Sun.’s Devo - God’s Word Stands

Read: Jeremiah 26:1-27:22; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 25:16 We are taken back to when Jehoiakim first became king of Judah. Jeremiah stood in the courtyard in front of the Temple of the Lord and prophesied that if the people didn’t repent of their sins, God would destroy the Temple like he destroyed Shiloh, the place where the Tabernacle had been. *** When Jeremiah finished prophesying, they people shouted to “Kill him!” The officials ran over from the palace and sat down to hold court. The priests and prophets (false prophets) brought their accusations against Jeremiah saying he should die. Jeremiah defended himself saying that he was only saying what God told him to say. *** The officials and the people told the priests and the prophets that he didn’t deserve to die because he had spoken in the name of the Lord. Some of the wise old men stood and reminded the people of the prophet Micah who prophesied during the reign of King Hezekiah. He told the people that Jerusalem house be reduced to ruins and instead of killing him, King Hezekiah repented. God, then changed his mind about destroying them. *** At this same time that Jeremiah was giving his prophecy, another prophet by the name of Uriah was also prophesying the same thing. King Jehoiakim and the army officers heard what he was prophesying and sent someone to kill him. He heard about the plot and escaped to Egypt. The king had him brought back from Egypt and killed with the sword and buried in an unmarked grave. But, this was not to be the fate of Jeremiah. Ahikam stood up for Jeremiah and persuaded the court not to turn him over to the mob to be killed. *** Years later, ambassadors from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon had come to visit with King Zedekiah. God told Jeremiah to stroap on a yoke on his neck and go to the ambassadors and tell them that God who was over all the nations had declared that he was giving all the nations to King Nebuchadnezzar. If they submitted to him and came under his yoke, then their nation would be allowed to live but if they fought against him, they would die. Their false prophets were telling them that the king of Babylon would not conquer them, but they were wrong. He told the same thing to King Zedekiah about Judah. Jeremiah begged the king. the priests and the people not to listen to the false prophets who prophesied that they would conquer the Babylonians. They were not telling the truth. If he wanted to spare Jerusalem he needed to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar. *** Jeremiah pointed out the pillars in front of the Temple, the great bronze basin called the Sea, the water carts and all the other ceremonial articles and told them that they would be carried to Babylon until God sent for them to come back to Jerusalem. *** In Thessalonians, Paul prayed to be rescued from wicked and evil people - the people who were not believers. He told the believers not to become idle and entitled but to work and earn their own way. *** Lord, lead our heart into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.