#Jeremiah remains in Judah

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Jeremiah Chooses to Remain in Judah

1 This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had released him from Ramah, when he was bound in chains, along with all the exiles from Jerusalem and Judah who were being taken into exile in Babylon.

2 The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and told him, “The LORD your God has predicted this disaster on this place. 3 And now the LORD has brought it about and has done just as he said. Because you people sinned against the LORD and didn’t obey him, this has happened to you. 4 Now, look, I’ve freed you today from the chains that were on your hands. If you want to come with me to Babylon, come, and I’ll look after you. But if you don’t want to come with me to Babylon, don’t. Look, the whole land lies before you, so go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.”

5 When he still did not respond, Nebuzaradan said, “Return to Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and remain with him among the people—or go wherever it seems right for you to go.” Then the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a gift and sent him off. 6 Jeremiah came to Ahikam’s son Gedaliah at Mizpah, and he remained with him among the people who were left in the land.

Gedaliah and the Community in Judah

7 All the leaders of the forces who were in the field along with their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah over the men, women, children, and the poor of the land who had not been taken into exile in Babylon. 8 Those who came to Gedaliah at Mizpah included Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, Jonathan, Kareah’s son Jonathan, Tanhumeth’s son Seraiah, Ephai’s sons from Netophah; and Jezaniah, the son of a man from Maacah. They came along with their men.

9 Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, swore an oath to them and their men: “Don’t be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Remain in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and things will go well for you. 10 As for me, I’ll remain at Mizpah to represent you before the Chaldeans who come to us. As for you, gather wine, summer fruit, and oil. Put it in your containers and live in your cities that you have taken over.”

11 All the Judeans who were in Moab, those with the people in Ammon, those in Edom, and those in all the other countries also heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah and that he had appointed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, over them. 12 So all the Judeans returned from all the countries where they had been scattered. They came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and they gathered wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

A Plot against Gedaliah

13 Kareah’s son Jonathan and all leaders of the forces who were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. 14 They told him, “Are you aware that Baalis, the king of the people of Ammon, has sent Nethaniah’s son Ishmael to take your life?” But Ahikam’s son Gedaliah did not believe them.

15 Then Kareah’s son Jonathan spoke privately to Gedaliah at Mizpah: “Let me go kill Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, and no one will know. Why should he take your life? Otherwise all the Judeans who have gathered around you will be scattered, and the remnant of Judah will perish.”

16 Ahikam’s son Gedaliah replied to Kareah’s son Jonathan, “Don’t do this! You’re lying about Ishmael!” — Jeremiah 40 | International Standard Version (ISV) The International Standard Version of the Holy Bible Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. All Rights Reserved internationally. Cross References: Genesis 13:9; Genesis 20:15; Genesis 36:8; Leviticus 26:14; Numbers 22:1; Deuteronomy 1:38; Deuteronomy 3:14; Deuteronomy 16:13; Deuteronomy 28:15; Judges 20:1; Judges 21:1; 1 Samuel 11:1; 1 Samuel 20:16-17; 1 Samuel 26:8; 2 Samuel 10:1; 2 Samuel 10:6; 2 Samuel 21:17; 2 Kings 8:7; 2 Kings 25:12; 2 Kings 25:22,23 and 24; Proverbs 27:25; Isaiah 16:9; Jeremiah 39:10; Jeremiah 41:1; Jeremiah 42:1; Jeremiah 44:23; Matthew 10:16; Acts 12:6-7; Acts 21:13; Romans 2:5; 1 Corinthians 13:5

#Jeremiah remains in Judah #Gedaliah rules in Judah #the Plot against Gedaliah #Jeremiah 40 #Book of Jeremiah #Old Testament #ISV #ISV Foundation #International Standard Version Bible

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Why the Jews Don't Believe in Jesus

Jesus did not fulfill the Messianic prophecies. Specifically, the Bible says he will build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28), gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6), usher in an era of world peace and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease (Isaiah 2:4), and spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel which will unite humanity as one (Zechariah 14:9). All past Messianic claimants, including Jesus of Nazareth, Bar Cochba and Shabbtai Tzvi have been rejected. Jewish sources show that the Messiah will fulfill the prophecies outright; in the Bible no concept of a second coming exists.

Prophecy can only exist in Israel when the land is inhabited by a majority of world Jewry, a situation which has not existed since 300 BCE. Jesus appeared on the scene approximately 350 years after prophecy had ended, and thus could not be a prophet.

According to Jewish sources, the Messiah will be born of human parents and possess normal physical attributes like other people. He will not be a demi-god nor will he possess supernatural qualities.

The Messiah must be descended on his father's side from King David (see Genesis 49:10, Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5, 33:17; Ezekiel 34:23-24). According to the Christian claim that Jesus was the product of a virgin birth, he had no father and thus could not have possibly fulfilled the messianic requirement of being descended on his father's side from King David.

The Messiah will lead the Jewish people to full Torah observance. The Torah states that all mitzvot remain binding forever, and anyone coming to change the Torah is immediately identified as a false prophet. (Deut. 13:1-4) Throughout the New Testament, Jesus contradicts the Torah and states that its commandments are no longer applicable.

-- Rabbi Shraga Simmons

--

Ezekiel 37:26-28

And I will form a covenant of peace for them, an everlasting covenant shall be with them; and I will establish them and I will multiply them, and I will place My Sanctuary in their midst forever.

And My dwelling place shall be over them, and I will be to them for a God, and they shall be to Me as a people.

And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, Who sanctifies Israel, when My Sanctuary is in their midst forever."

Isaiah 43:5-6

Fear not for I am with you; from the east I will bring your seed, and from the west I will gather you.

I will say to the north, "Give," and to the south, "Do not refrain"; bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the end of the earth."

Isaiah 2:4

And he shall judge between the nations and reprove many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

Zechariah 14:9

And the Lord shall become King over all the earth; on that day shall the Lord be one, and His name one.

Genesis 49:10

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the student of the law from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him will be a gathering of peoples.

Isaiah 11:1

And a shoot shall spring forth from the stem of Jesse, and a twig shall sprout from his roots.

Jeremiah 23:5

Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will set up of David a righteous shoot, and he shall reign a king and prosper, and he shall perform judgment and righteousness in the land.

Jeremiah 33:17

For so said the Lord: There shall not be cut off from David a man sitting on the throne of the house of Israel.

Ezekiel 34:23-24

And I shall put up over them one shepherd and he will shepherd them, namely My servant David; he will shepherd them, and he will be for them as a shepherd.

And I, the Lord, shall be to them for a God, and My servant David [will be] a prince in their midst; I, the Lord, have spoken.

Deuteronomy 13:1-4

Everything I command you that you shall be careful to do it. You shall neither add to it, nor subtract from it.

If there will arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of a dream, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,

and the sign or the wonder of which he spoke to you happens, [and he] says, "Let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us worship them,"

you shall not heed the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of a dream; for the Lord, your God, is testing you, to know whether you really love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul.

Xians also point to Jesus fulfilling the role of the “Suffering Servant” referred to in the Old Testament in Isaiah. e.g.:

Isaiah 53:11

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Luke 24:44-46

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day

But anyone who has actually read Isaiah knows this suffering servant is Israel itself.

Isaiah 41:3-9

But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

It refers to Israel in this manner repeatedly. And there is no prophecy about rising from the dead on the third day.

There are dozens of “prophecies” - “as it is written,” “as it is told” - that believers insist Jesus supposedly fulfils, which explicitly refer to other people or events. Or don’t even exist at all.

The bible Jesus can’t be the messiah. Even if were to accept the Old and New Testaments are correct.

And we have absolutely no reason to do that.

#bible #bible study #judaism #christianity #jesus christ #messiah #false prophet #religion #suffering servant #prophecy #false prophecies #religion is a mental illness

[childofchrist1983]

Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. - Jeremiah 31:13 KJV

This verse speaks of God's promise to bring back those who were exiled when they were overthrown by the Assyrians. The Northern Kingdom was no more. But God promises restoration. He will rebuild Israel and Judah. The exiles will return, and the Lord Jesus Christ promises to restore them with grain and oil, new wine and new flocks.

God never abandons His people or His children. The Israelites had abandoned God, they had not listened to the prophets, in this case Jeremiah and Isaiah, and so Israel had been defeated by the Assyrians and Judah by the Babylonians. The Assyrians drove the people out and they had to find new places to live, the Babylonians had sent them into exile in Babylon. Now, God is promising to forgive them, to bring them back and help them to thrive. We know, however, that it didn't take that long for them to ignore God, to return to their old ways and eventually, they are overcome again by the Greeks and the Romans.

God brings us back from the disasters we create for ourselves too. We are forgiven for ignoring the Commandments and doing whatever gives us pleasure, regardless of the cost.

