NOTICE: Rant coming!
I've been here over 2 years now. This is not the only social media platform I frequent. I view this platform as an online beach head / lifeboat, a welcome refuge from other platforms that have become too authoritarian / totalitarian or globalist, and as a favorite part of my online buffet crawl. I like some of the variety I find here. And I share, and occasionally engage.

Like any buffet, I bypass many offerings. I prefer meatier, heartier offerings, though I do have a sweet tooth for humor that I'll indulge in. I'm not here to engage in gratuitous disputes. I like open, civil debate and productive discussions where I learn something.

Without naming anyone, I don't much care for belligerent or guilt-tripping promotion. I don't engage in Stockholm Syndrome as either captor or captive. I'll bypass those kind of posts as quickly as the oysters and raisins casserole at the buffet. Pssst, Panhandling isn't a good look.

Rant over. Have a GREAT day!

When Moses and Israel emerged safely from the Red Sea, having traveled through it on dry land, and having seen the Egyptians consumed by the sea returning to its place over that dry land, that sang a song to the Lord. That sang of His glory. They sang of His power. They sang of His salvation. They sang of who God is and what He does.

When we gather, we are encouraged by Scripture to do likewise. We are instructed to speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19). We are told that by these psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs we should be teaching and admonishing one another (Col. 3:16). We are exhorted to sing with thankfulness in our hearts to God (Eph. 5:20, Col. 3:16).

Too many sing shallow, self-centered song supposing it to be “worship,” and much of it is often at odds with Scripture. This should never be!

Our songs should be deep, rich in their content, full of praise and wonder, focused on and directed toward our God and Father who loves us and watches over us.

This is how Israel sang upon their Exodus from Egypt. This is the manner in which David authored the Psalms he wrote. As David exclaims, “I will sing praises to You” (Ps. 138:`), and that the kings of the earth would “sing of the ways of the Lord” (Psalm. 138:5).

Are you singing of the ways of the Lord? Do you give thanks and praise Him with your voice, making a joyful noise to God (Ps. 66:1, 98:4)?

Let us sing to Him always, as did Moses and Israel, as did David, remembering, as the hymnist wrote (based on Lam. 3:22-23):

Great is thy faithfulness,
Great is thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hast provided;
Great is thy faithfulness,
Lord unto me.

——————
Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, February 1

"They shall sing in the ways of the Lord." Psalm 138:5

The time when Christians begin to sing in the ways of the Lord is when they first lose their burden at the foot of the Cross. Not even the songs of the angels seem so sweet as the first song of rapture which gushes from the inmost soul of the forgiven child of God. You know how John Bunyan describes it. He says when poor Pilgrim lost his burden at the Cross, he gave three great leaps, and went on his way singing:

"Blest Cross! blest Sepulchre! blest rather be
The Man that there was put to shame for me!"

Believer, do you recollect the day when your fetters fell off? Do you remember the place when Jesus met you, and said, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love; I have blotted out as a cloud thy transgressions, and as a thick cloud thy sins; they shall not be mentioned against thee any more for ever." Oh! what a sweet season is that when Jesus takes away the pain of sin. When the Lord first pardoned my sin, I was so joyous that I could scarce refrain from dancing. I thought on my road home from the house where I had been set at liberty, that I must tell the stones in the street the story of my deliverance. So full was my soul of joy, that I wanted to tell every snow-flake that was falling from heaven of the wondrous love of Jesus, who had blotted out the sins of one of the chief of rebels. But it is not only at the commencement of the Christian life that believers have reason for song; as long as they live they discover cause to sing in the ways of the Lord, and their experience of His constant lovingkindness leads them to say, "I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth." See to it, brother, that thou magnifiest the Lord this day.

"Long as we tread this desert land,
New mercies shall new songs demand."

Jeremiah
Chapter 42

1 Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,

2 And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)

3 That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.

4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.

5 Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.

6 Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.

7 And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.

8 Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,

9 And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;

10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.

11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

12 And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.

13 But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God,

14 Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:

15 And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;

16 Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.

17 So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.

18 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.

19 The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.

20 For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.

21 And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.

22 Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.

