they keep challenging me

Posted on November 5, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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they keep challenging me

Jeremiah 17:11-18 (JDV)

Jeremiah 17:11 He who makes a fortune unjustly is a partridge that hatches eggs it didn’t lay. Halfway through his day his riches will abandon him, so after that he will be a fool.

Jeremiah 17:12 A glorious throne on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.

Jeremiah 17:13 Lord, the hope of Israel, all who abandon you will be put to shame. All who turn away from me will be written in the dirt, because they have abandoned the fountain of living water, Yahveh.

Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, because you are my praise.

Jeremiah 17:15 Hear how they keep challenging me, “Where is the word of Yahveh? Let it come!”

Jeremiah 17:16 But I have not run away from being your shepherd, and I have not longed for the fatal day. You know my words were spoken in your presence.

Jeremiah 17:17 Don’t become a terror to me. You are my refuge in the day of disaster.

Jeremiah 17:18 Let my persecutors be put to shame, but don’t let me be put to shame. Let them be terrified, but don’t let me be terrified. Bring on them the day of disaster; shatter them with total destruction.

they keep challenging me

Jeremiah is being constantly challenged by those who have abandoned the Lord. He wants to stay faithful to the Lord no matter what, but all around him are those who have already given up on God’s deliverance and restoration.

Our situation as believers in Christ can sometimes feel like that. We have put our faith in him, but all around us there are those who have rejected the gospel, or deserted the faith. And they will not leave us alone.

Lord, give us the stubborn confidence in you that will bring us through this time of testing.

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juniper in the Arabah

Posted on November 4, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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juniper in the Arabah

Jeremiah 17:5-10 (JDV)

Jeremiah 17:5 This is what Yahveh says: the person who trusts in the man is afflicted with a curse. He sets up flesh as his arm, and his heart deserts Yahveh.

Jeremiah 17:6 He will be like a juniper in the Arabah; he cannot see when good comes but dwells in the parched places in the open country, in a salt land where no one lives.

Jeremiah 17:7 The person who trusts in Yahveh, whose confidence is really Yahveh, is empowered with a blessing.

Jeremiah 17:8 He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is more deceitful than anything, and incurable – who can figure it out?

Jeremiah 17:10 I, Yahveh, examine the heart, I test the insides [1] to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.

juniper in the Arabah

It is impossible not to see Psalm 1 in today’s text. Jeremiah is speaking the truth of that song in his own context. That context is the impending exile. Jeremiah is telling his people to put their trust in God, and he will continue to make them fruitful, even in the dire situation they are about to face.

The exile will be a test of the heart. In that parched land, many a juniper will languish and die, because they put their trust in a man. But Jeremiah encourages his people to put their confidence in God who is able to make them fruitful, even in the desert.

Lord, no matter what our situation, may we have the good sense to put our confidence in you.

__________________________
[1] literally, kidneys (emotions).

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permanent fire

Posted on November 3, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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permanent fire

Jeremiah 17:1-4 (JDV)

Jeremiah 17:1 Judah’s failure is inscribed with an iron stylus. With a diamond point it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts and on the horns of their altars,

Jeremiah 17:2 when their children remember their altars and their Asherah poles, by the green trees on the high hills –

Jeremiah 17:3 my mountains in the open fields. I will give up your wealth and all your treasures as plunder because of the failure of your high places in all your borders.

Jeremiah 17:4 You will, on your own, give up your inheritance that I gave you. I will make you serve your enemies in a land you do not know, because you have set my anger on fire; it will burn permanently.

permanent fire

Judah had inherited a land filled with untold wealth and treasures, but because of its idolatry, the Lord decided to give it up. As a consequence, the Judeans would also choose to give up their inheritance, and escape the land and the violence of the Babylonians.

What does the permanent fire of God’s anger mean in this text? In Jeremiah, it is not a literal fire. It is an obstacle to returning to the land. God’s burning anger is that obstacle. It is described as a permanent fire that prevents the return to the land.

