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 Jeremiah 2:26-37

‘’For you have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah.’’ (28b)

Some of the sins of Judah are itemised here. The big one was idolatry (26-28; 33 see 23-25), which was in other words, spiritual adultery. Everything else that was bad in the national behaviour flowed down from this (34) The people were having a string of ‘affairs’ with foreign deities. Notice again the mockery of such ‘worship’ in (27a). People want false gods who will endorse their false ways. But when they are in a crisis they want real help from the true God. In their hearts they know the truth that He is there (Romans 1:19-23; see also Psalm 19).

Another kind of idolatry is mentioned in (36, 37): that of trusting in human alliances rather than in the Lord Himself. Everything we place our ultimate confidence in that is not God will prove disappointing. We will be let down by our ‘gods’.

They did not respond to Yahweh’s corrective words spoken through the prophets. They were in rebellion. They sought to stifle that word by slaying the prophets who brought it (29, 30). They were caught in the prophetic headlights of God’s Word (26) and didn’t like it. At the end of this long process of course, they were to finally kill God’s Son. (Matthew 21:37-39). Isn’t it interesting how people get into a mess because they resist God (17), but then have the gall to blame Him (29)? And He had been so good to them (31, 32). Not only were they sinning against the light (29, 30); they were also sinning against sheer goodness (31, 32; see 5-7). The result was terrible injustice in the streets (34). The kind of god you worship will shape how you treat people. ‘’What an impressive start you made to get the most out of life. You founded schools of sin, taught graduate courses in evil! And now you’re sending out graduates – resplendent in cap and gown – except the gowns are stained with the blood of your victims! All that blood convicts you. You cut and hurt a lot of people to get where you are.’’ The Message. Having abandoned God they also deserted from His moral standards. They descended into immorality and even murder. They killed innocent people, even accusing them of breaking and entering when that was not the case (34). Yet they continued to try to justify themselves (35), which seems to be an almost universal trait.

There is something so contemporary about the words of (27b). People don’t want God for much of the time. They certainly don’t want Him to tell them how to live. But when they’re in trouble they run for the prayer ‘phone and dial ‘999’. In an emergency they expect blue flashing lights and sirens to move in their direction from heaven. ‘’All I ever see of them is their backsides. They never look me in the face. But when things go badly, they don’t hesitate to come running, calling out, ‘Get a move on! Save us!’ ‘’ The Message.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us all our idolatry. Help us to honestly face our sin, and fully turn to you and trust you all the days of this life.

Jeremiah 2:4-8.

Beware what ‘gods’ you choose for you will surely become like them (5b). Look at the life of someone who has lived for drugs, or alcohol, or sexual promiscuity, or some other ‘idol.’ See what they become. Ask yourself if their idolatry does anything good for them. Our ‘’worthless’’ idols have lying spirits behind them. They deceive us. They persuade us that they have things of worth to offer; but in the end they destroy.

In this case a corrupt, rebellious and backslidden religious leadership had encouraged the people down the road of idolatry. So many of the people in the pulpits were not prayerful, and in fact did not know God (8). There is nothing new about such a situation where we find it today – and we do. We cannot over emphasise how serious a situation it is where leaders in the church do not know the Lord; do not love Him and honour Him and preach His truth.

As I read today’s passage it seems to me that the major sin at the core of it is ingratitude. Thankfulness is really important in everyday life. It oils the wheels in social interactions. As children, it was drummed into many of us to always say ‘thank you’. We knew it was non-negotiable. It was impressed upon us. After Christmas and birthdays we had to write ‘thank you’ notes. There was no choice in the matter. I perceive the danger of a generation rising up that feels entitled and is generally reticent (or ignorant?) when it comes to expressing thanks. Of course, this is not true of all. It may not be even true of many. But I think I can detect a change in the air regarding basic good manners. We even find it in the church (where it should not be found!) It’s important that we don’t become like the unthankful lepers.

Of course, much more serious than a lack of appreciation towards each other, is a lack of gratitude towards God. That was the big sin here. God had been so good to His people, but they acted in a most ungrateful manner.

Take time to thank God today for your blessings; thank Him for all He’s done for you.

But don’t forget to thank His people too. Is there someone you should show appreciation to in some way?

Prayer: Help me, dear Lord, to cultivate an ‘’attitude of gratitude’’.

 Jeremiah 1:11-19

God’s Word is not an idle Word. He says what He means and means what He says. He does not waste words (see 14-16 and Isaiah 55:8-11). Everything happened as God had said (3b). God’s Word is to be taken seriously.

See the importance of seeing! – the importance of seeing what God wants to show you (12, 13). When you ‘see’ something in the Spirit, that revelation can change your life. We need to have the eyes in our hearts ‘’enlightened’’ so that we come to ‘’know’’ truth in a deep, life-changing way (Ephesians 1:18).

