Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and His doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
1 Timothy 6:1-5
Godliness
Last Days Peril
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Money and Being Content
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:6-10
Great Is the Mystery of Godliness
These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
1 Timothy 3:14-16
Wisdom and Discernment
“When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat. Labor not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.” Proverbs 23:1-8 (KJB)
Wisdom and Discernment – Proverbs 23:1-35
Verses 1 – 3; 6 – 8 — Be alert and aware when people in places of authority and power invite you to their table. The discerning one will be sickened by what the powerful is or was trying to do.
Verses 4 – 5 — The wise and discerning will not make seeking wealth and riches their life pursuit.
“Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: for their Redeemer is mighty; He shall plead their cause with thee. Proverbs 23:9-11
Verse 9 — The wise will know when to be silent around the foolish individual. Remember the words of Jesus “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (Matthew 7:6).
Verses 10 – 11 — (Prov. 22:28; Deut 15:9) Further confirms this teaching. In these verses, however, there is reference to orphans. Someone seizing the land of an orphan or orphans will have the Redeemer defend the orphan against the land grabber.
“Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things. Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.” Proverbs 23:12-19
Verses 12 – 16, 19 — It is good to teach others [our children] to pursue instruction and knowledge. The Bible does teach corporal punishment (vv. 13-14). There is rejoicing within parents when their child is a success in life; especially in Christian parents when they see their child following the LORD.
Verses 17 – 18 — The Christian discerner should make godliness the prime search and pursuit of his/her life. The Christian has no right to envy “sinners”. If the Christian is living for God and His Son Jesus Christ the sinner will desire Christ too.
“Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.
My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit. She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.
Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.” Proverbs 23:20-35
Verses 20 – 26 — Wise words from parents guide children in life, living righteously; education, labor; learning truth and its value. Children also learn from the example of parents (v. 26).
Verses 27 – 35 — In a world with the rebellious, feel good, party attitude, “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die”; the wisdom of God warns of the perils of licentious (unrestrained by law or general morality; lawless; immoral), rebellious, iniquitous living.
The Grace of God
For the child of God, the grace of God is the Son of God. God gave us, and shows us His grace through His Son Jesus Christ.
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” Titus 2:11-15 (KJV)
The “grace of God” which has “appeared to all men” can be no other than the Lord Jesus. That appearance took place on Calvary where the best and holiest God had to give gave His life as our very sufficient sacrifice for our sin. Today I want us to hear what the Believer’s Bible Commentary says about these verses.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God … has appeared. Here the grace of God is virtually synonymous with the Son of God. God’s grace appeared when the Lord Jesus visited our planet and especially when He gave Himself for our sins. He appeared for the salvation of all men. His substitutionary work is sufficient for the redemption of all. A bona fide offer of pardon and forgiveness is made to all. But only those who truly receive Him as Lord and Savior are saved. There is no suggestion here or elsewhere in the Bible that everyone will be saved at last. Universal salvation is a lie of the devil.
2:12 The same grace that saves us also trains us in the school of holiness. There are “No-No’s” in that school which we must learn to renounce. The first is ungodliness, which means irreligion. The second is worldly lusts—not just sexual sins, but also the lust for wealth, power, pleasure, fame, or anything else that is essentially worldly.
On the positive side, grace teaches us to live soberly, righteously toward others, and godly in the pure light of His presence. These are the virtues that should characterize us in this world, where everything about us is going to be dissolved. It is the place of our pilgrimage and not our final home.
2:13 While living as aliens in the world, we are inspired by a magnificent hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. By this are we to understand the Rapture, when Christ appears in glory to the church and conveys it to heaven (1 Thess. 4:13–18)? Or does it refer to Christ’s coming to reign, when He appears in glory to the world, puts down His foes, and sets up His kingdom (Rev. 19:11–16)? Basically we believe Paul is speaking of the first—Christ’s coming for His bride, the church. But whether it is His coming as Bridegroom or as King, the believer should be prepared and looking for His glorious arrival.
2:14 As we await His Return we never forget the purpose of His First Coming and of His self-sacrifice. He gave Himself not only to save us from the guilt and penalty of sin but to redeem us from every lawless deed. It would have been a half-way salvation if the penalty of sin had been canceled but its dominion in our lives was left unconquered.
He also gave Himself to purify for Himself His own special people.
