More suffering

Jeremiah
Well, Jeremiah ends on a somewhat happy note.  Jehoichin is released and lives on a pension.  It looks like the Jews may receive God's blessings once again, so long as they obey him!

1 Peter
Again Peter talks about suffering.  I was wondering about this emphasis, but then remembered that he was writing to people who were being persecuted.  This is actually an encouragement to them.  It pays to investigate the historical context of the bible, so that we can know why it says what it does.

predestination?

Jeremiah
Johanan is quite the guy!  As I was reading, I thought he would be a good guy, since he rescued the people from Ishmael, and then he goes and totally ignores Jeremiah's message from God!  He and his followers were in such a position to be blessed by God, but threw that away by running to Egypt.

1 Peter
Peter seems to have a bent toward pre-destination.  For example, 2:8 says that 'They stumble because they disobey the message - which is also what they were destined for.'  And from a few days ago, 1:2 says '...who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father...'

Thoughts on pre-destination, anyone?  Do you agree or disagree?

God's love for thousands

Hefty reading today!  I must admit, I edited the reading plan slightly, so today's reading in Jeremiah is 32-36, then 37-39, 40-43, 44-46, 47-49, and then we're back on track.

Depending on the way you read Jeremiah 32:18, you might think, well, that's not right that God punishes the children for the sins of the father; God doesn't seem so nice.  But, if you take another look at the verse, you can see that, indeed, God is love.  Sure, he may punish two generations for sins, but he will extend his love to thousands!  His love goes further than his discipline, although his discipline, as unpleasant as it is, shows his love as well.

Plans for prospering

I missed this yesterday in Jeremiah 29, but that key verse that most people quote on God having plans for his people, to prosper them, came at a time when he was sending them into exile in Babylon for 70 years!  Thanks for the plans of prospering... however, they could rest in God's promise that indeed he would prosper them, and would be with them in their exile as well.  So if you're in exile or suffering today, God does have plans to prosper and not harm you, just be patient and wait!

Patience is a virtue

Key verse
Ecclesiastes 8:12 - Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God.


James
Patience - that is one thing that I find is hard to come by.  Once I decide on something, I want to go and do it right away, perhaps even if I'm not ready yet.  Fortunately, I've got people around me who keep me down to earth, most of the time!  It's a good reminder to know that "the Judge is standing at the door".  I realize that statement was directed to those who grumble, which I do on occasion as well, but I think it can apply to any situation.  After all, God is omnipresent, everywhere all the time.  Life application? Be more patient today!

John
Historical lesson:
Apparently, the Samaritans had built a temple on Mount Gerizim, which (this is getting a bit ahead of the reading) the Samaritan woman said was the mountain on which they must worship, although the Jews say they have to worship in Jerusalem at the temple there.  The Samaritans accepted only the Pentateuch as the scriptures, and their version commanded worship on Mount Gerizim.  Here is part of the contention between Jews and Samaritans.

Jeremiah
Poor Uriah... He prophesied the truth just like Jeremiah, and yet he died and Jeremiah lived because of his connections at the temple.
There certainly isn't much lasting satisfaction in being a false prophet.  Hananiah died within a year of his false claims.

The fiftieth post!

50th Post!!!  Congrats for tracking with me so far!  Let's hope it can only get better from here.

Key verses

Jeremiah 23:23-24 - “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away?  Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the Lord.  “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah

Beware the false prophets!

Ecclesiastes

7:28 really stuck out to me because apparently Solomon couldn't find one upright women among any.  I think this may stem from the fact that he married all foreign women who would not have followed his religion or believed in the one true God.  This makes sense because he had 300 wives and 700 concubines, thereby equaling 1000.

I read this from the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary and thought it was an interesting take, although a little bit of a stretch:  one man-that is, worthy of the name, "man," "upright"; not more than one in a thousand of my courtiers (Job 33:23; Ps 12:1). Jesus Christ alone of men fully realizes the perfect ideal of "man." "Chiefest among ten thousand" (So 5:10). No perfect "woman" has ever existed, not even the Virgin Mary. Solomon, in the word "thousand," alludes to his three hundred wives and seven hundred concubines. Among these it was not likely that he should find the fidelity which one true wife pays to one husband.

James

If you were thinking of hoarding wealth, James 5:1-6 should make you think again!  Don't store up your treasures where moth and rust can destroy, or thieves can break in and steal.

The Potter's House

Key verse
John 3:8 - The wind blows wherever it please.  You hear its sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

Jeremiah
Thoughts on chapter 18, about God as a potter.
God's unchanging nature does not mean that he cannot change his plans.  His love for all mankind means that he will change his plans for us if we act in accordance to his will.  If we go outside his will, then he will guide us back or we will suffer the consequences.  Now those who believe in such doctrines as predestination and fate may see this as God's plan never changes, but what he says he will do and what he ends up doing were all a part of the final scheme anyway.  Regardless, we know that if we ask forgiveness, God will grant it to us.

James
According to a footnote in my Bible, the priests had to wash their hands and feet before approaching God in the tabernacle.  James exclamation "wash your hands, you sinners" therefore makes sense, as we should cleanse ourselves, and make our hearts right with God as we come to him.

