Bible Chapter: Lamentations 5
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
This short book ends with prayer for the people. LORD, remember what has happened to us. They had lost everything. Strangers had taken over. Their lives had become unbearable, they had to pay for water to drink, and their firewood was expensive. They were exhausted, but given no rest. It all looked horrible. And then we see a very interesting thought: Their ancestors sinned, but they had since died and future generations were suffering the punishment the ancestors deserved! That is a good illustration of the fact that sin has far-reaching impact. People who think that they can do whatever they want and it won’t affect anyone else need to wake up. That is a horrible lie. Atrocious things were happening to them. They had no more joy.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
This book has an ending word of encouragement and prayer. Lord, you remain the same forever! Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! They prayed for God to give them back the joys they once had! There is always hope in the Lord. Keep focusing on Him, even when you can’t see the hope.
3. How can I help someone?
Hope in the Lord. Jesus came to this world to give us hope. He is more powerful than sin. Put your full trust in HIM.
Bible Chapter: Lamentations 3 & 4
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
The nation was suffering through God’s punishment, while at the same time they had hope of being restored to a right relationship with God. This hope grasps the truth that God’s love and help will come to those who repent and wait for God. Those who serve God can expect Him to hear their prayers. Those who reject God and live in sin can’t live with that expectation. Those who follow God do have hope, even when everything seems horrible. God’s love never ceases. God is gracious and merciful.
The expression “Bear the yoke” is used by the author. This agricultural illustration symbolizes difficult or oppressive situations. God sometimes uses problems or pain to come to those who have sinned to humble them, to get their attention. God’s ultimate goal is to bring them to repentance. God forgives the repentant heart. God never takes pleasure in the “yoke”, but the goal is restoration of our personal relationship with Him.
When people sin, they can sometimes look back at their former glory, their former position with God. But, as it says, their gold became dull. Disobedience always brings problems. There was corruption in the spiritual leaders and the people trusted more in human effort than God for their strength and success.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
Your punishment, your trials will end. This was a hopeful prophecy from Jeremiah. Judah’s captivity would come to an end in God’s timing when His purpose for the suffering and discipline reached its goal. This is encouraging. The spiritual battles we face are not eternal. Get close to God and watch Him do His perfect work.
3. How can I help someone?
Learn through the lessons you have experienced. Learn so you don’t have to take the same “class” again. Learn from God.
Bible Chapter: Lamentations 1 & 2
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
Jeremiah mourned that Jerusalem had been destroyed. He was filled with grief because the people’s continual rebellion toward God brought the destruction. He expressed his sorrow describing Jerusalem as a deserted widow who had lost her children. She was completely alone. Sin was the issue. The devastation and loss were because of sin. Whenever people reject God, He will bring His judgement. This judgment was their own fault. God was justified in His anger toward those who refused to respond to his continual call to turn from their sin and follow him. Sin brings sorrow. Yes, there are many pleasures of sin and immorality for a season, but eventually an active sinner will reap the consequences of evil.
There is a spiritual battle that has gone on from the beginning. The tempter comes to make sin look like the best option. It is especially true that people who have known the Lord and received the benefits of serving Him, and then turn from away to actively participate in sin, become the enemies of God. This will always bring terrible results. We cannot abandon the Lord and His Word and expect God to do nothing.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. In this book we see that he felt an intense empathy and sorrow for the people and the suffering they brought on themselves by rejecting God. As I am reading this book, and as I was reading preliminary material about this book, I see sad correlations between the book and the modern world. I see the sad spiritual condition of people enslaved to sin and Satan. I see the destruction happening because of sin. It is a strong message to stay as close to Jesus as possible.
3. How can I help someone?
WAKE UP!!!!! Pay attention to God’s Word and quit listening to the liar in chief who tells you that sin is the way to go. Quit listening to the tempter and fulfilling any longing you may have for sinful activity without paying attention to the price you will pay. Receive the salvation Jesus bought and paid for on the cross.
Bible Chapter: Jeremiah 51 & 52
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
The Lord said He would stir up a destroyer against the people of Babylon. Foreigners would come and winnow her, and she would be blown away as chaff. They would come from every side to rise against her.
Jeremiah again wrote about Babylon’s doom. The Lord would definitely cause the complete overthrow of Babylon to rescue His people from oppression. We also see the picture of the last days during the tribulation and God’s final judgment on the earth. God will judge sinful people for all their sin, rebellion and immorality.