2:15 These are things that Titus was commissioned to teach—every thing discussed in the foregoing verses, and particularly the purposes of the Savior’s passion. He was to exhort or encourage the saints to lives of practical godliness and to rebuke any who contradicted the apostolic teachings either by word or by life. And he didn’t have to be apologetic in carrying on a forceful ministry; let him do it with all authority and boldness of the Holy Spirit. Let no one despise you. Titus need have no qualms about his youth, his Gentile background, or any natural disability. He was speaking the word of God, and this made all the difference. BELIEVER’S BIBLE COMMENTARY
Let us in the grace of God love the Lord Jesus Christ with all our hearts, all of our souls, all of our minds, and all of our strength. He loved you and me enough to die on the cross.
The Foundation of God
Building on anything other than God’s foundation will lead to disaster; the fall of the building, and the fall of a life as well (Matthew 7:21-27). The Church, neither the individual Christian life can survive without being founded and set sure upon the foundation of God. Hear the apostle Paul…
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Timothy 2:15-19 (KJV)
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God…” is the reading of the NKJV in the first part of 2 Timothy 2:15. Study is one of the first ways of being diligent to show yourself approved unto God. Without knowledge of God’s Word you cannot stand and defend the word of God against error. We must certainly continue in preaching, and teaching the Scriptures, lifting up Christ and His cross.
Paul uses a couple of men who must have been notorious for their twisting of Scripture, leading to ungodliness. It has been said, “It does make a difference what you believe”. What you believe will affect the way you live. Either to godliness or unto ungodliness. The apostle says that the teachings of Hymenaeus and Philetus were like a canker/cancer. Cancer works unseen, and kills and destroys whatever it touches. So too does profane and vain babblings which are teachings of ungodliness. These men were even “…saying that the resurrection is past already” meaning the resurrection of the living and the dead; a possible reference of the rapture of the Church being already past.
The foundation of God is where the child of God, and the preacher of God will stand. God’s foundation is unmoveable, unstoppable, and unchanging. When all other foundations are shaking and trembling, God’s foundation stands true and strong. It begins by placing your faith in God’s gift of life through His Son Jesus Christ; the One who gave His life on the cross, was buried, and was raised to life and forever lives with the Father in glory.
Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
Living a Quiet and Peaceable Life
Since we are living in a world where there is much chaos and turmoil; it seems no matter where you turn in society; then, we need to know how to live a quiet and peaceable life in this world. We hear the words of Paul the apostle to the young pastor Timothy…
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4 (KJV)
Timothy was in Ephesus at this time, in a new church, and dealing with a lot of immorality, and sin in the Church. When we look at the Scriptures concerning the early Church they too had to deal with the sin issues of their day. So how does Paul tell Timothy to deal with the many issues?
The first thing he mentions is prayer, and matters which go with prayer – supplication, intercessions, giving thanks to God. The second thing is that we pray for all people who are in places of authority – pastors, presidents, kings, and for the quiet and peaceable life of others.
It is summed up to be so for a life of godliness, and honesty.
The final sentence of the verses tells us that praying for leaders in authority is “good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior”. It also tells us that He desires to have all men saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. He has made it possible for even the most wicked and vile individual to come to Him in faith. He has paid the price for all sin; no matter how bad, how vile or how wicked; Christ Jesus died on the cross for our sin, was buried and He rose again the third day, and forever live; not just a spirit, but the Man Christ Jesus is alive in heaven, seated with the Father at His right hand. He is the Mediator between God and men. He is the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).
Through the Bible in a Year – 091513
Facing Perilous Times
2 Timothy 3:1-5
1. RECOGNIZING THE LAST DAYS (vv. 1-4).
2. THE COUNTERFIET GODLINESS, ONE EVIDENCE (v. 5).
3. TURNING AWAY FROM THE COUNTERFEIT TO GODLINESS (v. 5).
– Tim A. Blankenship
Is God Missing In Your Life?
The Word of the LORD is important to the prophet of God. Without the Word he has no message. No message of any importance anyway. The most important message the people need is that of what God says.
It is sad when we hear news reports of missing people. Here, of late, we have heard especially of young women, wives, and mothers missing. Some of them end up being found dead. No one enjoys hearing of a missing individual, but how would we feel if God were missing? Would we even notice?
For the second time in the second chapter of Jeremiah we have a “Thus says the LORD…” (vv. 2, 5). Jeremiah realized that since God had called him to be a prophet, and not just a prophet of men, but a prophet to proclaim only the Word of the LORD, with promise of protection, keeping, and power in the words He would proclaim (1:17-19).