Ecclesiastes
If you are struggling to make sense of Ecclesiastes, consider reading "Living on the Ragged Edge" by Charles Swindoll.   I have just started reading this book and it is very useful.  It explains how Solomon, having the money and freedom to do as he pleased (as he was the king), was able to experience everything under the sun, just as we would like to do sometime.  Wouldn't you appreciate the opportunity to break free from societal pressures and just do what you want, without a care in the world?  That's what Solomon did, and he provided us with his journal.  But what he found out was that a relationship lived "horizontally", without a focus on God, was worthless.  We have to be right with God, and do our best to live "vertically", for life to make any sense and to get any sort of lasting satisfaction.

Prayer

Key verses
Ecclesiastes 5:2 - God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.

John 2:19 - Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

Ecclesiastes
Solomon's statement in 5:2 remind me of Jesus' own words when he was teaching others how to pray.  We should not babble on 'like the pagans', taking pride in our eloquence, but rather come humbly before God, knowing that he already knows and understands what you haven't completely thought out for yourself yet.  Yet another likeness to the New Testament are the phrases on vows, which are like oaths.  If we vow by God that we will do something, and then don't do it, we don't give God the honour he deserves.

Jeremiah
Jeremiah sure was a persevering individual!  He even prayed for the people of Judah even though God told him not to bother, because destruction was going to come (see 14:11).

A Linen Belt

Key verses
Ecclesiastes 4:9, 12 - Two are better than one, because they have good return for their work: Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not easily broken.

James 3:9-10 - With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

Jeremiah
Chapter 13 opens with a symbolic story about how useless Israel has become to God because of their unfaithfulness.  When a belt is buried and not used for the purpose of holding clothes around the waist, it is useless!  Even so, when Israel doesn't obey God and participate in a relationship with Him, they are rather useless in that relationship.  Can you imagine what Jeremiah must have been thinking when he had to bury his belt to make a point?  Perhaps by this time he knew that such actions would eventually have meaning, but on first glance, I would wonder, what in the world does this have to do with anything?

John
Jesus' mother's persistence is interesting.  Here is the Messiah, saying, please, don't ask anything of me just yet, but his mother tells the servants to do whatever he tells them anyway.  Don't mothers know best?

Faith without deeds

Key verse
Jeremiah 10:6 - No one is like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.


James 2:26 - As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Jeremiah
One thing we can learn from Jeremiah is perseverance.  People are plotting to kill him so that they don't have to listen to his message from the Lord, and yet he still relies on God for safety and continues to speak.


James
I think what James is getting at here is not that you have to do good works in order to be saved, but that good works are a natural outcome of true salvation. If we truly believe in Christ, we should believe in what he taught, and follow through on his teachings.  Therefore, true faith cannot come without good works.

Am I your Favourite?

Key verses
Jeremiah 7:18-19 - They pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke me to anger. But am I the one they are provoking? declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?

Ecclesiastes
God has set eternity in the hearts of men.  This phrase reminds me of Blaise Pascal's statement that we all have a God-shaped hole in our hearts.  We're longing for something more, something that lasts.

Jeremiah
Gilead was actually known for its medicinal herbs, renowned for the healing power of the plants that grew in that location.

James
Is it favouritism to pay more attention to your friends than any others at a party or gathering?  I think the favouritism James is speaking about here is when you pre-judge someone by their appearance and then end up treating someone poorly.  If you genuinely like someone better, is it wrong to treat them better than others, so long as you are also treating the other people well?

a little history

Key verse
Jeremiah 1:8 - "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord.

Ecclesiastes
In terms of human nature, the truth about the world, and basically all abstract ideas, I suppose there is nothing new since the beginning of time.  However, I think we see things in a different and new way all the time, and for each person, life is new.  Life is not meaningless either, unless we decide to not give it meaning.  All we do here on earth has a lot of meaning, provided we do it with a view to eternity.  So long as we are investing in others and growing in God, we can have a lot of meaning in life, even if what we are doing is mundane and seemingly pointless.


Jeremiah
There is more than one version of the book of Jeremiah.  Our English translations are based on the Masoretic (Hebrew) text, but there is a different version in the Septuagint (ancient Greek) text.  This difference is likely due to the turmoil of Jeremiah's time.  Jeremiah prophesied about the impending doom of Jerusalem, and lived to see the city captured by foreigners, while he himself was one of the captives.
I have to admire Jeremiah's tenacity in bringing God's message to the people of Jerusalem.  At this time, circa 626-580 BC, the people of Judah were intent on straying from God's commands, even though Jeremiah, and Josiah, the king at the beginning of Jeremiah's career, kept trying to bring them back to God.
*Here's a neat fact: the term 'Jew' is actually a short form for Judahite, or an inhabitant of Judah, and therefore only came into existence when Judah split from the rest of Israel.  This term was then later applied to all "Israelites" when northern Israel was completely assimilated into foreign countries (approx. 720 BC)     -all of this information on Jeremiah is compliments of the Archaeological Study Bible

Interesting comparison - God touch Jeremiah's mouth with his hand when he called him to be a prophet, and an angel touched Isaiah's lips with a hot coal when he received his calling.  In both cases, the mouths were sanctified and cleansed, so as to be worthy of the words which they would later speak.

**More on today's reading later.  As we are starting four new books today, I will give some thoughts on the New Testament ones tomorrow.