Daily Bible Devotionals

“Listen and pay attention. Do not be proud, for the Lord had spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the mountains at dusk. But if you will not listen, my innermost being will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, for the Lord’s flock has been taken captive.” Jeremiah 13:15-17 (HCSB)

Jeremiah was the obedient servant of our very creative “Creator.”  As such, Jeremiah expressed his prophecies not only in figurative language but also in symbolic acts. God ordered Jeremiah to buy a linen girdle, to bind it upon his loins, and not put it in water. Later, he was told to take it to the Euphrates and to hide it in a cleft of the rocks…the same kind of place where God placed Moses so he could catch a glimpse of Him as He passed by. It is also the kind of place where Elijah was hiding when God appeared in a still, small voice. It suggests the Lord was not simply choosing to abandon Israel. Rather, He would eventually reveal Himself to them, hoping they would repent. The “cleft of a rock” imagery would have stirred up historic solid memories of God’s presence, and “linen underwear” spoke of how the Lord had kept Israel close and intimately so.

My early career was spent as a songwriter. Whenever I write a song, a Bible devotional, or put together some other teaching moment, my deepest desire is to connect with people in such a way that they believe the gospel. In our innovative multi-media culture, one would think that Jeremiah’s extreme creative methods of communication would have connected with Israel and brought them to repentance. Not so.

God led Jeremiah to use drastic measures to go out on a limb and make himself a spectacle. Furthermore, God knew Israel would not repent, regardless of Jeremiah’s extremely demonstrative methods. But why would God call a person to such a humiliating and (seemingly) fruitless mission field? So Israel would be without excuse: they had been warned. About this time, you’re probably thinking, “Stinks to be Jeremiah!”  That’s pretty much how Jeremiah felt. Not only was he asked to participate in prophetic performance art, but he was also the laughing stock (and hated son) of Jerusalem. As a communicator, I can empathize with the prophet. Can you imagine finishing a concert and everyone throws tomatoes or wants to lynch you?

Whenever analogies of “linen underwear” and “full wine jugs” break down, creativity gets thrown out the window. Jeremiah continues with a direct approach. Jeremiah has been rightly chosen, not just for his obedience to the Lord but also for his passionate love for his people!

Today’s passage has a great lesson for us. It is good to be obedient to God, but we must match that obedience with LOVE for those He sends us, even the unrepentant ones.

“Now, these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 (HCSB)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Jeremiah 12. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying “Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God.” That I may establish the oath which I have sworn to your fathers, to give them a “land flowing with milk and honey”: as it is this day.’ Then I said, ‘So be it Lord.’ Then the Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: Hear the words of this covenant and do them.”’” Jeremiah 11:2-6 (NKJV)

CURSED. As we examine Jeremiah’s rebuke/exhortation to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, we cannot ignore its direct opposition to Psalm 1.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV)

Why was Judah/Jerusalem facing such imminent destruction? Because they had turned away from God’s Word. Now, they were not as blatant (initially) in their idolatry as the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Israel had gone straight into idolatry, full-on. Israel’s decline and destruction (at the hands of the Assyrians) was swifter. Instead, Judah did not run straightway into idolatry. Judah began by redefining and re-prioritizing God’s Word to the point where they elevated worldly, secular values over the Bible’s articulated standard.  

And this is the case with the Church in our day. When people (including church leaders) step away from God’s Word as the ONLY authority and counsel, they establish a system of so-called “righteousness” apart from God’s will. But God does not want us to take our cues from the world. He wants everyone to KNOW, TRUST, and OBEY His Word and to let it guide every moment of every day.

“This is the command—the statutes and ordinances—the Lord your God has instructed me to teach you so that you may follow them in the land you are about to enter and possess. Do this so that you may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life by keeping all His statutes and commands I am giving you, your son, and your grandson, and so that you may have a long life. Listen, Israel, and be careful to follow them, so that you may prosper and multiply greatly, because YHWH, the God of your fathers, has promised you ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.  Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:1-7 (HCSB)

“I know, Lord, that a man’s way of life is not his own; no one who walks determines his own steps. Discipline me, Lord, but with Justice – not in your anger, or You will reduce me to nothing. Pour out Your wrath on the nations that don’t recognize You and on the families that don’t call on Your name, for they have consumed Jacob; they have consumed him and finished him off and made his homeland desolate.” Jeremiah 10:23-25 (HCSB)

In the face of the punishment that is coming upon Judah and the surrounding nations, the least of all lessons Judah should have learned is that trusting in false gods will not deliver them. Moreover, since all the other nations were being judged along with Judah, it made no sense to trust in the nations who trust in false gods!

