength . . . but drawing on His abundant grace. Not just for our benefit . . . but for His glory.

Amen?

 

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The Grace of Life

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Pete

Most often, if I’m thinking about grace I’m thinking about the grace that was or, the grace that is. The “grace that was” was the grace that took an enemy of God and invited him to be a child of God . . . the grace that called a deaf man to hear the Savior’s invitation . . . the grace that led a blind man to see, by faith, the Lord of Light. It’s the amazing grace we sing about that “saved a wretch like me.” The “grace that is” is the grace that is sufficient for the here and now. It is the grace sufficient for my weaknesses . . . the grace poured out to cover my waywardness . . . the abundant grace flowing as living water so that, when even in a dry land, my thirst is satisfied in His wonderfulness. Yup . . . when I think of grace, I most often go to what was and what is. This morning I’m reminded of the grace that will be.

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (1Peter 3:7 ESV)

Peter’s writing to “the elect exiles” . . . to believers who have been scattered abroad due to religious persecution . . . people on the lam because they are followers of the Lamb. The pressure has been turned up on these Christians and so, Peter writes to them to remind them of their future . . . of their hope . . . of their inheritance . . . and of their calling as God’s holy people. And he also gives them some pretty practical counsel and encouragement about maintaining godly relationships. Where there’s persecution there’s stress . . . and where there’s stress, there’s a natural temptation for people to turn on other people . . . even people they love.

And it’s while I’m reading the exhortation to husbands and wives about the secret of keeping it together in their exile-fueled pressure cooker of a life, that I’m reminded of the grace that will be.

Though the Christian husband and wife have different roles in their marriage . . . though they bring different constitutions to their relationship . . . on the most foundational of levels they share the same standing . . . they are joint heirs of the grace of life. They are equal partners in the things that encompass salvation in that they have both known the grace that saves. There is no difference in the Spirit that seals them both and allows them both to abundantly receive the grace that sustains. And, as I’m reminded this morning, they are heirs together of the grace that will be . . . the grace of life.

It’s the only time you find the phrase, grace of life, in the Bible. The main point of the verse is husbands treating their wives in a way that shows honor, a way that demonstrates the high esteem she has in his eyes . . . just as she has been highly valued through the price paid for her soul, the precious blood of the Son of God. But while the main point is the husband’s deference to his wife, the standing they share that demands such honoring treatment is the grace of life.

And I think, because it’s referred to as an inheritance, that the grace of life is the grace to come. Peter has already written of their inheritance which is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1:4). And he has already encouraged them to view their current situation in light of that future reality, “preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:13). And it is that “grace that will be brought to you” which is the “grace of life.” The inheritance shared by a believing man and his believing wife. That future focus which should act as a current catalyst for the love and respect that is to be present in a Christian home.

The grace of life should compel me to live a life of grace . . . starting at home and extending to all relationships. The grace of life is the grace that will be . . . the grace that “brought me safe thus far” and, the grace that will “lead will me home.”

To Him be all glory for the grace of life.

 

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Intereseted in the Individual

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Pete

Typically, I’m guessing, when you come across the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 in John 6, you tend to focus mostly on, well, the feeding of the 5,000. That’s the main event. The glory of Christ is seen as He takes the humble offering of a little boy, just five barley loaves and two fish, and multiplies them to feed a small arena. And not just a nibble each. John says they ate “as much as they wanted” and that Jesus stopped the food distribution “when they had eaten their fill.” And then they collected the leftovers . . . and “filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves.” And it says when the people “saw the sign” that Jesus had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

Big miracle . . . big impact. But there’s a sub-story to this story. One that I most often just blow past. A little “sidebar” that reminds me that Jesus not only cares for the crowds but that He’s also interested in the individual.

Lifting up His eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward Him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
 (John 6:5-6 ESV)

So, I can’t help wonder if there’s a bit of a grin on Jesus’ face as He asks Philip this question. And I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t a bit of a confused countenance on Philip’s. Impossible! Even if they had a Costco to go run to, Philip does the math and realizes that there’s no way they could afford to feed so many.

But Jesus didn’t ask Philip the question so that Philip would come up with a creative plan, He asked Philip to test Him. He posed the problem to Philip for the purpose of assaying the nature of his faith. He put the “elephant in the room” right on Philip’s lap in order to see what Philip would do with it.

And while I’m thinking that Philip may not have aced this test . . . that while communing with the Lord of Creation, he says, in effect, “I don’t know how You’re gonna do this” . . . what’s really grabbed me is not Philip’s performance, but Jesus’ focus on Philip. That He’s interested in the individual.

