Spiritual Blinders

Scripture	Observations/Paraphrase	Application
Jeremiah 7	September 2, 2009
Jeremiah Speaks at the Temple 1 The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said,2 “Go to the entrance of the Lord ‘s Temple, and give this message to the people: `O Judah, listen to this message from the Lord ! Listen to it, all of you who worship here!3 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “`Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land.4 But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord ‘s Temple is here. They chant, “The Lord ‘s Temple is here! The Lord ‘s Temple is here!”5 But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice;6 only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols.7 Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever. 8 “`Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie!9 Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours,10 and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again?11 Don’t you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on there. I, the Lord , have spoken! 12 “`Go now to the place at Shiloh where I once put the Tabernacle that bore my name. See what I did there because of all the wickedness of my people, the Israelites.13 While you were doing these wicked things, says the Lord , I spoke to you about it repeatedly, but you would not listen. I called out to you, but you refused to answer.14 So just as I destroyed Shiloh, I will now destroy this Temple that bears my name, this Temple that you trust in for help, this place that I gave to you and your ancestors.15 And I will send you out of my sight into exile, just as I did your relatives, the people of Israel.s‘ Judah’s Persistent Idolatry 16 “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you.17 Don’t you see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?18 No wonder I am so angry! Watch how the children gather wood and the fathers build sacrificial fires. See how the women knead dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. And they pour out liquid offerings to their other idol gods!19 Am I the one they are hurting?” asks the Lord . “Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame.” 20 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “I will pour out my terrible fury on this place. Its people, animals, trees, and crops will be consumed by the unquenchable fire of my anger.” 21 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Take your burnt offerings and your other sacrifices and eat them yourselves!22 When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them.23 This is what I told them: `Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’ 24 “But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward.25 From the day your ancestors left Egypt until now, I have continued to send my servants, the prophets—day in and day out.26 But my people have not listened to me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors. 27 “Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond.28 Say to them, `This is the nation whose people will not obey the Lord their God and who refuse to be taught. Truth has vanished from among them; it is no longer heard on their lips.29 Shave your head in mourning, and weep alone on the mountains. For the Lord has rejected and forsaken this generation that has provoked his fury.’ The Valley of Slaughter 30 “The people of Judah have sinned before my very eyes,” says the Lord . “They have set up their abominable idols right in the Temple that bears my name, defiling it.31 They have built pagan shrines at Topheth, the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they burn their sons and daughters in the fire. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!32 So beware, for the time is coming,” says the Lord , “when that garbage dump will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. They will bury the bodies in Topheth until there is no more room for them.33 The bodies of my people will be food for the vultures and wild animals, and no one will be left to scare them away.34 I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in the streets of Jerusalem. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard in the towns of Judah. The land will lie in complete desolation.	Jeremiah receives another message from God.  He is told to go to the entrance of the temple to deliver this message.  All who worship there are to listen to the message – this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: God says, “even now, if you quit doing evil, I will let you stay in your own land.  But don’t be fooled by those who promise safety, simply because the Lord’s Temple is here. The chant:  “The Lord’s Temple is here!  The Lord’s Temple is here!” But God says he will only be merciful if they stop their evil thoughts and deed and start treating each other with justice; only if they stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if they stop murdering; and only if they stop harming themselves  by worshiping idols.  Then, he will let them stay in this land that he gave to our ancestors to keep forever. “Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here.  That is a lie!  Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal – and all those other new  gods of yours, and then come here and stand before me on my Temple and chant, “We are safe!” – only to go right back to all those evils again? Don’t you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves?  Surely I see all the evil going on there.  I, the Lord, have spoken! Go to the place at Shiloh where I once put the Tabernacle that bore my name.  See what I did there because of the wickedness of my people, the Israelites.  While you were  doing these wicked things, says the Lord, I spoke to you about it repeatedly, but you would not listen.  I called out to you, but you refused to answer.  So, just as I destroyed Shiloh, I will now destroy this Temple that you trust in for help, this place that I gave to you and our ancestors.  