Dr H Reflections

Compassionate provision ∙

Compassionate provision ∙

They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat! Matthew 14:16

John 6:1-13

1 After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee.

2 A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick.

3 Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him.

5 Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?”

6 He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

7 Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”

8 Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up.

9 “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”

10 “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.)

11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward, he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted.

12 After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.”

13 So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.

Lost was an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004, to May 23, 2010, over six seasons, with a total of 121 episodes. The show included elements of supernatural and science fiction. It follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial jet airliner flying between Sydney and Los Angeles. They are stranded on a mysterious island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean.

The survivors must work together to survive on this seemingly deserted tropical island. It left many of its viewers dumbfounded and scratching their heads. It was convoluted and had lots of twists and turns. But ultimately, it boiled down to a straightforward plot: it was about people who were lost searching for answers. Upon reflection, that is the background against which the Scriptures are set.

Wherever the Lord Jesus Christ went, large crowds of people thronged Him. As the God-man, His humanity was exactly the same as ours. He grew tired, hungry, weary, and needed alone time with the Father.

In this story, the Lord Jesus Christ retreated by boat to a lonely, desolate place on the sea of Galilee’s northeast shore. But the crowds figured out where He was going and walked quickly around the sea to arrive there first. Time passed, and this large crowd found themselves stranded in a desolate place late in the afternoon without food.

Matthew 14:14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them.

The plight of the multitude pierced the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Greek word translated as “moved with compassion” or “had compassion” is splagchnizomai. The English word spleen comes from this word. Splagchnizomai literally means “to have one’s inner being (viscera) stirred.” It is a far stronger emotion than sympathy. It means to be deeply affected in one’s innermost being, particularly that area characterized by pity, empathy, or compassion. It could be translated as “His heart was filled with pity,” “His insides were stirred up,” or “He felt very sorry for them” (UBS).

The disciples were very human, just like us. Can you imagine how they might have felt? What an embarrassing quandary. They realized there was not enough food for such a multitude of people. Their thinking was totally earthbound. Their human resources were exhausted. That was all they relied upon, so the response was quite natural. They concluded that there was nothing that could be done. Rather than turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for help and depend upon Him, they asked him to send the crowd away.

But the Lord Jesus Christ had a more excellent and instructive way to handle the situation. He directed the disciples to feed the crowd themselves. They were dumbfounded. Humanly speaking, it was impossible. They had no food among themselves. They had no money to buy food. And even if they did, there was no local, kosher McDonald’s anywhere to be found.

But Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, showing a smidgen of faith and initiative, spoke up. He noticed that there was a young boy with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good would that be with this huge crowd? In all probability, he probably thought that such a small amount of food could barely feed the thirteen of them.

To provide for this multitude would take a miracle. That is precisely what the Lord Jesus Christ intended to do from the beginning. It was a teachable moment. But He wanted His disciples to realize that what is impossible with men, using purely human resources, is possible from the resourceful hands of the living God.

The Lord Jesus Christ prayed for the Father’s provision; He took the five loaves and two fishes and supersized them. Using the creative power of His hands, the Lord Jesus Christ multiplied the meager offering into a superabundance of food.

REFLECT & PRAY

Often, a quick self-inventory of our resources and abilities finds us wanting.

Father thank You that You are indeed the creator God and can do the impossible. We call it a miracle. But for You, it is quick, easy, simple handiwork. It is far better to trust in Your provision than to strive to be sufficient on our own.

INSIGHT

Initially, the disciple’s hands provided nothing. The hands of the Lord Jesus Christ multiplied, broke, and provided what was needed. Imagine for a moment a magician performing on stage. He whips off his hat and pulls out a rabbit – no big deal. Any magician can do that. But then he pulls out another, and another, and another ad infinitum. One after another, loaves and fish were instantaneously created and handed out in a similar fashion. But the supply never diminished.

Starting with practically nothing, the Lord Jesus Christ miraculously produced a great feast of bread and fish using only His own hands. It was not a magician’s trick!

Mark 6:41 And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves, and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them, and He divided up the two fish among them all.

The Lord Jesus Christ then used the hands of the disciples to do what they could do. The twelve disciples were first assigned to distribute the bountiful provision and later to gather together all of the leftovers into twelve empty baskets. Why twelve baskets? One for each apostle. I can picture each of the disciples toting a large, overflowing basket.

This was intended as a literal “hands-on” object lesson regarding the compassion and miraculous power of the Father to provide for human needs. When the Lord Jesus Christ challenged the disciples to take care of it using their own resources, He wanted them to recognize their utter limitations and inadequacy. Only the Father has adequate resources.

