Bible Reading: God Does Not Leave Us ... / The New Covenant

Jeremiah was ordained, by God, a prophet unto the nations before he was even born (Jeremiah 1:5). God put His words in Jeremiah's mouth (Jeremiah 1:9).

Today we're going to read mostly from Jeremiah, because there are a great many things in this book that can help us today, and that explain why these people had to endure the wrath of the Lord...

But what is the wrath of the Lord, really? As we covered in our previous reading, God is most certainly the source of everything good, and he does not turn away from those who cleave to him and follow him with their whole heart.

And I will utter my judgments against them, *touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands.

 *about

- Jeremiah 1:16

This nation, the people therein, had "forsook", "forgotten" and "rejected" their God (all of these words appear in Jeremiah, concerning their relationship towards God), and they did not obey the words of the first *covenant, or *agreement.. By reading Jeremiah 11:1-6, you will have more details, and a fuller picture:

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
And say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,
Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God: 
That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O Lord.
Then the Lord said unto me, *Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.
*preach

Then we look back to the Old Testament - when the covenant was made:

But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce you unto this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go possess it.
- Deuteronomy 30:17-18

Continuing in Jeremiah:
For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.
Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the *imagination of their evil heart: therefore will I bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did them not.
*stubbornness
- Jeremiah 11:7-8

These verses alone are enough for me to know the Lord's patience towards these people. Yet there it says: they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear.

Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; thought they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
But this people hath a revolting and rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.
Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.
Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.
- Jeremiah 5:22-25

A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the Lord their God.
- Jeremiah 3:21

What exactly were these people doing? It's said many times the type of things they did.

Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
- Jeremiah 7:9-10

And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?
Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the Lord, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshiped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law;

And ye have done worse than your fathers; for behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me...

- Jeremiah 16:10-12

When Jeremiah went to some of them:
The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled a fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken. For the Lord of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.
And the Lord hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewdest me their doings.
But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be no more remembered.
- Jeremiah 11:16-19

They wanted to take Jeremiah's life, instead of listening.
In Lamentations, we read of what became of Israel during that time.

All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. Fear and snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. 
- Lamentations 3:46-47

Then when turning back to Jeremiah:
Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thy heart.
- Jeremiah 4:18

How simple it all becomes when you read the word of God, and have understanding of it, given by the Lord. If we are truly following God, how could he ever forsake us? It is not He who leaves us - it is we who leave Him.
Can you not relate with these wicked people at all? We all can, for we are all wicked - but unlike them, I hope you will hearken unto the word of the Lord, and will obey his voice, that pleads with us every day. It is the Lord's desire that the wicked turn from their wicked ways, and live (Ezekiel 33:11). Every person who chooses the Lord, and obeys his commandments, chooses life. And when you follow the Lord with your whole heart, and you cleave unto him - you love all his ways, and they become what you love to do, and your way of life. We do not live our life according to His commandments because we want to 'secure' salvation, for we are saved by grace, but we live in his ways because we love all of them, and they give us peace.

My son, forget not my law, but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
- Proverbs 3:1-2

For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither it is far off.
It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us, that we may hear it, and do it?
Neither is it beyond the sea, *that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mightest do it.
*to say
- Deuteronomy 30:11-14

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
- Deuteronomy 30:19-20

As you have read, this people turned from the Lord, and the Lord protested (Jeremiah 11:7), but it came to a point where he had to utter his judgment against them, because they broke the covenant (or agreement). It was warned from the beginning that they shall surely perish, if they turned from the Lord their God. But he did not bring them to a full end (Jeremiah 5:18).

For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah:

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

For this covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people: 

And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
- Hebrews 8:7-12

For thus saith the Lord, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament or bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the Lord, even lovingkindness and mercies.
- Jeremiah 16:5

God is truly the Source of every good thing, so if we turn from Him, show shall we have peace? How shall we have any fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22)? By rejecting Him, we reject also his mercies, his lovingkindness, and his peace and his joy he gives unto us.

Know though, that when you call upon the Lord with your whole heart, you will find him:

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:13

Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. ... - Isaiah 58:9

The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. - Psalm 145:18

Bible Reading: God's Character and Love For Mankind

The Bible says a lot about God's character. Jesus is our example of how to live, after we have chosen to follow Him, but if we don't know what His character is truly like, we are not going to be truly like Him.

Today we are going to be reading a great deal from the books of John and 1 John, so if your Bible is with you, you may want to put bookmarkers in those ones.

As the name of this site implies, these Bible studies and readings are for those who are thirsty in life. Anyone can read this, but it's not a debate initiative. Ideally, this is written for those who already believe in Creation, and believe in Jesus as their Saviour. But no matter who you are, you can read this, because I base this all fully on the Bible. None of it is of my own opinion, it is all from the book of books. And that book is meant for all.

