For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29 ESV ¶Knowing can mean knowing about someone, or it can mean having a relationship. Usually when we say we know someone, it means we have a relationship. God didn't just know about us, but, however unmerited, He put us into a relationship with Him before we even had formed the concept.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28‭-‬30 ESV As the result of a childhood experience, I carried around a heavy yoke. I thought I had to. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that if I called someone a "fool" I was in danger of the fire of hell. That is what I was told. Apparently I believed it, because I panicked. The more I tried, the harder it got not to call anyone a fool, even God. I felt Jesus looking into my heart, and that was frightening. I was spiraling away from Him into blasphemy. Then in Matthew 6:25, Jesus tells us not to be anxious? Why not, Jesus, you just scared the bejeezus out of this poor little kid. The Sermon on the Mount will do that to you if you read it without the GospeI. I then spent the rest of my youth trying to get f...

Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. Ecclesiastes 3:16‭, ‬19 ESV ¶The passage is introduced by a key phrase: "under the sun". Solomon cannot claim all things to be beautiful under the sun. Yes, it is wise to acknowledge that we share a creaturely nature with "the beasts", in that we are all beasts. If we are more than that, is it not because of anything we can do, or have done. We are more than beasts because of what God has done. He has spoken words of life to us. He has given us His Spirit. He has opened heaven up to us, so that life is not just "under the sun", but "under heaven", so that our lives are not merely van...

I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man. Ecclesiastes 3:10‭-‬13 ESV ¶Yet even in the proclaiming of his views, Solomon purports to do what in his agnostic view he says cannot be done. He expounds on man, his nature and his destiny, a categorical assertion of what cannot be known that is self-contradictory. He claims to know what he admits cannot be known. He claims exhaustive knowledge "under the sun" of what can only be known "under heaven", that is, the meaning and purpose of our lives. There are more things in heaven and earth, Hora...

  "Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, 'Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.'" that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?' then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord . When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever." so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever." Joshua 4:2‭-‬3‭, ‬6‭-‬7‭, ‬24 ESV ¶Whether it was in stone, story, or sacrament, the Jews have faithfully memorialized their experiences with God so that it bles...

Of Jerusalem I thought, ‘Surely you will fear me and accept correction!’ Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder. Zephaniah 3:7‭, ‬9 NIV ¶"Surely Jerusalem, at least Jerusalem, the place of my dwelling, would fear me". Uzzah presumed to touch the Ark of the Covenant and was struck down. Even Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God's holy presence, when it neglects to fear and obey God, joins the nations in experiencing God's wrath and purifying judgement.

"Therefore wait for me," declares the Lord , "for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed. "For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord. Zephaniah 3:8‭-‬9 ESV ¶After a piled-up description of the curses reserved for covenant-breakers, God's covenant faithfulness shines through in an even more magnificent fashion. Jerusalem in its faithlessness is shown to be no more entitled to the special favor of God than any other nation. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But God is poised to reveal a greater faithfulness that our faithlessness cannot nullify. This is the righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, both J...

He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly. Matthew 15:24‭-‬28 ESV ¶Even Jesus marveled at the faith of a Canaanite woman who came to Him understanding that nothing obligated Jesus to help her, but His grace alone. It was her humility, not her ancestry, not her good works, that qualified her for Jesus's help.

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, "Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant." Jeremiah 1:9‭-‬10 ESV ¶Jeremiah was being initiated into a fuller understanding of the power of God's Word. Wherever we turn, in the genetic code, in the equations that govern the universe, in the Holy Scriptures, we see revealed to us the word of God's power that upholds all things. When we hear James the apostle tell us to "receive with meekness the implanted word", we can turn to Jeremiah as an example.

But Jesus, aware of this, said, "O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:8‭-‬12 ESV ¶From the few loaves and fishes available to the disciples, Jesus wanted them to have more. In the same way, Pharisees and Sadducees were the custodians of small bits of truth. From it Jesus wanted to make more, more than enough for all of us to receive God's grace and truth.

  It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear. Ecclesiastes 5:5‭-‬7 ESV ¶Do not just sit around dreaming up big plans. The purposes and designs of our heart, the vows we make, are sacred things, there to accomplish things in the world for God's kingdom, not just to make us feel better. Commit to what you are willing to work toward and see it through. A charge to keep I have, a God to glorify, A never-dying soul to save, and fit it for the sky. To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill, Oh may it all my pow'rs engage to do my Master's will. Charles Wesley, 1762

When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the tax?" He said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?" And when he said, "From others," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself." Matthew 17:24‭-‬27 ESV   Even now many a "free spirit" have thought they were unconventional. Even if it hurts or disappoints those around them, they feel free to flout the customs and conventions of their society and culture. None have had any more basis and authority to overrule the mores of the prevailing ...

