August 11 - Jeremiah 14-17: God is Beyond Convincing - Judah Must Repent or Perish

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 14-17

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

No one could convince God to spare Judah. Only Judah's repentance would save her.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

"I will not listen to Judah's prayers."
Jeremiah pleads Judah's case.
"Jeremiah, no one can change My Mind. The northern juggernaut will expend my anger against you."
"Jeremiah, don't get married, have children, or mourn the dead. Someday, Israel will not remember the Exodus; they will glory in exiting exile. Yes, Israel will return. But first they must understand who I am.
"Judah's sin—shrines for no-gods everywhere. Cursed are those who think they are protected by humans. Blessed are the ones who trust Me. Celebrate the Sabbath My way. Then you will be a city for the ages."

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God would no longer listen to words—He would only listen to actions.

Jeremiah channels his inner Moses and pleads for Israel. Regrettably, God no longer is willing to listen to anyone defend Israel. The days of a prophet saving Judah are gone. Judah has turned their collective back against God; therefore, God has no choice but to punish them.

Jeremiah is starting to lose faith.

Even Jeremiah cannot stand what is happening. He is starting to question his place in God's Plan. God would continue to protect Jeremiah, even when He did not protect Judah. What we should see is that God's spokespeople are not aloof. They feel pain when they bring bad news to God's Chosen People.

God's Reputation would no longer be based on the Exodus. It would be based on returning Israel and Judah to their homes.

To Judah, one problem with remembering God is that His most-famous deed was completed hundreds of years ago. Because of that temporal distance they would not take Him serious. So God would make a new famous deed—getting Israel and Judah out of exile. Unfortunately for the ones living at the time, they would be the ones punished, not the ones saved from exile.

If Judah observed the Sabbath correctly, God would save the city.

This is a strange section coming at this point. God has told Jeremiah that nothing can save Judah then tells Judah if they observed the Sabbath correctly with their heart instead of their brains they would have an everlasting city. The Sabbath was meant to be a day of rest, not a day to do the other things you didn't have a chance to do the rest of the week. By observing the Sabbath with their heart instead of their head they would show God they were serious about turning back toward Him. Even the smallest sign of return will set our relationship right. Would Judah give Him that sign? Unfortunately, no.

What is God's most famous act to you?

August 10 - Jeremiah 10-13: God Reminds Israel of the Terms of Their Covenant

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 10-13

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

God reminds Judah of the terms of their agreement made centuries ago.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God continues, "You envy nations that worship pieces of wood."
Why are we here? Because our leaders are too stupid to ask God for help! God, correct us who messed everything up.
"Remember from the Covenant that obedience leads to blessing and disobedience to curses. Nothing has changed. Watch out! Doom comes soon. You can't get out of this through more religion. The god of your religion sends the punishment!
"Jeremiah, don't get caught up in petty comparisons. You will be protected from Israel's judgment."
Israel would be rendered useless. Enemies prepared to attack. "They attack because you worship Baal."

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Israel wants to be like nations that worship blocks of wood.

To be honest, God does have a point. These pieces of wood do nothing bad. The problem is they do nothing at all! The wooden gods have to be carried around. Yet Israel likes the foreign nations' worship and worships these gods when they have a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe. How does this make sense to anyone?

Israel's punishment is part of the Covenant.

We often overlook books like Jeremiah because they show the violent side of God's wrath. It makes God seem angry and trigger-happy. How could a God of love do such terrible things to His Chosen People? The answer is that He told them this would happen at the beginning and they accepted it. We cannot accept the blessings of being God's Chosen People without the responsibility to be wholly God's. If we shirk our responsibility God will punish us. It is as simple as that. The God who is Love must do this to uphold justice—even when it pains Him to do so.

God reminds Jeremiah not to get caught up on who wins and loses on earth.

Jeremiah asks the question we all ask from time to time,

Why do bad people have it so good?
   Why do con artists make it big?
…
How long do we have to put up with this—
   the country depressed, the farms in ruin—
And all because of wickedness, these wicked lives? (12:1, 4, The Message)

God's answer is interesting if not unsettling, "So, Jeremiah, if you’re worn out in this footrace with men, / what makes you think you can race against horses?" (12:5). Jeremiah had forgotten that God ultimately wins in the end. The wicked may seem to have easy lives, but in the end they will not enjoy it. That does not mean we should sit back and wait for them to fall; but we should also not envy those who prosper from not setting things right. God will set things right in the end, no matter what happens in the interim. We are not to base our happiness on our physical blessings anyway. We are to understand that God's Way is higher than our way. Therefore, physical blessings are like icing on a cake. We love it, but the cake's the main part.