God told His people to flee Babylon before the final destruction. The New Testament picture is for all Christians to separate from the ungodly world system, pictured as the end-time Babylon. All who are a part of that worldly system will be judged and punished. So much sin has been practiced and it will be judged. The Bible says that we will reap what we plant.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
Jeremiah spoke God’s word, even though it wasn’t popular. The things he said God promised happened. More and more there is pressure to conform and say only things that make people feel good. Generations of children are growing up thinking that everything must be given to them and that nothing can happen that upsets them. They are so fragile that they can’t handle any “bumps” in life. I want to help people see that we all must receive God’s truth, even if it goes against what we want. We will be stronger for going through some of the rough places in life.
3. How can I help someone?
Learn to experience life. There are hard things that will happen, along with the fun and good things. Life goes on. It is important to prepare for eternity by applying what God says.
Bible Chapter: Jeremiah 49 & 50
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
We see here the future destruction of many peoples because of their sins. Looking through these chapters we see that some of their sins were idolatry (worshiping false gods in place of the one true God), pride, intense hatred of Israel and trust in riches. There was over confidence. They thought that because of their fortified dwellings, they could not be overcome. We see their arrogance and overconfidence. They didn’t think they needed to rely on God. They had their own gods. But those false gods failed them.
Babylon was recognized as the greatest world power at that time, but Jeremiah predicted its downfall. Even though God had used the nation to fulfill His plans, Babylon resisted the Lord and was proud. God’s plan was that this nation would be humiliated. Pride and rejection of God’s laws is revolting to God and He will judge those who live this way.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
Who or what do I let influence my life? Because of the proliferation of influences in the modern world, it is more challenging than ever to be cautious about influences. It is impossible to keep up with all the voices clamoring for my attention. I must be cautious and specific about what I read and see and listen to. I must sort out the bad and let God’s Word be the standard for measuring all thoughts and actions. Or, it will be easy to let the strange voices control just as we read in these chapters. Those strange voices pulled many away from serving God.
3. How can I help someone?
What is most important in life? How do you determine who will have influence? I want to help people face these questions and find eternal answers. We must be careful where we are headed, for eternity is a really long time.
Bible Chapter: Jeremiah 47 & 48
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
The Philistines occupied the coastal region of Judah. Reading the scriptures shows a continual fighting, hostility between them and God’s people. There were many battles fought. God said that He was going to destroy them. God promised a flood from the north to overflow the land. The result will be the destruction of the land and everything in it. People will scream in terror when it happens. I am guessing that they didn’t believe these things would happen.
Then there was a message concerning Moab. Great sorrow was coming to the city of Nebo. God said it would soon lie in ruins. Other cities would be humiliated and captured, their fortress humiliated and broken down. Another passage says that they will stagger and fall like a drunk, for he has rebelled against the Lord. Moab will wallow in his own vomit, ridiculed by all.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
I must remember what has happened to people who thought they could do what they wanted. As I read the promised consequences for Moab, the message jumped out to me. They would be humiliated and captured, they would be broken down. They would stagger like a drunk and wallow in their own vomit. The way to avoid similar results is to live in submission and obedience to God.
3. How can I help someone?
I wish I could make people really SEE the issues of life. People have one problem after another, and yet they continue along the same path. Failure leads to failure. Problem leads to problem. The deceptive lie today seems to be that there is someone, somewhere who can fix things for them and they don’t need to do anything but wait for an expert to solve their problems. No, turn to Jesus and seek the changes He will make.
Bible Chapter: Jeremiah 45 & 46
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
Baruch was Jeremiah’s secretary. Chapter 45 was written to encourage his faith. He had become discouraged because it seemed as if Jeremiah’s ministry was a failure. God spoke through Jeremiah for Baruch to not to seek a position of power for himself. Because of his dedication to Jeremiah and his faithfulness to God, this encouraging message is that he would survive Jerusalem’s destruction.
The next chapters go into a series of messages to other nations. Here we see prophecies about God’s judgment against other countries. Jeremiah was not only a prophet to Judah, but also a prophet to the nations.
