Sun.’s Devo - The Truth vs. Lies

Read: Jeremiah 28:1-29:32; 1 Timothy 1:1-20; Psalm 86:1-17; Proverbs 25:17 In Zedekiah’s fourth year of his reign, Hananiah spoke in front of all the people and priests left in Jerusalem. He said that he was speaking for God. God was breaking the yoke of the king of Babylon and in two years they would get back everything he had stolen from them. Jeremiah responded that he hoped what Hananiah said was true, but they would have to wait and see if Hananiah was a true prophet by if what he said came true. To emphasize what he was saying, Hananiah took the yoke that God had told Jeremiah to wear and broke it saying in two years the yoke of Babylon would be broken. Days later, the Lord told Jeremiah to go back to Hananiah and tell him that the Lord was replacing the yoke of wood that he had broken and was replacing it with a yoke of iron. He was putting this yoke on all the nations, forcing them into slavery under King Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah told Hananiah that because he prophesied lies in the Lord’s name he would die at the end of that year. Two months later he died. Jeremiah wrote a letter to the ones who had been exiled to Babylon telling them to settle in Babylon as their home because they would be there for 70 years and God did not want them to die out. He wanted them to multiply there so he could bring them back at the end of the 70 years. He warned them to not listen to their prophets in Babylon. Their so-called prophets would be killed before their very eyes by the king of Babylon because they did not speak for God. They prophesied that God would raise up a remnant among the ones who stayed in Jerusalem, but God said he would scatter them over the earth and they would be killed in war and famine. Jeremiah also sent a letter to Shemaiah, one of the false prophets who had been taken to Babylon. Shemaiah had told Zephaniah, the priest to kill Jeremiah because he told them they would be in Babylon for a long time. Instead of killing Jeremiah, Shemaiah had given the letter to Jeremiah. God told Jeremiah to send an open letter to all the people in exile. It was to tell all the people that Shemaiah had tricked them with his lies. Because of this, God would not let him or his family see the good things that God is going to do for his people. Paul wrote a letter to Timothy, his mentee encouraging him in his work. He had sent him to Ephesus where the Gnostics were all caught up in studying the genealogies of spirits. It was today’s version of studying the Greek gods. I am amazed when I watch Jeopardy when the category is Greek gods and how they know all the answers and when it comes to Bible categories they seldom know simple facts. That would be a modern day example of what was going on then. Paul sums it up with: knowing all that stuff doesn’t help you live a life of faith in God. God wants his believers to be filled with love from a pure heart, a clear conscience and a genuine faith. They had teachers who taught the law but didn’t know what they were talking about. Paul explained that the law was good if it was taught rightly. It was intended for those who didn’t know the Lord to point out their sin and lead them to see their need for a Saviour. Paul used his own life as an example. He used to blaspheme Christ’s name because he was ignorant and didn’t know the truth. God in his mercy saved him to show others that a sinner could be saved and changed. Paul admonished Timothy to keep his faith in Christ strong and his conscience clear so he wouldn’t be shipwrecked like Hymenaeus and Alexander. Paul had handed them over to Satan so they would learn not to blaspheme God. They are mentioned again in 2Ti 2:17-18 where we learn that they taught the people that the resurrection had already happened. When Paul “turned him over to Satan” it meant that he removed the covering of protection from them and allowed the devil to attack them in hopes that they would repent and turn back to the truth. The end was meant for good. Lord, may we keep our faith alive and strong in you. May we not be deceived or distracted from your plan. Thank you for your goodness and grace.