AM Nov 8th Heb 10

November 8^th     Hebrews 10       Superior Permanency   

1: For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2: For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3: But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4: For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5: Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7: Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8: Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9: Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10: By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11: And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13: From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 15: Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16: This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17: And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18: Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Superior Access

19: Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20: By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21: And having an high priest over the house of God; 22: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23: Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24: And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 26: For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27: But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28: He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 30: For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31: It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 32: But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; 33: Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. 34: For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. 35: Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36: For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37: For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38: Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39: But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

In this passage the writer (Probably Paul) explains that the OT sacrifices never brought forgiveness of sins. What the sacrifices did was to maintain Israel in its relationship to God under the Mosaic Law. Forgiveness of sins was something that the Jew looked forward to when they came into the Kingdom and into the New Covenant. This passage describes Christ’s willingness to come into the world for the sole purpose of making an offering for sin that would put sin away for ever. Christ says… ‘Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first that he may establish the second.’ The writer explains that Christ takes away The Mosaic Covenant so that he can establish The New Covenant. (You cannot be under both at the same time because the terms of the covenant are different). The New Covenant as Christ pointed out at the last supper is the New Covenant of his blood.  The writer contrasts the OT priests with Christ’s priesthood…12: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; Christ’s ministry is by far the superior ministry. In the Old Tabernacle and Temple there were no seats! No priests ever sat down in the temple. However along comes Christ and he not only makes one final sacrifice for Sin but he sits down!! And he sits down at the right hand of God. Then he goes on to say…14: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Those whose sins are forgiven are perfected for ever. Then the writer describes the New Covenant quoting Gods OT promise…16: This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17: And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18: Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. There are three aspects to the New Covenant, but only two are mentioned here. The new heart (this is the new birth) and forgiveness of sins. Once the offering is made for sin no other sacrifice can ever be made again. The sacrifice of Christ is once for all and no other sacrifice can ever add anything to it because it is complete. We believe in the finished work of Christ. (Those who believe that the mass is a sacrifice for sin and who believe that sacrifices can be made for those in a supposed purgatory don’t realise that they declare that the sacrifice of Christ in incomplete – which is blasphemous!) After the Cross ‘There is no more offering for sin’. So now that Christ has died and now that sin has been put away forever let us draw near in full confidence knowing that between us and the Lord there is no shadow or guilt. Let us live lives of kindness and holiness – not because we want to be accepted but because we are accepted in Christ. So what does the writer mean by…26: For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27: But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. Will the writer of this letter to the Hebrews is saying If you Jews turn from the sacrifice of Christ and return to old Judaism then you are turning your back on Christ and if you do that then there is no sacrifice for you. The only thing you look forward to is terrible judgment for rejecting Christ. He says, those who rejected Moses testimony died at the hand of two witnesses but those who reject Christ and reckon on the blood of Christ as an unholy thing, thread on him underfoot. They will suffer the sure judgment of God. I believe that Paul gives his personal testimony here he speaks of his being a public spectacle for his faith, of his bonds and he says we are not going to be those who hear of Christ but draw back and deny him and are destroyed, but we (faithful Hebrews) are going to be those who believe in Christ to the saving of their souls.

PM Nov 7th Jer 41

November 7^th     Jeremiah 41     

1: Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah. 2: Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. 3: Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, and the men of war. 4: And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it, 5: That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD. 6: And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. 7: And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him. 8: But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren. 9: Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men, whom he had slain because of Gedaliah, was it which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with them that were slain. 10: Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites. 11: But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, 12: Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon. 13: Now it came to pass, that when all the people which were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, then they were glad. 14: So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah. 15: But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites. 16: Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon: 17: And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go to enter into Egypt, 18: Because of the Chaldeans: for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor in the land.

Jeremiah 42      Jeremiah’s message to Johanan

1: Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, 2: And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:) 3: That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do. 4: Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you. 5: Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us. 6: Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God. 7: And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah. 8: Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, 9: And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him; 10: If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. 11: Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. 12: And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land. 13: But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God, 14: Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: 15: And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; 16: Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. 17: So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. 18: For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more. 19: The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day. 20: For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it. 21: And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you. 22: Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.