The first nation discussed was Egypt. Their defeat was a day of vengeance from God because of Egypt’s history of oppressing Judah. Eventually, God will punish any people who reject His Word and/or mistreated His people. Jeremiah prophesied that the Babylonians would defeat Egypt at Carchemish and also on their own land.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
God made it clear that Egypt’s gods could not rescue them from defeat. This is an important lesson to remember. We can think that we can do what we want and control the outcome. That is not true. Many nations have believed that they can do anything and no one can touch them. God showed many nations that they were too weak to take God on. No other gods can ultimately win against the God who created everything.
3. How can I help someone?
I want to help people see the eternal truths of the Bible. There are many examples of how nations mocked God’s truths and then paid a major price. Our modern world needs to learn this lesson quickly, or there will be horrible suffering. We are seeing the beginning of it now.
Bible Chapter: Jeremiah 43 & 44
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
In the last chapter we read that the people promised to fully obey God, no matter what He said through the prophet. But, they only pretended that they would obey God. They didn’t believe that their nonstop dishonesty would bring extreme consequences. So, we see that the people refused to obey the voice of the Lord and went to Egypt.
Again and again God sent prophets to plead with the nation. But they continued to do the horrible things that God hates. The people wouldn’t listen or turn from their wicked ways. This brought God’s judgement on them. They sinned by neglecting to listen to God and take what He said seriously.
They had forgotten the sins of their ancestors and showed no remorse or reverence for God. They neglected God’s Word.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
Some very sad words are: We will not listen to your messages from the LORD! We will do whatever we want. That is a recipe for disaster that still goes on today. I see people, in the name of Jesus, do despicable things without fear of judgement. They are in for a sorry awakening some day when they stand before God as their Judge.
The people also said that when they were sacrificing to idols that they were well off and didn’t have troubles. It was when they stopped that they had problems. That is a deception of Satan.
I must remember these lessons and not get trapped in deception that causes people to walk away from life with the Lord.
3. How can I help someone?
Learn to recognize spiritual deception. Recognize that God is righteous and His way is the best way. Anything else is only temporary and there is a high price to pay for going against God’s way.
Bible Chapter: Jeremiah 41 & 42
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
Ishmael killed Gedaliah, the governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar. It is possible that he believed Gedaliah endorsed the cruel way the Babylonians treated King Zedekiah. Ishmael also slaughtered 70 of 80 pilgrims coming to worship. He probably wanted their supplies and money. We see here that he killed many people. He must not have feared God or cared about doing the right things. He neglected to acknowledge that the Lord would judge his actions and punish him for his sins.
After Gedaliah was murdered, the people were afraid. They asked Jeremiah for a word from God. They promised to obey what God said. But, they had already made up their minds to go to Egypt. God told them to stay in the land. They rejected the message and went to Egypt anyway.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
As I was reading these chapters, one part jumped out to me. It is when they said to Jeremiah whether we like it or not, we will obey the LORD our God. If we obey him, everything will turn out well for us. That is a true statement that things are better when people obey. They promised to obey whatever God said. It must have been that they planned to reject God if they didn’t like the things He said. What good does it do to promise to obey if you don’t do it???? God expects obedience and that is the only response that makes sense for eternity. As I am writing about these chapters I find myself talking lots about obedience. These chapters show the results of obedience and disobedience. Note to self: learn the lessons here.
3. How can I help someone?
People: learn the lessons of these chapters. God is powerful. God is wise. God is loving. Listen and learn and apply.
Bible Chapter: Jeremiah 39 & 40
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
The city of Jerusalem was under siege for about 18 months. It was a devastating time, for they were cut off from any help. There was no way to bring in food. This brought on a horrible famine, and the people were starving. God had promised destruction of the city because of the sin of the people.
King Zedekiah suffered because he refused to listen to God and obey. God longs to help people who are suffering and lost, but those who ignore His Word by keeping on their sinful lives will bring judgement and suffering on themselves. Something that seems so obvious, and yet people don’t see it is that if they would be willing to see the unhappiness and destruction that results from rebellion against God, they would turn to Him in repentance. What the Bible reveals is that Satan has spiritually blinded and deceived so many people that they don’t see their condition and the horrific consequences ahead for eternity.
