Read: Jeremiah 19:1-21:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-28; Psalm 82:1-8; Proverbs 25:7b-10
God told Jeremiah to go and buy a piece of pottery and ask the 72 elders go with him to the valley of the Son of Hinnom. The seventy-two elders were composed of the Sanhedrim, or Great Council, which were taken partly from "the priests," and partly from the other tribes. They represented the spiritual and political leaders of the people. This valley was where they offered human sacrifices to Molech and Baal. At the gate of this valley potters met to make vessels to use in the temple.
Jeremiah gave them the word of the Lord. Because they had filled this place with the blood of innocent children and babies, this place would soon be called the Valley of Slaughter where they would be killed with the sword. Their bodies would be left to be food for the birds and the beasts. Food will become so rare, they would eat one another in their distress.
Then, Jeremiah broke the piece of pottery he had brought and told them that this was how God would break his people and they would not be able to recover. All the houses in Jerusalem that offered offerings on their roofs to the hosts of heaven would be destroyed.
Jeremiah then went back to the city and stood on the court of the Temple and told the people that disaster was coming upon their land because they refused to hear God’s words.
When the priest, Pashhur heard what Jeremiah was saying he beat him and put him in stocks for the night. The next day, he released Jeremiah. Jeremiah told Pashhur that God called him Terror on Every Side because God would make him a terror to himself and his friends. He would witness their death and others all around him and see the fall of Jerusalem. He would witness their exile and all the wealth of their nation being seized by the king of Babylon. He would be taken to Babylon and have to live through what was coming so he could see that he was wrong and Jeremiah was right.
In Chapter 20, Jeremiah has a meltdown as he talks to the Lord about what he sees coming and how hard it has been to try to tell a people who refused to believe.
In Chapter 21 he has a word for King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. He tells him that the Lord is not coming to their aid; he is actually fighting against them. They will not survive this attack and many will be killed. A remnant will be taken to Babylon. He still begs the king to do the right thing and judge righteously. He warns him that he will be judged for his evil deeds.
In Thessalonians, Paul is still explaining the Day of the Lord. He tells them not to worry because if they are walking in the light, this day will not come as a surprise to them. They will be warned and ready. God will not come to believers in wrath but with love and salvation. They will live with him.
Paul encouraged them to respect and have love for their spiritual leaders and to walk with peace with their brothers and sisters in the faith. We are to help the weak, encourage the fearful, and admonish those who are stuck in complacency. We are not to repay evil for evil but to do good to one another. We are to always rejoice and pray and be thankful for every situation we find ourselves in. We are not to quench the Spirit and to love prophecies, having discernment. We are to stay away from evil in every form.
Lord may your peace cleanse us and may we stand blameless before your when you return. May you find us accomplishing your purposes on the earth. May we be found faithful.
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