Tag: preach

Read: Jeremiah 20-23

Jeremiah can’t help but preach what God has put in his heart and as a result he bears physical pain at the hands of those who don’t want to hear his message. In the midst of the reading today, we see a ray of hope, the coming Righteous Savior, a sermon that must have been lost to the ears of those who only heard criticism.

Our Jewish ancestors appear to be so well organized as to have a priest in charge of punishing troublemakers — that’s a job worth fighting for!  (see Notes at the end of this post.) In Jeremiah 20:1-6, Pashhur punishes Jeremiah for the offensive words and undesirable parable from the previous chapter.

When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the official in charge of the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the Lord’s temple. Jeremiah 20:1-2

He is released the following day. Not surprisingly, Jeremiah has words that let Pashhur know this was a mistake he will regret:

And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.’” Jeremiah 20:6

Jeremiah is not a violent person, he simply tells it like it is (or will be). In my mind, he’s articulate and resolute like Billy Graham or perhaps calm and passionate like Jimmy Carter. I’m not sure because neither Graham or Carter seem like the kind that would cry out to God the way Jeremiah does:

I am ridiculed all day long;
everyone mocks me.
Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.
So the word of the Lord has brought me
insult and reproach all day long.
Jeremiah 20:7-8

Jeremiah was an emotional guy that vented his thoughts in words, certainly in writing, most likely verbally and without restraint. Not the best way to make friends, but honest and transparent, something we rarely see in church these days. For example:

Sing to the Lord! …
Cursed be the day I was born…
Jeremiah 20:13,14

Back-to-back verses give us a glimpse into Jeremiah’s personality.

Why did I ever come out of the womb
to see trouble and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?
Jeremiah 20:18

The beauty of the Bible is revealed in verses like these. If I were creating a document to capture profound thoughts and impress the world with my wisdom, I’m sure I would not paint one of my main characters with such words. Many times throughout scripture we are presented with such open and transparent views of our ancestors, words that are unashamed to show flaws. How do we read these words and then put on our masks for Sunday morning? (or any other day for that matter).

The story continues. When King Zedekiah reached out to Jeremiah, hopeful to hear that God would save them from Nebuchadnezzar, God’s answer was not what they expected to hear. Essentially, Nebuchadnezzar will sweep you into exile, so leave Jerusalem or die.

“Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives. Jeremiah 21:8-9

Jeremiah 22 speaks specifically against those kings of Judah who chose wicked paths; they will not end well. Shallum will never return, Jehoiakim will have the burial of a donkey, dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem. Jehoiachin will be delivered into the hands of those who wanted to kill him.

Jeremiah 23: The Righteous Branch

Finally, a breath of fresh air! The days are coming when the people will no longer speak of the past as a distant history; rather, they will speak of the present with complete joy and excitement for the Lord will send the Messiah, the Righteous Savior.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.
Jeremiah 23:5-6

This message provides hope as the people will surely be carried off into exile. They are surrounded by prophets that lie, that only speak what the people want to hear.

“Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds,
not from the mouth of the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:16

They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? Jeremiah 23:25-26

Lord, help us to discern between those who speak thoughts of their own mind and those who speak your words of truth. My prayer is that by learning to hear your voice in the words of the Bible, the difference between these two groups will be black and white, no chance for misinterpretation, but many times it all seems gray. Don’t let me be colorblind!

 

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Notes from NIV Study Bible:  Pashhur. One or more different men with the same name appear in Jeremiah 21:1; 38:1. The name Pashhur occurs on an ostracon (see note on Jeremiah 34:7) found at Arad and dating to the time of Jeremiah. Immer. Perhaps a descendant of the head of the 16th division of priests in the Jerusalem temple (see 1Ch 24:14). official in charge. The priest in charge of punishing troublemakers, real or imagined, in the temple courts (see Jeremiah 20:2; 29:26). The position was second only to that of the chief priest himself

Isaiah 48-50 and Psalm 104

The prelude to the proclamation of Immanuel, Isaiah’s words in this chapters are direct, yet filled with hope and promise for a new day. It’s remarkable that he includes the Gentiles as part of the great commission in Chapter 49. Chapter 50 winds up like the strong words of a street preacher shouting, “Repent!”  Enjoy the words today, but start with Psalm 104.

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This is one of the many psalms that are all about praising the Lord. I think this is how I should begin my prayer time with Jesus, thirty-five verses of praise for the wonderful things God has done for us.

