[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 19

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 19

DAILY DEVOTION

Accepting the Truth

The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.
Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the
synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret
have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I
have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.
John 18:19-21

Most of the Pharisees who controlled much of the religious establishment at
the time of Christ hated Him. Rather than accepting Him as the Messiah for
whom they claimed to be waiting, they refused to heed His message. They were
happy with the way things were and saw no reason to upset the power
structure they had created. Their self-righteousness meant that they were
unwilling to repent and acknowledge that they needed a Savior. The problem
was not that they had not heard the truth. Jesus proclaimed it publicly
again and again. The problem was that they would not heed the truth.
The Lord does not allow us to come to Him on our own terms. We must accept
salvation through Jesus alone, or we will never receive it. It is imperative
that we heed the message rather than try to find alternative ways through
which we can gain acceptance in His sight. So many people today are willing
to believe and do almost anything except what God has said. They view the
Bible as old fashioned and too strict, so they look for another way. But
there is no other way.
Every one of us must decide whether we accept what the Bible teaches or not.
That is true when it comes to salvation, and it is just as true when it
comes to the Christian life. Mark Twain famously said that it was not the
parts of the Bible he didn't understand that bothered him, but rather the
parts he did understand. We don't get to pick and choose-if we would be in
God's family and live in a way that pleases Him, it can only be done on His
terms.
Even when it is not what we want to hear, we must accept and obey what God
says in His Word.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Don't do something permanently stupid because you are temporarily upset.

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DAILY BIBLE READING

Jeremiah 25-27 New King James Version
Seventy Years of Desolation
25 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the
fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (which was the
first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), 2 which Jeremiah the prophet
spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
saying: 3 "From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of
Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of
the Lord has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and
speaking, but you have not listened. 4 And the Lord has sent to you all His
servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not
listened nor inclined your ear to hear. 5 They said, 'Repent now everyone of
his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord has
given to you and your fathers forever and ever. 6 Do not go after other gods
to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the
works of your hands; and I will not harm you.' 7 Yet you have not listened
to Me," says the Lord, "that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of
your hands to your own hurt.

8 "Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Because you have not heard My
words, 9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,' says
the Lord, 'and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will
bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these
nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an
astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10 Moreover I will
[a]take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of
the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and
the light of the lamp. 11 And this whole land shall be a desolation and an
astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy
years.

12 'Then it will come to pass, when [b]seventy years are completed, that I
will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans,
for their iniquity,' says the Lord; 'and I will make it a perpetual
desolation. 13 So I will bring on that land all My words which I have
pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has
prophesied concerning all the nations. 14 (For many nations and great kings
shall be served by them also; and I will repay them according to their deeds
and according to the works of their own hands.)' "

Judgment on the Nations
15 For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me: "Take this wine cup of
[c]fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to
drink it. 16 And they will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword
that I will send among them."

17 Then I took the cup from the Lord's hand, and made all the nations drink,
to whom the Lord had sent me: 18 Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its
kings and its princes, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a
hissing, and a curse, as it is this day; 19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his
servants, his princes, and all his people; 20 all the mixed multitude, all
the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the Philistines
(namely, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod); 21 Edom, Moab,
and the people of Ammon; 22 all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon,
and the kings of the coastlands which are across the sea; 23 Dedan, Tema,
Buz, and all who are in the farthest corners; 24 all the kings of Arabia and
all the kings of the mixed multitude who dwell in the desert; 25 all the
kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes; 26
all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the
kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth. Also the king of
[d]Sheshach shall drink after them.

27 "Therefore you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God
of Israel: "Drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of
the sword which I will send among you." ' 28 And it shall be, if they refuse
to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, 'Thus
says the Lord of hosts: "You shall certainly drink! 29 For behold, I begin
to bring calamity on the city which is called by My name, and should you be
utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished, for I will call for a sword
on all the inhabitants of the earth," says the Lord of hosts.'

30 "Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and say to them:

'The Lord will roar from on high,
And utter His voice from His holy habitation;
He will roar mightily against His fold.
He will give a shout, as those who tread the grapes,
Against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 A noise will come to the ends of the earth-
For the Lord has a controversy with the nations;
He will plead His case with all flesh.
He will give those who are wicked to the sword,' says the Lord."

32 Thus says the Lord of hosts:

"Behold, disaster shall go forth
>From nation to nation,
And a great whirlwind shall be raised up
>From the farthest parts of the earth.

33 And at that day the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth
even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered,
or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground.

34 "Wail, shepherds, and cry!
Roll about in the ashes,
You leaders of the flock!
For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions are fulfilled;
You shall fall like a precious vessel.
35 And the shepherds will have no [e]way to flee,
Nor the leaders of the flock to escape.
36 A voice of the cry of the shepherds,
And a wailing of the leaders to the flock will be heard.
For the Lord has plundered their pasture,
37 And the peaceful dwellings are cut down
Because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
38 He has left His lair like the lion;
For their land is desolate
Because of the fierceness of the Oppressor,
And because of His fierce anger."

