Under Gods Command
Proverbs 28:09 – If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law even his prayers are detestable.
God does not listen to our prayers if we intend to go back to our sin as soon as we get off our knees. If we want to forsake our sin and follow him, however, he willingly listens-no matter how bad our sin has been. What closes his ears in not the depth of our sin, but our secret intention to do it again. God hears our intentions as clearly as he hears our words.
Under Gods Command
Jeremiah 42.5,6 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God.
Johanan and his associates spoke their own course, Jeremiah merely elaborated on it. It was tragic mistake to ask for God’s guidance with no intention of following it. Be sure never to ask God for something that you know in your heart you really do not want. It is better not to pray than to pray hypocritically. God cannot be deceived.
Under Gods Command
Jeremiah 23 9-14 Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me; all my bones tremble. I am like a drunken man, like a man overcome by wine, because of the LORD and his holy words. The land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the land lies arched and the pastures in the desert are withered. The prophets follow an evil course and use their power unjustly. “Both prophet and priest are godless, even in my temple I find their wickedness,” declares the LORD. “Therefore their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there they will fall. I will bring disaster on them in the year they are punished,” declares the LORD. “Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray. And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”
How did the nation become so corrupt? A major factor was false prophecy. The false prophets had a large, enthusiastic audience and were very popular because they made the people believe that all was well. By contrast, Jeremiah’s message from God was unpopular because it showed the people how bad they were.
There are four warning signs of false prophets-characteristics we need to watch for even today.
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 25:26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.
“Give way to the wicked” means setting aside your standard of right and wrong. No one is helped by someone who compromises with the wicked.
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 24:10 If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength.
Times of trouble can be useful. They can show you who you really are, what kind of character you have developed. In addition, they can help you grow stronger. When Jeremiah questioned God because of the trouble he faced, God asked how he ever expected to face big challenges if the little ones tired him out (Jeremiah 12:5). Don’t complain about your problems. The trouble you face today is training you to be strong for the more difficult situations you will face in the future.
Under Gods Command
Jeremiah 22:21 I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, I will not listen! This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed me.
Jehoiakim has been hardheaded and hard-hearted since childhood. God warned him, but he refuse to listen. His prosperity always took a higher priority than his relationship with God. If you ever find yourself so comfortable that you don’t have time for God, stop and ask which is more important-the comforts of this life or a close relationship with God.
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 23:13,14 – Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.
The stern tone of discipline here is offset by the affection expressed in verse 15. However, many parents are reluctant to discipline their children at all. Some fear they will forfeit their relationship, that their children will resent them, or that they will stifle their children’s development. But correction won’t kill children, and it may prevent them from foolish moves that will.
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 22:24, 25 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.
People tend to become like those with whom they spend a lot of time. Even the negative characteristics and habits sometimes rub off. The Bible exhorts us to be cautious in our choice of companions. Choose people with qualities you would like to develop in your own life.
Under Gods Command
Jeremiah 20:7-18 O LORD, you deceived me and I was deceived, you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say I will not mention him or speak any more in his name, his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. I hear many whispering. Terror on every side! Report him! Let’s report him! All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.
11-12 But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten. O LORD Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind. Let me see your vengeance upon them for to you I have committed my cause
13 Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.
14-18 Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed! Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, who made him very glad, saying, “A child I born to you-a son!” May that man be like the towns the LORD overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon. For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever. Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame.
Jeremiah cried out in despair mixed with praise, unburdening his heart to God. He had faithfully proclaimed God’s word and had received nothing in return but persecution and sorrow. Yet when he withheld God’s word for a while, it became fire in his bones until he could hold it back no longer. When God’s living message of forgiveness becomes fire in your bones, you also will feel compelled to share it with others, regardless of the results.
Under Gods Command
Jeremiah 17:11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is half gone, they will desert him and in the end he will prove to be a fool.
There is a right way and a wrong way to do any task. Jeremiah says that the man who becomes rich by unjust means will end up foolish and poor. Whether at work, school, or play, we should strive to be honest in all our dealings. Getting a promotion, passing an exam, or gaining prestige unjustly will never bring God’s blessing or lasting happiness.
Under Gods command 