Month: September 2019

In Ezekiel 24, the LORD tells Ezekiel to use a cooking pot as an example of what the LORD is going to do to the people of Jerusalem.  Ezekiel is to cook random pieces of sheep meat in a pot, and to take them out at random.  He is to burn the bones, and ultimately to heat the pot itself red hot on the fire, but nothing will take away the sin of the people, and the LORD is the fire that will destroy the people.  Then the LORD told Ezekiel his wife was going to die, but he was not to mourn for her, but only groan inwardly.  This happened the next night.  When the people asked the significance of this, Ezekiel was to tell them they were to mourn in the same way when they were carried off into exile.

In Ezekiel 25, the LORD pronounces judgment against Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia.  Each in their turn had laughed at Judah’s destruction, and exile.  Therefore, the LORD was going to cause each of them to suffer humiliation and destruction.

Ezekiel 26 records the LORD’s judgment against Tyre.  In extensive detail the LORD tells Tyre it will be torn apart, and the nations around it will mourn the loss.  Tyre’s sins in addition to their idolatry included laughing at Judah’s destruction.  The LORD planned to use King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon as His arm of judgment against Tyre, as he used him against Judah and so many other nations.

As we return to Matthew 23, we find Jesus pronouncing seven “woes” against the Pharisees.  This is a serious matter, as the Greek word recorded is “ouai” which literally means “damn you.”  Jesus spoke of many of the religious rituals and actions the Pharisees carried out and condemned them for them. He tells His listeners they will eventually be turned over to rulers and authorities by the religious leaders, as they continue to serve Him.  Jesus makes it clear He is our Lord and leader, and we aren’t to use titles such as teacher or father to lord over others, because He is our teacher and God is our heavenly Father.  He reminds us the life of following Him is a life of humility.  The chapter is a difficult one to read because it reminds us how important it is not to turn our life as Jesus’ followers into a religion, but always to keep our relationship with Him as the priority.

In Ezekiel 21, the LORD tells Ezekiel to pronounce judgment on Israel and Judah.  The message is repeated: The sword of the LORD is coming, and its destruction will be total.  The “sword” is Babylon.  The LORD will use this sword to destroy the nation completely.  The people will think it’s a false message, because of their treaty with Babylon, but the Babylonians will remind the Israelites they have rebelled against them.  Ezekiel then turns to Babylon and tells Ezekiel to tell its leaders not to rely on the omens of their magicians to determine whether to attack Jerusalem or the Ammonites.  The road will fork in two directions.  The LORD’s command is to take the road that leads to Jerusalem.  Lest the Ammonites think they are off the hook, the final message of the chapter is for them.  The LORD tells Ezekiel to tell them they will be utterly destroyed, and their memory erased from the face of the earth.

In Ezekiel 22, the LORD returns to His pronouncements against Jerusalem.  He tells us the people are murderers, adulterers, rapists and thieves.  They abuse the widows and orphans.  They do evil before the LORD continuously.  For that reason, He calls them the “slag” that is left after smelting metal.  He will refine them, and they will be “melted” like metal.  Then the LORD returns to condemning the people, but this time His main condemnation is for the leaders.  They are the worst of all, and even the priests join in the wickedness.  Therefore, the judgment will be quick, and the people will be scattered.

In Ezekiel 23, the LORD portrays Israel and Judah as two sisters, and graphically portrays them as prostitutes and then adulteresses.  They were adulteresses, because the LORD took them as His wives. While at first it was Israel who turned away from the LORD by worshiping the idols of the Assyrians, later the people of Judah did even worse things, by worshiping the idols of the Assyrians, and the Babylonians and offering their children to their false gods as sacrifices.  The judgment pronounced against both is justified for the intensity of their sin was so great.