We make a mess of our lives and then beg God for forgiveness. The good news is that God is always willing to forgive us when we repent. Some of these times, the problems we cause for ourselves are not that easily taken care of, and we might have to live with the consequences of our actions for years, just as the exiles did. But God helps us to deal with these consequences so that we grow closer to Him so that our lives and our souls may be restored, and we may live again in His presence. God is so good to us, so willing to forgive us when we stray and search for us so that He can bring us back into His presence.

May we always thank Him for never forgetting us and for loving us, no matter what. May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time daily to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful Lord, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in the Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

[freebiblestudies]

Biblical Archaeology Lesson 01: The Old Testament

There are many skeptics who believe the Bible is a book of legends, myths, and even fairy tales.  However, the Bible speaks of real people, real places, and real historical events.  How can we be so sure of this?  The answer lies in biblical archaeology.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, archaeology is “the scientific study of material remains (such as tools, pottery, jewelry, stone walls, and monuments) of past human life and activities.  Biblical archaeology is a historical discipline that uses relevant archaeological discoveries to shed light on the historical and cultural setting of the Bible.

Let’s examine ten fascinating archaeological discoveries with relevance to the Old Testament of the Bible.

Let’s read together 2 Kings 17:5-23.

The Assyrian Limmu List (also known as the Assyrian Eponym List)

The Assyrian had devised a calendar system where they named each year after a prominent Assyrian official.  The Limmu List is a clay tablet with a list of those names in chronological order, dealing with years 858 to 699 BC.  The Limmu List is important because it establishes the chronology of Assyrian kings, which can be used to cross-reference and reconstruct the chronology of the kings of Israel.

Let’s read together 1 Kings 16:29-33.

Kurkh Monolith of Shalmaneser III

This is an Akkadian inscription on limestone.  It speaks of the military campaigns of the Assyrian King Shalmaneser III.  One campaign of note is the battle of Qarqar in 853 BC.  There is a reference to “Ahab the Israelite.”  This may be a reference to king Ahab of Israel who reigned from 874 to 853 BC.

Let’s read together Daniel 1:7; 2:49; 3:12-30; 2 Kings 25:8-9; and Jeremiah 39:9-14; 52:12-26.  

Nebuchadnezzar II prism

This is an eight-sided clay cylinder with inscriptions on each column (side).  The prism has an inscription telling of its completion in 598 BC.  Only six columns are preserved.  Column six is a list of Babylonian officials.  Nergal-Sharezer and Nebuzaran, two Babylonian officials mentioned in the Bible are on this list.  More notably this list also has the names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, the Babylonian names of Daniel’s friends Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael!

Let’s read together Numbers 21:29; 2 Kings 3:4-5; and Jeremiah 48:46.

Moabite Stone (also known as the Mesha Stele)

This is a stone inscription written by Mesha king of Moab around 840-860 BC.  It confirms the Moabites worshiped the god Chemosh. It also mentions Mesha winning a victory over Omri, king of Israel.

Let’s read together 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 and Ezra 1:1-8.

Cyrus Cylinder

This clay cylinder is a propaganda account of Cyrus’ conquest of Babylon created around 539 BC.  In addition to establishing Persian rule, the Cyrus cylinder proclaims deported people may return to their homelands.  This proclamation gives credence to the Bible’s claim the people of Israel were allowed by Cyrus to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.

Let’s read together 2 Kings 24:8-20.

Jerusalem Chronicle

This describes the history of the kings of Babylon from 605 to 594 BC.  It records the first deportation of the Jews in 605 BC.  It also mentions the second deportation of the Jews in 597 BC, the destruction of the Jewish temple, the capture of Jehoiachin, and the appointment of Zedekiah.

Let’s read together 2 Kings 18:13-25 and 2 Chronicles 32:9-10.

Lachish Relief

This is a gypsum wall panel relief dating to 700-681 BC.  It depicts Sennacherib’s victory over the kingdom of Judah at Lachish.  This relief is significant in that the kingdom of Judah was formidable enough for Sennacherib to commission the relief in the first place.  Secondly, it is telling that the relief does not depict the defeat of Jursalem, meaning Sennacherib never conquered it, just as the Bible declares in 2 Kings chapter 18 and 19.

Let’s read together 2 Samuel 2:1-4; 5:3 and 2 Kings 8:25-29.

Tel Dan Stele

This stele was erected by an Aramaic king dating to approximately 900-801 BC.  The inscription boasts of the king’s victory of “the king of Israel” and “the king of the house of David.”  The significance of the Tel Dan stele is that it testifies to the historicity of King David in the Bible.

Let’s read together Psalm 12:6-7.

The Dead Sea Scrolls

This is the most well-known biblical archaeology discovery.  Fragments of all the books of the Bible (except for the book of Esther) have been found in the caves of Qumran in Israel.  These fragments date from roughly 250 BC to 68 AD. The Dead Sea Scrolls prove that the Old Testament we read today is the same Old Testament Jesus read over 2000 years ago.

Let’s read together Numbers 6:24-26.

Ketef Hinnom Silver Scroll

This is the oldest record of the Scriptures.  It records the blessing in Numbers 6:24-26.  The Ketef Hinnom scroll predates the Dead Sea scrolls by hundreds of years, dating to approximately 600 BC.

There are so many more archaeological findings of relevance to the Old Testament.  If you are interested, you can look up the Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, the Merneptah victory stele, Hezekiah’s tunnel inscription, the Lachish Letters, the Nabonidus Cylinder, the Berlin Pedestal, and the palace of Sargon.

These biblical archaeological discoveries show that the Bible is not a book of legends, myths, and fairy tales.  These archaeological finds show that we can trust the Bible when it speaks of historical things.  If we can trust what the Bible says about historical things, then we can trust what it says about spiritual things.

Friend, are you willing to put your trust in the Bible?

#bible study #biblical archaeology #dead sea scrolls #Psalm 12:6-7

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Saturday, August 27, 2022

august 27_august 14

Forefeast of the Dormition.

THE PROPHET MICAH ((8th c. B.C.)

The Prophet Micah, the sixth of the Twelve Minor Prophets, was descended from the Tribe of Judah and was a native of the city of Moresheth, to the south of Jerusalem. His prophetic service began around the year 778 before Christ and continued for almost 50 years under the kings of Judah: Jotham, Ahaz, and Righteous Hezekiah (721-691 B.C., August 28).

He was a contemporary of the Prophet Isaiah. His denunciations and predictions were in regard to the separate kingdoms of Judah and Israel. He foresaw the misfortunes threatening the kingdom of Israel before its destruction, and the sufferings of Judah during the incursions under the Assyrian emperor Sennacherib.

To him belongs a prophecy about the birth of the Savior of the world: “And thou, Bethlehem, house of Ephratha, art too few in number to be reckoned with the thousands of Judah; yet out of thee shall come forth to Me, one who is to be a ruler in Israel, and His goings forth were from the beginning, even from eternity” (Mic. 5: 2). From the words of the Prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 26: 18-19), the Jews evidently were afraid to kill the Prophet Micah. His relics were discovered in the fourth century after the Birth of Christ at Baraphsatia, through a revelation to the Bishop of Eleutheropolis, Zeuinos.

THE MONK THEODOSIUS OF THE KIEV FAR CAVE (1091)

Saint Theodosius of the Caves, was the Father of monasticism in Russia. He was born at Vasilevo, not far from Kiev. From his youth he felt an irresistible attraction for the ascetic life, and led an ascetic lifestyle while still in his parental home. He disdained childish games and attractions, and constantly went to church. He asked his parents to let him study the holy books, and through his ability and rare zeal, he quickly learned to read the books, so that everyone was amazed at his intellect.

When he was fourteen, he lost his father and remained under the supervision of his mother, a strict and domineering woman who loved her son very much. Many times she chastised her son for his yearning for asceticism, but he remained firmly committed to his path.

At the age of twenty-four, he secretly left his parents’ home and Saint Anthony at the Kiev Caves monastery blessed him to receive monastic tonsure with the name Theodosius. After four years his mother found him and with tearfully begged him to return home, but the saint persuaded her to remain in Kiev and to become a nun in the monastery of Saint Nicholas at the Askold cemetery.

Saint Theodosius toiled at the monastery more than others, and he often took upon himself some of the work of the other brethren. He carried water, chopped wood, ground up the grain, and carried the flour to each monk. On cold nights he uncovered his body and let it serve as food for gnats and mosquitoes. His blood flowed, but the saint occupied himself with handicrafts, and sang Psalms. He came to church before anyone else and, standing in one place, he did not leave it until the end of services. He also listened to the readings with particular attention.

