Embedded Files
This page is dedicated to bringing encouragement and insight to God's people and reaching the lost for Christ.
I have a favorite Old Testament verse that many will probably find odd: "Man that is born of woman is of a few days full of trouble. Job 14:1 The reason it is my favorite is because it helps to explain why there is so much suffering in my life and in the world. It can be my favorite bible verse because of my favorite New Testament verse: " In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 Be certain that troubles will continue. But we can be more certain that when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus, we are able to overcome the troubles and trials and tribulations of this life.
From a heart of love and compassion share the gospel
From a heart of love and compassion share the gospel
Your Christian life may be the only Gospel they will know
Pray and put the results of your sharing in God's hands
Pray and put the results of your sharing in God's hands
As the wind blows we cannot see where it goes, so is the working of the Spirit of the Living God
Have you ever wanted to memorize scriptures to lead a soul to Christ? Let me share this 8 Steps to Commitment to Christ
Jeremiah 43, Nearly Broke My Heart
The Word of the Lord, “If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up:” (42: 10)
Timeline: October 13-17, 2024- Reading Jeremiah 42 (13th)& 43 (14th)
Started writing on the 14th
Revised on the 17th, 2024
Published November 22, 2024
I was reading In Jeremiah chapter 43 today.
Chapter 43 opens with this statement: “And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, even all these words”. Now the words that this particular passage is speaking of are contained in chapter 42. Chapter 42 describes how the leaders of the remnant that were left in Judah after Nebuchadnezzar had taken captives back to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar had left a few people after taking all of the leading citizens and a great number of the people of Judah and Israel back to Babylon. This was all foretold by Jeremiah the prophet. Jeremiah had been tossed into prison because of his prophecy that foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and the carrying away of the people into Babylon. Zedekiah the King and his officials would not heed Jeremiah’s warnings, they listened instead to the prophets who told them what they wanted to hear. When Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem it took a while to subdue the city, but the city fell, and Jerusalem was indeed destroyed. The sons of Zedekiah and many of the leading officials of his government were put to death right before his eyes and then He was blinded, bound in chains and carried away with a great number of captives.
In chapter 42 a group of the remnants came to Jeremiah to ask him to pray to the Lord on their behalf. They were led by a man by the name of Johanan the son of Kareah and a man named Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah. Johanan and the people were fearful of the Chaldeans returning to take the rest of them away because they had killed the governor that was put in charge of the region once King Zedekiah had been deposed, blinded and taken away in chains. Now Johanan and his followers were looking to go to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.
Here is the thing, Johanan could have just taken the people into Egypt and not even bothered to ask for advice or prayers from Jeremiah.
Was this some sort of attempt to appear obedient to the will of the Lord?
Was he attempting to gain Jeremiah’s blessing because he knew from experience that what Jeremiah spoke was from the Lord?
Why did he go to Jeremiah?
The bible does not explain his motivation.
Just so you can visualize why chapter 43 had such a great impact upon me this morning, you need to know that I only read a chapter a day during my devotional.
Yesterday was when I read about Johanan coming to Jeremiah to ask him to pray for the people.
This was his petition before Jeremiah: “Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)” Jeremiah 42:1-2
Yesterday I saw a group of people who were contrite and recognized their need for the God who had chosen them to guide their next steps.
Yesterday I read these words from Johanan and the people: “Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.” (vs 5)
Hear the resignation that they were in an untenable circumstance and the only hope they have is the God who called them his people. Listen to the words of verse 6. “Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”
If only Zedekiah and all the religious and political leaders had approached God in that same manner. God would have heard their supplications.
So when Jeremiah began to reply to the people what the Lord had sent him to speak I was encouraged by God’s faithfulness. Even though his people had turned from him in so many ways, God was still willing to bless them, protect them, provide for them. Hear the gracious words of consolation to his people who were few in number, who were fearful of the avenging Chaldeans: “If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up:” (vs 10) What comforting words. God recognizes our weaknesses. He is willing to be our strength when we are not strong enough. The only thing that he requires of us is that we be faithful. Verse 11 is even more encouraging, “Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.”
It is significant to note that God always makes it plain what he expects and what he intends. Verses 13-19 God makes it quite plain that if they chose to disobey him the same devastation that was visited upon Zedekiah would be visited upon them. God sends this message by Jeremiah, “For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.”
Nothing could be plainer.
So yesterday I concluded my reading. But what I did not pay enough attention to; this rather dark revelation from Jeremiah. Jeremiah protested to Johanan and the people. “For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it. And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you. Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.” Jeremiah 42:20-22
When I left off reading, I assumed this was similar to Moses’ protesting to the children that they could not be faithful and follow the Lord’s commandments.
