Archives: Pastors' Corner

As we near the end of the book of Jeremiah things are getting bleak for the kingdom of Judah.  Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is closing in on capturing the city.  A man named Zedekiah is king and he is feeling the heat.  In chapter 37 Jeremiah is wrongly imprisoned and the king secretly sends for Jeremiah to find out if there is any word from the Lord.  Jeremiah tells the king that God will still deliver His people into the hands of the king of Babylon but he asks Zedekiah to free him from prison which Zedekiah does (seems like he […]

The book of Jeremiah is both a book of judgment and a book of restoration.  In reality, that phrase fits everyone who is reading this…and even those who aren’t reading this.  Each of our lives has experienced times of judgment and restoration…times when we have experienced consequences for our sin and times when we have received forgiveness and blessing.  The consistent theme of Jeremiah is that, because of the sins of the people, the nation of Judah will be taken captive by the nation of Babylon and the people will be taken away and the city of Jerusalem will be […]

Many people know this verse from Jeremiah, chapter 29:  11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.   This is a well known passage of the Bible and often, rightly so, is used to bring comfort and peace to God’s people.  God speaks of giving His people a future and a hope.  What some might not know is that this sentence comes as God’s people are being carried off into captivity by the nation of Babylon.  This sentence comes after revealing […]

We’ve all heard the expression, “there’s a fire in my bones” or a “fire in my belly”.  I’m not sure where those expressions come from and I didn’t feel like googling it but I have an idea where the “fire in my bones” expression comes from and it might be a source you had not thought of.  In Jeremiah, chapter 20, the prophet Jeremiah has pretty much had enough.  He has been given a task to proclaim bad news to the nation of Judah, news of God’s judgment because of their sin.  As you might guess, this has not made […]

The book of Jeremiah is a very intense and interesting book.  It speaks much of judgment and it also speaks much of restoration.  in chapter 17, there is a glimpse of hope and gladness in how God compares a man who trusts the Lord to a tree.  This is very similar to the language found in Psalm 1.  Here it is:  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,And whose hope is the Lord. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And […]

What makes you happy?  What excites you?  What floats your boat? (If anyone knows the origin of that last expression, I’d like to know it!)  I guess the answer is going to be different for almost everyone but for the follower of God, there is a pretty clear cut answer.  We get this answer in the midst of the prophet Jeremiah’s pronouncement of judgment upon the nation of Judah.  Here is what he says in Jeremiah 9:23-24:  “Thus says the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor […]

In the first six chapters of the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, God is speaking judgment on his people through the mouth of Jeremiah.  There are comparisons to Israel being unfaithful lovers and other rather non-flattering metaphors.  One of Israel’s problems was idolatry as she adopted the practices of her pagan neighbors.  Here is Jeremiah 2:26-28:  “As the thief is ashamed when he is found out,So is the house of Israel ashamed;  They and their kings and their princes, and their priests and their prophets, 27 Saying to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’ For they have […]

Well, it is that time of year when people make new year resolutions and when we wish each other a “Happy New Year”.  I don’t wish to go “all humbug” (if I can mix seasons) with the happy new year idea but I think there are more important things we can wish for each other.  Today as I was reading through the Old Testament, I came to chapter 17 of Deuteronomy where God talks about the behavior of kings.  God says that the king should read from a copy of the law “that his heart may not be lifted above […]

My daily Bible reading took me to Numbers chapter 13.  The great thing about reading the Bible is that you can read it again and again, and in my case, even preach on certain chapters and yet see something new almost each time you read it.  In Numbers chapter 13, twelve spies are sent to spy out the promised land and when they return, ten of them report that there is no way they can take the land.  They say that the people are great in size and number.  If you are not familiar with this event, God had already […]

I’m frustrated…with myself and with others.  Perhaps frustration is not a good emotion to feel here at Christmas; and I wasn’t planning on feeling frustrated today but it has arrived nevertheless.  I subscribe to the Joshua Project at joshuaproject.org which sends me an e-mail each morning listing an unreached people group, an ethnic group somewhere in the world that has had little to no exposure to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Today’s e-mail is about the Izarguien people in Western Sahara.  A group with a world population of 50,000.  Way too many times these e-mails have the following words:  “There […]