15 July 2014
1 Samuel 29; 30
Jeremiah 5
Matthew 16
“… FACES HARDER THAN ROCK”
The word “faces” in God’s word is often used as a synonym for ‘minds,’ such as when ”the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face” [Exodus 33:11] - and we see this today in Jeremiah. The prophet is bitterly complaining to God about the attitudes of mind he sees all around him.
“O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth?” [Jeremiah 5:3] But he does not find truth! God brings trouble on them, “but they felt no anguish … they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent.” Jeremiah thinks there will be a different attitude among the rich, but there is not! “they are all alike … they have no sense … they do not know the way of the LORD” [Jeremiah 5:5,4]
How parallel this is with the attitudes of mind that exist today! The people “’have been utterly treacherous to me’, declares the LORD. They have spoken falsely of the LORD and have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us” [Jeremiah 5:11-12] Today, the mature educated people sense the world’s future is going to be increasingly difficult, but they in no way sense that there is a Creator who is going to cause this - or make it worse.
Jeremiah is told to “Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah … Do you not fear me? Declares the LORD … your sins have kept good from you … They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice … Shall I not punish them for these things? … shall I not avenge myself …” [Jeremiah 5:20,22,28,29] And God did avenge himself in the horrible destruction of the Temple and of all Jerusalem.
The chapter ends with a question we should ask ourselves. After observing “my people love to have it so” the LORD asks the question, “but what will you do when the end comes?” Do you know what you will do, for our world is so similar in so many ways to Jeremiah’s! God’s word alone provides us with the answer - How “hard” is your “face”? Only our daily reading will enable us to fully absorb that answer - and the more we join together to discuss and more fully understand God’s word, the more that answer will become clear to us.
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- DC
Thought for the Day
15 July 2014
"This strange conversation (John 4:7-26) is more than a passing incident in Christ's journey through Samaria. It discloses the nature of the intercourse which takes place between God and every true seeker after Him. Our relationship begins with a demand from our Father to do something for Him. Our natural feeling is that there is nothing we can possibly do. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, we are puny creatures of His handiwork utterly dependent and unworthy. Yet the demand persists, and with it comes the understanding that our service conceals a far greater gift from Him. As the nature of that gift is unfolded in His word, so our desire for it grows, and although we can never appreciate it in its fullness, we plead for it. But it has its own demands. It requires us to expose all those things that are unworthy and demands that we share the gift with those around us. We cannot effectively accomplish the second without deliberately facing anything in our life which will impede our communion with God ... This is all brought to a focus in the person of Jesus Christ, and our surrender is complete when we truly believe his saying: "I that speak unto thee am he."
- Melva Purkis
A Life of Jesus
1 Samuel 29; 30
Jeremiah 5
Matthew 16
“… FACES HARDER THAN ROCK”
The word “faces” in God’s word is often used as a synonym for ‘minds,’ such as when ”the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face” [Exodus 33:11] - and we see this today in Jeremiah. The prophet is bitterly complaining to God about the attitudes of mind he sees all around him.
“O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth?” [Jeremiah 5:3] But he does not find truth! God brings trouble on them, “but they felt no anguish … they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent.” Jeremiah thinks there will be a different attitude among the rich, but there is not! “they are all alike … they have no sense … they do not know the way of the LORD” [Jeremiah 5:5,4]
How parallel this is with the attitudes of mind that exist today! The people “’have been utterly treacherous to me’, declares the LORD. They have spoken falsely of the LORD and have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us” [Jeremiah 5:11-12] Today, the mature educated people sense the world’s future is going to be increasingly difficult, but they in no way sense that there is a Creator who is going to cause this - or make it worse.
Jeremiah is told to “Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah … Do you not fear me? Declares the LORD … your sins have kept good from you … They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice … Shall I not punish them for these things? … shall I not avenge myself …” [Jeremiah 5:20,22,28,29] And God did avenge himself in the horrible destruction of the Temple and of all Jerusalem.
The chapter ends with a question we should ask ourselves. After observing “my people love to have it so” the LORD asks the question, “but what will you do when the end comes?” Do you know what you will do, for our world is so similar in so many ways to Jeremiah’s! God’s word alone provides us with the answer - How “hard” is your “face”? Only our daily reading will enable us to fully absorb that answer - and the more we join together to discuss and more fully understand God’s word, the more that answer will become clear to us.
-------
- DC
Thought for the Day
15 July 2014
"This strange conversation (John 4:7-26) is more than a passing incident in Christ's journey through Samaria. It discloses the nature of the intercourse which takes place between God and every true seeker after Him. Our relationship begins with a demand from our Father to do something for Him. Our natural feeling is that there is nothing we can possibly do. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, we are puny creatures of His handiwork utterly dependent and unworthy. Yet the demand persists, and with it comes the understanding that our service conceals a far greater gift from Him. As the nature of that gift is unfolded in His word, so our desire for it grows, and although we can never appreciate it in its fullness, we plead for it. But it has its own demands. It requires us to expose all those things that are unworthy and demands that we share the gift with those around us. We cannot effectively accomplish the second without deliberately facing anything in our life which will impede our communion with God ... This is all brought to a focus in the person of Jesus Christ, and our surrender is complete when we truly believe his saying: "I that speak unto thee am he."
- Melva Purkis
A Life of Jesus
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