Reflections on My Daily Bible Reading April 30, 2010
Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 27-31
The reign of Zedekiah, King of Judah, is the subject of today’s reading. An obvious message from these verses is that God has an expectation that Zedekiah will reinforce His plan for the domination of all nations, especially Judah, by Babylon. In spite of what false prophets in Judah were advising him to do, Zedekiah was told by God, “…serve the king of Babylon and live.”
In chapter 28, A prophet named Hananiah comes on the scene saying, “I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon,” but Jeremiah confronts him and delivers the judgment of God upon him for lying to the people. Jeremiah then sends a letter to the exiles in Babylon, telling them to plan for a long stay in the city. They were to go about life as normal, building houses, planting vineyards, marrying, having children but they were to beware that the prophets among them not deceive them with dreams of a short-lived captivity. That captivity is to last seventy years and only then will they be restored.
Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles is described in chapter 29. One of my favorite verses is found in verse 11. “For I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Those who remained in Jerusalem faced a much worse fate. Sword, famine and pestilence awaited them because they committed adultery with their neighbor’ wives and spoke lying words.
Shemiah’s false prophecy is also described in chapter 29. A glimpse of the restoration of Israel and Judah is given in chapter 30, and chapter 31 declares that the Lord will turn the captives’ mourning to joy. The promise of a new covenant is made, in perhaps the most famous passage in the book (vv. 31-40).
As I read these chapters I can thank God that I have the privilege to live under this new covenant of which Jeremiah spoke. I have the benefit of all of history that has been lived before me to learn how to glorify God, by letting him rule in my life. There are false prophets in our age who are teaching things contrary to the will of God. Some are holding out false hope. The message of God is that the heavens will pass away and the earth will be burned up (2nd Peter 3:10) and that our home and our citizenship are in heaven (Philippians 3:20). We sing with anticipation, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing thru. My treasures are laid somewhere beyond the blue.”
Thanks for reading with me, dear friend. Have a blessed day!
–Randy Sexton