Jesus wanted to minister to Philip. With 5,000 hungry people surrounding Him . . . will 12 disciples figuring out what it meant to follow Him . . . Jesus takes a “teachable moment” and, in a sense, feeds the one. Philip’s greatest need at the moment isn’t figuring out how to feed a hoard, but to have his focus drawn on the One who can do the impossible. Tests of faith beget faith. Sometimes they happen in large crowds, such as witnessing 12 baskets of food being picked up . . . sometimes they happen one-on-One with the Shepherd of our souls.

I don’t have many how-do-you-feed-five-thousand type of challenges in my life. But there are things that come along . . . temporary trials . . . current crises (at least in my own mind) . . . that Jesus can use to test my faith.

O that I would look beyond wrestling with all the possible solutions and, instead, simply look to the Savior. Not trying to calculate how much it might cost but be reminded of the price He has already paid . . . and the promises He has already made. Leaning not to my own understanding, but trusting in Him with my whole heart . . . acknowledging Him in all my ways, confident that He will direct my paths (Prov. 3:5-6).

By His grace . . . for His glory.

 

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That You May Marvel

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Pete

They wanted to kill Him. He had healed a blind man on the Sabbath and was unrepentant, and so the Jews started to harass Him. He replied that just as “My Father is working until now, I am working.” Now they wanted to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was also making Himself equal with God. Oh, but they hadn’t seen anything yet!

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing. And greater works than these will He show Him, so that you may marvel.”
(John 5:19-20 ESV)

John 5:19-29 is a fascinating and mind-stretching description of the dynamics between the First and Second Persons of the Trinity. Equality in essence, unity in purpose, variety in role. And, though they be one, the Son is under the Father’s authority. That you may marvel.

That you may marvel. That’s the phrase that caught my attention this morning as I hovered over this passage of Scripture. Early in His ministry Jesus has turned water into wine . . . He has cleansed the temple of unscrupulous profiteers . . . He has educated a scholar on what it means to be born again . . . He has had a discussion with an adulteress Samaritan woman on the source of living water and the meaning of worship . . . he has healed an officials son merely by saying, “Go, your son lives” . . . and He has made to walk a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

And greater works than these will He show Him, so that you may marvel.

Greater works like taking men and women who are dead in trespasses and iniquity and making them alive to the things of the kingdom of heaven. Greater works like taking men and women defiled by sin and who have no place in the presence of a holy God, and clothing them in the righteous robes of Another and welcoming them into the holy of holies. Greater works like taking men and women born after the nature of Adam and transforming them, and conforming them, into the very nature of Christ. So that you may marvel.

I’m thinking that some from among this pharisaical group of antagonists did eventually marvel as Jesus continued to reveal Himself as God in flesh. But I also know that many didn’t. How sad that some among the followers of Christ have ceased to marvel. They’ve lost the wonder of their salvation . . . which, when compared to anything else that has, or hasn’t happened, in their lives, is the greatest of all works.

That the Son of Man would lay His life down in my place in order to satisfy the wrath of God which was justly deserved because of my sin. That the One who has made all things would shed His blood that my sins might be atoned for and my soul redeemed from the bondage of sin. That He, who is loved for eternity by the Father, would be forsaken by the Father for three dark hours, that I might one day be received into glory. All, so that I might marvel.

That I might marvel and seek the Kingdom. That I might marvel and follow the King. That I might marvel and worship the Savior.

May I never lose the wonder
O the wonder of Your mercy
May I sing Your hallelujah
Hallelujah, Amen       (Mercy by Matt Redman.  Check it out by clicking here)

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What Is It About Egypt?

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Pete

Jeremiah 40 through 43 makes for a pretty intriguing and suspenseful epilogue to the “Fall of Jerusalem” story. Jerusalem has fallen . . . the temple is destroyed. The Chaldeans have taken the best of the people and of the treasures back with them to Babylon. They have left in the land “some of the poor people who owned nothing” and given them vineyards and fields to tend . . . should make them happy. Others from Judah who had been scattered during the Babylonian invasion, return and start to work and benefit from the land . . . they’re happy. Babylon has established a governor in the land, Gedaliah . . . he’s happy. And, they have released Jeremiah from incarceration and have given him a choice . . . go to Babylon with the other exiles? . . . remain in the land with the remnant? . . . or, go wherever you want? Jeremiah chooses to stay in Judah . . . I’m guessing he’s happy too.

