Mon.’s Devo - Heal Our Land

Read: Jeremiah 19:1-21:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12; Psalm 8:1-18; Proverbs 25:11-14 God told Jeremiah to take a good clay pot and summon the leaders to go with him to the valley of Ben-Hinnom also known as Topheth. Here, he was to smash the pot as a symbol of what God was going to do to them because of their sin. He brought them to this place because here was where they sacrificed children to Molech. The word “Topheth” means drums. They would beat the drums loudly to drown out the cries of the children they were burning to their false god. God told them that because they thought nothing of shedding the blood of innocent children, he would think nothing of what he would do to their bodies. They would be piled in this valley so high that no one would be able to bury them. The worms that never die would eat them and the fire that never dies would burn them. That was just another way of saying their bodies would burn in hell. This couldn’t be clearer than what is going on in our nation right now with innocent children and innocent babies. Passhur heard what Jeremiah had prophesied and had him arrested and thrown into prison. He was whipped and put in stocks until the next day. Passhur was the head of one of the priestly courses and the chief governor of the temple. When Jeremiah was released he told Pashhur that God had changed his name to “The Man Who Lives In Terror”. He told him that all his wealth and he himself would be taken to Babylon. There he would die. Pashhur changed his tune when Babylon started attacking Judah. He and another priest - Zephaniah came to him begging him to ask God for help. They now wanted a miracle! Jeremiah told them to tell the king that He would make their weapons useless against Nebuchadnezzar. They had sealed their fate. The only way they would live would be to surrender to the king of Babylon. To fight would cost them their lives. In Thessalonians, Paul shows us how not to become as Israel did. He told them that they were children of the light. Children of the light encourage one another and build each other up. They work hard and give spiritual guidance. They live peacefully with each other. They take care of those who are weak and have patience with everyone. They don’t pay back evil for evil but try to do good to all people. They are always joyful and never stop praying. May we be these people that Paul described and choose to walk in love and not judgment. Forgive us our sins and heal our land.