Don Guthrie

Investing in the future

Re: Verse reading–Jeremiah 31:27-34; 32:1-15 (day one)
“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.’ ” (v 32:15) My favorite Jeremiah story. His finest hour. After years of declaring Jerusalem’s ruin, and on the eve of that predicted collapse, Jeremiah becomes a voice of hope. With the armies of Babylon surrounding the city, Jeremiah buys property! Crazy! He makes an investment in the future, “puts his money where his mouth is”. Signing the papers, he instructs the deeds to be sealed in an earthenware jar to protect them from years of mildew, moisture and theft. He then explained his action with a prophecy that commerce would someday be carried on again in Jerusalem and that eventually his purchase would prove financially prudent. Easter is about hope, too. Just like Jeremiah, our lives should speak hope. Our friends should see us trusting God and investing in the future.

When Judgement Comes

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 21:1-10; 38:1-6 (day seven)
“Thus says the Lord. . .those who go out and surrender to the Chaldeans. . . shall live.” (21:8-9) When judgment comes we are to submit to it. Not complain. Not resist. We are to trust/obey God despite the painful moment that our sins have brought down upon us. God promises a way of escape and commands us to endure because we believe. (1 Corinthians 10:13) David is a good example of this attitude that leads to recovery. “Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified when you speak, and blameless when you judge.” (Psalm 51:4) He praised God and refused to accuse God of unfairness. Admitting that some of the difficulty is life comes in direct response to our sin is humbling. Some, not all, heartbreak is the discipline of God, and the way forward is to submit to it and look to Him for mercy to follow.

Unanswered prayers

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 21:1-10, 38:1-6 (day one)
“Please inquire of the Lord on our behalf, for King Nebuchadnezzar is making war against us; perhaps the Lord. . . will make him withdraw from us. Thus says the Lord . . .’I myself will fight against you’ ” (v 2, 5) With apologies to Garth Brooks, there are some unanswered prayers for which we will NOT be thankful. Moments when God will say “no” to us in the strongest of terms. After years of warning from Jeremiah, the army of Babylon has actually come. Siege walls are being set up. The situation is desperate. Now the King, who for years has ignored the Word of God, is interested in the help of God. It is too late. The time for repentance has passed. There will be better days in the future. God still has mercy. The request, however, that will not be granted is for God to make years of unbelief consequence free. That prayer will go unanswered.

Seventy years

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 29:1-14 (day seven)
“It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of a living God.” (Hebrews 10:3) It is not a place I want to be–led by my own stubbornness into a time of God’s discipline. Read Hebrews 12:5-11. Once begun, the discipline of God will run its course. Short or long, the Lord will decide the duration and I will have no other choice but to endure. 40 years in the wilderness for the Exodus people. (Numbers 14:34) 70 years in exile for the unrepentant people of Judah. (Jeremiah 29:10) 3 days of pestilence for the nation because of David’s sin. (2 Samuel 24:13) The anger of God is nothing to trifled with. Even this “opposition” to us (Numbers 14:34) is an expression of His loving desire for us to share His holiness. (Hebrews 12:10) It is, however, very painful and costly for those who experience it. “Do not be DECEIVED, God is not mocked; whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

God’s welfare program

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 29:1-14 (day six)
“Build houses. . .plant gardens. . .take wives and become fathers. . .pray to the Lord (for the city). . .for I know the plans that I have for you, plans for (your) welfare.” (v 5-7, 11) We tend, I fear, to separate God’s ultimate plan for our good from the intermediate steps. God has a plan for our welfare. Hurray! It is, however, a bit more demanding than we sometimes imagine. His plan includes industry. Building houses and families. Planting gardens. As the people of Judah did this work, God promised to bless and protect them. His welfare program also includes industry of a spiritual kind. Prayer for their captors. Patience. Carefully cultivated hope. Seeking God with whole hearts. (v 12) Who knew? God’s welfare program assumes as a condition the presence of ACTIVE FAITH. Belief in God is not an excuse for inaction. It is our motivation for active obedience and our assurance of His help when we do.

Recovering hope

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 29:1-14 (day one)
“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to give you hope and a future.” (v 11) We call it recovery. Life destroyed by addiction–drugs, alcohol, porn–and brave, broken people turn to face the pain and regret and find a way to start over. Are there rules for doing so? Does God have a word for us when we “hit bottom”? Yes! Help came to the people of Judah in the form of a letter. They had been conquered and captured and carried away into exile, but Jeremiah was not letting go! He became the voice of hope for recovery. Psalm 118:18 says, “The Lord has disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death.” Jeremiah speaks this same balanced view. Consequences do come. Painful. Real. Mercy is even higher. May the Lord give us grace this week as we read these hopeful words and communicate them to others.

Perhaps

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 36 (Day Seven)
“PERHAPS when the people of Judah hear about the disaster I plan to inflict on them, each of them will turn from his wicked way; then I will forgive their wickedness.” (v 3) A very hopeful word. Hope full. Made possible by the mind and mercy of God. Even when judgment is decided, even when past experience suggests futility, God allows the possibility that people will turn away from sin. Perhaps if Jeremiah wrote the prophesies on a scroll, if the people could be reminded again by the rereading. We see the same patience of God in our day. “The Lord is not slow about His promise. . .but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) So, no guarantee that your friend would listen if you tried again to talk of faith. No certainty that he would accept an invitation to Bible study. But, perhaps!

Undiscouraged

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 36 (Day Six)
“So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch. . .and as Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire.” (v 32) I like Jeremiah. Respect him for his tenacity. Even with the Lord’s warning that he would be ignored (chapter 1) it still must have been difficult for this very sensitive man to press through the disappointments so regularly and ruthlessly hurled his direction. He was, however, undiscouraged. (In his choices and obedience, if not his emotions.) When they ignored his preaching, he wrote the message on a scroll. When he was restricted from the temple, he sent Baruch to read the words. When the King burned the scroll, he patiently and resolutely produced a second copy. What does it take to discourage you, friend? Do disappointments cause you to cease your service or look for an easier path?

Fear

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 36 (Day Three)
“When they heard all these words, they looked at each other in fear.” When people do not fear God, there is no terror that cannot be carried out by the mind of man. Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, someone who knew a thing or two about terror, said, “Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.” The fear of God is not a life lived in terror of the Deity. Rather, it is a life lived under the righteous frown of the One who will call us to account for every terror that comes from within us. If we will fear God, we will be careful with those whom he has created.

Different responses to the Word of God

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 36 (day one)
Two different men. Two very different hearts. 2 Kings tells the day that the Law was read to King Josiah. He torn his clothes as a symbol of grief. He commanded his servants to inquire of the Lord for the possibility of mercy. “Because great is the wrath of the Lord against us because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book.” (2 Kings 22:13) A different response from Jehoiakim in Jeremiah 36. As his servants read him the same words (the words that he and his nation had systematically ignored) Jehoiakim took a knife and sliced away columns of writing that he then placed in the fire for burning. “The king and all his attendants who heard these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes.” (v 24) “This is the man to whom I will look, to him who is humble and contrite, who trembles at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2) God help us!