Today we come to the end of 2020, which has been a very strange year.  A lot that was normal was changed by a virus so small that it can not be seen, but is very real.  What we must realize is that as followers of Christ, we are protected by a God Who may not be seen by the human eye but Who is very real.  By the end of the year, there were vaccines developed that help protect people against the virus, and God has always had vaccine to protect us from sin, and that is the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  The vaccines are not one hundred percent effective, but faith in Christ is.  The vaccine is not yet available to all, but salvation is.  Some  people have said they will die fighting against taking the vaccine, and some people say that they will die fighting against accepting God's gift of salvation.  I pray for everyone who survived 2020 and that 2021 will be a better year, but no matter what, I pray that you will realize that God is still God, and that if you are a follower of Christ that no matter what happens in the coming year that everything will be okay.  

Jeremiah 13:1

 Jeremiah 13:1 says, Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.  God told Jeremiah to go and put on a linen girdle. Matthew Henry says that it being unwashed would make it last longer, but that it would be stiffer.  Verse two states, So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.  Jeremiah said that he did what God instructed him to do, even though he may not have known why he was told to do so.  We don't have to understand everything that God tells us to do, but we only need to do it.  Verse three says, And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, Then verse four adds, Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.  Matthew Henry says that some people believe that this was not a literal journey but a dream that Jeremiah had since it would have taken time to go to the Euphrates and Jeremiah was needed more where he was.  He also said that he had no problem with believing that it was a literal journey, and that would be my understanding as well.  The Bible usually tells us when someone is doing something in a dream, and we will never lack the time to do what God tells us to do.  Verse five says, So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.  Jeremiah said that he went and did as God had instructed him to do, hiding the girdle under a rock by the Euphrates.  As followers of Christ, we may not always understand why God tells us to do something, but if we know it is Him that is telling us to do it, we must simply obey His command.  Verse six states, And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.  After many days, and we are not told how many, the word of God came to Jeremiah again, telling him to go and reclaim the girdle from the Euphrates.  We are not told what Jeremiah was doing during these many days, but I don't believe that he was just sitting around idle.  Verse seven states, Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.  Jeremiah said that he went and dug up the girdle from where he had hidden it and that it was useless.  He might have really wondered why God had told him to do these things, but we find no record of that.  We should not question God but should only be obedient to what He tells us to do, even if we don't immediately understand why He has told us to do so.  Verse eight declares, Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,  Then verse nine adds, Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.  God told Jeremiah that the marred girdle was representative of the people of Judah.  They had become marred in their relationship with God and were useless to Him.  Verse ten continues, This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.  God once more stated why the people of Judah were going to be defeated.  They had started to walk after their own imagination instead of following God and were not only doing that but were worshipping other gods as well.  Like the girdle, they had become good for nothing to God.  Verse eleven concludes, For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.  God said that the people of Judah were supposed to cleave to Him, but they were not doing so.  As followers of Christ, we are to hold fast to the word of God, and if we do not, then we become worthless in our spiritual life.

Jeremiah 13:12

Jeremiah 13:12 says, Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?  Jeremiah told the people that their bottles would be full of wine, and the people answered that they knew that, but basically said so what.  Matthew Henry said that they were sure that Jeremiah meant something more than just the physical act their having bottles full of wine.  When God speaks to us, we must look beyond just the words and see the message that He has for us.  Verse thirteen declares, Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.  God told Jeremiah that he was to fill all the inhabitants of the land with drunkenness,  I don't believe that this means that God was going to cause them to be drunk, but that it means He was going to allow them to go on in their drunkenness.  Verse fourteen adds, And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.  God said He was no longer going to pity or have mercy on the people of Judah but was going to destroy them.  Without God's protection and mercy, we can only be destroyed spiritually, even if we are prospering materially.  Verse fifteen proclaims, Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.  God told Jeremiah to hear what He had to say and to not let self pride get in the way.  Some people are so full of self pride that they never allow themselves to believe in the word of God.  Verse sixteen adds, Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.  God told the people to look to the light of God before He allowed the world to turn into total darkness.  If we do not listen to the word of God, we will always stagger around in the darkness of sin.  Verse seventeen continues, But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD’s flock is carried away captive.  God said that if the people of Judah would not listen to His word that He would be heartbroken, because they would be carried away captive.  God does not want anyone to be lost from His flock, but even if He is heartbroken when they are, He still allows people to refuse to follow Him if they choose to do so.  Verse eighteen states, Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.  God called on the leaders of the nation to humble themselves, and we need that same humility before God in our leaders today, and not just lip service to the word of God.  Of course, this applies not just to the leaders but to all who are called by God's name.  Verse nineteen declares, The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.  God said that all of Judah was to be carried away captive, and anyone who does not put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord today will be carried away in the captivity of sin.  Verse twenty declares, Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?  The people of Judah were warned to look to the coming destruction and then to realize that when it came that they would have lost everything.  Verse twenty-one adds, What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?  God asked what could the people say since they had brought His judgment on themselves.  We will be without excuse if we face God in the judgment without Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty=two continues, And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.  God said that the people of Judah would ask why this judgment had come on them, because they were blind to their own sins.  Verse twenty-three states, Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.  God said that just as people and animals were unable to change their appearance, so were the people of Judah unable to change their sinful nature because they refused to listen to and obey God's word.  We likewise cannot change our sinful nature by our own ability, but can only do so by putting our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-four declares, Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.  God said that He was going to scatter the people of Judah like stubble before the wind.  Verse twenty-five adds, This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.  God said this was what the people of Judah had earned because they had turned away from Him and trusted in falsehoods.  We either believe in the truth of God and accept His salvation or we too will be sent away from Him into everlasting punishment.  Verse twenty-six continues, Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.  Verse twenty-seven concludes, I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?  God said that the sins of Judah were not hidden to Him, and asked why thy would not be made clean.  God today knows the sins of each individual, and He asks why each one would not be made clean.  God has given the great gift of salvation to everyone who will accept it, so the question is why will we not be made clean by putting our faith in Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 15:1

