Skip to main content

Bad Stuff Coming

Do you remember that promise? The one I made with you a long time ago? Yeah, that one. I told you that if you did what I told you, good things would happen to you. Unfortunately, however, you didn't do what I told you. So, bad stuff is coming. And soon.

It will be so bad that there will be no way out. Crying will not bring sympathy. Do you want to know why? It's because you, Judah, have more little-g gods than you have towns. Incredible.

So, Jeremiah, don't even pray for these people because I will not answer your prayers. "The Lord Almighty, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused my anger by burning incense to Baal" (Jer 11:17).

You know, when God's people receive a message like this, they should run to God and fall on their faces in repentance. But, often, that is not the case. It wasn't here, and even if they had, they had lost that option. 

In this case, the people weren't repentant; they were furious. They plotted to kill Jeremiah and put an end to his negative messages. They were trying to silence God. That is not a good strategy. The end of this chapter tells why. "Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: "I will punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. Not even a remnant will be left to them because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment" (22,23). Bad stuff was on its way.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

If this is the kingdom of God, do I really want it?

If this is Kingdom Living, Do I Want it? Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. In a study of the Sermon on the Mount to this point we might be tempted to say, “I don’t want to be that happy!” If this is Kingdom living then I want to go to Disney World. This place is depressing.  What Jesus describes here seems to highlight all of the ...

What? How?

 27 “But to you who are listening, I say:  Love your enemies,  do good to those who hate you, 28  bless those who curse you,  pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek,  turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat,  do not withhold your shirt from them.  30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.  32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.  33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.  34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.  35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be gr...

Don't take him back there!

Abraham has his son Isaac, who was the promised one. He was to be Abraham's heir and the one through whom the blessing would come. Having been a miracle child himself, he had a slight problem. He was now in his early forties and still single. If he didn't find a wife the Abrahamic covenant would never be fulfilled and Jesus would not be born.  It was a crucial moment when Abraham called his servant to swear that he would find a woman for his boy. The oath was binding only if and when the discovered bride came back to Abraham's tent. If she didn't, the deal was off.  We know that she did come back and ended up having twins, Esau and Jacob. However, there is a couple of verses that drew my attention to an important principle for us to think about. Look at 24:6 and 8,  Genesis 24:6 "Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take ...