Day: October 3, 2015

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JEREMIAH 1:1-2:30 | PHILIPPIANS 4:1-23 | PSALM 75:1-10 | PROVERBS 24:17-20

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We enter a new book today, authored by a man named Jeremiah who lived some seven hundred years before the birth of Christ.  The son of a priest, Jeremiah is called to be a prophet, but is not immediately willing to accept his calling.  With some reluctance, Jeremiah takes up the cause for which he has been commissioned, and when he does, he loses no time in telling the people the error of their ways. 

Israel has forgotten the God of her forefathers, Abraham and Isaac; has become settled in Canaan for several hundred years now; and has crafted any number of gods for herself. 

And so, Jeremiah is here to tell them what God thinks about all this.  He says:

²⁶ “As a thief is disgraced when he is caught,
so the people of Israel are disgraced—
they, their kings and their officials,
their priests and their prophets.
²⁷ They say to wood, ‘You are my father,’
and to stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
They have turned their backs to me
and not their faces;
yet when they are in trouble, they say,
‘Come and save us!’
²⁸ Where then are the gods you made for yourselves?
Let them come if they can save you
when you are in trouble!
For you, Judah, have as many gods
as you have towns.

Turning now to our continued reading of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we find Paul making some final exhortations to his readers.  His words are timeless and ring true today even as they must have almost two thousand years ago. 

Paul says: ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And then he says, ⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Paul can teach us volumes on how to conduct ourselves on a daily basis!

On the matter of contentment, he says this:  I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

We now turn to our psalm for the day, and find David making a statement about the state of affairs of this world.  Referring to the omnipotence and omniscience of God, he says:

⁶ No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt themselves.
⁷ It is God who judges:
He brings one down, he exalts another.

Finally, two sets of verses from the book of Proverbs which comprise a series of “sayings” authored by Solomon, wise king of Israel:

¹⁷ Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
¹⁸ or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.

May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word.