Jeremiah 45

Like to share what God's been teaching me lately.

Well, lately I've been reading thru the OT and I'm currently in the book of Jeremiah.

A little background before this next point. 

The chapters in Jeremiah are each fairly long.  There's this girl that I'd been wanted to ask out for a while now, and just before my trip here,  I asked her to lunch.  I try to commit first thing each day to the Lord by reading at least 1 chapter from His Word, and it was Thursdays morning, just before my date with this girl.

  I say morning, because, as a software programmer, like Charlie probably, I usually stay up till very early hours of the morning playing, er, I mean, working...  And this previous night was no exception.  So... morning was around 10:30am.  I was supposed to pick her up at 11:45 and she worked a good 25 minutes from my house.  So, I'm thinking, reading the word=45 minutes; shower and get ready=30 minutes; that gets me there just after noon.  There was gonna be a problem.  But I thought, well, gotta read the Word, let's just start my day there.  So, that day was Jeremiah 45.  Open your Bibles with me, if you will, to Jeremiah 45 and witness how the Lord blessed me that day!.... So, if you ever wonder why Jeremiah 45 is so short, now you know. :)

But seriously...  Sometimes when reading the OT, it's often very hard to decide how Scripture can apply to our lives.  This time reading thru the OT, the Lord has really been teaching me the truth of His consistent character, and we can learn about God's heart and character in so many ways by seeing how He dealt with Israel.  Today I'd like for us to look at this passage in a few different ways this morning.  First, let's just learn the pure history lesson about Israel.

Let's start by reading alot from the Bible.  This is always safe when speaking, and when I'm nervous, it's always a sure thing to just let God speak most of the time... :)

Charlie, would you like to read Jeremiah 45?

Now, to understand the history of this passage, we need a little more context.  Baruch was an aspiring assistant to Jeremiah the prophet.  At this place in the book of Jeremiah, the prophet has a pretty bad reputation with most of the reigning authorities.  He's been put in prison for warning of destruction from Babylon.  Israel has had a few bad kings that have been causing Israel to stray from God and God is threatening to purify Israel by letting her be defeated and taken captive by Babylon.  As God says of Israel:

Romans 10:21

But to Israel He said, All day long I have stretched forth My hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people.

... so we see this, here.  God asks Jeremiah to write a scroll to again warn Israel, with the hope they will repent.  And Jeremiah chooses Baruch for the job.  Let's read the story in Jeremiah 36.

Charlie?

Now that we've learned just the history, let see if we can learn about the character of God and, thru Israel, about much of our own character.

Israel has been straying from God like we see so much in the old testament, and I personally know it doesn't take a deep look into my own life to find that same reality in my heart.  They were worshiping idols, running back to Egypt (their old enemies) for security from Babylon (their new enemies), and running from God to other things.  Did you ever wonder why Israel was so quick to leave YHWH their God and seek to serve other Gods?  It seems to me that they weren't getting the things they expected from God, and it was the THINGS that were important to them-- their desire.

So they'd go off and pray to Baal for their THINGS or run to Egypt for their security.  All because they doubted God's power, or else God's love for them.

I believe they, like us so often, desire God to do something in our life.  God, knowing what's best, often doesn't give us those things in the FORM that we desire, and so we, like Israel, often desire to obtain these things by other means.  We seeks for security in our income or retirement plan; joy, or maybe just identity for ourselves in our work achievements or obtaining 'stuff' of this world.

Let's look at some parallels of Israel to our life.  In 36 verse 15-16 (Charlie), we see that some of the decision makers in Israel have finally heard the warning of God and at first are fearful and decide that this is an important thing and should be judged by the king of Israel.  Then, in 17 (Charlie), here they stop first, and want to make sure that this is really from God.  So often we do the same when God is teaching us something we need to change in our life.  Then the decree goes to the king. 21-23.  As the king controlled Israel, how many times do we run God's admonishment thru the ideas and goal that are stearing our life, only to 'hear the first 3 or 4 columns and immediate cut it up and throw it into the fire'.  "But that will make me give up this thing, or stop pursuing that."  Let's see what disaster happens to king Zedekiah, Jeremiah 52:10-11 (Charlie)  This seems so horrible a judgment, but Oh, God please bind and shackle all the kings in my life that turn me from You and keep them in prison until the day of their death.

Let's look back to God's admonishment to Baruch in our original passage.  Baruch wasn't the king's favourite person for doing what God wanted Him to do.  He was a little discouraged and wasn't exactly obtaining the things he was working toward in life. Let's read Jeremiah 45 again.

The most special thing I've learned in Jeremiah, this time thru, is in God's admonishment to Buruch.  He says, Behold, this great city that you desire a position in, I will break down.  This prize you seek is worthess.  You desire great things for yourself, DO NOT SEEK THEM.  All these things will come to an end.  But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.

And what a life He gives us for a prize.

To conclude I'd like to take a very short time to read about the prize that God has for us.

Can I get 3 people to read for me?  Philippians 2:5-8; Romans 5:5-10; John 3:15-17

Our God is a God of extremes.  He does nothing halfheartedly.  He chose the means by which he would save the world.  As we hear these 3 passages let's concentrate on the extremes found in them.

Phil. 2:4-

Rom. 5:5-

Never did anyone ever have SO much, as Jesus did with all the greatness of being God.  Never did anyone humble himself and give up their greatness so completely to die such a death, as Jesus did for us.  And who is 'us' for whom He died?  Were we his best friend?  Or one who loved him dearly.  No, I say no one ever did all this for such an enemy as me.

John 3:16-17

May the King in your life be Christ, and may the strivings with which we so often find ourselves consumed, be imprisoned.  So that we might, instead, be consumed with the joy of the prize of His LIFE that he gives you, everywhere you go.

And I would encourage you, that if you don't know this life--  if you haven't accepted this gift that He so longs for you to have.  Please give Him a chance to show you real life like you've never experienced before.

Please pray with me.

(And for those who have not given themselves to You...)