Devotional Thoughts on Jeremiah
Stupid Is as Stupid Does
“Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long; build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.”” (Jeremiah 29:27–28, ESV) In the movie, “Forrest Gump,” there is a popularized idiom, “Stupid…
Restoration
“I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:14, ESV) I have…
Proper Seeking
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13, ESV) In life, we all seek a lot of things but do we seek the most important things. And if we do, with what intensity do we seek them. I have to confess, that at times, too man…
Power of Prayer
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.” (Jeremiah 29:12, ESV) Do you often wonder if God hears you when you pray? While on vacation last week, I had an interesting experience in prayer. I was in Pennsylvania visiting my daughter and her family. One evening…
Divine Plans
““For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future…
Be Discerning
“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares…
Get On with Life
“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take…
Rights of the Creator
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. . . It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.” (Jeremiah 27:4–5, ESV) I have recently…
Learning From History
““Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and said to all the people of Judah: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “‘Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.’ Did Hezekiah king of Judah and…
Cup of Wrath
“Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them.”” (Jeremiah 25:15–16, ESV) Normally…
Good Versus Foul Food
“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. . . But thus says the Lord: Like the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten,…
Slippery Slope Without a Rope
“Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in my house I have found their evil, declares the Lord. Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery paths in the darkness, into which they shall be driven and fall, for I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment, declares the Lord.”…
A Righteous Branch
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which…
A Leader’s Motivation
“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages, who says, ‘I will build myself a great house with spacious upper rooms,’ who cuts out windows for it, paneling it with cedar and painting…
Two Ways, Two Outcomes
“And to this people you shall say: ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.” (Jeremiah 21:8, ESV) I used to know a businessman who would say, “There is a right way and a wrong way to do everything.” There were just two ways to…
Vengeance of God
“Now Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah…
Broken and Unrepairable
“Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you, and shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter’s vessel, so that it can never be mended. Men shall bury in Topheth because…
Forgotten
“But my people have forgotten me; they make offerings to false gods; they made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient roads, and to walk into side roads, not the highway,” (Jeremiah 18:15, ESV) One Christmas, we were in the middle of a move from a Chicago suburb to Savannah Georgia. All the household…
Hands Of the Potter
“So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me:…
Rest For the Weary
“Thus says the Lord: Take care for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as…
Heart Disease
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? ‘I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.’” (Jeremiah 17:9–10, ESV) Statistics tell us that heart disease is the leading cause of death annually…
Contrasts
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.’” (Jeremiah…
Our Refuge
“O Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble” (Jeremiah 16:19, ESV) We have many battles in life. Some come at the hands of other people. Some through illness. Some through natural disasters and calamity. These are sometimes spiritual attacks. Some are clearly from spiritual forces of evil. Yet all…
The Greatest Rescue Mission
“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the…
Spiritual Erosion
“What is the sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ then you shall say to them: ‘Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the Lord, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law, and because you have done…
Fortified Walls
“And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 15:20, ESV) When in the United States Army, I was stationed in the Federal Republic…
A Nonconformist
“I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for you had filled me with indignation.” (Jeremiah 15:17, ESV) As I have been in the pastoral ministry for many years, I look back and realize the power of behavior patterns. We establish…
Sweet Food or Bitter
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16, ESV) Growing up, one of the great breakfast foods that I ate was cereal. My grandmother used to purchase…
Spiritual Weeds
“I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the Lord: the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. And I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh the…
Liar Liar Pants on Fire
Then I said: ‘Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’” And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I…
Slip Sliding Away
“Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O Lord, for your name’s sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you.” (Jeremiah 14:7, ESV) When I was in college, I had a 1967 Toyota Land Cruiser. This four-wheel drive vehicle could go just about anywhere. I remember taking it on the sandy beach…
Broken Can’t Fix Broken
“Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.” (Jeremiah 13:23, ESV) Ask people what they consider one of the greatest hymns of all time and you might get a variety of answers. Yet this one hymn almost everyone will recognize…
Tears Unto Harvest
“ Hear and give ear; be not proud, for the Lord has spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness. But if you will not listen, my…
Ruined Undies
“Take the loincloth that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a cleft of the rock. . . Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth…
A Divine Mulligan
“And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people. But if any nation will not listen, then…
The Right Side of the Fence
“Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive? You plant them, and they take root; they grow and produce fruit; you are near in their mouth and far from their…
Heavenly Protection
“Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, who seek your life, and say, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand”— therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and…
When Time Runs Out
“Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble.” (Jeremiah 11:14, ESV) Prior to my call to the full-time ministry, I worked in manufacturing and engineering management positions. Having many years…
The Heart and Lasting Change
“Again the Lord said to me, “A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken…
The Definition of Stupid
“For the shepherds are stupid and do not inquire of the Lord; therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered.” (Jeremiah 10:21, ESV) Albert Einstein stated, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” When I was working as a consultant in manufacturing process…
None Greater
“There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might. Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you. . . But the…
Being Weird
“Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity.” (Jeremiah 10:1–3, ESV) Years ago, I was…
Boldly Boasting
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice,…
Foolish Refusal to Repent
“You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord: When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return? Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return.” (Jeremiah 8:4–5, ESV) In 1973 I attended the United States Army…
The Children Cry Out – Part 2
“For the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, declares the Lord. They have set their detestable things in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons…
The Children Cry Out – Part 1
“For the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, declares the Lord. They have set their detestable things in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons…
Mourning Over the Lost
“And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips. “‘Cut off your hair and cast it away; raise a lamentation on the bare heights, for the Lord has…
The Way of Wellness
“For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the…
When God Will Not Hear
“As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?” (Jeremiah 7:16–17, ESV) Often, I see…
Misplaced Trust
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’” (Jeremiah 7:3–4, ESV) In my time…
Worthless Ritual
“What use to me is frankincense that comes from Sheba, or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices pleasing to me. Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will lay before this people stumbling blocks against which they shall stumble; fathers and sons together, neighbor and friend…
No Shame
““For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they…
Why?
