August 23 - Jeremiah 48,49
These two chapters contain a series of prophecies directed against the countries which surrounded Israel and Judah. Some of these people were relatives of the Israelites, but none of them were believers in the One True God. Therefore, the spiritual principles we glean from this reading do not apply directly to us as believers, but we can still learn several things from this passage.
These idol worshiping countries had trusted in their own works and had exalted themselves against God. (48:7,26) Therefore, God had to punish them to show them that He was the Lord of all, not just the Lord of the Israelites. It could have been possible for these people to have become even more proud and rebellious, if they had seen God punishing His people, and they were let off. (48:29) They could have felt justified in worshiping their idols. God did not want that to happen, either. God always does the right thing to lead people to Himself. Sometimes, they misinterpret His actions, but He is always wanting them to come to Him. We see this in these prophecies in that God even promises restoration to several of the countries. Why would God allow these idol worshippers to return to their lands after rejecting Him? He must have wanted to give them another chance to come to Him.
Then, there is also an example of a general principle, which is found in the midst of these specific prophecies. Look at Jeremiah 48:10. God wants everyone to know that deceit is a sin, and it is wrong to do His work deceitfully. This applies to believers or to unbelievers. Then, if God tells us to use the sword, it is wrong to hold it back. This is what He had told Babylon, and it would have been wrong for the Babylonians to disobey God, even about going to war. We find verses like this throughout the Bible. They are nuggets of wisdom for which we have to dig in unusual places. That is why we need to read the whole Bible and not just our favorite parts.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 50 and 51:1-32.
These idol worshiping countries had trusted in their own works and had exalted themselves against God. (48:7,26) Therefore, God had to punish them to show them that He was the Lord of all, not just the Lord of the Israelites. It could have been possible for these people to have become even more proud and rebellious, if they had seen God punishing His people, and they were let off. (48:29) They could have felt justified in worshiping their idols. God did not want that to happen, either. God always does the right thing to lead people to Himself. Sometimes, they misinterpret His actions, but He is always wanting them to come to Him. We see this in these prophecies in that God even promises restoration to several of the countries. Why would God allow these idol worshippers to return to their lands after rejecting Him? He must have wanted to give them another chance to come to Him.
Then, there is also an example of a general principle, which is found in the midst of these specific prophecies. Look at Jeremiah 48:10. God wants everyone to know that deceit is a sin, and it is wrong to do His work deceitfully. This applies to believers or to unbelievers. Then, if God tells us to use the sword, it is wrong to hold it back. This is what He had told Babylon, and it would have been wrong for the Babylonians to disobey God, even about going to war. We find verses like this throughout the Bible. They are nuggets of wisdom for which we have to dig in unusual places. That is why we need to read the whole Bible and not just our favorite parts.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 50 and 51:1-32.