LAMENTATIONS 4:1 - 5:22 DISGRACED BECAUSE OF UNREPENTED SIN: The city (Jerusalem) has fallen into such horror and cruelty, no one would have thought it possible. This was one of the most terrible sieges of all time. Jeremiah is looking right at all those dead bodies now. There is no more denying the judgment against sin. Israel had forced God's hand. The destruction was so terrible, that even the foundations were burned! Prophets, priests and kings were primarily to blame, and they bore the brunt of the punishment. They had utterly failed to discharge their ministry. It is an unpleasant event when God has to discipline His own. The believer and God are both disgraced when it happens.
HOPE: "Your punishment will end." (Lam 4:22) And God will still avenge us on our enemies. We cannot turn to God without His help, and so we cry, "Restore us to Thyself, O Lord, that we may be restored." (Lam 5:21) Even though we are thoroughly disgraced because of our sin, God restores. Chapter five details the utter despair and deep distress when we are being disciplined by the Lord. But again, in a flash of insight, "But Thou, O Lord, reign forever; Thy throne endures to all generations." We may die of sorrow, but God endures and remains faithful. Even if we DIE in the midst of our grief, we came that far with God and find Him to be enough. Whatever we are going through today, is in preparation for tomorrow. After what we have been through with God, it is tougher to touch us, overthrow us, trouble us, upset us. It is important to face sorrow, disappointment, devastation, and catastrophe with the grip of Jeremiah. This will strengthen us in the face of what lies ahead of us. God never does anything without a purpose.
RESPONSE: Things to remember when I am in trouble: (1)God loves me too much to allow me to continue in my sin and uncleanness. (2) I can come easy or I can come hard, but I MUST obey God or die. (3) God is righteous and I may not sit in judgment of God. (4) If I cry out to God in repentance, He will hear me. (5) God is faithful and does all that He says He will do, regardless of appearances to the contrary. (6) God is my portion; everything else is temporary. (7) My hope rests on the character of God, who is just, righteous, merciful, eternal, sovereign. (8) His mercies are new every morning, and never get used up. (9) The purpose of discipline is RESTORATION, not DESTRUCTION. (10) When I don't know how to pray, or what to say to God, I had best sit down and shut up. (11) Everything on my plate - - God put it there. (12) If it weren't for God's mercy, things would be much, much worse. (13) God's discipline does not last forever. (14) When I can't help myself, God takes up my cause. (15) When everything is gone, God says, "Fear not". (16) Life is hard - God is good. (17) As horrible as Lamentations is, the word "steadfast love" or "pity" is used 32 times in five chapters. (18) God never holds the past against us, once we repent. (19) My best option is always to REPENT, which Jeremiah defines as "turning" away from my substitutes and toward God. (20) If Jeremiah can weep and sing at the same time, so can I.
HEBREWS 2:1-18 "THE HEAVENLY CALLING"
Please see yesterday's background material on the Book of Hebrews.
Chapter 2: OUR "GREAT SALVATION" IS THE PROVISION FOR US TO BE LED BY CAPTAIN" JESUS. Joshua 5:14 shows us Jesus meeting us at the border of "the Land" (Heb 3-4 The Land is symbolic of "God's Rest"), and He is called "Captain of the Lord's army". As Captain, Jesus goes first, opening the way and setting the pattern for the rest of us. Jesus does not ask us to do anything that He Himself has not already done and made provision for! Jesus is there to get us past the GIANTS who guard "the Land". The FIRST WARNING in Heb 2:3 is against this first giant: apathy, carelessness, and indifference on our part. Let me explain: Yesterday when I woke up and got out of bed, instead of my usual early morning prayer with the Lord, I "skipped it" - I had too much on my mind (carelessness and indifference). I had a list of things to do and all of them were urgent. My attitude was that "I'm going to heaven some day and that's enuf. I can manage this by myself." That ruined my day! I was not happy, not content, and so I whined and complained all morning about how busy I was. I snapped at people and everyone knew something was wrong with me. I had neglected my "great salvation" and did not have rest. I didn't "escape" either! (escape into the Life of God) I believe that this warning is put first because it is the most likely to happen. In today's world it is easy to get too busy, too tired, too distracted - and grow careless about involving God with all of our life.
Jesus is with us, sword in hand, to lead us thru "suffering" and into "perfection", which Hebrews defines as "obedience". The suffering is in the crucifixion or denying of our flesh. We cannot protect and preserve our own flesh, our own opinions, our own agendas, our own feelings, etc. and still be conformed to the image of God's Son, Jesus. This is what Jesus' sword is for! I must not be apathetic about my walk with God - I don't just "miss the mark"; I miss the Kingdom Life!
What is the "great salvation"? This is confirmed with "gifts of the Holy Spirit" - so we know this is more than being saved from hell. Salvation from hell and death is attested to by Jesus' Blood and His Resurrection. The "great salvation" in Hebrews is talking about the baptism in the Holy Ghost! When we don't rely on His Spirit in us, when we don't both to pray in the Spirit, when we deny the strength and power of God, we don't escape our misery!
How does our "great salvation"get closer to God? We must grow up and follow our "Captain", because God intends for us to rule the earth, to put everything under subjection: every idea, every opinion, every thought, every motive, all of it . . . beginning with ourselves. We have been crowned with "glory and honor"! This means we can realize potential to the fullest, if we obey God and do like Jesus did. Our "Captain" - which word in Greek means "to go first so as to open the way". And how does He bring "many sons to glory"? THRU SUFFERING! Hebrews 5:8 says that this suffering was because He "learned obedience". We must deny our flesh to obey God. All self-preservation must be crucified out of us, or we will find an occasion to deny Christ. But we need not fear: Jesus defeated fear when He took away the power of death from the devil. This is because all phobias find their power in the fear of death. SO NOW WE GO FORWARD BOLDLY (Joshua chap 1 & 5).
RESPONSE: God is interested in character-formation. Hebrews is all about growing up, taking responsibility for our spiritual health, and pressing forward toward God. Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters - God's family of sons - - - when we have been "sanctified". That is, set-apart solely for God's use, living to give God pleasure, living to please God. I used to think that it was impossible to live that way all the time! I had habitual behaviors that did not please God, that I thought were just part of me. I didn't know that "sanctification" is really just a series of NEW habits! We don't break old bad habits; we form new habits that replace the old ones (Rom 12:21). "Captain" Jesus has opened up a way to do that! He gave me the Holy Spirit to empower me for it and to remind me to do it. Now God orchestrates my circumstances to give me opportunities to deny my flesh and submit to God to please Him. I don't have to be afraid of what will happen to me when I do that, because Jesus removed the fear when He conquered death and took it OUT of the devil's control. Now I don't have to defend myself or insist on my "rights" - because Jesus does that for me if it is necessary. My part is to submit to God, please Him thru obedience. If I am EVER going to realize my full potential in God, this is basic.
PSALM 103:1-22
IMPORTANT: Please refer back to the background information of Psalm 90-106: the "Numbers" Psalms - "Labouring" to enter in to God's Rest."
Psalm 103: Laboring to enter God's Rest, the life of faith, has benefits (bountiful rewards). Overcoming apathy or indifference to God is worth it. Overcoming our own selfishness and obsession with ourselves is worth it. Overcoming what other people think of us is worth it. There are benefits to staying connected to God (John calls it "abiding"). As we practice staying in His Presence, it is uncomfortable at first, and even difficult - but keep at it: the benefits are worth it! "The Land" is symbolic for "God's Rest" we learn in Hebrews 3 and 4. "God's Rest" is where we trust God for outcomes.
Sometimes when my heart needs to be FORCED into God's Presence because I feel too busy, too hurt, too tired, too hurried, etc......I repeat this list of BENEFITS:
(v.1) Everything about me is meant to submit itself to God.
(v.2) "benefits" means "bountiful bestowments", "abundant rewards". God has been GOOD to me and there is plenty more where that came from!
(v.3) Two of those benefits: He forgives All MY iniquities (when I know better and do it anyway) and heals all my diseases.
(v.4) He redeemed my life from the pit and crowns me with grace and mercy (made me truly happy).
(v.5) He fully and completely satisfies my heart and soul, and fills me with new life and joy.
(v.6) God is in charge of justice and rightness, and I can trust Him fully.
(v.7) He reveals Himself to us, shows me the way He thinks and the way He acts.
(v.8) God is never severe with me, but always ready to forgive. It is His nature to have compassion on me, and His mercy is plentiful, therefore He is slow to anger.
(v.9) He will correct and fight us when we refuse to repent, but even that comes to an end.
(v.10) He has not dealt with us according to our crimes of revolt and forfeiture, nor our wrong deeds.
(v.11) Keeping the fear of God protects me - as long as I am accountable to God for my Life, He shows mercy toward me when I screw it up.
(v.12) Even when I don't obey, when I repent, God does not hold that against me!
(v.13) "Pity" is the Hebrew word, "racham" which is actually from the word for "womb." It is the action of the mother's womb on the fetus to cherish, nourish and protect it. God regards me with lavish affection and gets joy out of watching me.
(v.14-18) He knows what I am made of, and that my time on earth is short, but He is with me forever and ever, showing mercy and justice.
(v.19-22) When I live to please God, there are even angels assigned to obey the "voice of God's word" where I am concerned.
To sum it up, God supplies, rewards, forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, satisfies, renews, loves, protects, avenges, fills, lavishes.
PROVERBS 26:23
Lips that speak of love and fidelity, but are actually covering up a wicked, hateful heart are like a clay pot painted with glossy silver. It's still ugly underneath.
LAMENTATIONS 2:20 - 3:66 MAINTAINING FAITH IN THE MIDST OF OVERWHELMING DISASTER: During the time of judgment and discipline from the Lord, it is easy to feel loneliness and a sense of abandonment. That is part of the process. God uses that time to show us that our discipline is deserved and we cannot sit in judgment of God or blame Him when the pain hits. During this time, we will be broken and cleansed. There has to come a "tearing down" before He can rebuild us. Brokenness removes our resistance to the restoration process. Repent and reconnect with God, "pour out your heart like water before the Lord".