When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Ecclesiastes 5:11 ESV ¶Solomon used his wisdom and his high position to acquire beautiful and expensive things. People who live their lives "under the sun", and not "under heaven", are driven to surround themselves with beautiful and expensive things, even at the expense of those less fortunate than themselves. They have a need to be reminded of how attractive and valuable they are by comparison with other people. They extract their personal significance from the things with which they surround themselves. Of these things it is said "you can't take it with you", but there is a significant exception: the people, the men and women God has given us, to join us, to be with us, in eternity. Ask God for more of those riches.

How can you say, 'I am not unclean, I have not gone after the Baals'? Look at your way in the valley; know what you have done— a restless young camel running here and there, a wild donkey used to the wilderness, in her heat sniffing the wind! Who can restrain her lust? None who seek her need weary themselves; in her month they will find her. Keep your feet from going unshod and your throat from thirst. But you said, 'It is hopeless, for I have loved foreigners, and after them I will go.' "How well you direct your course to seek love! So that even to wicked women you have taught your ways. From it too you will come away with your hands on your head, for the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust, and you will not prosper by them. Jeremiah 2:23‭-‬25‭, ‬33‭, ‬37 ESV The kinds of things upon which Israel set its love, while easily available and deceptively easy, cannot be trusted. Our thirst for relationship can lead us astray. What we perceive as free ...

Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! Matthew 18:7 ESV ¶Jesus will judge the evils that tempt us in this world. He promises to take care of that. We should be concerned that we could be a stumbling block ourselves, causing others to sin by our own words and deeds.

Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. Ecclesiastes 5:19‭-‬20 ESV ¶The wisdom God has given to Solomon is a sad wisdom, born of the experience of tremendous success. Saddest of all is the forgetting of the past while occupied with current "joy". Joy is complete when it takes into account all that has gone before, makes sense of it, and imbues it with meaning. For now, though, our goal is not complete understanding, but trust. Our current joy is derived from the eager expectation of the day when faith becomes sight. Then the past will not be forgotten, but finally, fully enjoyed. Hope shall change to glad fruition, Faith to sight, and prayer to praise. Henry Lytle, 1833

And as soon as the king of Ai saw this, he and all his people, the men of the city, hurried and went out early to the appointed place toward the Arabah to meet Israel in battle. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them and fled in the direction of the wilderness. Joshua 8:14‭-‬15 ESV ¶When Jesus appeared to be beaten, and banished from the earth, the spiritual realm of evil rejoiced, not knowing that the resurrection was coming. We have the privilege of participating in the final victory over the enemy. Jesus and Joshua share a name that means "the Lord saves". Joshua was able to win for his people land and property, but could not secure for them what they needed to retain it: holiness before the Lord. He was able to win for his people a new land, but Jesus won for His people new hearts.

  "Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness." "Behold, we come to you, for you are the Lord our God. Truly the hills are a delusion, the orgies on the mountains. Truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel. "But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God." Jeremiah 3:22‭-‬25 ESV ¶We have never loved God, until He first loved us. Not until God calls us to be healed, will we be healed. Here is what Jeremiah says it looks like: 1. Recognize the delusion of false gods 2. Admit our collusion in shameful practices 3. Acknowledge the cost of our disobedience 4. Feel the shame 5. Remember Yahweh is God 6. Receive Israel's ...

He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it." Matthew 19:4‭-‬6‭, ‬11‭-‬12 ¶The term "eunuch" is a combination of two Greek words that mean either "well-minded" or "well-contained". Eunuchs were entrusted with the most intimate aspects of the king's affairs. Castration could creat...

All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind. Ecclesiastes 6:7‭-‬9 ESV   ¶In his search for a more lasting satisfaction, it seems that Solomon turned his desires from fine foods to objects of great beauty. His search succeeded, but did not satisfy. He tries to self-satisfy by comparing his position with that of others, but confronts death as the great equalizer.

But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us." So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, 'Take provisions in your hand for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, "We are your servants. Come now, make a covenant with us."' At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and that they lived among them. But all the leaders said to all the congregation, "We have sworn to them by the Lord , the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them. This we will do to them: let them live, lest wrath be upon us, ...

At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, "A hot wind from the bare heights in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse, a wind too full for this comes for me. Now it is I who speak in judgment upon them." Jeremiah 4:11‭-‬12 ESV ¶Wind is useful to separate the wheat from the chaff. It illustrates the saying that "challenges are there to help us grow". This ill wind, though, is not growth-promoting. It is too full. These people are going down. But where does the prophet stand in the midst of this? Notice. He is among them. To bring the word of judgement, he must himself endure it. To validate the truth of what he prophesies, he stakes his life on it. To heal the traumatized people around us, God calls us to share with them the experience of their pain, the consequences of their poor decisions. When we do this, we follow the way of Jeremiah, and the way of Jesus.

  WHERE GLORY DWELLS "See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day." Matthew 20:18‭-‬19 ESV ¶The Son of God identifies himself as Son of man. He is one of us. He shares our fate. By rendering judgement upon Him, men of the earth condemn themselves. The priests were the ones who were tasked with overseeing the temple sacrifice, who certified the sacrificial lamb to be spotless, which lifted from the people the burden of their sin. Ironically the chief priests turn against their own great High Priest. The sacrificial system they oversee grabs Him up, processes Him, spits Him out, and deposits Him in the grave. Then what? Next sacrifice? Do we just go on looking for the next victim to process for the sake of our besetting sins? No! No to hell and no ...