During this horrible time for the nation, Jeremiah was treated well. Nebuchadnezzar treated him kindly when they captured Jerusalem, putting him under protective custody.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
What happens when people don’t trust and obey God? There are many things that happen. Human pride and wisdom makes people think they can do anything they want and can control the outcome. That simply is not true. We are seeing much evidence of that in the modern world. In these chapters we see that the people were carried into exile. This was a common practice of the time for conquering empires to capture people and then scatter them throughout their empire. This forced the exiles to live in a new culture until they had adopted their ways. The national identity of the defeated nation was stripped away. These events that happened after Jerusalem’s fall demonstrate that the people still refused to trust God. We must trust and obey or there will be consequences to pay.
3. How can I help someone?
People must see that they cannot control the outcome of events in the world. There will always be evil people who are out to steal, kill and destroy. It is only as we live for the Lord that we can have His help and protection.
Bible Chapter: Jeremiah 37 & 38
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
Again we see the king and the people refusing to give heed to the Word of God. And yet, the king wanted the prophet to pray for them. I wonder about people who don’t want to listen to God, and yet they want God’s help and favor. So many people want God’s help while they insist on sharing in the world’s sinful pleasures. This is an indication of shallow religion and no real relationship with God. Many political leaders today insist on leaving God out of the picture(separation of church and state), and then when catastrophe strikes, they talk about prayer and call on God, expecting to receive His help. God is not a magic wand we wave in times of trouble.
Jeremiah fearlessly stood before the king without hesitation to declare the unpopular message that the city would be destroyed. The prophet refused to compromise truth, even in their desperate circumstances.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
Obey the Lord. This theme comes up all the time in studying the Bible. King Zedekiah believed Jeremiah’s message, but his fear of others, along with his weak character and lack of faith kept him from obeying God. What happened? The king brought shame on himself and destruction to the nation. I see multitudes in our modern world who reject doing the right things, even though their decisions will bring God’s judgment.
3. How can I help someone?
I want to help people see God for who He really is. He is loving and kind. He is also righteous. His righteousness will always demand that He do the right thing. God never looks at popularity polls. He makes decisions based on His eternal righteousness and truth. His mercy, love and forgiveness flow out of His righteousness and truth.
Bible Chapter: Jeremiah 35 & 36
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
Faithfulness and obedience. These two words jump out to me as I read these chapters. We see a tribe called the Recabites. They had faithfully followed what they had been taught for over two hundred years. What we see in them was a goal to remain separated from wicked and ungodly beliefs and behaviors. Living by Godly standards and remaining faithful to God and his Word in vitally important.
In this section we also see the contrast of fearing disobedience or blatantly rejecting what God says. When Jeremiah wrote what God told him to tell the people, many were afraid of going against God. The king was over confident and burned the scroll. He thought no one could come against him. How wrong he was.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
The king tried to mock God by burning the message from Jeremiah. That didn’t stop God. I see today countless people, even in the name of Christianity, attempt to mock God by changing the Bible to mean what they want it to mean. Often that means that they are providing permission to sin. That will never work. They will some day stand before God and be held accountable for what they have done. I must be careful to apply what the Bible really means, not what is convenient.
3. How can I help someone?
I want to help people see the blessings and benefits of obedience. There are challenging times that we experience, but obedience is still best. When people can see the long term issues of life and eternity, they will see that God really does know what He says.
Bible Chapter: Jeremiah 33 & 34
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
When God promises peace, in His time and way, it will happen. It is important to trust God and seek to live how He directs. God promised, through the prophet, that the line of King David would continue. The “Righteous Branch” foretold the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. And, the covenant promise given said that the line of ancestors would be as the stars of the sky.
We also see that it is important to obey God. The nation had been told many, many years before to release Hebrew slaves after seven years. They had not done that, but here they did. And then, they reversed their decision and took the people back as slaves. This reversal and disobedience brought God’s promise of judgement for their selfish rebellion.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
In looking at chapter 34 and reading about what they did, the concept of motivation in obedience to God comes out. It is not only what we do but why we do it. The king urged the people to obey God’s law and set their slaves free. The motivation of the king and the slave owners was not pure, was not a concern for justice and God’s law. They were looking at how they could gain advantage through their “obedience”. It is not only important to know the right thing to do, but to also do it for the right reason.
3. How can I help someone?
I am thinking about, not only helping someone, but the reason why I might help them. I have found it very easy to do right things, but doing them with the thought of some gain I might receive as a result. This passage is a challenge to do what God says, and at the same time do it with a right motivation. I am reminded of Colossians 3:23
23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ( NKJV)
