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June 19 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 170

DAILY READINGS

Jeremiah 7-9 & Psalm 15

DAILY NOTES

Jeremiah 7
  • Notice the emphasis of God's house having God's name.  It belongs to God, but the people, through their unrighteous actions, have made it theirs.  God's house has been turned into a "den of robbers" (vs. 11).  Remember when Jesus said that (Matthew 21:13)?
    • According to Jesus, what was the Temple supposed to be called?
  • Remember when the people tried to use the ark of the covenant as a weapon against the Philistines (1 Samuel 4)?  That was at Shiloh.  Jeremiah brings that event to our minds again as a sign (vs. 14). 
  • God says that human sacrifice was not his command, nor did it come to his mind.  You'll have to do some wrestling with the story of Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac (Genesis 22).
Jeremiah 8
  • Jeremiah (God) says to unearth the kings' bones and lay them before the sun and moon and all the other gods they served and worshiped.  Ouch.
  • Even animals understand the purpose of their life.
  • Gilead was a place where healing balms were made.  Because of the people's waywardness, Jeremiah could see no end to their destruction; not even the healing of Gilead.
Jeremiah 9
  • Apparently, wailing women were hired to show grief during times of loss; think of funerals, for example.  We see some of that in Jesus' ministry.  Jeremiah recognizes there is much to mourn for and calls for the professionals.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

Obedience, at its core, is actually quite simple.

God isn't asking the people to figure out some new plan to be faithful to God.  It isn't Rocket Science--Rocket Science hadn't even been invented yet.  Obedience is being faithful to what God has told them to do.  You can't be obedient to something you haven't been told to do.  God has told the people what to do.  They have refused.

Obedience is still the most important aspect of our walk with God, too.  Here's the best way I can think to illustrate it:



Stay blessed...john

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