I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah chapter 22 verses 1-17 "This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there: ‘Hear the Word of the LORD to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates. This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. But if you do not obey these commands, declares the LORD, I swear by Myself that this palace will become a ruin.’ For this is what the LORD says about the palace of the king of Judah: Though you are like Gilead to me, like the summit of Lebanon, I will surely make you like a wasteland, like towns not inhabited. I will send destroyers against you, each man with his weapons, and they will cut up your fine cedar beams and throw them into the fire. People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?’ And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods.’ Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss; rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled, because he will never return nor see his native land again. For this is what the LORD says about Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. He will die in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his own people work for nothing, not paying them for their labor. He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace
with spacious upper rooms.’ So he makes large windows in it, panels it with cedar and decorates it in red. Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink?
He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me? declares the LORD. But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion.” Amen. May God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.
Gilead holds a prominent position in God's heart. Gilead is the place of many important events in the Bible. When Jacob fled Labam after he stole the "promise", he went to Gilead. When Moses went up to the Mount of Moab to see the Promised Land, God showed him all the land between Gilead and Dan. When the crowds followed Jesus across the River Jordan, they followed Him to Gilead. The history of the twelve tribes of Israel and the eventual lineage to Christ surrounds Gilead. This place was very special to God however God was willing to destroy Judah, which was like Gilead to God, if the Kings of Judah remained disobedient to the commandments of God. The Kings were to assist the poor and protect the weak. They were to do what was JUST AND RIGHT! Being Just and Right is a commandment which carriers forward even to us as Believers in Christ. This message is needed more than ever today as candidates for the US Presidency are beating the bushes for Americans who believe that the poor and weak among us should not be given a hand up; the poor are to do the best they can in a free market enterprise and if they are unsuccessful and become homeless and destitute then so be it--this was their destiny. Perhaps these candidates should really get into the Word of God. God does not desire anyone to be destitute and the greed of many Americans will end up destroying them.
As Christians we are commanded to have a Heart for the less fortunate. We are commanded to love one another as God has loved us, while we were yet in sin. God's overwhelming LOVE for His people will cover all sins EXCEPT when that sin puts other gods before Him. My prayer is that we are not like the kings of the Old Testament who worshipped idols; that we are not stupid to think that this world was created by accident. Out challenge as Christians is to use our lives as the testament of God's love for us and the world; He does not desire that any should perish. We are in need of more Jeremiahs providing a message of hope to a sin-sick world. Be encouraged my beloved because God has a plan for you today and that plan is Life filled with abundance because Jesus has already paid the price for it.
Now may the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace. Amen
Stephanie
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