 Jeremiah 15:1 says, Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.  God said that the people of Judah had reached the point that no one had the power to convince Him to spare them.  He did not say that had the people honestly repented that He would not forgive them, but that someone else, even someone like Moses or Samuel, could not change His mind by pleading for them.  We cannot be saved simply by others pleading for us, but must confess our sins and accept forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse two adds,  And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the LORD; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.  God told Jeremiah that if the people asked him where they were to go that he was to tell them that some would simply die, some would be killed by the sword, some would starve, and some would be taken captive.  Verse three continues, And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.  Even in death, things were not going to be good for the people of Judah.  Verse four states, And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.  God said because of the sins of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, that the people of Judah were to be scattered into all the earth.  Of course, they were not all being punished for the sins of one man I believe, but his actions were indictive of the sinful nature of all the people.  Verse five asks, For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?  None of the other nations were going to have pity on the people of Judah or Jerusalem, and since God no longer had pity on them, then who would.  If we are not following God then there is no one who will really care for us in a way that will make a difference in our spiritual destination.  If God condemns us, then no one else can save us.  Verse six declares, Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting.  God said what was about to happen to the people of Judah was because of the fact that they had forsaken Him and gone backward spiritually.  The fault was with the people and not with God.  We can never blame God if we find ourselves in a bad situation spiritually.  Verse seven adds, And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways. Verse eight states, Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city.  Judgment was coming quickly and certainly.  Even the children, the hope of the next generation, would be cut off.  Verse nine adds, She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the LORD.  Already made widows, the women would even be deprived of the protection of their sons.  When we turn our back on God and He sends His judgment, there is nowhere that we can find relief. 

Jeremiah 12:10

 Jeremiah 12:10 says, Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.  God said that pastors had destroyed His vineyard and had trodden His portion underfoot.  Those who should have been doing all they could to promote the kingdom of God, which He still valued greatly, were instead promoting idols.  God still values His creation today, and we as His people should be doing all that we can to protect it, and especially His word.  Verse eleven states, They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.  God told Jeremiah that the whole land was made desolate and that the people of Judah did not care.  When God created man, He placed him and his helpmate in charge of caring for the earth.  We have as our greatest responsibility the calling of people to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, but we are to do so because we are followers of Christ, and as such we have a responsibility to take care of God's creation as well. Verse twelve adds, The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.  God said because of the disobedience of God's people that the spoiler was come upon them.  We should not be surprised if God allows destruction to come on our land if we turn away from Him.  Verse thirteen says, They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD.  God said that the people had gone through the effort of planting but they would not profit by it.  We may put a lot of effort into the things of this world, but if we are not living in accordance with the will of God, we will not profit from it in the way that it matters, which is in God's view, no matter how much we may gain in this world.  Some people spend every free moment working for the things of this world and never have time for God, but ultimately they will be left with nothing.  Verse fourteen says, Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.  God had a warning for those who would come against His people, even if He was not pleased with His people.  God will always be against those who are not for Him, especially those who would attempt to destroy His people.  Verse fifteen declares, And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.  God said that He would come again and pluck those that were truly His people out of captivity and return them to their heritage and their land.  As followers of Christ, God has plucked us out of the captivity of sin and brought us into our heritage, which is a right relationship with God and the coming time when we will be brought to our heavenly home.  Verse sixteen adds,  And it shall come to pass,  they will diligently learn the ways of  my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people.  God said that if those who would destroy His people would learn to call on Him as they had taught His people to call on Baal that they would be built up in the midst of His people.  God never intended for the people of Israel to be the only people who would be a part of His kingdom, which is very good for us today who were not born into the Jewish people.  Verse seventeen warns, But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.  Those who would not put their faith in God would be utterly destroyed, and this is still true.

Jeremiah 12:1

 Jeremiah 12:1 says, Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?  Jeremiah begins by acknowledging the righteousness of God, and so should we when we speak to Him in prayer.  Whatever is happening in the world is not going to change the righteousness of God.  Jeremiah did not come to God making demands, but came pleading to Him.  He had valid questions about why it seemed that the wicked prospered, and we may ask the same question today, but we cannot do so while blaming God for treating us unfairly.  Verse two adds, Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.  Jeremiah said that God had planted the people of Judah, but that they had not taken root, or grown in the ways that they should as His people.  He said they only paid lip service to God.  Many people today profess to believe God, but their actions are not consistent with their words.  Verse three declares, But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.  Jeremiah said that God knew him and his heart.  God knows us better than we even know ourselves.  Jeremiah asked God to punish the wicked.  This is never our call to make, but we must simply put our faith in the fact that one day God will punish the wicked.  Verse four asks, How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.  Jeremiah asked God how long the land would suffer because of the sins of the people of Judah.  When those who profess to be God's people turn away from His will, then we should not be surprised if the whole land suffers.  Verse five declares, If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?  God gave Jeremiah his answer by asking if he couldn't even run with the footmen then how could he run with the horses.  In other words, if Jeremiah could not hold strong in the smaller problems, then how would he be strong when the bigger ones came.  Our faith in God should be strong enough to keep us true to God in the small problems, and if we question God then, how are we going to do when the really big problems come long.  Verse six adds, For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.  Jeremiah was warned to beware of those who professed to be his brothers but rally persecuted him for what he was saying.  Verse seven declares, I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.  God told Jeremiah that He had forsaken His people because they had forsaken Him and started worshipping other gods.  God will never just arbitrarily abandon us, but if we abandon Him we should not expect to still have His protective hand on us.  Verse eight adds, Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it.  Those that were supposed to be the sheep of God's pasture had instead turned into ravenous lions, and God said He hated that.  Verse nine continues, Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.  God's chosen people had become a group who fought against each other and destroyed each other.  If we are truly one of God's people, we cannot be fighting against each other, and we certainly cannot be fighting against God's word and hope to be successful in our relationship to Him.