What are these “gods” after all? They are pieces of wood carved by skillful workmen, decked with silver and gold, clothed in violet and purple, and put together with a hammer and nails so they cannot move. In striking contrast is the “True God,” the “Living God,” and the “Everlasting God.”

“But the Lord is the true God: He is the living and everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.” Jeremiah 10:10 (NKJV)

Yet, Judah will not trust in this living God; therefore, punishment is about to fall. The call comes to the besieged “daughter of Israel” to gather a few necessary articles in preparation for a hasty flight and the painful journey to the land of exile. She cries out in anguish and remorse because her suffering is grievous, but she has brought it upon herself, and now it must be endured. It reminds me of America’s current economic, moral, and spiritual season.

Disaster is the result of the faithless rulers (shepherds) whose “flock” is now “scattered.” But long before the rulers were corrupt, the individuals were enticed to idolatry, to the point where virtually all of Israel was looking down the “business end” of God’s judgment. National idolatry always begins with personal idolatry. Likewise, national holiness begins when we, as individuals, set ourselves apart to know God’s Word, obey it, and walk with Him daily.

In today’s passage, the prophet speaks for his people as he confesses that more than human wisdom is needed to guide Israel’s course. He prays that the coming judgment would be just, but ONLY just. That is, Jeremiah pleads that God’s judgment may not be in wrath to utterly destroy but in a spirit of punishment with the intent of restoration.

Ah, if they (i.e., “WE”) would have only remembered the children’s Proverb:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:5-7 (NKJV)

“This is what the Lord says: The wise must not boast in his wisdom; the mighty must not boast in his might; the rich must not boast in his riches.  But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me – that I am the Lord, showing faithful love, justice and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things.  This is the Lord’s declaration.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 (HCSB)

Today’s passage reminds me of Caleb in the book of Joshua.  Caleb was about 80 years old, yet he boasted, “I’m as strong as I ever was.”  I have heard preachers proclaim that living a clean, Godly life kept Caleb physically fit.  The way I see it, Caleb’s strength was in his acknowledgment that God was his strength!  When he was young, Caleb didn’t trust in his youthfulness, and when he was old, he didn’t cower in his frailty.  His strength was always and only in the Lord.  

This is precisely what the Lord is communicating to Judah.  Furthermore, it is what God was communicating to the Corinthian church through His messenger, the apostle Paul.

“Brothers, consider your calling: not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth.  Instead, God has chosen the World’s foolish things to shame the wise, and God has chosen the World’s weak things to shame the strong.  God has chosen the World’s insignificant and despised things – the things viewed as nothing – so He might bring to nothing the things that are viewed as something, so that no one can boast in His presence.  But from Him you are in Messiah Jesus, who for us became wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (HCSB)

“Our boast is in the Lord.” Consider that statement through the lens of God’s grace.

“For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is God’s gift – not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

Today’s passage tells us that God delights in showing His faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth.  But what does God NOT delight in?

“Tell them: As I live – the declaration of the Lord God – I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live.  Repent, repent of your evil ways!  Why will you die, oh house of Israel?” Now, son of man, say to your people: The righteousness of the righteous person will not save him on the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked person cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. The righteous person won’t be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.” Ezekiel 33:11-12 (HCSB)

God is just, and He will, by no means, clear the guilty.  But if men will turn from their sin, recognize and follow Jesus as Lord, they will be saved!  No man is so bad that he cannot have God’s grace, and none is so good that he doesn’t need it.

“‘How can you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us'? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; so what wisdom do they have? Therefore I will give their wives to others, and their fields to those who will inherit them; because from the least even to the greatest everyone is given to covetousness; from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, 'Peace, peace!' when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed, nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; in the time of their punishment they shall be cast down,’ says the Lord.” Jeremiah 8:8-12 (NKJV)

It should not surprise us that Israel departed from God’s Word and followed after the “god-themed” messages of men, which were designed to minister to men’s fleshly imaginations of God as they sought after liberty without accountability. It should not surprise us because that kind of god-themed “theology” (which denies God’s standard by stressing His grace while ignoring the certainty of His judgment) pervades the church culture of our generation. And it should not surprise us because the apostle Paul warned that such a culture would arise in the last days.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NKJV)

Surely, as we read about the “last days” of Jerusalem, we must perceive that we are living in the last days. At least these surely must be the last days of America, for God must apologize to Jerusalem (and Sodom & Gomorrah) if we exhibit the same blasphemies yet remain un-judged! Beware of the pastor who promises the peace & prosperity of God (His grace) yet disregards His holiness and judgment.

“Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Matthew 15:6b-9 (NKJV)

“‘I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,’ Says the Lord, ‘And I will heal him.’ But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. ‘There is no peace,’ Says my God, ‘for the wicked.’” Isaiah 57:19-21 (NKJV)

The peace that “passes understanding” (Philippians 4:7) is not the absence of conflict or accountability. It is the peace of knowing the Messiah and obeying His Word.

“But look, you keep trusting in deceitful words that cannot help. Do you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known? Then do you come and stand before Me in this house called by My name and say, ‘We are delivered, so we can continue doing all these detestable acts!’ Has this house, which is called by name, become a den of robbers in your view? Yes, I too have seen it.”  Jeremiah 7:8-11 (HCSB)

One cannot read today’s passage without thinking about Jesus clearing the Temple.

“They came to Jerusalem, and He went into the Temple complex and began to throw out those buying and selling in the Temple. He overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the chairs of those selling doves and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the Temple complex. Then he began to teach them: ‘Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,” but you have made it into a den of robbers!”  Mark 11:15-17 (HCSB)

So, what is the source of such evil in the Lord’s house? The people had abandoned God’s Word and chosen to trust in deceitful words…words that please the listener with false promises and infuriate the Lord. When Jesus cleared the Temple, He was harkening to Israel’s past apostasy and God’s judgment of it, addressing their present-day apostasy and prophesying that the Temple would once again be destroyed unless the people repented.

When I travel to Israel in the summers, I always visit the “old city” of Jerusalem. A visit to Jerusalem is never complete without some time at the Western Wall. Perhaps you have seen pictures of that site, hundreds of Orthodox Jews (and tourists) praying. The place where they are gathered is actually part of the remains of the support/foundation for the Temple Mount. None of the actual Temple remains; it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

Many visitors at the Western Wall ask, “Why would the Lord allow for His Temple to be destroyed?” I’m always soberly reminded of today’s chapter, especially verses 12-15.    

“‘But return to My place that was at Shiloh, where I made My name dwell first. See what I did to it because of the evil of My people Israel. Now, because you have done all these things’ – this is the Lord’s declaration – ‘and because I have spoken to you time and time again, but you wouldn’t listen, and I have called to you, but you wouldn’t answer, what I did to Shiloh I will do to the house that is called by My name – the house in which you trust – the place that I gave to you and your ancestors. I will drive you from My presence, just as I drove out all of your brothers, all the descendants of Ephraim.’” Jeremiah 7:12-15 (HCSB)

Oh Lord, as we search Your Word each day, teach us what You require of us, that we may be a people who are holy and pleasing to You!

“Who can I speak to and give such a warning that they will listen? Look, their ear is uncircumcised, so they cannot pay attention. See, the Word of the Lord has become contemptible to them – they find no pleasure in it. But I am full of the Lord’s wrath; I am tired of holding it back.” Jeremiah 6:10-11a (HCSB)

For all of my adult life, I have been in the Christian music business. Writing songs leads to recording; recording leads to touring, and touring has led me through the doorways of over 1000 churches in all 50 of our United States. The Lord has given me a privileged survey of the “church-at-large” in America, and one consistent trend I have noticed is a departure from the Bible. More and more, I see preachers who use the Bible to teach lessons but have no strategy to comprehensively teach the whole counsel of God to their congregations. Less and less does a pastor even carry his Bible to the pulpit. So, is it any wonder that today’s Church strives for cultural relevance more than Biblical adherence? They are more preoccupied with “not offending” non-believers than with offending God. When did systems & processes replace soul-winning and proclamation?

What is sad about today’s chapter is how it seems to describe the present-day Church in America as much as it describes ancient Judah and Jerusalem. Why wouldn’t people accept Jeremiah’s message? They could not distinguish Jeremiah’s words from those of the false prophets and wicked priests.  

“For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the brokenness of my people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace.” Jeremiah 6:13-14 (NASB)

And why couldn’t they distinguish truth from falsehood? Because they had abandoned the Word of the Lord, the ancient path which leads to what is good.

“This is what the Lord says: Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths: Which is the way to what is good? Then take it and find rest for yourselves. But they protested, ‘We won’t!’ I appointed watchmen over you and said: Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn. But they protested, ‘We won’t listen!’” Jeremiah 6:16-17 (HCSB)

Notice that Jeremiah alludes that there is more than one “ancient path,” but only ONE leads to what is good. Jesus says,

“…I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (HCSB)

Why do we believers study God’s Word every day? To honor, worship, and obey Him, to nurture our personal relationships with Him so we won’t get fooled again!

“Listen, earth! I am about to bring disaster on these people, the fruit of their own plotting, for they paid no attention to My Word. They have rejected My instruction.” Jeremiah 6:19 (HCSB)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Jeremiah 5. Click the links below to watch or listen now!