The ‘’boiling pot’’ Jeremiah saw (13-16) signified the ‘’northern kingdoms’’ including Babylon and her allies. They would be God’s instruments of judgment on Judah, because the people had turned away from Him to idols.

‘’Get yourself ready!’’ (17a). Preachers must prepare themselves. The preparation of the man (or woman) is essential, and not just the preparation of the message. Jeremiah knew from the outset that he had a tough assignment (18, 19). But he also knew that God was with him (8). Even so, he had to choose courage, when he must have felt the temptation to be afraid. There was so much at stake in his deciding to be brave against all the odds. He had to get himself ready for what lay ahead.

Just before preaching, my friend excused himself from the room and headed upstairs, saying, ‘’I’m going to talk to God about men before I go and talk to men about God!’

Someone said, ‘’He who has prayed well has studied well.’’ That is not to be used as an excuse for skimping on other parts of preparation. But it is to recognise that prayer is a vital part of preparing to bring God’s message to people.

Ajith Fernando, in his outstanding book, ‘Jesus driven ministry’, writes about how important it is to pray before preaching. At times you will have to say difficult things that people do not want to hear, so prepare yourself. I never feel that I’ve prayed enough before preaching a sermon. It is so essential to ‘’Get yourself ready!’’

If preachers are not faithful in delivering their message, they will pay a price for their failure of fidelity (17b). ‘’But you – stand up on your feet and get dressed for work! Stand up and say your piece. Say exactly what I tell you to say. Don’t pull your punches or I’ll pull you out of the lineup.’’ The Message.

So Jeremiah set out knowing that there would be trouble ahead. But what a promise he carried in his pocket with which to embark on his ministry (19). ‘’I’m making you as impregnable as a castle, Immovable as a steel post, solid as a concrete block wall. You’re a one-man defense system against this culture.’’ The Message.

Prayer: Please strengthen me dear Lord, so that I am not overcome by the culture, but I live as an overcomer in it.

Jeremiah 1:1-3

‘’Jeremiah’s troubled life spanned one of the most troublesome periods in Hebrew history, the decades leading up to the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C., followed by the Babylonian exile. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. And Jeremiah was in the middle of it all, sticking it out, praying and preaching, suffering and striving, writing and believing. He lived through crushing storms of hostility and furies of bitter doubt. Every muscle in his body was stretched to the limit by fatigue; every thought in his mind was subjected to questioning; every feeling in his heart was put through fires of ridicule. He experienced it all agonizingly and wrote it all magnificently…In looking for a companion who has lived through catastrophic disruption and survived with grace, biblical people more often than not come upon Jeremiah and receive him as a true, honest, and God-revealing companion for the worst of times.’’ Eugene Peterson: From the introduction to Jeremiah in ‘The Message’.

The words Jeremiah wrote in this book were his own ‘’words’’ (1). But they were at the same time the ‘’word of the LORD’’ (2, 4, 9 and 11). This is true of all inspired Scripture. The Bible was written by more than fourty human authors. God did not override their personalities. They did not become like computer keyboards in His Hands. They were not automata; they were not turned into machines. God so superintended everything in the process that what they wrote was their own, and yet it was His at the same time. (See 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; Matthew 22:43).

In a superb article that appeared in ‘Christianity Today (January/February 2015), Andrew Wilson, an elder at ‘Kings Church’ in Eastbourne, wrote:

‘’…if we consider the language of inspiration – breath, wind, Spirit – then helpful illustrations abound. God is the wind; David is the sail. God is the breath; David is the balloon. God is the musician; Isaiah, Paul, and Peter are the various instruments he plays, each with its distinct sound. Nobody listening to Louis Armstrong playing in a jazz club would have asked whether it was Louis or his trumpet making the music. The breath and tune came from Armstrong, but the trumpet was the instrument through which his breath flowed in order to become audible. Likewise, the Biblical authors are instruments of revelation – a trumpet here and an oboe there – each making its own sound. But the musician, the skilled artist who fills them with his breath and ensures the tune is played correctly, is the Holy Spirit. While this is an imperfect analogy, it…helps us see that the divine and human aspects do not cancel each other out any more than Armstrong’s musicianship cancels out the role played by his trumpet. And it’s not as if the trumpet’s role increases as the musicians role decreases. Nor is the sound 50 percent musician, 50 percent instrument. Far from it. The more inspiration the trumpet receives, the louder and more distinctively trumpet-like it becomes. It’s not 50/50, but 100/100…the Bible…always highlights the excellence of the one whose breath fills its pages. It is inspired and true, like jazz.’’ (p.28).

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your ‘God-breathed’ Word. It is a miracle to me. As it comes afresh today, I receive it from you with awe and wonder and deep gratitude.