Jeremiah: Prophesies of the King

The pastors and ministers of church congregations are important. They have the task of reminding God's people that He owns the world, controls history, has a covenant with His people, expects their obedience and has saved them from utter damnation. As a result of all this, ministers also remind their congregation that they have an obligation to fear God and keep His commandments. We are also reminded that judgements will befall on those who are not faithful (1 Samuel 12:25), and eternal blessings and joy will be imparted to those who are faithful (John 6:40).

Approximately 3000 years ago this task of reminding and admonishing and teaching fell upon God's prophets. These chosen men constantly called the people back to God. The commanded obedience to God, they warned of coming judgement and they promised eternal hope. That hope came in the form of a Man. God's Son.

For Our Joy

Deuteronomy 10:12-13:

12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?

Atheists so often have the idea that God's commandments are meant to make us gloomy or bored or sad. Some think they are there so God feels good, or so that He gets pleasure out of seeing us obey His will. Well, they're not meant to make us gloomy or bored or sad. They are meant to do the opposite. They are for our good, to make us joyful. In fact, our whole life is to be joyful.

Encourage Each Other

^{Hebrews 10:19-25:
19} Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

I want to focus on verses 24 and 25 in this meditation. "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

Comfort in Suffering

2 Corinthians 1:3-9:

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. ⁶ Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. ⁷ And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation. ⁸ For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹ Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.

God is sovereign over everything. He causes and permits every seemingly good and bad thing in our lives to happen. He foresees it all, and does it with a purpose. God rules over chance (Proverbs 16:33). The purpose of God stands over that of men (Proverbs 19:21). He frustrates peoples' plans (Psalm 33:10). He also declares that His plan shall stand (Isaiah 46:10).

Blessed Are the Persecuted

 Matthew 5:10-12:

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

It may seem at first that these words of Christ are irrelevant for us today. We, in our Western society, don’t experience persecutions and torture like in the days of Nero. But Christ makes it clear that we wills be persecuted too. He says in John 15:20, “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9

Blessed are the peacemakers,

For they shall be called sons of God.

Each beatitude so far has outlined that it is imperative that, in order to inherit the kingdom of heaven, in order to see God, believers cannot act like unbelievers. There must be a change of attitude, a change in actions, and a change in person. Jesus makes this clear in Matthew 5:20, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The beatitudes are not optional. They are not merely suggestions on how to make society better. On the contrary, Jesus is outlining the path to heaven. There’s a lot at stake. Get on that pathway to heaven and stay on it. Then you will be called sons of God.

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.

The heart is the target of Jesus here. It's not just what we do on the outside that matters. In order to 'see God' you must also clean up your inside. Later in Matthew Jesus says,

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.” (Matthew 23:25-26)

The heart is the root of your actions. What is in your heart springs forth in your words.

Blessed Are the Merciful

Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful,

For they shall obtain mercy.

Mercy is an important subject. Godly wisdom is full of mercy:

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17)

Mercy’s not only important but also complex and profound. But I’m just going to skim the surface. I would like to meditate on just a few points about mercy and this beatitude.

Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled.

The first thing I want to do is find out what this righteousness is that Jesus is referring to. This can be found in the very same chapter, in the very same sermon from Christ. In Matthew 5:20 Jesus says, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Then He goes on to explain how that is to be.

Blessed Are the Meek

Matthew 5:5

"Blessed are the meek,

For they shall inherit the earth."

Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Our Father is to get the glory for the way His disciples live. And so in our meekness we must glorify God. But how is that possible? How does meekness – becoming and being meek – glorify God?

Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

Matthew 5:3-4

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.”

Our sinful nature naturally causes us to be proud. We want to feel that we are not cripples. We wish to find joy and fulfillment of life through self-reliance, self-confidence, self-determination, and self-esteem. We don’t want to be dependent on another being for anything. We want to be self-reliant.

