Jeremiah-The Crisis Continues

Lesson #7 for November 14, 2015

Scriptures: [Jeremiah 9; 10:1-15; 26; Romans 1:25; Acts 5:34-41; 17:30][i].

1.    As we suggested back at the beginning of this series, the book of Jeremiah is almost an autobiography of the life of Jeremiah. This lesson continues the challenges we studied in our last lesson. As we noted in lesson 5, the book is not organized chronologically.

2.    As we look back on the experiences of Jeremiah and the people of Jerusalem, their reluctance to follow the advice of Jeremiah seems incredibly foolish and sad. God continued to call for repentance and offer them forgiveness. But, we need to remember that 1 Corinthians 10:11ii tells us that what happened in the Scriptures happened for our benefit and our instruction, especially those of us who live near the end of this earth’s history. Have we learned anything?

3.    Read Jeremiah 9iii. This chapter is primarily a funeral lament. God through Jeremiah was lamenting the terrible things that had happened to His people. But, He also outlined why those things were happening. The people were unfaithful, liars, dishonest, continually doing evil, refusing to acknowledge God, deceitful, untrustworthy, slanderers, violent, deceitful, with tongues like deadly arrows, etc. (Compare 2 Kings 17:7-23iv.) What should God do with people behaving like that? What would God say about our world today? He repeated the warning that had been given many times, saying that when the people had abandoned God and stubbornly worshiped Baal, there was nothing more even God could do for them. So, God concluded by telling them to teach their children how to mourn because death was coming. “Dead bodies are scattered everywhere like piles of manure on the fields.” (Jeremiah 9:22, GNB)

4.    So, what was God’s advice after this lament? Jeremiah 9:23-24 is a very interesting response.

23    The LORD says, “The wise should not boast of their wisdom,

nor the strong of their strength, nor the rich of their wealth.

24    If anyone wants to boast, he should boast that he knows and understands me,

because my love is constant, and I do what is just and right.

These are the things that please me. I, the LORD, have spoken.”—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation (2nd ed., Jeremiah 9:23-24). New York: American Bible Society.

5.    What are the implications of these verses? Do we ever want to boast of our wisdom? Or, strength? Or, wealth? Do you know anyone who boasts of his knowledge about God? Should we? Think of the implications of the following quotation.

Those who think of the result of hastening or hindering the gospel think of it in relation to themselves and to the world. Few think of its relation to God. Few give thought to the suffering that sin has caused our Creator. All heaven suffered in Christ’s agony; but that suffering did not begin or end with His manifestation in humanity. The cross is a revelation to our dull senses of the pain that, from its very inception, sin has brought to the heart of God.

Every departure from the right, every deed of cruelty, every failure of humanity to reach His ideal, brings grief to Him. When there came upon Israel the calamities that were the sure result of separation from God-subjugation by their enemies, cruelty, and death,-it is said that “His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.” “In all their affliction He was afflicted: . . . and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” Judges 10:16; Isaiah 63:9.—Ellen G. White, Education, p. 263.1. [Bold type is added.]

6.    Every time we sin, we not only damage ourselves, but also we hurt and grieve God. So, what does the cross tell us about the loving-kindness, wisdom, justice, and righteousness of God?

7.    When people are being killed right and left not only by enemy armies but also by people who should have been their friends, what protection is there for anyone?

8.    Is there a difference between God’s justice and His righteousness? The cross deals especially with God’s vindication-proof that He is the One who has told us the truth about sin leading to death! The cross was not primarily about us, but about Him.

9.    Read Jeremiah 10:1-15[v]. Compare Isaiah 44:9-20vi. When God started to make fun of idols and those who produced them, how does that make you feel? Is it a time to laugh? Or, cry? Idolatry in any form is foolish. The only thing worth worshiping is a God who is worth it. Is God just making fun of idolaters because He does not know what else to do? Or, does He recognize the truth that we become like what we worship and admire: “May all who made them and who trust in them become like the idols they have made.” Psalm 115:2-8 (GNB). God was weeping over the destruction-the self-destruction-of His children. Why would people choose to worship an inanimate object that they have made with their own hands as if it could help them instead of worshiping the Almighty Creator God? Why were the Jews so attracted to the pagan fertility cults of their neighbors? Did they really think it would increase their wealth by improving their crops or making their animals more productive? Did they have any real evidence for that?

10.    What is attractive about sin in our day? You can do what your selfishness wants! Does the Devil promise more prosperity? More leisure? More entertainment? More popularity?

11.    Read Jeremiah 26:1 -6vii. Compare [Jeremiah 7:1-4,18; 44:17-25]viii. The people of Jerusalem were convinced that the God who had helped build Solomon’s Temple would never allow it to be destroyed. So, they thought that by sticking close to that temple, they would be safe even though they were worshiping their fertility gods right inside that temple! Then, in Jeremiah 26, Jeremiah directly attacked that idea saying that if they continued to disobey God, that temple would be destroyed just as was the temple at Shiloh. (See 1 Samuel 4.) God cannot bless us in disobedience. The Jews were doing things far worse than what the Canaanites that they had driven out or killed had done! (2 Kings 21:11)

12.    Read [2 Chronicles 6:37-39; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Ezekiel 14:6; Matthew 3:2; Luke 24:47; Acts 17:30; Romans 3:23]ix. All through Scripture, God has appealed to us to turn away from our sinful ways, repent, and come back to Him. Finally, God reaches the place where He says repeatedly I cannot bless you because you are obeying Me; rather, I must do it for My own name’s sake. Isaiah 48:9-11[x]. Compare Daniel 9:16-19xi. See the handout “For My Own Name’s Sake” under Teachers Guides, Major Prophets, and Ezekiel, at www.Theox.org.

13.    Is God desperate in our day to do something for His own name’s sake? Are we representing Him correctly? Or, is He going to have to do something to try to preserve His own reputation in our day in spite of us? Have we ever prayed for God’s reputation? Do we deserve punishment as suggested by the Bible Study Guide?

14.    What was the response of the priests and the prophets and most of the people when they heard Jeremiah saying that Solomon’s Temple would be destroyed as Shiloh had been? They wanted to kill him. (Jeremiah 26:7-11xii) And what was Jeremiah’s response? Go ahead and kill me; but, understand that the words I have spoken are from God. And if you kill me, you are killing an innocent man who was sent to give you this warning. (Jeremiah 26:12-15xiii)

15.    What reason could one possibly give for the response of the Jewish leaders-the priests and the prophets-who wanted to kill Jeremiah as recorded in Jeremiah 9?

