Confidence in life - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 48:4-5a,

"'Why do you boast of your valleys, boast of your valleys so fruitful? Unfaithful Daughter Ammon, you trust in your riches and say, "Who will attack me?" I will bring terror on you from all those around you,' declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty."

This is from the prophecy given Jeremiah against Ammon. Ammon felt secure in their affluence, their riches.

It can be surprising to find what it is that some place their confidence in. Some, like Ammon, are confident in life because of their success in building wealth. Some place their confidence in their careers, some in family members, some in their church, you get the idea.

Paul placed his confidence in approaching God the Father in Christ Jesus and through faith in him, Ephesians 3:12. He also claimed he placed no confidence in the works he had done, his circumcision, etc. Philippians 3:3-4.

The writer of Hebrews tells us our confidence to enter into God's presence is through the "blood of Jesus", Hebrews 10:19. In fact, he tells us faith itself is our confidence in what we hope for and assurance about the things of God we cannot see, Hebrews 11:1.

Confidence in life is an important thing. Most all place their confidence in one thing or another. Those who are wise will place their confidence in Jesus Christ by embracing him in faith. It is through him we can have confidence before God at the great judgment we will all face following this life. It is confidence in him we are able to approach God, accept his love and find what we need for life through him.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The certainty of God's judgment - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 47:6-7,

"'Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest? Return to your sheath; cease and be still.' But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it, when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?"

This observation about the Lord's judgment comes at the end of the prophecy concerning the Philistines. I can't help but note that when the decree goes out from the Lord for judgment, it simply cannot be stopped.

I am reminded that the justice of the Lord never goes unsatisfied. All who will be saved have had their sins paid for by Jesus Christ on that miserable cross. Nothing will escape God's justice and his judgments will be carried out to the full.

We read in Revelation 20:11-15, "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."

Anyone who thinks that somehow our loving God will not judge sin is fooling himself. This judgment is coming, just as the judgment the Philistines faced came to them. Woe to the man who thinks otherwise!

I am again reminded of Hebrews 10:31, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

How wonderful God sent his Son to pay the penalty for our sins that we not have to face his terrifying judgment! All we need do is embrace him in faith to have Jesus' payment for our sins applied to our account with God.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Prophecies in real time and space - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 46:2,

"Concerning Egypt: This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:..."

The prophecy of Egypt's judgment by God using Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, begins this way. I can't help but note the historical and geographical anchor it is couched in. Jeremiah's prophecy begins with the observation of Pharaoh Necho's defeat at Carchemish (on the Euphrates) by Nebuchadnezzar (the king of Babylon.) This took place during the fourth year of Jehoiakim (son of Josiah) king of Israel.

This historical and geographical documentation is provided us and serves to demonstrate the reality that the prophecies Jeremiah receives are clearly placed in time and space. Real time and real space.

Some view the Scriptures as the fanciful writings of certain men with their heads in the ether, spiritual fanatics writing fanciful tales not to be taken literally or even truthful. Others view the Scriptures as the writings of certain men who had a desire to dominate others, control others (such as Mohammed with his Qu'ran).

These false views of the Scriptures we call our "Bible" are rooted in either an ignorance of its contents or simply a rejection of God and what it is he has to say. The Scriptures are filled with authenticating material such as this introduction to Jeremiah's prophecy against Egypt. Rooted in time and space.

Our Bibles are truthful accounts of historical events, of spiritual realities and of coming things. Each and every page of our Bibles was provided by a very unique process God used to communicate to us through his prophets. One of these prophets, the apostle Peter, explains it this way, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.

Woe to the man that ignores the Scriptures! He does so to his peril. God has given us these truthful and authentic prophecies, writings and accounts that we might come to know him and to find our way into his family. They teach us about Jesus Christ and the only door we have to him: faith.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Personal fulfillment versus personal destruction - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 44:24-26,

"Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women, 'Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have done what you said you would do when you promised, "We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven." 
Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows! But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt,,,'"

What that word was from the Lord was that most all of them would die by the sword, famine or plague, just as he warned them before they left Jerusalem in an attempt to find safe haven in Egypt. They sought their refuge, their protection by fleeing to the Egyptians, rather than seeking God's help against the Babylonians. In their move to Egypt, the Jews continued to worship idols in their rejection of God.