LIFE IS HARD; AND GOD IS GOOD: Chapter 3 is the longest - 66 verses (3 verses for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet). Chapter 3 describes our pain when we refuse to repent, either because of ignorance or because of rebellion and selfishness. It feels as if God has turned against us. We can feel torn in pieces, abandoned, falling apart, weak, trapped, broken, bitter, devastated. In fact, (v. 22-33) says, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not." These are some of the most beautiful words about God in the whole Bible. God's "mercy" never fails! God "causes grief" and He "afflicts", and so often the "mercies of God" are hidden and hard to see. He "does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men". James 5:11 says that the "outcome of the Lord's dealings" are "that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful."
Lam 3:22 is also translated, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies shall never come to an end." The Hebrew word for "steadfast love", also translated "mercy", is "racham" which is actually from the word for "womb." It is the action of the mother's womb on the fetus to cherish, nourish and protect it. It is used 32 times in Lamentations! This "love, compassion, or pity", is never used up, finished, or completed. There is always more. While there is nothing "new" about God, our experience of Him is always new. The past is never held against us, and every day is a fresh start. "The LORD is good to those who wait for him". This is because it is HOPE that lies behind and buttresses our FAITH. Our hope rests on the attested-to character of God.
ANCHOR FOR MY SOUL: Looking at the mass of dead bodies, young and old alike (over one million), and seeing and smelling the fires burning, Jeremiah raises his voice and sings again: "For the Lord will not cast us off (reject us) forever. But though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies." The purpose of discipline is restoration, not destruction. In the midst of death, he sings of Life. Never once did he ask, "Why God, Why?" But instead, he sang it: God's mercy is dependable - something you can count on when things are falling apart. As bad as things were, it could be worse. If God, then, puts or permits anything hard in our lives, be sure that the real danger, the real trouble, is that we shall be destroyed if we flinch or rebel. Instead, we "sit in silence" like Jeremiah says, and put our confidence in the character of God: full of pity, full of mercy, full of compassion, righteous, just, constant, faithful, patient, eternal, loving.
WHEN GOD SEEMS TO HIDE HIMSELF: When all we SEE is devastation all around us, when "outsiders" mock us for trusting God, and our hearts are broken, truly broken....(v.50) we wait for God to see from heaven. (v.52-54) We feel pursued, buried and cut off. "We call on the Name". "GOD DREW NEAR"...(v.57) and said, "FEAR NOT". "You have redeemed my life" - - - words spoken from the pit.
RESPONSE: You may find this hard to believe, but I have actually been here, on a place where I didn't believe God would or could do anything to help me. I probably deserved whatever God "dished out", but I didn't feel that way at the time. I just remember feeling so "cast off" by God. No matter how much money we spent, who we hired to help us, how much we prayed, how much we begged God, nothing seemed to do any good. The pain I was feeling was from grief and it felt at times like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. But, backed into a corner, I knew that it was God or nothing. I must admit that I did not come quickly to the place where I rejoiced or gave thanks like it says in 1 Thess 5:16-18. For a long time, I believed that God had abandoned me and life became unbearable. These verses in Lamentations 3:53-59 became my lifeline. Jeremiah knew what he was talking about. He had lost it all, he had borne it all, he had felt it all - - - and still he said, "Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord."
HEBREWS 1:1-14- "THE HEAVENLY CALLING"
WHO IS THE REAL RECIPIENT OF THIS LETTER? Heb 3:1 tells us this letter is for "partakers of the heavenly calling", "holy brethren". The name, "Hebrew" means "to cross over to the other side", "to transition". There are 86 OT references in Hebrews. The Book of Hebrews serves as a commentary and explanation of Numbers, confirming that the OT is, indeed, symbolic and to be spiritually understood. In Numbers, the "crossing over" was over the Jordan River and into "the Land" - and it is likened in Hebrews to crossing over into "God's Rest" by faith (chap 3 & 4). Just as, in Numbers, going across the Jordan River represented a death to the Old Man and a resurrection on the other side to "newness of life" (Rom 6:4), we find that to enter "God's Rest" requires us to go thru the "veil of flesh" - we must die to SELF! The focus and emphasis of Hebrews is JESUS and our calling to be like Him, ("the heavenly calling"), and so there is no record of the human author of the book.
THEME: The most significant theme of Hebrews is to press on with God because the rewards are "better" than the pain of pressing. The real issue in Hebrews is not heaven or hell, but submission and obedience of faith. When pressure comes in our Christian walk, we are tempted to retreat to the familiar ways of handling them. But there comes a time in our Christian walk when we have reached the point of no return. We know too much to go back to being ignorant babies, and now we have enough grace to finish our course, but no grace to go back. Don't come this far in God, then turn back because of fear and unbelief. Everything we are reaching for is "better" than what we are coming out of. "Better" = "stronger, more vigorous, more useful: used 13 times in Hebrews. "Let us" is used 13 times also. Hebrews is a book of movement toward God. The "heavenly calling" must be PRESSED into.
FAITH: This last section of the New Testament (Hebrews thru Revelation) is all about faith - - - what it is, how to use it, the "energy" of faith, growing in faith, strengthening faith, the practical relevancy of faith, expressions of faith, unfailing faith, etc. etc. The purpose of Hebrews is to encourage us to persevere in faith. This is probably one of the most exciting portions of the whole Bible!