In 1054 Saint Theodosius was ordained a hieromonk, and in 1057 he was chosen igumen. The fame of his deeds attracted a number of monks to the monastery, at which he built a new church and cells, and he introduced cenobitic rule of the Studion monastery, a copy of which he commissioned at Constantinople.

As igumen, Saint Theodosius continued his arduous duties at the monastery. He usually ate only dry bread and cooked greens without oil, and spent his nights in prayer without sleep. The brethren often noticed this, although the saint tried to conceal his efforts from others.

No one saw when Saint Theodosius dozed lightly, and usually he rested while sitting. During Great Lent the saint withdrew into a cave near the monastery, where he struggled unseen by anyone. His attire was a coarse hairshirt worn next to his body. He looked so much like a beggar that it was impossible to recognize in this old man the renowned igumen, deeply respected by all who knew him.

Once, Saint Theodosius was returning from visiting the Great Prince Izyaslav. The coachman, not recognizing him, said gruffly, “You, monk, are always on holiday, but I am constantly at work. Take my place, and let me ride in the carriage.” The holy Elder meekly complied and drove the servant. Seeing how nobles along the way bowed to the monk driving the horses, the servant took fright, but the holy ascetic calmed him, and gave him a meal at the monastery. Trusting in God’s help, the saint did not keep a large supply of food at the monastery, and therefore the brethren were in want of their daily bread. Through his prayers, however, unknown benefactors appeared at the monastery and furnished the necessities for the brethren.

The Great Princes, especially Izyaslav, loved to listen to the spiritual discourses of Saint Theodosius. The saint was not afraid to denounce the mighty of this world. Those unjustly condemned always found a defender in him, and judges would review matters at the request of the igumen. He was particularly concerned for the destitute. He built a special courtyard for them at the monastery where anyone in need could receive food and drink. Sensing the approach of death, Saint Theodosius peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in the year 1074. He was buried in a cave which he dug, where he had secluded himself during fasting periods.

The relics of the ascetic were found incorrupt in the year 1091, and Saint Theodosius was glorified as a saint in 1108. Of the written works of Saint Theodosius six discourses, two letters to Great Prince Izyaslav, and a prayer for all Christians have survived to our time.

The Life of Saint Theodosius was written by Saint Nestor the Chronicler (October 27), a disciple of the great Abba, only thirty years after his repose, and it was always one of the favorite readings of the Russian nation. Saint Theodosius is also commemorated on September 28 and May 3.

LUKE 6:17-23

17 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. 20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:3-9

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

#orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #easternchristianity #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #bible #gospel #wisdom

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

26th July >> Mass Readings (USA)

Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

    on 

Tuesday, Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time.

Tuesday, Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the feria (Tuesday))

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Tuesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

Jeremiah 14:17-22

Remember, Lord, your covenant with us and break it not.

Let my eyes stream with tears    day and night, without rest, Over the great destruction which overwhelms    the virgin daughter of my people,    over her incurable wound. If I walk out into the field,    look! those slain by the sword; If I enter the city,    look! those consumed by hunger. Even the prophet and the priest    forage in a land they know not.

Have you cast Judah off completely?    Is Zion loathsome to you? Why have you struck us a blow    that cannot be healed? We wait for peace, to no avail;    for a time of healing, but terror comes instead. We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness,    the guilt of our fathers;    that we have sinned against you. For your name’s sake spurn us not,    disgrace not the throne of your glory;    remember your covenant with us, and break it not. Among the nations’ idols is there any that gives rain?    Or can the mere heavens send showers? Is it not you alone, O LORD,    our God, to whom we look?    You alone have done all these things.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13

R/ For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;    may your compassion quickly come to us,    for we are brought very low.

R/ For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Help us, O God our savior,    because of the glory of your name; Deliver us and pardon our sins    for your name’s sake.

R/ For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you;    with your great power free those doomed to death. Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,    will give thanks to you forever;    through all generations we will declare your praise.

R/ For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Gospel Acclamation

1 Peter 1:25

Alleluia, alleluia. The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live for ever. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 13:36-43

Just as the weeds are collected now and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

---------------------------------------

Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Tuesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

Sirach 44:1, 10-15

Their name lives on and on.

Now will I praise those godly men,    our ancestors, each in his own time: These were godly men    whose virtues have not been forgotten; Their wealth remains in their families,    their heritage with their descendants; Through God’s covenant with them their family endures,    their posterity for their sake.

And for all time their progeny will endure,    their glory will never be blotted out; Their bodies are peacefully laid away,    but their name lives on and on. At gatherings their wisdom is retold,    and the assembly proclaims their praise.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 132:11, 13-14, 17-18

R/ God will give him the throne of David, his father.

The LORD swore to David    a firm promise from which he will not withdraw: “Your own offspring    I will set upon your throne.”

R/ God will give him the throne of David, his father.

For the LORD has chosen Zion;    he prefers her for his dwelling. “Zion is my resting place forever;    in her will I dwell, for I prefer her.”

R/ God will give him the throne of David, his father.

“In her will I make a horn to sprout forth for David;    I will place a lamp for my anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame,    but upon him my crown shall shine.”

R/ God will give him the throne of David, his father.

Gospel Acclamation

cf. Luke 2:25c

Alleluia, alleluia. They yearned for the comforting of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested upon them. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 13:16-17

Many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[ruminativerabbi]

Ezra and Esther

Being an ancient book, the Bible makes many of its best points using all sorts of literary techniques that are unfamiliar to modern readers. Sometimes these are subtle flourishes that only someone reading truly carefully would ever notice. But other instances are totally overt, fully visible, and noticeable by even someone just casually perusing the text. The willingness of the narrative to depict the same individual as being two different ages at the same time is a good example: to most moderns, passages that do that have a clumsy feel to them and suggest that some ancient editor must have been asleep at the switch and simply failed to see a giant discrepancy that could easily have been fixed. (To see an essay I published years ago about that specific feature of the scriptural text, click here.) But discrepancy is more wisely taken as a literary feature of the text, as a kind of riddle fully intended to teach something to those who take the time to solve it.

Also in that category is the apparent willingness of Scripture to present two versions of the same story that are essentially incompatible with each other. The most famous example of that would be in the very beginning of the biblical text, where Genesis starts off with two wholly irreconcilable accounts of the creation of humankind. Many and clever have been the attempts of countless commentators to “fix” the problem by finding a way to fit the stories together into a single, cogent narrative. But the far more interesting way to approach the problem is to understand this opening riddle as one of many places in the text of Scripture in which the same story is told in two discordant versions not to confuse or to annoy, but to invite the reader to exploit the differences between the two conflicting texts to learn a lesson that Scripture prefers for some reason to teach subtly rather than fully openly.

As Purim approaches, I’ve been thinking how that approach to mismatched texts can be applied not solely to texts within a biblical book, but also to the larger biblical corpus itself. (I have an essay about that too: click here.) In other words, taking the Bible as a book (as opposed to a collection of books) allows the reader to approach the full text of Tanakh as a single literary unit to which the interpretive rules generally brought to bear in explicating passages within specific single books can be fruitfully applied.

In the second of my two essays mentioned above, I applied this principle to a huge difference between the biblical books of Jeremiah and Daniel, one that would be simple to wave away as a mere instance of misspelling on the part of one or both authors. Today, I would like to apply that same principle to the biblical books of Esther and Ezra. And then I would like to apply the lesson that comparison suggests to our present situation as Jewish Americans.

The Book of Ezra, one of Scripture’s most understudied books, begins where Chronicles leaves off: with the surprise announcement that, as one of his first royal edicts, Cyrus, king of Persia, formally ended the exile in Babylon and told the Jews living in modern-day Iraq and Iran that they could return to Israel and re-establish Jewish life in that place. It’s a complex story. The edict of Cyrus itself appears in Scripture in several different versions. The specific relationship between the work of the Chronicler (as the anonymous author of Chronicles is chummily called by scholars) and Ezra and its own sister work, the Book of Nehemiah,is a matter of endless scholarly debate. But, for all that, the storyline itself is clear as day. In the waning days of the Kingdom of Judah (the sole remaining Jewish state in its day, the northern Kingdom of Israel having been dismantled by its Assyrian overlords more than a century earlier), the Babylonian hordes arrived at the gates of Jerusalem. There was a brief window of opportunity during which the coming debacle could have been averted. (The prophet Jeremiah was at the peak of his powers in the months leading up to said debacle and promote surrender as a means of survival.) But the king of Judah wouldn’t hear of it. And what ensued was the razing of Jerusalem’s walls, the slaughter of countless citizens, the destruction of the Temple, and the annihilation of the nation’s hopes for some sort of continued existence as an autonomous state. What ensued is known as the Babylonian Exile. Some Jews—the poorest and least educated ones—were ignored. But the rest of the nation—the royal court, the scholars, the businesspeople, the upper and middle artisan classes—were taken off into exile and forced to attempt to survive while “weeping on the shores of Babylon.”

