Speaking for God?

. . . . I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” say all my close friends, watching for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him.” But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause. Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers. (Jeremiah 20:7–13)

Those who heard this prophet speak tried to shut him down, even kill him, yet he could not hold in the word from the Lord even when he tried to stop. Those who persecuted him were not stronger than the God who delivered him. 

A few days ago we landed in an Alaska city and took an Uber to a glacier about twenty minutes away. We arranged with the driver to pick us up in an hour and take us back to the docks. On the way, we discovered he is a Christian pastor serving in the same denomination that we do. The conversation was delightful as he had no fear of an argument or resistance from us. His transparent sharing made me wonder if I would be like that if I was the driver. Not only did he share his heart, he would not let us pay for the return trip.

This man was like Jeremiah, bold — and also like Jesus, loving and generous. His way of treating us encourages me to be like that, and that is what Christian fellowship and spiritual communion should do.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 4:29–5:2)

Christian squabbles dishonor God and what should be a fragrant offering and a sacrifice turns faith into a smelly selfishness that God will not bless. 

Jesus, this is a good reminder to me. Complaining about other Christians has a similar effect. It does not build up anyone, neither believers or those without faith who hear it. Jeremiah was given a task by You that put him in a difficult place where he must rebuke sin but not use words that would further corrupt his listeners. The only way he could do it was because You promised to protect him and You put out Your hand and touched his mouth.

God’s unexpected cure

“And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, ‘Why has the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ then you shall say to them: ‘Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the Lord, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law, and because you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me. Therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’ 
“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers. (Jeremiah 16:10–15)

This study using “therefore” is about cause and effect, not according to my feeble and usually missed by a mile guesses but according to the way God works out His will. The above passage tells His OT people that because they have turned to other gods He is going to send them to a northern land where those other gods are served exclusively. It was an odd punishment, but history says that ended idol worship for the people of Israel. The prophet goes on to say:

For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes. But first I will doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations.” O Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: “Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit. Can man make for himself gods? Such are not gods!” “Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the Lord.” (Jeremiah 16:17–21)

Think of this odd cure this way. If my child was addicted to video games, would I even suppose the making him play them all day long for weeks on end would sicken him to the point that he never wanted to do it again? Likely not. God’s ways are not our ways!

If I have a bad habit, does repeating it make me sick of it? Most are not as God-dishonoring as idolatry. Suppose I was a smoker (not true but for example) His cure might be making me smoke a carton of cigarettes in one day making me totally sick of it. 

Jesus, this “therefore” is making me think. I expect an interesting day! Besides that, we are in Glacier Bay in Alaska and told to expect all sorts of wonderful sights — and I’m thinking it unlikely that this over-exposure to them will make me want to return to my plain life!

 

No false teaching

Then I said: “Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’ ” And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although I did not send them, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not come upon this land’: By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword, with none to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their evil upon them. (Jeremiah 14:13–16)

I’ve already realized that the power of positive thinking is over-rated. However, it does not seem to motivate false prophets. I know a few of them and they are self-appointed rather than divinely called. One in particular seems driven by personal pride. Others have their own ideologies or visions, perhaps driven by the Liar whose goal is to prevent truth from changing lives. Most of them form their belief systems on fragments of Scripture rather than the whole context. 

They might be ‘nice’ people, not coming across as raving lunatics. They may also be very sincere and believable, but when it comes to spiritual truth or speaking for God, the only way to know that they are not what they claim is to know the Word of God.

The NT says we are in a battle for truth, and since lies come from the devil, it is his schemes that are designed to deceive. To counter that, we need the whole armor of God as we wrestle against his rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers — the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. The whole armor of God means knowing what is true and standing firm in it, including declaring it boldly. (Ephesians 6:10–20)

Spotting false teachers is not difficult for those who know the Word of God well. Not only that, God will eventually deal with them. It might be harsh judgment, yet if those who are caught in lies and try to teach them to others realize their error and repent, He will forgive and restore them:

Therefore thus says the Lord: “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them. And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the Lord. I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.” (Jeremiah 15:19–21)

Those who fit this category can be Christians already, just misled. Galatians 6 tells us to restore them. Conviction and correction are not the same as condemnation. We are in this battle together against falsehood, not against each other.

Jesus, grant me discernment and the ability to spot false teaching and loving ways to correct it. Also keep me from listening to lies and spot any false ideas I might have. I want You to be glorified, not spoken about in any sort of error.

No hangover

“Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O Lord, for your name’s sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you. O you hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why should you be like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night? Why should you be like a man confused, like a mighty warrior who cannot save? Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not leave us.” Thus says the Lord concerning this people: “They have loved to wander thus; they have not restrained their feet; therefore the Lord does not accept them; now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.” (Jeremiah 14:7–10)

In these NT years where God's people know total forgiveness, taking it for granted happens. If I drift into a lazidactable attitude toward even small sin with no concern for my selfish behavior, I know that Jesus died for me and that I’ve already been forgiven. Had He not done so, I could expect the wrath of God and His action against me.

Has God changed because of the Cross? What am I supposed to think about my sinfulness now that Jesus died for all of it? Take forgiveness for granted? Or act according to gratitude? Being so thankful that I don’t want to add another painful sin to the load that He bore for the entire world?

An “I’m okay” attitude happens. Or my I-wants can become so important to me that I forget the cost to Him by insisting, forgetting, taking forgiveness as a right rather than a gracious gift. This is what was happening in the days of the prophets. The people who heard Jeremiah would not listen. God said not to pray for them; they would not listen so He would not listen either. They wondered why He would not rescue them or spare them from the consequences of their folly of this “Your help is my right” attitude.

