Jeremiah 44
COMMENTARY:
: 4 Howbeit I sent unto you all MY servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate. (8130 “hate” [sane’] means to dislike intensely, decrease in status, feel an aversion toward, unwilling to put up with, abhor, detest, loathe, or be an enemy.)
DEVOTION: Here we have the people of Judah offering sacrifices to a false god. The leaders of this worship were the wives of the men of Judah. They thought that they seemed to be blessed more with the worship of the Queen of Heaven rather than to worship the Creator of the world.
God had sent the prophet to inform them that HE was displeased with this worship of this false god over HIM. HE sent warning after warning but they didn’t listen and preferred to worship other gods instead of repenting and returning to HIM.
So we find that this is happening now in many churches today. They say that they are obeying the Word of God yet are teaching things that are against the Word of God. They are promoting many beliefs and practices that are against the Word of God. They are trying to be politically correct rather than Biblically correct on many social issues. This is sin and they have been warned by many Biblical leaders to no avail.
God has sent many modern day prophets to inform those who claim Jesus to change their ways but to no avail in many churches in our nation. This cannot continue without the judgment of God hitting our nation and many of our religious leaders. So many false prophets or pastors are going to have to face the LORD in judgment. The New Testament tells us of those who are standing before the LORD and HE states to them who claim doing many wonderful works in HIS name and yet HE states that HE never knew them. They will spend eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels.
Watch who you are listening to and supporting. If they are not doing things and teaching things that are found in the Word of God they are leading you away from the LORD and as the Pharisees did in Jesus day making you twofold more a child of hell then themselves.
CHALLENGE: Check everything you are being taught by the Word of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will warn you if you are a genuine believer.
: 10 They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers. (1792 “humbled” [daka] means to crush, be broken, or be contrite.)
DEVOTION: Arrogance is what this chapter is about. The LORD informs those in Egypt that HE has judged the people in Jerusalem for their wickedness. One of their evils was worshiping other gods.
HE told them that HE sent HIS servants the prophets to warn them of coming judgment but they would not listen. HIS servants the prophets got up early and preached all day to no avail. They didn’t want to stop sinning against the LORD.
Now HE moves from the past to the present. They didn’t want to stop sinning either. They didn’t want to be contrite before the LORD. They didn’t want to fear the LORD. They didn’t want to walk in the law of the LORD. HE gave them commandments through Moses for them to obey but they didn’t care. They were going to do what they wanted when they wanted.
As the chapter continues the women confronted Jeremiah with the fact that they were going to continue to offer sacrifices to the queen of heaven. They even bragged that their husbands knew what they were doing and said nothing. They bragged that they were going to do whatever they wanted to do. They considered their actions good because they thought that while they were offering sacrifices to the queen of Heaven they had food on the table. They thought this false god was giving them the food for their family.
The destruction of Jerusalem should have made an impression on the people of Judah. It did not. It should have caused them to realize that what they were doing back in Judah was wrong in the sight of God. It did not. They should have turned to the LORD and repented of their sins. They did not.
In fact, in this chapter Jeremiah brings them a message from the LORD and they told him that they would not obey the LORD. They told him that they were going back to the gods they worshipped in Judah. The one god in this chapter is called the “queen of heaven.” They told Jeremiah that they were going to burn incense and offer drink offering to her. They were so arrogant.
Would we ever tell God that we are going to worship our own gods and not HIM? Do we try to do it behind HIS back? Or at least think that we can?
The men of Judah thought God didn’t know what they were doing in Judah. Jeremiah informs them that that is the reason for their judgment. Do we tend to worship at our leisure and give God our leftover time? Would it surprise us to find out that only five percent of Americans that go to church on a regular basis lead others to the LORD? While ninety five percent of Americans only go to church and sit in the pews thinking that all they have to do is give God a little time and a little effort and HE should be pleased with these actions. Many of those thinkers never lead someone to the LORD.
The next twenty people we meet in the next seven days ask them if they attended church last week. Let me know what you find out.
Are we willing to be contrite before the LORD? Are we willing to be led by the Word of God or by our own feeling?
CHALLENGE: Humility it hard. Pride is something that comes easy to most of us. Look into your life for false gods that you might think are providing for your daily needs. Do you ever think of yourself as a god?
: 22 So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. (8441 “abominations” [tow‘ebah] means discussing things, idolatrous practices, detestable, or repulsive.)
DEVOTION: The LORD is long-suffering with HIS people. HE warns and warns and warns. HE allows those who claim to follow HIM show by their actions that they are not really followers of HIS commandments.
HE sends HIS prophets to repeat, repeat, repeat their messages from HIM. HE gives them object lessons to show that HE understands what they are doing is wrong.
There comes a point of no return. In the book of Romans chapter one HE states that HE gives them over to their own wishes. If they wish to disobey HIS commands long enough HE says that the only thing HE can do is judge them for their actions.
Once judgment comes it not only affects the individual but the nation, the land, and the animals. Their cities are empty. Their possessions are gone.
Do they repent? NO!!! They continue to worship false gods to see if they can get their time of blessing back. They don’t even realize that they are repeating their same sins and therefore will never receive the blessings they think they deserve.
Satan continues to deceive them into thinking that if they worship false gods long enough good things will happen. Wrong!!
What was true of the children of Judah can be true of us as well. We can continue to do things that are displeasing to the LORD and HE finally gives us the judgment that we deserve.
We end this chapter with a statement that there will be a remnant that will return to Jerusalem but only a remnant. Are we part of the remnant that remains faithful to the LORD?
CHALLENGE: Sin is easy. Living according to the Word of God is harder but worth every effort we put into it. God honors our actions with blessings.
: 27 Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and the men of Judah that are n the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them. (8245 “watch over” [shaqad] means keep watch, to be concerned about, to be or become focused and determined on a goal or action, or keep vigilant.)
DEVOTION: There is a point of no return with the LORD concerning the children of Israel. HE sent Jeremiah to warn them but they would not listen to him. They thought that they could go someplace and the LORD would leave them alone to do as they pleased. They forgot that they were the people of God and HE was going to judge them no matter how far away from the land of Judah they ran.
They thought that they were safe from the judgment of God and they were wrong. This happens even today with people who think they can run away from God and not face HIS punishment of them because of their sin.
There is no place that God cannot reach anyone. There is no hiding from God. There is no escape from HIS judgment of sin.
Too many think that they are outside the reach of the LORD. It is wrong thinking and one day they will stand before the LORD and HE will judge them for eternity. There is only one way to escape the judgment of hell and that is to make the LORD their Savior and King. Anything short of this position means eternity in hell.
CHALLENGE: As you study the Old Testament and hear and see what the LORD has planned for those who disobey – what are your thoughts regarding eternity. Repentance is the only answer that will reserve a place in heaven for you.
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