He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:
wine that gladdens human hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,
and bread that sustains their hearts.

I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the Lord.
But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 104:14-15, 33-35

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Isaiah 48:1-11: Stubborn Israel

At the very least, I hope I can learn to appreciate my own children when these words enter my mind:

For I knew how stubborn you were;
your neck muscles were iron,
your forehead was bronze.
Isaiah 48:4

God still loves his children, though we are hard-headed and stubborn. (Funny, the first time I typed that I used the word “they” instead of “we”)

See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
Isaiah 48:10

Not as silver, but more like iron…not so pretty. MacArthur explains:

unlike silver purged in the furnace, the purging of Israel is not complete, and they are not refined. But God keeps up the afflictions until they are, so His name is not defamed through the destruction of Israel. The nation will be purged (cf. Zech. 13:1). God’s plan is such that He alone, not man or man-made idols, will receive credit for Israel’s salvation (Isaiah 42:8; cf. Rom. 11:25–27, 33–36). The adversaries of God are never to be given legitimate reasons for scoffing at God and His work.

MacArthur’s last comment is most significant, our adversaries like to claim credit for winning the day, for removing the Ten Commandments from courthouses or eliminating prayer in schools, but God’s hand is at work to refine us, to strengthen us and stir us to action. Satan loves to take credit, but God remains in control.

Isaiah 48:12-22: Israel Freed

Leave Babylon,
flee from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy
and proclaim it.
Isaiah 48:20

John saw much in his vision of Babylon as recorded in Revelation 18. Yes, the Lord will redeem his own!

Isaiah 49

The great commission from the Old Testament, Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:46-49) lived for this:

“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
Isaiah 49:6

Yes, Jesus Christ is the light of the world even for the Gentiles (Luke 2:32). Though he will be despised by the nation, the Redeemer will come for his people, a prophecy that took literally hundreds of years to fulfill.

He who has compassion on them will guide them
and lead them beside springs of water.
Shout for joy, you heavens;
rejoice, you earth;
burst into song, you mountains!
For the Lord comforts his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.
Isaiah 49:10, 13

The promise of better days yet to come is appealing. In many ways it seems we are being swept away into Babylonian exile in subtle ways as alluded to before. Isaiah is just getting started as he paints the picture of great encouragement — God will destroy the oppressors and return all that belongs to his people in mighty ways.

Isaiah 50

Isaiah the evangelist calls out with a passionate plea:

Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys the word of his servant?
Let the one who walks in the dark,
who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on their God.
Isaiah 50:10

Quite the follow-up from the previous chapter! Isaiah proclaims, “This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment.” (Isaiah 50:11) Ouch!

I hope these words remind us of how great and wonderful our God truly is; his promise to never leave nor forsake us, even though we act like idiots at times. Thank you Lord!

Read: Isaiah 53

Good Friday. Horrible Friday. Necessary Friday. I’ve always had trouble with the name we labeled for this day as we stop to remember that our savior was brutally tortured on a cross. Last night, Hope Fellowship provided a somber reminder of the process through The Way of the Cross, an expanded version of Stations of the Cross, that invites us to walk with Jesus from condemnation to the cross and beyond. At Hope Fellowship, the journey ends with an image of the resurrected Jesus, communion and an opportunity to pray. If it weren’t for resurrection of Jesus, all of this would be in vain as the Apostle Paul reminds us, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:14) The Way of the Cross reminds of the resurrection and gives us images to ponder today, Good Friday.

I simply can’t begin to think about Good Friday without knowing we will soon celebrate Great Easter!

Beginning next week we’ll read Isaiah’s vision, rich prophecies that spoke to people in the southern kingdom (Judah) as the northern kingdom was swept away into Assyrian exile. Isaiah’s words were incredibly important to the kings who listened in his day, but for our benefit he was given visions of the future that speak to us today. The timeless nature of his words provide an overwhelming assurance that God has a plan, has always been in control and will bring the story of humanity to a close at some point according to his word.

¹ Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
⁴ Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Isaiah 53:1-9

We have the great advantage of knowing the rest of the story when we read this incredible text. Jesus grew up like a root out of the ground, ordinary, unremarkable. As Brett Andrews alluded to in his sermon last week, Jesus’ entrance was anything but spectacular. If we would have written the story we would have had music, lights, parades, etc.–the world would know this is the king! But this is not God’s way of wooing back his people.

