Posts filed under ‘israel’
True Antidote for Vanity
It all boils down to Solomon’s final thoughts on the subject. That is, to fear God and keep His commandments, period. This is the be- all, end-all of everything related to humanity and our need to glorify God. The problem is that we too often go after things in life (even if they appear to be good), from a position of serving self. If/when we do this, we are essentially chasing vanity.
Two Reasons for the Cup
As a young woman goes through the Jewish wedding process, she is focused on the day her groom will come back to take her to the newly finished room in his father’s house. After his father tells him it’s time, the groom will walk through the streets with his groomsmen behind him approaching the bride’s home. He will call out to her as he gets closer. She will come running out to meet and greet him and will be swept up in his arms. They will then turn and go to the room that has been set up for their ceremony and dinner. She will forever remain with her husband as his wife in his father’s house.
Continue Reading August 11, 2026 at 10:08 AM Leave a comment
Covenants vs Dispensationalism
It seems to me the very plain teaching of Scripture includes a physical return of Jesus, where every eye will see Him of those living at the time (Daniel 7:13; Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 14:14). Seeing Jesus is not in the mind’s eye or somehow spiritually. It is a literal event when He physically returns so that the entirety of the world will finally understand that God is in control. That much is clear and obvious. To attempt to turn this obvious meaning into a spiritual return is repugnant to me.
King Jehoiakim’s Defiance
The king seemed interested and wanted to see the scroll so he sent for it. The contents of the scroll was read before the king and all the princes gathered. After 3-4 columns of the scroll were read, the king took a knife and cut off what had been read and tossed the words in the fire near him. Eventually, the entire scroll was burned up after it had been read.
This act was one that showed King Jehoiakim’s view of God and His Word. He didn’t care. He resisted God. V24 tells us that neither the king or princes were afraid at all. They were defiant in their rebellion of God!
Promises Broken, Promises Kept
In Jeremiah 33, we see that the prophet Jeremiah was still in prison but received another message from the Lord. God promises to fight for Judah and announces that her enemies would end up dead. None of this is based on Israel’s response to God because they continued in their rebellion and disobedience, which is why God needed to purge once again rebels in that nation. However, He was also looking forward to a time when another Israelite generation would exist, a generation that would be obedient to Him. Because of this, the Lord would bring about Judah’s healing and prosperity.
Hope is on the Way
Jeremiah had been imprisoned at this time by King Zedekiah for preaching against Jerusalem saying Babylon would destroy the city. It’s also interesting that God prompted Jeremiah to purchase land from his cousin while in prison. This was a test by God because the land was already in possession by Nebuchadnezzar. God commanded Jeremiah to take the Land even though Nebuchadnezzar was ready to take Jerusalem! (v25) Kind of weird but if we consider that God was essentially telling Jeremiah that He would be victorious over Nebuchadnezzar after He finished using the king for His purposes for Israel. In essence God is saying that the Land would come back to Israel eventually.
Misplaced Zeal: Understanding Today’s Moral Confusion
God had decreed that King Nebuchadnezzar would reign and any nation that did not willingly come under his rule would be punished “with the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.” This message also summarized the content of chapters 7-10.
If the Judahites continued to reject the LORD, and disobey the Mosaic Covenant, He would destroy the temple and Jerusalem completely. The temple would suffer complete destruction, and Jerusalem would become a curse, namely, an object of ridicule and an example of horrible suffering.
Jeremiah also warned the people about the false prophets and told them not to listen to them. Theses prophets were lying by saying the people of Judah would not serve Babylon. It’s what many wanted to hear (including the king), but it was not the truth.
From Judgment to Hope: Jeremiah’s Enduring Message
These three chapters deliver stern warnings of judgment against corrupt leaders, false prophets, and a disobedient Judah, culminating in the prophecy of a 70-year Babylonian captivity. Interestingly enough, in the midst of these threats, God promises to raise a Righteous Branch (Messiah) from David’s line. Further, God will restore the remnant, while also pronouncing judgment on Babylon itself as well as other nations that set themselves against Israel.
Continue Reading January 27, 2026 at 3:47 PM Leave a comment
Jeremiah 20-22: Failure to Thrive
Gee, talk about being “thick” in the head! How many times has God already indicated that He would bring serious judgment against Judah if they do not turn back to Him in full repentance? Many times since the opening pages of the book of Jeremiah and yet here we are again in these chapters, where Jeremiah has to proclaim similar things he’s already proclaimed (and the leadership and people rejected it), and King Zedekiah acts as though God has never said anything about any sort of judgment.
Jeremiah 18-19: It’s Unavoidable
Many in Israel wanted Jeremiah dead because of what he said. They wanted to kill him because of words which happened to be truth that they did not like. We see this happening today as well in and outside Christendom as people do not want to hear the truth. Moreover, truth is attacked and negated throughout society because it is inconvenient and people do not want to hear it.
In response, Jeremiah offers laments to God and asks that He rebuke the people strongly. Jeremiah was angry at the state of Israel and wanted God to act based on what He promised to do to that nation.
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