Sweet! Maybe things can settle done a bit. Uh, not so much.

It’s still a land that hasn’t yet learned to heed the voice of God. There’s a kind of coup . . . led by a guy named Ishmael son of Nethaniah who is apparently in the pocket of the Ammonite king (yes Virginia, the enemies of God’s people, like vultures, wait to move into the post exile scene). Gedaliah is killed . . . Ishmael goes out of control . . . Johanan the son of Kareah leads an ad hoc army in a counter-offensive against Ishmael. And though Johanan has some success in fighting back Ishmael’s band of mercenaries, Ishamel’s still alive . . . and the Babylonians are gonna be ticked that their governor has been murdered. So what are they to do? Their plan? Go to Egypt (Jer. 41:17-18).

They think it’s a great idea. And, if they think it’s a great idea, God must too. So they go to Jeremiah and ask him to pray to God for them . . . to intercede on behalf of the remnant . . . “that the LORD your God may show us the way we should go, and the things we should do” (42:3). Jeremiah agrees to lift the remnant before the throne of heaven and to relay, in full, the word He receives from God . . . “I will keep nothing back from you” (42:4). And the people respond with something that just makes me cringe . . . not because it’s not the right thing to say . . . but because it’s the wrong thing to fake.

Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to us. Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.” (Jeremiah 42:5-6 ESV)

They are so sure that God will see the obvious solution as they do. But what happens? Jeremiah prays. God answers. And Jeremiah relays God’s word, Don’t go to Egypt . . . don’t fear the king of Babylon . . . “for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand” (42:11). And the people say, “No way!”

That’s not the word of the Lord, they respond. We know better. We’re going to Egypt!

O’ brother! What is it about Egypt?

What is it about the world that presents itself as the safe place . . . the prosperous place . . . the place to be trusted above God? Not saying their situation was an easy one. But they had the word of the LORD. They had the promises of God. And still they went to Egypt. The place they had once been exodus’d from . . . the place that was once bondage and slavery . . . the place that, time and time again, failed them as they sought it’s protection. There is an allure to Egypt . . . there is a siren’s voice coercing the people of God back to the world when the going get’s tough.

And these things were written for my instruction (Rom. 15:4) . . . written as “examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did” (1Cor. 10:6).

Stay away from Egypt . . . trust in the LORD. Look not to the world for protection and prosperity, but find refuge and reward under the rule of the King of Heaven.

By His grace . . . for His glory. Amen?

 

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The City Doesn’t Need to Burn

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Pete

It didn’t have to burn. I guess I never realized it before, but Jerusalem didn’t have to burn. Though, because of its people, it had stepped WAY over the line and deserved to burn, it didn’t have to. Though it was polluted from corner to corner, and from the inside out, with the refuse of gross spiritual infidelity . . . though fake gods and high places were evident everywhere . . . though a good torching would go a long way to removing the idolatrous stubble . . . it didn’t need to be. Even at the fifty-ninth minute of the eleventh hour God was prepared to show mercy.

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live.” (Jeremiah 38:17 ESV)

That the people of God were in need of a “timeout” had already been ordained. That they needed to catch up on their Sabbaths and let the land rest from their adultery was a done deal. That they needed 70 years in a foreign land in order to ponder the fruit they had reaped from sowing their seeds of stiff-necked rebellion, was gonna happen. They were going to Babylon. The only question being, would they now hear the word of the LORD and obey. Would they, even in their chastisement, believe that God was disciplining them as children He loved that they might be brought back into relationship with Himself. Or, would they continue to trample the word of God underfoot and determine to go into captivity kicking and fighting and shaking their fist at God.

King Zedekiah was desperate. Desperate enough to buck popular opinion among his officials and spare Jeremiah’s life (38:1-13) . . . desperate enough to have a secret closed door meeting with Jeremiah (38:14-28). And he was given the words of grace and of life, “Obey now the voice of the LORD in what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared” (38:20). All Zedekiah needed to do was surrender to the army of the north . . . but that would only happen as he humbled himself and submitted first to the God of heaven. But let the record show that Zedekiah refused the way of God . . .

He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel. (2Chronicles 36:12b-13 ESV)

. . . and so, the city burned.

And I marvel at the hardness of men’s heart . . . even men who say they know the Savior. The walls of their world can be crumbling before their feet and yet they still refuse to go to the knee and confess Him as LORD. Though they have suffered loss, a little humility would go a long way to stemming the tide of God’s determination to call them back to Himself. God’s purifying fire wants to do its work of removing dross and leaving only the gold and silver . . . His is a refiner’s fire . . . but the city doesn’t need to burn.

