WHAT DID JEREMIAH DO THAT WAS SO RIGHT?

William Andrew Dillard

The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah is the author of the book that bears his name as well as the book of Lamentations. He is renown as “The weeping prophet.” Just what did Jeremiah do that was so right? Think with me!
Jeremiah lived about 80 years from about 650 B. C. to around 570 B. C. He was the son of a priest, and was set aside by the Lord for his unique ministry from his birth. His active ministry began around 625 B.C. and spanned the reign of five kings of Judah.
The times of Jeremiah parallel in some ways those of today. The Jewish nation has abandoned the Sabbaths, were in love with materialism, and honored idol gods. But these were the covenant people of God who were to play important roles in the progress toward the Savior coming into the world, and to the future of God’s people in the millennium and new earth. God would deal with them in ways most unpleasant, but sufficient to bring them back to the narrow way of faith. Jeremiah would be the faithful warning of what was to come
Humanly speaking, it is not pleasant to preach, beg, plead with people who consistently reject the message. Moreover, the message would not go unchallenged by the religious panderers seeking popularity and gain from a people committed to their own way. Jeremiah stood firmly against the false prophets, and felt the disdain his countrymen had for him. Still he continued faithfully to warn of the nations impending judgment.
At one point the prophet was cast into a mud pit as a reward for his unbending faithfulness to deliver God’s message. At another point in his ministry, it is recorded, “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” 20:9.
The prophet lived to see the Judgment of God fall on Judah. Nebuchadnezzar sent the forces of Babylon who destroyed Jerusalem, and carried away the young and talented people to serve him in that land. Doubtless Jeremiah’s heart was broken, but he understood the events by the messages God gave to him.
God still wants His people to speak His truth even if it is unpopular. His judgment is pending upon a Christ rejecting world, and we have this wonderful Old Testament prophet as an encouraging example of how our conduct should be in these evil times. Jeremiah was so right, and it is our privilege to be so right, delivering God’s message as he did!

IN THE ENDING OF SUMMER OF LIFE ARE YOU SAVED?

William Andrew Dillard
Parson to Person

Jeremiah is renowned as “the weeping prophet.” In tears he preached to the hardened inhabitants of Judah, and Jerusalem in particular. Did they love and appreciate him for warning them of looming disaster? Quite the contrary. They cast him in a dungeon, and treated him shamefully in other ways. Still, he preached on. Why did he do this? Because he knew, and knew that he knew, that the forces of Babylon would soon descend upon his beloved city and people unless repentance was imminent. God had both informed the prophet of this doom and commissioned him to preach to his hardened, backslidden people.
Some who dared to believe the prophet had fled to Egypt for supposed safety rather than repent. As time raced toward a deadline for the people of Judah to repent, their condition was thus summarized, “The harvest is past , the summer is ended , and we are not saved” Jeremiah 8:20
Is this actually a page from the annals of ancient history or a present commentary on our people today? Truly, and doubtless the clock of human history is wound down to very near the stopping point. Jesus is coming again! Judgment is coming! A new world order of Heaven’s rule is coming! Life is fleeting! The window of change narrows to a tiny crack! This is not just good preaching, it is God ordained, Biblically established fact about to happen, just as doom came upon an un-repentant people of Judah so long ago.
The summer is gone, and fall races toward us. How easily that is seen. But the same is true of life. So many have passed the summer and are already into the late fall of life, and they are not saved. God help us to not grow cold and hardened as the ancient people of Judah, but to be as the prophet who though not seeing a spirit of repentance in his people continued to cry out and to warn of imminent judgment. People are precious. They are made in the image of Almighty God, and there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun! In this late summer of life, are you saved, is your hope in your works or in the grace of our wonderful Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus????

APRIL 14 – Pastors of the World

APRIL 14 – Pastors of the World

2Chronicles 13:10  But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business: 

Here is a conflict between Judah and Israel. This conflict is between the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom. This conflict is between paganism and the true worship of God. This conflict is between worshiping God in the way He desires or worshiping God the way we desire. This represents our present-day conflict. Continually there are true Churches that wander off into will worship and keep moving farther and farther away from the true worship of God.

