August 14–Ezekiel 5-8

“Thus My anger will be spent and I will satisfy My wrath on them”(5:13).

Does God get angry? Is He angry now? Is wrath a part of His morally beautiful nature?

Believers in an earlier generation probably were clearer on this question than we are. Jonathon Edwards preached Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God. Julia Ward Howe in The Battle Hymn of the Republic, pictured God, “trampling out the vintage of the grapes of wrath.” Our ancestors were certain. God’s wrath is real and just.As you read today, will you notice Ezekiel’s prediction (and defense) of God’s judgment on Jerusalem?

“To whom much is given, much is required,” declares the Lord. The great gifts of God toward the people of Israel made them MORE responsible for their idolatry and pride, not LESS. “I will do (to them) what I have not done to others and will never do again,” God says in 5:9.

As a pastor, I often encountered people who resisted any hint of “hellfire” preaching. They treated the idea of God’s wrath as an old idea, a outworn notion of the past. They were greatly mistaken.

In Romans 1, Paul wrote. “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. . .for even though they knew God, they did not worship Him as God, nor give Him thanks.” God’s reaction against sin is NOT something we can see with eyes or understand with logic. Wrath must be revealed! It is a reality that God has to tell us, and He does so because He loves us.

Despite Ezekiel’s preaching, the people of Judah couldn’t (wouldn’t) accept this truth, nor did they adjust life accordingly. Friend, are you prepared to reconsider your own view? Is God angry with the world of rebellious men?

“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”(John 3:18, italics mine).

August 13–Ezekiel 1-4

“And each went straight forward; wherever the Spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went”(1:12).

As I look back over my life, I mark several moments of dramatic change. Turning points!

Conversion and first steps of faith in high school. Spiritually rich years at Baylor. Ministry assignments. Meeting Holly. Marriage and family. The privilege/pressure of the pastorate. Cancer. Retirement. Who could have anticipated all the twists and turns of this road? Not me!

Viewed from Heaven, all of these turns were actually a straight line! Each was a part of the steady out-working of God’s plan in my life. No surprises from Heaven’s perspective. The Bible says God knows our days. Every crisis, every change is part of the path,”which God prepared in advance.” See Ephesians 2:10.

The prophet Ezekiel gave witness to Judah in exile. He spoke to people who (despite the warnings of God) were profoundly surprised and disappointed when Jerusalem was destroyed. In his first recorded vision, God allowed Ezekiel to see angelic beings with four faces. One facing north. One south. One east. One west. When the Spirit moved, and these beings followed, in some real sense they were still moving straight forward. They had no need to turn. “Just keep going,” whispered the Lord to these strange creatures.

The message is clear. When changes come (and they do!) they are only superficial. In heaven, the place of our true identity and destiny, nothing is truly a disruption. God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him.

Friend, is your heart convinced of this Spiritual fact? Do you embrace every new assignment from God, every heartbreak, every loss, every opportunity, every day as a continuation and completion of His good work in you? Even when life changes, do you walk straight forward?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight”(Proverbs 3:4-5).

August 12–Lamentations 3-5

“The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail, they are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I have hope in Him’ “(3:22-24).

It is a verse that is familiar to many. The context, however, is often forgotten. Jeremiah wrote these words in a day of intense grief. The defeat of Judah. The destruction of Jerusalem. The death of thousands. Continuing famine. Unspeakably sad days!

In some hearts, such pain creates anger toward God. In Jeremiah’s heart, it had the opposite effect. He turned toward God in deep reflection. “Momentary and light afflictions (in the words of Paul)” were no longer his focus. He turned his attention, instead, to the nature, character and promises of God.

Holy logic. If God never changes (immutable), then no event or moment changes His love for us. If He is infinite (never spent or diminished in any way), then every “morning” (a figure of speech, the Eternal One does not live in 24 hour increments the way we do), His mercies are new. Tragedy doesn’t change Him. None of us has ever known a day when He was less near, nor less merciful.

As Jeremiah reasons his way forward, he reaches a courageous and correct conclusion. HE (God) is my portion! HE is all I have, all that I ever will have. Therefore, my hope is in HIM. Pain has no power to change God’s eternal connection to His people. Even in His wrath, I will wait on Him.

Amazing things happen when the human heart lifts its eyes from self and situation to God. Tragedy is no match for God’s nature, beauty, goodness and faithfulness.

“Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me”(Thomas Chisholm).

Friend, what will you do today to focus your eyes on God? Even in times of great pain, He is faithful and good and wise. In Him is life.

August 11–Lamentations 1-2

“She has become like a widow who once was great among the nations. . .for the Lord has caused her grief because of the multitude of her transgressions” (Lamentations 1:1, 5).

For some, the book of Lamentations is a depressing waste of time. Those who say so usually fail to notice the positive (if costly) shift in attitude that has come to the people of Israel in the years of exile. “The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against His command”(1:18). “My heart is overturned within me, for I have been very rebellious”(1:20). Tears have taught them well. With honest eyes, they now mourn their sins rather than deny them.