And I will send you out of my sight, into exile, just as I did your relatives, the people of Israel. Don’t pray for these people anymore Jeremiah.  Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you.  Don’t you see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?  No wonder I’m so angry!  Watch how the children gather wood, and the fathers build sacrificial fires.  See how the women knead dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven.  And they pour out liquid offerings to their other idol gods! Am I the one they are hurting?, asks the Lord.  Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame. So, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “I will pour out my terrible fury on this place, it’s people, animals, trees, and crops will be consumed by the unquenchable  fire of my anger.” This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Take your burnt offerings and your  other sacrifices and eat them yourselves!  When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them.  This is what I told them” ‘obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!” But, my people would not listen to me.  They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts.  They went backward, instead of forward.  From the day your ancestors left Egypt until now, I have continued to send my servants, the prophets — day in and day out.  But my people  have not listened to me or even tried to hear.  They have been stubborn and sinful – even worse than their ancestors. Tell them this, but do not expect them to listen.  Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond.  Say to them, “This is the nation whose people will not obey the Lord their God and who refuse to be taught.  Truth has vanished from among them; it is no longer heard on their lips.  Shave your head in mourning. and weep alone on the mountains.  For the Lord has rejected and forsaken this generation that has provoked his fury.” The people of Judah have sinned before my very eyes says the Lord.  They have set up their abominable idols right in the Temple that bears my name, defiling it.  They have built  pagan shrines at Topheth, the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they burn their sons and daughters in the fire.  I have never commanded such a horrible  deed; it never even crossed y mind to command such a thing!  So beware, for the time is coming, says the Lord, when the garbage dump  will no longer be called Topheth until  there is no more room for them.  The bodies of my people will be food for the cultures and wild animals, and no one will be left to scare them away.  I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in the streets of Jerusalem.  The joyful voices of the bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard in the towns of Judah.  The land will lie in complete desolation.	The more I read Jeremiah, the more I am convinced that his message, the message God gave him, applies to today.  It fits the culture, the country, and the Church.  But I can also see how the people of his time rejected the message, and how the people of our time are rejecting it too. God says, turn back now, and you can still be saved. Now, here’s where it gets really interesting. I’m sure that when Jeremiah gave this message to the people, they looked at him with dismay, shock, and confusion: “What do you mean?  Adultery? Idolatry? Lies?  What?  We aren’t doing any of those things.” But, as if it weren’t enough for them to be blind to their own errant behavior, they rebutted with a classic statement: “Besides, we are the Lord’s chosen.  He would never destroy us – He already promised the Messiah through us.  We have the Temple to prove it.  He will protect us, because we have the Temple!” But Jeremiah says, don’t be fooled by these words.  No matter how much they chant – “We are safe!”  They aren’t. I can almost excuse their spiritual blindness.  The leaders, and their followers, are good, upstanding citizens.  They are well-behaved, prosperous, well-dressed, and affluent.  They use the right words and vocabulary, they are good leaders, and from all points of views, they keep the law.  However, it is their soul that God sees. Through Jeremiah, God says, your souls are corrupt.  You are thieves, liars, adulterers, and idolaters.  You sacrifice your children, you steal from the widows and orphans, you offer your sacrifices to false gods. But again, the people recoil in shock.  They defend themselves and deny any wrongdoing. How do I know?  I’ve seen it – I’ve experienced it. Yes, they are good people.  They rule the city with great tact and zeal, but they are not walking with God in a way that He desires.  They give their offerings, go through the rituals, and they do everything right. But God says, it isn’t your offerings and sacrifices I want; it is your heart and soul. The people do things right, but they aren’t necessarily doing the right things. The people in my Church say, “We have the truth.  We are God’s remnant people.  He will never destroy us.”  In fact, they have a quote to prove this: “It will appear as if the Church is about to fail, but it will not.” egw But, unfortunately, they use this quote to defend their poor behavior, actions, and attitudes. In the meantime, the tithes and offerings go to administrative costs, buildings, and perks – but the local churches suffer in disrepair.  Pastoral FTEs are cut, but buildings continue to be erected.  The politically conservative, claim to be on God’s side, but oppose any legislation that would provide for the poor, the widows, and the orphans.  While church attendance, and overt sabbathkeeping is done  right, people do whatever they want behind closed doors. They murder people with their words, they lie about their motives, they lie about their political scheming, they lie about others.  They sacrifice their children for their own selfish pursuits.  They worship at the idols of TV and pop culture.  They dine at restaurants, becoming fat, and sleek. The worship centers are a den of thieves. It is fascinating to see the similarities. But God says, don’t expect them to hear.
Prayer