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Ecclesiastes 7:8 ESV ¶The way of the fool is to be enthusiastic at the start of something, and then not stay to see it finished. Whether it is ruling a nation, or just rearing a child, it takes patience to see it through. Conceiving a child is usually fun, but what comes after that is a toil, requiring patience and consistency. But the child who grows up to follow us in loving and trusting God is an even better thing. Fathers, especially, stay, for the greater reward.

Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her. "How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. Jeremiah 5:1‭, ‬7 ESV ¶When Abraham interceded for Sodom, he based it on the finding of one righteous man among them. Just one man. That is literally all God is asking for. "Jerusalem, show me one person who does justice and seeks truth, and I will pardon all your sin." Jesus came calling Himself son of man, that One Man. For the sake of us His people, He took God at His word, offering Himself up as our Redeemer Head. Jeremiah's prophetic ministry is powerful because he never abandoned his people. Despite many sufferings and conflict, despite his own doubt, he stayed put. When Jesus dwelt among u...

Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God. Ecclesiastes 8:11‭-‬13 ESV ¶Under the sun, the world is a cruel and merciless place, full of violent and cataclysmic events at every level. Whatever wisdom and understanding humankind gains to control these events, even that is applied unfairly and unjustly. What have we accomplished, if improving ourselves only makes us better competitors in the race for this world's resources? A new life, a different life, an abundant life, starts with "fear of the Lord", when we realize that everything belongs to Him. Then exploration bring us closer, not sets us apart, from e...

It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. Ecclesiastes 9:2‭-‬3 ESV ¶All who have confronted madness know that there is no reasoning your way out of it. The reason channel is closed. What Solomon mentions almost as an aside, the evil of the human heart, has gained for us madness, stuck in an endless loop of debasement and pride, unable to gain for ourselves redemption. Yes, it is a great evil that the good and evil men are rewarded equally. They both go on to the grave. But that evil originates in our own sinful he...

Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know me, declares the Lord . Jeremiah 9:4‭-‬6 ESV ¶So many of our values are absorbed from our neighbors. We are merely adopting the things that the media and those around us say are important. And so we ourselves tend to present the facade that we think will gain the approval of others. We can see how this works: we are drawn in to being deceived by the world's measures of success, and then we reflect these same values back to the world from our own lives. We ourselves, and our neighbors, are pressed and oppressed by the world's deceitful values. "Natural selection", a gentle term for su...

I will take up weeping and wailing for the mountains, and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness, because they are laid waste so that no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard; both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled and are gone. Jeremiah 9:10 ESV ¶How far does the influence of our fallen state extend? All creation suffers, and we suffer as a part of it. But around the corner, on the other side of the cross, lies redemption. Romans 8:20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonsh...

Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! Jeremiah 9:1 ESV How like Jesus is Jeremiah the prophet as he mourns over the city. Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Oh that I had in the desert a travelers' lodging place, that I might leave my people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, a company of treacherous men. Jeremiah 9:2 ESV ¶God speaks through the prophet of His own desire to leave His people, to separate Himself from sinful man. What makes Him stay? Despite the cost of judgement, because of His own covenant faithfulness, in response to the petitions of His own faithful Son, He remains among us. How surprising it is to discover the harshness of this universe woven out of a fabric of love. Love is not a by-product of natural selection and a reproductive urge. It is what binds together the Trinity, and holds all things together.

 NO EXIT For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them. Ecclesiastes 9:12 ESV ¶God, what you truly offer, that pearl of great price, is not found in this world alone, but in the world with you in it, not with an exit from the world, but with your advent into it. Not even in you alone, but in the wedding of the Bride, is fulfillment. We seek out you alone because You seek out us alone. Not that we loved you, but that you first loved us.

However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor. Joshua 16:10 ESV ¶We know very little about God's relationship with these Canaanite people of the land, but we do know from Scripture the nature of God's relationship with Israel. It can only be described as strict. The consequences of unbelief and disobedience were harsh, and often dealt out by those from surrounding nations whom God raised up as enemies. The world in general is a harsh and unforgiving place, but the good news is that, through it all, whatever the difficulty, and unto the death, God never leaves us or forsakes us. Can we bring His abiding presence into the haunted and hurting places of our world?

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord , when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart." Jeremiah 9:25‭-‬26 ESV ¶The Word of the Lord through Jeremiah cuts more deeply than even His own people imagined. It turns out that what sets them apart for the Lord and from the nations was not the presence or absence of a foreskin. It was what was in their heart. The broken and contrite spirit that is better than sacrifice. Those of us with a penis know how unruly it can behave at times. But nothing compares with the rebelliousness of the human heart. Moses knew it. Joshua acknowledged it. This people would not be able to find it in their nature to keep God's covenant requirements. Then why trouble them with it, God? Because God imparts to...