In verses two and three God reminds them of their early faith, and holiness. Now the prophet addresses, at God’s direction, their forsaking God. They had gotten to a state of comfort, which led to a lethargic, complacent mindset, and then, completely turned their backs on God.
Hear the Word of the LORD:
“Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel.” Jeremiah 2:4 (KJV).
There seems to be a message of warning in this phrase alone. The name “Jacob” was a name of self-dependence; of one’s using their own methods to accomplish their own ends. Jacob had trusted the LORD God, and God changed his name to Israel. “Jacob” actually meaning ‘Heel catcher’ because he had a handhold on Esau’s foot when they were born. “Israel” meaning ‘Prince of God’, or ‘He struggles with God’. (NOTE: You can find this history in Genesis 32:22-32). So in addressing them as “House of Jacob” could it be that the LORD, through the prophet, is reminding them from whence they came; that they have forgotten their faith?
“Thus saith the LORD, ‘What iniquity have your fathers found in Me, that they are gone far from Me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? Neither said they, ‘Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt? And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled My land, and made Mine heritage an abomination. The priests said not, ‘Where is the LORD? And they that handle the law knew Me not: the pastors also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.'” Jeremiah 2:4-8 (KJV)
Easy living, comfort, the fatness of the land, or a good economy, are some of the things that lure people away from faith, and trust in the LORD God. It can happen so easily. For a Christian today it starts by neglecting your daily quiet time with the Lord. It continues as you neglect your prayer life. The next thing you know you missed a Sunday morning worship gathering due to being up too late Saturday night – you were out with friends, went to a movie, or just did not take an initiative to be in bed to get to church as usual. It really does not take much effort for a child of God to get away from godly practice.
The worship of Baal can be as simple as seeing other things as more important than that personal quiet time with God. Be careful. Be careful to maintain that quiet time, that special time you have with the Lord Jesus each and every morning. In this quiet time you receive strength, and encouragement for the day. You may not think so at the time, but that strength will be there as you need it.
When we start neglecting that personal time with God, the next thing to go will be our worship of God, and fellowship with other believers. The house you live in, the boat, and going to the lake for water skiing or fishing begins taking the place of God, fellowship with Him and your brothers and sisters in Christ. When this happens; you have become a modern day Idol worshiper. Just a thought – is an idle worshiper and Idol worshiper? My answer to that is YES!!!
The prophet Jeremiah reminds the recipients of this message of the work the LORD has done for the Nation (vv. 6-7). God had indeed brought them out of Egypt, through the wilderness, where no one lived. Though it is not mentioned, per se’, He also provided them with water from the Rock. He is our Water in a dry and thirsty land where no water is (Psalm 63:1).
Twice it is mentioned in this text; the question, “Where is the LORD?” First it was the “fathers” (v. 6), then it is the priests (v. 7). They were not even missing the presence of the LORD. Why would you ask, if you do not even notice that God is missing from your “worship”. The LORD has come and dwelt among His people. He went to the cross and died for our sins in the Person of His Son Jesus the Christ. He was buried carrying all our sin, our guilt, our shame, our condemnation away; then He arose bodily from the grave, and is now seated at the Father’s right hand always interceding for all who will come to Him.
The one’s who saw to the keeping of the scrolls of the law were doing it, and not even knowing the Person of the Law. The Living Word of God appeared to these in His day, they saw His works, they heard His teachings and testimony, and they still rejected Him. They did not know what they had been copying. It was just a job, a task to perform and keep them busy. Something upon which to boasts.
The rulers turned their back on the LORD. They had grown to despise the true prophets of God and chosen the false prophets of men, ie., Baal. That way they heard only what they wanted to hear. There is no profit in the false words of the profit [prophet] makers.
Is God missing in your worship, or have you even noticed? He is as close as His name. Jesus.
-by Tim A. Blankenship
The Happy Man
Happiness can be fleeting. It is often measured by how well one’s life is going. If one get’s a surprise check or an unexpected amount of cash in the mail, or slid under the door, or show up in the car, or win the lottery; then, one can be very happy.
Happiness defined by the MIRRIAM/WEBSTER Dictionary means,
“1: a state of well being and contentment; also : a pleasurable satisfaction 2: aptness”
There is a “Happiness” gained by being godly. There has been much written on the Psalms and the First Psalm is no different. The word in the Bible for Happiness is “Blessed”, though the word means so much more than the definition of happiness in the above mentioned dictionary.