As we return to Matthew 22, Jesus continues with the telling of parables, by telling a parable about a man who scheduled a great wedding feast for his son, but the invited guests wouldn’t come. (This would be the people of Israel.)  The man then invited anyone who would come, the good and the bad.  At the feast one man didn’t have on wedding clothes, so he was cast out.  This man represents those who are unprepared to receive the offer of welcome (salvation) from the LORD.  Following this parable, the Pharisees and Sadducees attempted to go on the offensive by asking questions they thought would trap Jesus in His words.  They were wrong.  First, they asked Jesus whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar.  They believed no matter what Jesus answered, they could condemn Him, because if He said, “Yes,” they would say He was a traitor against Israel, but if He said, “No,” they would turn Him into the Romans.  Jesus didn’t say yes or no. He told them to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s and to God what was God’s.  Next, the Sadducees attempted to trap Jesus with a theological question.  They didn’t believe in the resurrection, so they told Jesus about a man who was married but died before having any sons.  Therefore, his brother married him according to the law of levirate marriage.  This brother died, and another brother married him. This went on until seven men (all brothers) had married the woman and died.  Then the woman died. The question was, “Which man would the woman be married to in the resurrection, because she had been married to each?” Jesus responded they erred, because they knew neither the Scriptures, nor the power of God.  He proceeded to tell them in heaven we are neither married, nor given in married, but are like the angels in heaven.  He then gave the example of God saying He was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when He spoke to Moses in the burning bush.  This shows God is the God of the living, not the dead.  Finally, the Pharisees asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment in the Law of Moses.  Jesus answered the greatest commandment is to love the Lord completely, and to love one’s neighbors as oneself.  No one could argue with this.  For good measure, Jesus asked the religious leaders a question, “Whose son is the Christ?”  The question is difficult, because King David called the Messiah his Lord.  After this no one dared ask Jesus anymore questions.  After all, He had demonstrated He could answer any challenge offered to Him, and had questions of His own that no one could answer!

Ezekiel 15 is brief.  In it the LORD compares Jerusalem to the wood of the vine, which was good for nothing but fuel for a fire.  Nothing could be made from it, not even a peg to hang things.  The only purpose of the wood of the vine was to make  afire. Even so, the people of Jerusalem would be subjected to the fire.

In Ezekiel 16, the LORD compares Jerusalem to an unfaithful wife, who turned from Him and became a whore.  This would be bad enough under any circumstance, but the LORD saved her from death as an infant when she was cast off by her parents.  He nurtured and cared for her.  He adorned her with beautiful clothing and silver and gold.  The LORD indulged her and showed her great love.  Yet, she rejected Him, and worshiped idols.  She sacrificed her children to false gods.  She not only played the prostitute with many nations, but she paid her suitors to have sex with her.  The depth of Jerusalem’s sin surpassed that of Sodom and Samaria.  After recording this account of Jerusalem’s sin and her deserved punishment, the LORD turns to redemption.  Always.  Redemption is the final word.  The LORD promises the redemption of some even from Sodom and Samaria, and also Jerusalem.

In Ezekiel 17, the LORD tells the parable of two eagles and a vine.  Unless, He had provided the interpretation, we would be left utterly confused, but the LORD tells us the eagles represent Babylon and Egypt, and the vine represents Judah.  The point is the LORD gave Judah into the hands of Babylon, and there they would have been protected, but they turned to Egypt for help, which would only mean more destruction.

As we return to Matthew 20, Jesus tells a parable of a landowner who hired workers each hour throughout the day.  The first workers hired were told they would be paid a denarius, which was a typical day’s wage, for their work.  Each of the other workers were told they would be paid what was right.  At the end of the day, the landowner paid the workers who had only worked one hour first.  He gave them a denarius.  When the workers who had worked all day were paid, they also received one denarius.  They were upset at the landowner, but he asked them why there were?  He had agreed to pay them a denarius, which is what they were paid.  Then the landowner asked whether he had the right to be generous with his own money?  The first workers hadn’t seen it that way!  Then Jesus closed by saying, “Many who were last will be first.”  The order of the Kingdom is not the order of the earth.  We will all be rewarded, and we will not be jealous for what others receive.  It would be good for us to learn to celebrate the blessings of others, because that will be the way in heaven!

