Divine fashion statement: Jeremiah 13

Scripture:  ¹¹‘For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah cling to Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise and for glory; but they did not listen.’

Observation:  Jeremiah enacts a living metaphor by making a fashion statement.  The accessories often make the ensemble.  However, in this case Jeremiah is instructed to bury his belt, or waistband, and let it rot in the ground.  According to verse 11, the waistband was to represent the intimacy and dependency that Israel was to have with God.  Instead they let their pride get in the way and caused it to rot (verses 7-10).

God weeps over the rebellion and pride of His people.  He has no choice but to bring their deeds to judgment.  Continuing the fashion metaphor, God will remove their skirts, as those of a prostitute so their shame may be seen by all (verses 22-27).

Application:  God wants to adorn me with His beauty.  He wants to make a fashion statement of you and me.  Like a beautiful accessory that completes the ensemble, so our relationship and intimacy with God completes the designs of His creation.  God completes us.  Only in Him do we discover true beauty and meaning in this life.

Sin brings disgrace to that beauty.  Like a rotten piece of clothing, our sin grieves Him.  He has no choice but to bring our sin to light and judgment.  But praise be to God, that He has given us His Son to redeem us from this terrible curse.  He desires that we clothe ourselves in righteousness, Ephesians 4:24.  I will wrap myself around the living God.

^“Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  Romans 7:24-25a.

Prayer:  Thank you Lord that in Jesus Christ the fashion statement is complete.  We can be Your people for Your renown, praise and glory.

False Hopes: Jeremiah 7

Scripture: ⁴“Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’  ⁵“For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, ⁶if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, ⁷then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. 

⁸“Behold, you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail. ⁹“Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, ¹⁰then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’–that you may do all these abominations? ¹¹“Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” declares the LORD. . . .

¹⁴therefore, I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to the place which I gave you and your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. ¹⁵“I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brothers, all the offspring of Ephraim.

Observation:  The people of Israel do not seem to understand the message that Jeremiah has been trying to convey.  Their relationship with God has nothing to do with the presence of the temple in Jerusalem.  It has everything to do with their desire for and obedience to the living God.  They have placed their hope in the wrong object.

God promises to cast them out of His sight and destroy the temple in which they have put false hope.  God also instructs Jeremiah to not even bother praying for the people (vs. 16).  While God would have the people turn back (vs. 5), they refuse.  His impending wrath is certain.

Application:  How many things in life do I put my hope in for security and safety?  Maybe it is my job, my family, my friends, my church membership or religious affiliation, my home, my mode of transportation, or  . . .  If my hope and trust is not in God and God alone, then everything else is a false hope.

My trust in God does not manifest itself in the pursuit of those false hopes.  My trust in God manifests itself in how I, in Jeremiah’s words, “practice justice between a man and his neighbor.”  False hope is self-absorbed; true hope in God is selfless.

What am I doing to demonstrate justice between me and my neighbor?  How am I helping the alien, orphan and widow?  Those are the questions that haunt me.

Prayer:  Lord, I need to be less absorbed with myself and my concerns and more concerned about the needs of those around me.  With my hope place in you, I can do all things.

Without a blush: Jeremiah 6

Scripture:
  ¹⁵“Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done?
         They were not even ashamed at all;
         They did not even know how to blush.
         Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
         At the time that I punish them,
         They shall be cast down,” says the LORD.
    ¹⁶Thus says the LORD,
         ”Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,
         Where the good way is, and walk in it;
         And you will find rest for your souls.
         But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Observation:  Israel faces impending destruction and once again God offers them a way out (vs. 16).  But their ears are closed (vs. 10), they hold on to a superficial peace (vs. 14), they have hardened themselves against the shame of their sins (vs. 15).  So much so, that nothing causes them to blush in embarrassment (vs. 15).

God invites Israel to walk in the ancient paths, a good way, where they will find true rest for their souls.  Israel’s response: “We will not walk in it.”

Application:  What a sad state of affairs.  The people Israel had forgotten how to blush.  Our society is no different.  One only needs to surf the channels of television today to see what two decades ago would have caused a grown man to blush.  It enters our world without a second thought.  Its impact on society has been devastating.

We reject the ancient paths of peace and rest that God offers.  While God’s judgment is imminent, Jesus’ offer continues:  ²⁸“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  ²⁹“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. ³⁰“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Prayer:  Lord, help me to not forget how to blush.  Our society’s preoccupation with sex and violence disturbs me deeply.  Help me to be an agent that proclaims the offer of peace and rest that is offered in the cross of Christ.