Good morning everyone - lovely people. I wish you all the best too. To
continue on my blog about the “fear of G-d” I have gleaned from an old book by a Rabbi Nilton Bonder titled
“The Kabbalah of Envy - Transforming Hatred, Anger, and Other Negative Emotions.” Please do not be thrown off by the word Kabbalah. It simply means to dig into hidden meanings and research them out - not the magical red string thinking heard about in the media which is a perversion of the true Kabbalah type commentary on Biblical truths. It’s not some evil abstraction out to get you. It’s an old Hebrew word referring to wisdom that comes with spiritual maturity. This book has been a tough read not translated from the Hebrew comfortably for English speakers. I have gleaned some wonderful Faith ideas from it. So here goes - more on the subject of”Fear of G-d.” And it’s long. Get what you like and discard the rest.

The term “fear of G-d” is not about terror. It’s about having a great intimacy with G-d.
When we are influenced by abstract, subtle principles we can detach ourselves from what we observe in the obvious that doesn’t add up to what we know about Faith and G-d.
What abstract and subtle principles? The causes and effects captured in the term karma, the universal principle of cause and effect, where every action, thought, and word (the cause) creates consequences (the effect) that eventually return to the doer, shaping their destiny. As Scripture states: the principle of sowing and reaping, where actions (causes) directly produce consequences (effects), such as in Galatians 6:7 (“whatever a man sows, that he will also reap”).

To arrive at the “fear of G-d” we need to leave the cult of the god of rewards, the god of necessary, god of power, god of personal veneration (which can be a romanticized element of belief.)
All of that adds up to a symbolic perception of G-d - the idea that things represent other things.
What was the danger of an “idol”? Attributing to “a thing” the power to bless or curse and so veneration of the “thing” was necessary. The nations around Israel in its beginning made things they could see and name that represented what was believed to be their “god.” So Israel was warned - “Do not adopt the practices of the peoples around you.”

We must cast off the fear of others, fear of self, fear of pain and allow ourselves to fear only that which is possible to fear. Fears are not paralyzing emotions, but spur us on to action - mobilizing.

That mobilizing - we do what we know to do that is right. As Scripture tells us how to Love G-d - that first commandment. “If you love Me you will obey Me”
That is the beginning of developing a great intimacy with G-d and is the crown of wisdom.
To obey is becomes another conundrum because our emotions direct us to do what benefits us the most. So we rationalize what we know, “to do” with what we feel should be done for immediate gain.

This shows us where humility is the foundation to grasping the “fear of G-d that becomes wisdom - it’s ankle.
Humility is a deep internalization of our capacity to transform spirituality into a skill that becomes a way of life.
We can live the “Fear of G-d” without a sense of wisdom or any proud awareness of being wise.

To become wise is to be able to erase the fool within us. To become humble is to erase the traces of any wickedness in ourselves. Eliminate jealousy which opens the dimension of envy, aptly described as one of the 7 “deadly sins.” Proverbs 22:4 “The effect of humility is fear of the Lord, wealth, honor, and life.”

To me the “fear of G-d” is a comforting emotion. It’s comforting to know I don’t have to be in control of the world. I don’t have to fear the actions of others because SomeOne bigger than me knows the end of everything from its beginning. And that SomeOne all knowing, tells me to rest in what that end will be even when I don’t understand all the steps leading up to it that might cause me to suffer. Accepting discomfort is necessary to kill “the old man” within us and brings about the realization of a real joy in serving our Beloved Lord. That’s possible to experience even in the face of seeing so much ungodliness in the world. What little bit I can do in the way of right action and prayer is going to have a positive effect I may not see. That just means SomeOne wiser than me sees it and tells me to keep on truck’en on that path of holiness that is a quiet rebellion to any evil inclination.
Holiness - another word we have a hard time relating to because of the enemy out to shame us!
Six characteristics of holiness often cited include humility, love, obedience, self-control (temperance), faithfulness, and purity of heart, reflecting a life SET APART for God,

Beloved brethren, be thankful that our salvation depends not upon our own righteousness. For as Paul wrote to Titus, “He saved us, not on the basis of our deeds done in righteousness” (Tit. 3:5). Likewise, Isaiah, tells us that “all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isa. 64.6). Isaiah’s description, though appearing mild in the English translation here, is rather appalling.