Notice how this verse lays everything out. “The Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him.” Numbers 26:61 – “And Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the Lord.” They only changed one little item. With all the laws and commandments that were given, who would have thought that the source of the fire would make any difference? What difference does it make that the Ark was carried on a cart? Yet a man died because of it. Messing with the worship of God is serious business. Here are three men that made a life and death decision. Sadly, their life was required of them because of their decision.

We talk about ways, means, and methods. Nadab and Abihu had a different method. Carrying the Ark in a cart was a different method. What harm could come with this new method? I personally believe that God’s knows how he wants to be worshiped. I also believe that God knows how He wants to go to the lost. I also God blesses His way and Satan blesses his way.

We are not to be pastors of the world nor are we called to pastor the world. We are called to pastor the flock that has been called out of the world. We are called to win them and not woo them. We are called to baptize them and teach them. I believe in driving them deep into the Rock. There have been times that I have called a Church that a missionary had just left. I wanted to talk to them about the empty pulpit. As I questioned them, I asked the group of men on the other end if they could describe to me what a Biblical Church was. They did not know what I was talking about. Teach, teach, teach all things. It is so needed. Win the lost and TEACH.

HEBREW WORD – The LORD Our Righteousness (1)

 

Yāhweh Sidqēnû

 

What a glorious “Jehovah-compound” we consider today! Jer_23:5-6 declares, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The LORD Our Righteousness.” This verse is a messianic prophecy. The background of it appears in 2Ki_24:8-17. Upon his father Jehoiakim’s death, Jehoiachin took the throne of Judah at a mere eighteen years of age, but sadly, like his father, “did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD” (2Ki_24:9). After Jehoiachin had been on the throne for only three months, however, the Babylonians invaded, destroying Jerusalem and taking the people into captivity, just as Jeremiah had foretold (Jer_1:14-15; Jer_5:15; Jer_6:22-26).

 

The most devastating result of the deportation of Jehoiachin (also called “Coniah” and “Jeconiah”) was the ending of the Davidic dynasty (Jer_22:24-26; Jer_22:30). It is in Jer_23:5-6, however, that Jeremiah declares that God promises to raise up David again in the form of “a righteous Branch” and “a King,” and this is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Further, and most significant of all, the name of this coming King would be THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Appearing some 117 times (most often in Psalms and Isaiah), the Hebrew noun sedeq (H6664), which forms the basis of sidqēnû, primarily speaks of that which conforms to a moral, ethical standard, or norm, and is often connected to the term justice (Psa_119:106; Isa_58:2). Because of their fallen nature, men do not want a moral or ethical standard, as illustrated by Israel’s own repeated rebellion, which caused their captivity. Why are many people today fighting to remove the Ten Commandments from the courtroom? It is simply because with God’s moral and ethical standard plastered on the wall, men are condemned before court is even in session.

 

God is not only righteous in Himself—He lives up to His own perfect moral and ethical standard—but He also produces righteousness in those He saves through Christ. While many in pulpits today go out of their way to avoid mentioning sin, salvation is about sin and righteousness, that is, our sin and Christ’s righteousness, which saves us from our sin.

 

Scriptures for Study: Read that great description of the coming Messiah in Isa_11:1-11, which speaks not only of His first coming but His second as well.

 

 

 

Messiah—Branch—King

 

“In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,” Jeremiah 23:6.

 

Harry S. Truman said, “In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.” There is something about the heart of man that longs for clear and decisive leadership. Without godly leadership, chaos and sinfulness reign. Unfortunately, when there have been lapses in godly leadership, history teaches us that society may desire the wrong person to lead them.

 

The ultimate answer to this problem of leadership is Christ. Yes, there is no authority except that which God grants (Rom. 13:1), but we must be clear:  there is no leader like Jesus Christ. He is the promised Messiah and He has every human right to lead, coming from the line of David. When He returns and reigns in power, every knee will bow and every tongue will proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God (Phil. 2:9-11). When Jesus returns, we will not worry any longer about corruption in positions of authority, we will not argue about what is best for our nation, and we will not be concerned with making sure the oppressed receive justice. But one of the most amazing aspects of the rule of Christ is this. He can be your leader, your sovereign, right now.

 

 

JUST A THOUGHT

 

Will you serve Christ as king today?

 

 

Mark Clements