Fri.’s Devo - Taking Names

Read: Jeremiah 28:1-29:32; 1 Timothy 1:1-20; Psalm 86:1-17; Proverbs 25:17

God was taking names. He called out many offenders in today’s reading. The first one was the false prophet Hananiah. Hananiah addressed Jeremiah in the temple in front of the priests and the people. He declared that God had broken the yoke of Babylon from them and within two years, God would bring all those he had taken captive back to Jerusalem. 

Jeremiah agreed that the Lord would bring back to Jerusalem all the captives and the vessels they had stolen. Then he reminded them of all the prophets before them that had prophesied war, famine, and pestilence for many countries and kingdoms. They would see who had prophesied the truth when it comes to pass. 

To make his point greater, Hananiah took off the yoke-bars that Jeremiah was wearing and broke them. He told the people again that the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar would be broken in two years. Jeremiah left the temple.

Later, the Lord told Jeremiah to return to Hananiah and tell him his words. Hananiah had broken off the wooden bars, but He has caused them to be replaced by an iron yoke. All the nations God had spoken about would serve Nebuchadnezzar and even the beasts of the field. He told Hananiah that the Lord had not sent him, and because he caused the people to trust in a lie he would die within the year. In the seventh month of that year Hananiah died.

Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles who had been taken to Babylon. He told them to build houses and plant gardens and plan to stay there for a while. They were to bless the place they had been sent to live and pray for its peace. When the seventy years appointed by the Lord was over, they would return to their land. God had great plans for their future and they were filled with blessings so they could put their hope in their future. 

Jeremiah called out Ahab and Zedekiah who were prophets in Babylon. God was not speaking through them and the king would roast them in the fire because they had committed adultery with their neighbor’s wives and they had not given the people the Lord’s words. 

The people in Babylon sent a letter to the priest, Zephaniah who read it in front of Jeremiah. They said that they had given him charge over the priests in Jerusalem and one of his jobs was to put all the madmen in prison who prophesied against them. So, why hadn’t he put Jeremiah in prison for prophesying that they would be in exile for a long time? 

Jeremiah told Zephaniah to send them back a letter telling them that because Shemaiah had prophesied to them a lie, he nor his descendants would live to see the good things the Lord has planned for his people. 

Today we begin the book of Timothy. Timothy was the son of Eunice who was saved during Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey to Lystra. She and her husband had a son who was raised in the Jewish religion because of his mother. His father was a Gentile, so he refused to allow Timothy to be circumcised. Paul and Timothy formed a close bond. 

When Paul returned to Lystra on his second missionary journey, he found that Timothy was highly respected at his church and the Holy Spirit urged Paul to make Timothy an apostle. Because they would be ministering to the Jewish people, Paul suggested that Timothy be circumcised to avoid offending the Jews since his mother was Jewish. 

In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he gave him the duty of talking to the teachers who were teaching a different doctrine which included myths and genealogies that made people question the validity of God and the simple faith of the gospel. 

He explained that the law was good if it was used properly. It was given by God to point out what was sin and give them common sense about how to live their lives. 

Paul reminds them of who he was once and how God changed him. He once used the law to kill and oppress, but now lives for Christ whose law is love. 

Paul also called out the troublemakers: Hymenaeus and Alexander who he had handed over to Satan that they would learn not to blaspheme. They had caused many people to lose their faith. 

Lord, may we be counted among the faithful who built up God’s kingdom through truth, righteousness and love.