“‘I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what His deeds deserve.’”
~ Jeremiah 17:10
Hi James and Ellen,
What do you say to God when you talk with Him? What does God say to you when He talks with you? Is there a special time when you talk with God? Is there a special time when God talks with you? Are you and God talking with each other all the time? Jeremiah and God talked with each other all the time. Jeremiah lived 2600 years ago. God has always existed. God is behind the creation of all matter and life. God chose and elected guys, gals and kids to be His specially chosen and elected guys, gals and kids from the guys, gals and kids who He knew who He would have live on planet Earth. Jeremiah was one of God’s specially chosen guys. Jeremiah personally knew God as the Creator of all matter and life. God called Jeremiah to be a prophet spokesman to His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem. Jeremiah lived during a period of time when most all of God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem were trusting in their own strength and turning their hearts away from God the Creator of all matter and life to inanimate gods that they had made from wood, stone and metal. God gave Jeremiah a very difficult task to do. God tasked Jeremiah to tell His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem that they were going to end up just like how the Israelite people group’s guys and gals had ended up. An army from an enemy people group – the Assyrian people group, overran the land of Israel over a hundred years earlier resulting in a lot of the Israelite people group’s guys and gals being deported to the enemy people group’s country. The land of Judah and the city of Jerusalem were now facing being overrun by the Babylonian people group’s army. How do you feel when other kids do not listen to you or pay attention to you?
Jeremiah 17 is about God and Jeremiah exchanging thoughts. God first tells Jeremiah – again, that He is not happy with the lifestyles of the guys and gals who He had specially chosen for Himself. God’s specially chosen guys and gals were worshiping on their altars – which they had built on high hills and under big shade trees, inert gods that they had made from wood, stone and metal. God expected His specially chosen guys and gals to worship Him on the altar that was at the entrance of the Tent of Meetings. God expected His specially chosen guys and gals to make sacrifices to Him instead of making sacrifices to lifeless wood, stone and metal gods. God tells Jeremiah in verse 10 “‘I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what His deeds deserve.’” When Jeremiah talked with God, Jeremiah would confess to God the sins of God’s specially chosen guys and gals. Jeremiah would also remind God that he was doing what God was asking him as a shepherd leader to do by telling His specially chosen guys and gals who were living the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem what He wanted them to hear. Jeremiah knew that God had a day of despair directly ahead when He would allow an enemy people group’s army to overrun the land of Judah and the city of Jerusalem.
God told Jeremiah to tell His specially chosen guys and gals that there was something that they could do that would show Him that they were listening to the messages that He was having Jeremiah pass on to them. God told Jeremiah to tell His specially chosen guys and gals that He expected them to keep His day of rest – the Sabbath day, holy. God told Jeremiah to tell His specially chosen guys and gals that they would be showing Him that they were keeping His day of rest – the Sabbath day, holy by not going through the gates of Jerusalem with merchandise on the day of rest – the Sabbath day. God expected His specially chosen guys and gals to not carry anything in their houses or do any work on the day of rest – the Sabbath day. God – through Jeremiah, told His specially chosen guys and gals that He absolutely expected every guy and gal from all over the land of Judah and the city of Jerusalem to bring Him sacrifices and offerings to His house – which was the temple that was in Jerusalem. Your grandpaa’s dad and ma took not working on Sundays – which is now God’s day of rest, very seriously. Your grandpaa’s dad could not escape doing some work on Sundays – such as feeding and milking his cows, but . . . your grandpaa’s dad did not do any fieldwork on Sundays. Your grandpaa’s dad did not fish or play sports on Sundays. Your grandpaa’s dad and ma did not watch any TV – except for the late night news, on Sundays. Your grandpaa’s dad and ma did not eat out or make long trips on Sundays. Your grandpaa and the other kids in your grandpaa’s family could not play any kind of sports on Sundays. Your grandpaa and the other kids in your grandpaa’s family could read books and play outside on Sundays. Your grandpaa’s dad and ma would sometimes on a Sunday evening take their six kids for a short ride around the section or go to Lake Oakwood. After every Sunday afternoon church service at the church where your grandpaa’s dad and ma attended, your grandpaa’s dad’s side of the family would get together for coffee at the house where your grandpaa’s dad’s ma and dad lived. Your grandpaa was spoiled by his oldest aunt – Aunt Sussy, because he was the oldest kid in his family and older than all his nieces and nephews on his dad’s side of the family. Your grandpaa looked forward to going on Sunday afternoons to the house where his dad lived when his dad was a kid. How do you think that Jeremiah felt when God’s specially chosen guys and gals did not listen to him or when God’s specially chosen guys and gals did not paid attention to what he was saying? Being listened to and paid attention to by other kids begins with you first listening to and paying attention to what God’s voice is telling you what to do.
Jeremiah 17 (332)