DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 24:
WORD OF WISDOM
Life isn't meant to be understood, it is meant to be experienced.
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DAILY DEVOTION
Where the Anchor Is Found
"Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the
immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable
things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong
consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before
us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and
which entereth into that within the veil;"
Hebrews 6:17-19
There is an old story about a young naval officer being examined before
assignment to his first command. The grizzled veteran asked what the
prospective captain would do if he saw a storm approaching from the south.
"Throw out an anchor at the stern," the reply came. The next question
brought a storm from the north. "Throw out an anchor at the bow," the young
officer said. The veteran continued bringing up potential storms, and the
answer to every one was another anchor. Finally the exasperated old-timer
asked, "Where are you getting all those anchors?" "From the same place
you're getting all the storms, Sir," the young man replied.
Life is filled with storms that come at us from every direction. There are
days when it feels like its just one challenge and difficulty after another.
But on every one of those days and for every one of those storms, we have an
anchor that never fails. Just as there are many different kinds of trials
and temptations, God's grace has many facets that allow us to win the
victory in every situation. "As every man hath received the gift, even so
minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of
God" (1 Peter 4:10). No one ever went wrong by trusting what God has
promised. We falter and sink when we take our eyes off of Him and rely on
our own strength.
Those who trust the unfailing promises of God for strength have an anchor
that will hold through the storms.
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DAILY BIBLE READING
Jeremiah 40-42 The Message (MSG)
Go and Live Wherever You Wish
40 God's Message to Jeremiah after Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard set
him free at Ramah. When Nebuzaradan came upon him, he was in chains, along
with all the other captives from Jerusalem and Judah who were being herded
off to exile in Babylon.
2-3 The captain of the bodyguard singled out Jeremiah and said to him, "Your
God pronounced doom on this place. God came and did what he had warned he'd
do because you all sinned against God and wouldn't do what he told you. So
now you're all suffering the consequences.
4-5 "But today, Jeremiah, I'm setting you free, taking the chains off your
hands. If you'd like to come to Babylon with me, come along. I'll take good
care of you. But if you don't want to come to Babylon with me, that's just
fine, too. Look, the whole land stretches out before you. Do what you like.
Go and live wherever you wish. If you want to stay home, go back to Gedaliah
son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan. The king of Babylon made him governor of the
cities of Judah. Stay with him and your people. Or go wherever you'd like.
It's up to you."
The captain of the bodyguard gave him food for the journey and a parting
gift, and sent him off.
6 Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and made his home with
him and the people who were left behind in the land.
Take Care of the Land
7-8 When the army leaders and their men, who had been hiding out in the
fields, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam
as governor of the land, putting him in charge of the men, women, and
children of the poorest of the poor who hadn't been taken off to exile in
Babylon, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah: Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan
and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai
the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, accompanied by their
men.
9 Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, promised them and their men,
"You have nothing to fear from the Chaldean officials. Stay here on the
land. Be subject to the king of Babylon. You'll get along just fine.
10 "My job is to stay here in Mizpah and be your advocate before the
Chaldeans when they show up. Your job is to take care of the land: Make
wine, harvest the summer fruits, press olive oil. Store it all in pottery
jugs and settle into the towns that you have taken over."
11-12 The Judeans who had escaped to Moab, Ammon, Edom, and other countries
heard that the king of Babylon had left a few survivors in Judah and made
Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor over them. They all started
coming back to Judah from all the places where they'd been scattered. They
came to Judah and to Gedaliah at Mizpah and went to work gathering in a huge
supply of wine and summer fruits.
13-14 One day Johanan son of Kareah and all the officers of the army who had
been hiding out in the backcountry came to Gedaliah at Mizpah and told him,
"You know, don't you, that Baaliss king of Ammon has sent Ishmael son of
Nethaniah to kill you?" But Gedaliah son of Ahikam didn't believe them.
15 Then Johanan son of Kareah took Gedaliah aside privately in Mizpah: "Let
me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah. No one needs to know about it. Why
should we let him kill you and plunge the land into anarchy? Why let
everyone you've taken care of be scattered and what's left of Judah
destroyed?"
16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam told Johanan son of Kareah, "Don't do it. I
forbid it. You're spreading a false rumor about Ishmael."
Murder
41 1-3 But in the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama,
came. He had royal blood in his veins and had been one of the king's
high-ranking officers. He paid a visit to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah
with ten of his men. As they were eating together, Ishmael and his ten men
jumped to their feet and knocked Gedaliah down and killed him, killed the
man the king of Babylon had appointed governor of the land. Ishmael also
killed all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah in Mizpah, as well as the
Chaldean soldiers who were stationed there.
4-5 On the second day after the murder of Gedaliah-no one yet knew of it-men
arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, eighty of them, with their beards
shaved, their clothing ripped, and gashes on their bodies. They were
pilgrims carrying grain offerings and incense on their way to worship at the
Temple in Jerusalem.