Yet so is our own righteousness in God’s eyes.

Thank God for the Lord Jesus Christ in whom we are made righteous before God. That righteousness that is accounted because of faith, as it was for Abraham when he believed God (Rom. 4:3). Our righteousness is not a righteousness of our own, but it is that which comes from God on the basis of faith (Phil. 3:9)

More so, Christ is our righteousness. It is His name - “The Lord our righteousness” (Jer. 23:6). Let us therefore be grateful that it does not depend on us, but on Him, who is righteous. Let us remember that the Lord our righteousness saved us, not because of our own righteousness, but despite our own unrighteousness and iniquity, on the basis of His mercy.

Always remember how blessed we are, as David sang, “whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered,” and “to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity!”

——————
Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, January 31

"The Lord our Righteousness." Jeremiah 23:6

It will always give a Christian the greatest calm, quiet, ease, and peace, to think of the perfect righteousness of Christ. How often are the saints of God downcast and sad! I do not think they ought to be. I do not think they would if they could always see their perfection in Christ. There are some who are always talking about corruption, and the depravity of the heart, and the innate evil of the soul. This is quite true, but why not go a little further, and remember that we are "perfect in Christ Jesus." It is no wonder that those who are dwelling upon their own corruption should wear such downcast looks; but surely if we call to mind that "Christ is made unto us righteousness," we shall be of good cheer. What though distresses afflict me, though Satan assault me, though there may be many things to be experienced before I get to heaven, those are done for me in the covenant of divine grace; there is nothing wanting in my Lord, Christ hath done it all. On the cross He said, "It is finished!" and if it be finished, then am I complete in Him, and can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, "Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." You will not find on this side heaven a holier people than those who receive into their hearts the doctrine of Christ's righteousness. When the believer says, "I live on Christ alone; I rest on Him solely for salvation; and I believe that, however unworthy, I am still saved in Jesus;" then there rises up as a motive of gratitude this thought- "Shall I not live to Christ? Shall I not love Him and serve Him, seeing that I am saved by His merits?" "The love of Christ constraineth us," "that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto Him which died for them." If saved by imputed righteousness, we shall greatly value imparted righteousness.

JEREMIAH
CHAPTER .36
VS 17-32

17 And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?

18 Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.

19 Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.

20 And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king.

21 So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.

22 Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.

23 And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.

24 Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

25 Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them.

26 But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them.

27 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,

28 Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.

29 And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?

30 Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.

31 And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.

32 Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.

Brethren, on what do you set your sights daily? Is your aim success as the world defines it? Is it leisure? Perhaps it is more simple, more stoic, to “live and let live” as they say.

Forget not, we are but sojourners here; our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). And so should be our focus.

Jesus exhorted that where our treasure is, so would our hearts be (Mt. 6:21). So Paul exhorts that we look not at those things visible and temporal, but we see beyond to those things which are invisible and eternal, we look to “the things which are not seen” (2 Cor. 4:18).

Do not let that which is around you distract you from the goal. Run the race “in such a way that you may win” (1 Cor. 9:24). We have not been left without guidance to wander aimless in this world. We have God’s word, we know what lies ahead, and we know how to get there. So, “as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11). Discipline yourself so that you will not be “disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27). Present yourself as a living and holy sacrifice to the one true God, and be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:1-2).

Never weary of doing the Lord’s work (1 Cor. 15:58). Then in the end, we shall receive an imperishable wreath (1 Cor. 9:25), an “unfading crown of glory” (1 Pet. 5:4), and be blessed to hear the words from our Lord, “well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt. 25:21).

