The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 7 October 2019 – Seek The Lord While He May Be Found

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TOPIC: Seek The Lord While He May Be Found

READ: Jeremiah 26:1-11 King James Version (KJV)

1. In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord , saying,
2. “Thus says the Lord : ‘Stand in the court of the Lord ’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord ’s house, all the words that I command you to speak to them. Do not diminish a word.
3. Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.’
4. And you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord : “If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you,
5. to heed the words of My servants the prophets whom I sent to you, both rising up early and sending them (but you have not heeded),
6. then I will make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.” ’ ”
   7.So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord .
7. Now it happened, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You will surely die!
8. Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord , saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without an inhabitant’?” And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord .
9. When the princes of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and sat down in the entry of the New Gate of the Lord ’s house.
10. And the priests and the prophets spoke to the princes and all the people, saying, “This man deserves to die! For he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.”

THE MESSAGE:

Jeremiah’s first major trouble during Jehoiakim’s reign came about when he was told by God to go to the Temple and warn all who came there that unless they lived by God’s Laws, God would cause Jerusalem to become as ravaged as the ancient town of Shiloh, the town where the Tabernacle was set up when Israel first came into the land of Canaan (Joshua 18:1; Psalm 78:60; Jeremiah 26:6). Shiloh had been destroyed by the Philistines hundreds of years before Jeremiah’s time (1Samuel 4:10-12). Again, why would this warning be taken to the Temple? Surely, God is no respecter of any man and judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1Peter 4:17). Unfortunately, an opportunity to repent came to the doorstep of God’s people and they trivialized it as these warnings went unheeded.

What a wasted opportunity by God’s people! God will not punish men for sinning but He will punish them because men have opportunities to repent but they ignored God’s word. There are always two reactions to the word of God; you either accept or reject it. Jesus is at the door of your heart, do not reject Him like the Jews pushed Him out of their Synagogue in His home town, Nazareth (Luke 4:29)

PRAYER: Lord, I humbly receive Your word. Cause it to prosper in my heart.