Sun.’s Devo - Fear the Lord

Read: Jeremiah 35:1-36:32; 1 Timothy 5:1-25; Psalm 89:14-37; Proverbs 25:25-27 Jehoiakim was king of Judah when God told Jeremiah to go to the tents of the Recabites and invite them to the Lord’s Temple. He brought the son and grandson of Jeremiah along with all his brothers and sons that represented all the families of the Recabites. He took them into the one of the inner rooms where no one would know or see and invited them to have a glass of wine with them. They refused because their ancestor 300 years before had told them they must never drink wine and they must always live in tents. They had obeyed his order all these years. They had moved close to Jerusalem because they feared the Babylonian, and Syrian armies. *** Jeremiah told his leaders to look at the Recabites as an example of how to follow the Lord. He and many prophets had prophesied for them to return to the Lord and do the things God told them years ago to do and they refused to repent. But, he told the Recabites that since they had obeyed their ancestors, they would always have descendants who served Him. *** This is hope for America. It means that a nation can follow the laws and not turn back to sin. I pray that when we get our nation purged of idolatry that we will steadfastly be faithful to the Lord. *** During Jehoiakim’s fourth year of kingship, Jeremiah heard the Lord say to write down all the messages He had given Jeremiah about Jerusalem. He did and asked Baruch to give them to the king since he was banned from the Temple and not in good standing with the king. (Jeremiah was not in prison during his reign.) *** Baruch took his messages to the Temple which was the time when they had proclaimed a fast. This was not the Day of Atonement because that is in the seventh month and it was the ninth month. This was a special fast to pray because Nebuchadnezzar had been there the year before and had promised to return and finish what he started. This is probably a fast like Isaiah wrote about in Isaiah 58. *** Baruch stood up and read to the people all the messages that Jeremiah had given from the first message to the last. Micaiah heard the messages from the Lord and went down to where the officials of the Temple had offices and told them what he was saying. They sent Jehudi to bring Baruch and have him read the messages to them. When they heard them, they were alarmed and knew they needed to get them to the king. They asked Baruch where he had gotten them and he told them that Jeremiah dictated them to him. *** When the king heard of it, he asked for the scrolls to be brought to him. Jehudi read them to the king and each time he finished reading three or four columns the king would take a knife and cut that section off and throw it into the fire, as if that would make the prophecies not come to pass. His attendants showed no fear or repentance but the Temple officials begged him not to burn them. *** The king commanded his son to arrest Jeremiah and Baruch but the Lord had hid them. Instead, the Lord told Jeremiah to write the words down again and say to the king that since he burned the last scroll, he would have no descendants to sit on the throne of David. His dead body would be thrown out to lie unburied and exposed in the heat of the day and the frost of the night. God would punish his family and attendants for their sins. God would pour out on them and the people of Jerusalem all the disasters he had promised. *** In Timothy, Paul warned them to respect their elderly men like their fathers and the elders to speak to the younger men like they were their own brothers. They were to do the same to the women. They were to take care of widows who had no family and to take care of their own parents in their old age. *** He gave the description of a widow. She is one who is alone without family and one who has put her hope in the Lord. She is to be helped by the church if she is at least 60 years old and was faithful to her husband. She must be a godly woman who cared for her own children well and cared for others. *** The younger widow should not be cared for by the church but remarry and have children. *** The elders who preach and teach should be payed by the church. An elder must be confirmed by two or three witnesses in front of the whole church. *** He warned them not to have obvious sins or secret sins because it would all come out in the end. *** Lord, help us to live our lives above reproach and not tarnish your name. May we honor the words of the prophets and heed their warnings.