Israel was God's chosen people. Their patriarch, Abraham, manifested the kind of faith God had determined he would base his redemption and salvation of mankind upon. God has chosen for himself all who will embrace him in faith, the kind of faith in God that Abraham displayed in his life. Because of this faith of Abraham, God determined he would use the offspring of Abraham to engage the world in his program of redemption.

Israel's usefulness to God for this purpose was predicated upon their continuing in the faith of their progenitor, Abraham. When Israel rejected God and turned to false idols, their usefulness to God became lost as they were no longer useful to him to bring his program of redemption to the world. This prompted God to intervene in the life of the nation, to bring a tremendous disruption to their wandering from him, in order to pursue the unfolding of his plan of redemption of all mankind. This disruption was his terrifying judgment of them.

I find a personal life lesson here for myself. If I find and give myself to the purposes of God, I will be blessed with a fulfillment that can only be found by those who give themselves to his purposes. The richest of a life of meaning, purpose and fulfillment. On the other hand, if I reject God's purposes for my life, I will only find the kind of personal destruction these Jews did who rejected God, fled to Egypt and worshiped idols.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Faith and trust in God and what he says - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 43:4,

"So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people disobeyed the Lord's command to stay in the land of Judah."

The Lord had Jeremiah tell the remnant of Judah to remain in the land and not flee to Egypt. Having rejected this direction, they took Jeremiah and fled there. These would find, following all that had already happened, that rejecting the Lord has its consequences.

Perhaps this is overly obvious, but their rejection of what God told them to do manifested a lack of trust and belief in God on their part. God warned them of death by sword, famine and plague if they fled to Egypt, but they went nonetheless.

Going to Egypt is not a sinful thing to do... unless it involves rejecting what God has told us. It is the very same sin that Adam and Eve committed. God tells us something, and we reject it and do whatever it is we want instead. It displays a lack of faith and trust in God.

Sometimes the do-gooders among us miss that point. In the effort of amassing all of the dos and don'ts, the critical point of faith and trust in God gets lost in the shuffle. Just keep all the dos and don'ts and we are thought to be fine, when the issue at hand really is faith and trust in God and what he tells us.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Lost man in the midst of God's judgment - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 41:7,

"When they (80 worshipers from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria) went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern."

This took place the day after Ishmael slaughtered Gedaliah (the man the king of the Babylonians appointed as governor over the remnant of Jews left in Judah), as well as the Jews who were with him.

It is amazing to me how things fall apart when mankind is left on his own. The Jews had earned God's judgment of them, and in the midst of God's withdrawal of his blessing on the people as well as his judgment of them in the forms of sword, famine and plague, people began to do what comes natural without God holding things together.

I am reminded of the writer of Hebrews' observation about the Son of God, Jesus Christ, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." Hebrews 1:3a. When the Lord ceases to sustain "all things", those things have a way of falling apart.

I suspect we all would be amazed at how involved the Lord is in maintaining things here on planet earth. Our momentary existence is greatly impacted by all the Lord does to keep things moving in the direction of his choice. When he blesses, it is amazing. When he curses, how dreadful!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The most exciting theme ever! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 39:15-18,

"While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the
word of the Lord came to him: 'Go and tell Ebed-Melek the Cushite,
"This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about
to fulfill my words against this city—words concerning disaster, not
prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. But
I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be
given into the hands of those you fear. I will save you; you will not
fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in
me, declares the Lord.'"

Here is what I believe to be a "cameo appearance" of the gospel. A
pre-telling type of the gospel message: God is going to bring his
judgment in the form of destruction, however, because of his faith,
Ebed-Melek will be saved.

The gospel message today is that in light of God's coming judgment of
all people in the form of destruction in the after-life, (see
Revelation 20:11-15) we need to be saved from his wrath. All who trust
in him will be saved.

It is not as if God's judgment of sin will be compromised, however.
All people's sins have been paid for by Jesus Christ, when he died on
the cross in our place. When we embrace him in faith we become saved
from God's wrath for all eternity, just as Ebed-Melek was saved from
God's wrath on Jerusalem.