We held him in low esteem, we are the ones who had lost our way; sheep who have no clue. Who protested? No one could undo what was about to be done. Roman oppression was absolute. Once the process started, there was no undo.  Some realization along the way was far too late. The Roman strategy of publicly humiliating those they punished served their earthly rule well. Those that might have been on the fence would immediately turn away from this man who is apparently a criminal.

Some were still convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. Somewhere in the crowd Bartimaeus was watching with eyes renewed by this man Jesus (Mark 10:46-52). Others who were lame, lost, lonely–all could do nothing but let the spectacle of their savior unfold. Confused. Sad. Despondent.

Despite our inability to grasp what was happening, Jesus went to the cross. Whipped and beaten, unable to even carry the wooden device that would serve to hang him naked in front of everyone, Jesus accepted the journey.

For us.

Darkness.

Not the end.

2 Kings 20-22 and Psalm 69

Hezekiah contract some deadly disease and is about to die when Isaiah comes to pay him a visit. Not one to beat around the bush, Isaiah tells him to “Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover” (2 Kings 20:1). Hezekiah accepts the word of the prophet, turns aside to pray,

“Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” 2 Kings 20:3

Hezekiah wept bitterly. Assuming these were his last words with Isaiah, he honors the Lord and simply says, don’t forget I gave you my best.

The story could have ended there, but before Isaiah was able to leave the middle court (my guess is that wasn’t far), he gets a message from God. The Lord chooses to heal Hezekiah, plus a bonus: adds 15 years to his life. Isaiah returns to deliver the message and solution. I’m thinking Isaiah was happy to do this since Hezekiah was actually a man of faith and integrity. He received a favorable prophesy to tell the man who honors God–any preacher’s dream!

Hezekiah asks for a sign, something impossible for man, so Isaiah prays and the shadow on the steps (think big sun dial) reverses its direction for 10 steps (2 Kings 20:11). Interesting, yes?

Babylonian Visitors

Hezekiah is a man of God for sure, but perhaps not the brightest bulb in the factory, or perhaps the disease affected his mind enough that when a group from Babylon sends gifts and visits him, Hezekiah gives them the grand tour of the place, nothing is hidden. Isaiah hears about this and confronts Hezekiah:

“Hear the word of the Lord: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have store up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord” 2 Kings 20:17

Bad news indeed, but the message doesn’t end there.

And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 2 Kings 20:18

Worse news. Hezekiah once again humbly accepts the words from Isaiah. The prophecy is well before the Babylonian Empire is a force to be reckoned with.

Manasseh & Amon

Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son, succeeded him as king and reigns 55 years–completely undoing everything Hezekiah lived for. Back to the pattern of “he did evil in the eyes of the Lord…” Manasseh and Amon to follow rebuild the Asherah poles, the altars to Baal and other gods. Somehow they didn’t see how the Lord had provided for his people during Hezekiah’s years.

Amon didn’t last long, only 2 years. He was assassinated by some officials and Josiah was put in his place.

Josiah

Josiah did well and “followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left” (2 Kings 22). When he discovers the book of the Law, he asks a prophet for insight. Huldah lets him know the Lord will “bring disaster on this place and its people” (22:16), but since Josiah’s “heart was responsive” (22:19), his “eyes will not see all the disaster” (22:20) that the Lord is going to bring. We are treated to a long list of idols, shrines, etc., that Josiah removed. These details provide a peak into how far God’s people had wandered from his word, his ways and his covenant.

Josiah reestablished the Passover celebration and removed all the idolatrous worship throughout his kingdom, even after he heard the words of the prophet, knowing disaster would eventually come, so that many may turn back to the Lord, to know his peace and rely on the one true God. This is a similar battle for us today. We see what is happening all around us, we know the truth in Christ, yet we must remain resolute, we must be diligent to help as many people as possible come to know Jesus Christ. Lord, may your words seem as fresh to us today as they did to Josiah, may we celebrate your covenant like no others before (23:22).

The rollercoaster continues as we near the end of the kings. The simple lesson is this: God is steady and consistent the whole time–we, however, are all over the map! Lord, help us to keep you in the center of all, to learn from Hezekiah and Josiah that which is good as well as Manasseh and Amon, that which is bad. You’ve shown us both sides of the coin, Lord, help us remember!