Hypocrites in church

Ezekiel 33

• The responsibility and evaluation of a watchman (v. 1-11).
• The justice of God and man’s complaint to the contrary (v. 12-20).
• Those who were saved from the Babylonians were surprised by judgment for their ongoing sins (v. 21-29).
• Hypocrites entertained by preaching (v. 30-33).

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The queen of heaven

Jeremiah 43

• Living by sight and by feeling and not by faith, Johanan leads the people to Egypt contrary to God’s will as expressed through Jeremiah (v. 1-7).
• Jeremiah hides stones in a kiln symbolizing the conquest of Egypt by the Babylonians (v. 8-13).

Jeremiah 44

• Recounting the sins which led to the fall of Jerusalem (v. 1-6)
• Reproof for obvious and obstinate sin of these who have fled Jerusalem (v. 7-10).
• Warning of judgment to come (v. 11-14).
• The people who once declared their intent to obey God in all things, now declare their intent to disobey Him (v. 15-19).
• God reminds them that such rebellion brought judgment in the past and it will do so in the future as well (v. 20-30).

Meditation Point

Burning incense to the queen of heaven and baking cakes to worship her angered God. Why don’t those who exalt Mary to a position of near equality with Christ see a similarity?

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Where shall we go?

Jeremiah 41

• We are not told, though we can imagine, why a member of the royal family would gather 10 others to join him in a plot to kill Governor Gedaliah (v. 1-3)
• But why would they want to kill 80 men who had come to Jerusalem prepared to worship God? (v. 4-9).
• Johanan, hearing of this uprising, rallies men to squelch the rebellion; Ishmael flees to the Ammonites for safety (v. 10-15).
• Fearing Chaldean reprisals, Johanan and the people prepare to go to Egypt for safety (v. 16-18).

Jeremiah 42

• Wisely the people seek God’s will before leaving the land (v. 1-6).
• After 10 days the will of God is made known to Jeremiah and to the people (v. 7-8).
• If the people remain in the land they will live; if they flee to Egypt they will die (v. 9-18).
• Moreover, God chides them for their half-hearted and unbelieving prayer request and He announces their judgment (v. 19-22).

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Where would you live?

Who but Christ and those like Him would choose to live among the distressed people of God rather than in the lavish palaces of unbelief?

Jeremiah 40

• Jeremiah is released from prison by the conquering Babylonians (v. 1-4)
• Allowed to choose where to live, Jeremiah opts to remain in Israel (v. 5-7).
• Governor Gedaliah rallies the people and advises them to submit to the Babylonians (v. 8-12).
• When warned of a conspiracy to take his life, Gedaliah chooses not to believe the danger is real (v. 13-16).

2 Kings 25

• But in the seventh month, Gedaliah is assassinated by a member of the royal family and his ten men.

(more details in tomorrow’s reading of Jeremiah 41 and 42)

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