Do you want both the responsibility and the blessings of the Covenant?

August 9 - Jeremiah 7-9: God's Chosen People want the Rewards, not the Righteousness of being God's Chosen People

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 7-9

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

God's Temple will only protect those whose hearts are God's.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God sends Jeremiah to the Temple:
"I will not live among a people serving other gods.
"Jeremiah, stop your prayers. Keep your offerings. My People only do what they want. Soon, their valleys will reek of death.
"I waited to save them but no one asked. They reveled in having My Word but had no ability to feel sorry. Nothing is salvageable."
Has God abandoned us? Is there no relief for this pain? I could weep forever.
"They refuse to know Me. They'll be scattered until nothing is left.
"Brag about knowing Me, your god who sets things right."

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God will not protect His Chosen People regardless of their heart.

Judah thought that if they had the Temple in Honor of God and God's Revelation that He would be obligated to protect them from any and all abusers. What they did not realize is that God wants people to set things right, not worship Him. Worship comes as a response to God setting all things right. God told Jeremiah to stop praying. God told Judah to stop giving offerings. God warned them, "Only if you clean up your act (the way you live, the things you do), only if you do a total spring cleaning on the way you live and treat your neighbors, … only then will I move into your neighborhood" (7:5-7, The Message, emphasis original).
Today, if churches want to become more relevant, if Christians want to have an impact as God's ambassadors setting all things right, we must get beyond our association of worship and membership. Those who worship should be Chosen People and Chosen People should worship, but God cares more for how we act than how we worship. Do you want God to move back into your congregation or your life? Set things right with others. Then, and only then, will God return.

God's Chosen People never listen.

This part is difficult for me to read. I want to think, like Jeremiah, that my words are helpful in getting God's Chosen People to return to Him. I want to think my prayers for revival are listened to and heeded. Unfortunately, God's Chosen People care more for doing things their way than obeying God. They have never listened to God, even from the time they left Egypt. "I listened carefully / but heard not so much as a whisper. / No one expressed one word of regret" (8:6). God's Chosen People care more for having the title than obeying the God.

All that is left for Judah is punishment.

Since they are unwilling to listen, God will allow other nations who have no interest in setting things right to run roughshod over His Land. They will commit unspeakable acts, desecrating the bones of His Chosen People. Those who are living will wish for death. Since Judah will not respond in repentance, God will respond in punishment.

We should brag about knowing the god who sets all things right.

Don’t let the wise brag of their wisdom.
   Don’t let heroes brag of their exploits.
Don’t let the rich brag of their riches.
   If you brag, brag of this and this only:
That you understand and know me.
   I’m GOD, and I act in loyal love.
I do what’s right and set things right and fair,
   and delight in those who do the same things.
These are my trademarks. (9:23-24)

Do you want to set things right as a lighthouse to the nations or do you want the title "Christian" or "Chosen Person of God"?

August 8 - Jeremiah 4-6: God Sends Enemies to Destroy Jerusalem

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 4-6

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

God wants Israel back, but only if they are willing to stay religiously monogamous.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God warns, "If you want to return, fully return. No more non-god competition.
"Disaster is coming from the north and My Chosen People dress up to seduce the enemy!
The pressure weighs on Jeremiah.
"Search Jerusalem for a righteous person to receive forgiveness." Jeremiah found none. "Why should I bother? It's pruning time. I wanted to remind you of the One, True God. But you wouldn't think of dedicating your lives to setting things right.
"I have sent enemies from the north! You will reap what you sowed. Are you all too busy making money? Terror is on its way."

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God would no longer stand for partial repentance.

Several kings in Israel and Judah removed some of the shrines. God would not stand for a king to remove only some of His no-god competitors anymore. He would not accept their half-repentance any longer. God will not accept our partial repentance. We must fully return to God to have our relationship set right.

Jeremiah cannot find a righteous person anywhere.

God chose Israel to be a lighthouse to the nations. Instead, He lowered the standard and settled for sacrifices to Him alone. Now Jeremiah cannot find a single righteous person in the entire nation. We must stay vigilant or our nation, too, will have a hard time finding one righteous person.