Jeremiah 43      F. Prophesies during Jeremiah’s Last Days in Egypt       In Egypt

1: And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, even all these words, 2: Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there: 3: But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon. 4: So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the LORD, to dwell in the land of Judah. 5: But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah; 6: Even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah. 7: So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes. 8: Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9: Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah; 10: And say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them. 11: And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword. 12: And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace. 13: He shall break also the images of Beth-shemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.

Jeremiah records next the assassination of the Babylonian governor by Ishmael. It was a conspiracy of ten men and they didn’t only kill the governor Gedaliah but they also killed all the witnesses. Later eighty men came from Shiloh and from Samaria who had humbled themselves before the Lord. Ishmael killed them also but ten of them pleaded to be spared because they had treasure outside the city. When it became known what Ishmael had done, they assembled a small force to go and destroy these evil men. But Ishmael escaped with eight men. They met Jeremiah and asked him to pray that they might be guided of the Lord. Jeremiah promised to tell them to word of the Lord and they promised to obey whatever the Lord said. The message came from the Lord after ten days that they were to remain in the land and not to be afraid of the Babylonians and that God would protect them. But the Lord warned them that if they went to live in Egypt then they would suffer and be troubled. And then the Lord went on to say you have made up your minds to go and you will die there. They did not accept the voice of the Lord and rejected Jeremiah. Then they took all the people of the land into Egypt including Jeremiah. Then the Lord spoke to Jeremiah when he was at Tahpanhes telling him to take great stones in his hands and hide them in the clay of the brick kiln which was next to Pharaohs house and he was to do this as an object lesson for all Judah to see. The Jeremiah said the Lord will bring Nebuchadnezzar to Egypt bringing death and destruction and he will spread his Pavilion over this site. He will take away all the treasures of Egypt and he will totally destroy the gods of Egypt. How sad that these men who had been delivered from the Babylonian slavery would then bring on themselves the judgment of God in Egypt.

AM Nov 7th Heb 9

November 7^th     Superior Testament

11: But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12: Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13: For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15: And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 16: For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17: For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. 18: Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. 19: For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 20: Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. 21: Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. 22: And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Superior Sacrifice

23: It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24: For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26: For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27: And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

The Lord Jesus has become a High Priest of a better Covenant that is to come and not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood. He has entered into the holy place and has made an eternal redemption for us. In the Old Testament the blood of bulls a goats and the ashes of a heifer made the worshippers holy as they approached God, but the blood of Christ that was offered by him has obtained for us a clear conscience before God.  In this way Christ has become the mediator of a New Testament. A Testament is only in force after a person has died. This is why it is essential to understand that Christ did die on the cross. Nearly everything in the Temple was cleansed by blood. But Christ has entered heaven itself and he now appears before God himself. (This is proof that Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit are separate persons) And Christ does not need to come before God often (as the Roman Catholics think) He has appeared once for ever and will never appear again as the mediator of sin. ‘But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.’ Once sins are forgiven there is no more remembrance of sin and once sins have been removed there is just no need for a purgatory. Christ has appeared before God once to offer himself as the sacrifice for sin and to those who are looking for him to return he will come the second time to save them from the presence of sin.

PM Nov 6th Jer 39

November 6^th     Jeremiah 39      Jerusalem falls to Babylon

1: In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they beseiged it. 2: And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up. 3: And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon. 4: And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain. 5: But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him. 6: Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah. 7: Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon. 8: And the Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem. 9: Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to him, with the rest of the people that remained. 10: But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time. 11: Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard, saying, 12: Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee. 13: So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushasban, Rab-saris, and Nergal-sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon's princes; 14: Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people. 15: Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 16: Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee. 17: But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. 18: For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.