But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:36‭-‬37 ESV ¶When I was a student, I knew when test day was coming. I could disregard as unimportant everything else and cram my brain with enough of the necessary information to pass the test. Sure, we had pop quizzes that were unexpected, but not the final exam! Everything depends on it, and you don't know when it will be? That is intense! Life is like that. Life gives us pop quizzes along the way, which we may or may not pass. But we always expect another chance. What if there were no more second chances? But suppose we had been living under the wrong set of rules all along, and we started living not under law but under grace. How would that change the way we live our lives, the things we value, and the things we disregard as unimportant?

But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Matthew 25:6‭, ‬8‭, ‬11‭-‬13 ESV ¶At the time of his coming, five of the ten virgins had left their posts to get more oil. By the time they had returned, the time for lamps and oil had passed. Here's what remained: do you know the lord? How much oil will we need in our flasks to be ready for the day of His return? No one knows. But we can know Him. Know the Lord. That is all.

If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan? Jeremiah 12:5 ESV ¶God called Jeremiah to be a prophet among his people in Jerusalem. As a prophet he was treated badly by them. But his struggles with them were small compared with the shared trials they were facing. This is a call to endurance. We too need to focus less on worldly concerns, and prepare for the spiritual struggle which is at hand. Be reconciled with our neighbors. Persevere in prayer. Jeremiah must first understand, and then deliver the message to his people, that there is no peace and safety apart from the will of the Lord.

You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified." for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:2‭, ‬28 ESV ¶Let it never be said that God did not do everything sufficient to preserve the covenant, even the broken covenant, between Himself and us. That the Son of God refused to abandon the title Son of Man, even unto death on a cross, shows the extent to which reconciliation must go to be reconciled. While father Abraham slept, God came to him and cut a covenant with him, representing in Himself both parties, God and man. it remained for Jesus to keep the faith, and to preserve the promise.  

Can man make for himself gods? Such are not gods!" "Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the Lord ." Jeremiah 16:20‭-‬21 ESV ¶All Israel's disobedience, rejection, and suffering comes down to this: that we of all nations that know Israel's story might see the lies and the false gods we ourselves live for, and instead know the power and might of the one true God. Echoes of Jeremiah's wisdom in 9:23-24: "let not the wise man..., the mighty man boast..., but that they truly know me."

Heal me, O Lord , and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise. Jeremiah 17:14 ESV ¶This prayer of Jeremiah's invites us to explore a mystery. What is the healing which truly heals, not just temporarily, not just made better, but truly and permanently healed? What is the salvation which permanently saves us from our enemies, not just makes us feel better? Beneath all the hurt of our current circumstances, what is it that ultimately troubles us? What are the salves we seek to apply to just make us feel better? We take pride that we no longer worship idols. At least heathen idol-worshippers had the good sense to look outside of themselves to objects of worship. Nowadays all things outside of ourselves are mere props at the altar of our own self-esteem. It indeed all comes down to whom we worship, where we direct our praise. When we praise God, when we figure out what it means to truly worship Him, when we receive enough truth to refute the...

Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, "I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.' But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? Judges 2:1‭-‬2 ESV ¶Whatever the cost, God stands by the covenant He made with His people. Yet they made covenantal arrangements and agreements with the people of the land, invoking their false gods and idols. Instead of possessing the land, they became possessed by it. They were on their way into the very kind of serfdom out of which God had delivered them. God's response is a poignant question: "What have you done?" His people had no idea what they had done. Before we scorn them, let's think about how often we disobey, thinking "what harm will it cause?" Be...

If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. Jeremiah 20:9 ESV ¶Jeremiah's fear of speaking out is matched only by the aching in his heart should he remain silent. This man is on the same pathway as the Holy Anointed One of Israel who is to come, yet he seems unaware of the cloud of glory that surrounds him in his struggle. God is still making incursions into the fallen world. Is there comfort in our struggles as we live out the obedience required of us?  

  Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: Let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: Let them be ashamed which transgress without cause. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: According to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. Psalm 25:1‭-‬3‭, ‬7‭, ‬10 KJV ¶Shame can be a powerful motivator. It never occurs in isolation, but only in the context of a relationship with another whose opinion is valuable. Even to say "I don't care what anybody else thinks" is to seek their approval of your independence. Isolation does not provide relief from shame. It only buries it deeper. We can hide from shame, but ultimately we are just hiding from ourselves. We can expose our shame, with the hope that someone will grant us the acceptance we crave....

19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:19-21 ¶Peter perceives a difference, not between the validity of the prophetic word and His own direct experience of divine majesty, but between the clarity of understanding of the prophetic word prior to and following the coming of Jesus the Christ. Because the prophets spoke of Him, Jesus's coming confirmed their words. Peter is quick to say that earlier prophecy is no less valid. It is in fact spoken from the mouth of God. It is intrinsically valid, but it has awaited Jesus Christ to bring its confirmation. Further confirmation even...