16.    In most parts of the world today, we are not being threatened with death if we claim to be Christians. Is that because we are not representing God as we should? How do you explain 2 Timothy 3:12? “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (GNB)

17.    Wasn’t it supposed to be the work of the priests and the prophets to lead people back to God? Shouldn’t they have recognized Jeremiah’s calling and repeated his messages? Finally, some of the leaders and some of the people turned to the priests and prophets and repeated Jeremiah’s words that he was speaking on behalf of the Lord their God, and they insisted that he should not be put to death. Then, they reminded their friends of the experience of Micah, who was not killed, in the days of Hezekiah. Jeremiah was not preaching a new message; he was just repeating what had been said more than 100 years earlier by Micah.

18.    Unfortunately, Jeremiah 26:20-23xiv tells us that King Jehoiakim pursued another prophet by the name of Uriah and had him killed and his body thrown out into the public burial ground. So, those threats against Jeremiah were not idle ones. Jeremiah 26:24 (GNB) says: “But because I had the support of Ahikam son of Shaphan, I was not handed over to the people and killed.” Jeremiah had at least a few important people on his side. Unfortunately, that was not the end of the hatred of the priests and the prophets against Jeremiah. His death was temporarily averted, but their anger and desire for revenge only increased. Compare the story of Stephen as recorded in Acts 7xv. If you can not win the argument, kill your opponent!

19.    There have been other times in sacred history when someone with a little bit of sense spoke up on behalf of some of God’s faithful people. Read Acts 5:34-41xvi where it is recorded that Gamaliel spoke out in defense of Peter and John.

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). No doubt we can look around in nature, in human relationships, and in the marvels of the creation itself and get a view of God’s love, however much sin has damaged that creation as well as our ability to appreciate or even read it correctly. But at the cross, veils were torn off, and the world was given the starkest and sharpest revelation possible of that love-a love so great that it led to what Ellen G. White called “the sundering of the divine powers.”—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 924. (As quoted in Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for Friday, November 13.)

20.    What was Ellen White talking about when she said that at the cross there was a “sundering of the divine powers”? Is it possible to tear God asunder? What would that mean?

21.    As egocentric human beings, we like to focus on what God has done for us. And that is not wrong; but, we know that He did go beyond that. We need to understand the central theme of Scripture and the impact of the great controversy. Would sin have been eliminated completely from the universe if Adam and Eve had not sinned? What about the rebellion that started in heaven? (Revelation 12xvii) God would still have had to deal with that even if we had not joined Satan’s side. Do we really understand and believe that sin leads to death?

22.    We tend to make fun of people who worshiped metal idols, or stone idols, or even animals in ancient times. But, what are we in danger of making into an idol in our day?

23.    What exactly should be the role of repentance in our lives on a day-by-day basis? What does repentance really mean? The Greek word metanoia translated repentance means “changing your mind.” God wants us to come into “at-one-ment” with Him-to be “in tune” with Him!

24.    Review Jeremiah 9:23-24xviii. What does to know God really mean? The word yada’ was first used in Scripture to describe Adam knowing his wife, and then she gave birth to a son. To really know God means eternal life. (John 17:3xix) Is God calling on us just to develop an intellectual knowledge of what God is all about? Or, is He calling us to a much more personal and intimate kind of knowing? How can we come to know Someone whom we cannot see or physically hear? With the help of the Holy Spirit, can we understand Him? The Bible is God’s story.

25.    What would it mean to boast about God in our day? Repeated studies have shown that one of the most effective evangelistic tools that a person can use is to talk about what God has done for him or her. Would that be a kind of boasting about God?

26.    How does God feel about those who turn away from Him? How do you understand the funeral lament in Jeremiah 9? Compare Hosea 11:7-8xx. But, eventually, if we continue running away from God as fast as we can go, God will let us go. (Hosea 4:16-17xxi)

27.    Does really knowing God as a Friend impact the way you live? Would your neighbors and family members be able to tell if you are truly God’s friend?

28.    Read Jeremiah 10:1-15xxii. Compare Romans 1:25xxiii. It is God’s plan that His love and His character become a part of our lives on a day-by-day basis. We cannot do that on our own. The Holy Spirit must come in and transform us. (Great Controversy 555) But, when we refuse to yield to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we will find ourselves worshiping other things-creatures instead of the Creator.

29.    People have worshiped the most incredible things down through history. The ancient Egyptians worshiped frogs, flies, and almost anything that seemed to have a prodigious capacity to reproduce. People made idols out of wood, stone, metal, and sometimes beautiful combinations of the these.

30.    Some of those ancient peoples probably would have said that they were not really worshiping the metal, the wood, or the stone but rather the “god” behind those materials. What is wrong with worshiping an image to God instead of God directly? (Review Exodus 20:4-6xxiv.) We know that today there are large Christian churches that have numerous icons which they worship as representing saints or God. It is sometimes suggested that those icons are necessary because uneducated people need them to understand biblical truths. Is that true? How would you answer someone who made that argument?

31.    The weeping of Jeremiah as recorded in Jeremiah 9 was really the weeping of God. Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus. (John 11:35xxv) But, He was about to change things at that time. His much more serious lament was over Jerusalem as He watched from the top of the Mount of Olives. (Matthew 23:37-39; Luke 13:34-35)xxvi They were ready to make Him king.

32.    Are we ready to stand up for God as Jeremiah did? And as Peter, John, and Stephen did? (See [Jeremiah 26:17-24; Acts 5:34-41; 7xxvii].)

33.    Have you ever tried to set aside all earthly distractions such as cell phone, television, iPad, tablet, computer, and television for 24-hours so you could focus on God? How much might that impact us? Would it be worth a try?

i-Jeremiah 9; (GNT)

9 I wish my head were a well of water,

and my eyes a fountain of tears,

so that I could cry day and night

for my people who have been killed.

2 I wish I had a place to stay in the desert

where I could get away from my people.

They are all unfaithful,

a mob of traitors.

3 They are always ready to tell lies;

dishonesty instead of truth rules the land.

The LORD says,

“My people do one evil thing after another

and do not acknowledge me as their God.”

4 Everyone must be on guard against their friends,

and no one can trust their relatives;

for all relatives are as deceitful as Jacob,

and everyone slanders their friends.