Next, Jesus told the disciples once again He would be arrested, convicted, crucified, and would rise from death.  This time the mother of James and John asked Jesus if He would let her sons sit at His left and right when He came into His Kingdom?  Jesus said those positions weren’t for Him to give.  When the other ten disciples heard what happened they were angry.  Why?  We can conjecture it was because they had been left out of the jockeying for position in Jesus’ Kingdom.  Jesus pointed out the way of the Kingdom is not the way of the world.  The greatest in the Kingdom is not the one with the “highest” position, but the one who serves.

The chapter ends with Jesus healing two blind men.  The significant point of the healing is Jesus tells the men it was according to their faith that they were healed.  Sometimes Jesus tells people it was their faith that was the key.  At other times, He makes it clear He heals to glorify the Father.  We must be clear that our healing or lack of it is never about us, even though our faith can play a part.  Jesus is the healer, not us!

In Ezekiel 12, the LORD tells Ezekiel to pack his baggage as for exile, and to go to the city wall in the evening and dig through it.  When the people ask what he is doing, Ezekiel is to say this is what will happen to the prince and to his troops.  They will be carried away into exile after they have dug through the wall in an attempt to escape.  The prince will die in Babylon, and many others will be scattered to the wind.  But…a remnant will be preserved!  This is the “good news” we find in the midst of bad news throughout God’s word.  The LORD also tells Ezekiel to eat his food and drink his water with quaking, to symbolize the people will eat and drink in this way as they are being taken to exile.  The final point of this chapter is the LORD tells Ezekiel to let the people know the time of the exile is soon. The vision is not for a time that is far off but will be fulfilled in the near future.

In Ezekiel 13, the LORD tells Ezekiel to call out the false prophets who proclaim “Declares the LORD…” when the LORD had not spoken.  The chapter is rather long, but it says the same thing over and over: the false and lying prophets will be destroyed for leading the people astray.

In Ezekiel 14, the LORD condemns the elders of the city who have practiced idolatry.  As the false prophets ought to have spoken only the truth, so the elders ought to have remained faithful to the LORD, but because of their unfaithfulness, they will be destroyed.  In the remainder of the chapter, the LORD tells Ezekiel that even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the city of Jerusalem at the time of the coming judgment, only they would be saved. Their goodness would not save anyone else.  Think of that: three of the greatest men in the history of Israel could not influence the LORD to preserve more than themselves in this time of destruction!

As we return to Matthew 19, the Pharisees come to Jesus to ask Him whether a man can divorce his wife for “any reason”? Jesus asks them what the Law of Moses says about it?  They say Moses said it was okay. Jesus tells them that was because of their hardness of heart, but from the beginning it was God’s intention that a man and woman would be united in marriage permanently.  He condemns the practice of divorce except for reason of marital unfaithfulness.  Next, Jesus blesses children who are brought to Him to be blessed, even over the disciples’ objections that Jesus doesn’t have time for such activity.  Jesus reminds them once again that the Kingdom of heaven is made up of such as them.  Finally, a rich, young man comes to Jesus to ask what he must do to inherit eternal life.  Jesus tells him to obey the commandments in the Law.  The man tells Jesus he has done so.  Jesus tells him he lacks one thing: to go sell all he has, give it to the poor, so he will have riches in heaven, and then come and follow Him.  The man turns down the opportunity, because he couldn’t give up his wealth.  The disciples were astounded, but not because the man wouldn’t give up his wealth.  Jesus’ request astounded them.  They thought wealth was a sign of God’s blessing, but Jesus told the man it was what was getting in the way of his discipleship.  Jesus told the disciples this was so as well.  We must never let material wealth get in the way of our spiritual wealth.  That is the key to following Jesus.  When we recognize every material blessing belongs to Him, and is to be held lightly, even given away if Jesus asks us to do so, we can follow Jesus wherever He calls us.  But when we cling to the “stuff” of life, we can’t go where He calls, or follow where He leads.

Ezekiel 8 has the LORD showing Ezekiel the blatant sin of Judah’s officials in the Temple as they worship idols, the sun, and other pagan deities even as they stand in the Temple.  The LORD tells Ezekiel this is why His judgment is being poured out on the land.