And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." Luke 1:18‭-‬20 ESV ¶Zechariah is the perfect representation of his people, the Jews, and of us. When given the great good news of the Savior, we snag up on the age-old epistemological question: How can I know this? What justifies us in believing this hopeful message? Rather than receiving it with joyful celebration, we tend to compare it with our current situation, and lose out on the hope being offered right in front of us. This is not how personal/cultural transformation occurs, and it is not the way of redemption. Why is the presenc...

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. Psalm 29:1‭-‬2 ESV The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace! Psalm 29:10‭-‬11 ESV ¶Glory finds its source in God, so glory is not something we actually have in our possession to give to Him. What glory, what weight, what heaviness, what significance we do possess comes from Him. Giving glory to God does not involve rendering something to Him that He lacks, or even returning something back to Him that He gave us. Amazingly, though, when we with our words ascribe to Him glory, we do actually increase His glory. We glorify Him. He uses us to make Himself more famous among the nations, and among our neighbors. God's Word orders and interprets our world so that it makes sense. The stat...

He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever." Luke 1:53‭-‬55 ESV ¶Mary was the first to realize the glory of "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col 1:27).

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! Psalm 32:11 ESV ¶What is it that stamps joy upon our hearts? Deliverance from the oppressive power of sin? Yes, but also the ascension and glorification of Jesus our great champion, and the fellowship with His redeemed saints, and the beauty of His Bride, and the renewal of all things.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:8‭-‬11 ESV ¶How often are people told that a child born into someone else's family has been born "unto them"? This is no usual birth. The angel's only imperative: to glorify God. All else is in the indicative: the Good News. No angel commanded the shepherds to hasten to the place of His birth. The News alone was sufficient. What followed? They went. They were propelled to go. It was the natural response of a heart filled with the good news of the Savior. Even now, from His throne in the holy city, alongside the river ...

"I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. Daniel 7:11‭-‬14 ESV "Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart." Daniel 7:28 ESV ¶In the vision, beasts arise from the sea, which is a turbulent place stirred up by the ...

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. Luke 4:14 ESV ¶A better translation of the phrase "a report of him went out" is "his fame went out". The Greek word for fame, "pheme" is only used one other time in the NT. On both occasions, it does not describe a neutral report, but something that spoke of the doxology, the praise and glory, that He elicits.

  And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?" But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. but he said to them, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as ...

Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. Psalm 36:10‭-‬11 ESV ¶The goal of the evil one is just to deprive us, not to have for himself the blessing of knowing God, just to take it away from us, just to drive us off the holy ground procured for us at the foot of the cross.

 I am His great reward. That brings me tears of great joy. I am my beloved's and He is mine. In Genesis 15 God tells Abraham that He is his great reward, but its not only that God will reward US if we serve Him. WE are HIS great reward. He wants to stand us up and display us as an icon of His redeeming, rewarding love. Jesus wants to share His joy with the ones the Father has given him, and He wants us to share our joy with the ones the Father has given us. Someone may say "You're right, I am a great reward", or may say "I don't want to be a reward for someone else". This brings no tears of joy for them, only for His beloved ones.

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, Luke 5:1 ESV ¶Have you ever noticed that no one ever actually refutes the words of Jesus? Scholars never stand up and criticize what Jesus actually said. His teachings seem as indestructible as the life He led. People may ignore Him, they may crucify Him, but they do not refute Him. What must it have been like to stand nearby and hear God's word direct from Jesus's mouth? His words seem to glow with heavenly authority. What must it have been like for Luke to be the vessel to carry those words to us? His messengers seem to glow with heavenly authority as they speak them forth. What is it like for us to receive these words anew? What is it like for us to carry them forth into our world?

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Luke 5:1‭, ‬3‭-‬4‭, ‬6‭, ‬8 ESV ¶While the crowd pressed in on Jesus, Peter, His close friend, pleaded with Him to go away. At least Peter understood the issue was not Jesus's power, but His purity. I have heard of a man who stayed away from church because the atmosphere there was "too pure". In his time, Isaiah's response before the thro...

"O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Daniel 9:16 ESV ¶Daniel's intercession for his people resembles that of Jesus, who on the cross prayed "Father forgive them". Some among the wise would point to Israel and the suffering they endured as payment for their transgressions, and even our own. but we know there was One who would come whose suffering was more undeserved, whose payment had greater efficacy, whose life course was endued with greater purpose, than any born of flesh alone could accomplish.

O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation! Psalm 38:1‭-‬3‭, ‬21‭-‬22 ESV ¶What is it that makes David, full of the arrows of the One whose indignation he fears, call upon that One to save him? David addresses three enemies: himself, other people, and God. He focuses his concern on the enemy that can do him most harm, God, and addresses the sin that separates them, and then turns to that same God. How could the same One, whose wrath David bears, be his deliverance as well?

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5‭-‬8 ESV ¶'And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people did not answer him a word. ' 1 Kings 18:21

"Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord ." Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. Haggai 1:2‭-‬6 ESV ¶These were a people living with an attitude of scarcity. Coming out of slavery and exile, nothing was enough to make them feel secure. Even now, living in the comfort of the homes they had managed to build, in the prosperity they had achieved, what they had was never enough. They had no time to worship a God who offered Himself alone as their reward. They needed gods of fertility a...