Jeremiah 11:11

 Jeremiah 11:11 says, Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.  God said that He would bring evil on the people of Judah.  Again, we can either view this as God actually bringing the evil or removing His protective hand and allowing it to happen.  Verse twelve adds, Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.  God told Jeremiah that the people would look to their false gods for help, but no help could come from them.  Whatever we are putting our faith in or worshipping today besides God will ultimately fail us.  Verse thirteen states, For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.  God said that the people of Israel were worshipping false gods in every city and on every street, especially the false god Baal.  This was not just an isolated case of idolatry.  Verse fourteen declares, Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.  Jeremiah was told to not even pray for the people of Judah.  They had refused to listen to God for too long, and now they were going to face His judgment.  If a person, or even a nation, refuses to listen to God for too long, there may come a day when they will no longer be able to find His forgiveness, but this will never happen without plenty of opportunities to repent.  Verse fifteen asks, What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest. God asked what evil had the people of Judah done in His house.  They had even allowed evil into God's house, and rejoiced in it.  When we do gather together today in God's house, the church building, we need to make sure that we do not allow evil practices or thoughts even to enter with us, and we certainly need to never rejoice if such things do occur.  Verse sixteen declares, The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.  God said that He had called the people of Judah to be fair and productive in bearing fruit for Him.  Verse seventeen adds, For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.  God reminded them that He was the One who had planted them, but that they had chosen to follow after Baal instead of remaining faithful to Him.  Verse eighteen states, And the LORD hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings.  Jeremiah then says that God gave him the knowledge and showed him their doings.  God will make His people aware of the evil that is going on in the world today if they are willing to listen.  Verse nineteen adds, But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.  Jeremiah said that the people of Judah desired to kill him and even remove the memory of him, and yet we read his writings all these centuries later.  Verse twenty declares, But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.  We can either view this as Jeremiah wanting to see God punish the people of Judah or as Jeremiah saying that he knew that God was going to punish them.  Matthew Henry points out that Christ taught us to pray for and forgive our enemies, so this should be the way that we live today.  Verse twenty-one states, Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:  Jeremiah said that the men of Anathoth warned him to not prophesy in the name of God and that they would not kill him.  What would we do in a situation like this?  Verse twenty two declares, Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:  Verse twenty-three adds, And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.  God told Jeremiah that it was the people of Anathoth who would be destroyed completely.  God will ultimately destroy all those who do not hear His call and who work to destroy His servants.

Luke 2;6

 Luke 2:6 says, And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  Verse seven states, And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.  Verse eight adds, And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  Verse nine declares, And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  Verse ten adds, And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  Verse eleven continues, For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  Verse twelve states, And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  Verse thirteen adds, And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,  Verse fourteen concludes, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. That is the real Christmas story, and we can either believe it or not.  If we do, and accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, then we should live at peace in the world and have good will toward our fellowman and most of all give glory to God in the highest.  Merry Christmas and may God bless everyone.

Luke 2:1

 Luke 2:1 says, And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.  We are going to look briefly at what was going on just before that first Christmas day.  People were not shopping and celebrating, but were traveling to the place of their ancestors to be taxed.  Verse two adds, (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)  This was by the decree of the ruler of Syria.  The people of Israel, God's chosen people were ruled over by a foreign government at that time.  We may think that we have things bad today, but they were much worse for the people of Israel at that time.  Verse three states, And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.  There was no revolt against this tax, but the people traveled to the city of their ancestors to be taxed.  How much different that Christmas Eve was than the one we celebrate today.  Jesus, the reason for the season was yet to be born.  Certain promises had been made to Mary and Joseph by God, and had yet to be fulfilled.  As they were traveling, did they still wonder about these promises?  Too many people today still refuse to believe that Jesus came to fulfill the promise of God and become the Messiah, the Savior of all people who will put their faith in Him as their Savior and Lord.  Until someone does, it will always spiritually be the day before Christmas for them, not with the celebration and all, but with the harsh reality of life without any real hope.  Verse four says, And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)  Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem, the city of David, because he was a descendant of David.  God fulfilled at least two prophesies because of the decree of the king of another nation, one that did not believe in God.  Jesus was a descendant of David who was born in Bethlehem.  Verse five concludes, To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.  Mary, who was about to give birth, had to travel with Joseph.  Those decreeing that the people return to the home of their ancestors were not concerned with her condition, so she had no choice but to go.  Still, God was with her to protect her and bring her safely to Bethlehem.  God will always be with His people and protect them spiritually no matter what demands the world may make on them today.

Jeremiah 11:1

 Jeremiah 11:1 says, The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,  Verse two adds, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;  God called on Jeremiah to first hear the words of His covenant and then to speak them to the men of Judah.  Before we can speak God's word, we must first hear His word.  In order to do this, we must be in a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse three states, And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,  God told Jeremiah to tell the people of Judah that those who did not obey the words of His covenant would be cursed.  Today, if we do not enter into a covenant relationship with God through our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord then we are likewise cursed.  Verse four adds, Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:  God reminded the people that the covenant relationship was established when He brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, but also that it was a perpetual covenant that each person would have to enter into from then on.  Verse five declares, That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.  God said that He promised them a land flowing with milk and honey if they were faithful to their part of the covenant.  Jeremiah replied, So be it, O LORD.  All we can do when we know what God wants us to do and be successful followers of Christ is to say, So be it Lord  Verse six adds, Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.  God told Jeremiah to proclaim all these words in the streets of Jerusalem, calling on the people to obey His word and to live up to His covenant.  This is what we are to do today.  We are to proclaim the gospel and call on people who profess to be Christians to live in accordance with God's word.  Verse seven continues, For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.  God said that when He brought the people of Israel out of Egypt that He earnestly called on them to obey His covenant.  God still calls on people to earnestly enter into a covenant relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ.  God would not have any to perish spiritually, but He will allow them to do so if they refuse to accept His gift of salvation.  Verse eight declares, Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.  God said that the people of Judah had all failed to follow His covenant and therefore He was going to bring about the punishment that was promised if they did not.  If we are truly following Christ, we must obey all that God teaches us in His word.  Verse nine declares, And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  God said that there was a conspiracy among the men of Judah.  They were all involved in living outside if God's covenant.  Verse ten adds, They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.  God said that the people of Judah and of Israel had gone after other gods and had broken their covenant relationship with Him.  We cannot allow other gods to come between God and us and still expect God to bless us.