The Lord Jesus Christ has given every child of the King the tremendous task of communicating His gospel message to others. He does not demand more from us than we have. But He does require all that we have.His message is simple and straightforward. “Come to me as you are; however, ill-equipped; bring to me what you have, however little, and I will use it greatly. Little is always much in the hands of Christ (Barclay).

The Father intended the story to teach faith and dependence upon Him. He provides steps of action to take to solve the everyday problems of life. It is pretty straightforward:

Start where you are with what you have.
Give what you have to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do what He asks.
Conserve the results

Sadly, many of us reason that it is never the right place nor the right time for the Father to work. The Father has a totally different perspective.

Matthew 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

The Father responds to human need, failure, and suffering with love and compassion. The Father is always moved to shepherd us.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 10-22-2

I AM the LORD! ∙

I AM the LORD! ∙

They did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor. – Exodus 6:9

Exodus 6:1-9

1 Then the LORD told Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!”

2 And God said to Moses, “I am Yahweh – ‘the LORD.’”

3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai – “God Almighty” – but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them.

4 And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners.

5 You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of my covenant with them.

6 Therefore, say to the people of Israel: “I am the LORD. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment.”

9 So Moses told the people of Israel what the LORD had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.

Dr. Shane Lopez was a Senior Scientist at Gallup and one of the world’s leading researchers on hope. Dr. Shane taught that hope is contagious. Here are some of his observations. “The tiny ripple of hope you set in motion can change the path of someone’s life. Hope is created moment by moment through our deliberate choices. It happens when we use our thoughts and feelings to temper our aversion to loss and actively pursue what is possible. How we think about the future – how we hope – determines how well we live our lives.”

He believed that hope could be engendered by:

Modeling hope and treating others with the kind of love, compassion and kindness you want for yourself.
Caring enough to support others who are in need of help.
Becoming a Super-Empowered, Hopeful Individual who believes the future can be better than today, and you can make it happen, despite the obstacles in your way (psychologytoday.com).

“The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me’” (Billy Graham).

“Depression begins with disappointment. When disappointment festers in our soul, it leads to discouragement” (Joyce Meyer).

“The most essential factor is persistence – the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come” (James Whitcomb Riley).

When the Father promises to do something, the children of the King can rest assured and trust that it will be done. Frequently, before a promise from the Father can be realized it is preceded by a change in the status quo. The Father makes waves. He has a way of shaking things up. When he appeared at Sinai, the earth shook. In the future, He will shake both the earth and the heavens. His goal is to shake things until all of the things that can be removed, are removed (Hebrews 12:26-27).

In a similar fashion, to a much lesser degree, the Father also shakes His children. We do not desire to be shaken or rattled. His touch is often viewed as an unwelcome intrusion or disturbance. Often things often get worse before they get better.

Upon returning from Mount Sinai, Moses goes to Pharaoh and asks him to let the children of Israel go. Pharaoh rebuffs him. Moses fails and his failure brings sadness and adds misery to his people. He blames himself and questions why the Lord asked him to do it in the first place. It is easy for most of us to identify with the failure of Moses. He starts with great enthusiasm and falls flat on his face. He complains and whines. He wonders if the Father made a mistake in choosing him. He seems so inadequate for his assignment. But that is exactly the point, Moses is adequate for the job. That is why the Father chose him to do the job.

But the gloom and doom of pessimism are often contagious. After 400 years of suffering and servitude making bricks for Pharaoh, what could be worse? Try making bricks without straw. The people were discouraged. They stopped listening to Moses and hoping in God. They did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency (Exodus 6:9).

The Hebrew word translated as broken, despondency, and discouragement is qotser. Qotser means shortness. When used in conjunction with the spirit, it has a sense of impatience and dejectedness. They were beaten down, and their spirits were broken and crushed. They were discouraged and exhausted. They had given up (UBS).

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is like a tree of life.

“When we feel oppressed and our spirit groans, it is difficult for us to believe the good promises of God regarding our welfare” (Stanley). Instead of being long-suffering, they figured they had suffered long enough. They had had enough. All hope was lost.

REFLECT & PRAY

Physical suffering pains our bodies, but emotional suffering and discouragement bring leanness to our souls and ravages our hearts.

Father remind me again and again, and bring to my mind that no matter what my circumstances are or how gloomy and dire my situation seems to be, your answer always begins, “I am the LORD!”

INSIGHT

The irony is that initial failure lays the groundwork for ultimate success. Pessimism and doubt are the fertile soil in which promises are fulfilled.

Matthew 19:26 with God all things are possible.

The Scriptures are replete with examples of the Father doing the impossible after all hope is lost. But a few examples: the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the preserving of the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, the miracle of the Red Sea, the angelic hosts guarding Elisha and Gehazi, and the greatest of all, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The problem has never been with the Father. The problem has always been with our discouragement and lack of faith. The Father wants us to know and believe that He is the answer to all of our problems and circumstances. Every aspect of our physical and emotional well-being and eternal salvation depends solely on His character and eternal attributes.

Why did the Father allow Moses to fail at the very beginning of his mission when he went to Pharaoh the first time? Perhaps, if Pharaoh had released the nation of Israel the first time Moses asked, Moses would have been given most of the credit. Instead, his attempt totally backfired. As a result, he had to shoulder all the blame.

The people were convinced that Moses was incapable of leading them to the Promised Land. Only the Father could bring them out of Egypt by His mighty hand (Exodus 32:11). The longer Moses and Pharaoh quarreled and wrangled over the release of Israel from bondage, the clearer it became.

The Father was teaching His people to put all of their trust in Him. In due time, they discovered that when all else failed, the one thing they could count on was the One who said, “I am the LORD” (Ryken and Hughes).

His answer is always the same, “I am the LORD!”

“Exodus is a God-centered book with a God-centered message that teaches us to have a God-centered life. Whatever problems we have, whatever difficulties we face, the most important thing is to know who God is. We are called to place our trust in the One who says, ‘I am the LORD.’ . . . When nothing seems to go right, and it is not certain how things will ever work out – even then he says, ‘I am the LORD’” (Ryken and Hughes).

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 10-17-2

Condemned not ∙

Condemned not ∙

From this day on, I will bless you. – Haggai 2:19

John 8:3-11

3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery.

5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.

7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”

8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.

10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

Charles Dederich was a reformed alcoholic and a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. In his day, Alcoholics Anonymous did not accept people who were addicted to anything other than alcohol. Dederich wanted to help everyone with any drug addiction, so he started his own program named Synanon. During this time, he coined the phrase, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life” (https://theredheadriter.com/).

The story in John 8 relates to the woman caught in the act of adultery and presented to Jesus for judgment. Most readers of the New Testament are familiar with it. There was no question about the crime or the guilt. The issue was what to do next. The Lord Jesus Christ reset the clock and gave her the opportunity for a do-over. Essentially, he said, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”

John 8:11 Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on, sin no more.”

Consider for a moment, “As the judge in her case, He showed more interest in her prosecutors than in her guilt. Without prosecutors, Jesus dismissed the case. This was His prerogative as her judge. He only issued her a warning. She would have to stand before Him again in the future, but this was not the time that He wanted to pass judgment on her (cf. John 3:17). He gave her mercy and time to change her ways” (Constable).

Through redemption and forgiveness, each child of the King is given the same opportunity. What you make of that opportunity is yours to decide.

REFLECT & PRAY

Because of His great love, the Father often issues only warnings rather than tickets. What an example He sets for His children.

Father thank You for loving me, forgiving me, and allowing me to begin anew, change my ways and make better choices.

INSIGHT

Having been given a second chance, what will we do with it? Modifying our lives and changing our patterns of thinking and behavior are uncomfortable and sometimes painful. Even though we are often chained to our old habit patterns, and they make us miserable, they still die hard. Starting over and creating new patterns of behavior are often more frightening and disconcerting than continuing in the misery that we have grown accustomed to and comfortable with. The degree of difficulty increases with age and the harder it is to make changes.

Several requirements must be met to overcome our old life patterns.

You must recognize the need for change.
You must be humble enough to admit the need to change.
You must seek help to make the change and allow others to help you.
You must stop doing whatever you are trying to abolish from your life.
You must constantly think about the process of changing to ensure you don’t let your guard down to old habits.
You have to forgive yourself for the past.
You have to replace the old with the new (https://theredheadriter.com/).

Each of us is allowed to go and sin no more.

At the time of Haggai, the children of Israel found themselves in challenging circumstances. As a result of their disobedience, the Father cursed their land and their husbandry.

But in due time, they repented. They experienced a change of heart and direction. Because of their inner heart transformation and their new direction, their future is brighter than their past.

Psalms 103:8-14

8 The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry, and filled with unfailing love.

9 He will not constantly accuse us nor remain angry forever.

10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.

11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

13 The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.

The Father asks for our obedience today so that He may bless us tomorrow. The Father’s blessings for obedience usually do not appear as soon as we obey. But the Father works for those who wait for Him (Stanley).