6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to welcome them, weeping
ostentatiously. When he greeted them he invited them in: "Come and meet
Gedaliah son of Ahikam."
7-8 But as soon as they were inside the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and
his henchmen slaughtered the pilgrims and dumped the bodies in a cistern.
Ten of the men talked their way out of the massacre. They bargained with
Ishmael, "Don't kill us. We have a hidden store of wheat, barley, olive oil,
and honey out in the fields." So he held back and didn't kill them with
their fellow pilgrims.
9 Ishmael's reason for dumping the bodies into a cistern was to cover up the
earlier murder of Gedaliah. The cistern had been built by king Asa as a
defense against Baasha king of Israel. This was the cistern that Ishmael son
of Nethaniah filled with the slaughtered men.
10 Ishmael then took everyone else in Mizpah, including the king's daughters
entrusted to the care of Gedaliah son of Ahikam by Nebuzaradan the captain
of the bodyguard, as prisoners. Rounding up the prisoners, Ishmael son of
Nethaniah proceeded to take them over into the country of Ammon.
11-12 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers with him heard about
the atrocities committed by Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They set off at once
after Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They found him at the large pool at Gibeon.
13-15 When all the prisoners from Mizpah who had been taken by Ishmael saw
Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers with him, they couldn't believe
their eyes. They were so happy! They all rallied around Johanan son of
Kareah and headed back home. But Ishmael son of Nethaniah got away, escaping
from Johanan with eight men into the land of Ammon.
16 Then Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers with him gathered
together what was left of the people whom Ishmael son of Nethaniah had taken
prisoner from Mizpah after the murder of Gedaliah son of Ahikam-men, women,
children, eunuchs-and brought them back from Gibeon.
17-18 They set out at once for Egypt to get away from the Chaldeans,
stopping on the way at Geruth-kimham near Bethlehem. They were afraid of
what the Chaldeans might do in retaliation of Ishmael son of Nethaniah's
murder of Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as
governor of the country.
What You Fear Will Catch Up with You
42 1-3 All the army officers, led by Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son
of Hoshaiah, accompanied by all the people, small and great, came to
Jeremiah the prophet and said, "We have a request. Please listen. Pray to
your God for us, what's left of us. You can see for yourself how few we are!
Pray that your God will tell us the way we should go and what we should do."
4 Jeremiah the prophet said, "I hear your request. And I will pray to your
God as you have asked. Whatever God says, I'll pass on to you. I'll tell you
everything, holding nothing back."
5-6 They said to Jeremiah, "Let God be our witness, a true and faithful
witness against us, if we don't do everything that your God directs you to
tell us. Whether we like it or not, we'll do it. We'll obey whatever our God
tells us. Yes, count on us. We'll do it."
7-8 Ten days later God's Message came to Jeremiah. He called together
Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers with him, including all the
people, regardless of how much clout they had.
9-12 He then spoke: "This is the Message from God, the God of Israel, to
whom you sent me to present your prayer. He says, 'If you are ready to stick
it out in this land, I will build you up and not drag you down, I will plant
you and not pull you up like a weed. I feel deep compassion on account of
the doom I have visited on you. You don't have to fear the king of Babylon.
Your fears are for nothing. I'm on your side, ready to save and deliver you
from anything he might do. I'll pour mercy on you. What's more, he will show
you mercy! He'll let you come back to your very own land.'
13-17 "But do not say, 'We're not staying around this place,' refusing to
obey the command of your God and saying instead, 'No! We're off to Egypt,
where things are peaceful-no wars, no attacking armies, plenty of food.
We're going to live there.' If what's left of Judah is headed down that
road, then listen to God's Message. This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies
says: 'If you have determined to go to Egypt and make that your home, then
the very wars you fear will catch up with you in Egypt and the starvation
you dread will track you down in Egypt. You'll die there! Every last one of
you who is determined to go to Egypt and make it your home will either be
killed, starve, or get sick and die. No survivors, not one! No one will
escape the doom that I'll bring upon you.'
18 "This is the Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel: 'In
the same way that I swept the citizens of Jerusalem away with my anger and
wrath, I'll do the same thing all over again in Egypt. You'll end up being
cursed, reviled, ridiculed, and mocked. And you'll never see your homeland
again.'
19-20 "God has plainly told you, you leftovers from Judah, 'Don't go to
Egypt.' Could anything be plainer? I warn you this day that you are living
out a fantasy. You're making a fatal mistake.
"Didn't you just now send me to your God, saying, 'Pray for us to our God.
Tell us everything that God says and we'll do it all'?
21-22 "Well, now I've told you, told you everything he said, and you haven't
obeyed a word of it, not a single word of what your God sent me to tell you.
So now let me tell you what will happen next: You'll be killed, you'll
starve to death, you'll get sick and die in the wonderful country where
you've determined to go and live."
The Message (MSG)
Copyright C 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
