09/12/2020 – Day 104 – Jeremiah 104 -Jeremiah 11-16- Answers/Commentary to questions
Jeremiah – Week 3 – Day 104 – Chapters 12 – 16
Under Ch 4 of text: “Be Decisive”
- Even though Jeremiah took a bold stand for God, he still had questions about why God operated the way he did. Read Jeremiah 12: 1-4 What were Jeremiah’s specific concerns?
- A recurring theme for us, Jeremiah, like Job is asking : “Why do wicked people prosper?” My footnote in my bible: Contrary to the message of modern evangelism, plenty of people are quite prosperous and happy without Jesus. They can enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season (see Hebrew 11:25). But what they can’t have without Jesus is the righteousness that delivers from death (see Proverbs 11:4)”
2. Do you think Jeremiah was disagreeing with God or trying to understand God’s plan? Why?
Jeremiah was disagreeing in my view. Once again, “the best of men are men at best” We have impatience for God’s plan to come to fruition.
3.Why is it easy to be people who have God “always on their lips but far from their hearts”.
If you have God on your lips, you never have to really come to face with “striving for worldly ‘uncomfortable'” It just isn’t “pleasurable”. We want to play both sides of the coin, a foolhardy choice.
- God’s answer to Jeremiah appears in 12: 5-17. What was God’s plan?
God was to deliver retribution against Israel’s evil neighbors.
- 5.Read Jeremiah 13. What object lessons did God use to help Jeremiah understand His way of thinking? What spiritual truth did each teach?
If God were to create an object lesson to remind you to stand boldly for Him, what would it be? Why?
Answer – This blog – the lonely trek. “Jimmy, do you love me!” Feed my sheep. Just obey!
Read Jeremiah 14:1 – 15-9. What was the main point of Jeremiah’s sermon to the people?
The last verse: “And the remnant of them I will deliver to the sword Before their enemies, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 15:9
How did the people and the prophet respond? A nil heard – no response.
How did God in turn respond to their prayers?
Answers : Prayers? That would be Jeremiah – me, myself and I.
Read Jeremiah 15: 10-21. How did Jeremiah feel about what God was going to do.
Jeremiah wanted God to take vengeance on his perpetrators.
Did he have a right to feel the way he did? Why or why not?
It was a natural reaction. God loves him. But feelings mean nothing . What mattered? He obeyed, and God did deliver him from the land of the wicked forever. For all of us that stand fast, we have the assurance of winning in the end by His grace – Forever!
6 Ch 16 – verses 9-13 – God’s declaration to Joshua of the sin and decadence on the ground. Compare and contrast the times with America today.
- Our preachers are with rare exception afraid to preach the truth for fear of disturbing their flock from their state of false comfort and peace.
- We both sacrifice our own children for the sake of our idols. ( One million deaths a year since Roe vs. Wade) How is that we think we can even classify ourselves as a “civilized” nation? It is barbaric pagan!
- The nation of Israel cried: “We are the covenant people”; “We are the children of Abraham”. “It can’t happen to us.” We proclaim: “Not here, this is America!” , as evil escalates even on a daily basis right now.
- It is obviously clear here too now : “Our talk” in the body of Christ (honor Him with our lips one hour on Sunday, at least some of us still) , as that talk becomes more and more removed from our walk.
- We are not the covenant people from which our Savior emerged in the Incarnation. But Paul notes: “we have been grafted into the root” The Bible is clear that God judges all nations, not just Israel.
Brothers and Sisters: Thoughts? How then shall we live?