Our covenant relationship with God is like a marriage covenant. It is forever. It is binding. It requires more than just a wedding; it requires a marriage! It is relationship with God. Faith in your wife doesn't mean that the man believes she exists and that they got married at some point in time. Yet, that is how some people view salvation! Faith in God is not stationary - it has movement toward God. It requires both "labour", and self-sacrifice. Our thinking changes, our motivation is different, our values change, and our behavior surely is different! "All things are become new." (2 Cor 5:17) It turns out that our "heavenly calling" defined in Hebrews, requires mature faith, and that "salvation" isn't just an escape from hell!
FIVE WARNINGS: Hebrews shows us that Jesus' work is truly "finished". He has done it all and we are without excuse. John 10:10 says Jesus came to give us "THE LIFE" - abundant life of purpose. When we don't access that Life because of neglect, hardness of heart, willful sin, etc. we will be judged. The warnings in Hebrews aren't about heaven or hell: they are about this life and the consequences of not aggressively going after God. We face judgment and loss here and now, and even lose rewards in heaven. For sure we won't access God's Rest that faith supplies. Like the fearful and unbelieving generation who died in the Wilderness (in Numbers), we will spin out our 70 years or so and die without rewards, never realizing our potential in God.
Chapter 1: DEFINING THE "HEAVENLY CALLING": The bottom line for everything we do or believe is JESUS. He is not only our Savior, but He is our EXAMPLE. Jesus IS our definition of what the "heavenly calling" is. It is called "the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" in Philippians 3:14. So what is it? In a word, sonship. John 1:12 says " But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:" And 1 John 3:1, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:" Heb 1:6 calls Jesus the "firstborn" - the first of many. See also Heb 2:10. This is a position of intimacy, love, power, authority, privilege and obligation. It is also being the "heir of all things, the heir of God." (Gal 6:7; Heb 1:3) What is the principle obligation of a son? To be the "brightness of God's (the Father's) glory and the express image of His (the Father's) Person." (Rom 8:29) We have as our goal to be an accurate expression of God. All that we do and say is to bring "glory" to our Father. We are to manifest God's image. It says here that "prophets" and "messengers" ("aggelos"- or "angels") only brought "fragments" or "pieces" (like puzzle pieces) by "various methods"; but the Son, Jesus, brings the REALITY, the whole picture. Our position in Christ is "much better than angels" because we don't just bring a message; we are the message. A son, being made in the image of his father, more accurately knows his father's heart, his father's vision, etc. According to Galatians, this TITLE, "son", is for any saved Believer who has been trained to obedience (Heb 5:8-9). The principle characteristic of sons is obedience and "righteousness" - righteousness is conformity to God's expectations and order of things, carries the connotation of justice and is built on the foundation of holiness.
RESPONSE: I used to jokingly tell people that "I don't think I will go to hell when I die; I'm ALREADY in hell!" My life was full of chaos, bitterness, darkness, unbelief - just a grim digging in. My misery was based on ignorance and unbelief. WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW CAN HURT YOU!!! Get into the pursuit of the heavenly calling! If you are reading this, you are called to it! WARNING! It will cost you everything. Hebrews pretty much sums up what God is really after: a family of sons, who reflect His image and His likeness. HEBREWS: If I had read it and believed it and then obeyed it, I wouldn't have wasted all those years being bitter and unhappy. DON'T YOU FALL INTO THAT TRAP!
PSALM 102:1-28
IMPORTANT: Please refer back to the background information of Psalm 90-106: the "Numbers" Psalms - "Labouring" to enter in to God's Rest." HOW do we achieve "GOD'S REST" (Heb 3 and 4)? We give thanks and praise to God for His goodness, greatness and glory. This reassures our own hearts that it's right to trust God. (see Rom 8:7) It also excites our emotions to produce the "joy of faith" (Phil 1:25).
Psalm 102: When my heart is overwhelmed, my faith stays unshakable in a never-changing God. Prayer is like breathing. Prayer is what sustains the Life of God in me, no matter what is going on around me. Notice, that although the first 11 verses define overwhelming emotions that leave us weak and exhausted, IT DOESN'T END THERE. When we put our attention on our feelings during tough circumstances, we say things like "God is hiding from me." "My feelings are dried up." "I can't eat and now I'm just skin and bones." "I can't sleep at night." "I cry all the time." "I am withering away."
"BUT" (v.12) "There is an appointed time...." when God will extend His grace and respond to me. "He will respond to the prayer of the destitute..." This is because God "sits enthroned forever", "will arise and have compassion", "will be revered by everyone", "will hear the groans of the prisoners" (trapped in the "vanity" of the earth)... and "release: us. My circumstances are temporary. God is forever!
COUNT ON IT...... The principle of RESTORATION is as strong as God. Instruct your heart to trust God. Future generations count on you. You are not witnessing to just those around you! "Principalities and powers" (Eph 3:10, et al), "the great cloud of witnesses" (Heb 12:1), and now "a generation to come" are watching to see what God does!
