184 Friday, July 3, 2009

184 Jeremiah 036 – 038; Acts 8.1 – 8.25

Do not miss this--God wants to give Israel a break. Remember all the destruction, the casting away, and the anger--listen, "Get a scroll and write down everything I've told you regarding Israel and Judah and all the other nations from the time I first started speaking to you in Josiah's reign right up to the present day.(here's the kicker) Maybe the community of Judah will finally get it, finally understand the catastrophe that I'm planning for them, turn back from their bad lives, and let me forgive their perversity and sin." Wow! God has yet to give up on them! Maybe if they see it written down they will get it. The Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should repent. Jeremiah did what the Lord asked and then Baruch, who took down the words of Jeremiah, took the scroll over to the government officials and read it to them. The officials, after hearing the words, told Baruch and Jeremiah to go into hiding. Then Jehudi took the scroll over to the King and the king read it piece by piece and with a knife cut it up piece by piece and threw it in the fire. Jeremiah is told after this to do it all over again--God told him to do it all over again. The added kicker? King Jehoiakim was going to be severely judged. This is a lessen of being in denial. God would never destroy Jerusalem--the temple is here, His presence, these words of Jeremiah are utter nonsense. Jeremiah was telling the truth. Of course, Jeremiah ended up in jail but put there by King Zedekiah. Yes, he offended this king also. They really didn't like what Jerry had to say--God had to say. Let us be careful not to throw the Word of God into the fire. Let the Word of God settle into our hearts.