Father God.  Help us.

Original

Hear His Calling

Scripture	Observations/Paraphrase	Application
Jeremiah 1	August 14, 2009
Jeremiah 1 1 These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.2 The Lord first gave messages to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.s3 The Lord ‘s messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah’s sons. In Augusts of that eleventh year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives. Jeremiah’s Call and First Visions 4 The Lord gave me this message: 5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” 6 “O Sovereign Lord ,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” 7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, `I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord , have spoken!”9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth! 10 Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.” 11 Then the Lord said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?” And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.” 12 And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans.” 13 Then the Lord spoke to me again and asked, “What do you see now?” And I replied, “I see a pot of boiling water, spilling from the north.” 14 “Yes,” the Lord said, “for terror from the north will boil out on the people of this land.15 Listen! I am calling the armies of the kingdoms of the north to come to Jerusalem. I, the Lord , have spoken! “They will set their thrones at the gates of the city. They will attack its walls and all the other towns of Judah. 16 I will pronounce judgment on my people for all their evil— for deserting me and burning incense to other gods. Yes, they worship idols made with their own hands! 17 “Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. 18 For see, today I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. You will stand against the whole land— the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah. 19 They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord , have spoken!”	Josiah was eight when he assumed the role of king and Jeremiah began hearing from God in Josiah’s 13th year of reign.  That means Josiah would have been about 21.  This gave Jeremiah about 18 years to preach before Josiah is killed by Pharaoh Neco II. Josiah instituted many reforms and got rid of the symbols of idolatry.  But at his death, the downward slide of Judah began to take over. There is no doubt that the Lord was talking to Jeremiah.  He is regarded as one of the two great prophets , but Christians, Jews, and Islam. God tells him, I’ve known you for a long time – before you were even born – and I’m the one that formed you there.  I am your creator! But, in typical fashion, Jeremiah, like many before and after him, claims to be unqualified. In this case, he states his youth as a limiting factor. Rarely does God take no for an answer though.  No excuses here, he just says “Go. Don’t be afraid, say what I tell you to say, and I will protect you.” And then the hand of God touches Jeremiah.  Unlike Isaiah’s experience, or others, we aren’t told of how Jeremiah reacted.  However, God goes on to tell Jeremiah his role and authority to carry out that role. We often think that the servants of the Lord are only to bring blessings.  But here, God says he’ll also  be tearing down, destroying, and overthrowing.  Others, he will build up and plant. God tells him that He is watching and God’s plans will be carried out – like an almond tree that grows, because that’s what it was supposed to do. Then Jeremiah is told of God’s plans to send an invading army from the north.  Like a pot of boiling water, it is ready and already spilling out. God tells Jeremiah that the people are going to experience discipline (judgment) for their  disobedience. The invading armies will attack. And yet, God is fortifying Jeremiah.  He will be made strong – unless he cowers – if he  is afraid, he will look like a fool. God has made him strong like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.  He will stand against the whole land.  They will fight him, but they will fail – because God said so.	I don’t remember exactly when I first believed that I was being called to lead, but I know it goes way back into my childhood.  I was raised in a secular home though – and really didn’t have much of a concept of God. Around the age of 14-15, though I was pretty nerdy and shy, people began to seek me out to speak and lead in  spiritual matters.  But without a good foundation, I ran away for awhile. Over the last 15+ years, God has been actively prodding me to speak.  I seem to see things that others don’t.  I have big picture ideas in my head that seem to get lost in the busyness we call life. Probably the scariest of all these impressions is that the church, the organized church, is missing the point.  People have not torn down their idols  or high places.  They continue to walk in two places, serving polytheistic gods.  They are unwilling to let go of their humanistic idols. Much like Jeremiah, I argue with God.  First, I don’t have the education necessary to do this.  Theologically, I’ll get blown out of the water by those who can quote Greek and Hebrew – or who know the Bible  through and through. Yet, I hear God saying, to me, through this passage is, “So what?”  Since when did education have anything to do with success?  I can use you if you let me use you – but otherwise, you’ll just look foolish. I’ve been touched by God before, but I let the cares, stressors, and idolatry get in the way.  I begin to lose sight of that moment. Upon arriving in this area, I was shocked at the state of the church.  I didn’t want to, but I had to say something.  It wasn’t my choice. What I find confusing is that despite God’s promises to protect, I still lost my job.  Now, granted, I wasn’t stoned, hung, crucified, or murdered in some other horrible way, but losing my paycheck and health insurance is still pretty scary. I wonder when this will be, but I’m pretty sure Jeremiah had the same questions. I am convinced that I need to look at these promises differently.  God doesn’t say that Jeremiah won’t be harmed.  Only that they will fail and he won’t be captured. I need to see this spiritually.  I’ve always felt that the forces were not “flesh and blood” but powers of Satan.  I believe that Satan was trying to destroy my spirituality and stop the message I was preaching.  And, granted, there were times when I did hesitate, or was in bondage so I couldn’t speak – but I will never stop. I may be wounded, but the Word of God will prevail! What I hear, in this passage is that  my courage and willingness to be obedient is what keeps me from looking foolish.  And yet, isn’t it just like God to ask someone to do something foolish, so they won’t look foolish.  For isn’t preaching a message of repentance pretty foolish in an age when people just want to be told that everything is fine?

