Sabbath: The Crisis (Within and Without)
Read for This Week’s Study: Judg. 2:1-15; 1 Kings 12:26-31; 2 Chron. 33:9-10; Jer. 2:1-28; Jer. 5:2-3.
Memory Text: ‘Israel was holiness to the Lord. The firstfruits of His increase. All that devour him will offend; disaster will come upon them,’ says the Lord
(Jeremiah 2:3, NKJV).
Image © Lars Justinen Goosalt.com
If we could pick one word to describe the human condition since the Fall, it would be crisis,
the extent of which can be best understood by what it took to get us out of the crisis: the death of Jesus on the cross. The crisis must be pretty bad; after all, look at the extreme measures needed to solve it.
All through the Bible, many stories took place against the backdrop of one crisis or another. The situation during the time of Jeremiah and his ministry was no different.
God’s people faced many challenges, both from within and from without. Unfortunately, despite the terrible military threat from foreign powers, in many ways the greatest crisis came from within. Within
meant not just a corrupt leadership and corrupt priesthood, which were bad enough, but within
was in the sense of people whose hearts had been so hardened and damaged by sin and apostasy that they refused to heed the warnings that God was sending them, warnings that could have spared them from disaster.
Sin is bad enough, but when you refuse to turn away from it-talk about a crisis!
Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 10.
(25)
Godly parents with wayward youngsters know better than most the painful passage of pleading with a son or daughter who continually declines to listen. Faithful believers bearing a burden of concern for the lost, as well as those noticeably slipping into slumber among their brethren also hurt when those they love will not listen.
Yet the agony of these human agents does not rise to the level of anguish experienced by a God and Father, whose greater love for His unruly children only intensifies the pain when they refuse to repent. Often when the Bible speaks of Jehovah’s fierce anger and wrath (Jeremiah 32:31) it is a way to communicate the deep grief felt by the God who is love (Isaiah 54:7-9; 1 John 4:7-9).
Jesus lamented, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills the prophets, and stones them that are sent unto you; how often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen does gather her brood under her wings, and you would not!” (Luke 13:34)
On His last journey Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). Through the tears of Jesus angels could perceive sorrow in the heart of divinity. Mankind would too, except the vision is clouded.
This close to the end the people who consider themselves to be of the remnant fold (John 10:16) will need to listen (Jeremiah 13:17; Revelation 3:18). The other sheep who are still in Babylon will also need to listen (Jeremiah 51:6). And each will have to answer for himself or herself.
Very well said Hugh. It is time we all considered the real meaning of the shaking, it's not just the bad that gets taken out of the church. In my personal experience, in many cases it's more good than bad that's leaving our fellowship. Of course that could be just my humble opinion...Royce
One of the securities measures that as new Cadet Officer for Naval or Army are the basic laws of alert at all times is to always sit and face the entrance from the front and back as well but seldom does it exists in the restaurant but when it happens it is with difficulty to suppress.
I would like to encourage each one of us that we don't become a crisis or a friendly fire for our fellow saints. Also that we do not harbor grudges nor bring personal differences and crisis and qualms to become the church's crisis.
It not only wastes the Pastor's work to equip for evangelism but also the cause of some leaving the church for they are babes in the church.
Let us be membership friendly as Christ's ambassador of reconciliation and let us cover the backs of our fellow saints as members of the militant church and always do our best to convince other saints that the enemy is out there and not in the church.
This can only be done if we listen to Saint Paul's counsel to the two saints in church
at Philippians 4:2 " I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord." who seem to be in disagreement and is spilling over the church. As he stated in verse 3 for the two and the women there as well whose names are in the book of Life. So let us make sure as individual saints as not friendly fire or the cause or the crisis in the church. Let us fly the Eternal Gospel and do away with in fighting or friendly fires among ourselves.
By personal experience, I can honestly say that it is a struggle, as the time has passed by, human race has grown more and more apart from our loving God. It is true, we are in crisis and our ways may be continually towards evil, but one thing is also true, God us always with his arms open wide. He calls us his sons and daughters, and as a father He will do anything for us.
Are we not like the children of old?