Jeremiah 32
COMMENTARY:
: 16b–17 I prayed to the LORD, saying: ‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: Sometimes situations and circumstances threaten our belief in God and His power. Jeremiah knew what lie ahead for the people of Israel! He knew that captivity and long years away from Israel was forthcoming. Yet when God told Jeremiah to buy and record the deed to land he did it because Jeremiah also knew that God kept His word and they would return to the land one day. There is nothing too hard for God (v. 27), He is omnipotent (all-powerful) and omniscient (All-knowing). If He could lead the children of Israel out of Egypt He could also lead the Israelites out of captivity in Babylon. The people of Israel would have to trust that He was the same God.
CHALLENGE: Just as the children of Israel were called upon to trust the Lord at His word so we are also. We are called to students of His word (Acts17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15) so that we can rest upon the promises that are ours today!
There is nothing too hard for the Lord, even in our technology based culture today! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
: 19 Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. (6529 “fruit” [pariy] means reward, offspring, result, or harvest.)
DEVOTION: Jeremiah is praying to the LORD after a purchase of property in the land of Anathoth.
Where was he when he purchased this property? He was in prison. Why was he in prison? He delivered a message from the LORD to Zedekiah king of Judah. What was the message? It was a message of captivity for the city of Jerusalem. It was also a message of captivity for the king of Judah which happened to be Zedekiah.
Zedekiah didn’t want to hear this message. He liked what the false prophets were saying. They were promising peace. They were saying it as if the message was coming from the LORD. They were lying. The king would rather believe the lies of the false prophets than the truth from a true prophet of God.
So here we find Jeremiah in prison buying property to show that the LORD was going to restore the land back to the children of Israel in the future. They were going into captivity for seventy years.
Now after the purchase Jeremiah, remember he is in prison, prayed to the LORD. He called God the creator of heaven and earth. He realized that the LORD had great power. He realized that there was nothing TOO HARD for the LORD to do.
Even in prison he felt the LORD’S loving-kindness. He knew that the LORD was great in his counsels. He knew that HE was mighty in HIS work.
Finally, he makes the statement that HIS eyes are on every man, woman and child in the world. HE know every deed of every man, woman and child. Nothing escapes HIS eyesight.
What does HE do with this knowledge? HE gives everyone according to his or her actions. There are consequences to our actions. God knows the motives behind each of our actions.
The New Testament informs us that what we sow we shall also reap. There is a relationship between our actions and HIS actions. We always receive a harvest from our actions.
Today we need to examine our actions to see if they are in accordance with the Word of God. If not, we need to change. We need to move closer to HIM.
CHALLENGE: Check out our own history to see what God is doing in our life. Spot areas that need change and change. HE is going to reward us according to our actions.
: 23 And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not YOUR voice, neither walked in YOUR law; they have done nothing of all that YOU commanded them to do: therefore, YOU have caused all this evil to come upon them (8085 “obeyed” [shama] means to hear, listen, pay close attention to, to understand things heard, receive news, or give heed.)
DEVOTION: God gave the children of Israel the promised land after they stay in Egypt. They were promised the land and the LORD would have blessed them and let them keep it if they had paid close attention to HIS instructions regarding keeping HIS commandments.
However, the didn’t listen or keep HIS commandment, so HE allowed them to go their own way which led to captivity.
HE gives us instructions regarding how we are to live the Christian life today in the New Testament. HE gives the Old Testament to show us what happens when HIS people disobey HIS commands.
However, we read the Old Testament thinking that the God of the New Testament is different and HE will let us live our lives as we please and still bless us. We are not paying attention to the leading of the LORD.
We expect the LORD to forgive us and not judge us if we only disobey a little but that is not what HE does. HE wants us to be obedient in all we do if we are to receive HIS blessings regularly.
Israel didn’t obey and HE sent them into captivity to get their attention. HE will do the same to us today if we are trying to live our life to please ourselves rather than HIM.
We know what HE wants us to do each day. We are to come into HIS presence in worship through the Word of God and prayer and then go out and serve HIM to the best of our ability. HE knows what plan HE has for our life and HE will use us for HIS glory if we are willing to listen and serve.
CHALLENGE: The children of Israel thought they could not obey and still be blessed. They were not happy that the LORD judged them for their disobedience. Sometimes even genuine believers today even think that they can disobey and still be blessed. HE hasn’t changed HIS policy.
: 42 For thus says the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. (1696 “promised” [dabar] means to speak, to subdue, answer, appoint, command, declare, commune, give, or pronounce.)
DEVOTION: The LORD loves to use illustrations because we can understand them better. Here is an illustration regarding the return of the children of Israel from captivity to future blessings.
The illustration is Jeremiah buying a plot of ground in the territory of Benjamin while he is a prisoner of the king because of his preaching. He buys the land and tells his servant to get the document seals to confirm the sale. There is going to be a future for the children of Israel. At the present time it does not seem to be true. However, Jeremiah uses the phrase concerning the power of the LORD: “is nothing too hard for THEE” in his prayer.
The children of Israel and Judah are going to suffer the consequences of their sins. The evil that is being brought upon them was captivity. The city of Jerusalem is going to be burned. The houses are going to be burned because they offered incense unto Baal on their roofs.
Israel was given an everlasting covenant that they would return to the land. When God gives HIS word, HE keeps it.
We need to realize that God will always keep HIS word to us. There are consequences to our sins. One way to lighten the consequences is repentance.
We need to understand that all hard times are not consequences to some sin in our life or the lives of others. Sometimes hard times are just for our good and growth in the LORD. We need to trust that hard times and good times happen at the same time. This life is only a short time in the light of eternity. Keep looking up.
Continue to study the promises of God that are important to us. Understand that these promises are permanent. Chastening is for a limited time for our good. HE continues to be a God of HOPE for the children of Israel. HE is a God of HOPE to us as well.
CHALLENGE: Meditate on the promises in HIS Word. They are ours now and for eternity.
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