Father God,

For several months I’ve been wanting to dive into Jeremiah’s story.  I’ve felt this leading from you.  I’m sorry it’s taken so long.  I see so many similarities between this story and what happened to me here.  I have 100 excuses, but none of them valid.  Please forgive me for taking so long.  I sometimes wonder if I would have been more bold if I had taken this up – or less.  Maybe I wouldn’t have felt so beaten up and attacked?  Either way, those days are passed and I’m ready to hear your words.

As I stated above, one of ny biggest questions centers around the idea that “no harm will come to me.” While this seems to be a popular myth within the church world, I really don’t see any basis for it in the Bible accounts.  Some seem to think that being in Your Will is the safest place on earth.  I don’t believe that – in my head.  However, my heart wants to believe that.

Instead, what I believe is that “they can kill the body, but not the Spirit.“  They may hurt me, kill me, or worse, make my life a living Hell – but they can never take away your love and grace.  Being a melancholy though, I have a real propensity to give it up.  Sometimes it just doesn’t feel like I want to keep doing this – I just want to crawl into a cave and be  depressed.  I want to throw away my faith, like I did 30 years ago.  I want to hide from you – as if I could.  I want to quit being so bold about the things I see.

It is hard for me to be in organized churches.  The mediocrity, the majoring in minors, the gossip, the lack of worship – and by that I mean inspired worship.  I want to help – but on the same token, I’m afraid to be me.  For some, like my wife, it’s good enough.  For my kids, it’s really good.  For me, I see it as destructive to your image.

Lord, let me never speak out of my own pain – only out of your calling.

Teach me to rely on you – always.

Thanks God.

I love you too!

G

It Could Happen, Even if You don’t Believe it!

Scripture:

2 Kings 6:21-23 When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, “My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?” “Of course not!” Elisha replied. “Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again to their master.” So the king made a great feast for them and then sent them home to their master. After that, the Aramean raiders stayed away from the land of Israel.

2 Kings 7:2 The officer assisting the king said to the man of God, “That couldn’t happen even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven!”

2 Kings 7:32 Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the ways of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. ³³ During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people never fully committed themselves to follow the God of their ancestors.

Observations:

There is a lot of history in 2 Kings 6 & 7, not to mention the other passages in today’s reading.  However, the above three selections capture some of the essence of what was going on in these times.

The story of the Arameans surrounding Israel, the servant being scared, and Elisha asking God to reveal the unseen armies is amazing al by itself.  However, then for God to make the Aramean army blind and for Elisha to lead them into Samaria – once again stunning.  But the capstone of this story is when Elisha tells the king to feed them and send them home.  From that point forward, they never had problems with the Arameans again.

While the juxtoposition of Jehoshaphat’s officer telling Elisha that God was incable of accomplishing something, doesn’t apply directly to this story, I couldn’t help but include it.  How often do we hear this from others?

The final text I included above gives us a summary of Jehoshaphat’s reign.  It was a good one, however, because of his willingness to tolerate a certain amount of idolatry, “the people never fully committed themselves to follow the God of their ancestors.”

Applications:

First, I never have to fear the forces that are marshalled around me.  God has armies that I may not be able to see.  In the case of Elisha and the Arameans, He may choose not to use those armies.  He may simply cause them to go blind.  Or in the case of Moses and the Egyptians, God may actually harden the heart of the leader (Pharaoh) and cause them to attack with even more vengence – but either way, He rescued His people.

Second, by treating His enemies with kindness, Elisha and the Israelites never had trouble with the Arameans again.

Third, don’t believe the naysayers.  It doesn’t matter how outnumbered, outwitted, or outflanked we are, God can still do amzaing things.

Finally, and this one really applies to me as a Dad – don’t hesitate to get rid of all the idolatry in one’s life.  Jehoshaphat didn’t, and the people never reached the pinacle of believing and devotion.

Prayer:

Father God, today, I put my trust in you.  Draw me close to you…

Grace? What is it?

Scripture:

1 King 3:3 Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. (emphasis mine)

Observations:

I continue to be amazed by two things:

1. God’s leaders continually compromising God’s principles, sacrificing the great for the merely good.
2. God’s acceptance of less than perfect leaders.

I don’t understand either of these things. The first, compromise, leads to less than ideal growth in the people being led; and the second, means that God has to continue to be patient in the revelation of His Kingdom – meanwhile the world (and millions of people) are dying around Him/us.

Application:

Why would I accept a less than great application of God’s principles in my own life? Why would God call me into leadership within His movement? Why does God tolerate the mediocrity and compromise within His church? I don’t know – and I don’t understand.

It is grace. What is grace?

Prayer:

Lord. What is grace.?Teach me to accept grace. Teach me to give grace. Teach me to be grace-filled. Teach me to be graceful. Teach me to be a grace giver. Teach me to always tell the truth while being graceful.

Thanks – I love you too!