There is endless debate about the details: how many people went into exile, how many survived, how successful they were or weren’t in retaining their ties to their own Jewish culture while in a hostile environment. But none of that alters the basic the storyline: the Babylonians exiled some or many (but not all) the Jews and then, when they were defeated in turn by Cyrus of Persia, those Jews and their descendants were permitted to go home and it is their story that the Book of Ezra tells. Nor is the moral of the story hard to suss out: Jewish life in exile is possible, but the only real hope for continued Jewish existence lies in return to the land. Yes, Cyrus’s decree specifically permits any who wish to stay behind and support the returnees financially (“with gold, silver, goods, livestock, and valuables”). But the author’s point couldn’t be clearer: exile is barely bearable and only briefly. When the opportunity presents itself to return to Zion, the people who care about their own future get going—because that is where their future lies. From there, life progressed. In the chronology put forward in Ezra, Cyrus is replaced on the throne by Darius, who is followed by—surprise!—King Achashveirosh, known to all from the Esther story. (His “real” name was Xerxes, and he was followed by his son Artaxerxes, who was on the throne in Ezra’s own day.)

Let’s go back to Achashveirosh. I love that he has two names. (I do too, as do most diasporan Jewish types.) And I love that he’s mentioned not only in the book that is so much “about” him, but also in other books: here in Ezra and also once in the Book of Daniel (whose author thought he was Darius’s father, not his grandson. Whatever.) And thus does he serve as the link between Ezra and Esther by appearing in both, albeit briefly in Ezra and at length in Esther.

The storyline of Esther is known to all who have ever been in shul on Purim. But that story contains some riddles generally left unposed, thus also unsolved.

A terrible decree goes forth calling for true genocide, for the total eradication of the Jewish people. The edict is met with astonishment by the people, who are given a full eleven months to prepare for their execution. Eventually, things end up well. But I’m focused on what happens before that happens. The people is in a panic. They appear to inhabit every one of the 127 provinces of Achashveirosh’s empire. The portrait drawn by the Chronicler and by Ezra of a people temporarily banished from its homeland and more than eager finally to abandon exile and return to Israel seems oddly out of sync with the scene depicted in Esther. Cyrus reigned for about twenty years, from 550 BCE to 530. Darius reigned for about forty years after that. And then we have Achashveirosh/Xerxes, who came to the throne in about 465 BCE and who reigned for about forty years. In Cyrus’s day, the Book of Ezra has the Jewish people returning en masse to the Jewish homeland and leaving a few stragglers behind. But, a mere century later, the Book of Esther depicts a Persian empire with Jews living in all 127 of its provinces and apparently well settled in and, until Haman, secure.

And how do the Jews in the Megillah respond to impending genocide? (This is, of course, real genocide they were facing, not the phony kind modern-day anti-Semites see whenever Israel dares defend itself forcefully against its enemies.) They weep. They fast. They daub themselves with ashes, essentially pre-sitting shiva for themselves while they still can. But no one seems to remember that Israel—then called Yehud (the Persian version of Judah)—was one of those 127 provinces. And that there was no specific reason for the Jews, instead of cowering in terror, not to return to their own ancestral homeland and there to defend themselves against their enemies. This course of action—forceful, beyond justifiable, and possible even fully successful—this seems to have occurred to no one.

The Jews seem to prefer their misery. Mordechai forbids Esther to reveal her Jewishness to the king until precisely the right moment. But surely the Jews of Shushan knew that Esther was Jewish—how could they not have? They all seem to know who Mordechai is. And Esther was his ward, an uncle’s daughter whom he had adopted and promised to raise. Surely she too would have been known to all. And yet no one seems to light upon the idea of getting Esther to beg the king for permission to return to Zion  and there, in their own homeland, to resist the terror-onslaught planned by wicked Haman.

And so we have two worldviews in conflict: the one set forward in Ezra in which it goes without saying that the future of the Jewish people depends on their ability to flourish in Israel and the one in Esther that seems to think that the best hope for Jews in the diaspora is to hope that salvation from even the most extreme version of violent anti-Semitism (i.e., the kind that promotes genocide as its end goal) is to pray that salvation comes, to quote Mordechai himself, “from somewhere.”

Or do we? Could the point of Esther be to show the folly of charting a future for the Jewish people by hoping for salvation “from somewhere” or anywhere? The Jews of Persia were saved because of Esther’s daring and Mordechai’s cunning. But that their plan works at all is presented as something just short of miraculous. The Jews of Persia are depicted as powerless and foolish…and wholly unable to see that their only real hope rests in returning to Zion and there flourishing out in the open and fully in the light as proud members of the House of Israel. Ezra simply starts off by taking that for granted. Esther depicts a people gone astray a mere century later. Reading each in each other’s light is meant, I think, not to confuse, but to challenge those inclined to suppose that Jews can be safe by relying on others and hoping for the best and, to encourage them, ayin l’tziyyon tzofiah, to see where the ultimate destiny of Israel lies.

#Book of Ezra #Megillat Esther #Cyrus of Persia #Xerxes #Achashveirosh

[barbaramoorersm]

March 17, 2024

March 17, 2024

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Jeremiah 31: 31-34

The Prophet shares that God is making a new covenant with the people.

Psalm 51

The Psalmist asks for forgiveness from God.

Hebrews 5: 7-9

This letter speaks of the obedience of Christ.

John 12: 20-33

Jesus is troubled and shares the kind of death he would experience.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

The Prophet Jeremiah writes that God will make a new covenant with the people.  “The days are coming says the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Northen and Southern Kingdoms). It will not be like the one on the tablets of stone that Moses received and the people violated.  But this agreement, this covenant “will be written within them and upon their hearts.”  These words seem more personal and deeper in meaning.  Many Christians see the life and role of Jesus within this promise of a new covenant.  They turn to Jesus’ words at the last supper about a “new covenant in my blood.”  In many ways this is a more demanding covenant because of its internal nature.  God’s law is not just external actions, but this new covenant calls for a change in attitude and a change in our hearts.  In many ways that is what we hope for during our Lenten season.

For a covenant to be written within and upon our hearts calls us to something more than we may have experienced.  It seems to call us into a deeper relationship with God.  And we Christians believe that relationship has the capacity to become more profound because Jesus became one of us.  But this season of Lent which is soon to end, shows us that Jesus paid a hugh price for that relationship.

John’s Gospel shares Jesus’ use of a metaphor to explain what is lying ahead for him. “Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”  Jesus’ audience of ordinary peasants certainly understood this picture.  His death did produce much fruit.  But his example plays out in our daily lives.  When at times, we can put another’s needs before ours and when, we can step outside ourselves to listen and care for others, we may face a small “death” in our lives but also produce much fruit.

Our Gospel also tells us that Jesus was aware of what was coming into his life.  “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? Father save me from this hour?   And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”  By the time John writes his Gospel some 60 to 70 years have passed since Jesus’ death and resurrection.  His listeners now understood what Jesus was saying.

But there are several points in the Gospel that may have raised questions for you.  “Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast” requested something from Philip.  There was a group of Gentiles who were intrigued by Judaism and made a point of attending the Synagogue ceremonies but did not convert to Judaism.  Scholars tell us that Paul’s early ministry was to this group of people often called “God fearers.”  And, Paul ran into difficulty with his Jewish brothers and sisters who saw him as a “sheep stealer.”  In time Paul focused his attention on the conversion of Gentiles as a whole.

The second interesting point in the Gospel is the desire of these Gentiles to meet Jesus.  In their travels they undoubtedly heard about him and his message. After the request by his apostles to have these Greeks meet Jesus, Jesus turns to the message if his coming death.  We do not know if the meeting took place but the desire to know more about Jesus is very clear.

The Gospel closing with Jesus’ words, “When I am lifted up, I will draw everyone to myself.  The Greeks may not have met him directly, but they now knew that he was open to them and their lives.  May his modeling be a road map for all of us.

[thetheoreticaljehovist]

To obey is better than a sacrifice, to pay attention than the fat of rams: But the people living in Israel ignored that command and kept on following their old customs...

“The word that occurred to Jeremiah from Jehovah after Neb·u’zar·ad’an the chief of the bodyguard sent him from Ra’mah, when he took him while he was bound with handcuffs in the midst of all the exiles of Jerusalem and of Judah, who were being taken into exile in Babylon. Then the chief of the bodyguard took Jeremiah and said to him: “Jehovah your God himself spoke this calamity against this place, that Jehovah might bring [it] true and do just as he has spoken, because YOU people have sinned against Jehovah and have not obeyed his voice. And this thing has happened to YOU. And now, look! I have let you loose today from the handcuffs that were upon your hands. If it is good in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, come, and I shall keep my eye upon you. But if it is bad in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, refrain. See! The entire land is before you. To wherever it is good and right in your eyes to go, go there.”