When we read about the permanent fire in the New Testament (Jude 7), it describes a fire which is both literal and figurative. It was the burning sulfur that rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying those cities, and making it impossible for them to come back.

But Jude also says that Sodom and Gomorrah are an example, having suffered the vengeance of permanent fire. They are an example of what final punishment of the wicked will be like. It will be a destruction so complete that restoration and return to life will be impossible.

Lord, thank you that restoration with you is possible today. Lead us all to take advantage of your grace before it is forever too late.

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eliminated idolatry

Posted on November 2, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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eliminated idolatry

Jeremiah 16:19-21 (JDV)

Jeremiah 16:19 Yahveh, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in a time of distress, the nations will come to you from the ends of the land, and they will say, “Our fathers inherited only lies, temporary idols of no benefit at all.”

Jeremiah 16:20 Can a man make gods for himself? But they are not gods.

Jeremiah 16:21 “Therefore, I am about to inform them, and this time I will make them know my power and my might; then they will know that my name is Yahveh.”

eliminated idolatry

Jeremiah envisions a time in the future when not only Israel and Judah know God, but all the other nations do as well. He sees a time in the future when all the nations recognize that they inherited a lie – that human beings can manufacture their own gods.

Are we living in such a time? Some would say yes. They think that humanity has outgrown idolatry.

Come with me to the cities in Asia and Africa, and I will show you that the idols are still there, to humanity’s shame.

Come with me to Europe and the Americas, and I will show you the same thing. What is that device in your hand? Idolatry is still alive and well. It cannot be outgrown. It must be eliminated.

But God promises a future when everyone who survives will know that Yahveh is God and there is no other.

Thank you, Lord, for the promise of a purified future.

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an undefiled land

Posted on November 1, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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an undefiled land

Jeremiah 16:14-18 (JDV)

Jeremiah 16:14 “However, notice, the days are coming” – this is what Yahveh declares – “when it will no longer be said, ‘As Yahveh lives who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,’

Jeremiah 16:15 but instead, ‘As Yahveh lives who brought the Israelites from the land of the north and from all the other lands where he had banished them’ because I will return them to their land that I gave to their fathers.

Jeremiah 16:16 “Notice, I am about to send for many fishermen” – this is what Yahveh declares – “and they will fish for them. Then I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and out of the clefts of the rocks,

Jeremiah 16:17 because my eye is on all their ways. They are not concealed from me, and their violation is not hidden from my sight.

Jeremiah 16:18 I will first repay them double for their violation and failure because they have polluted my land. They have filled my inheritance with the corpses of their repulsive and offensive idols.”

an undefiled land

The purpose of the exile was not for God to destroy his people utterly. He intended to bring a remainder of his people back to the land. So, why the exile? The land had become polluted by the idolatry which had been practiced by his people. It had to be cleansed, otherwise it would continue to be repulsive to the Lord.

Jesus wants to deliver us from our failures as well. He has procured an undefiled future for us (1 Peter 1:4). His death purchased our forgiveness, and his resurrection (which we will experience when he returns) will restore us to an undefiled land. That undefiled land is the new earth, and is just as certain as our salvation, because it too is God’s will for us.

Lord, thank you for the promise of a cleansed, undefiled inheritance.

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skipping the receptions

Posted on October 31, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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skipping the receptions

Jeremiah 16:5-13 (JDV)

Jeremiah 16:5 “Now – you see – this is what Yahveh says: Don’t come into a house having a mourning feast. Don’t go to mourn or show sorrow for them, because I have removed my peace from these people as well as my covenant faithfulness and comfort.” This is what Yahveh declares.

Jeremiah 16:6 “And they will die – big ones and little ones in this land without being buried. No sorrow will be shown for them, nor will anyone cut himself or shave his head for them.

Jeremiah 16:7 Bread won’t be broken for the mourner to comfort him because of the dead. A cup to drink won’t be given him for the loss of his father or mother.

Jeremiah 16:8 Do not come into the house where feasting is taking place to sit with them to eat and drink

Jeremiah 16:9 because this is what Yahveh of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am about to eliminate from this place, before your very eyes and in your time, the sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the groom and the bride.