Ezekiel 9 is a gory depiction of the LORD’s judgment on all those who have committed idolatry before Him.  He has one of his messengers mark all those who have sinned, and then His destroyer comes behind and slays them.  Ezekiel asks whether He will kill the entire remnant of His people?  No answer comes as the chapter ends.

Ezekiel 10 recounts the departure of the LORD from the Temple.  In great detail, Ezekiel describes the cherubim who are in the Temple, and the commands given to the man clothed in linen to take hot coals from the altar and spread them all over the city.  Then the LORD and His entourage leave the Temple. Consider the symbolism: The LORD has never been bound to a building, from the time King Solomon constructed the first Temple to this very day, but He has always dwelt among His people. But here, He tells Ezekiel He is departing.  He will have nothing to do with this sinful group of people who have abandoned Him totally.

Ezekiel 11 starts with more judgment for the leaders who have led the people astray to idols.  They are told they will die, and their leader does.  But then, the chapter takes a turn and the LORD tells Ezekiel a remnant of the people will be preserved from those who have gone into exile and will return to Jerusalem.  The LORD will be with them, but once again He reminds those who have turned from Him and committed on-going sin will be destroyed.  As always, the LORD’s mercy is evident even with a people who have been so completely filled with idolatry. Those who repent will be redeemed.

As we return to Matthew 18, the disciples ask a vital question, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”  Jesus doesn’t answer with the name of a specific person but says whoever turns and becomes like a child will be the greatest.  This raises the important matter of the distinction between childlikeness, which Jesus affirms here, and childishness, which He does not affirm.  The childlike traits that makes us great in God’s kingdom are trust, love, joy, and being “all in.”  Little children have a natural (supernatural?) exuberance and joy for living that often gets trained out of them as they grow. Jesus warns that any who lead one of His little ones astray will face severe punishment.  He also points out how precious every single person is, when He compares it to a shepherd looking for one lost sheep, even though He has 100 sheep. In the same way, the LORD is not willing for even one of His little ones to perish.

As we move on, Jesus offers the process for us to follow when someone sins against us.  The process is simple, but not always easy to carry out in life.  First, we go to the person and confront the situation.  If the person repents, we receive him or her back.  If not, we take a couple of the elders or mature members of the church and confront again.  If the person repents, we receive him or her back.  If that doesn’t work, we bring the person before the entire church and ask him or her to repent.  If that doesn’t work, the person is to be cast out and treated as a “tax collector.”  Peter followed up these instructions by asking Jesus how many times we must forgive someone who sins against us?  He asked if it were up to seven times?  Jesus answered that it wasn’t seven times but seventy times seven. Jesus then told a parable about a master who forgave the massive debt of one of his servants, because the servant begged him to do so.  But afterward, the servant had a fellow servant thrown into prison for a small debt.  When the other servants told the master about this, the master brought the servant back in, called him wicked, and then had him cast into prison for not forgiving as he had been forgiven.  Jesus’ punchline was: My Heavenly Father will also treat you the same way if you do not forgive those who sin against you.  Forgiveness is the core of our faith.  Jesus forgave us the sin that had condemned us to hell.  That means we must forgive one another, regardless of the weight of the sin.  That doesn’t mean we say the other person was right.  It means we release the other person to the mercy of God!

Ezekiel 5 pronounces specific judgment against the city of Jerusalem.  The LORD tells Ezekiel to cut his hair and beard with a sword and then to divide it into thirds.  He is to burn one third of the hair in the midst of the city, another third he is to take around the city and cut with a sword, the final third he is to scatter to the wind.  This is the way the city will be judged: one third will die of pestilence; one third will die by the sword, and one third will be scattered to the wind.  The situation will be so bad that fathers will eat their sons, and sons will eat their fathers.  The LORD tells Ezekiel the extent of the judgment will be so extreme that nothing like it will ever happen again. 

