Jeremiah 28 - Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire!

Liar, Liar, pants on fire!

No, that is not what Jeremiah said in response to the prophet Hananiah's prophecy that the LORD will break the yoke of Babylon in two years. "He said, “Amen! May the Lord do so! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Lord’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon." (Jer 28:6 NIV) Jeremiah would have liked that prophecy to occur, but he knew better. He knew because he, himself, had heard the word of God concerning the exile.

Hananiah tries to convince the people that Jeremiah is the one who is wrong. He takes the wooden yoke, that Jeremiah has been wearing as a warning to the people of their bondage to Babylon, and breaks it. Hananiah says, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.’” (Jer 28:11)

Bad news... Lying about what God says is not a good thing, for sure!

"Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’”
In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died." (Jer 28:15-17)

It's really not a good idea to be saying "Thus says the LORD" if the LORD hasn't said it.

"Every word of God is flawless;
    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add to his words,    or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar." (Prov 30:5-6)

God's Peace be with you! Pr. J

Jeremiah 9 - What's Justice Got To Do With Sagging Pants?

Through the weeping prophet, Jeremiah, the LORD calls women to weep and wail. The people are a mess! They have turned their backs on God and on one another. They worship the Baals and they lie to one another. Even the land has been made desolate. The judgment to come is well worth weeping and wailing over, even now.

"This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
    or the strong boast of their strength
    or the rich boast of their riches,
but let the one who boasts boast about this:
    that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
    justice and righteousness on earth,
    for in these I delight,”declares the Lord." (Jer 9:23-24 NIV)

It appears humankind has sought after it's own desires, turning their backs on God and all of God's creation. And..... they boast about it. They brag about it without ever recognizing the damage they have done. Everyone is right in their own eyes. But, the LORD says, if you really want to brag about something... brag about me. Tell the world "I am." If there is any wisdom, it is in those who have the understanding to know Me. And... when you know Me; when you understand Me; when you are in a right relationship with Me; you will know that I desire justice and righteousness on earth.

OK... so that's what probably a good majority of us say... that we want justice for all people. Really? Pretty much what I hear on the news is that we want our own brand of justice, what is good for us, and not justice according to God's will. The people clamor for more laws. The politicians are busy creating them. One law on top of another until no one can even understand them all, let alone try to obey them. And... take a good look at those laws. Some of them are pretty discriminatory favoring one group or class of people over another. That, I don't believe is very conducive to justice.

I could not help but laugh as I read a news article about a parish in Louisiana that wants to make it illegal to wear sagging pants (you know wearing your pants so your underwear show). Now, I'm not a big fan of those sagging pants. I usually break into a smile whenever I see them. I once followed a group of teenage boys as they ran up a flight of fire escape stairs, carrying school books in one arm and holding their pants up with the other hand. They were really struggling to get up those stairs. I haven't quite figured out why anyone would want to spend their days holding their pants up with one hand. It seems like it would kind of impede their opportunities to live life. But, on the other hand... Is justice really all about dictating what kind of clothes others are to wear? Don't we have better things to do than make one law upon another law upon another? How can those sagging pants be distracting to others (except to cause us to smile)? All the sagging pants I've seen have had some fully covering boxers underneath and if we're honest we would acknowledge that boxers cover a whole lot more than some of the shorts and shirts we've seen out in public.

We're so busy making new laws to fit our own senses of morality, that we forget to just love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. The lack of love that is evident in this world is enough to make one weep.

Well, I guess those sagging pants did distract me. After all, I did get a little side-tracked here today... But, I am smiling thinking about those sagging pants!

Wisdom is this: having the understanding to know God, that He is the Lord and it is He who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 123 - Arrogant Ridiculing or Bullying

Arrogant ridiculing... today we would call that bullying.  It happens all the time and it has been happening for all time. But, that doesn't make it right or good.

A few years ago, when my granddaughter was in elementary school, she had a friend who belonged to a Christian sect that believes females should not wear pants. So, her friend wore skirts and dresses to school. For this, her friend, received a lot of ridiculing, a lot of bullying.  Cassie would talk about how horrible everyone bullied her friend at the school. One morning, Cassie put on a dress for school.  She said she was going to wear it and see what  happens when there were two of them wearing dresses. After school, I asked her if anyone reacted to her wearing a dress. She said, "Yes, we were both pushed down into the snowbank."

Cassie's friend has since moved away. Hopefully and prayerfully, she no long has to suffer bullying because of her religious convictions.

Have mercy, O LORD, on those who endure no end of ridicule from the arrogant, of contempt from the proud.

God's Peace - Pr. J