——————
Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, January 29

"The things which are not seen." 2 Corinthians 4:18

In our Christian pilgrimage it is well, for the most part, to be looking forward. Forward lies the crown, and onward is the goal. Whether it be for hope, for joy, for consolation, or for the inspiring of our love, the future must, after all, be the grand object of the eye of faith. Looking into the future we see sin cast out, the body of sin and death destroyed, the soul made perfect, and fit to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light. Looking further yet, the believer's enlightened eye can see death's river passed, the gloomy stream forded, and the hills of light attained on which standeth the celestial city; he seeth himself enter within the pearly gates, hailed as more than conqueror, crowned by the hand of Christ, embraced in the arms of Jesus, glorified with Him, and made to sit together with Him on His throne, even as He has overcome and has sat down with the Father on His throne. The thought of this future may well relieve the darkness of the past and the gloom of the present. The joys of heaven will surely compensate for the sorrows of earth. Hush, hush, my doubts! death is but a narrow stream, and thou shalt soon have forded it. Time, how short- eternity, how long! Death, how brief- immortality, how endless! Methinks I even now eat of Eshcol's clusters, and sip of the well which is within the gate. The road is so, so short! I shall soon be there.

"When the world my heart is rending
With its heaviest storm of care,
My glad thoughts to heaven ascending,
Find a refuge from despair.
Faith's bright vision shall sustain me
Till life's pilgrimage is past;
Fears may vex and troubles pain me,
I shall reach my home at last."

Believer, are you perfect? Of course not; no one is. We are on our way, and in “that day,” we will be truly complete. Until then, the Christian life, the true Christian life, is not one of ease. There are peaks and valleys, twists and turns, trials and tribulations (Jn. 16:33).

We all fail from time to time, some more than others. It is the nature of humanity. Paul struggled to do what he knew to be right, as he explains in Romans 7. Our flesh wishes to dominate, but we must walk in the spirit that we might not indulge the flesh (Gal. 5:16-24).

When failure comes, as it inevitably does, we must learn from it and move past it, put it behind and forget it, pressing forward toward our goal (Phil. 3:13-14).

Moreover, we must remember that, while we seek to be “complete in Christ” (Col. 1:28), it is not merely by our own effort. Let us share in Paul’s confidence that “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6).

His goal is that He might present us “holy and blameless” before our Father (Col. 1:22), therefore, let us continue in our faith knowing that He will make us “perfect” for that day.

——————
Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, January 28

"Perfect in Christ Jesus." Colossians 1:28

Do you not feel in your own soul that perfection is not in you? Does not every day teach you that? Every tear which trickles from your eye, weeps "imperfection"; every harsh word which proceeds from your lip, mutters "imperfection." You have too frequently had a view of your own heart to dream for a moment of any perfection in yourself. But amidst this sad consciousness of imperfection, here is comfort for you- you are "perfect in Christ Jesus." In God's sight, you are "complete in Him;" even now you are "accepted in the Beloved." But there is a second perfection, yet to be realized, which is sure to all the seed. Is it not delightful to look forward to the time when every stain of sin shall be removed from the believer, and he shall be presented faultless before the throne, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing? The Church of Christ then will be so pure, that not even the eye of Omniscience will see a spot or blemish in her; so holy and so glorious, that Hart did not go beyond the truth when he said:

"With my Saviour's garments on,
Holy as the Holy One."

Then shall we know, and taste, and feel the happiness of this vast but short sentence, "Complete in Christ." Not till then shall we fully comprehend the heights and depths of the salvation of Jesus. Doth not thy heart leap for joy at the thought of it? Black as thou art, thou shalt be white one day; filthy as thou art, thou shalt be clean. Oh, it is a marvellous salvation this! Christ takes a worm and transforms it into an angel; Christ takes a black and deformed thing and makes it clean and matchless in His glory, peerless in His beauty, and fit to be the companion of seraphs. O my soul, stand and admire this blessed truth of perfection in Christ.

Does this mean that heart attacks have a lower mortality rate at night?
https://www.livescience.com/health/heart-circulation/heart-attacks-are-less-harmful-at-night-and-that-might-be-key-to-treating-them?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pushly&utm_campaign=Health

Psalm 55 David composes this Psalm upon escaping Jerusalem in the face of the slanderers. A past friend betrayed him and breached their covenant .- Talk about the signs of our times this Psalm describes what we are seeing in unlawful protests with people intent on harming other Americans caring out a mandate directed by our laws and our Constitution.
“I am panic -stricken as I make my complaint. I shudder at how the enemy shouts, at how the wicked oppress.”
“For I see violence and fighting in the city. Day and night they go about its walls, within are malice and mischief. Ruin is rife within it, oppression and fraud never leave its streets”
“Unload your burden on Adonai,
And He will sustain you. He will never permit the righteous to be removed.”
“Those men, so bloodthirsty and treacherous will not live out half their days.”
“For my part, Adonai, I put my trust in You.”
We know the US has enemies and yet something is a miss when fellow citizens rage against truth. There is more at work than just being upset about arrests. My prayer, for one, is the roots will be exposed. Truth cannot be done away with. In the end Truth will win. Only G-d can change the hearts of others. The best we can do is pray for them and claim the truth will bring the consequences needed to set the haters free.

