It seems that the printing press ignited a new perspective regarding textual accuracy. Before that, writers had no other option but to quote from memory and provide the best rendering possible.
The standard of writing and literature is quite different now than in the past. Especially the distant past. Literature has always evolved through the centuries when there was no standardization.
When we eveluate ancient texts such as the Bible, we need to recognize the vast expanse of time and perspectives. The writers and editors of that time never thought of such standardization that we follow in our context. When we evaluate ancient texts such as the Scriptures, let’s handle them with care and with a certain level of humility. A humility that recognizes our incapacity to be an authoritative judge of such texts.
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It seems those who are most desperate are the ones who get a response from God. Others may have many options, and God is one of many.
When the need is great, when the pain is unbearable, we are more ready to cry out to God. God doesn’t play hide and seek. He is ready to hear the prayers of those who are desperate.
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People have always liked shiny things. The lure of fancy, exotic, and expensive things is irresistible. We also begin to attach our self-worth to things we own.
“Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots.” Isaiah 2:7
Wealth was not a problem for them. In gaining wealth, they gained prominence and became prideful. Worst of all, they forgot the God who cared for them and led them so far. Thus God had to intervene and get them back on the right track.
“So man is humbled, and each one is brought low…” God did it for the Israelites during their exile.
This is an invitation to examine our hearts—constant re-alignment toward love and devotion to Jesus, the one who has brought us thus far.
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It’s not simple to console parents whose children have gone astray. The broken heart of God the Father with estranged children cannot be consoled by mere words. Even the Ox and the donkey know their owner and where they belong. But God’s people have no clue!
Here are the words to a broken-hearted Father: “Hear O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “‘Children I have reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me’” (Isaiah 1:2).
After constant reminders from the Lord, the people continued with their rebellion. They were busy with lots of religious and civic activities. But they forgot their Father was the one who gave them life and sustained them.
We may share our burdens with friends that are equal to us. We may even find people we can relate with. But for God, there is no equal. He has no one else to share with. So he says “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O Earth; for the Lord has spoken: Children I have reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.” God’s heart was crushed and he needed to share his burden with someone. But God has no equal. Maybe God expresses this to the heavens and the earth as a “witness,” for they have seen mankind from the beginning.
God makes a comparison between the Ox and the donkey. They know their place and they have an understanding of where they belong. In other words, even brute beasts have the “understanding” that they need. “But Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”
Sadly, people were compared to animals. But the rebellion of the people was inexcusable. The people claimed to know, but they were full of rebellion.
The broken-hearted father still waits for his children to return. All people of the world were created by God and He wants a relationship with them. God is waiting for his children to return.
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Believers are often divided by various philosophical and political leanings. Each group claims their perspective is the only correct way, and all others are wrong.
God has something to say to us as we “gloat” in the idea that we are right and all others are wrong. In the midst of our political and philosophical pursuits, we may have forgotten God and what He wants.
The psalmist Asaph ends the 50th Psalm with the words of God: “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to the one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” (v.23)
This last verse comes after a long discourse about the majesty of God followed by a disclaimer regarding their worship. Basically, God said that the beneficiary of their worship is not really God — as if God needed anything from them. They just need to be thankful for what they have received and be obedient.
The final sentence in the Psalm identifies the crux of the message: “To one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”
The people who are called by God’s name are expected to order their lives according to His ways. For the Israelites, they did good with their religious expressions of worship. But their lives did not reflect God’s principles of love, justice, and mercy.
Our good religious practices are often a veneer that covers up and blinds us from seeing things within us that displeases God. Those things can be disturbing to outright evil — either in thought or deed. God wants us to remove the “religious veil” and look within and remove all that displeases him. Then he will show his salvation. There flows healing, peace, joy, and true fredom.
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Isn’t God full of compassion and love? I cannot imagine God saying “don’t pray” or “don’t intercede.” Hasn’t God always invited people to pray and intercede for others? It was God who often took the initiative to invite people to pray and to have a relationship with Him.
“As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you” (Jer 7:16).
But throughout the seventh chapter of Jeremiah, God reminds them that God was persistent in pursuing them and directing them to act with justice and mercy. He values these important characteristics and wants his people to emulate him.
God’s desire was that his people would be fully devoted to him and serve him only. But the people had walked away from the covenant. They fought the God who delivered them and saved them from the hand of their enemies.
