Sun.’s Devo - Listen and Obey

Read: Jeremiah 35:1-36:32; 1 Timothy 5:1-25; Palm 89:14-37; Proverbs 25:25-27
Yesterday we read of the time when Hezekiah was king and today we are going back two kings before Hezekiah to when Jehoiakim was king.
Jeremiah was told to invite the Recabite family to one of the side rooms in the temple and set some wine before them and invite them to drink. They had been instructed by their forefather never to drink wine or settle in houses and plant seed or vineyards. If they obeyed his command they would live long on the earth, so they had obeyed his word to that day.
Jeremiah used their devotion to the word of their fathers as an example to the Jewish people. Judah’s heavenly father had told them not to worship idols or live wickedly but they had disobeyed. Because of their actions, they would get every curse God had promised to them. To the Recabite, Jeremiah said that they would never fail to have a man to serve Him.
Another time, God told Jeremiah to have Baruch, the scribe write down the prophesies God had given him against Judah. On the day when all Judah came to Jerusalem for the time of fasting he was to read it to the people. Since this was in the ninth month it was not a regular feast fast but a self imposed fast by the people. This showed that the people were crying out to the Lord for help. Baruch was to read the words to the people.
Micaiah heard Baruch’s words and took him to the heads of state so they could hear them. When they heard the words they were filled with fear and knew that the king needed to hear this. They told Baruch to get Jeremiah and hid out while they took his words to the king.
They told the king about the scroll and he ordered them to get it and read it to him. As they read it, he would take a knife and cut it and throw it into the fire. The once scared officials caved under the presence of their unrighteous king and hardened their hearts too. Jehoiakim ordered Jeremiah and Baruch to be arrested but God had hidden them.
God told Jeremiah to write the same words on a new scroll and send it to Jehoiakim and tell him that just because he refused to listen to the first one didn’t erase the words. He would be punished for not heeding the warning and no one in his family would sit on the throne of David. His body would be thrown out and not buried. The new scroll was given to him with the new words added to them. God has the last say!
In Timothy, Paul gave them instructions about specific people: elders, youth, and widows. The bottom line was to treat them with the respect due them and to never show favoritism or partiality. Keep pure and honest. Some people’s sins would be judged on earth and some sin would be judged in heaven. Nothing is hidden from God.
Lord, may we live listening to your voice and hearing your warnings. We long to be quick to hear and quick to obey.