  And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." And he said, "Do it a second time." And they did it a second time. And he said, "Do it a third time." And they did it a third time. And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water. Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 1 Kings 18:33‭-‬35‭, ‬38 ESV ¶At baptism, we do the same thing. We douse with water, then we ask God to send His fire. John the Baptist said he baptized with water, but One would come after him who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Lord, please light the fire.

  I ncline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day. Psalm 86:1‭-‬3 ESV ¶The spirit within us longs to pray this prayer. Really? On what basis? Do we claim to be godly? Certainly we all aspire to be God-like, but this springs more from our ambition to be god-like in our power. That is different from "fruit of the spirit" godliness. For the source of this, we must look elsewhere. Israelites knew of it from the serpent lifted up in the wilderness, from the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, and from the blood of the lamb sprinkled upon their doorposts. The righteousness of God has been called an "alien" righteousness, never recognized as something we generate and offer to God, but always springing from the personal relationship our covenant partner offers in His Son.

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church (ekklesia) at Cenchreae, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches (ekklesia) of the Gentiles give thanks as well. Greet also the church (ekklesia) in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. Romans 16:1‭, ‬4‭-‬5 ESV ¶Of all the modern English translations I can find, only one, Young's Literal Translation (YLT), that has translated the word "ekklesia" into anything resembling its true meaning. It uses the word "assembly". (William Tyndale used the word "congregacion" in his Old English translation of the word "ekklesia". The Spanish word for "church", "iglesia" is a direct transliteration.) The "assembly" therefore had much in common with the synagogue of the Jews, which served not only as a house of worship, but also as a place to come and discuss the...

"The remainder, 5,000 cubits in breadth and 25,000 in length, shall be for common use for the city, for dwellings and for open country. In the midst of it shall be the city, The remainder of the length alongside the holy portion shall be 10,000 cubits to the east, and 10,000 to the west, and it shall be alongside the holy portion. Its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. And the workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall till it." Ezekiel 48:15‭, ‬18‭-‬19 ESV ¶God shows Ezekiel the prophet a vision of the eternal city of God, which He names "the Lord is there". Within it, there is still work to be done, building dwellings and tilling soil, part of the exquisite balance between habitation and cultivation, sharing and rewarding, giving and receiving, that is ordained by God. For now, our worldly systems are constantly in danger of grinding to a halt because of error, selfishness, and corruption. What a dynamic place it will be...

This is the land that you shall allot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, declares the Lord God. The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord Is There." Ezekiel 48:29‭, ‬35 ESV ¶Under God's new heaven and new earth, the people of God, here represented by the twelve tribes of Israel, will find themselves surrounding the very center of the place called "The Lord is There". And not only there, but from there will flow a refreshing river watering along its banks trees bearing fruit in every season, and leaves for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:2). My prayer, my only hope, is to be grafted into the root stock of the same olive tree as they. The mystery, the great surprise, is that, for Israel as well, their only hope is to be grafted back into their own olive tree (Romans 11:19, 24). This is only accomplished when they, by the grace of Go...

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Psalm 85:8‭-‬10 ESV ¶Asking God to open our ears and let us hear, truly hear, His word of peace, "shalom", over us. The word of peace He speaks invites us who were formerly His enemies to be reconciled to Himself. At peace with God, we are restored to right relationship with others, ourselves, and the created world. Shalom implies not only cessation of hostilities, but health, wellness, prosperity, rest, safety, and friendship. His salvation, "yesha", forms the very basis for Jesus's name, "yeshua": Yahweh saves. He is the nexus, Son of God and Son of Man, in whom God's steadfast love, His covenant faithfulness, and His imputed righteousness...

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Psalm 84:3‭-‬4 ESV ¶What a joy it must have been for the worshipper to dwell for a moment in the vastness of the temple and see even the sparrow making its nest in a niche of it, and contemplate how like we are in our creaturliness, yet how distant we are in our fallenness.

Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O Lord. Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, that they may know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth. Psalm 83:16‭-‬18 ESV ¶In the day of the Lord, upon His return, fear of Him will be topmost in everyone's mind. We will all know what we did, but also what we did not do. This will drive some of us closer to Jesus, who loves sinners. For the unredeemed, however, shame and dismay will just turn into bitterness and blame, eventually with no one to bear the blame but themselves.

All the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the people of Israel— their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel were unable to devote to destruction—these Solomon drafted to be slaves, and so they are to this day. 1 Kings 9:20‭-‬21 ESV ¶We are not told of Solomon's enslavement policies in order that we might emulate them. We are told Solomon was able to exploit his position to expand into many enterprises, establish many alliances, and acquire many wives who devoted themselves to foreign gods. None of this would do anything that allowed him to pass on the kingdom intact, nor did it do anything to fulfill God's promise through David to him that his heir would forever rule.

