HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1053
JER EM IAH 18
page 683
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Lord, don’t terrorize me!
You alone are my hope in the day of
disaster.
Bring shame and dismay on all who
persecute me,
but don’t let me experience shame and
dismay.
Bring a day of terror on them.
Yes, bring double destruction upon them!
Observing the Sabbath
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and
stand in the gates of Jerusalem, first in the gate
where the king goes in and out, and then in
each of the other gates. 20 Say to all the people,
‘Listen to this message from the Lord, you kings
of Judah and all you people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem. 21 This is what the Lord
says: Listen to my warning! Stop carrying on
your trade at Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath
day. 22 Do not do your work on the Sabbath, but
make it a holy day. I gave this command to your
ancestors, 23 but they did not listen or obey. They
stubbornly refused to pay attention or accept
my discipline.
24 “‘But if you obey me, says the Lord, and do
not carry on your trade at the gates or work on
the Sabbath day, and if you keep it holy, 25 then
kings and their officials will go in and out of
these gates forever. There will always be a descendant of David sitting on the throne here in
Jerusalem. Kings and their officials will always
ride in and out among the people of Judah in
chariots and on horses, and this city will remain
forever. 26 And from all around Jerusalem, from
the towns of Judah and Benjamin, from the
western foothills* and the hill country and the
Negev, the people will come with their burnt
offerings and sacrifices. They will bring their
grain offerings, frankincense, and thanksgiving
offerings to the Lord’s Temple.
27 “‘But if you do not listen to me and refuse
to keep the Sabbath holy, and if on the Sabbath
day you bring loads of merchandise through the
gates of Jerusalem just as on other days, then I
will set fire to these gates. The fire will spread to
the palaces, and no one will be able to put out
the roaring flames.’”
The Potter and the Clay
The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 2 “Go down to the potter’s
shop, and I will speak to you there.” 3 So I did
as he told me and found the potter working at
his wheel. 4 But the jar he was making did not
turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into
a lump of clay again and started over.
5 Then the Lord gave me this message: 6 “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done
to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand,
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17:26 Hebrew the Shephelah.
so are you in my hand. 7 If I announce that a
certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted,
torn down, and destroyed, 8 but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it
as I had planned. 9 And if I announce that I will
plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom,
10 but then that nation turns to evil and refuses
to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.
11 “Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, ‘This is what
the Lord says: I am planning disaster for you
instead of good. So turn from your evil ways,
each of you, and do what is right.’”
12 But the people replied, “Don’t waste your
breath. We will continue to live as we want to,
stubbornly following our own evil desires.”
13 So this is what the Lord says:
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“Has anyone ever heard of such a thing,
even among the pagan nations?
My virgin daughter Israel
has done something terrible!
Does the snow ever disappear from the
mountaintops of Lebanon?
Do the cold streams flowing from those
distant mountains ever run dry?
But my people are not so reliable, for they
have deserted me;
they burn incense to worthless idols.
They have stumbled off the ancient
highways
and walk in muddy paths.
Therefore, their land will become desolate,
a monument to their stupidity.
All who pass by will be astonished
and will shake their heads in amazement.
I will scatter my people before their enemies
as the east wind scatters dust.
• Blessings
JE R E M I A H 17:7
Do we want God’s blessing in our lives?
Then we must put our confidence in him
and him alone. As we rest secure in who
God is and in his loving character, blessings will become a reality to us. We can’t
have God’s blessing apart from being
in relationship with God. We often miss
this obvious truth. Sometimes we want
the blessings that flow from God, but we
aren’t willing to cultivate the relationship
of trust in God that brings the blessings.
It is like wanting the music without the
musician. Do you want God’s blessings?
Then welcome God into your life. Invest
yourself in this most significant of all
relationships.