Jeremiah 31
COMMENTARY:
: 7 For thus says the LORD, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish you, praise you, and say, O LORD, save YOUR people, the remnant of Israel. (8057 “gladness” [simchah] means the emotion of great happiness and pleasure, jubilation, mirth, joy, or hold a feast.)
DEVOTION: Judah was a sinful nation. The ten tribes went into captivity first but then the tribe of Judah went into captivity because they wandered far from the LORD. They were not willing to repent of their sins against the LORD, so HE sent them into captivity a well.
The tribe of Judah thought that the LORD would never sent them into captivity because the Temple was in the city of Jerusalem. They thought they could sin and get away with it because the LORD’S Temple was there and the LORD would NEVER let HIS temple to fall to any other nation.
They were wrong. The LORD warned them many times with many prophets but they would not listen and repent.
This is true of people who claim to be believers today. They think that they can go to church on Sunday or at least once in a while and the LORD will not judge them for their actions because it seems that they are getting away with it.
It is the same attitude that the children of Israel had before they went into captivity. It seems that the thinking regarding the LORD has not changed even after Christ came and died on the cross for genuine believers.
God does not like fakes. HE warns fakes throughout the Word of God. There is a final judgment coming during this age and those who are not genuine believers who are acting like genuine believers will stand before the LORD and HE will say to them “I never knew you!”
Today we need to understand what a genuine believer acts like which is in a way to please the LORD each day. If a genuine believer sins they confess their sins and ask forgiveness and HE will forgive them. This is a DAILY practice of genuine believers who are trying to stop doing things that the LORD is displeased with in their life.
CHALLENGE: What category do you fit into today? Can you say to the LORD “I am living a life that is pleasing to YOU! I am trying to show those around me what a genuine believer looks like! If it is true than HE will bless and forgive you.
:10 “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’ The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: What a wonderful message of hope and restoration not only for the nation of Israel but for all who fear that the Lord will not remember and gather them to Himself. Israel is here promised by God to be rescued from wherever they may be scattered. God did not forget them and would bring them back to the place of their ancestors in His time. Though there would be discipline and judgment he would not be overly severe and remain distant from His people.
The same can be said for the nations as well! As Christ died to redeem mankind and offers to them the free gift of eternal life he does not forget them. He declares to all mankind that they can hear the word of the Lord and be saved. John reminds us that “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” (John 1:11-12). Regardless of who you are or where you are will you hear the word of the Lord?
CHALLENGE: Jonah tried to run from God, Elijah went and hid in the mountain cave, John Mark ran away from the work with Paul and Barnabas. Yet God knew where they were and continued to call and draw them to himself. You might be running away or tried to hide from God but He knows where you are as well! Hear the word of the Lord and allow Him to lead you where He wants you to go today. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
: 22 How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? For the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man. (5437 “compass” [cabab] means shelter, change over, shield, encircle, surround or border, protect, change direction.)
DEVOTION: This verse is called the hardest to interpret in the book of Jeremiah. There are many interpretations out there for this verse.
The interpretation of the church fathers related this saying to the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Here was a woman who had the Messiah or God in the flesh in her womb. She surrounded HIM in the womb.
A second interpretation is that Israel who has been rebellious is going to seek the LORD. It is a new thing, in that Israel has a tendency to run from the LORD rather than toward HIM. With the new covenant a change takes place in their relationship. There will be no more teaching about the LORD because everyone will know who HE is.
No matter what interpretation there is a backsliding relationship to the LORD. The LORD had to do anew thing in order for there to be a proper relationship established again with this nation that was presently in captivity for their sin.
God does a new thing in the life of every believer when there is a new relationship established. HE wants us to be surrounded by HIS love. There is a change over from a relationship of enmity to one of love.
CHALLENGE: Protection is necessary in our relationship with the LORD. Our need is us to keep our relationship close to the LORD. We need to experience HIS protection.
: 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, says the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (2142 “remember” [zakar] means recall, call to mind, recollect, mention, or take thought.)
DEVOTION: There is a change taking place in the future. The LORD promised a new covenant. HE is going to put HIS law in their inward parts. HE is going to write HIS law in their hearts.
This relationship has not been established to this point in Israel. The new covenant was referred to on the day of Pentecost. It was not fulfilled then but it will be in the future.
During the Tribulation time period we find that 144,000 Jewish witnesses who will evangelize their world with the truth that Jesus is the Messiah. They will be sealed. The number of believers during that time period were not numbered.
During the Millennium, there will be no need to teach people who the LORD is because HE will be reigning over them. There will be open worship of HIM in the world. People will travel to Jerusalem to worship. There will be singing on the way and to and from these times of worship. It will be a wonderful time to worship the LORD.
Pentecost gave us an example of what true worship is all about. It is about good teaching from the Word of God. There was sharing of each others goods with one another. There was a moving of the Holy Spirit that caused people to think that the world was being turned upside down.
Our world needs to be turned upside down again. We can still pray for revival in our time period. It would only come with the moving of the Holy Spirit in the lives of all those who are genuine believers.
If all the genuine believers acted like those on the day of Pentecost and following we could see our world turned upside down.
Once we are in Christ our sins are forgiven. They are covered by the blood of Jesus on the cross. HE was our substitute. With this in mind we can see into heaven that the Father will no longer recall our sins but will look at us through Jesus alone. Are sins are gone, gone, gone. Praise HIS name.
CHALLENGE: Realizing that our sins are gone but that we are still sinners is hard to reconcile in our thinking. Pride about our condition should never enter our mind. Thankfulness should.
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