5-6 They all mislead their friends,

and no one tells the truth;

they have taught their tongues to lie

and will not give up their sinning.

They do one violent thing after another,

and one deceitful act follows another.

The LORD says that his people reject him.

7 Because of this the LORD Almighty says,

“I will refine my people like metal

and put them to the test.

My people have done evil—

what else can I do with them?

8 Their tongues are like deadly arrows;

they always tell lies.

Everyone speaks friendly words to their neighbors,

but they are really setting a trap for them.

9 Will I not punish them for these things?

Will I not take revenge on a nation like this?

I, the LORD, have spoken.”

10 I said, “I will mourn for the mountains

and weep for the pastures,

because they have dried up,

and no one travels through them.

The sound of livestock is no longer heard;

birds and wild animals have fled and gone.”

11 The LORD says, “I will make Jerusalem a pile of ruins,

a place where jackals live;

the cities of Judah will become a desert,

a place where no one lives.”

12 I asked, “LORD, why is the land devastated and dry as a desert, so that no one travels through it? Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom have you explained it so that they can tell others?”

13 The LORD answered, “This has happened because my people have abandoned the teaching that I gave them. They have not obeyed me or done what I told them. 14 Instead, they have been stubborn and have worshiped the idols of Baal as their ancestors taught them to do. 15 So then, listen to what I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, will do: I will give my people bitter plants to eat and poison to drink. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have heard about, and I will send armies against them until I have completely destroyed them.”

The People of Jerusalem Cry Out for Help

17 The LORD Almighty said,

“Think about what is happening!

Call for the mourners to come,

for the women who sing funeral songs.”

18 The people said,

“Tell them to hurry and sing a funeral song for us,

until our eyes fill with tears,

and our eyelids are wet from crying.”

19 Listen to the sound of crying in Zion:

“We are ruined!

We are completely disgraced!

We must leave our land;

our homes have been torn down.”

20 I said,

“Listen to the LORD, you women,

and pay attention to his words.

Teach your daughters how to mourn,

and your friends how to sing a funeral song.

21 Death has come in through our windows

and entered our palaces;

it has cut down the children in the streets

and the young men in the marketplaces.

22 Dead bodies are scattered everywhere,

like piles of manure on the fields,

like grain cut and left behind by the reapers,

grain that no one gathers.

This is what the LORD has told me to say.”

23 The LORD says,

“The wise should not boast of their wisdom,

nor the strong of their strength,

nor the rich of their wealth.

24 If any want to boast,

they should boast that they know and understand me,

because my love is constant,

and I do what is just and right.

These are the things that please me.

I, the LORD, have spoken.”

25-26 The LORD says, “The time is coming when I will punish the people of Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and the desert people, who have their hair cut short.[a] All these people are circumcised, but have not kept the covenant it symbolizes. None of these people and none of the people of Israel have kept my covenant.”

Footnotes:

1. Jeremiah 9:25 The desert people cut their hair short in honor of their god, a pagan practice forbidden to the Israelites (see Lv 19.27).

10:1-15; Idolatry and True Worship

10 People of Israel, listen to the message that the LORD has for you. 2 He says,

“Do not follow the ways of other nations;

do not be disturbed by unusual sights in the sky,

even though other nations are terrified.

3 The religion of these people is worthless.

A tree is cut down in the forest;

it is carved by the tools of the woodworker

4     and decorated with silver and gold.

It is fastened down with nails

to keep it from falling over.

5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a field of melons;

they cannot speak;

they have to be carried

because they cannot walk.

Do not be afraid of them:

they can cause you no harm,

and they can do you no good.”

6 LORD, there is no one like you;

you are mighty,

and your name is great and powerful.

7 Who would not honor you, the king of all nations?

You deserve to be honored.

There is no one like you

among all the wise men of the nations

or among any of their kings.

8 All of them are stupid and foolish.

What can they learn from wooden idols?[a]

9 Their idols are covered with silver from Spain

and with gold from Uphaz,

all the work of artists;

they are dressed in violet and purple cloth

woven by skilled weavers.

10 But you, LORD, are the true God,

you are the living God

and the eternal king.

When you are angry, the world trembles;

the nations cannot endure your anger.

(11 You people must tell them that the gods who did not make the earth and the sky will be destroyed. They will no longer exist anywhere on earth.)

A Hymn of Praise to God

12 The LORD made the earth by his power;

by his wisdom he created the world

and stretched out the heavens.

13 At his command the waters above the sky[b] roar;

he brings clouds from the ends of the earth.

He makes lightning flash in the rain

and sends the wind from his storeroom.

14 At the sight of this, people feel stupid and senseless;

those who make idols are disillusioned,

because the gods they make are false and lifeless.

15 They are worthless and should be despised;

they will be destroyed when the LORD comes to deal with them.

26; Jeremiah Is Brought to Trial

26 Soon after Jehoiakim son of Josiah became king of Judah, 2 the LORD said to me, “Stand in the court of the Temple and proclaim all I have commanded you to say to the people who come from the towns of Judah to worship there. Do not leave out anything. 3 Perhaps the people will listen and give up their evil ways. If they do, then I will change my mind about the destruction I plan to bring on them for all their wicked deeds.”

4 The LORD told me to say to the people, “I, the LORD, have said that you must obey me by following the teaching that I gave you, 5 and by paying attention to the words of my servants, the prophets, whom I have kept on sending to you. You have never obeyed what they said. 6 If you continue to disobey, then I will do to this Temple what I did to Shiloh,[a] and all the nations of the world will use the name of this city as a curse.”

7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard me saying these things in the Temple, 8 and as soon as I had finished all that the LORD had commanded me to speak, they grabbed me and shouted, “You ought to be killed for this! 9 Why have you said in the LORD's name that this Temple will become like Shiloh and that this city will be destroyed and no one will live in it?” Then the people crowded around me.

10 When the leaders of Judah heard what had happened, they hurried from the royal palace to the Temple and took their places at the New Gate. 11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the leaders and to the people, “This man deserves to be sentenced to death because he has spoken against our city. You heard him with your own ears.”

12 Then I said, “The LORD sent me to proclaim everything that you heard me say against this Temple and against this city. 13 You must change the way you are living and the things you are doing, and must obey the LORD your God. If you do, he will change his mind about the destruction that he said he would bring on you. 14 As for me, I am in your power! Do with me whatever you think is fair and right. 15 But be sure of this: if you kill me, you and the people of this city will be guilty of killing an innocent man, because it is the LORD who sent me to give you this warning.”