PROVERBS 26:21-22
Strife, arguing, tension, bitterness, anger and hatred are all like fire - they consume and destroy. Quarrelsome people don't just add "fuel to the fire", they start the fire! It's like they just seem to need the action. Gossip appears delectable - something we might enjoy hearing. BUT, gossip actually damages us deep inside, where our spirit resides. It acts like poison, leaving a residue of suspicion and distrust. We know in our hearts that gossip is wrong and that it is only a matter of time before the gossiper is saying something about us.
RESPONSE: For many years, I suffered from depression. Depression steals our strength and energy, our zest for life, our joy and enjoyment of life, many relationships, time when we could be doing other things, and on and on and on. I believe that, to some extent, depression is self-inflicted. I'm not talking about mental illness or a physical problem with brain chemicals, etc. I am talking about what is usually called "situational depression" - we have chosen to be negative about life's circumstances. I loved to tell people that "behind every silver lining, there is a cloud". I not only saw the half-cup as being half empty, I wanted to know who drank the other half!
Life wasn't fair. Of course, I blamed everyone else for my depression. "If only I had a handsomer, younger, more sensitive (to my needs) husband." "If only my children were more compliant and spent more time with me." "If only I had a job where everyone appreciated all I do." "If only I lived in a different neighborhood in a bigger house." "If only I had a lot of money...........was thinner..............was prettier...............was popular............" The truth is, none of that stuff would ever be enough.
When our circumstances, or our personal feelings OVERWHELM us, it is up to us to take it to God in prayer. It is our choice. Our real problem is not depression; it is unbelief! That is serious and it demands repentance. God takes it very seriously when we don't believe Him. Psa 102 says, "But Thou, O Lord...." and it tells us that He will act on our behalf. Whining and complaining is a very immature behavior. It is self-centered and self-righteous. Choosing to be a victim of our circumstances or our feelings is also very immature. It locks us into position. It puts us in a cage and locks the door. Not only that, but we doom our children to living in the same cage. We have to TALK our way out, or die in our cage.
My own mind is my worst enemy. Romans 8:7 says my natural mind hates God and cannot do anything God wants it to. That means that if I go by what my head or my feelings are telling me, I will self-destruct. Prayer is what SUSTAINS the spirit of a man. When we don't pray, our spirit suffocates and eventually dies. Prayer is not a whining session. It is a time, like Psa 102, when we reaffirm our trust in God. When we tell Him we believe Him, know that He is in charge and is working His purpose. He never changes, and in fact, He is eternal. As we speak these things out loud, our own heart is reassured and is forced into "God's Rest", or the life of faith. We have to tell ourselves what to believe. We are not trying to bring something into being; we say it because it is already true, whether our natural mind believes it not.
LAMENTATIONS 1:1 - 2:19
THE MESSAGE: (1) Backsliders must forsake iniquity and return to the Lord. (2) All sinning will be judged by God; without repentance, the sinner will end in bondage and death. (3) God will forsake those who forsake Him. (4) Sin breaks the heart of God. (5) Delayed judgment is for the purpose of waiting for us to repent and is an expression of God's love. (6) It is foolish and vain to forsake the living waters in order to drink from broken cisterns. (7) After death and cleansing, there is resurrection. (8) Repentance means "to return" - submitting and re-connecting to God in dependence. (9) God broods over His creation and goes to the utmost to bring us back to Himself. (10) The New Covenant puts away sin once for all and provides forgiveness and holiness within to satisfy the Law. (11) Obey God or die. (12) Breaking faith with God results in judgment. (13) The mercy and compassion of the Lord is still available, even while we are still suffering as the result of our sinning.
THE SADDEST BOOK OF THE BIBLE (background) : This represents the punishment, pain and grief Jesus bore for our sin. It also reveals the results of sinning without repentance. God never does anything half-way. He warns us and warns us and then warns us again. The Pentateuch is full of graphic warnings of what God will do if we turn away from Him. We saw in Jeremiah that the end of sin is captivity and death. As Jeremiah watched, dumbstruck and in agony, Jerusalem was beaten down, ransacked and burned to the ground. The Temple was stripped and looted of anything valuable, then ripped down and burned also. (Lam 2:17) “The LORD has done what He planned; He has fulfilled His word, which He decreed long ago. He has overthrown you without pity, He has let the enemy gloat over you, He has exalted the horn of your foes.” Nebuchadnezzar had made three invasions of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was partially destroyed in 606 BC (deportation included Daniel), devastated in 597 BC (deportation included Ezekiel), and finally destroyed by fire in 586 BC after 20 years of suffering. 2 Kings 24:14 says he carried away 10,000 captives to Babylon, plus the 4600 of Jer 52:30. We know there were at least 50,000 who returned 70 years later. Psalm 137 is commentary on their exile. The Jews considered Nebuchadnezzar to be Evil Incarnate, and he reigned and controlled the nations with terror and executions. It is said (by Josephus, a Jewish historian of that period) that Nebu executed over 80,000 Jews, in addition to over one million who were slaughtered in battle!
THE PLAYERS: There are several groups represented in Lamentations and Jeremiah. We belong to any one of those groups at different times.
"THE NATIONS" (non-believers): They are shocked when we fail, but mock us and our God when we do. They ask themselves why anyone would serve a God Who did that (judged and destroyed) to His own people. They will all be judged at the same time as Jerusalem.