Jeremiah 10:18

 Jeremiah 10:18 says, For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so.  God had called the nation of Israel. or Judah in this case, together, and now He was going to allow them to be dispersed and He had protected them and He no longer would.  God calls us to Him, and if we become a follower of Christ He will protect us spiritually, but we must be obedient to Him in order to receive His protection.  Those who were called God's people at this time were His people in name only and were not really in a true relationship with Him.  Verse nineteen declares, Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.  Jeremiah said that he was full of woe because of what was going to happen, but that he must bear it because it was what God had said was going to happen and therefore would.  Though we as followers of Christ may look forward to the second coming of Christ with joy personally, we should be filled with woe for those who do not know Christ as their Savior and Lord.  They will be going away to everlasting punishment, and this is something that we should never celebrate.  Verse twenty states, My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.  God said there there was no one left to do what was required of them to worship Him.  The people of Jerusalem had totally turned away from God, and this was why they were in the situation that they were in.  Verse twenty-one adds, For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.  The pastors, the ones who were supposed to proclaim the word of God, had become brutish and had not sought the LORD.  Some pastors today proclaim a message that is not consistent with the word of God, and they will never prosper spiritually, no matter how much they may prosper materially.  Verse twenty-two says, Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.  Jeremiah said that the commotion of the people to the north of Judah could be heard.  If we are hearing and seeing the fulfillment of the prophesies about the second coming today, it should call us to work even harder to share the gospel with the world.  Verse twenty-three declares, O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.  Jeremiah said that it was not in man to do what is right by his own ability.  We can never be righteous enough of our own merit to be saved, because we will never surrender everything that we are or have to God until we enter into a personal relationship with Him, and the only way to do that is by acknowledging our own sinfulness and accepting salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-four adds, O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.  Jeremiah called on God to correct him, but out of mercy and not anger.  We will always stand in need of God's mercy if we are to avoid His anger.  Jeremiah made this request not just for himself but for all of God's people.  Verse twenty-five concludes, Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.  Jeremiah called on God to pour out His fury on the heathen, but unfortunately at that time that included most of those who were supposed to be His people.  If we are followers of Christ in name only, then we will also have God's fury poured out on us in the judgment day.

Jeremiah 10:11

 Jeremiah 10:11 says, Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.  God told Jeremiah to tell the people of Israel that the false gods, those that had not made the heavens and the earths, would perish from the heavens and the earth.  There is coming a day when all the false gods, which is anything that we allow to become more important to us than God is, are going to disappear.  We can have no other  gods before God nor can we love the things of this world more than God and still be faithful to Him.  Verse twelve declares, He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.  God said that Jeremiah was to tell the people that God was the One Who had created everything by His power and under His design.  Though many people claim that the world is a cosmic accident, if we are truly followers of Christ then we must acknowledge that God is the source of all creation.  God created everything by His wisdom and nothing is ever just a random part of creation.  We either believe this or not.  Verse thirteen adds, When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.  God said that He made the lightning and the rain.  God is in control of the universe, except for the power that He still allows Satan to have today and the fact that He allows each individual to say no to His will.  There is coming a day when even this will no longer be true and all things will be done according to God's will.  Verse fourteen declares, Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.  God said that those who believe in false gods that have no power are brutish in their knowledge.  They are  unwilling to let go of the lies and believe the truth.  Verse fifteen adds, They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.  God said that these other gods were a vanity. or nothing, and that they would perish when the judgment comes.  Verse sixteen continues, The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name.  God said that He, the God of Jacob, is not like the other gods.  He is the former of all things and He is the judge of all things.  Verse seventeen concludes, Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress.  God told them that it was time to gather up their wares from out of the land and to come to the fortress of God.  The only place that we can find real peace and security is in the will of God.

Jeremiah 10:1

 Jeremiah 10:1 says, Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:  Just as God called on the people of Israel to hear Him then, we need to always listen to the voice of God today and to hear what He has to say to us.  Verse two adds, Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.  God called on the people of Israel to not learn the way of the heathen nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens.  We need to always listen to God and not to the religious teachings of the world that oppose what God's word has to say.  Verse three states, For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.  God then said that the religious practices of the heathen were in vain.  Verse four adds, They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.  In the last verse, God said that the heathen, those who did not know God, cut a tree and now He says that they adorn it with nails and banners, that it might not move.  Verse five continues, They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.  God said that these idols were powerless to do good or evil.  They could not speak nor could they move, and they were not to be feared or in awe of.  We must make sure that we do not allow the things of this world to become idols to us today.  They are still as powerless as they always were.  Verse six declares, Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.  Just as there was none like God then, there still is none like God.  God is indeed great.  Verse seven asks, Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.  Jeremiah asked who would not fear God, but even those who were called His people did not at that time, and we know that there are more who do not even believe in God today than there are those who do.  Verse eight adds, But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.  If we do not believe in God and follow His will in our lives, we are brutish and foolish, just as the people in Jeremiah's day were.  We may be even more so, because we can look back on the coming of Jesus Christ while they were still looking forward to it.  Verse nine declares, Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.  God said that they had richly made idols, that were made by creative men.  No matter how ornate idols may be, they are still but a man made thing with no power at all.  Verse ten declares, But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.  As stated then, there is only one true and living God.  We can either choose to follow Him through putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, or we can one day face His judgment without hope.

