Jeremiah 16:1

 Jeremiah 16:1 says, The word of the LORD came also unto me, saying, Verse two adds, Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.  Matthew Henry says that since the people would not listen to Jeremiah's words, that he was to speak to them with his actions.  Men were generally expected to marry and have a family, but God told Jeremiah to not take a wife in that place.  We need to live so that if people won't listen to our words of witness about Christ that our lives will be a witness to them.  Verse three declares, For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;  God gave Jeremiah a warning about the children and their mothers and fathers who were born there.  Verse four adds, They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.  The people of Judah were about to die very horrible deaths.  Those born into this world who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will suffer a fate much worse than death when God's ultimate judgment comes.  Verse five states, For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies.  God told Jeremiah to not lament and mourn for the people.  God had allowed them to be destroyed because of their rebellion against Him and no longer protected them with His lovingkindness and mercy.  Their condition was of their own making, just as those who will be sent away to everlasting punishment will bear the responsibility for their own punishment.  God reaches out to everyone in lovingkindness and mercy, but He will allow every person to go away to everlasting punishment if they refuse to accept His gift of salvation.  Verse six adds, Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:  Their earthly status was not going to affect the outcome.  Those who were considered great were going to meet the same fate as those who were considered small.  Being rich and powerful will not save a person, and neither will being poor and powerless.  Verse seven continues,  Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.  God said that there would be none to mourn, and when God's final judgment comes, there will be none to mourn those who are sent away to everlasting punishment.  Verse eight says, Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink.  Jeremiah was not to go into the house of feasting.  The people of Judah were still enjoying life and denying that God's judgment was to come on them.  They would not heed Jeremiah's warning, but he was not to participate in their disobedience.  We cannot live by the standards of the world and still be successful in our relationship to God.  Verse nine adds, For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.  God said that He would cause the voice of mirth and gladness and the voice of the bridegroom and bride to cease in the land.  As I stated before, I believe that this was more God removing His protective hand from them than God directly bringing about their fall.  Of course, if we reach the point where we will never listen to God and accept His gift of salvation, there is coming a day when He will send us away to everlasting punishment.

Jeremiah 15:10

 Jeremiah 15:10 says, Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.  Jeremiah now laments his situation, saying it would have been better if he had not been born.  People hated him, even if he had never done anything against them.  Even if we are hated by the people of the world for proclaiming God's truth, we should never be filled with self pity because of it.  Verse eleven proclaims, The LORD said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.  God told Jeremiah not to despair because one day even his enemies would treat him well.  Verse twelve asks, Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?  This question was for the people of Judah.  Would they be able to stand up to the Chaldeans or more importantly to the judgment of God.  Verse thirteen states, Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders.  God told them in effect that they were going to lose everything, even though their priests were telling them that everything was fine.  When God's judgment comes, we will lose everything that is not built on the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse fourteen adds, And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.  God said that the people of Judah were going to be taken away into a strange land that they did not know.  Verse fifteen declares, O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke.  Jeremiah asked God to spare him because God knew that he was faithful to Him.  We should remain faithful whether we are spared from suffering in this world or not.  Verse sixteen adds, Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.  Jeremiah basically said that he feed on the word of God, and so should we today as followers of Christ.  Verse seventeen continues, I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.  Jeremiah said that he separated himself from those who mocked God, and this caused him to be by himself.  Even if we stand alone, we must stand for God's word.  Verse eighteen says, Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?  Jeremiah asked why he was suffering when he was doing what God called him to do.  Verse nineteen declares, Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.  God told Jeremiah that He was still with him, and that he simply needed to remain faithful no matter what.  So must we today.  God is never going to treat us unfairly, but He may allow the people of the world to do so.  Verse twenty adds, And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD.  God said that He would be like a fence around Jeremiah.  Jeremiah was under God's protection and the forces of evil in the world would never defeat him as long as he remained faithful to God.  Verse twenty-one concludes, And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.  This is the promise that we have today as followers of Christ.  There is no reason to despair.  God will deliver us to the everlasting life that he has promised, no matter what.