Spiritual Pollution: Jeremiah 3

Scripture:  ⁸“And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. ⁹“Because of the lightness of her harlotry, she polluted the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. ¹⁰“Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception,” declares the LORD.

Observation:  Israel and Judah have polluted the land – not with trash and green house gasses, but with idolatry that has led to spiritual desolation.  They engage in casual sex, violate marriage covenants and seek every pleasure they can possibly realize (verse 1).

Israel’s spiritual pollution negatively impacts their relationship with God and is reflected in the physical drought that God has brought to the land.  And yet, God still loves them, longing for them to return.  Three times He pleads with the people to return to Him and acknowledge their iniquity (Verses 12 – 14, 22).  He longs to lead them with shepherds who seek Him.

“Return, O faithless sons, I will heal your faithlessness.” “Behold, we come to You; for You are the Lord our God.”  Verse 22

Application:  Like the people of Israel we pursue and worship pleasures that God intended for us to enjoy, but in the context of relationship to Him.  He designed sex to be enjoyed in marriage between a man and a woman because that pleasure bound by covenant is seen throughout Scripture as the image of pleasure when men and women are intimate with God.

That’s why God said, “I hate divorce” (Malachi 2:16).  Divorce reflects humanity’s rejection of God.

God expects me to honor marriage and treat sex and a sacred act within marriage in the same way as I would honor my relationship with Him.  I will strive to honor God by seeking Him everyday and loving my wife as Christ loved the Church (Ephesians 5:25).

Prayer:  Forgive me, Lord, for letting pleasure-seeking triumph over intimacy with You.  Help me to honor You with all my being, especially in my marriage.

Running on Empty: Jeremiah 2

Scripture:
    ¹²“Be appalled, O heavens, at this,
         And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the LORD.
    ¹³“For My people have committed two evils:
         They have forsaken Me,
         The fountain of living waters,
         To hew for themselves cisterns,
         Broken cisterns
         That can hold no water.

Observation:  Israel’s transgressions can be summed in two words:  abandonment and self-gratification.  They have completely forsaken the God who delivered them from Egypt, the God who made a covenant to completely take care of them provided they would love, follow and seek Him with all their heart, soul, strength and mind (Deuteronomy 6).

They have also sought to find satisfaction for their souls in everything but God.  They have constructed systems and pursued pleasures that can’t hold water, so to speak.  Their idolatry and the pleasures they pursue will run out of their souls like water out of a cracked cistern or well.  They “walked after emptiness and became empty.” (verse 5)

Cisterns were man-made collection points for rain water, but if their walls were not made of impervious clay, or if the rock wall was cracked, the life-giving water would simply drain out of them.  There would be nothing to satisfy the peoples thirst.

Jeremiah says their efforts to avoid God and persue their own pleasures would lead to natural consequences they would come to regret (verse 19).  The people would be put to shame (26, 36).

Application:  How often do I pursue things that suck the life out of me, that cause me to run on empty?  Jesus promised to all those who would come to Him, the abundant life.  He does not promise a physical prosperity, but He offers a spiritual prosperity that cannot run dry.

Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

What am I pursuing that is filled with nothing but emptiness?  Is it fame, a bigger home, fancier cars, job promotions?  Am I ready to forsake that pursuit and turn to the living God who is the only One who can satisfy the soul?

Prayer:  Lord, forgive me for pursuing status and recognition.  None of that means anything to me.  All I want is You.

Betrayal: Luke 22:1-23

Scripture:   ²The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people. ³And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. ⁴And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. ⁵They were glad and agreed to give him money. ⁶So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.

Observation:  Judas did not get it.  He left the door of temptation wide open as he focused on power and wealth.  After three and a half years, eleven disciples were connecting the dots of Jesus’ Kingdom (though not completely), but for Judas it seemed to escape him completely.  Judas wanted a kingdom of this world and decided he needed to force Jesus’ hand.

As the group’s treasurer (John 13:29), he seemed concerned more often than not about money.  Money kept him from grasping the truth.  Of Judas it is said in John 12:6, “Now he [Judas] said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money-box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.”

Love of money kept Judas from grasping the meaning of the Kingdom, governed his opinions, and ultimately led to his betrayal of Jesus.  His love of money allowed Satan to gain a foothold in his life.  All for a handful of coins he betrayed the One who would die on the cross for his sins.