Destruction is not God's final word.

Every so often I'll have to bring this point out, especially in Jeremiah. God's reputation is salvation, not punishment. However, because this standard is so high, those who take His Chosen Person status must live up to that calling or face removal and punishment. God will set things right in His Nation, but not all of them will be punished. God can and will weed out the wicked from the righteous.

Would God have a difficult time finding a righteous person among your group of Chosen People?

August 7 - Jeremiah 1-3: A Young Jeremiah Trusts God's Protection

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 1-3

The Message

English Standard Version

Jeremiah may be difficult to read through because it is not organized chronologically. We will read accounts of Judah going into exile three times. Remember, Hebrew history was written thematically instead of by date. With that in mind, you will make it through the book.

Thought to Guide Your Reading

God will make sure Jeremiah has what he needs to represent God.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God's message through Jeremiah during Josiah's, Jehoiakim's, and Zedekiah's reigns:
Jeremiah protested his calling. God responded, "I'll guide you; no one will touch you."
God called to Judah, "Traded in your real god for fake ones? How absurd! You were once a Chosen Nation. Now you feel remorse only when caught. You deny you've committed adultery while shacking up with any god who happens to walk your way."
God spoke to Jeremiah, "Judah is worse than Israel. But a time will come when I will be with you and Israel as one. I have practiced my opening lines."
Judah repents.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God gave Jeremiah his words and protected Him.

Jeremiah is self-conscious because of his age. God reassures him he would not suffer harm because of God's message. God would give him the words to say and the protection for him to say it. All Jeremiah needed to do was trust that God could do what He said He would do. This scene reminds me of Moses' calling. In both cases God's answer is the same: trust Me, I'll protect you. When God calls us to do something, He gives us what we need to do it and protects us from those who want to stop us. To the youth (and stutterers alike) – trust in God!

Judah has now outpaced Israel in going to other gods.

"Look closely. Has this ever happened before, / That a nation has traded in its gods / for gods that aren’t even close to gods?" (2:10, The Message). Isaiah spoke about the irony of making an idol out of wood and then acting as though it made them. Now God tells Judah that their punishment is coming and mocks them by suggesting they should run and beg their blocks of wood and stone for protection. If we wish to serve other things, God will allow it. He will also allow them to help us when we need our lives set right.

God will set all things right in the end.

God would bring Israel and Judah back together and would live among them instead of providing a symbol of His Reign. Although God's Law through Moses forbade remarrying a woman after she married another, God would remarry unified Israel, who spent generations worshiping other gods. God planned ahead to what He would say. There is no bitterness in His remarks. There is only love, compassion, and mercy. God wants to set things right between His Chosen People. We should listen and let Him unite us in obedience.

Do you struggle with feeling worthy of God's calling in your life because of something you lack?

August 6 - Zephaniah: God's Awesome Judgment Sets Things Right

Today’s Reading: Zephaniah

The Message

English Standard Version

With Zephaniah we have read 24 books. Only 15 left in the Old Testament!

Thought to Guide Your Reading

God would purge His Land of all competitors and anyone who followed them.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God's message through Zephaniah:
"A full housecleaning for Earth—shrines, idols, and people.
"You may think I am not paying attention. Judgment day is when I repay good and evil."
Get yourself together, Judah! Seek God and live.
"I know what you've said about Me, Moab. Nineveh, no city will be safe."
Doom to the rebellious. They would not trust God.
"My punishment only delayed their evil schemes.
"In the end I will return My Chosen People and forget their past."
Celebrate God's judgment, it removes bad influences!
"I promise to set the sick, homeless, and maimed right. You'll see."

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God will remove all other gods, their idols, and punish the people who worship them.

Zephaniah's message sounds intimidating—now we may know why Josiah took God's message serious and removed all of the shrines, idols, and killed the idols' priests. God will not have rivals—He will reign unchallenged.

God's Judgment Day will be awesome for everyone.

God's judgment of every person will be a day of mourning for those not willing to set things right and a day of great praise for people fully devoted to God setting all things right on the earth. Even when it seems God's Judgment will never come—the guilty go free while pinning the blame on the innocent—do not lose hope. God's Judgment Day is coming. Everyone will be in awe—some in praise and others in shame.

God will set all things right in the end.