Ezekiel 6 pronounces judgment against the mountains and hills of Israel.  Specifically, judgment is pronounced against the people for their worship of idols.  The LORD compares Himself to a husband and the people have been “whoring” against Him with the idols of the other nations.  Once again, we’re told people will die by famine, sword, and pestilence.  But a remnant will remain, so they can remember what the LORD has said, and so they will one day return to worshiping Him.

Ezekiel 7 pronounces the judgment of the Day of the LORD, a day of wrath against the people.  This is more of what has been pronounced in the previous chapters.  The day is coming and the people in the fields will die by the sword, while the people in the city will die of famine and pestilence.  Some will remain alive and will be witnesses of the LORD’s fierce judgment for the evil the people did against Him.

As we return to Matthew 17, we read the record of Jesus being transfigured with Moses and Elijah before Peter, James, and John.  The event is recorded in similar fashion Mark’s gospel, but in Matthew Jesus is more explicit about the significance of the event, that it is foreshadowing His crucifixion.  He also tells the Peter, James, and John clearly John the Baptist was the Elijah who was to come.  After this the four of them return to the bottom of the mountain, where Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy, which the nine remaining disciples of Jesus couldn’t heal.  The detail is limited, as Matthew tends not to be as explicit in showing the shortcomings of the disciples as Mark is, perhaps because Mark was not one of them.  In any case, Jesus simply tells the disciples this kind of demon can only be cast out through prayer and fasting.  Following this Jesus announces once again He is going to be killed, and the disciples are filled with grief.  In Mark’s gospel, we’re told following this announcement, they argued among themselves about who would be greatest. Finally, Jesus has Peter catch a fish that has a coin in its mouth.  This permits Peter to pay the Temple tax for Jesus and him.   This is one more example of Jesus fulfilling all righteousness.

Today, we turn to the Book of Ezekiel.  Ezekiel was both a priest and a prophet.  He served for more than twenty years, from about ten years before the people of Judah were carried off into exile, until well after they were in living in Babylon.  His message started as one of impending judgment, and then turned to a message of hope for the future, including the famous vision of Israel and the valley of dry bones.  As we read this prophet’s message, it will at times seem like a replay of Jeremiah, but overall Ezekiel offers more hope than the “weeping” prophet.

Ezekiel 1 offers us one of the most spectacular visions in the entire Bible!  Ezekiel sees a “creature” who seems like four different creatures, who has heads with the facets of a person, an ox, a lion, and an eagle.  The creature also has wheels under it, and all four of the creatures move in synchrony wherever the Spirit leads.  This creature has an expanse above it, and fire flows from it.  We see by the end of the chapter that the creature is the LORD.

The LORD calls Ezekiel in chapter 2, and we read repeatedly that he is to speak the LORD’s message to a “rebellious” people.  He is to continue to present the message whether they receive it or whether they don’t.  At the end of the chapter, the LORD gives Ezekiel a scroll, and as he reads it he finds words of lamentation and woe.  As with Jeremiah, Ezekiel’s message will be a message no one wants to hear.

In Ezekiel 3 the LORD gives Ezekiel a scroll to “eat” and as he does it tasted sweet in his stomach.  The meaning is the message was pleasing to him.  The LORD said the message would be easy for the people to understand, but they would not listen, because they are a rebellious people.  As the LORD’s message continues the creature picks Ezekiel up and takes him to Tel-Abib as he does he is so overwhelmed he is unable to speak for seven days.  The message Ezekiel receives is that he is to be the LORD’s “watchman.”  He offers Ezekiel a principle: if the LORD pronounces condemnation on the one who sins, but Ezekiel doesn’t present the message, the man shall die in his sin, and Ezekiel will be held accountable for the man’s blood, but if Ezekiel tells the man of his sin, and he does not repent, the man will die, but Ezekiel will be innocent of his blood.  In the same way if a righteous man is turning to evil, but Ezekiel doesn’t correct him, he will die, and the blood will be on Ezekiel, but if Ezekiel warns him and he sins anyway, the blood of the man will be on himself.  This is a key principle, which the Apostle Paul picked up on nearly 600 years later when he told the Ephesian elders he had been faithful to tell everyone the message of salvation in Jesus and was therefore innocent of “every man’s blood.”  The chapter ends with the LORD telling Ezekiel he is going to be bound, and will obviously be mistreated, because his tongue will stick to his mouth so he won’t be able to speak for a time.  Then he will be able to speak again, but the people won’t hear, because they are a rebellious people.