Jeremiah 9:17

Jeremiah 9:17 says, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come:  God called for the mourning women and the cunning women who knew how to write songs of mourning to be called for.  These were fake mourners, who knew how to go through the motions but who really felt no genuine sadness.  Verse eighteen adds, And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.  God called for them to come with haste so that they could cry tears without meaning.  The people of Judah were still enjoying life, and God said maybe the false mourners would point out their false happiness.  Verse nineteen declares, For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.  God said the people would be confused when they were cast out of their homes and had to seek shelter.  They would ask how this had happened.  Matthew Henry says that they were more concerned with the loss of their possessions than they were with the sin that led to them losing them.  If we find ourselves in a bad situation, we need to be more concerned with our relationship with God than we are with any material things that we may lose.  Verse twenty adds, Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.  God told the women to teach their daughters and neighbors mourning. The time of mourning was going to last for awhile.  Matthew Henry says that it was the women who were to do this because the men would not listen.  God will work through the women of God today, especially if the men of God will not listen.  Verse twenty-one says, For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.  God said that there was a time for real mourning, because death had come to them.  The faith of the people of Judah had become false, but the mourning would be real.  When our faith in God becomes weak or false, then we set ourselves up for mourning, spiritually if not physically.  Verse twenty-two declares, Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.  What was to be spoken was God's word, and that is what we need to speak today, even if people do not want to hear it.  Death and destruction were coming, and yet God's people were still speaking of the good times and denying it.  Verse twenty-three says, Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:  God said that people were not to glory in their earthly status, and neither should we today.  Verse twenty-four adds, But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.  God said that if people wanted to delight in something that they should delight in Him, not because of what He might give them but because of Who He is.  We need to delight in the Lord always if we are followers of Christ, no matter how much or how little we may have in the world.  Verse twenty-five declares, Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;  God said the time was coming when He would punish both those who should have been His people, the circumcised, along with those who never were His people.  Going through the motions of being a follower of Christ means nothing if we have not truly accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-six adds, Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.  God said that the people of the other nations were uncircumcised, or had never entered into a covenant relationship with Him, and that even though the people of Judah were circumcised, or identified as God's people, that their hearts were not committed to Him.  If we are to be true Christians today, we must be circumcised in  the heart, or have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  When we do it should affect all that we think and do.

Jeremiah 9:09

 Jeremiah 9:09 says, Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?  God asked Jeremiah if He were not justified in bringing punishment on the people of Judah for their revolting against Him. God knew that He was, so I believe that the question was asked so that Jeremiah might look at what was going on and understand why God was allowing this to happen.  We need to acknowledge that if we are punished by God that it will not be because He wants to punish us, but because we deserve it.  Verse ten states, For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.  God said that the destruction was coming, and that He was deeply saddened by it.  God gives everyone and opportunity to repent and come to Him for salvation, and He weeps for those who do not.  Still, God cannot overlook sin, so if someone will not come to Him through the sacrifice of Christ, then God will allow them to go away into everlasting punishment.  Verse eleven adds, And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.  God said all the cities of Judah were going to be desolate and without inhabitants.  The sin of the people of Judah had become so great that their destruction was to be just as great.  Verse twelve asks, Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?  Jeremiah asked who the wise man was who would understand what was going to happen and why and declare it to the people of Judah.  Matthew Henry says that they were proud of their wise men and prophets who proclaimed only good things, but asked if there were any who really understood what was going on in Judah.  We do not need to be wise in our own understanding, but we need to be wise in the word of God.  Verse thirteen declares, And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;  God gave the indictment against the people of Israel.  They had forsaken His law, had not obeyed His voice, and did not walk in His ways.  The first step in being out of God's will is to not listen to His voice.  Verse fourteen adds, But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:  God said that instead of following Him that the people of Judah followed their own imagination and false gods.  If we begin to follow our own imagination, we should not be surprised if we are soon following after false gods.  Verse fifteen declares, Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.  God basically said that He was no longer going to bless Judah and provide the best for them but was going to let them eat and drink of the bitter things of the world.  No matter how successful we may believe that we are, if we are out of the will of God, then we are eating and drinking of the dregs of the world.  Verse sixteen adds, I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.  God said instead of gathering His people, who by now were His in name only, together and protecting them that He was going to scatter them and allow the forces of the world to defeat them.  As followers of Christ, if we allow the things of the world to come between God and us, we should not be surprised that the world defeats us.  

Jeremiah 9:1

Jeremiah 9:1 says, Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!  Jeremiah was very distraught by what was happening to the the people of Judah.  He said he would cry day and night if he could.  We should be just as upset that people will not come to God today.  Verse two adds, Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.  Jeremiah said that he wished that he had a place to live in the wilderness so that he would not have to be around the adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.  I believe that he was speaking more about their spiritual condition than their physical one.  At time, we may feel that we are surrounded by treacherous people and only want to get away from them all, but this is not what God called us to do.  Verse three states, And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.  Jeremiah said that he felt this way because God had revealed to him the true nature of the people.  He did not just make this determination on His own.  If we judge others to be guilty of sin. it must be because God has led us to that knowledge.  We are not called to judge others, but we are called to apply God's word to the way people live their lives.  Verse four declares, Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.  Jeremiah warned the people of Judah to beware of their neighbor, because they all walked in slander.  This was God's chosen people that Jeremiah was talking about.  We need to make sure that as followers of Christ that we do not deal falsely and speak in slander with other people.  Verse five adds, And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.  Jeremiah said that they had taught themselves to continually speak in lies.  There are many lies that are proclaimed as truth in the world today, but we as Christians cannot afford to be a part of those who spread the lies.  Verse six continues, Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.  God said that the people lived in deceit and refused to return to Him.  If we find that we have bought into the deceit of the world today, we need to return to God if we are Christians.  Verse seven declares, Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?  God said that He would test His people to see if they really were His people.  God is not going to destroy those who are truly His.  Verse eight adds, Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.  God said that even though the people spoke of peace with their neighbor that they were really lying.  It is one thing to declare that we want only peace and what is best for our neighbor, but it is another thing to really mean it.  Our words and our actions and thoughts must be consistent with our belief in God.

