Scripture: Jeremiah 1:1-10

“Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant” (Jeremiah 1:10, NLT).

Observation:

Jeremiah is having a radical encounter with God. God speaks to him directly and gives him the charge to share his words with whomever God sends him to. God waves away Jeremiah’s protest that he lacks the qualifications and experience to speak the message. Instead, God promises to be with him and to protect him from those who would react badly (and they did) to his message. In a manner reminiscent of Isaiah’s experiences (Isaiah 6:1-10), God touches Jeremiah’s lips cleansing him and preparing him for this intimate relationship in which he will receive God’s Word.

Application:

Through Scripture I have access to the recorded messages that God has given his people through the ages. By God’s grace I have access to Jesus, the Word made flesh, through his Spirit that he himself placed in me. When the Good News is proclaimed, both the message of overthrowing and of victory are heard. I experience the message of uprooting, tearing down, destroying, and overthrowing when my sin is exposed. I experience the message of building and planting when I confess my sin and allow his grace to flourish.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for giving your Word. Enable me to respond to the messages which expose my sin. Uproot what is wrong. Forgive me and lead me to what is right and true. Plant your Word in me, and build me into the servant you would have me be. Cleanse my lips to be a fitting speaker of your grace. Give me courage to share your Good News with whomever you place in my path. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Scripture: Jeremiah 2:1-9

Scripture:  Jeremiah 2:10-17

“For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” (Jeremiah 2:13, NLT).

“And you have brought this upon yourselves by rebelling against the Lord your God, even though he was leading you on the way!” (Jeremiah 2:17, NLT).

Observation:

Despite warnings by Jeremiah and other prophets the ancient Israelites chose to worship the false gods of their idolatrous neighbors. Jeremiah’s message points out that even these pagan nations stayed true to their gods. Yet these Israelites had “exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols” (v.11). All the atrocities they had committed, including human sacrifice of their own children (Jeremiah 19:5), stemmed from two evil things: they abandoned God, and they tried to satisfy themselves with a poor substitute.

Application:

Why would anyone abandon a life-giving fountain and dig for one’s self a leaky cistern? Why abandon a miracle-working God for the delusion we have it under control? Why abandon true wisdom for self-direction? Yet believers, like the ancient Israelites, sometimes convince themselves that our own way would bring better, bigger, and more lasting results than going God’s way. Jeremiah’s contemporaries failed to learn that there is no substitute for God. Their false gods and self-wisdom were of no help against the enemy that destroyed their country and enslaved them. How likely is it that our own rebellion against following God’s leading would end any better?

Prayer:

Father, thank you for satisfying me with you, the Fountain of Living Water. Thank you for patiently leading me along the path that I should go. Forgive me for replacing you with my own importance, selfishness, and petty grievances. Break apart the leaky cisterns I have dug by going my own way. Lead me back to you and fill me once again with your Spirit, the living water. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture:  Jeremiah 2:18-30

“They turn their backs on me, but in times of trouble they cry out to me, ‘Come and save us!’ But why not call on these gods you have made? When trouble comes, let them save you if they can!” (Jeremiah 2:27b, 28a, NLT).

Observation:

Because of their moral corruptness, the ancient Israelites refused the prophets’ warnings to repent and to obey the Lord. Instead they continued in their worship of other nations’ false gods. God alone had the power to rescue them from the coming clash with the Babylonians. Yet they persisted in their worship of other gods excusing it with, “I’m in love . . . I can’t stop” (v.25). Instead of seeking God’s help, they made alliances with two of their former enemies, Egypt and Assyria, who themselves were under threat of Babylonian invasion (v.18).

Application:

Perhaps all sin is replacing God in our lives with something we feel will bring us what we want while pursuing the lifestyle we have chosen. Following Christ is not a quick fix. Prayer is not a last minute “punt” to rescue the game. The blessing of God comes from pursuing a life yielded to him which leads us away from the dangers inherent in pursuing selfishness. Through his death and resurrection, Christ has broken the chains of sin’s slavery (v.20). Yet if we refuse to go his way, we will find to our shame what an “evil, bitter thing it is to abandon the Lord” (v.19). What is pursued in the place of God is not capable of saving us (v.27,28). The distance our rebellion has created renders us unable to seek Truth and pursue it (v.29,30).

Prayer:

Father, thank you for breaking sin’s yoke of slavery. Thank you for your Spirit who guides me into truth and away from the danger of selfish living. Make me aware of anything I am pursuing that is not you. Forgive me for the times I have not honored you as God by rebelling against your leading. Cleanse me from my sin, and renew my desire to follow your Son. In whose name I pray, Amen.