Jeremiah 16:10 “When you tell these people all these things, they will say to you, ‘Why has Yahveh declared all this terrible disaster against us? What is our violation? What is our failure with which we have failed Yahveh our God? ‘

Jeremiah 16:11 Then you will answer them, ‘Because your fathers abandoned me – this is what Yahveh declares – and followed other gods, served them, and bowed in worship to them. Indeed, they abandoned me and did not keep my instruction.

Jeremiah 16:12 You did more evil than your fathers. Notice, each one of you was following the stubbornness of his evil heart, not obeying me.

Jeremiah 16:13 So I will hurl you from this land into a land that you and your fathers are not familiar with. There you will worship other gods both day and night, because I will not grant you favor.’

skipping the receptions

The Lord tells Jeremiah to stop attending mourning feasts. The mourning feasts were another cultural expectation, and Jeremiah’s absence at such feasts would have sent a strong message of God’s disapproval of his people.

These receptions are very important in any setting. They give us opportunity to reconnect with relatives and friends we have not seen in a while, to process our grief among those who are feeling the same loss. We don’t think about them much, but the receptions are a blessing that we would miss.

The coming invasion would eliminate the mourning receptions for Jeremiah’s people.

There are so many things about our life that we would really miss if they were taken away – so many blessings from God that we often assume will always be there. Abandoning God strips a life of so much.

Lord, thank you for all the things in our life that reveal your care for us.

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single saints

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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single saints

Jeremiah 16:1-4 (JDV)

Jeremiah 16:1 The word of Yahveh came to me, and this is what he said:

Jeremiah 16:2 “Do not take a wife for yourself or have sons or daughters in this place

Jeremiah 16:3 because this is what Yahveh says about sons and daughters born in this place and about the mothers who bear them and the fathers who father them in this land:

Jeremiah 16:4 They are going to die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will drop like excrement on the surface of the ground. They will be finished off by sword and famine. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.

single saints

To add to the ever-growing list of Jeremiah’s troubles, God told him to stay single. No one is going to pay attention to an unmarried prophet. He might as well have painted “ignore me” on his forehead.

God had a very good reason for telling Jeremiah to go against the current and stay single – even in that culture. And God has reasons for people today to do the same. It is the church’s responsibility to affirm God’s choice for those who want to follow him, not to try to get them to conform to their own choices.

Lord, give us the wisdom to enjoy and affirm the single saints among us.

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like a mirage

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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like a mirage

Jeremiah 15:10-21 (JDV)

Jeremiah 15:10 Tragedy has come to me, my mother, who gave birth to me, a man who incites dispute and conflict in all the land. I did not lend or borrow, yet everyone curses me.

Jeremiah 15:11 Yahveh said: Haven’t I set you loose for your good? Haven’t I punished you in a time of trouble, in a time of distress with the enemy?

Jeremiah 15:12 Can anyone smash iron, iron from the north, or bronze?

Jeremiah 15:13 I will give up your wealth and your treasures as plunder, without cost, for all your failures in all your borders.

Jeremiah 15:14 Then I will make you serve your enemies in a land you do not know, because my anger will kindle a fire that will burn against you.

Jeremiah 15:15 You know, Lord; remember me and take note of me. Avenge me against my persecutors. In your patience, don’t take me away. Know that I suffer disgrace for your honor.

Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, because I bear your name, Lord God of Armies.

Jeremiah 15:17 I never sat with that band of revelers, and I did not celebrate with them. Because your hand was on me, I sat alone, since you filled me with indignation.

Jeremiah 15:18 Why has my pain become unending, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You truly have become like a mirage to me – water that is not reliable.

Jeremiah 15:19 Therefore, this is what Yahveh says: If you return, I will take you back; you will stand in my presence. And if you speak noble words, rather than worthless ones, you can be my spokesman. It is they who must return to you; you must not return to them.

Jeremiah 15:20 Then I will make you a fortified wall of bronze to this people. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, because I am with you to save you and rescue you. This is what Yahveh declares.