It seems odd that at the end of a book dedicated to telling people who are guilty that they will be greatly punished God would speak of restoration. But, in essence, the two are inseparable. God's Judgment is meant to help His Chosen People clear the air of pollutants and rejoin Him in setting things right. We cannot see one without the other. The two are essential to setting things right.

Are you struggling to see how God will set your situation right?

August 5 - 2 Kings 22-23; 2 Chronicles 34-35: Josiah Changes Everything but God's Punishment

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 22-23; 2 Chronicles 34-35

The Message

English Standard Version

Today's reading is very long, possibly the longest for the entire year. The two chapters in 2 Kings are the same events of 2 Chronicles. However, since Josiah is my favorite king in the Old Testament, you can't be my friend if you skip either one (just kidding). Enjoy!

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Josiah removed all of the things separating the people from God, but could not make them return to Him.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Josiah reigned God's way, like David. He restored the Temple and found the Book of God's Revelation. However, God would still punish Judah after Josiah's death.
Josiah read the Book to Judah. He then purged the Temple, Jerusalem, and all Judah of their idols to other gods. He removed Solomon's and Jeroboam's shrines and went through Israel removing their foreign-god altars.
He observed the Passover unlike any since the judges.
Pharaoh Neco's army killed Josiah in battle.
Josiah's son Jehoahaz's power lasted three months. Neco took him away and placed Jehoiakim on the throne. Judah returned to their foreign gods.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Josiah removed all shrines, no matter how old or established they had become.

A few weeks ago we read how Josiah's great-grandfather Hezekiah removed most of the shrines. He did not remove Solomon's shrines or the ones in Israel (though Israel still inhabited the land when he came to power and would have objected). Josiah, on the other hand, removed Solomon's shrines, Jeroboam's shrines, and then went throughout deserted Israel and removed their shrines. God was pleased with Josiah's actions. God is pleased with His Chosen People when they sacrifice their heritage to obey Him.
What I love about Josiah, and why I named our first-born after him, are the implications of his actions for today. The Restoration Movement was begun by men and women dedicated to "the restoration of all things." For their time, they did a magnificent job, like Hezekiah. However, as we approach the 200^th anniversary of the movement's beginning, we now see "shrines" that they did not remove—the center of Christianity being the church building; everyone sitting in pews facing the same way listening to a lecture; communion being a individualistic, private matter; a heavy reliance on rationalism and modernism for developing and teaching doctrine; and so on. (As a side note, some may question whether these "shrines" were there at the time or added later. When they arrived is not a matter I care to debate, at least not here and now.) Now we are at a moment when many young people are questioning whether they see Jesus in the church or not. So our challenge today is whether we can go through a "Josiah" moment and remove all of our religious shrines or are we content with our "Hezekiah" past, keeping the oldest, more established shrines in place. If we remove these obstacles and observe Christian community as long ago (as with Josiah and the Passover), we, too, can stem the tide of our decline, even if for one generation.

Josiah left his previous generation's sins behind.

Last week we read how Hezekiah's son and grandson (Josiah's grandfather and father) rebuilt shrine after shrine after Hezekiah tore them down. I commented that no matter how good a generation could be the next could squander all gained ground. Josiah, on the other hand, serves as a great example of the opposite side of that coin. No matter how bad your previous generation(s) treated God, you can change your life dramatically if you humbly put your trust in His Way.
It is here that we can gain encouragement from Josiah for our church culture today. We do not know how many old-timers Josiah had to convince to tear down Solomon's shrines, but what we know is that he succeeded. Before we abandon our congregations to die we should first attempt to be like Josiah. Once we have exhausted our patients (or theirs), we have done all we can do. I am not convinced all of our congregations are too far gone. They need help, but God wants to set things right. We should join Him.

Josiah could not stop God's punishment of Judah.

At first God's pronouncement to Josiah may seem cold-hearted. God does not bless Josiah with generation-after-generation of kings because of his work as with Jehu who did less. What we do not have written here is how well Josiah led the rest of Judah. It is possible that he had little effect on the commoner's heart. As we read earlier in Isaiah, religious observance does not guarantee God's attendance. Therefore, it is conceivable that Josiah had little sway on the people en mass. This could be why his son's punishment came so quickly and why he did not argue with God. He could see that his zealotry for God was not matched in the proceeding generations. Not all sinking churches can be saved by good leaders.

Are you willing to remove all of the religious shrines that prevent you from setting things right with God?