Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 18:1-18 (day two)
Each year when I was in the classroom I would meet young people with varying degrees of baggage (spiritual, physical, emotional, etc.). And the more I got to know each of them and their personal stories, I realized much of what they brought to the table was somehow inherited. Like it or not the consequences of our sin will impact our children. It was always disheartening to see the damage parental choices cause their children. But there is another side to that story. I would often see children who were not encumbered by those choices. Young men and women who realized the folly of their parent’s decision and pledged to take a different path. Their journeys were often more difficult than others, but they understood the reward more clearly than anyone else. This is the promise in Ezekiel and thanks be to God that we are no longer condemned by the sins of our parents. God has given each of us a place to stand and choose which path we will take.
Author: Aaron Hufty
Aaron Hufty is the Associate Pastor for Worship and Music at FBCSA.
Ezekiel Saw De Wheel
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 1:28-3:4 (day two)
Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. (Ezekiel 1:15, 16 ESV)
Ezekiel saw de wheel, way up in the middle of the air
In the next few weeks will encounter the ministry of the Prophet Ezekiel and you will quickly recognize some of the texts as being the inspiration for African American Spirituals. As we conclude our journey through Jeremiah you might think this a curious choice for inspiration. Exile, suffering, dark chapters, but then again what better place to find hope. Slaves who had been removed from all they knew and loved, treated with contempt and lower than animals found solace in the words of these prophets. They saw how God, though having a hard word for the Israelites, always watched over them.
If a people with such a bleak and tragic worldview could find hope in these stories, can’t we?
Buy a Field
Re: Verse reading–Jeremiah 31:27-34; 32:1-15 (day two)
“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “planes to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope, and a future.” Jer. 29:11
This was not a vain or empty promise that the Lord made just a few chapters earlier, and Jeremiah was willing to claim those words and put his faith into action. Throughout these dark days of exile and the hard words of rebuke, the Lord has always provided a word or restoration. It often meant a complete rejection of the lives they were living. What kind of a prophet would Jeremiah have been if he did not take God at his word? I’ve talked to financial planners who say that the best time to buy is when the market is down. Things may look grim, but when it turns around you will reap the harvest of your investment.
Perhaps is the wrong prayer
Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 21:1-10, 38:1-6 (day two)
“Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders of us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us” Jer. 21:2
Perhaps?
How are you treating your conversations with God? Do you approach him with fear and reverence or on the off chance that it might “work” to ask? There is more history involved with this story of exile and captivity, but much can be gleaned from the callow way the people treated the Lord. They acknowledged that God had indeed performed great and mighty deeds for them in the past, but they were unwilling to concede that their hearts were hardened. Don’t treat God like a last resort, it may keep you from exile and captivity in the first place.
The Welfare of the City
Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 29:1-14 (day two)
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:7 ESV) This passage has brought me much strength as I have studied it. We often quote 29:11, and most of us truly believe that God has hope for those who trust in him. Isn’t this commission a wonderful challenge? We may be walking in exile; deliverance may be years off; the world around us may be very dark indeed. Fear not! God has an assignment while we wait. Plug in. Get involved. Make a difference where you are. Stop waiting for that “someday” to arrive and get on mission now. What a great passage for us as we consider how to minister to this community. As we seek to go and foster healthy relationships with our city, we are helping to create the foothold that the Lord will use. What a privilege to serve, even in the midst of an exile.
Word of God, Across the Ages
Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 36 (day two)
The power of the written Word has always been a great strength of our faith. In this chapter we read of the Lord commanding Jeremiah to write it all down. The Lord knew that these words would have great impact on those who read them, then and now. The prophet Isaiah writes: “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Is. 55:11) It is troubling then to read of the king’s reaction upon hearing the scroll read back to him. Ultimately, however, whose name do you know better the Prophet Jeremiah who was obedient to the Lord, or King Jehoiakim the irreverent man who burned the scrolls? God’s Word is a powerful tool. Perhaps this is also a motivation to use to continue to write down the things the Lord speaks to us. We may never share them as the prophets or apostles did, but we can gain strength from re-reading how God continues to speak into our lives.
Our example
Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 11:18-23; 12:1-6; 17:14-18; 20:7-18 (day two)
I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.” Jeremiah 11:19
These words are strikingly familiar and as we continue to focus on the cross this season we see Jeremiah’s words reflected in Jesus’ journey. But what was the end game? Jesus knew the path that lay before Him, and more than that, He knew the victory that would ultimately come. Jeremiah’s faith was strong, but he did not share the divinity of Christ. We can benefit from both. We know, who know that victory is assured through Jesus, can look at Jeremiah’s story and gain hope. Hope that says there is a way out. We will most assuredly come to situations that seem desperate, but with our eyes fixed on Jesus, we know that the tree will continue to bear much fruit.
What is Pride Worth?
Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 18:1-12; 19:1-15 (day two)
I am going to bring on this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words. (19:15) Is getting your way worth it? Jeremiah could not have been a popular figure when he delivered these words, but the reality is that the truth was painful. Maybe you know someone like this; unwilling to listen, bend their will, or repent. At times we even champion people with iron wills, but at what cost to their souls. We are not in a position to negotiate with God, we don’t have anything to bargain with. The arrogance that may work in a corporate setting will be smashed like a clay pot. We don’t have to be this way, God is offering to refine and shape up into His character if we will let go of ours.
Tough Words
Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 7:1-16 (day two)
“Stand in the gate of theLord’s house and proclaim there this word and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the Lord!’” 3 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. I cannot imagine that these were easy words to hear, but how difficult must they have been for Jeremiah to say? A reckoning was coming, it was needed and Jeremiah was the mouthpiece for the Lord. Jeremiah’s job was not to interpret or convert the words to flowery prose, he was to deliver them verbatim to the people of Israel. Somewhere along our journey we may fall into one of these categories. We may be the mouthpiece of the Lord, called to deliver a tough message. Or we may be Israel needing a severe course correction. Pray for the correct response to the Lord’s direction.
Qualifies the Called
Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 1 (day two)
“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Have you said these words? Perhaps it wasn’t about being too young but rather not being qualified for the task to which the Lord has called you. Like Moses, Abraham, David and countless others before and since, Jeremiah voices the question of doubt. It is clear that God doesn’t need us, and yet he chooses to use us to accomplish his will on earth. That is an encouraging thought and more so when you think who he uses. Today remember when you doubt your purpose that he rarely calls the qualified, he just qualifies the called.