Good day Saints in Christ Jesus. You are all welcome to another new day. Glory to God for the gift of life. It is a joyful new week for us all, in Jesus name.
In our today’s episode 501 of studying and understanding the Bible, titled:
Prophet’s Life In Danger For Preaching On The Streets
In this chapter (11:1-5), we read about how Prophet Jeremiah announces to the people of Judah and Jerusalem the terms of God’s covenant with their forefathers when they were brought out of Egypt. He also reminded them how their forefathers incurred curses upon themselves for breaking the terms of this covenant.
He then went to the streets and the cities to chastise them for their hereditary disobedience against God and their rejection of God’s Word. You will find this in Jeremiah 11:6-19.
Remember, in the previous Chapter, Prophet Jeremiah went to the temple gate to preach, but this time, he decided to get a much bigger audience by taking the message to the streets and cities of Judah and Jerusalem. This is what is called evangelism today. Our messages should not be limited to the church walls (the temple gate) only. We must use all means to spread the Gospel.
He specifically warned them of the consequences of their actions if they refuse to listen. Remember, it was not God that brought the destruction on them, but they brought it upon themselves by their act of disobedience and rejection of the Gospel.
Instead of paying attention to God’s message of Salvation and obey, some of these people were busy plotting evil against Jeremiah. Funny enough, these people were his neighbours and family members.
Let’s read Jeremiah 11:21
21 The people of Anathoth wanted me killed, and they told me that they would kill me if I kept on proclaiming the Lord’s message.
Anathoth is the name of one of the four cities (Gibeon, Geba, Almon and Anathoth) assigned to the children of Aaron in the tribe of Benjamin. You will find this documented in Joshua 21:13–18 and 1 Chronicles 6:54–60). Residents were called Antothites or Anetothites. Remember also that Jeremiah’s father (Hilkiah), was a kohen (Jewish priest) from the Benjamite village of Anathoth. So, it was his own people that first started the conspiracy against him for preaching the Word of God.
Jeremiah’s message revolved around the Old Covenant then, but no longer applicable to New Covenant Believers now.
The reason is because the Old Covenant was a conditional agreement that God made with the Israelites predicated on what the Israelites should do to please God and win His favour which were all outlined in the Law of Moses administered through the hand of an angel (Read Gal 3:19). Remember, it was not in God’s agenda to relate with man using the law. His mode of relationship is by Grace that we receive through our faith in Christ. The Bible calls it The New Covenant.
This is the same Covenant Prophet Jeremiah was trying to explain to his audience, but they refused to listen, because of their stubbornness. Let’s read Jeremiah’s New Covenant Gospel here quickly in Chapter 31:31-32
31. The Lord says, “The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.
32 It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. Although I was like a husband to them, they did not keep that covenant.
33 The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
34 None of them will have to teach a neighbor to know the Lord, because all will know me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
This New Covenant was made effective by the death of Christ Jesus (The Messiah). Read Luke 22:20
Note that the Old Covenant places a demand which requires that the Jews must keep all the laws and in return, they would be blessed, but failure to comply will bring grave consequences. But guess what? They failed woefully. None of them could keep the laws, not even the priests.
However, when Christ came, the whole narrative changed. The burden was removed, and barrier broken. We now have unconditional love restored to us, which was first revealed to man in the garden of Eden. God decided to come to man and rescue man from the bondage of sin, even while we were yet sinners, He did that perfect job for every living soul. All you need do is receive Him by faith.
That is why the Bible says in John 3:16 (GNT) that…
16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.
God did this while everybody was still in sin. Apostle Paul affirms this in Romans 5:8 (GNT)
8 But God has shown us how much he loves us—it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us! 9 By his blood we are now put right with God; how much more, then, will we be saved by him from God’s anger!
If you want to know more about the differences between Old and New Covenants, I will recommend you study the book of Romans, Galatian and most importantly, the book of Hebrews.
During the Old Testament era, only the high priests could enter the holiest of holies, where it is believed to be the place of abode of God.
Sadly, this is what many church leaders are still doing today, serving as a mediator between God and their congregations instead of revealing God directly to their members and teach them how to relate personally with God, they turn themselves into God’s representatives and prayer contractors.
Jesus broke this bondage over 2000 years ago. We must not allow ourselves to be subjected to another bondage again by false teachers and preachers. Why? Because Jesus Christ is now our High Priest (Heb 10:21) and we can address our Father directly, having Father-Son relationship with Him.
The duty of church leaders is to teach you this truth and not to be subjecting their church members to the bondage of the law again. Some would even say, keep part of it and leave the rest, when the Bible already says you can’t keep some and leave some under Old Covenant.
We are God’s children now under New Covenant with direct access to God, our Father.
Let’s read Romans 8:15-16 (GNT)
For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God’s children, and by the Spirit’s power we cry out to God, “Father! my Father!” 16 God’s Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we are God’s children.
Essentially, this was the Prophecy that Jeremiah was trying to make his audience realise but they were blinded by their hatred and rebellious heart.
Let us pray:
- Every covenant of threat, slavery, subjugation and death targeted against you and your family has been broken already in Christ Jesus.
- I declare, continue to enjoy all of the dividends of redemption that God has provided for you in Christ Jesus, in Jesus name.
- I declare, from now on, things will not be hard for you to achieve. The Lord God will coordinate men and resources to favour you. Continue to rejoice and praise the Lord for what He has done for you already, in Jesus name.
Bible Readings For Today: 2Chronicles Chapters 25, 26 & 27 with Psalm 107
I call you blessed now and always.
Tuesday August 11, 2020 (DDMI)