And he was yet not one that would return, when [Neb·u’zar·ad’an said]: “Do return to Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam the son of Sha’phan, whom the king of Babylon has commissioned over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him in the midst of the people; or to wherever it is right in your eyes to go, go.”

And the chief of the bodyguard then gave him a food allowance and a present and let him go. Accordingly Jeremiah came to Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam at Miz’pah and took up dwelling with him in the midst of the people who were left remaining in the land.

In time all the chiefs of the military forces who were in the field, they and their men, got to hear that the king of Babylon had commissioned Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam over the land and that he had commissioned him [over] the men and women and little children and some of the lowly people of the land, who had not been taken into exile in Babylon. So they came to Ged·a·li’ah at Miz’pah, even Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah and Jo·ha’nan and Jon’a·than, the sons of Ka·re’ah, and Se·rai’ah the son of Tan·hu’meth and the sons of E’phai the Ne·toph’a·thite and Jez·a·ni’ah the son of the Ma·ac’a·thite, they and their men. And Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam the son of Sha’phan proceeded to swear to them and to their men, saying: “Do not be afraid of serving the Chal·de’ans. Continue dwelling in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with YOU. And as for me, here I am dwelling in Miz’pah, in order to stand before the Chal·de’ans who will come to us. And as for YOU yourselves, gather wine and summer fruits and oil and put [them] in YOUR vessels and dwell in YOUR cities that YOU have seized.”

And all the Jews that were in Mo’ab and among the sons of Am’mon and in E’dom and those who were in all the [other] lands, they also heard that the king of Babylon had given a remnant to Judah and that he had commissioned over them Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam the son of Sha’phan. And all the Jews began to return from all the places to which they had been dispersed, and they kept coming into the land of Judah to Ged·a·li’ah at Miz’pah. And they went gathering wine and summer fruits in very great quantity.

As for Jo·ha’nan the son of Ka·re��ah and all the chiefs of the military forces who were in the field, they came to Ged·a·li’ah at Miz’pah. And they proceeded to say to him: “Do you not at all know that Ba’a·lis, the king of the sons of Am’mon, himself has sent Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah to strike you to the soul?” But Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam did not believe them.

And Jo·ha’nan the son of Ka·re’ah himself said to Ged·a·li’ah, in a place of concealment in Miz’pah: “I want to go, now, and strike down Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah, as no one at all will know. Why should he strike you to the soul, and why must all those of Judah who are being collected together to you be scattered and the remnant of Judah perish?” But Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam said to Jo·ha’nan the son of Ka·re’ah: “Do not do this thing, for it is a falsehood that you are speaking concerning Ish’ma·el.”  

So it came about in the seventh month that Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah the son of E·lish’a·ma of the royal offspring and [of the] principal men of the king and ten other men with him came to Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam at Miz’pah. And there they began to eat bread together in Miz’pah. Then Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah and the ten men that happened to be with him rose up and struck down Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam the son of Sha’phan with the sword. So he put to death the one whom the king of Babylon had commissioned over the land. And all the Jews who happened to be with him, that is, with Ged·a·li’ah, in Miz’pah, and the Chal·de’ans who were found there, that is, the men of war, Ish’ma·el struck down.

And it came about on the second day of the putting of Ged·a·li’ah to death, when there was no one at all that knew [it], then there came men from She’chem, from Shi’loh and from Sa·mar’i·a, eighty men with their beards shaved off and with their garments ripped apart and with cuts made upon themselves, and there were grain offering and frankincense in their hand to bring to the house of Jehovah. So Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah went out from Miz’pah to meet them, weeping while he was walking along. And it came about that as soon as he encountered them he proceeded to say to them: “Come to Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam.” But it occurred that as soon as they came into the midst of the city, Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah went slaughtering them [and throwing them] into the midst of the cistern, he and the men that were with him.

But there were ten men that were found among them who immediately said to Ish’ma·el: “Do not put us to death, for there exist in our possession hidden treasures in the field, wheat and barley and oil and honey.” So he refrained, and he did not put them to death in the midst of their brothers. Now the cistern into which Ish’ma·el threw all the carcasses of the men that he had struck down was a great cistern, the one that King A’sa had made because of Ba’a·sha the king of Israel. It was the one that Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah filled with those slain.

Then Ish’ma·el took captive all the remnant of the people who were in Miz’pah, the daughters of the king and all the people who were remaining over in Miz’pah, whom Neb·u’zar·ad’an the chief of the bodyguard had put in the custody of Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam. So Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah took them captive and went off to cross over to the sons of Am’mon.

In time Jo·ha’nan the son of Ka·re’ah and all the chiefs of the military forces who were with him got to hear all the bad that Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah had done. Consequently they took all the men and went off to fight against Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah and found him by the abundant waters that were in Gib’e·on.

Then it came about that as soon as all the people that were with Ish’ma·el saw Jo·ha’nan the son of Ka·re’ah and all the chiefs of the military forces who were with him, they began to rejoice. And all the people whom Ish’ma·el had led captive from Miz’pah proceeded to turn around and return and go to Jo·ha’nan the son of Ka·re’ah. And as for Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah, he escaped with eight men from before Jo·ha’nan, that he might go to the sons of Am’mon.

Jo·ha’nan the son of Ka·re’ah and all the chiefs of the military forces who were with him now took all the remnant of the people whom they brought back from Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah, from Miz’pah, after he had struck down Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam, able-bodied men, men of war, and the wives and the little children and the court officials, whom he brought back from Gib’e·on. So they went and took up dwelling in the lodging place of Chim’ham that was beside Beth’le·hem, in order to go on and enter into Egypt, because of the Chal·de’ans; for they had become afraid because of them, since Ish’ma·el the son of Neth·a·ni’ah had struck down Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam, whom the king of Babylon had commissioned over the land.  

Then all the chiefs of the military forces and Jo·ha’nan the son of Ka·re’ah and Jez·a·ni’ah the son of Ho·shai’ah and all the people, from the smallest one even to the greatest one, approached and said to Jeremiah the prophet: “May our request for favor, please, fall before you, and do you pray in our behalf to Jehovah your God, in behalf of all this remnant, for we have been left remaining, a few out of many, just as your eyes are seeing us. And may Jehovah your God tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.”

At that Jeremiah the prophet said to them: “I have heard. Here I am praying to Jehovah YOUR God according to YOUR words; and it will certainly occur that every word that Jehovah gives in answer to YOU I shall tell YOU. I shall not hold back from YOU a word.”

And they, for their part, said to Jeremiah: “May Jehovah prove to be a true and faithful witness against us if it is not according to every word with which Jehovah your God sends you to us that we shall exactly do. Whether good or bad, it is the voice of Jehovah our God to whom we are sending you that we shall obey, to the intent that it may go well with us because we obey the voice of Jehovah our God.”

Now it came about at the end of ten days that the word of Jehovah proceeded to occur to Jeremiah. So he called for Jo·ha’nan the son of Ka·re’ah and for all the chiefs of the military forces who were with him and for all the people, from the smallest one even to the greatest one; and he went on to say to them: “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel, to whom YOU sent me to cause your request for favor to fall before him, has said, ‘If YOU will without fail keep dwelling in this land, I will also build YOU up and I shall not tear [YOU] down, and I will plant YOU and I shall not uproot [YOU]; for I shall certainly feel regret over the calamity that I have caused to YOU. Do not be afraid because of the king of Babylon, of whom YOU are in fear.’

“‘Do not be afraid because of him,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘for I am with YOU, in order to save YOU and to deliver YOU out of his hand. And I shall give to YOU mercies, and he will certainly have mercy upon YOU and return YOU to YOUR own soil.

“‘But if YOU are saying: “No; we are not going to dwell in this land!” in order to disobey the voice of Jehovah YOUR God, saying: “No, but into the land of Egypt we shall enter, where we shall see no war and the sound of the horn we shall not hear and for bread we shall not go hungry; and there is where we shall dwell”; even now therefore hear the word of Jehovah, O remnant of Judah. This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said: “If YOU yourselves positively set YOUR faces to enter into Egypt and YOU actually enter in to reside there as aliens, it must also occur that the very sword of which YOU are afraid will there catch up with YOU in the land of Egypt, and the very famine at which YOU are in a fright will there closely follow after YOU to Egypt; and there is where YOU will die. And it will come about that all the men that have set their faces to enter into Egypt to reside there as aliens will be the ones to die by the sword, by the famine and by the pestilence; and they will not come to have a survivor or an escapee, because of the calamity that I am bringing in upon them.”’