The First Psalm begins,
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” Psalm 1:1 (KJV)
Jesus Christ begins the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes with the word “Blessed”. There are also seven “Blesseds” in the Revelation. If you would like you may click on the link and read more about the Lord’s happiness that He gives.
The man is happiest when he is walking with the Lord in His Word, doing His will, going His way, and worshipping and praising only the great and mighty God who has made all things, and mankind in His own image.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 (KJV)
The individual is haughty and proud is not an individual who fits our Lord’s description of “Happiness”. The “Blessedness” of the Lord is enduring. The happiness of the world is fleeting, and dependent upon circumstances. When you walk in the happiness of the Lord, you walk in the light of the Lord.
Have a blessed day.
-Tim A. Blankenship
What Has Happened to Godliness
When I read Psalm 12:1 this morning my first thought was that it sounds as though David was living in 2012. That may be a bit cynical, but I do not think too much so. I do know some people I consider to be godly and they are Christians. I do not consider any one who know not Christ to be godly.
The Psalmist cries out for help from the LORD.
“Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.” Psalm 12:1 (KJV)
It is a grievous thing to look at our Nation (the USA) and see so much degradation; such flaunting of unrighteous, ungodly behaviors, drunkenness, gluttonness feasting, and much gluttony without any thankfulness to the One who provided it.
David saw that the “godly man ceaseth”, that “the faithful fail”, and he asks GOD for “Help”; and so must the follower of Christ Jesus today.
The following is a quote from Matthew Henry’s commentary on Psalm 12:1-
“When there is a general decay of piety and honesty among men the times are then truly bad (v. 1): When the godly man ceases and the faithful fail. Observe how these two characters are here put together, the godly and the faithful. As there is no true policy, so there is no true piety, without honesty. Godly men are faithful men, fast men, so they have sometimes been called; their word is as confirming as their oath, as binding as their bond; they make conscience of being true both to God and man. They are here said to cease and fail, either by death or by desertion, or by both. Those that were godly and faithful were taken away, and those that were left had sadly degenerated and were not what they had been; so that there were few or no good people that were Israelites indeed to be met with. Perhaps he meant that there were no godly faithful men among Saul’s courtiers; if he meant there were few or none in Israel, we hope he was under the same mistake that Elijah was, who thought he only was left alone, when God had 7000 who kept their integrity (Rom. 11:3); or he meant that there were few in comparison; there was a general decay of religion and virtue (and the times are bad, very bad, when it is so), not a man to be found that executes judgment, Jer. 5:1.”
What is godliness? To live as God would live; or at least work at doing so. Will that save you for all time and eternity? NO! Only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work can save you eternally. When you are saved for eternally you will desire to be godly. We are called to live godly even when ungodliness seems to rule the world.
-Tim A. Blankenship
Isaiah’s Prayer of Woe
From previous chapters we see that Isaiah had seen the sin of the people of Israel. It was a time of trial for the nation; the king Uzziah was dead, and he had been a godly leader for the most part.
Because of the death of Uzziah; Isaiah was evidently mourning the death of the king, and he was greatly troubled by the death. It becomes apparent, though, that Isaiah had not seen the Lord of glory. Now things are about to change. Isaiah is about to change. When you see the Lord, exalted, on His throne and that He is holy, holy, holy you too will change for His glory.
When Isaiah saw these angelic beings it seems logical that he fell on his face, and cried these words, “Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (6:5). When someone sees Jesus for the first time as the suffering Savior dying on the cross for their sins, their heart cries, ‘Woe is me! I am undone…”. “Undone” simply means sinful, without hope of one’s self. God is holy, holy, holy, and you and I are unholy; yet God seeks to reconcile us to Himself. He could only do this through the death of His righteous, sinless Son.
When you become right with God your desire will be to go for His glory. God asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Isaiah’s answer was, “Here am I; send me”. that is the answer of a truly grateful heart. That is the answer for the saved, changed, made new heart.
God tells Isaiah, that no one will hear, no one will obey. Isaiah’s answered by asking, “How long do I keep preaching?” God’s answer was, “Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate…” (6:11ff.).
Loving this thrice holy God is a call to faithfulness, not recruiting of numbers. God will give the people. You and I are to keep praying, going, and being faithful.
