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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Saturday, 26 August 2023:
Jeremiah 51:1 — Behold, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon….
God moves the hearts of people for His purposes. He is the only one who can change the mind of the people around you that you deal with.
Jeremiah 51:5 – For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the Lord of hosts, but the land of the Chaldeans is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel.
The Holy God cannot stand sin but is willing to forgive it.
Jeremiah 51:7—Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad.
God used Babylon to discipline Israel, then God disciplined Babylon. Failure in life is often being successful in the wrong things. Babylon experienced apparent success on a path to destruction.
Jeremiah 51:8, 9 – Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; wail for her! Take balm for her pain; perhaps she may be healed. We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed. Forsake her, and let us go each to his own country, for her judgment has reached up to heaven and has been lifted up even to the skies.
God felt compassion for the people He judged.
Jeremiah 51:11 – Sharpen the arrows! Take up the shields!
The Lord stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose concerning Babylon was to destroy it as the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for his temple. God controls foreign policy.
Jeremiah 51:16 – When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
The Creator never stops controlling His creation. It is insanity for the created creature to believe (s)he can manipulate the Creator, define Him, completely understand Him, or ignore Him.
Jeremiah 51:17-19 – Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish. Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the Lord of hosts is his name.
Substitutes for God will come and go and have no real power. They are an illusion. God is the only real Power, and He never changes. The Creator will destroy all substitutes for Him.
Jeremiah 51:20-23 – You are my hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms; with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider; with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer; with you I break in pieces man and woman; with you I break in pieces the old man and the youth; with you I break in pieces the young man and the young woman; with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team; with you I break in pieces governors and commanders.
God chooses small people and His remnant to achieve His purposes in history, revealing the foolishness of man’s pride. God does not honor the pride of men.
Jeremiah 51:26 – No stone shall be taken from you for a corner and no stone for a foundation, but you shall be a perpetual waste, declares the Lord.
God’s judgement has eternal consequences.
Jeremiah 51:31-34 – One runner runs to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to tell the king of Babylon that his city is taken on every side; the fords have been seized, the marshes are burned with fire, and the soldiers are in panic. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time when it is trodden; yet a little while and the time of her harvest will come. Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me; he has made me an empty vessel; he has swallowed me like a monster; he has filled his stomach with my delicacies; he has rinsed me out.
Even while they were in captivity, God took care of His people by influencing the hearts of the captors.
Jeremiah 51:47 – Therefore, behold, the days are coming when I will punish the images of Babylon; her whole land shall be put to shame, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.
God’s invitation competes with the invitation of substitutes for God for the loyalty of God’s people. Today, it’s the Gospel or the American Dream.
Jeremiah 51:50 – You who have escaped from the sword, go, do not stand still! Remember the Lord from far away, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.
God’s invitation demands an immediate response.
Psalm 97:1, 2 — The Lord reigns…. righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Relate these verses with Job 40:2, 8 — “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him…? Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?” Our Lord, the Almighty, the Creator, is Sovereign. Is it possible for the created entity to fully understand its Creator? Again, how foolish is it for mere people to define God from their perspective. I am always amazed when “teachers” from their vast wisdom obtained from less than 80 years of life on this planet attempt to challenge the truth of God and his Word. Man’s wisdom is foolishness in God’s sight (1 Cor 3:19), and there is no possible way to measure how distant our thoughts are from God’s thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). We cannot possibly understand why God does what he does, or where He is taking us in life since our steps are directed by Him. (Proverbs 20:24) We must walk in faith, hope, and love trusting that Our “Daddy” IS love; that NOTHING can “separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38, 39); and that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) So, “trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5,6)
Psalm 97:10 — O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
Hate has motivated many people to kill. Love should motivate Christians to kill too – “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5) To love God and others, we must hate and “put to death” the sin that is abhorrent to God; that separates people eternally from God; that drove Jesus, our Lord and Savior, to the cross; that kills and destroys; and that wars against love in this broken world. To take sin lightly is to love little, minimalizing the Passion of Christ and disregarding the plight of those trapped in sin. To love our enemies as Jesus commanded, we must go to battle, not against them but against the sin that is enslaving and killing them, being very careful not to get wounded by sin ourselves — “And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” (Job 1:22-23) “Be angry and do not sin.” (Ephesians 4:26)
How you feel about sin is based on how much you really love God and others. Do you really hate sin?
– Proverbs 8:13 — The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
– Amos 5:15 — Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
– Proverbs 6:16-19 — There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
– Romans 12:9 — Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
– Psalm 45:7 — You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
– Revelation 2:6 — Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
– 1 John 3:8 — Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
– Psalm 26:5 — I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.
– Ephesians 5:3-21 — But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Psalm 97:110 — O you who love the LORD, hate evil!
Compare this verse with Proverbs 8:13 and Amos 5:15. Do you hate evil? Hate evil, not those who are in bondage to evil – free them.
Proverbs 26:4, 5 – Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
These verses apparently contradict each other, though we know they don’t. They are written together intentionally and likely mean we should seek to counter the foolishness of others, for their sake, while being very careful not to act foolish ourselves in the process. Don’t stoop to their level or parrot their behavior. Don’t lose sight of your mission of reconciliation, of bringing them closer to Jesus through your words and deeds. If your words, tone, mannerisms, and behavior aren’t leading them towards Jesus, you are being foolish too.
You have an obligation to hold others accountable for their sin, but don’t stoop down to their level when rebuking them. Listen empathetically, don’t get emotional, and don’t seek self-justification. In love, speak the truth from God’s word, and don’t lose sight of the goal of reconciliation, bringing them closer to Jesus in some way. When you let self get in the way of your rebuke, you lose your moral authority and have become a ‘judge’ rather than a juror. Don’t judge the person or seek to be the punisher — judge the action and seek to free the person trapped in sin.
Proverbs 26:6-9 — Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools. Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool. Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
We are the messengers of Christ, and we must be very careful to be worthy of the calling. The Bible can be used improperly if not used in the Spirit. Bible knowledge is not Bible wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge rightly applied. A proverb in the mouth of a fool is hurtful. Often God’s word is misused in ungracious and inappropriate ways by people with self-centered, self-serving, self-righteous motives. We are commanded to speak the truth – in love. When truth and love go together, this is true love.
Proverbs 26:16 – The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.
Laziness is a spiritual issue and unacceptable for God’s servants. Spiritually blinded, the lazy usually don’t think they are lazy. Lazy people always seem to have a way of justifying their laziness. The Bible calls this foolishness.
Proverbs 26:17 – Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
This proverb verse reminds me of an account of Jesus found in Luke 12: “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’” (Luke 12:12-15) Getting involved in quarrels can cause us and others to become distracted from the heart of the matter, the need for reconciliation with God through Jesus. Don’t cheapen the message of the Gospel by getting wrapped up in needless worries of the world.
Proverbs 26:18-20 — Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking!” For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
The Bible holds you accountable for careless words and careless dealings which impact others’ lives in a negative way. How we influence other people’s lives is nothing to be taken lightly. “Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 26 August 2023: Today, consider your attitude towards sin, and pray that God will give you a heart that sees sin the way He sees it.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 