Sun.’s Devo - Hope in the Midst of Despair

Read: Jeremiah 19:1-21:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-28; Psalm 82:1-8; Proverbs 25:9-10 Jeremiah was told by God to buy a clay jar and take it and some of the leaders of Jerusalem to the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom which means “drugged.” This was where they sacrificed their children to Baal and worshipped all kinds of false gods. He was to tell them that because they had worshipped other gods here, he would slaughter them here. It would become a monument to their stupidity. *** Jeremiah was then to smash the pot he had brought as a picture of how they would be shattered with no hope of being put back together. He said that bodies would be buried in this valley until their was no more room for them. He compared the whole city to this place because they worshipped other gods in their own houses. *** When Jeremiah finished there, he took his message and gave it in front of the Temple to the people there. *** The priest in charge of the Temple was Pashhur. When he heard what Jeremiah had said, he arrested him, had him whipped and put in stocks at the Benjamin Gate of the Temple. He released him the next day and Jeremiah told him that God was changing his name to “The Man Who Lives in Terror” because God was going to make him and his friends to terrified when they witnessed all the slaughter the enemy was bringing. All of Jerusalem’s treasures would be taken away to Babylon along with him and the people. Pashhur and his friends would all die in Babylon because they prophesied peace when God was saying war. *** Jeremiah poured out his complaint to the Lord. He told him how they tried to shut him up but then God’s words would burn inside him till he spoke them. They even called him “The Man Who Lives in Terror.” They kept waiting for Jeremiah to make a mistake so they could trap him. But God was his defender who kept him safe even though his life was full of trouble, sorrow and shame. *** King Zedekiah sent Pashhur to Jeremiah to beg Jeremiah to pray for them for help. King Nebuchadnezzar had begun to attack Judah and they were beginning to get antsy. Jeremiah told them to tell King Zedekiah that not only would God not help them, but he would fight against them. They could forget waiting for a miracle from God. They had had plenty of warning and could have avoided this if they had repented. He told them to only way to save their lives was to surrender to the Babylonians. If they stayed in Jerusalem they would be consumed by war, famine or disease. *** He told Zedekiah and his family to give justice to the people and help those who had been robbed. If they didn’t, they would not be saved. God would fight against them and burn up everything around them. *** In Thessalonians, Paul had just told them that Jesus would come like a thief in the night to the wicked, but the ones who knew the Lord, they would not be surprised. Believers don’t walk around in the dark but walk in the light so they see what is coming. *** Paul told us to honor our leaders and live at peace with one another. Always have hope and live in the state of thanksgiving. He warns us not to scoff at prophecy but to test everything. The God of peace will make us holy in our spirit, soul and body. *** Lords may we hold on to what is good and have great discernment. We look forward to the great things that you have promised.