Paul calls this “Godly sorrow”(2 Corinthians 7:10). With powerful and accurate awareness of his true spiritual condition, a person begins to see his own sin and its consequences. No more excuses! A contrite heart. “Be merciful to me a sinner,” said the publican in Luke 18.

In James 4, the younger brother of our Lord registers the same wisdom. “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning. . .humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord and He will exalt you” (James 4:8-10, italics mine). Healing moment! God-given! “Blessed are those who mourn.”

In this present chapter of my life, I am recovering the ability to weep. To experience grief, to learn from it, to see, with more honest eyes, my sin-damaged life, our sin-damaged world. We must never set Christian sorrow in opposition to Christian joy. Both are necessary parts of a believer’s experience.

Sadness is not always a bad thing. Sorrow is often a step toward strength. Tears have healing power. As you read the words of Lamentations, will you acknowledge your sinful heart and start your journey home?

“And Peter went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62).

August 10–Jeremiah 51-52

“Now in the thirty seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, the king of Babylon showed him favor and brought him out of prison and spoke kindly to him”(52:12-14).

It will come slowly. There will be times you will be tempted to believe that NOTHING is happening. Like a buried seed bursting into life, unobserved. Even in sad and slow days, God is working. He has His own calendar.

There will be discouragements as you wait. Setbacks. Tears. Things (and people) you thought you needed taken away. In faith, you will need to lift your eyes to God for the strength to continue. “I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from where shall my help come?” (Psalm 121:1). “Therefore we do not lose heart. . .while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen” (2 Corinthians 4:16, 18).

Our text today is a beautiful illustration. After 37 years of exile and imprisonment, King Jehoiachin was suddenly (and inexplicably) taken back into favor in the Babylonian court! It was the first rumble of a coming earthquake of grace. Soon, King Cyrus would give permission for the nation of Judah to go home! Did people of faith notice God’s faithfulness? Were they stunned and humbled and shamed for ever questioning the promise given through Jeremiah? I hope so.

Be patient, dear friend! Even when you cannot see it, God is at work moving the world toward His purpose. Remember the cross! Things that appear final are not! Wait three days (or three years, or three decades), He will keep His promises. The story will end in a great display of His faithfulness.

“Rivers know this; there is no hurry. We shall get there some day”(A. A. Milne).

“After you have suffered for a while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To him be dominion forever and ever. Amen”(1 Peter 5:10-11).

August 9–Jeremiah 50

“Declare and proclaim among the nations. . . Babylon has been captured. Bel has been put to shame, Marduk has been shattered. . .In those days. . .the sons of Israel . . .will ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces in its direction, they will come that they may join themselves to the Lord in everlasting covenant”(50:2, 4-5).

“Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations”(Psalm 82:8).

The idea of judgment is discomforting to some in the current age. Anti-authoritarian in spirit, self-justifying in practice, natural men tend to imagine a God who is ONLY love. Or no God, at all! A God who judges is inconceivable! No rules (and no accountability for individual behavior) is the false confidence of the present age.

Not a new problem. When Jeremiah declared the coming destruction of Babylon, it was rejected as nonsense. During the prophet’s lifetime, the Chaldeans were ascendant. Militarily. Economically. They seemed indestructible. If any nation was safe, Babylon was.

Equally difficult to accept was Jeremiah’s prediction for Israel. In coming days, Babylon would be destroyed, but Israel would be redeemed. Nations and peoples are resilient only to the extent they are connected/conformed to the character and purposes of God. Like trees planted by rivers of water, nations that honor God flourish under His care. Emerging through judgment, they are permanent and resilient, testimonies to His power.

At the end of time (and at regular points in history) God judges. Jesus compared it to a coming storm. See Matthew 7. All nations and individuals will give an account to the Righteous One. For the prophets, and for generations of believers since, this certainty has given courage and patience and hope and spiritual urgency.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rains fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against the house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock”(Jesus, Matthew 7:24-25).

A storm is coming. Are we ready?

August 8–Jeremiah 47-49

“Moab has been at ease since his youth; He has been undisturbed, like wine on its dregs. . .therefore behold, the days are coming. . .when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will empty his vessels and shatter his jars”(48:1-12).

All nations belong to God. Not just Israel. All people are created by God and subject to His righteous government. Ancients believed a different god governed every nation. Polytheism. The prophets knew better. God is one. He is Lord over all nations.

In chapter 48, Jeremiah speaks to Moab. Along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea, with a long history of animosity toward Israel, Moab was a proud and stable kingdom. Proud because they were stable.

For years, they had been undisturbed. Safe. Like wine on its dregs (solid particles that fall to the bottom of the jar during fermentation). When wine is left to rest on the dregs it becomes stronger, more pungent. When it is left TOO LONG, it becomes bitter and undrinkable. Change, challenge and adversity are necessary. For wine. For people.

Most of us dream of life without struggle. “Take it easy” is our goal and hope. Unwise ambition. Without challenge or adversity, we become proud, soft and self-indulgent. Ease is not a climate conducive to character development! Paul later testified of God’s deliberate plan to make him weak (off-balance, empty of strength or solutions) with the higher goal of making him stronger. See 2 Corinthians 12.

