The Lord told Jeremiah the people would ask him what they had done wrong, and he was to tell them that they had worshiped other gods and did whatever they felt like doing. So they would be punished. Later, after they had learned their lesson, they would be brought back. Then Jeremiah prayed and asked God for protection.
The Lord told the people of Judah what was going to happen to them and why. The Lord put a curse on those who turn from Him and trust in human strength. He said He would bless people who trust Him. They would be like trees watered by a nearby stream, with leaves that are always green. But the people of Judah were so deceitful that they fooled themselves! Jeremiah prayed for protection. The Lord told Jeremiah to go to all the city gates and remind the people to not do any work on the Sabbath and they would be blessed. If not, they wouldn't like what happens.
The Lord told Jeremiah to go to a pottery shop. So he did. He noticed the potter at his wheel would change his mind and make something else if the clay didn't cooperate. He told Jeremiah to tell the people that as the potter has power over the clay, God had power over them. If God told them that they would be taken captive and they turned from evil, the Lord would change His mind. If God promised to make a nation strong and they turned away from Him, He would change His mind and not help them at all. As it stood they were on death row. It didn't have to be that way. The Lord told them He would change His mind if they stopped sinning. Once again the people thought the quick fix was to kill Jeremiah. So Jeremiah asked God for help.
The Lord told Jeremiah to buy a clay jar and gather the city officials and go to Himmom Valley, tell the people how they have sinned and what their punishment will be and then smash the jar. So he did. Then he was to tell them that they would be like the clay jar - smashed to smithereens. Then Jeremiah went other places and told the people there that the disaster was going to come soon.
The chief of temple security heard what Jeremiah said. He didn't like it so he hit Jeremiah, arrested him, and put him in chains. The next morning he let Jeremiah go, but before he left, Jeremiah had a message for him... The Lord had changed his name to Afraid-of-everything, because he would be afraid of everything and watch his friends and family be taken prisoner to Babylon. It seems the chief of security had been telling lies and telling people they were what God told him. Later Jeremiah complained to the Lord. He felt like the Lord had set him up to bear the brunt of the people's anger about what the Lord wanted him to say. His friends and family wanted to kill him. He knew the Lord would help him, but he was hoping it would happen soon. Then he wished he'd never been born just to suffer and die in shame. If you need to complain, you can give it to God.
Tomorrow read Jeremiah 21-24
No comments:
Post a Comment