BABYLON (the enemy): This is our flesh, which gnashes on our Spirit and on God, and is proud and untrustworthy. We think we are compromising with our flesh when we sin, but then our flesh destroys us at the end with bondage and death. It's leader is a cruel antichristian spirit, symbolized here by Nebuchadnezzar.
ISRAEL (God's elect who are living in sin): They have brought judgment and destruction on themselves with their neglect of God. When God disciplined them, they rebelled. They don't want God or His prophets telling them what to do, and when the message includes suffering, they want no part of it. They firmly believe that grace will cover their sins of rebellion and iniquity, and God will protect them from evil. They love their substitutes and counterfeits for God because they are comfortable with them. Idols don't require accountability or responsibility.
JEREMIAH (God's elect and obedient): Jeremiah represents those who cling to God and are willing to go against the crowd. He does not deserve what happened to him, but experiences the siege and the destruction with God's elect. He is there to serve and to represent God (the influence of the Throne). He accepts the suffering (mental, emotional, and even physical) as part of his lot as a chosen son of God. He maintains his faithfulness to God through repentance, praise and thanksgiving. He is changed by his circumstances, becoming outspoken and strong, just like God said he would. Nothing will ever scare him, deter him, or overwhelm him again after this.
BOOK of LAMENTATIONS is divided into five chapters, the first four being poems or SONGS and the last one being a prayer. In the original Hebrew, the verses (except chap 5) are acrostic, each verse starting with a succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet (22 letters). Lamentations makes it clear that sin and rebellion were the causes of God’s wrath being poured out (1:8-9; 4:13; 5:16). Even though Lamentations is written from the bottom of a prison hole, with each chapter, there is HOPE AND FAITH expressed that God will restore as He promised.
MAINTAINING FAITH IN THE MIDST OF OVERWHELMING DISASTER: The first chapter (poem) deals with the loneliness and sense of abandonment, likening us to a "widow": Judah has no "Comforter" (Lam 1:2, 9,16,17,21). This disaster was deserved. Suddenly in verse 18 he says, "The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled against His commandments." Jeremiah is done "blaming" God for his troubles, for it carries the implication that God is not just. It is impossible for God not to be right, and it is impossible for man to be more just than God, because our sense of justice comes from God in the first place! We cannot sit in judgment of God.
The second chapter (poem) deals with the brokenness of being judged and disciplined by God. God is ruthless when it concerns holiness and cleansing. Everything is destroyed, there is nothing left. "In the day of the Lord's anger none escaped nor remained." But insight came again: "He has fulfilled His Word that He had commanded in the days of old..." Deut 28 tells us the negative terms of covenant, and Jeremiah has seen the curses named, come to pass. Delayed judgment is to give us room to repent. And even though they are in the midst of the terrors of Divine judgment, v.19 instructs us to "cry out in the night: ...pour out your heart like water before the Lord, lift up your hands toward Him...." It is never too late to repent and connect with God. That probably won't erase the consequences of your foolishness, but God will still have mercy on your soul and send the "Comforter".
RESPONSE: Job 10:21-22 rightly defined "death" as "darkness", and "lack of order" (chaos). When we refuse to repent for our sinning, that is what our lives become - dark and chaotic. Sin can't be compartmentalized. If we are sinning, we are sinners and reap the consequences. Our whole life will be "out of order" and disoriented from living in darkness. God will tear us up to get at our hearts! There comes a "tearing down " before we can be restored. "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Heb 12:11)
PHILEMON 1:1-25 RESTORING A BROTHER WHO REPENTS
We have two dynamics going here: PHILEMON: A Colossian, who was defrauded by his runaway slave, and was being asked by Paul to forgive and restore the man. ONESIMUS: Who was a runaway slave living in Rome, who was born again (thru Paul's ministry) and radically changed (godliness), being sent back to his owner, perhaps to be executed. Oddly enough, PHILEMON means "tender love", and ONESIMUS means "useful". 1 Tim 4:8 says "godliness is profitable/useful." No matter what Onesimus was guilty of before he was born again, now that he was "a brother beloved" (v.16) his godliness was manifested in being useful. In fact, he was so useful to Paul (the "old prisoner") that Paul didn't want to send him back!
"FOR LOVE'S SAKE": (V.9) Philemon's name comes from the Greek word, "phileo" which is "tender affection, brotherly love", but the word used in V.9 is "agape” - that self-sacrificing love that comes from God living in us. What is being asked of Philemon (us) to do "for love's sake"? When we are taken advantage of by another believer, what does love demand of us? V.12-15 "Receive him as a "brother beloved". In other words, we must dismiss the debt (forgive) and restore this one to a better place than he occupied before! WHY? v.19 We owe a debt we cannot repay! Yet God restored us. V.20 It refreshes the heart of other believers to see us dwell in unity. V.21 We are obeying the Lord when we restore others. V.22-25 We are accountable to the rest of the Body of Christ; we don't live in a vacuum.
RESPONSE: While there are many reasons to restore fellow-believers after they repent, here we are shown two good reasons: (1) "for love's sake" and (2) so that they can be "useful" again.
