Malachi 1:2-5

Ancient hatreds between brothers led to those same types of hatreds we see in our world today. It is not in man to admit their failings and to forgive without God and ultimately it will play out in His hands. Forgiveness is not an option for Christians… it is commanded. The sins of others or those that we commit are festering wounds if we hold onto them. We need to turn them over to God asking for His will not ours. In doing so His name alone will be exalted among all nations of the earth. God is in total control and does not need our directions He only needs our submission.

Edom was a nation descended from Esau, and they shared Esau’s unbelief and self-confidence. Destruction made Israel reexamine her relationship to God. But destruction for Edom resulted only in continued pride and self-effort.

This final book of the Old Testament is about the error of forgetting the love of God. When people forget God’s love, it affects their attitudes, home, and worship. With God’s love and loyalty in doubt, sacred commitments no longer remain sacred. God sent Malachi to rouse the people from their spiritual stupor and to exhort them to return to the living God. But the Book of Malachi reveals a people who question the reality of their sin and the faithfulness of God, a people hardened through and through. Thus the book ends on a poignant note, a confrontation between a disappointed God and a disappointed people. In a sense, the Book of Malachi shows that the Old Testament comes to a chasm, with the bickering voices of the people on one side and the stern warnings of God on the other. Only the Lord Himself could provide a way out of this impasse. Malachi looks forward to this deliverance, for he speaks of the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah. The promised Messiah was the only One who could bridge that widening chasm between the people and their God.

Malachi 1:2-5

² “I have loved you,” says the Lord.

“Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’

Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?”

Says the Lord.

“Yet Jacob I have loved;

³ But Esau I have hated,

And laid waste his mountains and his heritage

For the jackals of the wilderness.”

⁴ Even though Edom has said,

“We have been impoverished,

But we will return and build the desolate places,”

Thus says the Lord of hosts:

“They may build, but I will throw down;

They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness,

And the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever.

⁵ Your eyes shall see,

And you shall say,

‘The Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’

⁸ but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 

Deuteronomy 7:8

⁸ “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend. 

Isaiah 41:8

³ The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. 

Jeremiah 31:3

¹⁵ As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, so I will do to you; you shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, as well as all of Edom—all of it! Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ 

Ezekiel 35:15

¹⁶ Your fierceness has deceived you, The pride of your heart, O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Who hold the height of the hill! Though you make your nest as high as the eagle, I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord. ¹⁷ “Edom also shall be an astonishment; Everyone who goes by it will be astonished And will hiss at all its plagues. ¹⁸ As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah And their neighbors,” says the Lord, “No one shall remain there, Nor shall a son of man dwell in it. 

Jeremiah 49:16–18

²⁷ Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” 

Psalm 35:27

⁴ And He shall stand and feed His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth; 

Micah 5:4

Esau was also known as Edom, the progenitor of the Edomites who were established to the south of the Israelites. They were an enemy nation of Israel. The minor prophets, such as Obadiah, claim that the Edomites participated in the destruction of the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C. Exactly how the Edomites participated is not clear. (Psalm 137) suggests merely that Edom had encouraged the Babylonians: The Lord is asked to "remember against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said 'raze it, raze it to its foundations'" (Psalm 137: 7). But the prophecy of Obadiah insists on the literal "violence done" by Esau "unto your brother Jacob" when the Edomites "entered the gate of my people..., looted his goods..., stood at the parting of the ways to cut off the fugitive,... delivered up his survivors on his day of distress" (Obadiah 10:13-14). By the intertestamental period, Edom had replaced Babylon as the nation that actually burned the Temple.Long after this, when the descendants of Jacob came out of Egypt, the Edomites remembered the old quarrel between the brothers, and with fierce hatred they warred against Israel.

ESAU

e'-so (`esaw, "hairy"; Esau):

Son of Isaac, twin brother of Jacob. The name was given on account of the hairy covering on his body at birth: "all over like a hairy garment" (Genesis 25:25). There was a prenatal foreshadowing of the relation his descendants were to sustain to those of his younger brother, Jacob (Genesis 25:23). The moment of his birth also was signalized by a circumstance that betokened the same destiny (Genesis 25:26).