When God sent prophets to them, it was an act of his mercy and kindness. But the people refused to listen. They hardened their hearts and continued in their rebellion.
Now the question still remains: “Why did God tell Jeremiah not to pray for the people? Was it because he had completely forsaken them? God knows that for his plans to work out, their sins need to be punished. The 70 years of exile and captivity planned for the people could not be revoked. Rather it was necessary for God’s plans to be accomplished.
So as we pray, listen to the voice of the Lord and discern his plans. Know God’s plans for the person or people for whom you are praying. Then pray with fervor.
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It is better to be confident than to be fearful. But there is something called foolish confidence. Such people are confident but their confidence has no foundation. The Psalmist calls it “foolish confidence”.
“This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts” (Psa 49:13).
Those with foolish confidence can look bold, courageous, and determined. Such people will be highly regarded in church and society. They will be esteemed as great. Surely, they will enjoy much popularity due to their flamboyance. But the reality is that all their pomp will crumble as the weight of life increases and the burdens become too much to bear.
But when your confidence is in the Lord, He will sustain you. Life may be full of troubles, but God will uphold you.
In Psalm 49:13, the foolish confidence of people seems to invite a following. No matter how foolish, there will be many to follow that path. This following makes it even more palatable. The numbers seem to give notoriety to their foolish boasts.
True confidence is confidence in the Lord’s ability to sustain you, to uphold you, and lead you in the path that is best for you.
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You thought you were safe. You were in your area of safety and thought everything was perfectly in order. In such a situation, you have no fear of things going bad. You are in your safety zone.
For the Israelites, Jerusalem was their zone of safety. They had nothing to fear. The walls of the city were large, strong, and secure. But in the first verse of Jeremiah 6, the people are encouraged to flee from Jerusalem for safety. Their “safety zone” was no longer safe.
But even as this terrible judgment is pronounced, God wants to speak to his people, but no one was willing to listen. Here is what God says about his people’s response.
To whom shall I speak and give warning,
that they may hear?
Behold, their ears are uncircumcised,
they cannot listen;
behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn;
they take no pleasure in it. (Jer 6:10 ESV)God’s desire for his people was to live in safety and in plenty. That’s why he brought them into the “land flowing with milk and honey.” But for that to remain a reality, they needed to “find rest” in God’s ways. But they refused. You can notice God’s heart for his people in the following words.
Thus says the LORD:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ (Jer 6:16 ESV)Nothing more needs to be spoken. The next step is for us to take.
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Ever felt like running? Life becomes too much to bear and you just want to run away someplace. “Fight or Flight” is the common term for what we feel when under pressure. When we’re too tired and afraid, the only thing to do is run.
Israel ran to neighboring nations and to their gods for protection. Up to that time, they looked to the strong and stable walls of Jerusalem as a fortress. But when they needed protection, even those strong walls were not strong enough. The solution they needed was not there.
In Psalm 48:3, the singers proclaim that God is to be their fortress. “Within her citadels, God has made himself known as a fortress.” The idea is not that God will provide a fortress, but that God himself will be our fortress. And it is God himself that we are to run to in the time of distress.
There is no doubt that the city of Jerusalem was their fortress. They knew that they could run to Jerusalem from danger or any form of attack from invaders. But their hearts had gone away from God for several generations already.
The psalmist is clear that “within” the citadels (fortress), God has made himself known as a fortress. Thus their fortress is truly a fortress because God is in their midst and He is their ultimate fortress.
Stay well connected to God. He is with you. Always.
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Whenever I read through the pages of the Old Testament, I see the mercy of God clearly portrayed. But many people see destruction, judgment, and punishment all over the pages. These acts of punishment are preceded by long periods of merciful waiting. God waits patiently for the return of his people to ap pepper relationship with Him.
In fact, God is looking for an excuse to save, redeem, and provide a way out of the impending destruction. “Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth; that I may pardon her.” (Jer 5:1 RSV) Even after the search, God could not find a righteous person as an excuse to release them.
But even when God commands destruction, it is enveloped with mercy. “Go up through her vine-rows and destroy, but make not a full end; strip away her branches, for they are not the Lord’s.” (Jer 5:10 RSV)
The term “but make not a full end” is soaked with mercy and grace – and most of all, love. God’s kind of love. His love is relentless and everlasting. Even when they continue in disobedience, he punishes them with a strand of mercy.
This is why God says “But even in those days, says the Lord, I will not make a full end of you.” (Jer 5:18 RSV)
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