16 Then the leaders and the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man spoke to us in the name of the LORD our God; he should not be put to death.”

17 After that, some of the elders stood up and said to the people who had gathered, 18 “When Hezekiah was king of Judah, the prophet Micah of Moresheth told all the people that the LORD Almighty had said,

‘Zion will be plowed like a field;

Jerusalem will become a pile of ruins,

and the Temple hill will become a forest.’ 19 King Hezekiah and the people of Judah did not put Micah to death. Instead, Hezekiah honored the LORD and tried to win his favor. And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he said he would bring on them. Now we are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves.”

20 (There was another man, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim, who spoke in the name of the LORD against this city and nation just as Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim and his soldiers and officials heard what Uriah had said, the king tried to have him killed. But Uriah heard about it; so he fled in terror and escaped to Egypt. 22 King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan son of Achbor and some other men to Egypt to get Uriah. 23 They brought him back to King Jehoiakim, who had him killed and his body thrown into the public burial ground.)

24 But because I had the support of Ahikam son of Shaphan, I was not handed over to the people and killed.

Romans 1:25;

25 They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever! Amen.

Acts 5:34-41;

34 But one of them, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the Law and was highly respected by all the people, stood up in the Council. He ordered the apostles to be taken out for a while, 35 and then he said to the Council, “Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men. 36 You remember that Theudas appeared some time ago, claiming to be somebody great, and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, all his followers were scattered, and his movement died out. 37 After that, Judas the Galilean appeared during the time of the census; he drew a crowd after him, but he also was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 And so in this case, I tell you, do not take any action against these men. Leave them alone! If what they have planned and done is of human origin, it will disappear, 39 but if it comes from God, you cannot possibly defeat them. You could find yourselves fighting against God!”

The Council followed Gamaliel's advice. 40 They called the apostles in, had them whipped, and ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus; and then they set them free. 41 As the apostles left the Council, they were happy, because God had considered them worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of Jesus.

17:30

30 God has overlooked the times when people did not know him, but now he commands all of them everywhere to turn away from their evil ways.

ii-1 Corinthians 10:11

11 All these things happened to them as examples for others, and they were written down as a warning for us. For we live at a time when the end is about to come.

iii-Jeremiah 9(GNT)

9 I wish my head were a well of water,

and my eyes a fountain of tears,

so that I could cry day and night

for my people who have been killed.

2 I wish I had a place to stay in the desert

where I could get away from my people.

They are all unfaithful,

a mob of traitors.

3 They are always ready to tell lies;

dishonesty instead of truth rules the land.

The LORD says,

“My people do one evil thing after another

and do not acknowledge me as their God.”

4 Everyone must be on guard against their friends,

and no one can trust their relatives;

for all relatives are as deceitful as Jacob,

and everyone slanders their friends.

5-6 They all mislead their friends,

and no one tells the truth;

they have taught their tongues to lie

and will not give up their sinning.

They do one violent thing after another,

and one deceitful act follows another.

The LORD says that his people reject him.

7 Because of this the LORD Almighty says,

“I will refine my people like metal

and put them to the test.

My people have done evil—

what else can I do with them?

8 Their tongues are like deadly arrows;

they always tell lies.

Everyone speaks friendly words to their neighbors,

but they are really setting a trap for them.

9 Will I not punish them for these things?

Will I not take revenge on a nation like this?

I, the LORD, have spoken.”

10 I said, “I will mourn for the mountains

and weep for the pastures,

because they have dried up,

and no one travels through them.

The sound of livestock is no longer heard;

birds and wild animals have fled and gone.”

11 The LORD says, “I will make Jerusalem a pile of ruins,

a place where jackals live;

the cities of Judah will become a desert,

a place where no one lives.”

12 I asked, “LORD, why is the land devastated and dry as a desert, so that no one travels through it? Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom have you explained it so that they can tell others?”

13 The LORD answered, “This has happened because my people have abandoned the teaching that I gave them. They have not obeyed me or done what I told them. 14 Instead, they have been stubborn and have worshiped the idols of Baal as their ancestors taught them to do. 15 So then, listen to what I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, will do: I will give my people bitter plants to eat and poison to drink. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have heard about, and I will send armies against them until I have completely destroyed them.”

The People of Jerusalem Cry Out for Help

17 The LORD Almighty said,

“Think about what is happening!

Call for the mourners to come,

for the women who sing funeral songs.”

18 The people said,

“Tell them to hurry and sing a funeral song for us,

until our eyes fill with tears,

and our eyelids are wet from crying.”

19 Listen to the sound of crying in Zion:

“We are ruined!

We are completely disgraced!

We must leave our land;

our homes have been torn down.”

20 I said,

“Listen to the LORD, you women,

and pay attention to his words.

Teach your daughters how to mourn,

and your friends how to sing a funeral song.

21 Death has come in through our windows

and entered our palaces;

it has cut down the children in the streets

and the young men in the marketplaces.

22 Dead bodies are scattered everywhere,

like piles of manure on the fields,

like grain cut and left behind by the reapers,

grain that no one gathers.

This is what the LORD has told me to say.”

23 The LORD says,

“The wise should not boast of their wisdom,

nor the strong of their strength,

nor the rich of their wealth.

24 If any want to boast,

they should boast that they know and understand me,

because my love is constant,

and I do what is just and right.

These are the things that please me.

I, the LORD, have spoken.”

25-26 The LORD says, “The time is coming when I will punish the people of Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and the desert people, who have their hair cut short.[a] All these people are circumcised, but have not kept the covenant it symbolizes. None of these people and none of the people of Israel have kept my covenant.”

Footnotes:

1. Jeremiah 9:25 The desert people cut their hair short in honor of their god, a pagan practice forbidden to the Israelites (see Lv 19.27).

iv-2 Kings 17:7-23

7 Samaria fell because the Israelites sinned against the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the king of Egypt and had led them out of Egypt. They worshiped other gods, 8 followed the customs of the people whom the LORD had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel.[a] 9 The Israelites did[b] things that the LORD their God disapproved of. They built pagan places of worship in all their towns, from the smallest village to the largest city. 10 On all the hills and under every shady tree they put up stone pillars and images of the goddess Asherah, 11 and they burned incense on all the pagan altars, following the practice of the people whom the LORD had driven out of the land. They aroused the LORD's anger with all their wicked deeds 12 and disobeyed the LORD's command not to worship idols.

