Jer. 8:18-9:1 “¹⁹Listen to the weeping of my people; it can be heard all across the land. ‘Has the Lord abandoned Jerusalem?’ the people ask. ‘Is her king no longer there?’ ‘Oh, why have they provoked My anger with their carved idols and their worthless foreign gods?’ says the Lord.” (Jer. 8:19) Jeremiah had exhausted all his energy in numerous attempts to correct his nation from their evil ways. But the people were so sinful they had no interest in repentance. Therefore, he simply wept. Jeremiah knew the doom to come was so great that there was no comforting remedy.

The Israelites did not listen. They continued to follow false doctrine and worshiped godless idols. There was little concern for others in their society – it was a culture of greed and corruption. That kind of attitude makes any nation weak and unable to provide defense against their ever-present enemies. Throughout history, the Israelites have been surrounded by enemies that seek to destroy God’s representative people.  Every nation on earth should take notice and guard against such ungodly behavior that translates into weakness.

 

Psalm 79:1-9 “¹O God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your Holy Temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.” (Ps. 79:1) This psalm was written sometime after the Babylonian destruction of Israel. (586 B.C.) Israel was sacked and looted by cruel pagan nations who exiled the Jews to become slave labor in Babylonia and Assyria. Israel suffered exile because of the accumulated sins of their nation from which she did not willingly repent, even after the judgment of God.  History has shown us that Israel still did not fall into compliance with God’s standards of conduct, so they continued to struggle under foreign oppression. They briefly existed as an independent nation after the Persian king released them to rebuild their civilization. Then came the Greeks followed by the Romans who were in control when Jesus came. The Israelite’s rejection of Jesus brought God’s judgment again.  

Until 1948, Israel ceased to exist as an independent nation!

 

Luke 16:1-13 “¹¹And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of Heaven?” (Luke 16:11)

Jesus had told a parable about a man who mismanaged the resources that had been entrusted to him. The man in the story had a dishonest streak that he used to manipulate the books of his employer. Then Jesus points out that we are all given valuable resources to manage in our lives. We will be judged by our willingness to apply our best efforts to preserve God’s goodness on earth. The Bible tells many stories of misuse of the blessings bequeathed from God Himself. Jeremiah warned the Israelites against their arrogant attitude toward the standards of conduct demanded by God.  Probably, the most valuable gift from God to humanity is the standards of conduct recorded throughout the Scriptures. We can look backward in history and recognize that when God’s commandments are violated, chaos follows.  We have been entrusted with a valuable gift; the way we honor God’s presence will determine our place in eternity. You cannot serve God AND mammon.

 

1 Tim. 2:1-7 “¹I urge you, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – ²for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (1 Tim. 2:1-2) The apostle Paul writes to his young friend, Timothy, with an urging to offer prayer for all people of the earth. He is especially strong on the request to pray for those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives. Consider, at the time this was written, Nero was dictator in Rome and Christians were being brutally murdered publicly. Paul knew the power of prayer to bring blessings, even during times of chaos. He felt that people in power needed guidance from the Holy Spirit more than anybody else. When the powerful had any hint of conscience, they were guided to make life more peaceful toward the people in their control. Quiet lives filled with godliness and holiness will follow.

 

Next week’s lectionary (Sep. 28): Jer. 32:1-3a, 6-15; Ps. 91:1-6, 14-16;

     Luke 16:19-31; 1 Tim. 6:6-19