Peter Misselbrook's Blog

Aug 27 2019 - Jeremiah 38 – Jeremiah thrown into a pit

When the Lord called him to be his prophet – to speak the Lord's words to his people – he had told Jeremiah that his message would stir up opposition and trouble:

Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land – against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 1:18-19)

Jeremiah's ministry provoked opposition, but the Lord promised to be with him and to look after him.

In our last reading king Jehoiakim, a puppet king appointed by Neco king of Egypt, tore up the scroll on which Jeremiah delivered the word of the Lord and burned it in his fire. He would have liked to lay his hands on Jeremiah, but the Lord protected him. We pick up the story today after Zedekiah had been installed as a similar puppet king, but now by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (see 37:1): If you will not worship and serve the living God you inevitably become prey to the powers that dominate this present world. The city had been besieged by the Babylonians but they suddenly left when Pharaoh's army marched towards them from Egypt (see 37:5). Babylon and Egypt were engaged in a power battle in which Judah and Jerusalem were caught in the middle.

After the Babylonians left, Jeremiah tried to leave the city but was arrested on suspicion of seeking to defect to the Babylonians. He was imprisoned in a "vaulted cell". After a lengthy period, King Zedekiah sent him a message asking, "Is there any word from the Lord?" Perhaps he hoped that Jeremiah would have a better message now that the besieging Babylonians had withdrawn. Jeremiah's message was uncompromising, "You will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon" (37:17), but he added a plea that he be let out of prison. Zedekiah ordered Jeremiah to be released but kept in the courtyard of the guard. This is where today's passage begins.

It was impossible to keep Jeremiah quiet. Now he was under a more lenient house arrest he kept telling all who would listen that the Babylonians would return to besiege the city and destroy it. People should leave the city now and even defect to the Babylonians otherwise they would die.

The king's officials wanted Jeremiah to be put to death and the king allowed them to do as they pleased with him. He was lowered into a well or cistern which had no water but only mud in the bottom – a sign that the city's resources were already running out. Jeremiah sank into the mud.

He must have thought that he would die there, but one of the royal officials, Ebed-Melek, pleaded for him with the king. With the assistance of about thirty men, a rope and some cloths, Jeremiah was hauled out of the cistern and restored to house arrest in the courtyard of the guard. The king again asked Jeremiah what counsel he had from the Lord. He was told he should surrender to the Babylonians so that his life and the lives of all of the court and the residents of Jerusalem might be spared. But Zedekiah failed to listen to Jeremiah. We will take up the sorry story tomorrow.

It is a dangerous thing to ignore the word of God. It is dangerous to ignore God's message of judgment – as King Zedekiah was soon to discover. It is equally dangerous to pay no attention to God's message of salvation – like the inhabitants of Jerusalem failing to turn to the Lord in repentance and prayer. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews tells us that the Lord Jesus is God's final word to us (Hebrews 1:1-2). He then says, "How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3).

Lord Jesus, you said that one of the marks of your disciples would be that they listen to your word and follow you. Help us to hear what you are saying to us through your word and by your Spirit and never to turn a deaf ear to you. Help us to be faithful in telling others of your great salvation and never tire of telling them even if they want to ignore what you have to say to them.

Aug 27 2020 - Matthew 6:1-24 – Lasting Treasure

We have been going through a time of real crisis with the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses have had to close down and many may not reopen. Many have been unable to do their work and now have a reduced income or no income at all. Some of us who have investments that are part of our pension have seen their value fall in a dramatic fashion. We may have thought that we had enough to last for the rest of our lives, but now we are no longer sure. We fear the loss of many of the things we had thought of as dependable and certain.

Some 42 years ago I had a motorbike which was my pride and joy. It was a Triumph 650, ex-police bike. I had customised it in various ways; it was my treasure. Our first child was born on the seventh of August 1978. On the following morning I got up to go and visit my wife and child in hospital only to find that my bike had been stolen – I never got it back. My initial reaction was one of deep anger and a sense of loss. But soon I began to feel that the Lord was teaching me an important lesson; I had lost my motorbike, but God had given me a precious daughter. People are more important than things. And the greatest treasure of all is to know, love and serve God. We need to safeguard our hearts against the false values that characterise the world in which we live.

Jesus teaches us to pray for “our daily bread”. Not to seek after the dangerous riches of this world but to be content with what we have and to learn what is truly “enough”. God’s world is being destroyed through the insatiable desire for more as well as through the current pandemic.

That is not to say that we should be indifferent to the injustices of our society. On the contrary, we need to challenge the distorted values of our world; money is not the measure of all things and economic growth is not to be our god. Instead of comparing our lot unfavourably with that of the super-rich, we need to recognise the plight of those in other parts of the world who are struggling to live on a dollar a day. We need to speak up for those whose voice is drowned out in the clamour for more trinkets. We need to work for a world in which people, made in the image of God, are valued rather than being seen as the disposable resources of an economic machine. We are to pray and work for a society that is marked by righteousness and a world that it nurtured and sustained rather than exploited and ravaged – a world where God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus challenges us to examine our hearts and to question what we truly value. What are the things we long for and daydream about? What are the priorities in our lives – the things that actually shape the way we live and act? Perhaps this current crisis will teach us all to reassess the things that are of real and lasting value – family and friends; the beauty of the world around us; the unfailing faithfulness and love of God.

Heavenly Father, forgive us that we so often view this world as if it were ours to use and manipulate as we please. Help us to see that we are your creatures living in your world. Teach us to live in dependence upon you and to respect and care for one another and for the world which you have made. Keep us rejoicing in your daily goodness and trusting you for the days to come.

 

Peter Misselbrook