Jeremiah 8:12

 Jeremiah 8:12 says, Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.  God asked if the people of Judah were ashamed that they committed an abomination, and then answered that they were not.  It is not whether we claim to be ashamed if we commit a sin, but whether God knows that we are that matters.  God said because of the sin of the people of Judah and their refusal to even acknowledge it and be ashamed of it that they were going to fall.  Verse thirteen adds, I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.  God said that He was going to remove all the good things that He had blessed the people of Judah with from them.  We as followers of Christ need to acknowledge that all good things come from God, and if He removes His protective hand from us, then we are going to fall.  Verse fourteen asks, Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.  The people of Judah were falling into despair, and asked why they were sitting still instead of going into the defensed cities, where they could remain silent because there was no need to complain because God had put them to silence.  They were basically blaming God instead of repenting and returning to Him.  How often do we hear people say that they cannot believe that God is letting something happen to them, when they should be praising God for His love and mercy even when their life seems to be going terribly wrong.  Verse fifteen adds, We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!  The people of Judah said they were looking for peace, but none came.  If we look for peace outside of the will of God, it is never going to be found.  Verse sixteen says, The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.  They had heard of the strength of the coming cavalry, still they did not return to God.  Verse seventeen declares, For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.  God said not only did the people of Judah have to worry about the coming army, but they had to worry about pestilences that He was going to send as well.  If we are out of God's will as Christians, the problems that the world can send our way are the least of our worries.  What God may do to cause us to repent and return to Him should be our basic concern.  Verse eighteen states, When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.  Jeremiah said he wished that he could find comfort in the situation, but he could not.  We can never find true comfort if we are out of God's will, and we should never find comfort in having to confront others who are, even if God directs us to.  Verse nineteen says,  Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?  God said that the people might cry out, but they didn't do so in repentance.  They continued to worship graven images.  Verse twenty adds, The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.  I believe that God was saying that the time for repentance was past, and the people had not repented and therefore were not saved.  Verse twenty-one states, For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me. Jeremiah was very saddened by what was going to happen to the people of Judah, just as we should be saddened by what is going to happen to those who do not accept Jesus Crist as Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-two asks, Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?  Jeremiah asked if there was no way for the people to be healed, and there was if they had accepted it.  God is the balm for all our ailments, but if we do not put our faith and trust in Him, then we will never be healed spiritually.

Jeremiah 8:1

Jeremiah 8:1 says, At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:  God said that the bones of the the kings, princes, priests and prophets of Judah would be removed from their graves.  These were both the past  governmental and religious leaders of Israel.  Matthew Henry says that death was no longer a resting place, but that even in death the people of Israel would find no peace.  Verse two adds, And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.  God also told Jeremiah that the bones of people of Judah would be spread before the sun, moon and host of heaven, whom they had served, walked after, sought and worshipped.  Again, these were the government and religious leaders of Judah.  Had they been faithful to God, this would not have been happening.  Not that it really matters what happens to our bodies after we die, but it would be a terrible thing if this were our fate after death, in the eyes of those left alive.  Verse three continues, And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts.  God told Jeremiah that even with this horrible situation after death that the people of Judah would still prefer death over the life that they were forced to live under the Chaldeans.  Many people today choose spiritual death with all the horrors that it brings over spiritual life through faith in Jesus Christ with all the joys that it brings.  Verse four states, Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?  God asked Jeremiah if a person fell, would they not get back up, or if they got off track would they not return to it.  Verse five adds, Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.  God then asked Jeremiah why the people of Judah, who were spiritually peretually backslidden, would not return to Him.  If we find ourselves out of the will of God today, do we refuse to return to Him?  There is a difference between backsliding and being perpetually backslidden.  We are all going to at times fail to live up to our calling as Christians, but to have it become a way of life with no thoughts of returning to God is something else.  Verse six adds, I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.  God told Jeremiah that He listened for the people to call out to Him in repentance, but they did not.  The people of Judah continued to go their own way outside the leadership of God.  As followers of Christ, if we are outside of the will of God today, He will be listening for us to repent and return to Him.  God never just periodically abandons His people, but if we find that God no longer seems to be in our life, we need to see where we went astray and return to Him.  Verse seven says, Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.  God said that the animals knew the way of the world better than His people knew the way of God.  The people of Judah refused to hear God's word.  No matter how many times we may read God's word, the Bible, or hear it preached, until we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord the words will have no meaning in our life.  Verse eight asks, How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.  God said that the people of Judah claimed to have the word of God, but it had no meaning to them.  Verse nine declares, The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?   God told Jeremiah that the wise men of Judah really had no wisdom, because they had rejected His word.  There are many people today who think themselves to be very wise, but they reject the word of God, so they have no real wisdom.  Wisdom comes from God, and not from the knowledge of the world.  Verse ten adds, Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.  God said because of the rebellion of the people of Judah that He was going to allow them to be destroyed.  When we fall out of the will of God,  we should not be surprised if we suffer defeat in this world.  Verse eleven declares, For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.  God said that the people of Judah were declaring peace when there was none.  If we today as Christians are out of God's will, there can be no peace.

