Thurs.’s Devo - Heed the Lord’s Words

Read: Jeremiah 26:1-27:22; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18; Psalm 85: 1-13; Proverbs 25:16 The book of Jeremiah is not in chronological order so today we will go back in time to where Jehoiakim was king of Judah. He was Josiah’s son who, unlike his father, chose idolatry and wickedness. Jeremiah was sent to the Temple to prophesy its destruction because of their sins. When he finished the priests, prophets and the people mobbed him, wanting to kill him. The political officials rushed over and stopped the mob and swiftly set up court to hear the matter. Jeremiah pled his case saying that God had sent him to tell them that they had these choices: repent and live, or keep sinning and die. The officials deemed him innocent and not deserving of death because he spoke in the name of the Lord. Some of the old wise men stood up and defended Jeremiah. They reminded the people of the prophet Micah who had prophesied the same thing. The people had repented and God repented of the evil he had promised. Later, Uriah prophesied the same thing and the king had hunted him down and killed him for his words. The words of the wise men kept the people from killing Jeremiah. God told Jeremiah to make a yoke and fasten it on his neck with leather straps. He was to send messages to Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon that the Babylonians were coming to take their countries. If they surrendered to them, it would go well for them, but if they fought them they would die. If they submitted to the king of Babylon they would be allowed to stay in their own country and farm their own land. The message to Judah was also to submit to the king of Babylon. Their city would be destroyed. Their false prophets had said that the gold articles from the Temple that had been taken to Babylon would be restored back to them, but Jeremiah told them that they would not be returned and the sacred things they had left in the Temple would be taken to Babylon. Jeremiah was saying the opposite of what the false prophets were saying. Jeremiah said that the people would also be sent to Babylon until God called them home. In Thessalonians Paul tells us that the Lord is faithful and will establish us and guard us from the evil one. Paul rebuked those who didn’t work because they thought Jesus was coming back then. There was this teaching going on which was why Paul told them that first there must be a falling away first, the rapture and then anti-christ had to appear. It wasn’t going to happen yet so they needed to get back to their lives and their jobs. And then, there were those who didn’t work and lived entitled lives busy about what everyone else should be doing instead of doing what they should be doing. Lord, may we heed your words to us and open our ears to your voice and our eyes to what you are doing. May our hearts beat with your heart.