Scripture:   Jeremiah 2:31-37

“O my people, listen to the words of the Lord! Have I been like a desert to Israel? Have I been to them a land of darkness? Why then do my people say, ‘At last we are free from God! We don’t need him anymore!’” (Jeremiah 2:31, NLT).

Observation:

God had redeemed, lead, protected, provided for, and forgiven his people for generations. He demonstrated his power to save through miraculous signs. Yet in Jeremiah’s message, God pours out his bewilderment that these same people would abandon him when they need him most. In fact, they don’t recognize their need of him and see their abandonment as freedom from the law of his love.

Application:

The two rhetorical questions, “Have I been like a desert to Israel? Have I been to them a land of darkness?”, deserve an emphatic, “No!” Fellowship with God is not a barren place bereft of life. Rather, that intimacy is the source of life and fruitfulness. God is a light to our own darkness; there is nothing hidden or obscure about his desire to love us, empower us, and lead us.

Prayer:

Father, Giver of Life, thank you that you are the light in the darkness. Teach me to walk in your path of light and life. Awaken me to my need of you. Forgive me when I am tempted to turn aside to the barrenness and darkness of worldly concerns. Keep me grounded in your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture: Jeremiah 3:1-15

“O Israel, my faithless people, come home to me again, for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever. Only acknowledge your guilt. Admit that you rebelled against the Lord your God and committed adultery against him by worshiping idols under every green tree. Confess that you refused to listen to my voice. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 3:12, 13, NLT).

Observation:

God compares the idol-worshiping, ancient Israelites to an adulterous spouse. Incredulously the adulterous spouse asks the mate not to be angry and to forgive and to forget. But the adulterous spouse only talks about reconciliation while continuing to stray (v.5). The faithless spouse only pretends to be sorry—after all, there are hard times ahead and the mate has provided in the past (v.10). Although the adulterous spouse never sincerely returns to the mate (v.10), God, the wronged spouse, says, “Come home.” (v.12).

Application:

God’s love for us is overwhelming. Despite our rebellious, stubborn, self-centered, and pleasure-seeking lives, God says, “Return. I am merciful.” The only thing that separates us from intimate union with him is our own refusal to acknowledge the sin in our lives. If we confess our sin, listen to his voice, and pursue him, he will even make the first move toward reconciliation–“I will bring you back” (v.14). God even provides the counselors, shepherds after his own heart, who will guide us with knowledge and understanding (v.15). What amazing love!

Prayer:

Father, how great is your love toward us that you seek our return, forgive our transgressions, and heal our wounds. Show me the areas of my life in which I have pretended rather than pursued you. May my repentance be genuine. Guide me to deeper knowledge and understanding of you. Forgive my faithlessness, and knit my heart to yours. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture:  Jeremiah 3:16—4:2

“And when your land is once more filled with people,” says the Lord, “you will no longer wish for ‘the good old days’ when you possessed the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant. You will not miss those days or even remember them, and there will be no need to rebuild the Ark. In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the Lord.’ All nations will come there to honor the Lord. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires” (Jeremiah 3:16, 17, NLT).

Observation:

In the midst of God’s lament about his people’s faithlessness, he speaks good news. He announces a time when all people, not just the Israelites, would be in covenant with him. This new covenant would not need the external symbolic God’s presence, the Ark of the Covenant. No one would long for the past because the present would be superior. With God enthroned within them, his people no longer are led astray by evil desires.

Application:

Am I fully attuned to God’s Spirit within me so that each day is better than the one before? Am I able to live without external symbols of God’s presence because I am burningly aware of God within me? Has my intimacy with God deepened from taking advantage of moment-by-moment opportunities to trust him? Have I followed him so closely that I know I can rely on him? Has my practiced reliance on him dissolved my stubborn pursuit of selfish desires?

Prayer:

Father, thank you for continually giving me more of yourself. Thank you for the abiding presence of your Spirit. Increase my trust in you; strengthen my reliance on you. Show me where I am stubbornly following my own path instead of living in and through your Son. In whose name I pray, Amen.

Scripture:  Jeremiah 4:3-18

“Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns. O people of Judah and Jerusalem, surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the Lord, or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins” (Jeremiah 4:3, 4, NLT).

Observation:

Through Jeremiah’s message, God announces to the ancient Israelites that destruction is on the way. Their evil choices have brought it about (v.18). Though they rebelled against him (v.17), God begs his people to cleanse their hearts so he can save them (v.14). Using a farming metaphor, he asks them to ready themselves to receive his mercy and grace by plowing up hard hearts and ridding themselves of thorny evil thoughts.

