Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - “Support Receives Encouragement” – Friday, 18 July 2014 - Scripture: Jeremiah 43: Death! Exile! Slaughter!1-3 When Jeremiah finished telling all the people the whole Message that their God had sent him to give them—all these words—Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah, backed by all the self-important men, said to Jeremiah, “Liar! Our God never sent you with this message telling us not to go to Egypt and live there. Baruch son of Neriah is behind this. He has turned you against us. He’s playing into the hands of the Babylonians so we’ll either end up being killed or taken off to exile in Babylon.”
4 Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers, and the people along with them, wouldn’t listen to God’s Message that they stay in the land of Judah and live there.
5-7 Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers gathered up everyone who was left from Judah, who had come back after being scattered all over the place—the men, women, and children, the king’s daughters, all the people that Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had left in the care of Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and last but not least, Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah. They entered the land of Egypt in total disobedience of God’s Message and arrived at the city of Tahpanhes.
8-9 While in Tahpanhes, God’s Word came to Jeremiah: “Pick up some large stones and cover them with mortar in the vicinity of the pavement that leads up to the building set aside for Pharaoh’s use in Tahpanhes. Make sure some of the men of Judah are watching.
10-13 “Then address them: ‘This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies says: Be on the lookout! I’m sending for and bringing Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon—my servant, mind you!—and he’ll set up his throne on these very stones that I’ve had buried here and he’ll spread out his canopy over them. He’ll come and absolutely smash Egypt, sending each to his assigned fate: death, exile, slaughter. He’ll burn down the temples of Egypt’s gods. He’ll either burn up the gods or haul them off as booty. Like a shepherd who picks lice from his robes, he’ll pick Egypt clean. And then he’ll walk away without a hand being laid on him. He’ll shatter the sacred obelisks at Egypt’s House of the Sun and make a huge bonfire of the temples of Egypt’s gods.’”
God’s Piling On the Pain
1 This is what Jeremiah told Baruch one day in the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign as he was taking dictation from the prophet:
2-3 “These are the words of God, the God of Israel, to you, Baruch. You say, ‘These are bad times for me! It’s one thing after another. God is piling on the pain. I’m worn out and there’s no end in sight.’
4-5 “But God says, ‘Look around. What I’ve built I’m about to wreck, and what I’ve planted I’m about to rip up. And I’m doing it everywhere—all over the whole earth! So forget about making any big plans for yourself. Things are going to get worse before they get better. But don’t worry. I’ll keep you alive through the whole business.’”
“Support Receives Encouragement” by Norayr Hahan
Baruch had been a faithful servant. He had transcribed the words of Jeremiah not once but twice. He had read them before the crowds of people, and he had them read before kings. Sometimes there was repentance, but more often there was rejection. Through all of this Baruch was “worn out with groaning and [with] no rest” (Jeremiah 45:3). This job of hanging around Jeremiah had taken a toll. Baruch was not only weary; he was perhaps disappointed that he never was able to do the things he wanted to do. He was always responding to someone else’s agenda.
The Lord told him not to worry about that. Anything and everything he would have put his mind to establishing would be destroyed anyway. Disaster is coming. But, because of Baruch’s faithfulness, because of his willingness to put God before himself, the Lord has good news for him: he would escape with his life.
Baruch may have thought he was wasting his life, time was passing on and he was no further ahead. In reality, his faithfulness and sacrifice resulted in his life being spared.
We will never go wrong following God’s agenda.
Hymn for Today:
“He Giveth More Grace” by Annie Johnson Flint copyright 1941, Renewed 1969 by Lillenas Publishing Company1. He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.
2. When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
3. Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
4. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
Thought for Today:
“As God’s servants, our sole agenda is to do His will.
Prayer Needs:
Developing Christian leaders in Niger!
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