“For this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said, ‘Just as my anger and my rage have been poured out upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my rage will be poured out upon YOU because of YOUR entering into Egypt, and YOU will certainly become a curse and an object of astonishment and a malediction and a reproach, and you will no more see this place.’

“Jehovah has spoken against YOU, O remnant of Judah. Do not enter into Egypt. YOU should positively know that I have borne witness against YOU today, that YOU have committed error against YOUR souls; for YOU yourselves have sent me to Jehovah YOUR God, saying, ‘Pray in our behalf to Jehovah our God; and according to everything that Jehovah our God says tell us that way, and we shall certainly do.’ And I tell YOU today, but YOU will certainly not obey the voice of Jehovah YOUR God or anything with which he has sent me to YOU. And now YOU should positively know that by the sword, by the famine and by the pestilence YOU will die in the place into which YOU do delight to enter to reside as aliens.”  

Now it came about that as soon as Jeremiah finished speaking to all the people all the words of Jehovah their God with which Jehovah their God had sent him to them, even all these words, Az·a·ri’ah the son of Ho·shai’ah and Jo·ha’nan the son of Ka·re’ah and all the presumptuous men proceeded to say to Jeremiah: “It is a falsehood that you are speaking. Jehovah our God has not sent you, saying, ‘Do not enter into Egypt to reside there as aliens.’ But Bar’uch the son of Ne·ri’ah is instigating you against us for the purpose of giving us into the hand of the Chal·de’ans, to put us to death or to take us into exile in Babylon.”

And Jo·ha’nan the son of Ka·re’ah and all the chiefs of the military forces and all the people did not obey the voice of Jehovah, to keep on dwelling in the land of Judah. So Jo·ha’nan the son of Ka·re’ah and all the chiefs of the military forces took all the remnant of Judah that had returned from all the nations to which they had been dispersed, in order to reside for a while in the land of Judah, even the able-bodied men and the wives and the little children and the daughters of the king and every soul that Neb·u’zar·ad’an the chief of the bodyguard had let stay with Ged·a·li’ah the son of A·hi’kam the son of Sha’phan, and Jeremiah the prophet and Bar’uch the son of Ne·riah.  And they finally came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of Jehovah; and they came gradually as far as Tah’pan·hes.

Then the word of Jehovah occurred to Jeremiah in Tah’pan·hes, saying: “Take in your hand great stones, and you must hide them in the mortar in the terrace of bricks that is at the entrance of the house of Phar’aoh in Tah’pan·hes before the eyes of the Jewish men. And you must say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said: “Here I am sending and I will take Neb·u·chad·rez’zar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will place his throne right above these stones that I have hidden, and he will certainly extend his state tent over them. And he must come in and strike the land of Egypt. Whoever is [due] for deadly plague will be for deadly plague, and whoever is [due] for captivity will be for captivity, and whoever is [due] for the sword will be for the sword. And I will set a fire ablaze in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he will certainly burn them and lead them captive and wrap himself up in the land of Egypt, just as a shepherd wraps himself up in his garment, and he will actually go out from there in peace. And he will certainly break to pieces the pillars of Beth-she’mesh, which is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of Egypt he will burn with fire.”’”  

The word that occurred to Jeremiah for all the Jews that were dwelling in the land of Egypt, the ones dwelling in Mig’dol and in Tah’pan·hes and in Noph and in the land of Path’ros, saying: “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said, ‘YOU yourselves have seen all the calamity that I have brought in upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah, and here they are a devastated place this day, and in them there is no inhabitant. It is because of their badness that they did in order to offend me by going and making sacrificial smoke and rendering service to other gods whom they themselves had not known, neither YOU nor YOUR forefathers. And I kept sending to YOU all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending, saying: “Do not do, please, this detestable sort of thing that I have hated.” But they did not listen, nor did they incline their ear to turn back from their badness by not making sacrificial smoke to other gods. So my rage, and my anger, was poured out and it burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they came to be a devastated place, a desolate waste, as at this day.’

“And now this is what Jehovah, the God of armies, the God of Israel, has said, ‘Why are YOU causing a great calamity to YOUR souls, in order to cut off from yourselves man and woman, child and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, so that YOU do not leave over for yourselves a remnant; by offending me with the works of YOUR hands by making sacrificial smoke to other gods in the land of Egypt, into which YOU are entering to reside as aliens; for the purpose of causing a cutting off of yourselves and for the purpose of YOUR becoming a malediction and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? Have YOU forgotten the bad deeds of YOUR forefathers and the bad deeds of the kings of Judah and the bad deeds of their wives and YOUR own bad deeds and the bad deeds of YOUR wives, that they have done in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? And down to this day they did not feel crushed, and they did not become afraid, nor did they walk in my law and in my statutes that I put before YOU and before YOUR forefathers.’

“Therefore this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said, ‘Here I am setting my face against YOU for calamity and for cutting off all Judah. And I will take the remnant of Judah who set their faces to enter into the land of Egypt to reside there as aliens, and they will all certainly come to their finish in the land of Egypt. They will fall by the sword; [and] by the famine they will come to their finish, from the smallest one even to the greatest one; by the sword and by the famine they will die. And they must become a curse, an object of astonishment and a malediction and a reproach. And I will hold an accounting against those dwelling in the land of Egypt, just as I held an accounting against Jerusalem, with the sword, with the famine and with the pestilence. And there will come to be no escapee or survivor for the remnant of Judah who are entering in to reside there as aliens, in the land of Egypt, even to return to the land of Judah to which they are lifting up their soul[ful desire] to return in order to dwell; for they will not return, except some escaped ones.’”

And all the men who were knowing that their wives had been making sacrificial smoke to other gods, and all the wives who were standing as a great congregation, and all the people who were dwelling in the land of Egypt, in Path’ros, proceeded to answer Jeremiah, saying: “As regards the word that you have spoken to us in the name of Jehovah, we are not listening to you; but we shall positively do every word that has gone forth from our mouth, in order to make sacrificial smoke to the ‘queen of the heavens’ and to pour out to her drink offerings, just as we ourselves and our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, when we used to be satisfied with bread and to be well off, and we did not see any calamity at all. And from the time that we ceased to make sacrificial smoke to the ‘queen of the heavens’ and pour out drink offerings to her we have lacked everything, and by the sword and by the famine we have come to our finish.

“Also, when we were making sacrificial smoke to the ‘queen of the heavens’ and [were disposed] to pour out drink offerings to her, did we without asking our husbands make for her sacrificial cakes, in order to make an image of her, and to pour out drink offerings to her?”

In turn Jeremiah said to all the people, to the able-bodied men and to the wives and to all the people, who were answering him with a word, saying: “As for the sacrificial smoke that YOU made in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, YOU and YOUR forefathers, YOUR kings and YOUR princes and the people of the land, was it not this that Jehovah remembered and that proceeded to come up into his heart? Finally Jehovah was no longer able to put up with it because of the badness of YOUR dealings, because of the detestable things that YOU had done, and so YOUR land came to be a devastated place and an object of astonishment and a malediction, without an inhabitant, as at this day. Because of the fact that YOU made sacrificial smoke and that YOU sinned against Jehovah and did not obey the voice of Jehovah and in his law and in his statutes and in his reminders YOU did not walk, that is why there has befallen YOU this calamity as at this day.”

And Jeremiah continued on to say to all the people and to all the women: “Hear the word of Jehovah, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt. This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said, ‘As for YOU men and YOUR wives, YOU women also speak with YOUR mouths, (and with YOUR hands YOU people have made a fulfillment,) saying: “We shall without fail perform our vows that we have vowed, to make sacrificial smoke to the ‘queen of the heavens’ and to pour out drink offerings to her.” YOU women will without fail carry out YOUR vows, and YOU will without fail perform YOUR vows.’

“Therefore hear the word of Jehovah, all Judah who are dwelling in the land of Egypt, ‘“Here I myself have sworn by my great name,” Jehovah has said, “that my name will no more prove to be something called out by the mouth of any man of Judah, saying, ‘As the Sovereign Lord Jehovah is alive!’ in all the land of Egypt. Here I am keeping alert toward them for calamity and not for good; and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt will certainly come to their finish by the sword and by the famine, until they cease to be. And as for the ones escaping from the sword, they will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all those of the remnant of Judah, who are coming into the land of Egypt to reside there as aliens, will certainly know whose word comes true, that from me or that from them.”’”

“‘And this is the sign for YOU,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘that I am turning my attention upon YOU in this place, in order that YOU may know that my words will without fail come true upon YOU for calamity: This is what Jehovah has said: “Here I am giving Phar’aoh Hoph’ra, the king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those seeking for his soul, just as I have given Zed·e·ki’ah the king of Judah into the hand of Neb·u·chad·rez’zar the king of Babylon, his enemy and the one seeking for his soul.”’”