Application:

Plowing the soil requires that I surrender my pride (v.3). I must relinquish my ideas of why God should save me. I cannot trust in my efforts to justify myself through good works, Biblical knowledge, or conformity to rules. Plowing the soil also requires that I surrender my power. I must acknowledge that I can do nothing to save myself. I must stop engineering my own righteousness and allow Christ to transform me. Christ alone can save; I must receive his grace. Finally, I must not waste the mercy and grace Christ has sewn in me by allowing thorns to grow and choke these good seeds. I must be willing to let his Spirit expose and root out what doesn’t belong—nursed hurts, envy, jealousy, selfishness, resentments.

Prayer:

Father, I cannot save myself. I confess my paltry attempts to justify myself. I confess that I have chosen to do so in order to live by my standards and not yours. Forgive my proud, rebellious heart. Create in me a new clean heart, plowed and ready to receive your grace and mercy. Root out what doesn’t belong; make me willing to obey you. Save me because of your great love given me through your Son. In whose name I pray, Amen.

Scripture: Jeremiah 4:19-31

“What are you doing, you who have been plundered? Why do you dress up in beautiful clothing and put on gold jewelry? Why do you brighten your eyes with mascara? Your primping will do you no good! The allies who were your lovers despise you and seek to kill you” (Jeremiah 4:30, NLT).

Observation:

The ancient Israelites displayed no understanding that their sin was bringing about their destruction. They had become “clever enough at doing wrong” and had “no idea how to do right” (v.22). They foolishly trusted their allies rather than God to help them. Their worship rituals were only cosmetic (v.30). They gave the impression of righteousness, but they lacked true obedience and repentance. Jeremiah foresaw their utter destruction, a destruction so vast it would seem as if their world had returned to its empty Genesis state (v.23-26). He experiences great pain (v.19), grieving their failure to return to God and receive his mercy.

Application:

I must submit to the Holy Spirit and allow him to purge me of my sinful nature. I cannot make up for my selfishness with “random acts of kindness.” I cannot hide my sin with church going, Bible reading, and prayer reciting. While appearances may matter to people, God “looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Sin cannot be covered up. Christ’s blood alone can remove sin (Romans 3:25-26). God declares us right by our faith in Jesus expressed through true love for others, hatred of our sin, and our hold on what is good (Romans 12:9).

Prayer:

Father, thank you for saving me from utter destruction by the death of your Son. Keep me grounded in faith. Forgive my feeble attempts to cover over my sin. Purge me of my sinful nature. Create in me a clean heart filled with your love for others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture:   Jeremiah 5:1-19

“Lord, you are searching for honesty. You struck your people, but they paid no attention. You crushed them, but they refused to be corrected. They are determined, with faces set like stone; they have refused to repent” (Jeremiah 5:3, NLT).

Observation:

By what means does God get the attention of his people who have strayed so far from him? The ancient Israelites ignored the prophets’ warning (v.13). They created their own deceitful theology (v.12), “he will not bother us,” and indulged in adultery (v.7), covetousness (v.8), idol worship (v.7), and rebellion (v.5). So God announces an enemy that will strip them of the things they have put their trust in—good harvests, children, flocks and herds, crops, and fortifications (v.17). The eventual destruction is both a judgment and a restructuring of the people’s relationship with God. Their future deprivation would force them to rely on the only One who was and is constant and capable of saving them.

Application:

What tools has God used to strip me of my self-reliance? To what fortifications am I falsely clinging so that I will feel safe? What if the storms and uncertainties of my life are not crosses to be born but opportunities to encounter God who loves me and longs for me to know him better?

Prayer:

Father, thank you pursuing me. Forgive my rebellion and my stubborn attempts to replace you, the Giver of all good things, with flimsy human structures. Give me your grace to embrace opportunities to be rid of my dishonesty. Heal me and place your truth within my heart. Increase my trust in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture:   Jeremiah 5:20-31

“Have you no respect for me? Why don’t you tremble in my presence? I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set” (Jeremiah 5:22, NLT).

Observation:

Jeremiah’s audience are foolish; they deny God exists and cares (v.21). They are senseless; they do not reason correctly that God who created and tames the sea has set boundaries which should not be crossed (v.22). They have abandoned God and so deprived themselves of blessings (v.23-24). Yet they do not perceive the lack (v.25). They have adopted the lies of false prophets as beliefs. Like their priests, they like using this deceitful system to gain power and wealth (v.31). They prey upon the innocent, fatherless, and poor to gain their desires (v.26-28). Although they recognize no limit to their evil (v.28), God has passed judgment against them and will not relent (v.29).

Application:

God’s power can bring comfort. Knowing God is in control and will bring an end to evil sets my mind at rest. In the difficult times of my life, I can trust that his way is best, even when I cannot understand, because all options are open to him. Yet I also need to allow God’s power to check the rebellious impulse to go my own way. Failure to acknowledge his sovereignty results in empty, false religion ending in societal collapse and estrangement from God. I dare not misconstrue God’s patience with my selfishness as approval. Religious pretense to justify sin is folly. God’s judgment of sin is as real as the boundaries he has enforced upon the ocean.