PSALM 101:1-8
IMPORTANT: Please refer back to the background information of Psalm 90-106: the "Numbers" Psalms - "Labouring" to enter in to God's Rest." HOW do we achieve "GOD'S REST" (Heb 3 and 4)? We give thanks and praise to God for His goodness, greatness and glory. This reassures our own hearts so that they "rest".
Psalm 101: Entering into God's Rest must be done in context of our daily lives. Too many Christians live fractured lives. They haven't learned to revolve their lives around God in everything they do. Because God isn't included in their daily lives, He is really irrelevant as far as they are concerned. Saved, going to heaven, but living in Hell here on earth. What good is that? If that is true about us, we are no better off than the beggar on the street.
Experiencing the "rest of faith" in our daily lives produces "perfection". Bible "perfection" does not mean "sinless", but "blameless". Bible "perfection" means we are manifesting Jesus in us. We are dead to SELF, submitted to God, and "abiding in the Vine". We are not deceptive about our own lives, and are careful not to associate closely with people who are evil. NOTE: This is all done in the context of the home.
RESPONSE: Every morning I pray (sometimes singing my prayer) for wisdom (good judgment) and compassion for that day. I ask God to help me "remember" Him - that He stays close because I stay close (Jam 4:8). Then I ask Him to "set a guard on my mouth" (Psa 141:3) And, of course, I always ask Him to manifest Himself in me. Then I tell Him I trust Him, I believe Him, I am grateful for His faithfulness and His mercy. He is the Greatest! Psa 16:8 says "I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."
PROVERBS 26:20
Strife, arguing, tension, bitterness, anger and hatred are all like fire - they consume and destroy. Backbiting and fault-finding adds fuel to the fire.
JEREMIAH 51:54 - 52:34
CAST OUT OF GOD'S PRESENCE: Puppet king Zedekiah did "the evil" - idolatry (spiritual adultery) and God cast him and his country out of His sight. Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon and tried to make an alliance with Egypt. The hunger in Jerusalem was unbearable, and there was a mad hatred for God and His messenger (Jeremiah). The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar finally totally destroyed Jerusalem, burning what was left, including "the house of the Lord" (586 BC). Eighteen months of agony finally came to an end. As the Babylonians poured into the city, their officers sat in the "middle gate" (Holy Place) of the Temple, polluting it with their presence. Some of the priests were slain on the grounds. The captives were stripped naked and chained up, then marched away to Babylonian prisons. Only the poorest of the poor were left behind to tend the fields. All the remaining valuables in the Temple were taken back to Babylon to adorn their palace. This is a symbolic picture of what awaits US if we turn our backs on God! Stripped, humiliated, broken, destroyed captives.
REVERSAL!!! Vs 31-34 is a cameo of the restoration that takes place in God's Kingdom. The king's head was "lifted up" (NEW MIND), he was "brought out of prison" (NEW FREEDOM), his throne was "set in position" (NEW AUTHORITY), he was given a change of garments (NEW CLOTHING - "put on Christ" - righteousness), a "continual feast" (NEW UNDERSTANDING of spiritual things), and "every day a portion" (NEW PROVISION), "all the days of his life" (NEW ASSURANCE).
RESPONSE: Judah's pain was intensified and multiplied because they didn't experience God's Presence any more. Their counterfeits for God were poor substitutes. We don't have to live that way! John 6:37 says He won't cast us out! The pleasure we seek can and should come from the Lord. His Presence is what thrills us - and we can train our hearts to believe this and experience this. God lavishes Himself on us and anything less leaves us incomplete. Speak the Truth of the Word so loud that your heart can hear it. We look at HIM, not our own inabilities and limitations. He is our security. He is our refuge. He is our safety and freedom. We don't need to resort to idolatry because God is AVAILABLE anytime. We remove any obstacles to being in God's presence through REPENTANCE. "Repent and believe". This connects us to God. We repent of our independence and of "forgetting" God and then re-connect to Him as our Source of Life. Psa 63:8, "my soul clings to You".
TITUS 3:1-15
Chapter 3: Being Christian in a Heathen Culture: If anything should typify the life of a Christian believer, it is "grace". Usually when we think of "grace", we think of God's grace toward us. God's grace is "His willingness to use His power and ability in our behalf." When we show grace to someone, we are showing them "favor" and refers to our deeds being redemptive in nature. When we go out into the community, we must take our Christianity with us! Remember, we are to "garnish the Gospel" - make the Gospel look real, effective, and relevant. One way we do that is to "be subject" to people in charge. It doesn't matter whether we agree with them or not; we are to "be subject". We can actually be subject without obeying at times. For example, when the disciples were told to stop preaching Jesus, they didn't obey, but they went to jail without a fight (submitted to authority) (Acts 4). It is a matter of attitude. Unless the person in charge is going against Scripture, we must obey, however.
We must always be ready to do good deeds. Don't always be thinking about yourself or your well-timed agenda. Part of the "sound doctrine" that is taught is "speech that can't be found fault with" . (2:8) This means that we aren't argumentative, but we are gentle, flexible (meek), not touchy, and don't speak evil of anyone.
