Old Testament reading: Jeremiah 19-21
God saves in times of great distress and emergencies, but He will not be relegated to being nothing more than a 9-1-1 service. The arrogance and ignorance of God’s people is on full display in Jeremiah 19-21. In chapter 19, Jeremiah is sent with the parable of the broken flask. The Lord is bringing complete and utter destruction upon His people and the city of Jerusalem. Prior to this destruction will be a famine so severe that the city’s inhabitants will eat the flesh of their children and their neighbors (cf 2 Kings 6:24-29). In chapter 20, Pashhur, the priest and chief governor, places Jeremiah in stocks outside the house of the Lord. Undeterred, Jeremiah targets Pashhur as one who will be carried to Babylon and die there, saying that God has now called him Magor-Missabib, meaning “fear on every side” (v 3). Don’t miss this identification in verse 10! Of course, Jeremiah 20:7-9 are among the most well-known of all the texts in this book. In chapter 21, Zedekiah sends Pashhur to Jeremiah to find some good word from the Lord concerning his troubles with Nebuchadnezzar. Note how Zedekiah desires God to act according to His wonderful works and not according to his own wicked works. How presumptuous to defy God’s word, mock His prophets, and then call upon Him when things go bad. Unfortunately, this sounds like a lot of folks today. They have little or nothing to do with God until they get in a tight or difficult situation, then they want the Lord to help them or bail them out.
New Testament reading: Mark 11-12
“Thou art not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34).In this context, Jesus is commending a scribe for his understanding and reception of Jesus’ words. But if I miss the kingdom in the end, an inch is as good as a mile. The nearness of a man to the kingdom is determined by the openness of his heart and his integrity. Many appear to be close, but in reality their prejudice against truth and blind adherence to human tradition separates them by a million miles. But another, seemingly an outcast of society, having a good and honest heart and a sincere desire for truth, may require only the slightest of encouragement to find the way of righteousness. Find that one and teach him!
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