seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Jeremiah 12:1 You are always righteous, Lord,
when I bring a case before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the faithless live at ease?
2 You have planted them, and they have taken root;
they grow and bear fruit.
You are always on their lips
but far from their hearts.
3 Yet you know me, Lord;
you see me and test my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep to be butchered!
Set them apart for the day of slaughter!
4 How long will the land lie parched
and the grass in every field be withered?
Because those who live in it are wicked,
the animals and birds have perished.
Moreover, the people are saying,
“He will not see what happens to us.”
when I bring a case before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the faithless live at ease?
2 You have planted them, and they have taken root;
they grow and bear fruit.
You are always on their lips
but far from their hearts.
3 Yet you know me, Lord;
you see me and test my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep to be butchered!
Set them apart for the day of slaughter!
4 How long will the land lie parched
and the grass in every field be withered?
Because those who live in it are wicked,
the animals and birds have perished.
Moreover, the people are saying,
“He will not see what happens to us.”
5 “If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble[a] in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets by[b] the Jordan?
6 Your relatives, members of your own family—
even they have betrayed you;
they have raised a loud cry against you.
Do not trust them,
though they speak well of you.
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble[a] in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets by[b] the Jordan?
6 Your relatives, members of your own family—
even they have betrayed you;
they have raised a loud cry against you.
Do not trust them,
though they speak well of you.
7 “I will forsake my house,
abandon my inheritance;
I will give the one I love
into the hands of her enemies.
8 My inheritance has become to me
like a lion in the forest.
She roars at me;
therefore I hate her.
9 Has not my inheritance become to me
like a speckled bird of prey
that other birds of prey surround and attack?
Go and gather all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.
10 Many shepherds will ruin my vineyard
and trample down my field;
they will turn my pleasant field
into a desolate wasteland.
11 It will be made a wasteland,
parched and desolate before me;
the whole land will be laid waste
because there is no one who cares.
12 Over all the barren heights in the desert
destroyers will swarm,
for the sword of the Lord will devour
from one end of the land to the other;
no one will be safe.
13 They will sow wheat but reap thorns;
they will wear themselves out but gain nothing.
They will bear the shame of their harvest
because of the Lord’s fierce anger.”
abandon my inheritance;
I will give the one I love
into the hands of her enemies.
8 My inheritance has become to me
like a lion in the forest.
She roars at me;
therefore I hate her.
9 Has not my inheritance become to me
like a speckled bird of prey
that other birds of prey surround and attack?
Go and gather all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.
10 Many shepherds will ruin my vineyard
and trample down my field;
they will turn my pleasant field
into a desolate wasteland.
11 It will be made a wasteland,
parched and desolate before me;
the whole land will be laid waste
because there is no one who cares.
12 Over all the barren heights in the desert
destroyers will swarm,
for the sword of the Lord will devour
from one end of the land to the other;
no one will be safe.
13 They will sow wheat but reap thorns;
they will wear themselves out but gain nothing.
They will bear the shame of their harvest
because of the Lord’s fierce anger.”
14 This is what the Lord says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them from their lands and I will uproot the people of Judah from among them. 15 But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. 16 And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among my people. 17 But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it,” declares the Lord.
a. Jeremiah 12:5 Or you feel secure only
b. Jeremiah 12:5 Or the flooding of
It says it right there..... if they will learn the ways of His people and swear by His name... then they will be establish among His people. There it is.... I've been looking for something that actually says a person who is not a direct descendant of Jacob [Israel] can still get to Heaven.... and there it is.... Gentiles like me are welcome in Heaven...... "As surely as the Lord lives".
This is from Bible-studys.org.
Like Job (Job 21:7-12), and Asaph (Psalms chapter 73), Jeremiah asked God, “Why” do “the wicked prosper?” They were the ones who seemed to be thriving, despite giving lip service to God but keeping Him “far from their reins”.
God reminded Jeremiah that current difficulties where like a casual jog in the park compared with the race against “horses” that later struggles would require. He would be unable to trust even his own family. God does not hesitate to ask believers to do difficult things because He promises to help them accomplish them.
God describes His plans for His people in terms of a patriarch giving up his heritage. The grand estate upon which He had lavished such care was ruined. It had become as wild as a “lion” and drawn to carrion like a “speckled bird”.
Jeremiah is assured that although Judah and Jerusalem must be punished, God’s judgment will also extend to their “evil neighbors”. There is in this a strong missionary appeal in that to Gentiles, too, is opened the hope of salvation (compare Hosea chapter 12; Obad. 1:20-21; Zech. 8:20-23; 14:8-9).