Jeremiah 7:12

Jeremiah 7:12 says,  But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.  God told the people of Judah to go to Shiloh, where He first set His name, and see what He did to it for the wickedness of His people Israel.  Just being in a place where God has made Himself known is not enough if we turn to wickedness instead of following God.  Verse thirteen states, And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;  God said the people of Judah had done all these evil works and would not listen when He called them to repent.  We can be sure that God knows when we allow evil into our life, and He will always call us to repent.  Verse fourteen declares, Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.  God said that He was going to do to the people of Judah, who were called by His name, the same as He had done unto Shiloh.  God is not going to allow sin to go unpunished nor is He going to bless and protect those who are His in name only.  If we have truly accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we may still sin, but when God makes us aware of it we will confess it and ask His forgiveness I believe.  Verse fifteen adds, And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.  We had better hope that God never gets so tired of the people in America, who like to call themselves a Christian nation, that He casts us out of His sight.  Verse sixteen continues, Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.  God told Jeremiah to not even pray for the people of Judah, because it was too late.  There may come a point in time when our prayers no longer can change the outcome of a situation, because people or a person have already ignored God too long.  God's patience is not unlimited.  Verse seventeen asks, Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?  After God told Jeremiah not to pray for the people, He then told Him why.  God asked Jeremiah if he could not see the results of their sins in all that they did.  God was justified in His judgment, just as He always is.  Verse eighteen adds, The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.  God told Jeremiah that the people of Judah were actively worshipping other gods.  They were not even pretending to be true to God.  Verse nineteen asks, Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?  God asked Jeremiah if the people of Judah did not provoke Him to anger.  God said that their provocation of Him was to their own detriment.  We will never make God any less by our rebellion.  Verse twenty concludes, Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.  God said that His fury was to pour out on those who were called His people but were in total rebellion against Him.  If we do not accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then one day we will have the fury of God poured out on us. 

Jeremiah 7:21

 Jeremiah 7:21 says, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.  I believe that God was telling the people of Judah that their burnt offerings were just as unacceptable as their sacrifices.  Burnt offerings were supposed to be completely consumed, but God told them that they might as well leave some to eat for all the good they were doing.  Verse twenty-two states, For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:  Verse twenty-three adds, But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.  God said that the sacrifices were never about the ritual, but about the covenant relationship between the people of Israel and Him.  They were a sign of obedience.  Our service to God today is still about obedience to our relationship with Him and not about any particular ritual that we may go through claiming to worship Him.  Verse twenty-four declares, But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.  God said that the people would not listen to Him but walked in their own council.  As followers of Christ, we need to make sure that we are listening to Him and not just claiming that whatever we decide to do is His will.  Verse twenty-five continues, Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:  God said that ever since He led the people of Israel out of Egypt that He had sent prophets that rose up early to proclaim His word, but that the people would not listen to them.  We have preachers today to proclaim God's word, but we have One even greater, the Holy Spirit, to guide us, from the time we get up to the time we go to bed, and even through the night, but the question is do we listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-six concludes, Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.  God said that His chosen people did not listen to Him.  We must never reach the point that as Christians we have stopped listening to God when He speaks to us, and He will speak to us.  Verse twenty-seven declares, Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.  God told Jeremiah that he was to speak all of God's message to the people, but they would not listen.  If we were given the same task today, being told by God to witness to people who would not listen, would be faithfully do so?  It is only our responsibility to witness, and it is God's responsibility to bring about fruit from our witness.  We are not excused by saying that nobody listens anyway.  Verse twenty-eight adds, But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.  God told Jeremiah that he was to tell the people of Judah that they did not listen to God.  This was not going to be a popular message, because the people wanted to claim that they were still God's people.  Verse twenty-nine says, Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.  Jeremiah was to call the people to true repentance. even if they would not obey.  We are to call people to true repentance today through faith in Jesus Christ, even if they will not listen.  Verse thirty adds, For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.  God said His judgment was coming because the people of Judah had polluted His house.  Since as followers of Christ our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, we need to insure that we do not pollute it.  Verse thirty-one continues, And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.  God said the people of Judah were even offering child sacrifices, which He neither commanded nor would never have even thought of.  We need to be careful that we do not attempt to claim that things that we do are acts of worship to God if they are not in accordance with His word.  Verse thirty-two states, Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.  God said that the place where these child sacrifices were being done would be destroyed and completely forgotten.  Verse thirty-three adds,  And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.  The people who had been carrying out these sacrifices were to become food for the birds.  They wouldn't even have a proper burial.  Verse thirty-four concludes, Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.  God told Jeremiah that there was going to be no happiness left in the cities of Judah.  If we are outside the will of God today, there  can be no real happiness in our lives.  No matter the situation, true happiness comes only from God.

Jeremiah 7:21 says,

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Jeremiah 7:1

 Jeremiah 7:1 says, The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Verse two adds, Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.  God told Jeremiah to stand in the gates of the LORD's house and proclaim His word, telling all who entered to hear what He said.  We should always go to God's house expecting to hear what He has to say, even if it is not what we want to hear, and what is preached there should always be God's word.  Verse three declares, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.  God called on the people of Israel to amend their ways.  They had turned away from following Him, and needed to return to Him.  God said if they did that He would cause them to dwell in this place.  Verse four adds, Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.  God called on the people of Israel to not trust in lying words that proclaimed His temple to be something other than what it was.  Today, the church should be a place where we gather and worship God and learn about Him, and if we make it anything else, we are promoting a lie.  Verse five proclaims, For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;   Verse six adds, If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:  God then pointed out several things that the people of Israel were doing that they should not have been doing, and called on them to thoroughly amend their ways.  They were not dealing justly with their neighbors and were oppressing strangers, the fatherless, and widows.  They were shedding innocent blood and were following after other gods.  When we begin to stray away from God as Christians, He will let us know and call us to repent and follow His guidance in our lives.  Verse seven states, Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.  God again gave them the promise that if they would return to Him, He would cause them to live in this land that He had promised to their fathers forever.  This promise was always based on the people of Israel being obedient to God.  Though we are saved through faith in Christ alone, after we are saved God expects us to be obedient to His word.  If we are not, we do not lose our salvation, but we lose the joy of our salvation.  God will always let us know when we are not being obedient to Him and will always call us to repentance.  Verse eight adds,  Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.  God said that the people of Israel trusted lying words, and if we put our trust in anything other than God's word today, we are doing the same thing.  Verse nine asks, Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;  This was another indictment against the people of Israel.  God asked if they would do these things because they were.  We need to make sure that God does not have a long list of sins that we are still committing as followers of Christ, His people, just as the people of Israel were supposed to be His people then.  If He does, then something is wrong with our obedience, and we need to change it.  Verse ten adds, And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?  God asked if they would come before Him in His house and claim that they were delivered to commit all these abominations.  The house was called by God's name, but the people were proclaiming the ways of the world to be God's way.  Verse eleven then asks, Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.  God said that His house had become a den of robbers, and that He had seen it.  We need to be certain that God knows what is going on in the world today, especially with those who are His people.