Jeremiah 40      E. Prophesies to Remnant left in the land           Jeremiah and Gedaliah

1: The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon. 2: And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place. 3: Now the LORD hath brought it, and done according as he hath said: because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. 4: And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go. 5: Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go. 6: Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land. 7: Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon; 8: Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. 9: And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. 10: As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah to serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken. 11: Likewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan; 12: Even all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits very much.

Gedaliah killed

13: Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, 14: And said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not. 15: Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish? 16: But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael. 

Next Jeremiah records that Nebuchadrezzar came with his army and surrounded Jerusalem in the ninth year of the reign of Zedekiah. And the siege lasted for two years before the city was broken in. When the king saw the Babylonian princes he fed at night to Jericho but he was chased and caught him and took him to Neduchadrezzar. Then all the kings sons were killed in front of his eyes. He knew there would be descendants to take his throne again. Then they blinded him and took him away in chains. The Kings house and his city was burnt down and the wall of the city were broken down. All the people were lead away apart from the poor. Jeremiah was delivered from prison and protected by the Babylonians. Jeremiah also received an unusual message from the Lord regarding Ebed-melech the Ethiopian. He was not going to be taken away because he trusted in the Lord. It’s interesting that the Babylonians knew exactly why they had come as the judgment of God on Judah and they respected Jeremiah. The captain of the guard Nebuzar–adan told Jeremiah that he understood everything and offered him to go to Babylon or to live anywhere in the land. The king of Babylon put a governor called Gedaliah over the land to bring order. Yet there was a small amount of power struggle between the tribe chiefs who came into the land when the children of Judah left.

AM Nov 6th Heb 9

November 6^th     Hebrews 9         Superior Covenant

1: Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. 2: For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. 3: And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4: Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5: And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. 6: Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7: But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: 8: The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9: Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10: Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

In the old covenant there were laws for the service of God, there was an earthly temple, previously there had been an earthly tabernacle. In it there had been the Menorah, the table, the showbread. After the second veil in the most holy place there was the golden censer and the Ark of the Covenant. In the ark were the pot containing the manna and Aaron’s rod which budded and the tablets of stone (on which were written the Commandments of the LORD). Over the ark was the covering which included the Cherubim’s of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. We cannot speak definitively of this anymore. The priests ministered in the holy place but the most holy place was only entered once every year and by only the high priest and he entered by the offering of blood for himself and for the people. The Holy Spirit was teaching us here that the way into the most holy place was available to us while the first tabernacle was still standing. This is a type which applies to then in that day, he says. It was a picture of their present situation spiritually. They could offer gifts and sacrifices but it did not make him that did the service saved. He had no assurance of the total forgiveness of sins. The reoccurring of the sacrifices made him realise that his conscience was not completely clear. These things stood only in food and drink, ceremonial cleanliness and laws to do with human living all these things were imposed until the time of the reformation.

PM Nov 5th Jer 36

November 5^th     Jeremiah 36      The burnt scroll

1: And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2: Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. 3: It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. 4: Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. 5: And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD: 6: Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD's house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. 7: It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people. 8: And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD's house. 9: And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem. 10: Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD's house, in the ears of all the people. 11: When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD, 12: Then he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber: and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes. 13: Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people. 14: Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them. 15: And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears. 16: Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words. 17: And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth? 18: Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book. 19: Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be. 20: And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king. 21: So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king. 22: Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. 23: And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. 24: Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. 25: Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them. 26: But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them.

The second scroll

27: Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, 28: Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. 29: And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim the king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? 30: Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. 31: And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not. 32: Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.

Jeremiah 37      Jeremiah in prison

1: And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. 2: But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah. 3: And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us. 4: Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison. 5: Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem. 6: Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 7: Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to inquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. 8: And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. 9: Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart. 10: For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire. 11: And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army, 12: Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people. 13: And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans. 14: Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. 15: Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison. 16: When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; 17: Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. 18: Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? 19: Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? 20: Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there. 21: Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

Jeremiah 38      Jeremiah rescued

1: Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying, 2: Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live. 3: Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it. 4: Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt. 5: Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you. 6: Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire. 7: Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin; 8: Ebed-melech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying, 9: My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city. 10: Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die. 11: So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah. 12: And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so. 13: So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

Zedekiah asks for advice

14: Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me. 15: Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me? 16: So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life. 17: Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: 18: But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand. 19: And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me. 20: But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live. 21: But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shewed me: 22: And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back. 23: So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire. 24: Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die. 25: But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee: 26: Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there. 27: Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him: and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived. 28: So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when 

Jerusalem was taken.