"KINDNESS AND LOVE OF GOD" - manifested as God's great mercy when He washed us by regeneration and renewed us by the Holy Spirit. If it weren't for the washing and renewing, we'd still be back where we were before Jesus claimed us. Every opportunity, we must do "good works", manifesting the "kindness and love of God".
"HERETICS" In the context of "Titus", a "heretic" was someone who came up with his own doctrine. The word actually came from a root that means "choices" and refers to someone who has chosen out what he wants to believe or disbelieve, and is now adhering to heresy - UNtruth. What they did was to combine and mix Christianity with whatever they believed before - whether it was Judaism or cultural philosophy. Paul calls them "warped and sinful and self-condemned." It is a waste of time to argue with them, so if they won't be corrected, ask them to leave.
RESPONSE: All our works should be redemptive in nature. That's what our assignment was in Genesis 1:26-28 and is what God means by "dominion". It is the reason that Christians recycle and replenish. It is the reason we show kindness and mercy. It is our mission from Jesus to "go". We are "reconcilers" (2Cor 5:18-21).
PSALM 100:1-5
IMPORTANCE OF PSALM 100: We have to ask ourselves, are these instructions for how to enter God's Presence? Or are "joy and gladness" requirements to gain admission to God's Presence? Or are they just feelings that prompt us to enter God's Presence? Or, are "joy and gladness" just ONE of many ways to go into God's Presence? Psalm 100 is one of these: instructions, requirements, feelings, or suggestions.
THE ANSWER: The answer lies in CONTEXT: One of the themes of whole Bible is about access to God. The Book of Psalms is the practicum: the steps we take, the understanding we need, what to do with our feelings, and even the words we use. This particular section of Psalms, known as the "Numbers" section (Psa 90-106) is about the actual passage, the crossing over or entrance into the Presence of God (called "the Land" in Numbers), and the consequences for those who "don't bother" because of fear and unbelief (self-preservation). Psalm 100, itself, is the door.
THE GOAL: While Jesus' death on the Cross is pivotal and a focal-point, it was never the goal. God's goal, all along, was to draw us close, for us to dwell in His Presence. Just like the Tabernacle of Moses, we were never intended to stay in the Outer Court at the altar of bloody sacrifice. The actual goal of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies where the Ark of His Presence was. God was with His people, in that He nourished them, protected them, and even cherished them. But only Moses actually looked God in the face and spoke with Him. Only Moses really knew God by experience, and not just words or instruction. Moses loved what God loved. Moses knew how God wanted things done. Moses wasn't easily provoked or shaken. God was the center of Moses' life. Everything Moses did revolved around God. This is what it means to dwell in God's Presence.
BACK TO PSALM 100: Our "labor" as believers is "to intensely go after God". Hebrews 3 and 4, in explaining Numbers, tells us that when we don't, we have "an evil heart of unbelief, departing from the living God" (Heb 3:12). It is either "draw near" or be "departing". Even being lazy is a form of unbelief, because we just don't believe God is worth all the trouble and sacrifice! Our fears, feeling threatened, self-pity, complaining, are all manifestations of FEAR AND UNBELIEF!
I believe that the answer to our questions about Psalm 100 is a little of three: instructions, requirements and feelings; and certainly NOT a "suggestion" for one of many ways to go into God's Presence. If we are commanded to enter God's Presence in a THANKFUL ATTITUDE of FAITH, then anything else would be UNBELIEF. Again, using the NT explanation for this in 1 Thess 5:16-18: "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." And again, Phil 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."
There is a reason why we MUST do this: Rom 8:7 says that our "natural mind" (thoughts, feelings, opinions) hates God! So we have to take it captive (1Co 9:27) and FORCE IT to submit to God with our mouths (James calls my tongue "the rudder" - steering-wheel). Praise and thanksgiving to God document faith and trust and take our flesh captive to the will of God. Anything else is "an evil heart of unbelief" . And so, "when I am afraid, I trust You" (Psa 56:3). When I am "in distress" I talk to "my own heart" (Psa 4).
Yes, we can come to God and tell Him what is going on. Read the Psalms. David did it. Yes, we can express what our self-centered, self-preserving hearts are telling us - but don't stop there. Bring all that stuff into submission to trusting God thru praise and thanksgiving. AND DO IT QUICKLY! Don't dwell in unbelief and fear - it will keep you from God's Presence! Praise God and thank Him that He is in charge of the universe. He is working His plan. I am NOT "collateral damage", but I am "the apple of His eye" (Psa 17:8). God loves me! God chose me and I am His! That's what Psalm 100 is about! Express your praise and thanksgiving and your feelings will follow! Praise and thanksgiving, in order to come into God's Presence, are our instructions for how to command our whole self to go after God. They are the requirements to get beyond our flesh (especially our feelings, that only seem to cooperate when I am "happy") in order to experience God's Presence. They are feelings that provoke our desire and hunger for more of God.
PROVERBS 26:18-19
I hate sarcasm. When we say something insulting, and then say, "I was only kidding", the Bible says we are shooting firebrands. Sarcasm is a manifestation of ingratitude and self-righteousness. "Sarcasm" actually comes from two Greek words that mean "to tear the flesh". Gal 5:15 says, "If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other."