This is a theme found throughout our Bibles, a theme that should
elicit excitement and much anticipation for all who respond to it in
faith.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just
respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The walk of faith - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 38:2,

"This is what the Lord says: 'Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.'"

This is the message of the Lord that Jeremiah gave to the inhabitants and to King Zedekiah in Jerusalem. The city was threatened by overthrow of the Babylonians. The message was, stay in the city to defend it and die or flee into the hands of your enemy to be spared.

Think about that for a moment... voluntarily throw yourself at the mercy of your enemy, rather than defend yourself? Jerusalem was well fortified, and the safest place to be would certainly have thought to have been behind the city's walls. To voluntarily walk out into the hands of the enemy, thinking that would be safest, would definitely be an act of faith. Faith in what the Lord had Jeremiah prophesy to the city.

Recall Jeremiah 24:5-7, "Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart."

God viewed those who embraced him in faith as "good". That faith was manifested in their response to Jeremiah's warning. These are the ones whose lives were spared as they believed God's prophecy through Jeremiah and walked out, into the hands of their enemies. Not only did they walk into the hands of their enemies, they walked right into the hands of God who promised to protect and save them. Walking out of Jerusalem at that time was certainly a walk of faith.

God has determined that we can have a righteous standing before him if we embrace him in faith. It was true in Abraham's day, Jeremiah's day, Jesus' day and our day today. Life with God is all about faith and it will always be about faith.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Identified with our rejected God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 37:18,

"Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, 'What crime have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison?'"

Jeremiah had been imprisoned on trumped up charges of deserting to the enemy of Jerusalem, the Babylonians. The charge was not true, Jeremiah made his appeal and he was tossed into the lockup nonetheless.

Jeremiah was not a popular person among the leadership in Jerusalem. The leadership was involved in the Jews abandonment of God and when God sent Jeremiah to prophesy the destruction of Jerusalem because of it, they turned against the messenger.

This is not uncommon. When God sends someone to speak, it is often met with hostility. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that there are those who will not turn to God because they cling to their sin, John 3:19-20. These are the ones who are hostile toward any reminder of God.

In his indictment of the leaders in Jerusalem, Jesus said, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!" Matthew 23:29-32.

He went on to say, "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar." Matthew 23:33-35.

When people reject God, they necessarily are hostile toward those he sends to them, even when the job given his messengers is to invite them back into the fold. Rebellion breeds resentment and it often finds itself manifested in acts of violence against those God sends.

John provides us a warning, "Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you."

No surprise to find Christians in the cross-hairs of militant Islamic Jihadis today. No surprise Hollywood portrays Christians as weirdos and goofballs. No surprise our culture is turning against every vestige of Christianity in the public square with demands to remove Christmas displays, with the demand to purge from school text books the rich history of the Judeo-Christian heritage western civilization has been built upon.

However, is it not exciting to know that when we are mistreated, when we are maligned, when we are unjustly treated because of our faith, it is because of our embrace of Jesus Christ? I'd much rather be mistreated because I am one of God's own, than to feel the comfort of acceptability in a society that has rejected Jesus Christ.

Don't let it get you down when Christians are mistreated... rejoice!! We want to be identified with our God who has been rejected!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Its about faithfulness, not religion - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 35:18-19,

"This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.' Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.'"

This favorable prophecy for the Rekabites came as the Lord used their faithfulness to their patriarch as an illustration to contrast Israel's unfaithfulness to himself. Jehonadab, from the family of the Rekabites, told his descendants to never drink wine, never settle in houses and never farm. They were to remain tee-totaling nomads.

It was the faithfulness of these Rekabites to their patriarch that the Lord commended them... their faithfulness. What was it they were faithful about? Doing and not doing what Jehonadab told them to do. I want to be precise here to make a point. It wasn't that they never drunk wine, never lived in houses, or that they never farmed that they were commended by God per se, but rather, it was their faithfulness to their patriarch about those things.

All too often religious exercises, observances and activities within churches become disassociated with their origins. The original meaning for their exercises lost on a slavish adherence to religion. Ceremonial foot washing in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the practice of Lent in the Roman Catholic church, etc.

