THE LORD SPOKE (October 18)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Jeremiah 17-19

We’ve seen it recently, haven’t we. The CEO squirming before the cameras while trying to explain why he padded his own nest so liberally. The investors have been bilked millions and Joe the Plumber can’t even begin to comprehend the figures that are being tossed around - except he does know that all the prices have been rising, money is tight, and his own job may be on the line.

Like Solomon in the book of Proverbs, Jeremiah warns about get-rich-quick schemes and “the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is half gone, they will desert him and in the end he will prove to be a fool” (Jer. 17:11). Solomon’s advice on the subject includes the following:

Prov. 20:21 - An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end.
Prov. 23:4 - Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.
Prov. 28:20 - One eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

All get-rich-quick schemes lead eventually to disaster. It might only be an economic crash. More serious is the spiritual crash that is nearly always connected. Jesus warned that you can gain the whole world but lose your own soul! The greed that is expressed in the pursuit of riches leaves little room for God. How hard it is (though not impossible) for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God!

Jeremiah uses three metaphors here in chapter 17 to describe proper and improper attitudes in this area; you can be...

Jer. 17:11 - like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
This describes the man who gets rich by unjust means. He cashes in on another man’s labor or investment and “in the end he will prove to be a fool” because he has no stability or substance of his own. He has built on a fiction and it will come back to bite him.

Jer. 17:6 - like a bush in the wastelands
Because he “depends on flesh for his strength” he becomes like a shriveled shrub that wastes away for lack of water and nutrients. This happens because his “heart turns away from the Lord”. He is cut off from that which sustains.

Jer. 17:8 - like a tree planted by the water
“The man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him” is different. He has roots that go down deep into the Source. That is what keeps his leaves green and makes fruit grow on his branches.

There is a way out and, really, it’s pretty simple. Trust in the Lord! Believe His Word (which means you have to read it first, and regularly!). Put your confidence in Him. How hard is that? But remember His words, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (Jn. 14:15). That’s a bit harder. But, even for that, He is the source of strength (Eph. 2:10).


Psalms 63-64

The desert of Judah is a parched place. The dusty landscape is never broken by a tree unless you go down deep into the rugged ravines to find an occasional acacia tree. The chalky wilderness is barren and uninviting. Big rocks, medium-sized rocks, and little rocks are your only company unless you run into a scorpion or a dung beetle. Even the stubbly weeds have all been nibbled off by the flocks of sheep and goats that have passed by, heading for the tiniest scent of water in the deepest gorges.

Psalm 63 describes the human soul in similar terms: parched and lifeless, dry and weary. But as the soul reaches out to God, something changes. A satisfying richness floods the picture. When you see the Lord in the beauty of His holiness, it’s better than the richest of foods, better than life itself. A song begins to fill the air and the sheltering warmth of His presence fills all the space around you.

When we catch a glimpse of the Lord (“I have seen you in the sanctuary”) we long for more. In fact, the desire drives us (“earnestly I seek you”) and we cannot be content without Him. It’s like a hunger in the soul (“my soul thirsts for you”) that must be fed. When we do taste of Him, there is an immediate sense of fullness and deep satisfaction (“my soul will be satisfied”).

Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to thee;
Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God, to thee;
Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

There let the way appear, steps unto heaven;
All that thou sendest me, in mercy given;
Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to thee;
Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

Then, with my waking thoughts bright with thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise;
So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to thee;
Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

Or if, on joyful wing cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I fly,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to thee;
Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!