-Jeremiah 40-44, NWT

We Shall Without Fail Perform Our Vows That We Have Vowed, To Make Sacrificial Smoke To The ‘Queen of The Heavens’

#Jehovah #God #Jeremiah #Bible #Scripture #Prophecy #History #Israel #Judah #Jerusalem #Egypt #Babylon #Gedaliah #Art #Religious Art #Oleksandr Antonyuk #Eduard Bendemann #Esoteric #Esoterica

[automatismoateo]

Fun Fact: In the Bible GOD MADE PEOPLE EAT their own BABY'S children and afterbirth. via /r/atheism

Fun Fact: In the Bible GOD MADE PEOPLE EAT their own BABY'S, children and afterbirth. Whenever a Christian says "God is all Good" just cite this. This is the worst thing I ever saw God do in the Bible but if anyone knows of something worse put it in the comments. God is not good he is cruel end of story. Jeremiah 19:7-9 NASB And I will frustrate the planning of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will make their carcasses food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth. 8 I will also turn this city into an object of horror and hissing; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and hiss because of all its disasters. 9 AND I WILL MAKE THEM EAT THE FLESH OF THEIR SONS AND THE FLESH OF THEIR DAUGHTERS, and they will eat one another’s flesh during the siege and in the hardship with which their enemies and those who seek their life will torment them.” — Deuteronomy 28:47-59 “BECAUSE YOU DID NOT SERVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH JOY AND A GLAD HEART, for the abundance of all things; therefore you shall serve your enemies whom THE LORD WILL SEND AGAINST YOU, IN HUNGER, IN THIRST, IN NAKEDNESS, AND IN THE LACK OF ALL THINGS; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you. “The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand, a nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young. Moreover, it shall eat the offspring of your herd and the produce of your ground until you are destroyed, who also leaves you no grain, new wine, or oil, nor the increase of your herd or the young of your flock until they have caused you to perish. It shall besiege you in all your towns until your high and fortified walls in which you trusted come down throughout your land, and it shall besiege you in all your towns throughout your land which the lord your God has given you. THEN YOU SHALL EAT THE OFFSPRING OF YOUR OWN BODY, THE FLESH OF YOUR SONS AND OF YOUR DAUGHTERS WHOM THE LORD YOUR GOD HAS GIVEN YOU, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you. The man who is refined and very delicate among you shall be hostile toward his brother and toward the wife he cherishes and toward the rest of his children who remain, so that he will not give even one of them any of the flesh of his children which he will eat, since he has nothing else left, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you in all your towns. THE REFINED AND DELICATE WOMAN AMONG YOU, WHO WOULD NOT VENTURE TO SET THE SOLE OF HER FOOT ON THE GROUND FOR DELICATENESS AND REFINEMENT, SHALL BE HOSTILE TOWARD THE HUSBAND SHE CHERISHES AND TOWARD HER SON AND DAUGHTER, AND TOWARD HER AFTERBIRTH WHICH ISSUES FROM BETWEEN HER LEGS AND TOWARD HER CHILDREN WHOM SHE BEARS; FOR SHE WILL EAT THEM SECRETLY FOR LACK OF ANYTHING ELSE, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you in your towns. “If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the lord your God, then the Lord will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses. Submitted February 26, 2024 at 08:37PM by adrien195 (From Reddit https://ift.tt/EQVzs5w)

#reddit

[vincewillard-1971]

Do Not Listen To The Diviners

Jeremiah 27:1-11

1. In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

2. Thus saith the Lord to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,

3. And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and the king of Zion, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;

4. And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;

5. I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.

6. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beast of the field have I given him also to serve him.

7. And all nations shall see him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves.

8. And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

9. Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

10. For the prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.

11. But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.

#Christian Faith

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar,

Perez the father of Hezron,

and Hezron the father of Ram.

4 Ram was the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

and Nahshon the father of Salmon.

5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth,

and Obed the father of Jesse.

6 Jesse was the father of David the king.

David the king was the father of Solomon, by her who had been the wife of Uriah.

7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

and Abijah the father of Asa.

8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

and Joram the father of Uzziah.

9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.

10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

and Amon the father of Josiah.

11 Josiah was the father of Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were exiled to Babylon.

12 And after they were brought to Babylon,

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel.

13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud,

Abiud the father of Eliakim,

and Eliakim the father of Azor.

14 Azor was the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Akim,

and Akim the father of Eliud.

15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

and Matthan the father of Jacob.

16 And Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the exile to Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the exile in Babylon to Christ are fourteen generations.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way: After His mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, had in mind to divorce her privately.

20 But while he thought on these things, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for He who is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

22 Now all this occurred to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet, saying, 23 “A virgin shall be with child, and will bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is interpreted, “God with us.”

24 Then Joseph, being awakened from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and remained with his wife, 25 and did not know her until she had given birth to her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS. — Matthew 1 | Modern English Version (MEV) The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. Cross References: Genesis 22:18; Genesis 25:19; Deuteronomy 22:23; Deuteronomy 24:1; Ruth 4:18; Ruth 4:20; 1 Samuel 1:20; 2 Samuel 7:12; 2 Samuel 11:27; 1 Kings 3:5; 1 Kings 11:43; 1 Kings 15:24; 2 Kings 24:14; 1 Chronicles 2:12; 1 Chronicles 3:14; Isaiah 7:14; Jeremiah 22:30; Jeremiah 27:20; Haggai 1:1; Matthew 16:16; Matthew 16:20; Matthew 27:17; Luke 1:31; Luke 2:7; Acts 5:19; Romans 1:2

#Jesus #Jesus' genealogy #Jesus' birth #Joseph #Mary #angel of the Lord #Matthew 1 #Gospel of Matthew #New Testament #MEV #Modern English Version Bible #Military Bible Association #Charisma House

[princeofgod-2021]

LIGHT OF LIFE 455

John 1:4

DIVINE ORDER 20: KEEP YOUR RECORDS IN ORDER 2

Isa 30:8 Now go, WRITE IT DOWN ON A TABLET IN THEIR PRESENCE, INSCRIBE IT ON A SCROLL, so that it might be PRESERVED FOR A FUTURE TIME AS AN ENDURING WITNESS. NET

TAKE PEN TO PAPER 2

Why must Records be kept and why did God [intrinsically] keep them?

Rom 15:4 WHATEVER WAS WRITTEN BEFOREHAND IS MEANT TO INSTRUCT US IN HOW TO LIVE. The Scriptures impart to us encouragement and inspiration so that we can live in hope and endure all things. TPT

The Bible was written to teach all Men about God and His Purpose for Creation.

In the same vein, you are also supposed to write down your experiences in order to teach others.

Exo 31:2,3 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I HAVE FILLED HIM WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD, IN WISDOM, AND IN UNDERSTANDING, AND IN KNOWLEDGE, AND IN ALL MANNER OF WORKMANSHIP KJV

God fills “some” with Knowledge and Capacity in all Fields with intent to have them Teach others and keep the Knowledge flowing down the Generations to all else in relative Fields.

How do I know that Bezaleel and Aholiab were supposed to Teach others?

Simple!

Exo 35:30,34 Then Moses said to the Israelites, "Look, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, from the tribe of Judah. (Uri was the son of Hur.)…THE LORD HAS GIVEN BEZALEL AND OHOLIAB SPECIAL SKILLS TO TEACH OTHER PEOPLE. (Oholiab was the son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan.) ERV

The Expertise INSPIRATION came to Bezaleel as his own “Creation Modules”, delivered to his Heart.

When Moses delivered the message to him, it was now important to include that he had to Teach others too, and to do that, one must Document.

2Ti 2:2 TAKE THE TEACHINGS THAT YOU HEARD ME PROCLAIM IN THE PRESENCE OF MANY WITNESSES, and entrust them to reliable people, WHO WILL BE ABLE TO TEACH OTHERS ALSO. GNB

God also Documents so that future Generations can learn from mistakes of others and receive mandates in securing the incumbent Generation and guiding them from errors.

Dan 9:2 In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned FROM THE SCRIPTURES the number of years that Jerusalem would remain in ruins. The LORD had told the prophet Jeremiah that Jerusalem would remain in ruins for 70 years. GW

We learn from people who directly teach us by mouth, but mostly make references from Books written by those who were first, or those who have improved in that field of learning.