I am entirely convinced that if a church adopted Jeremiah 35 as a focus, the concept of faithfulness would get lost in the shuffle of insuring all members never drank wine (or became farmers, etc.). Hopefully you get my point here. God highly regards faithfulness, the exact thing that would get lost as the do-gooders get us all focused on the dos and don'ts in a misguided effort to earn God's acceptance.

Loving God with all our hearts and being faithful to him can quite easily get lost in the mad dash to comply with the many things invented in our churches as religious exercises.

Just a thought...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The workings of God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 34:22,

"I am going to give the order, declares the Lord, and I will bring them [the Babylonians] back to this city [Jerusalem]. They will fight against it, take it and burn it down. And I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there."

The Lord tells Jeremiah that he is going to bring the Babylonians back against the city and overtake it. As he gives the message to Jeremiah to give to the residents of Jerusalem, I note the Lord says, "I am going to give the order..."

Perhaps it is an obvious thing that the Lord gives the order when he brings destruction to those who have brought themselves into the cross-hairs of his judgment, but I am reminded it is a personal decision by God when he judges, and that he communicates what he wants done by giving orders. I am assuming there are heavenly beings he instructs to effect Babylon's return to Jerusalem to destroy it, rather than him doing it directly himself. He certainly could have destroyed Jerusalem directly, but used intermediaries, as is often the case.

As God reveals himself in the Scriptures, we often finds he does things in his interactions with mankind, through intermediaries, angels and the like. Jesus acknowledged this when a Roman centurion observed the workings of the Son of God, "But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it. When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, 'Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.'" Matthew 8:8-10.

The faith of this centurion appears to be manifested in two ways: first, the centurion had no doubt Jesus could heal his servant. The second is that the faith of this centurion revealed he had an understanding of the workings of God, that there is a chain of command that is followed when God expresses his wishes, gives a command or makes a proclamation of one sort or another.

Far from fanciful stories, God is real and he operates in his own ways to accomplish those things he desires. As we note the hints given us as to how God works, we begin to gain an understanding of his workings, and certainly a great appreciation of them.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Dueling prophets - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 28:15-16,

"Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, 'Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore this is what the Lord says: "I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord."' In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died."

What we have here is a genuine real prophet (Jeremiah) and a false prophet attempting to deceive people (Hananiah.)

I suspect since the dawn of mankind, there have always been those who have falsely claimed to speak on God's behalf. Mohammed is a striking example of this. As a warlord, he manufactured fake "scriptures" and claimed that God had given him authority as his "prophet." His motive for doing so was to keep the troops in line and to keep them fighting for him. Having read the Qur'an this past fall, I found obvious the motivation for his doing this. Of course, you see today the continued damage and destruction brought about this "false" prophet. He was no prophet at all, just a man conning others to do his bidding.

Hananiah had other motivations. He did not have his own troops he wanted to keep fighting for him as Mohammed, however he "prophesied" falsely for other malevolent purposes. He did what all false "prophets" do, he sought to deceive those around him.

What Hananiah found was the Lord became very unhappy with him for pretending to speak on his behalf. It cost Hananiah dearly. Why the Lord does not remove all false "prophets" when they appear, as he took out Hananiah will be something we will have to ask him in the next age. There have been plenty who have started cults, who have started false religions and who have produced deceptive theologies, and so on, over the years.

Woe to the man who does not heed the very last command at the end of our Bibles, "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll." Revelation 22:18-19.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Trying God's patience - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 26:2-6,

"Tell them (the Jews) everything I command you; do not omit a word. Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. Say to them, 'This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you, and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened), then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city a curse among all the nations of the earth.'"

I see in this passage that the Lord warns the Jews, yet again, to turn from their sinful ways and their rejection of him. This, in spite of the fact that he had already sent them prophets "again and again."

The patience of the Lord and his penchant for going a great distance in meeting us well over what might be deemed "fair" by anyone's standard in his efforts to draw us to him is matched only by the horrific, frightful and terrible judgment of God when folks fail to respond to him. This passage demonstrates this so well.

I am reminded of 2 Peter 3:8-9, "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." However, this point is followed by what happens next: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare." Verse 10. Patience followed by horrific and overwhelming judgment. The city of Jerusalem will discover how true this is in the nightmare that is headed its way.