Some might say I am being too serious about this, yet better that than being not serious enough. Jesus died for me. Should I not live for Him? Jesus lives in me. Should I not shut down all that keeps His life from being in charge of everything I do?

Jesus, I am looking out a stateroom window of a large ship at the beauty of Juno, Alaska. Some people on this ship will go ashore and hit the bars. Others will marvel at the beauty of what You have done here and find joy in that. I want my ‘hangover’ from this trip to last forever, just like I want the attitudes and actions of my life to survive the tests to come at the judgement seat of Christ. If what I do will only last for this life, nothing is gained for me, nor will there be glory for You. Fill me up today as we walk through it so that  forget about me and focus on You — that You may be glorified.

 

Boasting that He is all I need…

And the Lord says: “Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it, but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them. Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them poisonous water to drink. I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.” (Jeremiah 9:13–16)

This OT prophet has very little positive declarations. He was speaking to stubborn people who did their own thing and were being warned of the consequences of a life that ignores the Lord. Repetition of this theme can be helpful, but I want something more positive. However, there is one passage after this one that touched my heart as a new Christian. In plain language, it tells me what to do and how to think:

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23–24)

I’ve often boasted in being smart, as in knowing lots, but not in being wise. Wisdom is knowing how to live according to what I know. I’ve never felt wise, but rather confused and uncertain. Many times, I’ve not known what to do even though I know many facts. 

I’m certainly not mighty in any sense of the word. I’ve had congestive heart failure for years, affecting physical might. Anything like mighty in influence, or other abilities eludes me. The older I get, the weaker and more unable I feel. I can only boast in that I sleep well, yet know that is God's doing.

As for riches, I’ve been both poor and with money, surviving poverty and gaining wealth with none of it by my efforts. God takes care of me in that department, often with amazing surprises. 

So Jeremiah’s words about boasting struck me. Boasting that I know the Lord and understand His ways (even partly) is something I can do. He has shown me that He “practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth” becomes an easy boast, one that makes sense to me. I need His wisdom and power, and He takes care of my finances in ways that I cannot do or even imagine. 

The best part is that when I boast in Him, He takes delight in that, not that He needs that sort of affirmation, but He is joyful that I know this is truth — truth that He has made known to me.

Jesus, You are the power and wisdom I need. Not only that, You supply the material resources I need also. I’ve been poor and rich, yet You have taken care of me in both extremes. I am so grateful that knowing You and understanding You means being rich and wise and even mighty in You, and keeps me from that stubborn stupidity that prevents me from the consequences that otherwise I would experience if left to my own useless and even deadly devices. Bless You, my wonderful Savior.

Marks of no faith or true faith…

Oh that I had in the desert a travelers’ lodging place, that I might leave my people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, a company of treacherous men. They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the Lord. Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know me, declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of my people? Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully; with his mouth each speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he plans an ambush for him. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this? (Jeremiah 9:2–9)

Some of our friends have been violently persecuted by family members when they left family tradition and became Christians. Imagine what anguish this would cause. Imagine the way they would feel had they not changed faith but were treated like that anyway.

This passage describes God's response to those who claim to know Him but do not. They show their lack of faith by the way they treat others who make the same claim. From this, the simple application is “examine the way I treat other Christians.”

The NT description of measuring true faith is the same:

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. . . . We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:10–18)

Love is an action word, not an emotion or mere talk. It is about meeting needs. It is also about loving enemies as well and not taking revenge when mistreated.

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17–21)

Being this kind of person is a daily challenge. To me it includes the crazy driver who cuts me off in traffic, the clerk who short changes with a smirk, the belittling remark of another Christian about my ministry, and the unkind reception of a relative to gifts. Love all, even enemies.

Jesus, You love like no other and set the high example for me. Bless You for not only showing how but making this amazing love for others possible.

Connecting the Dots…

Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to conquerors, because from the least to the greatest everyone is greedy for unjust gain; from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they shall be overthrown, says the Lord. When I would gather them, declares the Lord, there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves are withered, and what I gave them has passed away from them.” (Jeremiah 8:10–13)

Consequences. If I do this, what will happen? When the news reports the latest decisions by political or business decision makers, it seems far too many of them guess what will happen next based on their hopes rather than historical evidence or popular thinking. While ‘time while tell’ no one can predict the future.

The OT people who read this warning from God must not have believed Him concerning this as well as concerning obedience. Think of a child whose parent threatens punishment for misbehaving but the child simple keeps on doing what they are doing, or refusing to do what they should be doing. This child is not only willful but does not see the rationale or love in the commandment. “Don’t touch the stove” is heard as “Touch the stove” because of that immature and selfish attitude of “I want what I want when I want it.” 

Not only that, some will connect the consequences to something other than their own actions. The stove was hot because mother left it on, or no one informed them about burns and pain. Multiply this simple example by the complexity of life and no wonder so many folks are surprised and upset with what is happening in our world and in their lives.

Personally, I cannot be responsible for much of it. Even my own live demands decisions with unknown results. What can I do to have assurance the results will be okay? This comes to mind:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5–6)

A small example. Last night we were invited to the home of friends. We had not eaten and thought to grab a hamburger on the way. My hubby decided the Lord was telling him not to do that but stay for a short visit and perhaps eat on the way home. When we arrived, our hostess had prepared a fantastic meal for us — which we would have missed if we had followed our original plan. 

Jesus, if I don’t listen to You, the results may not show up right away. I’ve learned that the hard way. Keep me tuned in to You, trusting You for consequences that are a blessing, or at least a strong lesson in Your power to use my obedience for Your glory.