13 The LORD had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: “Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets.” 14 But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the LORD their God. 15 They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the LORD's command not to imitate them. 16 They broke all the laws of the LORD their God and made two metal bull-calves to worship; they also made an image of the goddess Asherah, worshiped the stars, and served the god Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the LORD's sight, and so aroused his anger. 18 The LORD was angry with the Israelites and banished them from his sight, leaving only the kingdom of Judah.

19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the LORD their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel. 20 The LORD rejected all the Israelites, punishing them and handing them over to cruel enemies until at last he had banished them from his sight.

21 After the LORD had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the LORD and led them into terrible sins. 22 They followed Jeroboam and continued to practice all the sins he had committed, 23 until at last the LORD banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live.

Footnotes:

1. 2 Kings 17:8 Probable text and adopted … Israel; Hebrew unclear.

2. 2 Kings 17:9 did; or said.

v-Jeremiah 10:1-15 Idolatry and True Worship

10 People of Israel, listen to the message that the LORD has for you. 2 He says,

“Do not follow the ways of other nations;

do not be disturbed by unusual sights in the sky,

even though other nations are terrified.

3 The religion of these people is worthless.

A tree is cut down in the forest;

it is carved by the tools of the woodworker

4     and decorated with silver and gold.

It is fastened down with nails

to keep it from falling over.

5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a field of melons;

they cannot speak;

they have to be carried

because they cannot walk.

Do not be afraid of them:

they can cause you no harm,

and they can do you no good.”

6 LORD, there is no one like you;

you are mighty,

and your name is great and powerful.

7 Who would not honor you, the king of all nations?

You deserve to be honored.

There is no one like you

among all the wise men of the nations

or among any of their kings.

8 All of them are stupid and foolish.

What can they learn from wooden idols?[a]

9 Their idols are covered with silver from Spain

and with gold from Uphaz,

all the work of artists;

they are dressed in violet and purple cloth

woven by skilled weavers.

10 But you, LORD, are the true God,

you are the living God

and the eternal king.

When you are angry, the world trembles;

the nations cannot endure your anger.

(11 You people must tell them that the gods who did not make the earth and the sky will be destroyed. They will no longer exist anywhere on earth.)

A Hymn of Praise to God

12 The LORD made the earth by his power;

by his wisdom he created the world

and stretched out the heavens.

13 At his command the waters above the sky[b] roar;

he brings clouds from the ends of the earth.

He makes lightning flash in the rain

and sends the wind from his storeroom.

14 At the sight of this, people feel stupid and senseless;

those who make idols are disillusioned,

because the gods they make are false and lifeless.

15 They are worthless and should be despised;

they will be destroyed when the LORD comes to deal with them.

Footnotes:

1. Jeremiah 10:8 What can … idols?; or What their idols teach is worthless.

2. Jeremiah 10:13 See Gn 1.6-8.

vi-Isaiah 44:9-20 Idolatry Is Ridiculed

9 All those who make idols are worthless, and the gods they prize so highly are useless. Those who worship these gods are blind and ignorant—and they will be disgraced. 10 It does no good to make a metal image to worship as a god! 11 Everyone who worships it will be humiliated. The people who make idols are human beings and nothing more. Let them come and stand trial—they will be terrified and will suffer disgrace.

12 The metalworker takes a piece of metal and works with it over a fire. His strong arm swings a hammer to pound the metal into shape. As he works, he gets hungry, thirsty, and tired.

13 The carpenter measures the wood. He outlines a figure with chalk, carves it out with his tools, and makes it in the form of a man, a handsome human figure, to be placed in his house. 14 He might cut down cedars to use, or choose oak or cypress wood from the forest. Or he might plant a laurel tree and wait for the rain to make it grow. 15 A person uses part of a tree for fuel and part of it for making an idol. With one part he builds a fire to warm himself and bake bread; with the other part he makes a god and worships it. 16 With some of the wood he makes a fire; he roasts meat, eats it, and is satisfied. He warms himself and says, “How nice and warm! What a beautiful fire!” 17 The rest of the wood he makes into an idol, and then he bows down and worships it. He prays to it and says, “You are my god—save me!”

18 Such people are too stupid to know what they are doing. They close their eyes and their minds to the truth. 19 The maker of idols hasn't the wit or the sense to say, “Some of the wood I burned up. I baked some bread on the coals, and I roasted meat and ate it. And the rest of the wood I made into an idol. Here I am bowing down to a block of wood!”

20 It makes as much sense[a] as eating ashes. His foolish ideas have so misled him that he is beyond help. He won't admit to himself that the idol he holds in his hand is not a god at all.

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 44:20 It makes as much sense; or It will do him as much good.

vii-Jeremiah 26:1 -6 Jeremiah Is Brought to Trial

26 Soon after Jehoiakim son of Josiah became king of Judah, 2 the LORD said to me, “Stand in the court of the Temple and proclaim all I have commanded you to say to the people who come from the towns of Judah to worship there. Do not leave out anything. 3 Perhaps the people will listen and give up their evil ways. If they do, then I will change my mind about the destruction I plan to bring on them for all their wicked deeds.”

4 The LORD told me to say to the people, “I, the LORD, have said that you must obey me by following the teaching that I gave you, 5 and by paying attention to the words of my servants, the prophets, whom I have kept on sending to you. You have never obeyed what they said. 6 If you continue to disobey, then I will do to this Temple what I did to Shiloh,[a] and all the nations of the world will use the name of this city as a curse.”

Footnotes:

1. Jeremiah 26:6 See 7.12.

viii-Jeremiah 7:1-4,Jeremiah Preaches in the Temple

7 1-3 The LORD sent me to the gate of the Temple where the people of Judah went in to worship. He told me to stand there and announce what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, had to say to them: “Change the way you are living and the things you are doing, and I will let you go on living here. 4 Stop believing those deceitful words, ‘We are safe! This is the LORD's Temple, this is the LORD's Temple, this is the LORD's Temple!’

18;

18 The children gather firewood, the men build fires, and the women mix dough to bake cakes for the goddess they call the Queen of Heaven. They also pour out offerings of wine to other gods, in order to hurt me.

