Jeremiah 28-29
Finally some action and adventure in Jeremiah; and the further we go, the more action there will be.
So, last chapter, God told Jeremiah to make a nice yoke, put it on his neck and then tell the nations and Zedekiah, that in spite of what might have heard about instability in Babylon, God was requiring all nations to submit to Nebuchadnezzar.
Jer. 28
Vs. 1-4 Hananiah was about to really get in trouble.
V. 1 Notice that the time is given very exactly.
Vs. 5-11 This false prophesy was given in Jeremiah's presence, in public, and Jeremiah was made to look like a fool by this smooth talking, dynamic preacher.
It is interesting to me that Jeremiah's only retaliation was the word God gave him. Even after the yoke was smashed, Jeremiah didn't lose his mind. This speaks for his submission to God and to his maturity.
Vs. 12-17 You might wonder why God even allowed Hananiah to speak, but the people wanted to believe a lie. They could always have believed Jeremiah.
Notice in this section the occurrences of "you." God was not happy with Hananiah.
V. 17 The people heard of this prophesy against Hananiah. Where Hananiah projected two years for his prophesy, it didn't take God two months to fulfill his word on Hananiah.
I wonder if anyone took this to heart?
Jer. 29
This is a very interesting chapter. Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles in Babylon. Just think of that. Nebuchadnezzar allowed that. The people were organized in Babylon. By this time Daniel had been in Babylon about 10 years. For the past 7 years Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were top government officials. Nebuchadnezzar had already developed a respect for Yahweh, bowing to worship Him. It is possible that Daniel 3 had already occurred. If so, Nebuchadnezzar had worshipped Him again, but I'm guessing, by this chapter, that that event was still in the near future. Anyway, that is all to explain why this communication would have been possible. God had already made a safe place for His people in Babylon.
Vs. 1-14 These orders by God to the exiles give a lot of information and hope.
V. 3 Notice Elasah the son of Shaphan. Shaphan was one of the officials who found the only existent copy of the Bible during the early years of Josiah. His heritage can be seen by looking at the following link.
http://books.google.com/books?id=tSJWE-sR5HkC&pg=PA1164&lpg=PA1164&dq=bible+knowledge+commentary+the+line+of+shaphan&source=bl&ots=S88UiNpK4i&sig=3UbnAJwdTVwTX4FF9z7t4LeuKz4&hl=en&ei=JsmYTquDL9KisQL6kYXzBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
This was a very godly man and three of his four sons were also godly.
Vs. 15-23 There are lots of observations to be made here.
V. 15 God would take care of these prophets. First, God was going to raise up Ezekiel in the 5th year of the taking of Jehoiachin. Second, since these prophets were prophesying against Nebuchadnezzar, both Neb and Daniel would have been concerned about their words, though for different reasons.
V. 22 This is why I think that Daniel chapter 3 hadn't happened yet, but I don't know because I wasn't there. Here is my thinking. When you see Neb's arrogance against Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah I'm guessing it is because he has already roasted these two "prophets" and Yahweh did nothing. God was setting up Nebuchadnezzar for a shock that would protect the Jews throughout his entire empire and become the top of the world's evening news for several months.
Vs. 24-32 If you understand what is happening here, there is a second letter Jeremiah / God is sending back to Babylon. Some guy named Shemaiah heard the first letter in Babylon and got mad and sent a letter to Jerusalem saying they should rebuke Jeremiah. So God sends a letter back to the exiles in Babylon saying not to listen to Shemaiah, and that Shemaiah would get whammied. Interestingly, in contrast to the heritage of Shaphan, Shemaiah will have no descendants.
It might be hard for us to identify with this conflict and the false prophets, but we live with it too. Politicians do this all the time, saying things are fine with Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac when they were totally bad. Now we are paying the price for decades of abuse. Yet we're not that aware of political things. On the spiritual side of life we need to be very aware. Not only are there spiritual cults and counterfeits, we need to make sure, as we work in the harvest, that we are giving the whole counsel of God and not just what is easy for us to say. The false prophets in Jeremiah's day were "positive" and likeable and giving the people hope. You can see how it would be a lot more fun to give people that message than the one Jeremiah was giving. Our message is not just about getting one's life or family together and hanging out with God. It is also about a coming kingdom and a king and judgment and the need to turn to God and be forgiven or having to face God's wrath and His judgment.