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 10-04-2

He loved them to the end

He loved them to the end ∙

Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end. – John 13:1

Galatians 6:2-9

2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.

5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

7 Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool [mocked]. For a person will reap what he sows. You will always harvest what you plant.

8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not give up.

Most everyone is familiar with what are called Soap Operas. The term soap opera originated from radio dramas there were actually sponsored by soap manufacturers. They are serial melodramas with multiple principal characters. Real-life situations and challenges are transformed into long-term storylines. They are often very sentimental, filled with unexpected twists and turns and cliffhangers that keep the viewers coming back for more.

“Love to the End” is a 2018 Korean soap opera with 104 episodes.

It told the story of unrequited love, which finally ended up for the best. The main female character falls in love. But the object of her love is uninterested. He has a girlfriend and does not return her love. But the protagonist remains true in her love for him, faithfully to the end. Because of her enduring love, she fights for and holds onto her love and perseveres. She never gives up, no matter what obstacles she faces. Finally, her love and determination are rewarded, and her love is reciprocated.

Often in real life, our challenges are so overwhelming that we are tempted to throw in the towel. We continually strive to do the right thing, but things seem to last only a short time. And things seem to revert, and we are back where we started. We seem to move three steps forward and then two steps backward. It tends to be tedious and highly discouraging. We get bogged down in the middle of dense woods. We cannot see the forest because of the trees. We cannot grasp the big picture because we focus primarily on the details, particularly those that annoy us.

But the view from above is quite different. Looking down and back, we can see how much forward progress we have made. This should be the source of renewed determination to love to the end and not give up. This is the perspective of the Father. He not only sees the progress, but He also sees the end result. And that is what He is determined to achieve in each of His children’s lives.

John 13:1 Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end.

The Greek text reveals the subtle sublimity of this short sentence. The verb translated as loved is agapao. Agape is the noun form of this verb. In the first instance, having loved is an aorist participle in Greek. It sums up the Lord Jesus Christ’s relationship with His disciples. He continually loved them throughout His time with them. He had always loved them(UBS). He never stopped loving them, no matter what.

The second time the apostle John uses the term, he indicates that during the final hours of His life, the Lord Jesus Christ loved them to the very end.

John adds the phrase, the very end. The Greek words are eis telos. To the end has a dual meaning. In the temporal sense, He loved them until the very end. In modern English, until His last breath. It also has an adverbial quality. He loved them completely or utterly. We might say, to the greatest extent possible (Michaels).

The Lord Jesus Christ never stopped loving His disciples. He loved them completely right up until the very end.

This is the same love He has for each child of the King. He will never stop loving us.

REFLECT & PRAY

The Lord Jesus Christ always finishes what He starts. He never drops someone in midstream or gives up on a person halfway to the finish line (Stanley).

Father it is such a comfort to know that You will never stop loving me. I cannot make You love me more, and I cannot make You love me less.

INSIGHT

Contemplate for a moment the historical circumstances. The Lord Jesus Christ was about to be betrayed; He would soon be captured and arrested. All of his followers would then abandon Him. This would be followed by a mock trial, beatings, humiliation, and a horrid death by crucifixion.

Was He overwhelmed or distraught? Was He angry or bitter? Absolutely not. Instead, He saw this as the moment of His greatest achievement. It was the moment in which He would be glorified (John 17:2). It was the fulfillment of His reason for coming into the world. He came to die for the sins of the entire world and make redemption possible. He was carrying out the Father’s ultimate purpose for His life.

There was no moping about or sadness. Instead, He demonstrated the full extent of His love to the end. Knowing everything was about to take place, He did a totally unexpected and extraordinary thing.

John 13:4-5

4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist,

5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

This is how the quintessential servant of the King lived, served, and died. He always thought of others and put them first (Philippians 2:3).

John 13:12-15

12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing?

13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am.

14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.

15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

Remember that night when you are tempted to give up and throw in the tongue because of seemingly unbearable circumstances.

Instead of throwing in the towel, wrap it around your waist and dig in.

Hebrews 12:4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 10-02-2

Harps on the willows ∙∙

Harps on the willows ∙∙

The LORD said, “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins. Jackals will make their home there. I will destroy the towns of Judah so that no one will be able to live in them.” Jeremiah 9:11

Psalms 137:1-4

1 Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem.

2 On the willows there we hung up our harps.

3 For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!”

4 How can we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?

“The problem is that many bitter people don’t know they are bitter. since they are so convinced that they are right, they can’t see their own wrong in the mirror. And the longer the root of bitterness grows, the more difficult it is to remove” (Craig Groeschel).