In the forth year of the reign of Jehoiakim Jeremiah is instructed to take a scroll and write the words of the prophecy that he will receive from the Lord. He is instructed to get Baruch to be his amanuensis. And after ward he is to go to the house of the Lord to read it out to the people. Baruch read it on a fast day. Then Baruch is asked to come and read the message to the princes. The princes asked for this to be read in the hearing of the King and they his Baruch and Jeremiah. The scroll was cut with a knife and thrown onto a fire. They did not listen to the message from the Lord or take any notice of it. When Jeremiah heard that it had been destroyed he wrote another copy. Jeremiah is instructed to ask the King why he has burnt the scroll. And to tell him that Babylon will definitely destroy the land and that the king will be cast out and his body will lie unburied in the sun and in the frost. None of what Jeremiah wrote was taken to heart by the people. However later the king sent asking for the word of the Lord from Jeremiah because he was in prison. The next thing that happened was the Pharaoh Army invaded Israel. When the Babylonians heard this they ceased to besiege Jerusalem. Then the Lord sent a message saying that the Egyptians who came to help Israel will leave and the Babylonians will return and burn the city. Jeremiah went to the city of Benjamin and they asked of him whether the Babylonians would leave Israel and he said No, they will stay and destroy the city. Jeremiah was brought to speak to the princes and they were very cross with him and struck him and imprisoned him. Then Zedekiah took him from his prison and enquired of Jeremiah, He replied that Jerusalem will be destroyed. Jeremiah’s ministry was very difficult because the people thought that he was sowing fear to the army. So they put him in a bottle which had no water in the bottom but only mud. Then the king sent thirty men to rescue Jeremiah. The kind promised Jeremiah to protect him from his enemies.

AM Nov 5th Heb 8

November 5^th     Hebrews 8         Superior Tabernacle

1: Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2: A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. 3: For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. 4: For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 5: Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. 6: But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

Superior Promises

7: For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8: For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10: For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12: For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 13: In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

And so the writer wants to summaries up until this point in his letter. We have a high priest – Christ Jesus. he has been set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. He is a minister of the sanctuary of the true sanctuary which the Lord pitched and not man. (The writer is not saying that in heaven there is a tabernacle like that which was pitched on earth in Israel’s wanderings what he is saying is that the Tabernacle on earth was a sort of picture of what Christ is doing as the High Priest for his people in heaven.)  The work of a priest was to offer gifts and sacrifices and so Christ has to have something to offer. If he were an earthly priest he would not even qualify to be a priest because he would be disqualified according to the law. However the human priests were but a type of the heavenly ministry of Christ. When Moses was commanded to build the Tabernacle he was told to build it according to what he saw as the pattern in the heaven. Christ has obtained a ministry that excels the Levitical priesthood, because he is the mediator of a superior covenant which is based on better promises. If the Old Covenant with Israel had been adequate then there would have been no need for a Second Covenant. There was a fault with the Old Covenant (because it operated only in the area of the flesh) God has said, that he will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will be very different to the old covenant which l made with the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt. They didn’t keep my covenant and l had no respect for them. The covenant l will make with them will be like this – I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be to them a God and they will be to be a people. There will be no more need for men to teach his neighbour because everyman will know the Lord from the least to the greatest. I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and iniquities l will remember no more. This covenant with both houses of Israel is the hope of Israel. It is a covenant of law and a covenant of mercy and forgiveness. The new covenant will replace the old, which even now is decaying and becoming ancient and is it ready to vanish away completely. It will vanish away when the new Covenant is established, in the day of the Lord, at Christs coming to confront Israel and to rule from Zion.