8/22/2020 – Day 090 – Jeremiah 1-6 / Part 2 of 3/ Commentary -first among many to follow
I purchased the 1st of the three suggestions for commentary support to Jeremiah. I completed the commentary read too for chapters 1 through 6, which turned out longer than the biblical chapters themselves. It was edifying. But for this first posted commentary: I am going to limit my post to two elements: 1) selected verses where a short explanation of the context that might go along way in understanding the bigger picture (short and to the point); and, 2) a fairly healthy collection of pithy footnotes to specific verses. Taken together, they lend a more expository theme, which will be just one cog in the wheel that leads to group fellowship in His Word to us.
Please read the verse first again, before reading the footnote! quick fyi: Ok – let’s get after it!:
- 1:11 – Re: “The branch of an almond” : An almond is a very early spring blossom. So , a Jeremiah picked up on, it points to points to prophecy that will have fulfillment in Jeremiah’s lifetime, as opposed to say Isaiah 66 , which we just read last week entails: The “new heavens and the new earth”.
- 1:13 – Re: “boiling pot” – Babylon as opposed to the proverbial threat from the north – Assyria. (note – recent history at this point is the loss of “Israel”- 734 b.c – ten of the twelve tribes to Assyria, leaving only “Judah”.
Now, to the footnotes noted by chapter: verse reference:
6:10 God’s Word. Do we delight in the Word of the Lord? Do we rejoice in God’s Word as one who finds great treasure? (see Psalm 119: 162) The key is to consume the Word of God, to meditate upon the Word, to digest it, and let it become part of us. The Bible is a supernatural book, and can give us supernatural energy to do the will of God (see Nehemiah 8: 1-12 – Jimmy note: We need that “supernatural” right now!) . Too many fail to read the Bible every day. They find time to feed their stomach each day, but refuse to make the time to read God’s Word. Don’t let your belly take precedence over reading the Bible. Forget your foot rather than the forget the Word of God. (see Exodus 34:28)
4:2. The world gravitates to the concept of a god who is “all-loving.” (Jimmy note – catch it: Only a small “g” here , not the Capital “G”) Such a loving god would never judge people and damn their souls to hell. However, it is more biblical to say that God is love, but He is also the essence of truth, judgment and righteousness. Therefore, God is bound by His own character to do what is true, just and right.
“If we exalt one of God’s qualities over another, we can get a distorted view of God’s character. In fact, overemphasizing any one of God’s attributes to the exclusion of others can lead to heresy. For example, teaching only about God’s mercy and neglecting His role as a judge will prevent people from understanding God’s hatred of sin and the future punishment for wrongdoing.” Bill Bright (Jimmy note: the heretical antihesis of Islam: A uninpersonal god of justice and anger. Where is the love? Love is defined by relationships. A unipersonal god by definition does not have any relationships so therefore no love by definition. Added to it: Muslems do not believe that man is created in God’s image, just word to the wise)
2:2. God forbid that we should ever preach without a “cry” We are warning men and women that they will be damned for eternity. Passion should be our fuel.
“Perhaps if there were more of that intense distress from souls that leads to tears, we should more frequently see the results we desire. Sometimes it may be that while we are complaining of the hardness of the hearts of those we are seeking to benefit, the hardness of our own hearts and our feeble apprehension of the solemn reality of eternal things may be the true cause of our want of success.” Hudson Taylor (Jimmy note: It is not about “feelings”!)
2:5. (Jimmy note: This verse I must include (not like I don’t trust you…lol))
Verse: “Thus says the Lord: What injustice have your fathers found in Me, That they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters?” (Jimmy note: C.S. Lewis wrote a book about this titled: “God in the Dock”)
4.4. God’s fury against sin is held back by His longsuffering. Our God is a consuming fire (see Hebrews 12:29), and it is only His mercy that restrains the lightning of His wrath. ….
(Jimmy note – also see our recent reading : Isaiah 55:6: “Seek the Lord while he might still be found….”. As in, this could be our last chance right now from here to never ending…. This applies to individuals as well as to nations. Wake up America!)
3:8. Can Christians “backslide”? Some try to justify the concept of “backsliding by pointing to the use of the word in the Old Testament. However, the word is used in reference to the nation of Israel, not to ‘born-again’ individuals indwelt with the Holy Spirit. We cannot justify a believer falling away from following Jesus in light of Luke 9:62, where Jesus said that no one who even looks back is fit for the kingdom. The true convert says with Peter, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go?’ You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68) It is the false convert who is like a dog that returns to its vomit and a pig that goes back to the mire. A genuine convert would rather die than despise (Jimmy note: ‘bereave’) the Spirit of grace and trample the blood of Christ underfoot.“
1.5. The verse – “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
And in my own words: I don’t think I need to ask this question in this audience but..: So, what is God’s position on abortion? God’s choice vs. man’s choice, so it is murderous idolatry. The ancient Canaanites would sacrifice their own children and put their corpses in the walls of their home to appease their gods. We subsidize Planned Parenthood, who sells their body parts. Question: And how is it that we think we can even call ourselves “civilized”?