Deu 4:8-9 Or WHAT OTHER GREAT NATION HAS SUCH FAIR LAWS AND RULES AS ALL THESE TEACHINGS I AM GIVING YOU TODAY? However, be careful, and watch yourselves closely SO THAT YOU DON'T FORGET THE THINGS which you have seen with your own eyes. DON'T LET THEM FADE FROM YOUR MEMORY AS LONG AS YOU LIVE. TEACH THEM TO YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. GW

As students in class, don’t we take NOTES?

We take notes of what is said, and in the way we understand what is said.

Besides, every student is potentially a Teacher, now and later.

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

However, it’s not only for Teaching skills sake that we Documents.

It is also important that we keep records of Pros & Cons, Successes and Failures, loses and Profits etc.

2Co 1:8-9 Brothers and sisters, YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SEVERE TRIALS WE EXPERIENCED WHILE WE WERE IN WESTERN TURKEY. ALL OF THE HARDSHIPS WE PASSED THROUGH CRUSHED US BEYOND OUR ABILITY TO ENDURE, AND WE WERE SO COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED THAT WE WERE ABOUT TO GIVE UP ENTIRELY. It felt like we had a death sentence written upon our hearts, and WE STILL FEEL IT TO THIS DAY. It has taught us to lose all faith in ourselves and to place all of our trust in the God who raises the dead. TPT

Too many people prefer to keep “best-self” Records only.

They want people to see them only as [flawless] Champions all the way.

Some feel that people will be discouraged by records of failures and losses but nothing could be farther from the truth as such concepts.

Php 1:12,14 Now it is my purpose to make clear to you, brothers, that the cause of the good news has been helped by my experiences;…And MOST OF THE BROTHERS IN THE LORD, TAKING HEART BECAUSE OF MY CHAINS, ARE ALL THE STRONGER TO GIVE THE WORD OF GOD WITHOUT FEAR. BBE

People get Bolder to endure when they know you have endured.

I pray that all your life will make indelible impacts on your Children and Generation, IN JESUS NAME.

Come back on Wednesday, as we proceed in digging into this inspiring Subtopic.

Brother Prince

Monday, January 08, 2023

08055125517; 08023904307

[childofchrist1983]

Jeremiah spoke to Judah, to men already dwelling in "this place". But they could not assume they would continue to dwell in the land of promise, and God tells them they will only continue there if they repent. For the oppression of the weak and for turning from the true God to idols, God threatens judgment. But if they would "amend their ways", that judgment could be averted.

The nation that sins and continually presses on in rebellion and iniquity against God, we know the LORD Jesus Christ will judge. Unless a nation repents and amends its ways, judgment becomes inevitable. Let us not forget the source of all our national and personal blessings and let us not think we are guaranteed them. We trust in the LORD and His mercy, and we must all repent and seek to turn our hearts to Him always.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time daily to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful Lord, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in the Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

[itsyourchoicedevotionals]

Floats Your Boat

“Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Alas, sinful nation,
People weighed down with iniquity, …They have abandoned the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.” Isaiah 1:2-4NASB1995

Like the stupid warning labels on products we use daily, Isaiah is warning Yahweh’s people— the church… not the sinful world… PREPARE TO SELF-DESTRUCT …’you should know better— but you don’t even know where your bread is buttered.’ Is this any different from churches today? Where do we turn for help? Wisdom? Relief? Joy? Food? Finances? Rarely to God.

Another indictment Isaiah placed against the Israelite church— Isaiah 3:8-9ESV “For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, Because their speech and their actions are against the Lord, To rebel against His glorious presence. The expression of their faces bears witness against them, And they display their sin like Sodom; They do not even conceal it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves.” Has anyone noticed lately, the occult's church doesn’t even try to hide itself? Every kind of perversion known to man flaunts itself on main street America. Meanwhile people applaud these sins as righteous because ‘whatever floats your boat’ is okay.

Isaiah gives a final indictment which walks off the pages of history and echoes in the evening news. Isaiah 5:20-21ESV “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” When man becomes his own moral compass, he removes the standards of God. ‘Nothing is wrong,’ because ‘nothing is right.’ Pedophilia, human trafficking is fine because whatever floats one’s boat rules. To those who don’t— ‘suck it up buttercup.’ We’re racing to this point, (if not already there,) in the world where without Divine intervention, we’re going under.

Is there another remedy? God interjects mercy from the earliest warnings, Isaiah 1:18NIV “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” God holds out constant forgiveness, love, concern, cleansing, relief from the weight and filth of the guilt-laden consciouses. Would we do this?

Churches declare this is the new right, the new good. Scripture is out of date. Our consciences agree. But truth remains truth, because deep inside, everyone knows the truth of morality. Romans 1:20NIV “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” V1 through verse32, Paul reveals the course a heart travels into depravity. People who simply quit trying to hold up a standard against the depravity, end up getting swept up into the depravity.

No matter how evil people become in Bible days, or become in 2024 time, what Jeremiah wrote still stands, Lamentations 3:22-23ESV “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning…”

If you’re lost in a tangled snare of sin, confess— 1John 1:9NIV “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” The simple solution is as John says, confess sin— Admit doing wrong. Freedom comes through admission, repentance, and mercy. Our Merciful God Who loves us is waiting. It’s your choice. You choose.

LET’S PRAY: Father forgive us for all the times we’ve sinned. Lavish Your mercy and love upon us, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

by Debbie Veilleux Copyright 2024 You have my permission to reblog this devotional for others. Please keep my name with this devotional, as author. Thank you.

#Jesus Christ #word of god #god #holy spirit #lord of lords #it's your choice #devotional #floats your boat #tangled #evil #hide #faithful #just #forgive #admit #love #hope #faith

[wolint]

FRESH MANNA

OBEDIENCE THROUGH AND THROUGH!

Jeremiah 35

Would God commend you for obeying His word, following instructions or anything spiritual? He did commend the Rechabites for this very reason and holds them up as emulatable. These nomadic tribes were recorded in 1 Chronicles 2:55 as part of the Kenites of Hemmath.

Jonadab was the son of Rehab, a Kenite who descended from Hobab and was the head of the Rechabites in the time of Jehu, who commanded his tribe to abstain from wine, as well as instructing them to dwell in tents (this was to help them see life as transient and to keep a low profile and to possibly continue long in the land where they were strangers).

God used the Rechabites' faithfulness to teach the Israelis an important lesson. The Lord told Jeremiah to invite the Rechabites family to meet with him in verse 2 and offer them wine, which they firmly declined, explaining their forefather's command in verse 6. They remained faithful to their family tradition passed on so long ago.

By their obedience and faithfulness to their father, Jeremiah condemns the disobedience of the Jews to God their Father. We are taught how much God loves and rewards obedience and hates and punishes disobedience.

Do we abide by God’s word, His laws, His instructions and principles? Would God commend you to someone as an example of obedience and faithfulness? How long will you hold on to God’s instructions? Is your obedience to God for a period only?

The Rechabites faithfully lived by the set rules through the generations, from Jehu’s time in 2 Kings 10:15 to Jeremiah’s time, well over 200 years.

The story of the Rechabites highlights the importance of covenant obedience and disobedience in our lives. The implication is that if the Rechabites observed the instructions of their human ancestors, stayed faithful to a long-standing family covenant not to drink wine, and held themselves accountable for their obedience to this instruction, we shouldn’t be careless with and disobedient to God’s covenant. This family could have updated and modified Jonadab's rule at any time in any generation, but they decided to hold fast to the generational long command.

God sent Jeremiah to remind Judah to learn a lesson from the Rechabites’ obedient faithfulness to Jonadab. God contrasted the obedience of the Rechabites to the disobedience of His people.

Again, and again God sent His prophets to tell the Israelites to turn from their wicked ways, but the people wouldn’t heed God’s word, just as again and again we hear God’s word but refuse to obey them. God is saying to us here that as the Rechabites obeyed and lived a good life based on their forefather’s instructions then, we too must hold firm to the new covenant in obedience and live by His word.

The consideration that we are strangers and pilgrims in this world as drawn in verses 9-10 should oblige us to abstain from all fleshly lusts and materialism. Jonadab's descendants observed these strict rules, only using proper means for their safety in a time of general suffering. Now we have a greater means of staying safe, prospering and overcoming sufferings and shortcomings-the name of Jesus which is better and stronger than what not drinking wine will do for us.

We have a covenant obligation to obey the instructions of our “Father” and live the way His word prescribes for us to live. There is much to learn from this family. They stood firm against assimilating into the culture of the time. But is it possible for us to be like the Rechabites in the world we live in today?

PRAYER: Oh Lord, help me to be fully committed, faithful and obedient to all your instructions in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT. PRAYER MIN.

#spotify #devotional #christianpost #women's ministry #biblestudy #biblestudy christianpost women's ministry #biblestudy christianpost 'women's ministry #conference #family #prayer meeting