F O O T H O L D
READING
85 FALSE SECURITY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRAY Reveal yourself to me,
through the Scripture today, holy Lord.
----------------------------------------------------------------
READ Jeremiah 7:1-15.
----------------------------------------------------------------
THINK What were the sins of
the people of Judah (6,8,9)?
----------------------------------------------------------------
FOCUS The kingdom of Judah
was threatened by the larger nations around
her and, in particular, by
the Babylonians. But her people had a
false sense of security
because they believed that, if they were
in Jerusalem where the
Temple was, they would be safe (4).
Almost a hundred years
earlier God had miraculously delivered
Jerusalem and its Temple
from the invading army of Sennacherib,
the emperor of Assyria (2
Kings 18:13-19:37). Therefore the
people of Judah had come to
believe that the Temple was
invincible.
Jeremiah was just the sort
of man to see through this false
trust. His pulpit: one of
the gates of the temple (2). His
message: if you repent - all
right (5-7). If you don't - God will
throw you out (15).
Jeremiah turned the people's
attention to the ancient sanctuary
of Shiloh, which had been
destroyed (12). He prophesied that the
same judgement was about to
fall upon them (14,15).
The people of Judah had
every opportunity to know God at work in
their nation. They were
God's chosen people and he had spoken to
them 'over and over again' (13).
What opportunities to learn
about God have you had? It
is worth taking a moment to review
those opportunities.
'Much is required from the
person to whom much is given; much
more is required from the
person to whom much more is given'
(Luke 12:48, GNB).
----------------------------------------------------------------
PRAY Look again at the list
you wrote of the sins of Judah. Compare it
with Micah 6:6-8. Ask God to
help you live as he requires.