And I marvel at the love and grace of God. At His patience in not writing-off those who refuse Him time and time again . . . or those who stumble time and time again. But, funded by the precious blood of Christ shed for sinners, He pays in full the debt of sin owed for all those who receive His Word . . . He covers the on-gong transgression of His people who humbly come to Him in confession asking for forgiveness. Though there may be consequences, in His infinite grace He pleads for our return.

The city doesn’t need to burn. O’ that we might be kept from hard hearts and stiff necks. By His grace . . . and for His glory.

 

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Ready, Obey, Pray!

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Pete

I have a buddy. He’s a guy of action. In fact, sometimes he can be so quick to get off the blocks at the starting line, he’s not even sure exactly what the race is. It could be a 100 meter dash . . . could be a half-marathon . . . either way he’s pedal-to-the-medal . . . figure out the details later. Kinda’ not like me. I kid him that he’s a “Ready, Fire, Aim!” guy . . . while I’m more “Ready . . . Ready . . . Aim . . . Aim . . . Aim some more . . . ” This morning, as I continued reading in Jeremiah, my buddy came to mind. I’m thinking Jeremiah would be more like him. My heart was stirred as I noticed Jeremiah’s approach to following God . . . Ready, Obey, Pray!

Jeremiah 32 recounts the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah “in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah” (32:1-2).

So the beginning of the end for Jerusalem, and for the land of Judah, is well underway. The dreaded army of the north, the Chaldeans from Babylon, are taking apart the land once promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God has ordained them to be His rod of judgment upon a rebellious and adulterous people. They have laid siege to Jerusalem. It being only be a matter of time before the walls fall. And, to make matters worse for Jeremiah, he is in the stockade for proclaiming God’s words of judgment against King Zedekiah and the people. Though the Babylonians are breathing down their necks, literally, Jeremiah’s being beat up for predicting that the Babylonians will win the day. Go figure!.

Anyway, the word that comes to Jeremiah in this situation is that he is to buy a field in his home town of Anathoth, which his cousin wants to sell. Ya’ think his cousin wants to sell? If his cousin’s going to Babylon on an extended “exile vacation” better some cash than a piece of land which is being trampled and razed by a murderous hoard. What good will the land do him? If he can find some sucker to buy it, then he’s in! And, in fact, Jeremiah does buy it. He exercises his right of redemption and purchases it. God told him to . . . and he did. It’s only after the deal is closed and the papers are signed that Jeremiah, still in the stockade, goes to the Lord in prayer about this seemingly insane act of buying occupied land just before going into exile.

In effect he says, “God, I bow to You as the Sovereign King of heaven and earth . . . I know You are a just God . . . I know You are judging this land of promise because of the disobedience of Your people . . . I know You are giving this land and this city into the hands of the Chaldeans . . . “Yet You, O Lord GOD, have said to me, ‘Buy the field for money and get witnesses’–though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans” (32:16-25). What? I’m not sure I get it, LORD.

And the LORD responds that He will one day restore the land to His people . . . and His people to the land.  By His mercy, and according to His promise, the field Jeremiah has just bought will again have value when the people return.

So . . . how different is Jeremiah than many of us . . . or at least me? He hears the word of the Lord . . . knows what God wants . . . and rather than pray about it for awhile . . . he just does it. And afterward he prays for greater understanding.  Later, after doing what God wants Him to do, he brings his confusion to the LORD.  Ready . . . Obey . . . Pray!  Shouldn’t I be more like Jeremiah?

Sure, there are any number of matters in which we may not be exactly sure of the Lord’s will or leading.  In those times, we should pray.  If we lack wisdom, we should ask . . . if we are not sure of direction, we should seek the mind of God. But what about those things where we know what the will of God is . . . either because it is explicitly laid out in Scripture or it has been undeniably impressed upon our hearts by the Spirit? Shouldn’t we just respond with obedience and then pray afterwards about any misgivings or struggles we’re having with what God’s asked of us? Sometimes I wonder if we pray, in order to delay. If we “wait on the Lord” because we really don’t want to submit to the Lord. Sometimes we can be Ready . . . Pray . . . Pray . . . Pray . . . and never get to Obey.

O’ to be more like Jeremiah . . . Ready, Obey, Pray.

By God’s grace . . . for God’s glory.

 

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