Read Jeremiah 23 -- 25
In Today's Reading:
Messiah revealed as THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS; false prophets exposed; Judah's captivity and its duration foretold; vision of good and bad figs, a sign of restoration.
Verses for Today:
Behold, the days come . . . (when) I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper (do wisely), and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His Name . . . The Lord ourRighteousness (23:5-6; see also 33:16).
Only a few months remained before the Babylonians would destroy the Kingdom of Judah. Judgement had been foretold on its remaining kings. Shallum (Jehoahaz) would die in exile (Jeremiah 22:11-12). Jehoiakim was promised the burial of an ass (22:19). His son Coniah (Jehoiachin) is listed as a despised, broken idol (22:28) who would die in Babylon. The last king, Zedekiah, would have his eyes painfully gouged out and would be taken to Babylon in chains (2 Kings 25:7). It was now too late to pray for Jerusalem or the Temple to be saved from destruction 9Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14; 14:11). These prophecies are all horrifying reminders that sin and suffering are inseparable and that judgement is inevitable whenever the Word of God is ignored or disobeyed.
As the Judean Kingdom disintegrated under the advances of the Babylonians, Jeremiah's message turned from coming judgment to comfort. To illustrate, the Lord showed him that one basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty (rotten) figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad (24:2). Concerning the faithful few, thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so I will acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good. For I will set [My] eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them (24:5-6). There were three fig harvests -- June, August, and November. The first figs, in June, were considered a great delicacy (Isaiah 28:4; Hosea 9:10; Micah 7:1). Thus the Lord was sending the chosen good figs into captivity to correct them for their good.
By our natural birth, there is none righteous, no, not one. . . . For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10). When we receive Christ as our Savior He becomes The Lord our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:5-6) . The Holy Spirit led the Apostle Paul to write: He hath made Him (Christ, Who had never sinned) to be sin for us . . . that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Our Lord prayed for us on the last night before being betrayed by Judas: Sanctify them through Thy Truth: Thy Word is Truth. As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the Truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word (John 17:17-20).
Christ Revealed:
As The Lord Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:5-6; also 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Word Studies:
23:10 adulterers = forsakers of God; because of swearing = because of the curse of God upon it; 23:32 lightness = vain boasting; 25:34 fall like a pleasant vessel = broken like a valuable vessel; 25:38 covert = hiding place.
Prayer Needs:
Government Officials: Rep. John Cooksey (LA), Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (TX), and Rep. Ron Paul (TX) · Pray for your pastor · Country: Seychelles (79,000) a group of islands in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and India · Major languages: English and French · Religious freedom · 89% Roman Catholic; 8% Protestant · Prayer Suggestion: Pray for your brothers and sisters that they might be filled with spiritual discernment and the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 3:14-18).
Optional Reading: 1 John 2
Memory Verse for the Week: Romans 8:4