Despite the prospect of God’s anger and the “evil neighbors” who would “touch the inheritance” and take them into captivity, both the land and the people would remain His possession. God’s compassion on His people will never end (Zech. 2:8).
We see in this that God offers forgiveness to the heathen, as well as His people, if they will turn from the worship of Baal to worshipping the One true God. This is an opening to God for the Gentiles.
It's hard to believe the pastor when he or she says that Heaven is for all Believers..... when those who make us work on Sundays, and Wednesday nights while they line their pockets with gold and slip us some tin...... sit in the front row of the choir and smile down on us. In some ways.... I figure the rich have controlled the church for so long... the message may have been changed to increase books sales.This is from the easy English site.
Why do wicked people enjoy themselves? Why do they become successful? Why do innocent people have great troubles? People in every age ask these questions. Many people in the Old Testament asked them too. (For example, Psalm 22:1-2; Habbakuk 1:2-4.) Jeremiah knew that the LORD was always right. But the LORD still allowed wicked people to remain. So Jeremiah wanted to know how the LORD was fair. Psalm 1:1-3 uses the example of a good person. He is like a tree. People plant it where it can grow. And it produces fruit. Jeremiah changes that example. The wicked people are like plants. The plants grow and they produce fruit. The wicked people may speak the LORD’s name, but they hide their real character. Really they do not care about the LORD.
The evil neighbours were Syria, Moab and Ammon. The LORD would send them into exile because they attacked Israel. Judah had to go into exile too. But the LORD promised to let them go back into their own countries.
The other nations could become a part of the people that the LORD had chosen. But the other nations had to accept the same customs of the Israelite religion. Those nations must show that they wanted to obey the LORD. Previously they had taught the Israelites to use the name of Baal with their promises. Now they had to say the LORD’s name when they made serious promises. The prophecy looks forward to the time when Jews and Gentiles worship the LORD together. Paul wrote about that in his letters to the people in cities called Ephesus and Galatia (Ephesians 2:14; Galatians 3:26-29). But those nations had to accept theLORD as their king. The LORD would destroy completely any nation that did not obey him.
I paint rocks.... river rocks.... with acrylic paint.... I paint pictures on them.... sign them and hide them in parks for others to find and hide again. I belong to a group of rock painters.... turns out it's a thing.... and it's all over the US and Canada. Some of the rocks I have painted and hidden in parks here in Apache Junction, AZ... are now in New Mexico, Texas, Idaho.... and by now a few more states. Look us up at "A.J._Rocks" on facebook.
Anyway.... the reason I brought up my rocks leads me to a story that might explain how I see this chapter. A couple months ago... the landlord decided to bring in rock for the yards.... In Arizona growing grass is nearly impossible [water is scarce]... so they decorate the yards with crushed rock instead. I was so excited.... I didn't want all the painted rocks in my garden to be buried by the crushed rock they were going to spread. And.... I knew that my acrylic paint and sealer wouldn't hold up to the backhoe. So I picked up all of my rocks.... I guess I had five boxes of painted rocks out in the yard.
The sun is hard on acrylic. As a matter of fact... that yellow acrylic paint that Walmart sells will lose it's yellow in just a couple months in the sun. So I have learned that I have to be careful about placing my own painted rocks..... to leave the yellow ones in the shade if possible. But alas... there is not a lot of shade in this state either..... they don't rake leaves in the fall here.... they rake rocks....
Back to the point... when picking up my rocks to save them.... I noticed that some of them had been weather worn.... and some were almost completely washed out by the monsoon blast that can have the power of a pressure hose as it plows the sand and dirt off the dry clay roof of our building. So these rocks needed to be "brought back". So they went into a box to be repainted and resealed.
There are also some of my rocks that were "special". I have a couple rocks that I like better than the others. These are the ones I painted on days when the brush was working magic. One example I have is a nativity scene..... another is an old woman.... yet another is a space alien.... they are cute...got rave reviews from the neighbors.... and they are just cool. So they went into a box to be saved for replacement.
Then there are all the other rocks.... so many of them.... I hadn't realized how many rocks I had painted..... I would only keep one or two from each batch... and hide the rest out in the parks..... but still I have boxes of them. So they went into a box to be saved for replacement or to be hidden at the park.
The point is.... I really like ALL my painted rocks. Some of them have been through some storms.... Some of them are pretty..... Some are cute.... Some are plain.... some are simple.... but I really like All my painted rocks.
God created humans. Until now... only the "chosen" [the descendants of Jacob (Israel)] would be going to Heaven [special rocks]..... Until now.... Verse 16 plainly says.... ALL the humans can go to Heaven.... God set the plan in motion and Jesus sealed the deal.....