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.
1 Timothy 1
The pastoral epistles, 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, were written after Paul was released from Rome at the end of Acts. While 1 Timothy and Titus are similar in terms of the tasks of Timothy and Titus, 2 Timothy is graver in its atmosphere. In 2 Tim. Paul is in a Roman dungeon awaiting judgment and death. Paul died in 67 AD, three years before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, fulfilling Jesus' pronouncement of judgment on the generation He spoke to.
There was probably a 5-year gap between Paul's imprisonments in Rome. These books give us the only details of what the church or ministry looked like during those years. The tone of 1 Timothy is hectic. Paul is going off to Macedonia but is sending Timothy to Ephesus. What awaited Timothy there was stress and, it looks like, having to rebuild the church in Ephesus. In Acts 20 the church there seemed to be pretty strong. Here it looks like major problems have torn the church apart. As usual, as a result of this disaster, we get some great teaching.
These letters are very much about Paul building into Timothy. Hardly anything Paul says is just for teaching or guiding the church. Everything Paul says seems to have some message to Timothy to strengthen him and clear his vision for the task of making disciples of the believers.
V. 1 This is an unusual greeting for Paul, unique for Timothy. What is Paul directing Timothy's attention to? Notice how there is a focus on the gospel and the harvest right from the first verse. It is what Ephesus had lost.
V. 2 Paul apparently led Timothy to Christ. This is not Paul's usual "grace to you and peace" benediction. Timothy needs all of these in his fight.
Vs. 3-4 You notice the urgency in this letter immediately. We'll see that the confusing influence that tore this church apart had a very Jewish bent to it.
V. 4 The RSV says, "the divine training which is in faith." There is a pattern of life, of building and working forward in the harvest that is in view here.
Vs. 5-7 You could begin verse five with "whereas" and end the verse with a comma, not a period.
You see, once again, it was legalistic, hard, conservative Jewish teaching that was creating difficulties.
Vs. 8-11 The point here is that Christians are to be focused on Christ and the harvest, not on the law. The law focuses on condemnation; grace focuses on Christ and forgiveness. This focus on the law had probably stopped the church from being salt and light, and it may have also blown the leadership of the church apart through judging people according to the law.
Vs. 11-17 Aren't we glad this happened in Ephesus so we would have this testimony and look into Paul's walk with Christ? Maybe the Lord allows stuff like this in our lives for the same purpose.
Vs. 11-12 I sense the burden and weight of this on Paul.
V. 14 For ministry, I believe that Paul received a supernatural equipping and gifting of faith and of love in Christ. It think this working of the Spirit turned this scrawny Jewish boy into Captain America, I mean Captain Gospel.
V. 15 Even near the end of his life, Paul never forgot what he had been and how/why God had saved and equipped him. It wasn't for himself, but for Christ, for others, for the harvest.
V. 16-20 Paul is charging Timothy to wage war. Paul was in the battle and Timothy was to stay in the battle. He was to remember and be inspired by what God had said about him.
V. 20 Hymenaeus gets mentioned in 2 Timothy. False teachers were on the rise. Delivering these men was to exclude them from the safety and protection of the church and its fellowship.
These words to Timothy are some of the most complete on keeping the church focused on the harvest and making disciples who make disciples who make disciples. The harvest and the making of disciples is a part of everything Paul is saying in these letters. If the church falls, so does the commission we were entrusted with.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mj4kvMFAOY
Psalm 86
The following video on this psalm is interesting. I was going to recommend that you look for words to underline, especially "O Lord," "you," and "your." In this video they do that. As you read the psalm, highlight those words. It gives the psalm an interesting emphasis as you read.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTBoyfX8C-g
Proverbs 25:17
Amen.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it. Send comment or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
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