-Tim A. Blankenship
Is God Missing???
Is God Missing?
The Word of the LORD is important to the prophet of God. Without the Word he has no message. No message of any importance anyway. The most important message the people need is that of what God says.
It is sad when we hear news reports of missing people. Here, of late, we have heard especially of young women, wives, and mothers missing. Some of them end up being found dead. No one enjoys hearing of a missing individual, but how would we feel if God were missing? Would we even notice?
For the second time in the second chapter of Jeremiah we have a “Thus says the LORD…” (vv. 2, 5). Jeremiah realized that since God had called him to be a prophet, and not just a prophet of men, but a prophet to proclaim only the Word of the LORD, with promise of protection, keeping, and power in the words He would proclaim (1:17-19).
In verses two and three God reminds them of their early faith, and holiness. Now the prophet addresses, at God’s direction, their forsaking God. They had gotten to a state of comfort, which led to a lethargic, complacent mindset, and then, completely turned their backs on God.
Hear the Word of the LORD:
“Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel.” Jeremiah 2:4 (NKJV).
There seems to be a message of warning in this phrase alone. The name “Jacob” was a name of self-dependence; of one’s using their own methods to accomplish their own ends. Jacob had trusted the LORD God, and God changed his name to Israel. “Jacob” actually meaning ‘Heel catcher’ because he had a handhold on Esau’s foot when they were born. “Israel” meaning ‘Prince of God’, or ‘He struggles with God’. (NOTE: You can find this history in Genesis 32:22-32). So in addressing them as “House of Jacob” could it be that the LORD, through the prophet, is reminding them from whence they came; that they have forgotten their faith?
“Thus says the LORD: ‘What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me, have followed idols, and have become idolaters? Neither did they say, ‘Where is the LORD, who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, through a land of drought and the shadow of death, through a land that no one crossed and where no one dwelt?’ I brought you into a bountiful country, to eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land and made my heritage an abomination. The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’ And those who handle the law did not know Me; the rulers also transgressed against Me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.” Jeremiah 2:5-8 (NKJV).
Easy living, comfort, the fatness of the land, or a good economy, are some of the things that lure people away from faith, and trust in the LORD God. It can happen so easily. For a Christian today it starts by neglecting your daily quiet time with the Lord. It continues as you neglect your prayer life. The next thing you know you missed a Sunday morning worship gathering due to being up too late Saturday night – you were out with friends, went to a movie, or just did not take an initiative to be in bed to get to church as usual. It really does not take much effort for a child of God to get away from godly practice.
The worship of Baal can be as simple as seeing other things as more important than that personal quiet time with God. Be careful. Be careful to maintain that quiet time, that special time you have with the Lord Jesus each and every morning. In this quiet time you receive strength, and encouragement for the day. You may not think so at the time, but that strength will be there as you need it.
When we start neglecting that personal time with God, the next thing to go will be our worship of God, and fellowship with other believers. The house you live in, the boat, and going to the lake for water skiing or fishing begins taking the place of God, fellowship with Him and your brothers and sisters in Christ. When this happens; you have become a modern day Idol worshipper. Just a thought – is an idle worshipper and Idol worshipper? My answer to that is YES!!!
The prophet Jeremiah reminds the recipients of this message of the work the LORD has done for the Nation (vv. 6-7). God had indeed brought them out of Egypt, through the wilderness, where no one lived. Though it is not mentioned, per se, He also provided them with water from the Rock. He is our Water in a dry and thirsty land where no water is (Psalm 63:1).
Twice it is mentioned in this text; the question, “Where is the LORD?” First it was the “fathers” (v. 6), then it is the priests (v. 7). They were not even missing the presence of the LORD. Why would you ask, if you do not even notice that God is missing from your “worship”.
The one’s who saw to the keeping of the scrolls of the law were doing it, and not even knowing the Person of the Law. The Living Word of God appeared to these in His day, they saw His works, they heard His teachings and testimony, and they still rejected Him. They did not know what they had been copying. It was just a job, a task to perform and keep them busy. Something upon which to boasts.
The rulers turned their back on the LORD. They had grown to despise the true prophets of God and chosen the false prophets of men, ie., Baal. That way they heard only what they wanted to hear. There is no profit in the false words of the profit [prophet] makers.
Is God missing in your worship, or have you even noticed?
-by Tim A. Blankenship
Broken Pieces 