In Chapter 4 the LORD tells Ezekiel to make a brick and put it in front of himself.  He is to place “siege works” against it, and to put a skillet before it to show it is under siege.  Then he is to lie on his left side for 390 days to symbolize Israel being exiled for 390 years.  Then he is to lie on his right side for 40 days to symbolize Judah being in captivity for forty years.  While he is doing this, he is to eat sparingly, and drink sparingly to show the hardship of the people during their times of captivity.

As we return to Matthew 16, The Pharisees and Sadducees come to Jesus and ask Him to show them a sign.  Jesus responds that an evil generation seeks a sign, and the only sign they will receive is the sign of Jonah.  That sign is just as Jonah was three days in the belly of a great fish, so Jesus will be three days in the tomb.  After this, Jesus told His disciples to beware of the “leaven” of the Pharisees.  At first, the disciples thought Jesus was reprimanding them for not bringing any bread, but then Jesus reminded them how he had fed thousands of people twice with only a few loaves of bread.  Then they realized Jesus was talking about the teaching of the Pharisees as their leaven.  Next, Jesus and the disciples went to Caesarea Philippi and Jesus asked them who people said He was.  Then He asked them who did they say He was?  Peter answered Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God.  Jesus affirms Peter for this truth, which was revealed to him by the Heavenly Father. Then, He tells the disciples not to tell anyone.  Next, Jesus tells the disciples He is going to Jerusalem where He will be arrested, and ultimately crucified, but then He will rise again.  Peter rebukes Jesus for saying such a thing.  Then Jesus rebukes Peter for being “Satan,” and for thinking of things from a human perspective rather than God’s perspective. This shows us a person can be mightily led by the Lord in one moment, and then turn the opposite direction the next.

Lamentations 4 offers explicit details about the devastation of the nobles and priests in Judah during the time of their overthrow.  They were once dressed in purple.  They were “stones of gold,” but now have become black and shriveled.  The writer tells us the people of Sodom were better off, because they were destroyed in a moment.  Those who were killed by the sword were better off, because they didn’t suffer.  But these who waste away with hunger and disease, bear their suffering, and nothing and no one is there to help them.  The LORD is the one who did this, because of the people’s rejection of Him, because of their sin.  One hint of hope comes at the close of the chapter when Edom is condemned.  We’re told there will be no redemption for Edom, but the house of Zion will return.  No additional information is offered, but at least some hope for the future remains.

Lamentations 5 is a cry to the LORD to restore the people. The writer recounts the heavy burdens the people endure.  Women are raped, boys stagger under heavy loads, princes are hung by their hands, and the elders are shown no respect.  The writer asks if the LORD will forget them forever.  He calls on the LORD to restore them, but the book ends without a response from the LORD.  We know from history the LORD answered this cry.  Israel was restored on more than one occasion, and now the nation of Israel is a sovereign nation once again.  When we experience the heavy burdens of life, let’s remember to call out to the LORD, to call on His mercy and ask Him for deliverance and restoration.

As we return to Matthew 15, we find the religious leaders coming to Jesus with a complaint about His disciples: they eat with out the ceremonial washing of their hands. Jesus responds by asking them why they break the command of God to uphold their traditions.  Here Jesus makes a distinction between the actual commands of God, and the traditions human beings fabricate to “interpret” the commands, or make them easier to follow.  Jesus points out how they fail to honor their fathers and mothers, by taking money that would have been used to support them and giving it as offerings.   Jesus then makes a powerful statement.  It is not what goes into a person that brings defilement, but what comes out.  The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus meant.  His point is clear: what we eat doesn’t defile us.  What we say does.  Jesus said the words that come out of our mouth reflect the content of our hearts.  That is what we must handle with care, not the food we eat.