“And when your people say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.’” (Jeremiah 5:19, ESV) One of the strangest debates was…
Greater Plans
“But even in those days, declares the Lord, I will not make a full end of you.” (Jeremiah 5:18, ESV) When I was a teen, my dad and I got into surf fishing in a big way. One of the things he did was to purchase a Jeep Wagoneer so we could drive onto the…
The Last Survivor
“Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her.” (Jeremiah 5:1, ESV) In 2013 a movie, “Lone Survivor,” came out in the theaters. It was based on a…
Anguish
“My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Crash follows hard on crash; the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are laid waste, my curtains in…
Sowing and Reaping
“Warn the nations that he is coming; announce to Jerusalem, ‘Besiegers come from a distant land; they shout against the cities of Judah. Like keepers of a field are they against her all around, because she has rebelled against me, declares the Lord. Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you. This is…
Fallow Ground
“For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: ‘Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it,…
Rock Bottom
“But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even…
Blessed Remnant
“Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” (Jeremiah 3:14, ESV) In 1973, I entered the United States Army Ranger School. I reported in with 290 candidates and of that number…
The Open Door
“Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the Lord your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the Lord. Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two…
Pretentiousness
“And the Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.” (Jeremiah 3:11, ESV) I remember once endeavoring to mentor a person in the ministry. I would often sit with this person and give some constructive feedback, both positive and negative. At the end of our sessions together, he would…
Failure To Learn
“She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore.” (Jeremiah 3:8, ESV) When I was in the United States Army in Germany, I had several humorous…
Marital Infidelity
“If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her? Would not that land be greatly polluted? You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 3:1, ESV) I recently heard of a proposed change…
False Claim of Innocence
“Also on your skirts is found the lifeblood of the guiltless poor; you did not find them breaking in. Yet in spite of all these things you say, ‘I am innocent; surely his anger has turned from me.’ Behold, I will bring you to judgment for saying, ‘I have not sinned.’” (Jeremiah 2:34–35, ESV) I…
Aways Remember
“O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee? Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.” (Jeremiah…
Do Not Reject Discipline
“Why do you contend with me? You have all transgressed against me, declares the Lord. In vain have I struck your children; they took no correction; your own sword devoured your prophets like a ravening lion.” (Jeremiah 2:29–30, ESV) One of the most difficult but important things to do as a parent is to discipline…
Powerless or Powerful Faith
“But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you, in your time of trouble; for as many as your cities are your gods, O Judah.” (Jeremiah 2:28, ESV) Everyone has faith in something. Many years ago, I stepped out in the hope of running my own…
Self-Inflicted Wounds
“Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the Lord your God, when he led you in the way?” (Jeremiah 2:17, ESV) When I was working at the United States Steel Corporation, I worked as a management trainee in the maintenance department. One day, one of our employees hit his thumb with a hammer…
Joyless Pursuits
“Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain…
Never Forget
“Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel: Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?” (Jeremiah 2:4–5, KJV) Memory loss is a…
Fortified for the Mission
“And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the…
Faith Conquers Fear
“But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them.” (Jeremiah 1:17, ESV) When I served in the United States Army, I had several uniforms. When we went to the field, we would put on our fatigues…
Promise Keeper
“And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”” (Jeremiah 1:11–12, ESV) In life, we are disappointed many times by people…
The Doubt Problem
“Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” (Jeremiah 1:6–7, KJV) Fear is a troubling foe. On…
The Father’s Plans
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5, KJV) I remember when my children were born. Even before then, when I knew they were on the way, I had great…
Divine Providence
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5, KJV) I do not know how many times I have been with believers who wanted to argue about predestination. The battle always…
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Renewing the Heart 