August 22 - Jeremiah 45-47
Jeremiah 45 is a short chapter, but it has an important message for Baruch, Jeremiah's assistant, and for us today. Baruch may have thought that he would become famous by helping the prophet do his work, but instead, he received a lot of the same abuse that Jeremiah received from the leaders and the people. We need to learn that we don't serve the Lord for fame. We do it to simply honor our Lord. Then, he is blessed by God with his life, even though he will live through some very hard times. (v.5) Often, we need more than life to feel blessed, but we should realize that life is a great gift from God. We should treasure it each day and use it for His glory.
Jeremiah 46 is a prophecy against Egypt. Israel was tempted to put their trust in Egypt to protect them from Babylon, instead of trusting God. Therefore, God let them know, and He let Egypt know that He was going to use Babylon to defeat Egypt, too. They could not save anyone else. They could not even save themselves. This is what we should realize about putting our trust in other people. We can't depend on others. They will fail us and fail themselves. We must totally rely on the Lord for our security. At the end of the chapter God reveals again that he is going to make a complete end to all of the nations to which He drove the Israelites, but He would not make a complete end to Israel. Look around today. Do you see an Assyria or a Babylon? No, they are gone. Do you see an Israel? Yes, it is there. God always keeps His word.
Finally, chapter 47 is a prophecy against the Philistines. God was going to destroy them, too. We might ask why. As I said before, God punishes all sin. Even though they did not have the Law to guide them, they went against what God taught them in their hearts. Therefore, God punished them to show right and wrong, and to show Himself to them. It works the same way today. People should know there is a God, because each time they sin, there is a consequence that is unpleasant. Also, the Holy Spirit is there to convict the world of sin.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 48 and 49.
Jeremiah 46 is a prophecy against Egypt. Israel was tempted to put their trust in Egypt to protect them from Babylon, instead of trusting God. Therefore, God let them know, and He let Egypt know that He was going to use Babylon to defeat Egypt, too. They could not save anyone else. They could not even save themselves. This is what we should realize about putting our trust in other people. We can't depend on others. They will fail us and fail themselves. We must totally rely on the Lord for our security. At the end of the chapter God reveals again that he is going to make a complete end to all of the nations to which He drove the Israelites, but He would not make a complete end to Israel. Look around today. Do you see an Assyria or a Babylon? No, they are gone. Do you see an Israel? Yes, it is there. God always keeps His word.
Finally, chapter 47 is a prophecy against the Philistines. God was going to destroy them, too. We might ask why. As I said before, God punishes all sin. Even though they did not have the Law to guide them, they went against what God taught them in their hearts. Therefore, God punished them to show right and wrong, and to show Himself to them. It works the same way today. People should know there is a God, because each time they sin, there is a consequence that is unpleasant. Also, the Holy Spirit is there to convict the world of sin.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 48 and 49.