44:17-25

17 We will do everything that we said we would. We will offer sacrifices to our goddess, the Queen of Heaven, and we will pour out wine offerings to her, just as we and our ancestors, our king and our leaders, used to do in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Then we had plenty of food, we were prosperous, and had no troubles. 18 But ever since we stopped sacrificing to the Queen of Heaven and stopped pouring out wine offerings to her, we have had nothing, and our people have died in war and of starvation.”

19 And the women added, “When we baked cakes shaped like the Queen of Heaven, offered sacrifices to her, and poured out wine offerings to her, our husbands approved of what we were doing.”

20 Then I said to all the men and the women who had answered me in this way, 21 “As for the sacrifices which you and your ancestors, your kings and your leaders, and the people of the land offered in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem—do you think that the LORD did not know about them or that he forgot them? 22 This very day your land lies in ruins and no one lives in it. It has become a horrifying sight, and people use its name as a curse because the LORD could no longer endure your wicked and evil practices. 23 This present disaster has come on you because you offered sacrifices to other gods and sinned against the LORD by not obeying all his commands.”

24-25 I told all the people, especially the women, what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, was saying to the people of Judah living in Egypt: “Both you and your wives have made solemn promises to the Queen of Heaven. You promised that you would offer sacrifices to her and pour out wine offerings to her, and you have kept your promises. Very well, then! Keep your promises! Carry out your vows!

ix-2 Chronicles 6:37-39;

37 listen to your people's prayers. If there in that land they repent and pray to you, confessing how sinful and wicked they have been, hear their prayers, O LORD. 38 If in that land they truly and sincerely repent and pray to you as they face toward this land which you gave to our ancestors, this city which you have chosen, and this Temple which I have built for you, 39 then listen to their prayers. In your home in heaven hear them and be merciful to them and forgive all the sins of your people.

Ecclesiastes 7:20;

20 There is no one on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake.

Ezekiel 14:6;

6 “Now then, tell the Israelites what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying: Turn back and leave your disgusting idols.

Matthew 3:2;

2 “Turn away from your sins,” he said, “because the Kingdom of heaven is near!”

Luke 24:47;

47 and in his name the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be preached to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.

Acts 17:30;

30 God has overlooked the times when people did not know him, but now he commands all of them everywhere to turn away from their evil ways.

Romans 3:23

23 everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence.

x-Isaiah 48:9-11(GNT)

9 “In order that people will praise my name,

I am holding my anger in check;

I am keeping it back and will not destroy you.

10 I have tested you in the fire of suffering,

as silver is refined in a furnace.

But I have found that you are worthless.

11 What I do is done for my own sake—

I will not let my name be dishonored

or let anyone else share the glory

that should be mine and mine alone.”

xi-Daniel 9:16-19

16 You have defended us in the past, so do not be angry with Jerusalem any longer. It is your city, your sacred hill.[a] All the people in the neighboring countries look down on Jerusalem and on your people because of our sins and the evil our ancestors did. 17 O God, hear my prayer and pleading. Restore your Temple, which has been destroyed; restore it so that everyone will know that you are God. 18 Listen to us, O God; look at us and see the trouble we are in and the suffering of the city that bears your name. We are praying to you because you are merciful, not because we have done right. 19 Lord, hear us. Lord, forgive us. Lord, listen to us, and act! In order that everyone will know that you are God, do not delay! This city and these people are yours.”

Footnotes:

1. Daniel 9:16 Mount Zion (see Zion in Word List).

xii-Jeremiah 26:7-11

7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard me saying these things in the Temple, 8 and as soon as I had finished all that the LORD had commanded me to speak, they grabbed me and shouted, “You ought to be killed for this! 9 Why have you said in the LORD's name that this Temple will become like Shiloh and that this city will be destroyed and no one will live in it?” Then the people crowded around me.

10 When the leaders of Judah heard what had happened, they hurried from the royal palace to the Temple and took their places at the New Gate. 11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the leaders and to the people, “This man deserves to be sentenced to death because he has spoken against our city. You heard him with your own ears.”

xiii-Jeremiah 26:12-15

12 Then I said, “The LORD sent me to proclaim everything that you heard me say against this Temple and against this city. 13 You must change the way you are living and the things you are doing, and must obey the LORD your God. If you do, he will change his mind about the destruction that he said he would bring on you. 14 As for me, I am in your power! Do with me whatever you think is fair and right. 15 But be sure of this: if you kill me, you and the people of this city will be guilty of killing an innocent man, because it is the LORD who sent me to give you this warning.”

xiv-Jeremiah 26:20-23

20 (There was another man, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim, who spoke in the name of the LORD against this city and nation just as Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim and his soldiers and officials heard what Uriah had said, the king tried to have him killed. But Uriah heard about it; so he fled in terror and escaped to Egypt. 22 King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan son of Achbor and some other men to Egypt to get Uriah. 23 They brought him back to King Jehoiakim, who had him killed and his body thrown into the public burial ground.)

xv-Acts 7:Stephen's Speech

7 The High Priest asked Stephen, “Is this true?”

2 Stephen answered, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! Before our ancestor Abraham had gone to live in Haran, the God of glory appeared to him in Mesopotamia 3 and said to him, ‘Leave your family and country and go to the land that I will show you.’ 4 And so he left his country and went to live in Haran. After Abraham's father died, God made him move to this land where you now live. 5 God did not then give Abraham any part of it as his own, not even a square foot of ground, but God promised to give it to him, and that it would belong to him and to his descendants. At the time God made this promise, Abraham had no children. 6 This is what God said to him: ‘Your descendants will live in a foreign country, where they will be slaves and will be badly treated for four hundred years. 7 But I will pass judgment on the people that they will serve, and afterward your descendants will come out of that country and will worship me in this place.’ 8 Then God gave to Abraham the ceremony of circumcision as a sign of the covenant. So Abraham circumcised Isaac a week after he was born; Isaac circumcised his son Jacob, and Jacob circumcised his twelve sons, the famous ancestors of our race.