Jeremiah 15:21 I will rescue you from the hand of evil people and redeem you from their terrible grip.

like a mirage

In one of Jeremiah’s complaining fits, he accuses God of being “like a mirage.”

I have been seeing a lot more things that are not there lately. I hope I’m not losing my mind! Out in the woods – especially – I am seeing shacks and towers where I expect them, and they turn out to be rocks and trees.

That’s what a mirage is. It is the mind filling in the gaps so that the eyes see what the expect to see.

Jeremiah was God’s representative – a seer. He was supposed to see things other people could not see. He was supposed to have divine perspective. But he confesses that he is not always confident that what he sees is really there.

It takes faith to stand up for God when everybody else wants him to not be there.

Lord, give us strong faith to stand for you – to declare your existence and power in a world that rejects both.

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because of Manasseh

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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because of Manasseh

Jeremiah 15:1-9 (JDV)

Jeremiah 15:1 Then Yahveh said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before me, my compassion would not reach out to these people. Send them from my presence, and let them go.

Jeremiah 15:2 If they ask you, ‘Where will we go? ‘ tell them: This is what Yahveh says: Those heading for death, to death; those heading for the sword, to the sword. Those heading for famine, to famine; those heading for captivity, to captivity.

Jeremiah 15:3 “I will ordain four kinds of judgment for them” – this is what Yahveh declares – “the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land to devour and destroy.

Jeremiah 15:4 I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the land because of Manasseh son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 15:5 Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem? Who will show sympathy toward you? Who will turn aside to ask about your well-being?

Jeremiah 15:6 You have left me.” This is what Yahveh declares. “You have turned your back, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you. I have worn myself out showing compassion.

Jeremiah 15:7 I scattered them with a winnowing fork at the city gates of the land. I made them childless; I destroyed my people. They would not turn from their ways.

Jeremiah 15:8 I made their widows more numerous than the sand of the seas. I brought a destroyer at noon against the mother of young men. I suddenly released on her agitation and terrors.

Jeremiah 15:9 The mother of seven grew faint; she breathed her last breath. Her sun set while it was still day; she was ashamed and humiliated. The remainder of them I will give over to the sword in the presence of their enemies.” This is what Yahveh declares.

because of Manasseh

The Lord tells Jeremiah that this particular wave of destruction will come upon Judah because of Manasseh. There were plenty of evil kings of Judah. Why were his actions so deplorable? His father was Hezekiah, who had a relationship with God. He knew better than to rebel against the counsel of Hezekiah. In fact, Manasseh himself sought the Lord for healing and was delivered later in his life (2 Chronicles 33:12-13).

The reason Manasseh’s evil was so bad was that he had the chance to be an instrument of restoration for Judah, but he chose to be an instrument of rebellion instead.

Lord, you have given us such potential. Keep us from the impulse to throw all that potential away with acts of selfishness.

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corrected vision

Posted on October 27, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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corrected vision

Jeremiah 14:19-22 (JDV)

Jeremiah 14:19 Have you completely rejected Judah? Do you detest Zion? Why do you strike us with no hope of healing for us? We hoped for peace, but there was nothing good; for a time of healing, but there was only terror.

Jeremiah 14:20 We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord, the violation of our fathers; indeed, we have failed you.

Jeremiah 14:21 For your name’s sake, don’t despise it. Don’t treat your glorious throne with contempt. Remember your covenant with us; do not break it.

Jeremiah 14:22 Can any of the temporary idols of the nations bring rain? Or can the skies alone give showers? Are you not Yahveh our God? We therefore put our hope in you, because you have done all these things.

corrected vision

Jeremiah condemned the other prophets because they were just passing along the party line – insisting that God would not allow the drought to decimate Jerusalem and the coming invasion to destroy its people. God would certainly intervene because he is always good.

Jeremiah wanted the same thing. He wanted God to intervene, and he knew in his heart that God is always good. But he also knew that his people had broken covenant with God, and that all these bad things they were experiencing were part of God’s plan to restore them to him.

Lord, correct our vision. Restore our relationship with you.

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