You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said, "Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart." Then my spirit made a diligent search: "Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?" Then I said, "I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High." I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. Psalm 77:4‭-‬11 ESV ¶The psalmist wonders in his troubles if God has forgotten him. Then he realizes it is he that has forgotten. He needed to remember the mighty acts of God already done on his behalf. There may be days that are dark for us, but God reminds us in His Word of the marvelous deeds already done on our behalf. He gave the gift of ...

  Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Ezekiel 37:9‭-‬10 ESV ¶When the already-resurrected Lord Jesus came to His disciples, breathed on them, and spoke the words “Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22), He recapitulated this prophecy spoken by Ezekiel that enabled dead dry bones to rise up and become "an exceedingly great army". Without the prophetic word, we're still just walking corpses. So we live, not by bread for the body alone, but "by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:3‭, ‬11‭-‬14 ESV ¶Sin has ruled over us, and sinners find ourselves drafted into his army, obliged to take our place in his ranks, and present our members in his service. Unless we die. Baptized into Christ Jesus, baptized into His death, we are released from our service to sin. The resurrection offers us freedom from his rule, and the chance to present our members to God, in union with Christ.

There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 1 Kings 8:9 ESV ¶In keeping with ancient Near Eastern practice, the two tablets were duplicates of the covenant document that established Israel as God's covenant people, not two sections of the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 31:18) One copy belonged to each party of the covenant, Since Israel's copy was to be laid up in the presence of her God, both covenant tablets were placed in the ark. It was a picture of God finding a dwelling place among His people.

For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight. Psalm 72:12‭-‬14 ESV ¶David sums up his kingship by including the part of his rule that supported and protected the weak and needy. The massive wealth transfer that went to the king apparently did not all go to support a lavish royal lifestyle, but also went toward a social safety net. This he did not just as a ransom payment to keep the peace and avoid unrest in the land. The poor and afflicted he actually named as God's poor and afflicted. The gap in lifestyle between rich and poor was relatively narrow back then. It has become much wider. Unfortunately this has increased not gratitude at our abundance, but fear and envy of others. We are not our own, and neither is our stuff. Daniel sums up God's expectation of King Nebu...

But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just. Romans 3:7‭-‬8 ESV ¶The book of Hebrews reminds us of the consequences to God Himself for those who have fallen away from the truth: they would be crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. From our own point of view, we may think lightly of the grace which is ours in Christ, but the "good that may come" is accomplished at tremendous cost, even to the temporary disruption of the blessed communion within the Godhead themselves.

"I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' 1 Kings 2:2‭-‬4 ESV ¶As sons and daughters, there is a charge we have to keep, not the one from our parents, but from The Lord our God. The rule we are to maintain, the name we are to uphold, is that of David's Son and Heir, Jesus, who was made greater by the work of God's own hand. (Hebrews 3:3) It is good to know our place in the Davidic promise.

God be merciful unto us, and bless us; And cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations. Let the people praise thee, O God; Let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: For thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. Psalm 67:1‭-‬4 KJV ¶It was the treasury of these Psalms that carried God's people through their exile in Babylon. Daniel was called before Babylon's king Nebuchadnezzar to give an explanation of the king's dreams and visions. Such a hymn as this of praise and petition Daniel might have remembered when he blessed the God of heaven for His power to change times and seasons, to remove and set up kings, to give wisdom and knowledge, and to reveal deep and hidden things (Daniel 2:20-23). In the NT, Peter addresses his readers as exiles, a status the world continues to impress upon us. Nevertheless we pray the bless...

I am the Lord. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God." Ezekiel 24:14 ESV ¶Losing the opportunity to be judged by the deeds of the Lord God Himself in the person of Christ, the hearers will have only the record of their own ways and deeds to defend themselves at the time of judgement.

But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped. Psalm 63:11 ESV ¶How wonderful it would be to live under a king with such a heart for God and a desire for truth that his people exult in him. How wonderful it is when we are given parents and leaders we can trust and follow.

But the Lord said to him, "Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die." Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites. 
Judges 6:23-24 ESV

 ¶When Jesus appeared to His disciples post-resurrection, these are the words He spoke: "Peace be with you." The peace Gideon received, the peace of Christ, drives out fear. Politicians campaign on the need for "peace through strength", but what is lacking is not strength, but peace: "strength through peace". We are strong when we are reconciled within, with God, and with others. These were the first order of business for Gideon and his people before they could confront their enemies with any sort of strength.


So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!"
Judges 7:19-20 ESV

 God's plan of attack may seem strange and surprising, but He was at work to deliver His people. When His deliverance arrives, expect the unexpected. When God is working all things for good, His provision, the answers to our prayers, will not come the same way twice. It will look different every time. The wind of the Spirit blows where it wills. It blows where it wants, but never is still.  


 And as for the prophet, priest, or one of the people who says, 'The burden of the Lord ,' I will punish that man and his household. But 'the burden of the Lord ' you shall mention no more, for the burden is every man's own word, and you pervert the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God.
Jeremiah 23:34, 36 ESV

 Prophets then and now may gather a following by trivializing a threat, or by exaggerating its importance. So it is with our sin. Only one prophet, Jesus Messiah, looked squarely at the doom posed to us by our sin, took it seriously, and then neutralized its power over us by taking its consequences onto Himself.  