9 “Jacob's sons became jealous of their brother Joseph and sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him 10 and brought him safely through all his troubles. When Joseph appeared before the king of Egypt, God gave him a pleasing manner and wisdom, and the king made Joseph governor over the country and the royal household. 11 Then there was a famine all over Egypt and Canaan, which caused much suffering. Our ancestors could not find any food, 12 and when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent his sons, our ancestors, on their first visit there. 13 On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and the king of Egypt came to know about Joseph's family. 14 So Joseph sent a message to his father Jacob, telling him and the whole family, seventy-five people in all, to come to Egypt. 15 Then Jacob went to Egypt, where he and his sons died. 16 Their bodies were taken to Shechem, where they were buried in the grave which Abraham had bought from the clan of Hamor for a sum of money.

17 “When the time drew near for God to keep the promise he had made to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had grown much larger. 18 At last a king who did not know about Joseph began to rule in Egypt. 19 He tricked our ancestors and was cruel to them, forcing them to put their babies out of their homes, so that they would die. 20 It was at this time that Moses was born, a very beautiful child. He was cared for at home for three months, 21 and when he was put out of his home, the king's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22 He was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man in words and deeds.

23 “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to find out how his fellow Israelites were being treated. 24 He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his help and took revenge on the Egyptian by killing him. (25 He thought that his own people would understand that God was going to use him to set them free, but they did not understand.) 26 The next day he saw two Israelites fighting, and he tried to make peace between them. ‘Listen, men,’ he said, ‘you are fellow Israelites; why are you fighting like this?’ 27 But the one who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?’ he asked. 28 ‘Do you want to kill me, just as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 When Moses heard this, he fled from Egypt and went to live in the land of Midian. There he had two sons.

30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 Moses was amazed by what he saw, and went near the bush to get a better look. But he heard the Lord's voice: 32 ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and dared not look. 33 The Lord said to him, ‘Take your sandals off, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have seen the cruel suffering of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans, and I have come down to set them free. Come now; I will send you to Egypt.’

35 “Moses is the one who was rejected by the people of Israel. ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?’ they asked. He is the one whom God sent to rule the people and set them free with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush. 36 He led the people out of Egypt, performing miracles and wonders in Egypt and at the Red Sea and for forty years in the desert. 37 Moses is the one who said to the people of Israel, ‘God will send you a prophet, just as he sent me,[a] and he will be one of your own people.’ 38 He is the one who was with the people of Israel assembled in the desert; he was there with our ancestors and with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and he received God's living messages to pass on to us.

39 “But our ancestors refused to obey him; they pushed him aside and wished that they could go back to Egypt. 40 So they said to Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who will lead us. We do not know what has happened to that man Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’ 41 It was then that they made an idol in the shape of a bull, offered sacrifice to it, and had a feast in honor of what they themselves had made. 42 So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the stars of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:

‘People of Israel! It was not to me

that you slaughtered and sacrificed animals

for forty years in the desert.

43 It was the tent of the god Molech that you carried,

and the image of Rephan, your star god;

they were idols that you had made to worship.

And so I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’

44 “Our ancestors had the Tent of God's presence with them in the desert. It had been made as God had told Moses to make it, according to the pattern that Moses had been shown. 45 Later on, our ancestors who received the tent from their fathers carried it with them when they went with Joshua and took over the land from the nations that God drove out as they advanced. And it stayed there until the time of David. 46 He won God's favor and asked God to allow him to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.[b] 47 But it was Solomon who built him a house.

48 “But the Most High God does not live in houses built by human hands; as the prophet says,

49 ‘Heaven is my throne, says the Lord,

and the earth is my footstool.

What kind of house would you build for me?

Where is the place for me to live in?

50 Did not I myself make all these things?’

51 “How stubborn you are!” Stephen went on to say. “How heathen your hearts, how deaf you are to God's message! You are just like your ancestors: you too have always resisted the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there any prophet that your ancestors did not persecute? They killed God's messengers, who long ago announced the coming of his righteous Servant. And now you have betrayed and murdered him. 53 You are the ones who received God's law, that was handed down by angels—yet you have not obeyed it!”

The Stoning of Stephen

54 As the members of the Council listened to Stephen, they became furious and ground their teeth at him in anger. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw God's glory and Jesus standing at the right side of God. 56 “Look!” he said. “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!”

57 With a loud cry the Council members covered their ears with their hands. Then they all rushed at him at once, 58 threw him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses left their cloaks in the care of a young man named Saul. 59 They kept on stoning Stephen as he called out to the Lord, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord! Do not remember this sin against them!” He said this and died.

Footnotes:

1. Acts 7:37 just as he sent me; or like me.

2. Acts 7:46 the God of Jacob; some manuscripts have the people of Israel.

xvi-Acts 5:34-41

34 But one of them, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the Law and was highly respected by all the people, stood up in the Council. He ordered the apostles to be taken out for a while, 35 and then he said to the Council, “Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men. 36 You remember that Theudas appeared some time ago, claiming to be somebody great, and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, all his followers were scattered, and his movement died out. 37 After that, Judas the Galilean appeared during the time of the census; he drew a crowd after him, but he also was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 And so in this case, I tell you, do not take any action against these men. Leave them alone! If what they have planned and done is of human origin, it will disappear, 39 but if it comes from God, you cannot possibly defeat them. You could find yourselves fighting against God!”

The Council followed Gamaliel's advice. 40 They called the apostles in, had them whipped, and ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus; and then they set them free. 41 As the apostles left the Council, they were happy, because God had considered them worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of Jesus.

xvii-Revelation 12:The Woman and the Dragon

12 Then a great and mysterious sight appeared in the sky. There was a woman, whose dress was the sun and who had the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was soon to give birth, and the pains and suffering of childbirth made her cry out.

3 Another mysterious sight appeared in the sky. There was a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and a crown on each of his heads. 4 With his tail he dragged a third of the stars out of the sky and threw them down to the earth. He stood in front of the woman, in order to eat her child as soon as it was born. 5 Then she gave birth to a son, who will rule over all nations with an iron rod. But the child was snatched away and taken to God and his throne. 6 The woman fled to the desert, to a place God had prepared for her, where she will be taken care of for 1,260 days.

7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; 8 but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. 9 The huge dragon was thrown out—that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, “Now God's salvation has come! Now God has shown his power as King! Now his Messiah has shown his authority! For the one who stood before our God and accused believers day and night has been thrown out of heaven. 11 They won the victory over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the truth which they proclaimed; and they were willing to give up their lives and die. 12 And so be glad, you heavens, and all you that live there! But how terrible for the earth and the sea! For the Devil has come down to you, and he is filled with rage, because he knows that he has only a little time left.”

