Good day Believers in the finished work of Christ Jesus. You are all welcome to another new day. Glory to God for the gift of life. Always remember that you are an overcomer, because whosoever is born of God has overcome the world. This is your testimony always, in Jesus name. Happy Sunday to you all.
In our today’s episode 506 of studying and understanding the Bible, we shall be looking into Jeremiah Chapters 17 titled:
More Reasons Exposed About Why Jeremiah’s Audience Were Adamant in worshiping Idols
Jeremiah Chapter 17 gives us another clue on why his audience have proven to be stubborn and rebellious.
Note that whatever you esteem higher than God has become an idol.
The people of Judah have for a long time developed a very strong predisposition towards Idolatry, which obviously came with disastrous outcomes. Let’s read Jeremiah 17:1-2 (KJV).
1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;
2 Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.
Can you imagine, the spirit behind idolatry has already taken root in their subconscious mind; intensely and permanently inscribed in their hearts. That is what Jeremiah meant when he figuratively said it was written with a pen of iron, which means something that is difficult to erase.
The same meaning applies to writing with the point of a diamond which refers to something so hard that cannot be erased. Their situation was so serious that they even inscribed the name of their idol on the altar. This is the custom of idol worshippers during their time.
No wonder Apostle Paul saw something similar when he travelled to Athens during his Gospel campaign in Acts 17:16-17 (GNT)
16 While Paul was waiting in Athens for Silas and Timothy, he was greatly upset when he noticed how full of idols the city was. 17 So he held discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentiles who worshiped God, and also in the public square every day with the people who happened to come by.
GNT
Also, in Acts 17:22-25 (GNT)
22 Paul stood up in front of the city council and said, “I see that in every way you Athenians are very religious.
23 For as I walked through your city and looked at the places where you worship, I found an altar on which is written, ‘To an Unknown God.’ That which you worship, then, even though you do not know it, is what I now proclaim to you.
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.
25 Nor does he need anything that we can supply by working for him, since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything else to everyone.
GNT
The truth is that these people knew there is a God, but they thought for them to get to Him, they needed something tangible and physical to be used a point of contact, they didn’t know they were already committing idolatry, which many people are still doing till today.
Therefore, Apostle decided to enlighten them that they did not need to craft any image or object before they could worship God.
The same thing Jeremiah was trying to do to shift the people’s attention away from the worship of physical objects back to the worship of God.
Their idolatry obsession was so strong to the point that their children were also infected with the same obsession. They already had their imagination and memories filled with images of idols.
Therefore, every parent must be careful about their actions because your children are watching! Whatever your child sees you do consistently over time, he or she will start practising the same thing.
Well, every action always come with consequences. As a result of their persistent involvement in these terrible acts, they lost many things:
They lost their wealth.
They became slaves to their enemies.
They became spiritually dry like a desert.
Nevertheless, Jeremiah said there was hope for them if they repented.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (GNT) says…
7 “But I will bless the person who puts his trust in me.
8 He is like a tree growing near a stream and sending out roots to the water. It is not afraid when hot weather comes, because its leaves stay green; it has no worries when there is no rain; it keeps on bearing fruit.
In verses 9-10, Jeremiah also makes us realize the deceitfulness of man’s heart, so sick to be healed and only God can fathom it and rewards everyone accordingly.
In verse 11, Prophet Jeremiah also spoke against getting wealth dishonestly, which he likened to a bird that hatches eggs that it did not lay. In the prime of life, such people always lose their riches and, in the end, he is nothing but a fool (verse 11).
Verses 14-18 shows Jeremiah’s prayer, asking God for help, while the remaining verses 19 to 27 talks about the failure of the people of Judah about observing the Sabbath. Don’t forget, in new testament dispensation, Christ Jesus is our Sabbath.
So, what does it mean that God rested on the seventh day? It means that God stopped work (creation). This was a figurative expression of what Christ came to do.
According to Hebrews 10:12 (GNT).
12 Christ, however, offered one sacrifice for sins, an offering that is effective forever, and then he sat down at the right side of God.
13 There he now waits until God puts his enemies as a footstool under his feet.
14 With one sacrifice, then, he has made perfect forever those who are purified from sin.
Essentially, Christ rested after accomplishing the greatest sacrifice, He sat down and rested, which means He ceased from His work of atonement, because there was nothing more to be done, none. He did a perfect job.
Consequent upon that, we no longer have to labour in trying to keep all of the over 630 laws of the Old Testament for us to be justified before God. Instead, Christ has provided us with a better sacrifice and all we need is faith in His finished work. When you have Christ, then you have fulfilled all the requirements of the law.
To be continued…stay tuned and stay blessed.
Let us pray:
- The grace to be obedient to God in all things, receive it in Jesus name.
- Remember you are born of God through Christ Jesus; therefore, I declare you are an overcomer. You have overcome ungodly worries, anxieties, depression, fear, failure and whatever it is that is not giving glory to God in your life, you overcome them all, in Jesus name.
- You are royal priesthood, a holy nation, you are special in God’s eyes. You have been empowered by God to cast out demons, heal the sick and speak into existence what was not in existence. You have been empowered to create things from the spiritual realm and make it manifest in the physical. Begin to operate in this authority, in Jesus name, in Jesus name.
- Whatever negative thing that devil is trying to label you with or inscribe on your personality is hereby wiped off and anywhere your name will be mentioned, it will be for good things, in Jesus name.
Bible Readings For Today: The whole Book of Obadiah with Psalm 111
I call you blessed now and always.
Sunday August 16, 2020 (DDMI)