God is patient. However, that patience has a limit. At the end of that patience, if the Lord is not responded to, the horrifying reality of God's judgment is found, just as certainly as his patience has been displayed.

"It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:31. It is best not to "try" the patience of God! He is not one to trifle with.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

God's chosen remnant, two baskets of figs - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 24:5-7,

"Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart."

The Lord showed Jeremiah two baskets of figs representing the people of Jerusalem. One basket good and one basket bad. He told Jeremiah that those whom the Lord regarded as "good" where exiled to Babylon and all the others he would destroy by the sword, famine and plague, verse 10.

Certain Jews, represented by the good basket of figs, where those chosen by God, carried off to Babylon where the Lord would watch over them, bring them back to the promised land, plant them, build them up and give them a heart to know the Lord. "They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart." These would be the Jews returning to Palestine to be used by God as a people to bring his Son into the world to provide redemption and salvation.

Why did God chose certain ones to be deported to Babylon and kept as a remnant, while all the others were condemned by him to destruction? Very simply put, as God says "I regard [them] as good", verse 5. On what basis did God regard them as good? Was it because they never sinned? Was it because they kept the law better? Was it because they did not rebel against God as much?

There has only been one way people can place themselves in God's acceptance. From the first book of the Bible to the last: only those who embrace God in faith are found righteous in his eyes - approved and acceptable to him. We read in Genesis 15:6, "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Paul tells us this axiom holds true throughout all ages. In speaking of Genesis 15:6 Paul says, "The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead."

Just as today, faith does not make us perfect, but it does place people on the path for perfecting by God. This is why the Lord goes on to say of this remnant he had moved to Babylon, "I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart."

Here is his promise to do the very same thing for us today, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." Romans 8:28-29.

Just how wonderful is that?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The destruction of fools - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 21:10,

"I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire."

This is the response Jeremiah gave from God when King Zedekiah sent men to him to inquire of the Lord's help as the Babylonians threatened Jerusalem. The Jews had turned their back on God and now God is sending his judgment of them in the form of the advancing Babylonians who are coming to destroy the city.

The judgment from God was horrific. Listen to what God told the king what he was going to do, "I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath. I will strike down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague. After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion."

I am again reminded of what the writer of Hebrews said, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:31.

All of this need not have happened, as we read in Jeremiah 18:7-10, "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it."

The great mistake the Jews in Jerusalem made is found in the following verses, "This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions. But they will reply, 'It's no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.'" Jeremiah 18:11-12. What fools!

I can't think of a more sobering warning for the fools of our day!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Fire in the prophet's heart - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 20:9,

"If I say, 'I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,' his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot."

The life of a prophet of God was not a very fun or pleasant occupation. In Jeremiah 20, we read of Pashhur, the official in charge of the temple of God in Jerusalem having Jeremiah beaten and put in stocks for proclaiming what the Lord wanted him to.

The issue was that Jeremiah was given messages from God to warn Jerusalem of the coming destruction due to their abandonment of him. This was not a popular message and one that was rejected along with the Jews rejection of God. "Don't blame the messenger" was an axiom lost on those who did not want to hear from God (which was just about all the Jews - and just look at how many today whether Jew or not!)

In Jeremiah 20:9 we read that even if Jeremiah did not want to proclaim God's message, it would burn in his heart like a fire and so he just could not hold it in.

Passages such as this help us to understand how God used prophets to communicate what he wanted. God typically uses intermediaries, and when it came to his destruction of his own people for abandoning him, he did it through various prophets he had raised up for the purpose.

Peter adds an interesting comment to help us understand how God has used prophets and the circumstances involved. He says that the prophet's messages always originated with God and did not have their origin within the heart of the prophet himself. It was always a message from God given through the prophet, and never simply a message from a prophet with God's imprimatur stamped on it. The message was always from God himself. "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.

It is this interaction of the Holy Spirit, I believe, that caused Jeremiah's heart to burn like a fire if he attempted to hold it in. He was simply unable to do so.

Many of us today have many things we need to be communicating in behalf of God's kingdom. Although not prophets and not having the dynamic of the Holy Spirit operating in the same way, I do believe the Holy Spirit does enable and empower us today to communicate those vital things folks need to hear so that the building of God's kingdom continues to move ahead.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com