Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Jeremiah 7 has the prophet standing at the gate of the Temple. What is your greatest weakness? Do you believe liars? Do you treat others justly? Are you oppressive with others? To many of us allow ourselves to be deceived.

Verse eleven is the scripture that Jesus quoted when He threw the vendors from the Temple grounds at Passover. Jehovah reminds them of what happened to Shiloh because of their unbelief and unfaithfulness. Remember that this was the city where Samuel was raised in the Tabernacle and Eli’s sons were killed in a battle and lost the Arc of the Covenant. Moses gave the Israelites instructions to obey the Lord. All they remember is the sacrificial system.

Have you ever wished that you could just die because of circumstances in your life? Jeremiah 9 tells that the Jews will feel this as they are driven from their homeland. They will wish that they could perish where they are and not have to be displace.

Do you return after you leave? Do you get up when you fall? When you fail Jesus do you return to Him with repentance. God tells Jeremiah that Israel has refused to return to Him and rise when they have fallen. Even the scribes copy the scriptures incorrectly. They pervert His word. Have you ever heard a minister interpret the Bible in a way that does not sound like what was written? I have.

We sometimes are advised to ignore guilt from our sins and not feel any shame. If you want to do it, go ahead. You can make your own choices. You are Americans. You are free. We all feel hopeless and helpless at times. Do not despair. There is salvation in Christ alone.

Jehovah laments over His chosen people in Jeremiah 9. He wants to leave them and not have to listen to their disloyalty or see the terrible things they do to each other. Your tongue can be like a bow and shoot lies at others. I have shot my mouth off before. This is the reason I do not watch reality television. The contestants do not hesitate to say or do whatever it takes to win the prize. Therefore, they are so popular.

 Wisdom is being ignored in our time as it was in Jeremiah’s. We follow the stubbornness of our hearts as they did. We do not have professional mourners now. We have television, movies, and recorded music to cry out our sorrows. Listen to your play list and tell me that I am wrong. We teach our children how to complain about everything. Christians are falling into this trap also. Break the cycle. Teach the children to praise the Lord.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger