JEREMIAH 35:1 - 36:32
THE RECHABITES: Wild, Bedouin-like nomads from the time of Moses, who lived in tents outside cities. Their ascetic rule against wine, houses, sowing, and planting were a safeguard from corruption by surrounding tribes. Though not Israelites, they abhorred Baal worship. Their Nazarite vows permitted them entrance to the Temple. Their faithfulness to their earthly ancestor (their father Jonadab, in a command given 300 years ago!) was a rebuke to Israel's unfaithfulness to their heavenly Father. They stood before Jehovah in their faithfulness and their obedience. They knew how to keep covenant. Tradition had an iron grip on the Rechabites, stronger than Judah's revelation of God. Judah paid no attention to their Father!
BOOK-BURNING: The event goes back before chapter 35, to King Jehoiakim. Jeremiah had been prophesying 23 years and was now commanded by God to gather these prophecies into a book, since Jeremiah was forbidden to speak publicly by the Holy Spirit, and was barred from the palace by the king (36:5). Trusty Baruch wrote it down for Jeremiah, then took it to the Temple and read it out loud. The book was deeply influential with the princes (36:14-19), so they took it to be read to the King. The King brazenly cut it up and burned it! (36:23-26) and sent word that Jeremiah's dead body would be thrown outside to be bloated by the elements. Unfortunately, that was the only copy of Jeremiah's prophesies so (v.28) God told Jeremiah to write it again. God's Word is indestructible! It is possible to mutilate and even destroy a sacred writing, but it is not possible to make God's Word of none effect. (Mark 7:13) This scenario did not harm God's Word, but God's Word revealed the King's heart. He and his cronies had lost their fear of God and are on their way to destruction. They had lost touch with Reality.
RESPONSE: I saw an unsaved man tear up a Bible and throw it into a "burn barrel" once. It scared me. I expected God to strike him dead! I have also heard of people who won't put anything on top of a Bible. If it's in a stack with other stuff, the Bible is on the top. That sounds like superstition to me. The Book itself is paper and ink, but it represents the Word of God and should be respected - - - but not worshipped! When I used to visit the prison in Nebraska (for fellowship meetings), the guards were supposed to search all our stuff. Most of them would never touch our Bibles, but ask us to flip through them while they watched. It is true: God's Word still reveals men's hearts.
1TIMOTHY 5:1-25
"FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF THE FAITH": It is ALWAYS a fight to walk and live the life of faith. We are choosing to be more loyal to God, than to our circumstances, than to what other people believe, than what our own flesh wants. We are to pursue godliness. It take strenuous effort to attain godliness - - - not by trying harder, but by training (4:7-8). And so 1 Timothy tells us how to train and contend for faith like God expects of us. Don't just cave in to the pressure.
CHAPTER 5: Godliness in the Church: It matters how we treat people, especially the saints. We treat older men and women in the Church as we do our father and mother. The younger men and women are our brothers and sisters. And so, we must not use people for our own ego.
What is the Church's responsibility to vulnerable women? First of all, if she is of marriageable age and single, we treat her like a younger sister, and protect her. Song of Solomon 8:8-9 says that if she is real young, we build a wall around her! If she is widowed, especially with small children, her other family members are obligated to take care of her. IF the church needs to provide for a widow, she must be over 60 years old and have a good reputation.
What is the Church's obligation to "ruling elders"? This is speaking of the paid pastors who "rule well and labor in the word and doctrine." They must be paid. They must be respected. If someone accuses them of anything, they had better have a witness, because the elder's word is held higher! Then, because their ministry is public, so is their rebuke if they are caught in sin. So, we pay them, honor them, protect them, rebuke them publicly when they sin, and carefully select them. Because the "laying on of hands" indicates a separation and preparedness for public ministry (see Acts 13:3), it is a holy occasion and shouldn't be done without looking at the person's character. The minister who does the "laying on of hands" is also accepting responsibility and identification with the person he has signified as an elder. If the person later shows himself to be unsuitable, he must be exposed rather than the Church being seen as participating in his sin by covering it up.
Does 1 Timothy 5:23 advocate or give permission for Christians to drink alcoholic beverages? Of course not! Remember, we must interpret ALL Scripture in light of the rest of it. Hab 2:5,15; Prov 20:1; 23:31; and many others tell us NOT to drink alcoholic beverages - NOTHING with "yeast" or fermentation. In addition, kings (Prov 31:4-5), priests (Lev 10:9-11, Ezek 44:21), Nazarites (Num 6:3) were told to never drink wine. HOWEVER, this verse in Timothy's letter is dropped in here in the context of keeping ourselves PURE, as he says that some people prove themselves to be impure after you know them better, and some we know to be unchaste right at the start. This letter is letting us know that sometimes the water isn't safe to drink. Don't let your fear of impurity keep you from drinking wine if the water is contaminated.
RESPONSE: In Bible days, they had "wine" and they also had "strong drink" (Isa 28:7). I believe that the "wine" may have been mixed with water - using the wine to purify the water. The "strong drink" would have been the UNmixed wine. Note also that 1 Tim 5:23 says "a little wine" - probably added to the water to make it safe to drink. Obviously Timothy hadn't been drinking even a little. (Did he believe that drinking wine would make him IMpure?)
THE REAL ISSUE: The real issue (for us, not Timothy) is the appetites of the flesh and how far they should be indulged. There is a thin dividing line between necessary use of something and fleshly indulgence in it. It is easy to progress from one to the other, until we become TRAPPED in our habit. We should always be ready to deny ourselves, even something that may be perfectly legitimate and justifiable, (1 Cor 10:23) if it will stand in the way of our witness for Christ or could become a habit or an addiction. "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way... It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak." (Romans 14:13, 21) An appetite that is "under control" today but is still fed and indulged, can be uncontrollable tomorrow. Never forget that the harvest of indulging the flesh is very often reaped in our children and becomes the snare that keeps them out of heaven! (1 Co 8:9)
PSALM 89:14-37
BECAUSE GOD IS FAITHFUL....: God's faithfulness to the relationship He has with us has outward evidence. We can KNOW that God is faithful, because "He has...." (18 times in this chapter) (v.9) He has rule over the raging seas (and raging people). (v.10) He has victory over the world system (Rahab=Egypt=world-spirit) and over all His enemies. (v.11-12) He has uncontestable ownership and rule over even the farthest corners of the earth. (v.13-14) God always does what is right and just, however, mixes mercy and truth in His judgments so we are not destroyed. (v.15-18) As evidence of God's faithfulness, His people are recipients of His Presence, His righteousness, His strength, His favor, His defense. (v.19-29) God gave us David as evidence of what His faithfulness can produce in a man totally given to God. (NOTE: David went from last-born in his family, to first-born with God - v.27)
HOWEVER, IF WE FORSAKE GOD.....: (v.30-32) Like a father, He will apply the rod and a "beating" as correction. (v.33-37) Even tho we forsake God, He will not forsake us. He will keep His Word and continue to have love and affection toward us ("lovingkindness").
PROVERBS 25:25-27
"As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." This is how the Gospel should affect us whenever we hear it.
"A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring." When we stop using our influence for righteousness thru fear or weariness or compromise, we have degenerated to a "troubled fountain and a corrupt spring." We can no longer offer cleansing or refreshing. We are not useful.
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