Prayer:

Father, Creator of all that is seen and unseen, teach me to respect you. Thank you for the boundaries you assign to all that you have made. Keep me within those boundaries, and guide me into truth. Strip me of pretense. May the worship that I offer honor you as God alone. Forgive my rebellious ways, and keep my eyes fixed on your Son, the author and finisher of faith. In whose name I pray, Amen.

Scripture:  Jeremiah 6:1-15

“From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. From prophets to priests, they are all frauds. They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:13-14, NLT).

Observation:

The personal sin of greed brought about the destruction of Judah. God’s law provided for the poor by leaving produce behind at harvest (Leviticus 19:9-10). Greed brought about more efficient and profitable harvests for landholders. The welfare of the poor and orphans was denied (Jeremiah 5:28). In a stunning example of “reaping what you sow,” the prophet proclaims that the coming destruction by the Babylonians would be “as when a harvester checks each vine a second time to pick the grapes that were missed” (v.9). Neither old, young, male, nor female would escape (v.11). Greed opposes God’s law; one cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). Greed drowns out the warning of its ensuing peril (v.10). When God’s law of love is scorned for personal gain, true wisdom is unknown. Fraudulent religious systems created to lighten the guilt of greed offer no remedy nor direction for the wages of sin.

Application:

I need to be on my guard against every kind of greed (Luke 12:15). Since greed is the selfish desire to have more than is needed, greed is not just the domain of the wealthy. Greed can manifest as fearing not having enough for the future. Greed can be holding tightly to what I have and showing no compassion to those in need (1 John 3:17). Greed is the idolatry of serving one’s desires and fears rather than God who supplies all my needs (Philippians 4:19).

Prayer:

Father, thank you for supplying all my needs. Thank you for your generous grace and patience with me. Purge me of my greed. Show me how to trust you more and serve you more fully. Fill me with truth and banish fraudulent ideas that obscure how you would have me live. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture: Jeremiah 6:16-30

This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’” (Jeremiah 6:15, NLT).

Observation:

Jeremiah reminds the people that there is a way out of their distress. It has been there since ancient times, encoded in the Law which God gave to his people. The Law was good, and its intent was to provide rest (v.16). The people need only walk in the way of the Law—loving God with all their heart, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5) and their neighbors as themselves (Leviticus 19:18). Jeremiah points out that gifts and sacrifices are not acceptable to God when his Word is rejected (v.19-20).

Application:

Like Jeremiah, I need to observe and to test the value of the paths before me (v.27). Much of what passes as acceptable practice in our society—our priorities, our values, our attitudes, our world view—does not overlay the one true Way, Jesus. Religious observance is of little value if doesn’t function as signposts to keep me on the right path. Only by following Jesus along the pathway of love do I find rest for my soul.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for inspiring your people to record the godly path in Scripture. Thank you for Jesus, your Son, who is the Way, Truth, and the Life. Set my feet firmly upon his path. Keep me eyes steadfast on him. Forgive me when I stubbornly go my own way. Restrain me from worldly shortcuts. Redirect me when I’ve lost my way. Let your Holy Spirit be my constant Guide. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture: Jeremiah 7:1-15

“But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice” (Jeremiah 7:5, NLT).

Observation:

This passage shows the progression of once faithful people to apostate evil-doers. It begins with evil thoughts (v.5). Greed demands more. Envy sees others as obstacles to getting more or something to be exploited in order to obtain more. The poor are despised, and their needs and rights ignored (v.6). The call for justice is ignored (v.13). Instead those whose lives are impoverished, disadvantaged, alone, or different are seen as not deserving of consideration. Contempt replaces compassion; exploitation becomes the privilege of those who are safely “blessed” (v.10). Lies replace truth, and what is idolized and desired supplants God himself.

Application:

How I think matters greatly to God. God’s merciful pardon of my sins begins with my showing mercy. Common wisdom says, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything.” Yet God’s justice requires more than refraining from verbalizing hurtful remarks. His justice begins with my responding to his message (v.13). I must allow Christ to change the way I think (Romans 12:2). What I think about others directly influences how I will treat them. I cut myself off from God’s mercy when I fail to show mercy to others for whom Christ has died. Without mercy, I will be left, like the people in Jeremiah, with a hollow, religious observance that God will eventually destroy.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for great mercy toward me. Forgive my evil thoughts about others. Change how I think; give me the mind of Christ. Fill me with consideration and compassion for those whose lives intersect my own. Teach me how to live out your justice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.