Wednesday May 13, 2015

Read Jeremiah 11:18-12:6

All too often I’ve heard TV preachers promise their listeners health, wealth and prosperity. Most of them use the same argument that if they send money to themselves God will repay them 5, 10 even 100 or 1,000 fold. How I wish that I could give a hearty AMEN and agree with them but I just don’t see this in Scripture.

Jeremiah was told by the Lord that the men of Anathoth, his home town, were planning to kill him. He was being led like a lamb to the slaughter yet was blissfully unaware of their schemes. God promises Jeremiah that He will bring vengeance upon them.

Jeremiah then laments before the Lord that the ways of the wicked prosper and that they live at ease with no pains or struggles. In fact the godless are growing and bearing fruit? We today could agree wholeheartedly as we survey our own world. We see the same thing occurring - ungodly men and women prospering while the godly seem to struggle and suffer immensely.

God’s answer to Jeremiah’s lament in vs 5-6 is not what Jeremiah or we expected. We might have expected calming words, soothing words or words of comfort. In verse 5 we see the harshness of God’s reply:

5 “If you have raced with men on foot

and they have worn you out,

how can you compete with horses?

If you stumble in safe country,

how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?

While we may marvel at God’s response and question it, we need to remember that we are not God. We are but servants and God has the right to do and to answer as He pleases.

Jesus Himself declared that He came to bring a sword not peace (Matthew 10:34). He told us not to be surprised in the world hates us (John 15;18 cf 1 John 3:13) and that we will have trouble in this world (John 16:33). Jesus told us that there is a narrow road and a narrow gate that lead to salvation while the wide road and wide gate lead to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). In Acts 8 and 11 the church faced persecution. In chapter 13 Paul and his team faced persecution. In 2 Corinthians 12 we see that Paul suffered weakness, insults, hardships, persecution and difficulties. In 2 Tim 3:12 we are told that anyone who wants to live a godly life will be persecuted.

While at first glance the answer given to Jeremiah may seem harsh and uncalled for. Yet a deeper exploration reveals to us that it fits with the theology of the Bible. It fits within the context of a broken world that has chosen to reject God. What else could a man or woman of God expect when he or she chooses to accept God’s authority over their entire life? Wouldn’t it be great if these TV preachers preached that rather than health, wealth and prosperity?

Prayer Points:

Using today’s Bible passage and reading notes spend time in adoration, confession, thanks and supplication.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· There are many suffering Christians throughout the world, perhaps even in your own congregation. Pray for God’s relief, God’s endurance and God’s hand upon them as walk the narrow road. Pray for those you know and also for the believers in Vietnam who are being forced out of their villages, for house church leaders in China being arrested and gaoled for their faith, for believers in the Middle East who are being killed for their faith.

·  Ask the Lord to make us sensitive to the suffering of other believers and to be supporting them practically and spiritually through this time. 

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What is wrong with the health, wealth and prosperity TV preachers?

2. If a non Christian were to ask you to explain God’s answer to Jeremiah in verse 5-6 of chapter 12, how would you answer?

3. How do you explain suffering for Christians in the New Testament?