But Christ, in His Beatitudes, said,

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

What does this ‘poor in spirit’ mean?

The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:1-12

¹ And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. ² Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

⁵ Blessed are the meek,

For they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled.

⁷ Blessed are the merciful,

For they shall obtain mercy.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,

For they shall see God.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,

For they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

¹¹ “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

This meditation starts a series on the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-12.

Love Your Neighbour

Matthew 22:34-40

But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

These commands are radical. The essence of sin is pursuing happiness without God and without the happiness of others in God. In other words, sin is not depending on God for our happiness and not caring for the godly happiness of others. That is why these two commandments are the greatest.

Why Meditate?

Oh how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
(Psalm 119:97)

Here are 10 reasons to read and meditate on God's Word.

Meditate on These Things

"I will meditate on Your precepts” (Psalm 119:15a)

There are a multitude of Biblical passages that promise that God will be with us and not forsake us in anything in this life. The Father said, through the prophet Isaiah, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). Jesus Himself said, in Matthew 28:20, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”. 
We are also promised that the Holy Spirit will be with us: “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16-18).

See also Matthew 18:20, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Hebrews 13:5-6, and Revelation 3:20.

However, God does not only have communion with us, but it follows that we should have communion with Him. This is the foundation for meditation. Christian meditation is communion with God through His Word. This communion is invaluable. It is delightful. It is imperative. Why?

Let No-one Despise Your Youth

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

(1 Timothy 4:12-16)

Today, some of the things people often associate with youth are disrespect, rebellion, self-absorption, conformity to peer pressure, indifference to serious issues, and a fixation on fun as the only thing that satisfies. Paul says in verse 12, "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity." It is obvious that even in Paul's time the youth had lesser expectations of them. Paul is telling Timothy and us to care about this. "Let no one despise your youth." We are to do what we can to erase this predominant image of youth. How does Paul say we should do this? How does he tell us to cease this adult hatred of youth? 

Get Wisdom! (3)

Proverbs 4:8
Exalt her, and she will promote you;

She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.


We know what wisdom is. We know how important it is to get wisdom. We must desire it earnestly, prize it highly and 'exult her.' Wisdom must be valuable for us. We must be willing to sell all in order to buy it (Proverbs 2:4). We must do everything we can to obtain it. That requires knowing how to obtain it.

After examining Scripture I have come to the conclusion that there are at least four things we must do to get wisdom apart from earnestly desiring it.

Get Wisdom! (2)

Proverbs 4:5-7

⁵ Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
⁶ Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
Love her, and she will keep you.
⁷ Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.

Blaise Pascal said in his pensees that “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.” I agree with him. All men want to be happy. This longing for pleasure is not bad, but good. Faith in Christ and glorifying God brings pleasure to us. We receive happiness from that. Thus it is good to pursue happiness. But what’s this got to do with the title, “Get Wisdom”?

In this meditation I’m going to deal with the importance of getting wisdom. 

Get Wisdom! (1)

Proverbs 4:1-13

¹ Hear, my children, the instruction of a father,
And give attention to know understanding;
² For I give you good doctrine:
Do not forsake my law.
³ When I was my father’s son,
Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
⁴ He also taught me, and said to me:
“Let your heart retain my words;
Keep my commands, and live.
⁵ Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
⁶ Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
Love her, and she will keep you.
⁷ Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
⁸ Exalt her, and she will promote you;
She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
⁹ She will place on your head an ornament of grace;
A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

¹⁰ Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,
And the years of your life will be many.
¹¹ I have taught you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in right paths.
¹² When you walk, your steps will not be hindered,
And when you run, you will not stumble.
¹³ Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;
Keep her, for she is your life.

The point of this passage is the command to “get wisdom.” Wisdom is the principal thing, says verse 7. Instruction is your life, says verse 13. Notice the message is not just directed at school or college students, and apprentices. Verse 13: “Take a firm hold of instruction, Do not let it go.” Ever. In today’s society the implication seems to be that education comes from professional institutions only and it stops as soon as you leave student life. However growing in wisdom and knowledge is a life-long process of growth. It is not good to be satisfied with the knowledge of formal education. We should not think that the only way to ‘get wisdom’ is to take more courses. The command comes to us all: “Get wisdom! Get understanding!” What does this mean? How do we do it? And why is it important?

Sins Turned to Our Benefit

Jeremiah 2:19:
“Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your backslidings will rebuke you.”


Among the condemnation-filled tirade of the book of Jeremiah is a verse that stands out in its context. It is a verse that provides us with an aspect of comfort in God’s providence. Chapter 2 verse 19 states that God turns our sin to our own benefit.

Anger at God

Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!”

(Jonah 4:9)

The fall into sin causes very awful things to happen in an individual’s life. Sickness, loss of friendship, death, etc. can and does happen to God’s children. In these cases is it all right to be angry? Is it permissible to even be angry at God? Was it right, for example, for Jonah to be angry at God for showing mercy to Nineveh (Jonah 3:10-4:1)?

Glorifying God in Christian Education

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
(1 Corinthians 10:31)

I have previously meditated on how to glorify God in our eating and our work. Another aspect of my life at the moment is education. I am really very blessed to receive Christian Reformed education, and so I'll focus on how to glorify God in Christian education.

Bless the Lord O My Soul

Psalm 103

“As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.” 
(Verse 13)

The full psalm can be viewed here. 

Today in Australia we celebrate Father’s Day. I have dedicated this meditation to this event, and thus I will begin at verse 13: “As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.”

Acquire Knowledge

Education is a blessing. Especially God-centred education. However we have a responsibility to take advantage of this blessing. This involves a few biblical truths relating to knowledge.

The Christian Perspective on Education

“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.”

(2 Peter 1:3)

Because I am in a stage of life right now that education is at the forefront of my life I have decided to focus on education and knowledge in my meditations for a while. What follows is the first in this series:

Glorifying God in our Work

“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

(1 Corinthians 10:31)

God has created work for His glory and our good (Matthew 5:16). How do we glorify God at work? This list is certainly not exhaustive, but here are some practical examples.

Exultation and Education

Psalm 100

¹Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
² Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
³ Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
⁵ For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

This psalm highlights how God is to be glorified in this world. He is to be known and He is to be praised. That’s education and exultation.

Resist the Devil

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

(James 4:7-8)

I remember as far back as a week ago, when a teacher was inquiring about the above text. It is often understood that the stronger our faith becomes, the stronger Satan's attempts will be to pull us away from God. The above text, however, seems to contradict this idea. It interested me, and the following is my meditation on it.

Pour Out Your Indignation Upon Them

"Pour out Your indignation upon them, And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them."
(Psalm 69:24)

The full psalm can be viewed here.

To continue my topic on the Psalms, I meditate on Psalm 69.

It is common to experience anger at times. Whether it’s because of injustices such as racial discrimination, murder, and even someone’s wronged you. If you do the objectives of my previous posts, it is likely you will face persecution. Is it right to bristle with anger at these occurrences? How should you feel about those who have wronged you? Who persecute you endlessly? How should you think?

Declare His Glory Among the Nations

Psalm 96:

¹Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth.

²Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.

³Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.

⁴For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.

⁵For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens.

⁶Honour and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. ⁷Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength.

⁸Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts.

⁹Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.

¹⁰Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously."

¹¹Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;

¹²Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice

¹³before the LORD. For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.

How blessed we are to know God! How blessed we are to have been saved by Christ! To be part of the elect of God! To be able to look forward with eager expectation to the Day of the Lord!

Glorifying God in our Food and Drink

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

(1 Corinthians 10:31)

In this text we are commanded to glorify God in everything. Yes, even our eating and drinking must be to the glory of Him. It is a natural response to question how to eat and drink to the glory of God.