Jeremiah Saved from Death
26 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of
Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying, 2 "Thus says the Lord: 'Stand
in the court of the Lord's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah,
which come to worship in the Lord's house, all the words that I command you
to speak to them. Do not diminish a word. 3 Perhaps everyone will listen and
turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I
purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.' 4 And you
shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord: "If you will not listen to Me, to
walk in My law which I have set before you, 5 to heed the words of My
servants the prophets whom I sent to you, both rising up early and sending
them (but you have not heeded), 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh,
and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth." ' "

7 So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking
these words in the house of the Lord. 8 Now it happened, when Jeremiah had
made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all
the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him,
saying, "You will surely die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the
Lord, saying, 'This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be
desolate, without an inhabitant'?" And all the people were gathered against
Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

10 When the princes of Judah heard these things, they came up from the
king's house to the house of the Lord and sat down in the entry of the New
Gate of the Lord's house. 11 And the priests and the prophets spoke to the
princes and all the people, saying, [f]"This man deserves to die! For he has
prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears."

12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and all the people, saying: "The
Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city with all
the words that you have heard. 13 Now therefore, amend your ways and your
doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; then the Lord will relent
concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you. 14 As for me, here I
am, in your hand; do with me as seems good and [g]proper to you. 15 But know
for certain that if you put me to death, you will surely bring innocent
blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its inhabitants; for truly the
Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing."

16 So the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets,
"This man does not deserve to die. For he has spoken to us in the name of
the Lord our God."

17 Then certain of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the
assembly of the people, saying: 18 "Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the
days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah,
saying, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts:

"Zion shall be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins,
And the mountain of the [h]temple
Like the [i]bare hills of the forest." '

19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah ever put him to death? Did he
not fear the Lord and seek the Lord's favor? And the Lord relented
concerning the doom which He had pronounced against them. But we are doing
great evil against ourselves."

20 Now there was also a man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Urijah
the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath Jearim, who prophesied against this city and
against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah. 21 And when
Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men and all the princes, heard his
words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Urijah heard it, he was
afraid and fled, and went to Egypt. 22 Then Jehoiakim the king sent men to
Egypt: Elnathan the son of Achbor, and other men who went with him to Egypt.
23 And they brought Urijah from Egypt and brought him to Jehoiakim the king,
who killed him with the sword and cast his dead body into the graves of the
[j]common people.

24 Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so
that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to
death.

Symbol of the Bonds and Yokes
27 In[k] the beginning of the reign of [l]Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king
of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 "Thus says the
Lord to me: 'Make for yourselves bonds and yokes, and put them on your neck,
3 and send them to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the
Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon, by the hand of the
messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 And command
them to say to their masters, "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of
Israel-thus you shall say to your masters: 5 'I have made the earth, the man
and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My
outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me. 6 And
now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of
Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field I have also given him to
serve him. 7 So all nations shall serve him and his son and his son's son,
until the time of his land comes; and then many nations and great kings
shall make him serve them. 8 And it shall be, that the nation and kingdom
which will not serve Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and which will not
put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will
punish,' says the Lord, 'with the sword, the famine, and the pestilence,
until I have consumed them by his hand. 9 Therefore do not listen to your
prophets, your diviners, your [m]dreamers, your soothsayers, or your
sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, "You shall not serve the king of
Babylon." 10 For they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your
land; and I will drive you out, and you will perish. 11 But the nations that
bring their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I
will let them remain in their own land,' says the Lord, 'and they shall till
it and dwell in it.' " ' "

12 I also spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words,
saying, "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve
him and his people, and live! 13 Why will you die, you and your people, by
the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord has spoken
against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Therefore do
not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, 'You shall
not serve the king of Babylon,' for they prophesy a lie to you; 15 for I
have not sent them," says the Lord, "yet they prophesy a lie in My name,
that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, you and the prophets who
prophesy to you."

16 Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, "Thus says
the Lord: 'Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you,
saying, "Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house will now shortly be brought
back from Babylon"; for they prophesy a lie to you. 17 Do not listen to
them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city be laid
waste? 18 But if they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with
them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the vessels
which are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah,
and at Jerusalem, do not go to Babylon.'

19 "For thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, concerning the
Sea, concerning the carts, and concerning the remainder of the vessels that
remain in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take,
when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,
from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem- 21
yes, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels
that remain in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah
and of Jerusalem: 22 'They shall be carried to Babylon, and there they shall
be until the day that I visit them,' says the Lord. 'Then I will bring them
up and restore them to this place.' "

Footnotes
Jeremiah 25:10 Lit. cause to perish from them
Jeremiah 25:12 Beginning circa 605 b.c. (2 Kin. 24:1) and ending circa 536
b.c. (Ezra 1:1)
Jeremiah 25:15 wrath
Jeremiah 25:26 A code word for Babylon, Jer. 51:41
Jeremiah 25:35 Or refuge
Jeremiah 26:11 Lit. A judgment of death to this man
Jeremiah 26:14 right
Jeremiah 26:18 Lit. house
Jeremiah 26:18 Lit. high places
Jeremiah 26:23 Lit. sons of the people
Jeremiah 27:1 LXX omits v. 1.
Jeremiah 27:1 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; some Heb. mss., Arab., Syr. Zedekiah
(cf. 27:3, 12; 28:1)
Jeremiah 27:9 Lit. dreams