“The most bitter of all sorrows are the sorrows that we bring on ourselves. Truly we reap what we sow. We are left chapfallen. Laughter and joy have turned to tears. As these sad Hebrews hung up their harps on the willows and could sing no more, we too ‘Hang it up.’”

“This is the bitterest of all, to know that suffering need not have been that it resulted from indiscretion and inconsistency; that it is the harvest of one’s own sowing; that the vulture which feeds on the vitals is a nestling of one’s own rearing. Ah me! This is pain!”

“There is an inevitable Nemesis in life. The laws of the heart and home, of the soul and human life, cannot be violated with impunity. Sin may be forgiven; the fire of penalty may be changed into the fire of trial: the love of God may seem nearer and dearer than ever, and yet there is the awful pressure of pain; the trembling heart; the failing of eyes and pining of soul; the harp on the willows; the refusal of the lip to sing the Lord’s song” (F. B. Meyer).

Galatians 6:7-8

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

Hosea 8:7 For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.

For almost 800 years, the Jewish people lived in the land of Israel. They were divided into two groups: the northern ten tribes were called Israel, and the two southern tribes were called Judah. The Scriptures made it clear that they had unique privileges.

Deuteronomy 7:6 For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

Regrettably, the people acquired a sense of invincibility and entitlement. They figured that no matter how bad and rebellious they lived, they were always just a little bit better than everybody else. The Father would always protect them. Jerusalem was the city of David, a man after God’s heart. Jerusalem was the holy city.

On top of that, the Jewish temple was there. The glory of God resided in the temple in the holy of holies. They smugly thought to themselves, surely, they were safe no matter what.

Indeed they were chosen and special. They were in a unique covenant relationship with the living God. It was as though they had signed a contract with the Father Himself. But there was a catch. It was clearly stipulated that the contract had many terms and conditions. And they were in bold print. If they obeyed the Father’s laws, wonderful things would happen, and they would be blessed. But if they broke His laws, awful things would happen, and they would be cursed. They signed the contract.

Deuteronomy 26:18-19

18 The LORD has declared today that you are his people, his own special treasure, just as he promised, and that you must obey all his commands.

19 And if you do, he will set you high above all the other nations he has made. Then you will receive praise, honor, and renown. You will be a holy nation to the LORD your God, just as he promised.

During the 800 years, there were good times and bad times. There were good kings and awful kings. But more often than not, the people defied the Father and did not keep His commandments.

Repeatedly, prophets were sent to warn them. Many of the Old Testament books bear their names: Isaiah, Micah, Joel, Amos, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Sometimes the people repented, at least for a while. But most of the time, the people of Israel played the fool and refused to keep their part of the contract.

Finally, in 722 B.C., the ten northern tribes were defeated and taken into captivity by the Assyrians. Between 605 and 586 B.C., the Babylonians invaded Judah three times. They overran Jerusalem. They took thousands of Jews captive. They brought them to the land of Babylon. Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed. The Father executed His part when the people failed to live up to their part of the contract they had agreed to. Tragically, the stipulated curses were carried out.

REFLECT & PRAY

A false sense of entitlement often does not work out too well for those who maintain one.

Father in the difficult times, allow me to see past the darkness and gloom. Your loving kindness never ceases, and Your compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.

INSIGHT

Jeremiah was there when Jerusalem was destroyed. What great sorrow and anguish filled his soul. He was totally dejected and clinically depressed. When we find ourselves in tragic, seemingly impossible situations, our personal sentiments undoubtedly echo those of Jeremiah (Lamentations 3:1-20). His world had gone dark. His way was blocked at every turn. He was filled with bitterness, and his prayers seemed to bounce off the ceiling.

By faith, in the darkest of times, he had a 180° turnaround.

He remembered that sowing and reaping are a two-way street. His hope was in the Father. He remembered the Father’s loyal-love. A new day would dawn. Restoration would come. The sorrow and suffering would last for 70 years, as he himself prophesied (Jeremiah 25:11-12). But then, it would come to an end. Restoration would follow. His mourning and sorrow are transformed into renewed faith and hope.

Lamentations 3:21-25

21 This I recall to my mind; therefore, I have hope.

22 The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.”

25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.

What could possibly be worse? All that he loved and cherished was lost. And it was Jeremiah’s own prophecies and those of Ezekiel that had predicted exactly this would happen. But no one listened.

Jeremiah’s faith and hope were renewed because he remembered what the Father was like. Because of the Father’s promises and loyal-love, things would be made right, and the people would sing again.

So can we! Grab your harp and let the Lord’s song again fill your heart.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 3-09-1

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