Are we at ease? Resting on dregs? When God sends a disturbing situation into our lives, a circumstance that tips us over, we should recognize His love and His unrelenting desire for our holiness. When He does not make life easy (and He doesn’t!), it is because He has in mind the high goal of our sanctification.

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about”(Haruki Murakami).

” Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have it perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”(James 1:2-4).

August 7–Jeremiah 44-46

” ‘O Jacob My servant, do not fear,’ says the Lord, ‘for I am with you, for I will make a full end of the nations where I have driven you, yet I will not make a full end of you; but I will correct you properly and by no means leave you unpunished’ “(46:28).

It is an expression from medieval Europe. A scot was a tax levied on citizens of a city, usually for the relief of the poor. To be “scot free” was to be exempt from the tax.

It is an untrue idea that sometimes seeps into Christian thought. Once forgiven in Christ, we falsely believe that we are EXEMPT from any penalty or consequence of sin. “There is no condemnation, says Romans 8. Therefore, we reason (falsely), we are in no danger of God’s discipline. There is no need for appropriate fear.

In the sad aftermath of Jerusalem’s defeat, Jeremiah reveals this mistaken thinking with great skill. While Israel is unique to God, and will never be completely destroyed (“I will not make a full end of you”), this uniqueness does not equal an exemption from painful discipline. “I will BY NO MEANS leave you unpunished,” says the Great One.

It is an interesting sentence in Hebrew. The word for innocent or unpunished is nagah. In an attempt to appropriately emphasize the idea, God says (and Jeremiah writes) the word three times! No nagah, nagah, nagah! By no means, under no circumstances, never! (Please note, the Hebrews tended to repeat an idea in order to emphasize it. See Isaiah 6, where the seriphim shout the holiness of God, Holy! Holy! Holy!)

Christians are NOT exempt from the painful discipline that comes from God for sin. While He will not abandon us or destroy us, we should never grow lax or unconcerned. God is not mocked. “They themselves will suffer loss,” Paul warned the people in 1 Corinthians 3:15 of their saved-and-sinning friends.

We are NOT scot free, not exempt from the danger of sin. May this truth send us toward God with reverent fear, honest confession and grateful love!

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay,” says the old axiom.

“If we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged”(1 Corinthians 11:31).

August 6–Jeremiah 39-43

“Pray for us to the Lord our God; and whatever the Lord our God says, tell us and we will do it”(42:20).

It is a common mistake. We all tend to over-estimate our spiritual loyalty. Like Peter on the night of the crucifixion, we pledge faithfulness, no matter what! Only later do we discover (to our great shame), the fickleness of our own hearts.

After Jerusalem was conquered and destroyed, the people were very anxious. Rumors of more violence to come spread like a virus. The provisional government faltered.

Asking Jeremiah to pray for them, the people desperately promised to do “whatever” the Lord said. They saw themselves (self-perception) as completely surrendered people. Soft clay. Ready to obey. It was not, however, an honest picture.

Days later, when the answer from God came, and when it contradicted their own ideas, the old problem of every human heart resurfaced in all of its ugly pride. See chapter 43. When God called them to stay in Judah, to face their fears rather than run for secular safety in Egypt, they refused! The loyalty they pledged just days before evaporated!

How do you respond when the Spirit gives an assignment that is contrary to your own wisdom? Do you trust and obey, or insist on your own will? Most of us, even believers, see ourselves as much more obedient than we actually are. Surrender of the stubborn heart is a process. Over time, and often through great sorrow, the True Discipler teaches us to actually do what He says.

“Only those who believe, obey. Only those who obey, believe” (Bonhoeffer).

“Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets”(Luke 5:5).

“Whatever He says to you, do it”(Mary to the servants, John 2:5).

August 5–Jeremiah 36-38

“Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the calamity which I plan to bring on them, in order that every man will turn from his evil way; then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin”(36:3).

It is an extraordinary word. Worthy of our meditation. There is benefit in it.

The Hebrew word is uwlay (u-lah’e). It meant “perhaps, or suppose, or what if?” Even after judgement was declared, even after years of ingratitude and rebellion from the people, God knew there still was a possibility of repentance and rescue. “Perhaps,” says the Lord of all possibilities.

The God who created all things is very loyal. To us. To His original purpose for us. He does not give up easily. To the very last, He holds out the opportunity of mercy! This does not mean that He cannot or will not judge. Eventually He does so, but He makes this sad decision reluctantly.

In this hope, the prophet is instructed to write down the prophecies God has given him over the years. Predictions of judgement. Calamity coming. Originally spoken, the words are now to be written down and read in the temple on a day when great crowds are assembled. “Perhaps,” says the Lord, “they will listen and repent.”

Amazing! Even as judgement begins, even as the foundations begin to crumble, the great heart of God commands mercy to be preached. Like the thief on the cross, to the very last moment, IT IS NOT TOO LATE!

Friend, have you given up on people? Lost hope? Stopped praying? Stopped communicating God’s offer of mercy? With stubborn hope, Eternal Love calls men to repentance and faith and salvation and blessing in Himself. It may seem hopeless to us, but the Unconquered One looks at the world and says, “Perhaps!”

“The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished”(Exodus 34:6-7).