13 When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he began to pursue the woman who had given birth to the boy. 14 She was given the two wings of a large eagle in order to fly to her place in the desert, where she will be taken care of for three and a half years, safe from the dragon's attack. 15 And then from his mouth the dragon poured out a flood of water after the woman, so that it would carry her away. 16 But the earth helped the woman; it opened its mouth and swallowed the water that had come from the dragon's mouth. 17 The dragon was furious with the woman and went off to fight against the rest of her descendants, all those who obey God's commandments and are faithful to the truth revealed by Jesus. 18 And the dragon stood[a] on the seashore.

Footnotes:

1. Revelation 12:18 And the dragon stood; some manuscripts have And I stood, connecting this verse with what follows.

xviii-Jeremiah 9:23-24(GNT)

23 The LORD says,

“The wise should not boast of their wisdom,

nor the strong of their strength,

nor the rich of their wealth.

24 If any want to boast,

they should boast that they know and understand me,

because my love is constant,

and I do what is just and right.

These are the things that please me.

I, the LORD, have spoken.”

xix-John 17:3

3 And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.

xx-Hosea 11:7-8

7 They insist on turning away from me. They will cry out because of the yoke that is on them, but no one will lift it from them.[a]

8 “How can I give you up, Israel?

How can I abandon you?

Could I ever destroy you as I did Admah,

or treat you as I did Zeboiim?

My heart will not let me do it!

My love for you is too strong.

Footnotes:

1. Hosea 11:7 Verse 7 in Hebrew is unclear.

xxi-Hosea 4:16-17

16 The people of Israel are as stubborn as mules. How can I feed them like lambs in a meadow? 17 The people of Israel are under the spell of idols. Let them go their own way.

xxii-Jeremiah 10:1-15 Idolatry and True Worship

10 People of Israel, listen to the message that the LORD has for you. 2 He says,

“Do not follow the ways of other nations;

do not be disturbed by unusual sights in the sky,

even though other nations are terrified.

3 The religion of these people is worthless.

A tree is cut down in the forest;

it is carved by the tools of the woodworker

4     and decorated with silver and gold.

It is fastened down with nails

to keep it from falling over.

5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a field of melons;

they cannot speak;

they have to be carried

because they cannot walk.

Do not be afraid of them:

they can cause you no harm,

and they can do you no good.”

6 LORD, there is no one like you;

you are mighty,

and your name is great and powerful.

7 Who would not honor you, the king of all nations?

You deserve to be honored.

There is no one like you

among all the wise men of the nations

or among any of their kings.

8 All of them are stupid and foolish.

What can they learn from wooden idols?[a]

9 Their idols are covered with silver from Spain

and with gold from Uphaz,

all the work of artists;

they are dressed in violet and purple cloth

woven by skilled weavers.

10 But you, LORD, are the true God,

you are the living God

and the eternal king.

When you are angry, the world trembles;

the nations cannot endure your anger.

(11 You people must tell them that the gods who did not make the earth and the sky will be destroyed. They will no longer exist anywhere on earth.)

A Hymn of Praise to God

12 The LORD made the earth by his power;

by his wisdom he created the world

and stretched out the heavens.

13 At his command the waters above the sky[b] roar;

he brings clouds from the ends of the earth.

He makes lightning flash in the rain

and sends the wind from his storeroom.

14 At the sight of this, people feel stupid and senseless;

those who make idols are disillusioned,

because the gods they make are false and lifeless.

15 They are worthless and should be despised;

they will be destroyed when the LORD comes to deal with them.

Footnotes:

1. Jeremiah 10:8 What can … idols?; or What their idols teach is worthless.

2. Jeremiah 10:13 See Gn 1.6-8.

xxiii-Romans 1:25

25 They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever! Amen.

xxiv-Exodus 20:4-6

4 “Do not make for yourselves images of anything in heaven or on earth or in the water under the earth. 5 Do not bow down to any idol or worship it, because I am the LORD your God and I tolerate no rivals. I bring punishment on those who hate me and on their descendants down to the third and fourth generation. 6 But I show my love to thousands of generations[a] of those who love me and obey my laws.

Footnotes:

1. Exodus 20:6 thousands of generations; or thousands.

xxv-John 11:35

35 Jesus wept.

xxvi-Matthew 23:37-39; Jesus' Love for Jerusalem

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me! 38 And so your Temple will be abandoned and empty. 39 From now on, I tell you, you will never see me again until you say, ‘God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Luke 13:34-35

34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets, you stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me! 35 And so your Temple will be abandoned. I assure you that you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

xxvii-Jeremiah 26:17-24; 17 After that, some of the elders stood up and said to the people who had gathered, 18 “When Hezekiah was king of Judah, the prophet Micah of Moresheth told all the people that the LORD Almighty had said,

‘Zion will be plowed like a field;

Jerusalem will become a pile of ruins,

and the Temple hill will become a forest.’ 19 King Hezekiah and the people of Judah did not put Micah to death. Instead, Hezekiah honored the LORD and tried to win his favor. And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he said he would bring on them. Now we are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves.”

20 (There was another man, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim, who spoke in the name of the LORD against this city and nation just as Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim and his soldiers and officials heard what Uriah had said, the king tried to have him killed. But Uriah heard about it; so he fled in terror and escaped to Egypt. 22 King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan son of Achbor and some other men to Egypt to get Uriah. 23 They brought him back to King Jehoiakim, who had him killed and his body thrown into the public burial ground.)

24 But because I had the support of Ahikam son of Shaphan, I was not handed over to the people and killed.

Acts 5:34-41; 34 But one of them, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the Law and was highly respected by all the people, stood up in the Council. He ordered the apostles to be taken out for a while, 35 and then he said to the Council, “Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men. 36 You remember that Theudas appeared some time ago, claiming to be somebody great, and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, all his followers were scattered, and his movement died out. 37 After that, Judas the Galilean appeared during the time of the census; he drew a crowd after him, but he also was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 And so in this case, I tell you, do not take any action against these men. Leave them alone! If what they have planned and done is of human origin, it will disappear, 39 but if it comes from God, you cannot possibly defeat them. You could find yourselves fighting against God!”

The Council followed Gamaliel's advice. 40 They called the apostles in, had them whipped, and ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus; and then they set them free. 41 As the apostles left the Council, they were happy, because God had considered them worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of Jesus.

7

7 About three hours later his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in.

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