The young Esau was fond of the strenuous, daring life of the chase-he became a skillful hunter, "a man of the field" ('ish sadheh). His father warmed toward him rather than toward Jacob, because Esau's hunting expeditions resulted in meats that appealed to the old man's taste (Genesis 25:28). Returning hungry from one of these expeditions, however, Esau exhibited a characteristic that marked him for the inferior position which had been foretokened at the time of his birth. Enticed by the pottage which Jacob had boiled, he could not deny himself, but must, at once, gratify his appetite, though the calm and calculating Jacob should demand the birthright of the firstborn as the price (Genesis 25:30-34). Impulsively he snatched an immediate and sensual gratification at the forfeit of a future glory. Thus he lost the headship of the people through whom God's redemptive purpose was to be wrought out in the world, no less than the mere secular advantage of the firstborn son's chief share in the father's temporal possessions. Though Esau had so recklessly disposed of his birthright, he afterward would have secured from Isaac the blessing that appertained, had not the cunning of Rebekah provided for Jacob. Jacob, to be sure, had some misgiving about the plan of his mother (Genesis 27:12), but she reassured him; the deception was successful and he secured the blessing. Now, too late, Esau bitterly realized somewhat, at least, of his loss, though he blamed Jacob altogether, and himself not at all (Genesis 27:34, 36). Hating his brother on account of the grievance thus held against him, he determined upon fratricide as soon as his father should pass away (Genesis 27:41); but the watchful Rebekah sent Jacob to Haran, there to abide with her kindred till Esau's wrath should subside (Genesis 27:42-45).

Esau, at the age of forty, had taken two Hittite wives, and had thus displeased his parents. Rebekah had shrewdly used this fact to induce Isaac to fall in with her plan to send Jacob to Mesopotamia; and Esau, seeing this, seems to have thought he might please both Isaac and Rebekah by a marriage of a sort different from those already contracted with Canaanitish women. Accordingly, he married a kinswoman in the person of a daughter of Ishmael (Genesis 28:6, 9). Connected thus with the "land of Seir," and by the fitness of that land for one who was to live by the sword, Esau was dwelling there when Jacob returned from Mesopotamia. While Jacob dreaded meeting him, and took great pains to propitiate him, and made careful preparations against a possible hostile meeting, very earnestly seeking Divine help, Esau, at the head of four hundred men, graciously received the brother against whom his anger had so hotly burned. Though Esau had thus cordially received Jacob, the latter was still doubtful about him, and, by a sort of duplicity, managed to become separated from him, Esau returning to Seir (Genesis 33:12-17). Esau met his brother again at the death of their father, about twenty years later (Genesis 35:29). The land in which he established himself was "the land of Seir," so called from Seir, ancestor of the Horites whom Esau found there; and called also Edom from Esau's surname, and, it may be, too, from the red sandstone of the country (Sayce).

"Esau" is sometimes found in the sense of the descendants of Esau, and of the land in which they dwelt (Deuteronomy 2:5 Obadiah 1:6, 8, 18, 19).

Micah 1:2-5

It is not because of the transgressions of unbelievers but the sins of believers that the world  will be judged. Pride and greed will consume men who trust in themselves to know the way to eternal life and not in God who created them from the womb for His good works. It is only in surrendering his life to Jesus and the New Covenant that man, through the Holy Spirit, can understand the truth and the way to eternal life.

All the earth was to know that God was witnessing against His people. This announcement of judgment is based on the people’s breach of covenant. The faithlessness of the people provoked the Lord God to enter into a judicial dispute with them. 

Jerusalem and Samaria were the “high places,” or elevated capitals, of Judah and Israel; but “high places” were also sites of idolatrous worship.Jerusalem, which was once “beautiful in elevation”, was nothing more than another platform of pagan worship, like the “high places” of the Canaanites.

Micah 1:2-5

² Hear, all you peoples!

Listen, O earth, and all that is in it!

Let the Lord God be a witness against you,

The Lord from His holy temple.

³ For behold, the Lord is coming out of His place;

He will come down

And tread on the high places of the earth.