Jeremiah 14:12

Jeremiah 14:12 says, When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.  God told Jeremiah that He would not accept the sacrifices of the people of Judah because they were not obeying His laws and were also worshipping false gods.  Just because we offer a sacrifice to God doesn't mean that He has to accept it if it is offered for the wrong reason.  Verse thirteen states, Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.  Jeremiah said that the other prophets who were supposedly speaking for God told the people that they would not see the sword or famine, but that God would give them peace.  There are many people today who profess to speak for God, but their message is not consistent with His word.  Verse fourteen declares, Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.  God very clearly and emphatically told Jeremiah that these so called prophets lied.  I believe that God will let followers of Christ recognize when lies are spoken in His name today, if we are relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us.  Verse fifteen adds, Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.  God said that those prophets who said that there would be no sword and famine would be consumed by the sword and famine.  Verse sixteen continues, And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.  God said that those who believed the false prophets would likewise die by famine and the sword, and that there would not even be anyone left to bury them.  Those who follow after false prophets will one day know the truth of the fact that there is salvation in Christ alone, but it will be too late for them.  Verse seventeen declares, Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.  Jeremiah said to let his eyes run down with tears day and night because of the condition of Judah.  Do we have that same concern for the country today?  Verse eighteen adds, If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.  Jeremiah asked if he would have to see all this devastation.  Verse nineteen asks, Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!  Jeremiah asked God if He had rejected Judah, but the problem was that Judah had rejected God.  If we find ourselves spiritually suffering today, it will not be because God has rejected us but because we have rejected His word.  Verse twenty declares, We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.  Jeremiah said that they acknowledged their sin and wickedness, but he could only speak for himself.  We cannot confess for the sins of others and make them right with God.  Verse twenty-one adds, Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.  Jeremiah attempted to put the blame on God, telling Him not to break His covenant, but it was the people who had broken theirs.  Verse twenty-two concludes, Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.  Jeremiah acknowledged that God alone was God and that He alone could bring the rain.  We must acknowledge that God alone is God if we are to find salvation.

Jeremiah 14:1

 Jeremiah 14:1 says, The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.  God's word came to Jeremiah, and it was about the coming suffering of the people of Judah because of their failure to keep their covenant with Him.  Verse two adds, Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.  God said that the people of Judah were going to be mourning because Jerusalem was going to be left desolate.  They would be mourning not for their sin though, but for the loss of material blessings.  If we find ourselves suffering today we need to make sure that we have examined our live and have no unconfessed sin in it, and we should mourn more for the loss of a close spiritual relationship with God more than we do for the loss of any material blessing.  Verse three states,  And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.  The nobles sent their little ones, most likely referring to their own children instead of the servants they would have once sent, to get water but they found none.  The nobles themselves still did not go.  If we find our self spiritually thirsty, we must go our self to the source of the Living Water.  We cannot send someone else for us.  Verse four adds,  Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.  God said the earth would be chapped, or extremely dry, because of the sins of the people.  Sin corrupts everything, even if people do not want to admit it.  Verse five declares, Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.  Cows would desert their new born claves, because there was no grass to eat.  Verse six adds, And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.  Even the wild donkeys, who usually could find enough to eat, would be left without enough grass for a meal.  The people of Judah were still denying that they were going to have hard times come to them, but God told Jeremiah to tell them that the hard times were indeed coming.  We as Christians need to make sure that we do not allow material blessings to become the standard for proving that we are following God's will.  Verse seven declares, O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name’s sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.  Jeremiah prayed for the people as they should have prayed for themselves.  He acknowledged their sins and asked for God's mercy.  We cannot attain forgiveness for the sins of others, but we can pray for them and that they will ultimately ask for forgiveness themselves.  Verse eight adds, O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?  Jeremiah acknowledged the fact that God was the only One Who could save them, just as we must today.  Verse nine continues, Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.  Jeremiah said that God was in the midst of them, who were called by His name.  It is not enough to be called by God's name and to realize that He is in our midst if we do not obey His word.  Verse ten states, Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.  God answered Jeremiah by stating that those who were called His people no longer followed Him.  It is not enough to be God's people in name alone and not follow His commandments.  Follow the commandments does not save us, but following God's commandments is a requirement to show our love and obedience to Him.  Verse eleven adds, Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.  God told Jeremiah to no longer pray for the people of Judah.  We need to pray that we as a nation or even individually never reach the point of having God say that prayers for us will do no good because it is too late.

 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.