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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Thursday, October 3, 2019
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Punishment and Redemption Bible Verse :Jeremiah 32:36-41 "Now therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, “It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence”: “Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.” " Message:
Jeremiah was a prophet who lived in a small town just outside Jerusalem in the 7th Century BC, when the land was ruled by King Josiah of Judah. The great Temple of Solomon was the center of Judaism, but the Jews gradually came to rely more and more on the ritual and worship in the Temple to please God, and less on following God’s word in their daily lives.
Jeremiah constantly warned the Hebrews of terrible things to come. His prophecies were so powerful that his name is remembered today in the English word “jeremiad,” which means a long speech of lamentation, often combined with a dire warning. He was constantly harassed by the kings of Judah, and his prophecies were burned at least once. In the end, however, Jeremiah’s predictions came true. The Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, burned the Temple to the ground, and enslaved the Hebrew people; many of the Hebrews were taken as slaves to Babylonia (known as the “Babylonian captivity”).
The verse today explains why God allowed this to happen. God was punishing the Hebrews in order to save humanity. They had become complacent, taking God’s blessing for granted. God withdrew his blessing, so that they would give him proper fear and respect. But His intention all along was that they would learn their lesson and that he would restore them to their homeland in peace and safety, because He “rejoice[d] in doing good to them.”
Herod the Great
Herod the Great
But Jeremiah, one of the last books (chronologically) of the Old Testament, is transitional to the New Testament. The Hebrews are not the heirs of God’s promise. God will return them to Jerusalem, only to see them embrace evil yet again, and suffer their final conquest by Rome and the destruction of the Second Temple itself. As we learn in Galatians 3, the Hebrews are not the ultimate heirs of God’s promise: Christ is the only heir, and only those who believe in Him can inherit His promise.
The reading applies to our daily lives today as much as it did to the Hebrews 2700 years ago. God loves us and loves to do us good. We are undone because of our own sin, and none of us is free of sin. God does allow terrible things to happen to “good” people, but only so that they might know the true cost of sinfulness before they stray too far from Him and become liable for eternal judgment. Our bodies will suffer and die; but God will finally redeem us, to a life of eternal heaven, through the sacrifice of His Son.
Meditation : Prayer : Holy God, I pray to be filled with your Holy Spirit for the rest of this day. Let me go forth, walking with your Spirit in my heart, that I may be filled with the joy and energy and praise for your entire creation, thankful in the many gifts you have given me, and showing forth your light in my every word and deed. This I pray in Christ’s name,....Amen |
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