Following this interaction, Jesus withdrew with His disciples for a time of rest, but while they were walking a Canaanite woman came and asked Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter.  At first Jesus didn’t respond, but later when the woman gave Him a strong answer to His point about not “throwing the children’s bread to the dogs,” He healed her daughter.

The final episode in Matthew 15 is the feeding of the 4,000.  Jesus had been healing and casting demons out of people all day, and He knew they were hungry.  He had already been providing for their spiritual and physical health by healing and casting out demons.  Now, He met their basic physical need for food, by taking seven loaves of bread and a few small fish and turning it into enough food to feed thousands of them.  As we consider Jesus’ role in our lives, we must always remember while He is first and foremost our Lord and our God, He also wants to provide for our needs whether they be physical or spiritual.  As you go about the day, worship Jesus as Savior and Lord, and call on Him as the faithful provider He is!

Today, we turn to the Book of Lamentations, which is written as five poems mourning the destruction of Jerusalem.  Many biblical scholars believe the Lamentations were written by Jeremiah, and were written shortly after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC.  Lamentations 1 offers the first poem of the downfall of Jerusalem.  “She” is likened to a woman who has been destroyed, with her children sent off into exile.  The reason for her fall is clear: she rebelled against the LORD, and sinned in many ways.  He brought about her downfall, and her “lovers” the nations around her and the false gods she has served, can do nothing about it.  Her princes are like deer scattered and unable to find food.  The picture is similar to that painted in the Book of Jeremiah, with the main difference being the language is more poetic.

Lamentations 2 makes it clear the LORD has destroyed Jerusalem and Jacob without pity.  She has received the full measure of judgment for her sin.  One of the statements that make us think of Jeremiah is the one referring to their prophets prophesying falsely to the nations.  Jeremiah often pointed out the false prophecies of the prophets in Jerusalem during his ministry, and sometimes was punished for it.  Now the people of the land are experiencing everything Jeremiah said would happen, and which none of the false prophets said would come.

Lamentations 3 offers hope.  While it starts with more recording of the evil befalling the people, it turns to the acknowledgment that the LORD’s mercies are new every morning. It recalls the LORD’s willingness to forgive those who turn to Him, and His carrying out of justice at all times.  While every prophet in the Bible pronounces coming judgment for the people unless they repent, each one in his turn also speaks of the LORD’s mercy.  The hope in Lamentations 3 is offered in a strong dose of the reality that the LORD does not tolerate rebellion among His people, nor sin.  Yet He always offers mercy when the people return.

As we return to Matthew 14, we find three main components of the chapter.  First, we read the account of John the Baptist’s murder by King Herod.  The sickening reality it portrays is that of a king who was more willing to murder an innocent man than to look bad before his dinner guests.  Upon hearing of John’s death, Jesus went off to a solitary place.  This was often Jesus’ response to either times of great affirmation of His ministry, or times of challenge and sorrow.  We do well to learn from this, because in our lives we will also have times of triumph and defeat.  In both of those times, we must be grounded in the heart of God.  Otherwise, we will tend toward pride or despair, and both of those traits are from the devil.  Jesus comes out of the time of solitude to heal the sick, and to feed the five thousand.  After this time of affirmation, Jesus retreats once again, demonstrating the rule of His life: public ministry followed by time alone to be with His Heavenly Father.  When He rejoins the disciples, they are already in a boat, and well out on the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus walks to them on the water.  When they see Him, they’re terrified, but Jesus reassures them by telling them it is He.  Peter calls out to the LORD and asks Him to call him to come, if it is really He.  Jesus calls.  Peter goes. Peter sees the waves and feels the wind, and taking his eyes off Jesus starts to sink . He offers perhaps the shortest prayer in history, “Lord, save me!”  Jesus reaches out His hand and draws Peter up, and the two walk back to the boat.  (The text doesn’t tell us Peter walked back to the boat, but it’s a reasonable assumption. The only other possibilities are Peter swam beside Jesus, or Jesus carried Peter.)  The invaluable principle we learn from Peter is: always keep your eyes on Jesus!