Jeremiah 6:18

 Jeremiah 6:18 says, Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Verse nineteen adds, Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.  God called on not just the people of Judah to hear what He said, but for the whole world to.  God was going to bring judgment on the people of Judah,  God never left any doubt when He was bringing judgment, and there will be no doubt when He does at the second coming of Christ.  Verse twenty asks, To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.  God asked why the people went through the motions of sacrificing to Him, when the sacrifices had no real meaning to the people who made them.  We can give the most expensive things we have to God, but if we have no real faith in Him, it will mean nothing.  Verse twenty-one declares, Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.  God would not allow His people to continue to fail to follow Him and still bless them.  The things that they followed instead of following God would become stumbling blocks to them, and they would all fall together.  Verse twenty-two states, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth.  Verse twenty-three adds, They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion.  God warned the people of Judah of the coming of the army of the Chaldeans.  God warns us today as followers of Christ of the coming of evil all around us.  The forces of evil are powerful, and it is only by faith in God and by following His leadership that we are able to overcome it.  Verse twenty-four says, We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail.  The people of Judah said that they had heard of the power of the Chaldeans and it left them feeling weak and powerless, because they were looking at their own strength and not at the power of God.  If we start to feel weak and afraid today because of the power of evil in the world, we need to look to God for strength.  Verse twenty-five adds, Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side.  God's chosen people warned each other to not go about every day life because of fear.  We, as Christians, can never allow fear of the world to keep us from living our normal lives, because God is with us no matter what happens.  Verse twenty-six says, O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.  The women were called to mourn as they would at the death of an only son, because the spoiler would come upon them suddenly.  Verse twenty-seven declares, I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way.  God said that He had set Jeremiah over the people of Judah to be a tower and a fortress and for him to observe the people of Judah.  We. if we are God's people, are a fortress against evil today if we are being obedient to Him.  We can observe all the evil that is going on in the world, and when we do we must stand firm for God.  Verse twenty-eight adds, They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters.  God told Jeremiah that when he observed the people of Judah that he would see how corrupt they had become.  We need to pray that those who profess to be followers of Christ today never reach the same point.  We cannot walk in slander and revolt against God and still be His people in spirit and truth.  Verse twenty-nine continues, The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.  God said that their actions were like metal being put through the forge, but without the impurities being burned away.  Their worship of God was in vain, because they really did not believe in Him.  Verse thirty concludes, Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.  God said the people of Judah would be called reprobate silver by the world, because He had rejected them.  We need to live by faith and follow the will of God in all that we do, or we will be called the same.

Jeremiah 6:9

 Jeremiah 6:9 says, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.  God said that Israel would be thoruoghly defeated. and that the remnant would be gleaned.  The Chaldeans would be in Judah and Jerusalem for a long time, and they would not be satisfied until everything was theirs.  Verse ten declares, To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.  God had told Jeremiah to give the warning to the people, but Jeremiah asked to whom should he speak, since the people refused to hear.  They had grown deaf to the word of God.  When God sends a warning to us today, we had better be ready to acknowledge it and not have grown so deaf to His word that we are unable to hear Him.  Jeremiah said that the word of God had simply become a reproach to the people of Judah, and therefore they did not want to hear it.  Verse eleven adds, Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.  Jeremiah said that he was full of fury of the LORD, and he was weary of holding in what God had for him to say to them.  Jeremiah was not wanting to pronounce this doom on the people, but it was God's word and to not speak it was very tiresome to him.  He then said he would pour out the word of God on them.  We may not want to speak what God tells us to speak today, but we cannot afford to hold in the word of God when He gives it to us.  Verse twelve says, And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD.  The word of God that Jeremiah was to proclaim was of coming destruction.  The word that we have for the lost people of the world today is of coming destruction if they do not hear and heed the word of God which calls them to salvation.  Verse thirteen adds, For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.  God said that all of those who were supposed to be His people had given in to covetousness, from the least to the greatest. and that the prophets and priests dealt falsely.  Neither financial nor religious status exempts us from being held accountable to God.  Verse fourteen states, They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.  God said that the prophets and priests declared peace when there was no peace.  Verse fifteen asks, Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.  God asked if the people were ashamed when they committed abominations, and then answered that they were not.  If we are out of God's will today, it should bring us shame if we are a follower of Christ, and if it doesn't, then something is wrong with our relationship with God, and we had better listen to Him and make it right.  Verse sixteen declares, Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.  God called on the people of Judah and Jerusalem too return to the old paths, the way that God guided them, and told them that they would find rest, but they refused.  If we stray away from God today, we need to return to the path of righteousness, and we can be certain that God will call on us to return.  Verse seventeen adds, Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.  God said that He had set watchmen over them and that they should listen to the sound of the trumpet warning them, but they would not.  God has given us a lot of warnings today about the coming judgment of Christ, and we need to heed them.