The following texts are taken from a King James Version Bible, so if you have another version, that's fine. Don't be alarmed if a few words are different. Also, the asterisks are there to indicate a translation mark in my own Bible, that gives a synonym of the old English word in the verse(s). I list that word after the text.

Jesus was sent into the world by God (... and he that sent me is with me. - John 8:29) not only to give us the gift of eternal life (John 3:16; 1 John 2:25), but also to give us an example of God's character, for Jesus said, "I and my Father are one." - John 10:30.
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. - 1 John 2:23

Jesus said to his disciples, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for a friend. Ye are my friends, if ye do *whatsoever I command you." - John 15:13-14 *what

Jesus did lay down his life for us...
"Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself, I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." - John 10:17-18

Here we read that God laid down his life for us, since Jesus and the Father are one:
"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." - 1 John 3:16

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world. - 1 John 2:2

Do you feel as though you are walking in darkness? God can be your light.
He revealeth the deep and secret things:
He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him. - Daniel 2:22
When we truly follow Jesus, we walk in light:
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. - John 8:12

God desires that the wicked turn from their ways, and repent. Confession alone is not enough though - we must also turn from our wicked ways, and do them no more. That is what genuine repentance is.

For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, THE DOG IS TURNED TO HIS OWN VOMIT AGAIN; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. - 2 Peter 2:21-22

Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live. - Ezekiel 33:14-16
When the bible says 'lawful' in this context, it is usually referring to God's law - the law of love. Not a worldly law.

Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye form your evil ways, for why will ye die, O house of Israel? - Ezekiel 33:11

And why will we die, when he has given us this gift of eternal life, which he has promised us (1 John 2:25)?

Do you picture God as a strict and punishing judge? If this image were true, why would he have ever bothered to send his Son into the world, to die a death he did not deserve, to free us from the bondage of sin? Why would we be living now? Because that idea, that God is cruel, couldn't be farther from the truth, and is a lie, from the "father of lies", which is the devil (John 8:44 and 1 John 3:8).

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
In this was *manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. *revealed
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent His Son to be the *propitiation for our sins. - 1 John 4:8-10 *expiation

So why are we still here? What is God waiting for? you might wonder. Within His word there lies an answer:
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
- 2 Peter 3:9

There are many, many people in this world still who have never heard of Jesus, or who have heard of Him, but don't truly know Him. That's why he works through those who have chosen to follow Him, that everyone will know of Him, even if they don't all choose Him. Even if there are those who will reject Him.

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." - Revelation 3:20

Our loving and merciful Lord is waiting at the door, and knocking. Do you hear his voice?

Is there a yearning in your heart to read more of God's word? Then read it every opportunity you have. Read it for yourself, and do not rely on others to tell you what they believe of it. Find out on your own, by opening the scriptures of truth, and knowing that it is God's word, and that it is His voice, speaking to you.

I hope you have received a clearer picture of God's character, and magnificent, immeasurable love for all of mankind, if you didn't already have a true and clear picture.

A little bit about me...

^Doggy from Pinterest <3^

What is your name?
My name is Rhiannon or RJ.

How old are you?
I turned 16 in August. I have this thing where the first person to ask me how old I am after a birthday, I remember well. Nobody had asked me my age yet though! Just my grade, lol. In this case I guess I just asked myself - but that doesn't count. :D

What's your favorite food?
I don't have a favorite food, but I eat a lot of rice and curries to go on
the rice, because my step-mom is Indian. But I no longer call her my
step-mom, just Mom, since it's already been almost 2 years since I've been living with her.

PETS??!!
But of course... We care for and love two black dogs - one big, and one small. Their names are Bully (we didn't name her that) and Blackberry (we've had her since she was two months, so we got to pick her name).

What color is your bed?
PINK. but I wish it were beige with green and pink flowers or something like that. I have had this bed set since I was about 10. HAHAHAHA. Ha. Ha. ha.  ha.... a... yeah...

What do you do for a living?
I follow Jesus! That is the best living there is.

Favorite TV Serials right now?
Once Upon a Time is so good. I'm on the second season. And 21 Jump Street with Johnny Depp, though I need to buy the third season still.

Music?
I like Gregory and The Hawk, LIGHTS, and some particular songs: You are the Moon by the Hush Sound // and a bunch of others.... That's for secular music.
My favorite hymnals are Long Upon The Mountains, I'm A Pilgrim, Sun of My Soul, My Faith Looks Up to Thee, and many more too.

Last but not least - what are you wearing right now? O.ooo???
I am wearing dark jeggings with a green t-shirt and a blue and white scarf tied around my neck. I am barefoot. My hair is messy. I guess I should brush it now....


And to bring it all to a nice thought-provoking end - a beautiful Bible verse.
I read this text this morning and thought I'd share it:

O DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING? O GRAVE, WHERE IS THY VICTORY?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57

We have God to thank for everything. He is the best Father any of us will ever have.