  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
Hebrews 6:4, 6, 9 KJV The book of Hebrews is a contrast, which starts out "in the past", and contrasts that with "but in these last days". In Israel, God's people experienced cycles of redemption, victory, followed by disobedience, decline, and repentance. When we now experience the same cycle, we tend to view it as part of the normal Christian life. But IT IS NOT SO. Christ has died. Christ has risen. This is not like the covenant God made with our ancestors (Jer 34:18, Heb 8:9). No longer will prophets come and go to shepherd us back into the fold when we stray. God...


For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.
Hebrews 7:1-3 ESV

 ¶None are righteous, no not one. Melchizedek, king of righteousness, would be king of no one without the free gift of righteousness given to those who believed. To Abraham righteous standing was given, by faith, by God, before God. His trust in God was what was reckoned to him as righteousness. Abraham, with eyes of faith, recognized Melchizedek, king of righteousness, as his king, and gave him his due. In doing so, he gave his tribute to the One who would come after him as the true heir to the titl...


 "Wail, you shepherds, and cry out, and roll in ashes, you Lords of the flock, for the days of your slaughter and dispersion have come, and you shall fall like a choice vessel. A voice—the cry of the shepherds, and the wail of the Lords of the flock! For the Lord is laying waste their pasture, and the peaceful folds are devastated because of the fierce anger of the Lord . Like a lion he has left his lair, for their land has become a waste because of the sword of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger."
Jeremiah 25:34, 36-38 ESV 

¶Contrast these poetic images with Jonah's terse declaration: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” It seems that the more vivid the imagery, the less likely men are to repent. Seeing the Bible as just great literature obscures from taking it to heart and letting it do its work there.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Hebrews 10:23, 35-36, 39 ESV 

¶Hold fast. Do not throw away your confidence. Receive what is promised. Do not shrink back. Preserve your soul.


Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord , and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:1-2 ESV

 ¶There are lots of sinners and scoffers out there. Don't be surprised when you encounter one, and don't be fooled by their counsel. Find your delight not in their approval, but in God's Word, the "precious promises" through which we are enabled to " partake of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4).  

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:25-29 ESV

 ¶How many of the things we seek after are "things that can be shaken"? Are we ready for them to be removed? In His Son God has spoken from heaven to earth of a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and will not be removed. His Word has dwelt among us. It lives in us. God'...

Why do you cry out over your hurt? Your pain is incurable. Because your guilt is great, because your sins are flagrant, I have done these things to you.
Jeremiah 30:15 ESV 
¶By God's grace there is a difference between a mistake and a sin. Both have consequences, but there is a difference. Mistakes are permanent; the loss is irretrievable. The consequences are impersonal. Sin is personal, but it can be forgiven, relationships restored. Calling Israel's guilt what it is, a sin, opens up that possibility.  

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"
Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
 ¶What money cannot buy, God has already freely given: love, covenant faithfulness. This, not money, is what casts out fear. "Anything else will eat you alive". (David Foster Wallace)


Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord .
Jeremiah 31:20 ESV

 ¶As severely as He may speak against His chosen people of Ephraim, He remembers them. He yearns for a relationship with them. He promises that goodness and mercy will follow them. With this ultimate goodness awaiting us as well, we can risk a relationship with those who today oppose God and persecute His Church, with mercy as our end goal.  

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.
Psalm 4:1-3 ESV

 ¶At creation, God made man in his own image. That image already existed in the person of the Son, who in Colossians is called the Firstborn of all creation. It is in Jesus Christ that the invisible God manifests in human form. It is His image in human form that God set in the garden for the purpose of divine fellowship. It is His honor and glory that are put to shame when we sin. It is in His distress that we are relieved. It is His petition that God hears when we cry out for deliverance.  

Then Samson called to the Lord and said, "O Lord God , please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes." And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the Lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.
Judges 16:28-31 ESV

 ¶Israel in its youth and inexperience celebrated the power of a strong man, who is recognized, not for delivering Israel, but for avenging it, whose connection to...


And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
Mark 1:7-8 ESV 

¶The water would dry quickly, but the fire would continue to burn for those given the Holy Spirit unto eternal life. Like Elijah, John douses the altar with water, and only the true fire of God can ignite the offering upon it. In this way, by the moment of the arrival of Jesus on the scene, Elijah has arrived.  


Thus says the Lord : If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them."
Jeremiah 33:25-26 ESV 

¶This is the covenant the Lord Jesus calls upon in our behalf when He petitions the Father for His steadfast love and His mercy upon us, and a place for us where He reigns forever and ever. It is as reliable as the day that follows the night.  


 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord , after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them, that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother. But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves. "Thus says the Lord , the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying, 'At the end of seven years each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; you must set him free from your service.' But your fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me.
Jeremiah 34:8-9, 11, 13-14 ESV

 ¶Did the rulers of Israel have such little regard for a solemn covenant that they thought they could break it so carelessly? Did they ...