But I was mistaken. This morning as I picked up reading chapter 43 my heart dropped. It literally brought me near to tears to read that these people were indeed only perpetrating a fraud in coming to Jeremiah.
They had no intention of following through with obeying the Lord for good or ill. That word dissemble carries the idea of hiding a true motive, or plan.
I sat there questioning the motives of these people. Who were they trying to deceive? They were asking a prophet who had correctly foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and the carrying away of captives to Babylon, to go to see what the Lord would say to them.
What were they expecting?
Why ask God what he would have you do if you are not willing to actually do what God says?
10/15/2024
As I complete this narrative, I am still shaking my head in wonderment. Today when I began my devotional, I decided to re-read chapter 43. The wonderment is still there today. I am not as perplexed because this is a pattern that has been replayed over and over again down through the ages. We are so intent upon having things our way that we are willing to even disregard the warnings of God’s prophets. 3 deadly sins accompany us throughout our earthly life: Pride, unbelief, willful disobedience. The same sins that doomed Adam and Eve in the Garden.
We look upon the desires of our lives and we desire them more than we desire a right relationship with the God who created us.
We convince ourselves that God did not really mean to keep this from me.
What is interesting in Adam and Eve’s case they were able to correctly recite God’s lone prohibition. But the deceiver worked on their desire for Godly knowledge and the benefits that it would be to them. The fruit was appealing, it looked good and something to be desired. Genesis 3:6 records for us, “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
Their willful disobedience of the command of God brought death and hardship into their lives and humanity’s.
I am sure you can recall a time or multiple times that you chose to disbelieve what you knew to be a moral directive from God’s word. We have all done it. This is why Christ Jesus had to come to this world. He came to present to us an image contrary to that of Adam and Eve. He also came to bring to our understanding that God is faithful to his word and can be trusted. What he says, he will do.
Johanan and his company learned the hard way that what God says, he will do.
Chapter 43 ends with Jeremiah speaking about the destruction of Egypt, on God’s behalf saying, “And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword.” Jeremiah was talking about Nebuchadnezzar coming to Egypt to destroy Egypt and take captives back to Babylon. This prophetic word was spoken by Jeremiah in Egypt as he attempted to protest the disobedience of Johanan and the people.
It was not enough that Johanan and his followers willfully disobeyed the word of God from Jeremiah the prophet, but they forced all of the remnant to go with them into Egypt including Jeremiah.
We have an opportunity to turn from the 3 deadly sins because when Jesus came he gave us a blueprint for how to walk by faith. When Jesus rose from the dead he empowered those who would put their trust in his death and resurrection with a new spirit that would help us to not only believe the Word Of God but we can now fulfill the Word of God in our own lives.
We become transformed from men and women bound to sin and death into new creatures in Christ Jesus made in the image of Christ Jesus, rather than the image of Adam.
These are spiritually decerned truths that set us free from the bondages of sin and death. And frees us from the penalty of sin, which is eternal separation from God (the second death).
He who the Son sets free, is free indeed. (John 8:36)
I urge you to accept the Word of God, believe that God means them for good for your eternal soul.
Believe the scriptures. Hear and obey. God does not set dos and don’ts and prohibitions before us because he wants to control us.
He wants us to willingly follow his plans for us. God wants to restore that faith-walk that Adam and Eve once knew. The faith-walk Enoch had with God. Enoch was a man who walked by faith and talked with God and one day he continued to walk away from this life with God.
Be sure to check out the Topics Page. It contains all of the Words of Encouragement links by Dates
2024 Video Messages
Thanks to Loving Souls Christian Church for permission to use the videos
Thanks to New Beginning Christian Center Jacksonville, Fl for permission to use the video https://www.nbccjax.org/
April 14, 2024 At Loving Souls Christian Church What Is Your Generational Plan
July 21, 2024 At New Beginnings Christian Center Jacksonville, Fl.
September 22, 2014
To look at titles and topics of essays in this website click here: Titles and Topics
If you have questions about the message or about being saved or need further understanding of the plan of salvation that Christ Jesus offers please send your questions or requests through the Review Page of this website.
If you have been encouraged by this message please share the website with others. Use the review page to share your thoughts
Father, I thank you for the timelessness of your Word and your Promises. I pray you will use these words to encourage your children as they grow in their relationship with you. I pray that you will work in the heart of every person who does not know you as Lord to bring them to yourself, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse