Okey Dokey...AGAIN the Lord is saying, "Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place"....when the Lord repeats, He is making a point, and I have found that He means what He says. The people think they are safe because they have sanctuary in the temple. The Lord says, Hey, look what I did at Shiloh...that was a religious place and look what happened to it.....(do you remember?) The people are getting ready to be "thrust from God's presence". God reminds the people what He said in Deuteronomy "Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it might be well with you." We have read of huge and repetitive cycles of the people listening and not listening....the Lord is tired of the cycles and will allow suffering to come.....this is a conditional promise, and the people were not doing their part.
Chapter 8 has God saying, "Look, I am going to take your bones from their graves and lay them exposed to the things you are worshiping".....This is huge for the Jews because it is getting them where it hurts...graves are not to be disturbed. God points out that the animals are smarter than the Jews:
"Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the LORD".........yikes.
The harvest is past, the summer had ended, and we are not saved.....there was no fruitful harvest. The people of Israel are rotten fruit.....
Chapter 9....weeping (yes Bonnie, Jeremiah is known as the Weeping Prophet) The days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh.......here is the ritual again, and it has nothing to do with a sign of the covenant. The people think only of themselves...the circumcision has nothing to do with the Lord....empty ritual..
Do you remember all the warnings that Isaiah gave about idols? You would think that they would figure it out that the Lord has a thing about idol worship, wouldn't you? Well, do we figure it out? Do we think we are safe because we go to church? Do we leave the church at the church, and are we different when we are at home or out in the workplace? Are we ever ashamed? Do we blame things on our leaders? If Jesus came today, would He have a fruitful harvest?
Look what comes up from the depths of the sea.
After you read, feel free to make a comment or ask a question in the comment box. You can sign up as a follower on the right, or you can sign up by e-mail at the bottom if you would like to follow the whole year. You may also chose to simply read along and make no comments. Whatever you choose. If you fall behind, as most people will do, don't worry...the whole year is here and you can catch up at your own speed. I highly encourage you to stick with it, If you read the Bible, you are going to mine some real jewels and insights.
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