Jeremiah
Chapter 32

VS 23 - 44

And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them:

24 Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it.

25 And thou hast said unto me, O Lord GOD, Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

26 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

28 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it:

29 And the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to anger.

30 For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the LORD.

31 For this city hath been to me as a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before my face,

32 Because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

33 And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.

34 But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it.

35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

36 And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence;

37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:

38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:

39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:

40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.

42 For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.

43 And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

44 Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD.

Psalm 105

‘Give thanks to the LORD! Call on his name! Make his deeds known among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him, talk about all his wonders. Glory in his holy name; let those seeking the LORD have joyful hearts. Seek the LORD and his strength; always seek his presence. Remember the wonders he has done, his signs and his spoken rulings.

‘You descendants of Avraham his servant, you offspring of Ya‘akov, his chosen ones, he is the LORD our God! His rulings are everywhere on earth. He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded to a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Avraham, the oath he swore to Yitz’chak, and established as a law for Ya‘akov, for Isra’el as an everlasting covenant: “To you I will give the land of Kena‘an as your allotted heritage.” When they were but few in number, and not only few, but aliens there too, wandering from nation to nation, from this kingdom to that people, he allowed no one to oppress them.

‘Yes, for their sakes he rebuked even kings: “Don’t touch my anointed ones or do my prophets harm!” He called down famine on the land, broke off all their food supply, but sent a man ahead of them — Yosef, who was sold as a slave. They shackled his feet with chains, and they bound him in irons; until the time when his word proved true, God’s utterance kept testing him. The king sent and had him released, the ruler of peoples set him free; he made him Lord of his household, in charge of all he owned, correcting his officers as he saw fit and teaching his counselors wisdom. Then Isra’el too came into Egypt, Ya‘akov lived as an alien in the land of Ham. There God made his people very fruitful, made them too numerous for their foes, whose hearts he turned to hate his people, and treat his servants unfairly.

‘He sent his servant Moshe and Aharon, whom he had chosen. They worked his signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham. He sent darkness, and the land grew dark; they did not defy his word. He turned their water into blood and caused their fish to die. Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the royal chambers. He spoke, and there came swarms of insects and lice throughout their land. He gave them hail instead of rain, with fiery [lightning] throughout their land. He struck their vines and fig trees, shattering trees all over their country. He spoke, and locusts came, also grasshoppers without number; they ate up everything green in their land, devoured the fruit of their ground. He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their strength. Then he led his people out, laden with silver and gold; among his tribes not one stumbled. Egypt was happy to have them leave, because fear of them had seized them.

‘He spread out a cloud to screen them off and fire to give them light at night. When they asked, he brought them quails and satisfied them with food from heaven. He split a rock, and water gushed out, flowing as a river over the dry ground, for he remembered his holy promise to his servant Avraham. He led out his people with joy, his chosen ones with singing. Then he gave them the lands of the nations, and they possessed what peoples had toiled to produce, in order to obey his laws and follow his teachings.

‘Halleluyah!’

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Jeremiah
Chapter 30

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

2 Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.

3 For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.

4 And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.

5 For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.

6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?

7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:

9 But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

10 Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.

11 For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.

12 For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous.

13 There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.

14 All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.

15 Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.

16 Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.

17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.

18 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.

19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.

21 And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD.

22 And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

23 Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.

24 The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.

JEREMIAH
CHAPTER 29
VS 1-16
1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;

2 (After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)

3 By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,

4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;

5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.

7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.

10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

15 Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;

16 Know that thus saith the LORD of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;

Jeremiah
Chapter 24

1 The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.

2 One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.

3 Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

4 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

5 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.

6 For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.

7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

8 And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:

9 And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.

10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.