Application:  I wonder if I do not fall into the same trap as Judas at times.  Betrayal is such an ugly thing.

Do I tend to look at others with money as being somehow connected with God?  Appearances are deceiving.  People can hang out and do the “Jesus thing” for years and yet be far from God.  Their love of money and recognition are more important to them than love for God.  They, too, leave the door wide open for Satan to enter in.

One application comes to mind.  Do not assume that just because someone has attended church for years that they are a Christian.

Who have I betrayed?  Do not get sucked into the trap of love of money and recognition.  I need to make sure I do not give Satan a foothold in my life.

Prayer:  Lord, help me to understand the spiritual journey that others are on so I might provide the appropriate word at the appropriate time.  Help me not to get caught up with the love of money, power and lust.  Satan was defeated at the cross and I claim that victory today.  The last thing in the world I want to do is betray You.  Lead me not into temptation.

Who do you think you are?: Luke 20:1-26

Scripture:  ¹On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him,  ²and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?”

Observation:  Jesus’s miracles and teachings continue to stir the pot of controversy.  The religious establishment continues its attempts to discredit Him, but to no avail.  You can almost hear it in the tone of their question, “Who do You think You are?”

As Jesus is wont to do, He answers their question with a question.   ⁴“Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”  They have their backs against the wall because if they answer “from heaven” they face condemnation for not having listened to John; if they answer “from men” then they face the people’s scorn because of his popularity with the masses.  So they waffle on the question answering that they did not know.

Jesus continues with a parable about the owner of a vineyard whose renters end up killing the owner’s heir.  Israel is the vineyard (an Old Testament image) and Jesus is the heir.  The religious leaders understood perfectly that Jesus was claiming to be the heir.  They become infuriated with Him.

The religious leaders try to trap Him with another question about paying taxes to Caesar.  Once again Jesus turns the tables with His response, rebuking them by saying they should render unto God what is God’s and to Caesar what is Caesar’s.

Application:  Jesus’ authority came from God – the answer the Pharisees were unwilling to give.  I need to submit myself to God’s authority and to His heir.  Some will stumble over this, but I will render to God what belongs to Him – my time, talent and treasure.

Prayer:  Help me, Lord, to live under Your authority, to do that which is good and right, not that which is simply convenient.

Clean up your act: Luke 11:29-54

Scripture: ⁴³“Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places.  ⁴⁴“Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”

 ⁴⁵One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.”  ⁴⁶But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

Observation:  Jesus does not exactly mince words in this passage.  He lays into the Pharisees and legal crowd.  They focus on building themselves up and crushing others with rules they themselves are unwilling and unable to keep. They are not concerned about clean hands. They are not interested in a relationship with God.  Greed, recognition and power drive them.

His message to them, “If you don’t clean up your hearts then judgment awaits.”  The Queen of the South and the men of Ninevah will be their judges.  Ouch.  Jesus is not winning friends and influencing people here.

Application:  It is easy to sit on this side of history cheering Jesus on in His condemnation of the social injustice committed by the Pharisees and lawyers.  But do we not also struggle with issues of greed, recognition and power?  Do not those temptations also lead us down a path that will lead  away from God, and ignoring and oppressing others?

The Lord continues to show me that He lifts up one and puts down another, Psalm 75:7.  I need to be content in Him, to keep my heart in check, and serve Him in the roles He has given me to carry out.

Prayer:  Lord, why is this so hard for me?  I need to crucify these desires daily.  Help me to serve and bring others out of bondage.  This life is not about me; it’s about You.

Spiritual Coattails: Luke 3:1-38

Scripture: “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’” verse 8

Observation: John the Baptist is preparing the way for Messiah’s ministry.  His job appears to be that of helping people wrestle with their sin and their need for forgiveness.  Some believed they could ride on the coattails of their religious heritage, their relationship to Abraham.  But John says that is not the case.  Salvation belongs to those whose hearts have come to grips with their sin, who understand and accepts God’s forgiveness offered in the One coming after John.  Those who have truly repented, who have changed their mind about their spiritual condition, who have turned from sin and turned to God, those are the ones who will be part of God’s Kingdom.

Application: We easily fall into the trap of thinking that just because we were raised a certain way, or that we went to church all of our lives, that somehow we have a ticket into the Kingdom of God. 

Filthy Rags

“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all of our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
Isaiah 64:6

It does not take much for me to realize that indeed I am a sinner.  In the same breath, I will have to say that I do not think that I am all that bad.  God, however, has a different opinion.