⁴ The mountains will melt under Him,

And the valleys will split

Like wax before the fire,

Like waters poured down a steep place.

⁵ All this is for the transgression of Jacob

And for the sins of the house of Israel.

What is the transgression of Jacob?

Is it not Samaria?

And what are the high places of Judah?

Are they not Jerusalem?

⁴ The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. 

Psalm 11:4

¹³ “He made him ride in the heights of the earth, That he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him draw honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock; 

Deuteronomy 32:13

⁵ The Lord God of hosts, He who touches the earth and it melts, And all who dwell there mourn; All of it shall swell like the River, And subside like the River of Egypt. 

Amos 9:5

¹³ For behold, He who forms mountains, And creates the wind, Who declares to man what his thought is, And makes the morning darkness, Who treads the high places of the earth— The Lord God of hosts is His name. 

Amos 4:13

Colossians 3:12-17

As we mature as Christians the Fruit of the Spirit should become more and more evident in our lives. The childish ways of the world should grow dimmer and dimmer. We learn precept by precept as the Holy Spirit gives us understanding and our hope is in becoming like our Master, Jesus Christ. Lord help me to mature and to be Your light in a dark world.

Paul sums up how Christians should live. We should commit everything we do or say to Jesus and continually thank God for all His good gifts.

Colossians 3:12-17

¹² Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. ¹⁴ But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. ¹⁵ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. ¹⁷ And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22

² elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

1 Peter 1:2

⁷⁸ Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 

Luke 1:78

¹⁷ But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 

1 John 3:17

²⁵ “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 

Mark 11:25

⁸ And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” 

1 Peter 4:8

¹⁵ But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. 

1 Corinthians 7:15

Ezekiel 22:27-31

In the end times people will become lovers of themselves, only interested in what benefits them personally or their immediate families. The way of truth, in Christ Jesus, the suffering servant, no longer will apply to the masses that call upon His name. If it were not for the mercy and grace of God who placed His only Son in the gap created by mankind we would all be without hope and consumed by greed.

These prophets were involved in “whitewashing” the sins of the nation’s leaders. If the proper antecedent for them is “princes”, then the priests were also guilty of approving murder.

Ezekiel 22:27-31

²⁷ Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain. ²⁸ Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord had not spoken. ²⁹ The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger. ³⁰ So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. ³¹ Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.

²³ Your princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them. 

Isaiah 1:23

⁶ “Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you. 

Ezekiel 22:6

⁹ Now hear this, You heads of the house of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel, Who abhor justice And pervert all equity, ¹⁰ Who build up Zion with bloodshed And Jerusalem with iniquity: ¹¹ Her heads judge for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us.” 

Micah 3:9–11

³³ ‘And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. 

Leviticus 19:33

⁹ tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 

Romans 2:9

Luke 12:13-21

Money has no spiritual value unless it is used to build up the Kingdom of God on earth. God knows that we have need of it to live but if we trust Him He will provide not only for our needs but for the needs of others. God needs to be in all areas of our life especially when it comes to handling the money that He has provided to us.

The love of money and using it to control others is a widespread evil in our world today. It can become an all consuming idol in our lives affecting generation after generation and in our families and in our minds can becomes a substitute for the love that we crave.

Jesus refuses to enter into a dispute over money, which is clearly dividing a family. Such disputes over money destroy relationships, so Jesus tells a parable that explains the danger of focusing on wealth. The word I appears six times, showing the selfish focus this man has as a result of his fortune. His plan is to store his abundant resources for himself, as though the assets were his alone and should be hoarded. This focus on the self is what Jesus is condemning. All earthly wealth is temporary and ultimately worthless.

Luke 12:13-21

     ¹³ Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴ But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

¹⁶ Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

²¹ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

⁶ Now godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into this world, ⁴and it is certain we can carry nothing out. ⁸ And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. ⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

1 Timothy 6:6–10

²⁴ Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. 

Ecclesiastes 2:24

⁷ “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And strengthened himself in his wickedness.” 

Psalm 52:7

²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 

Matthew 6:20

¹⁸ Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 

1 Timothy 6:18

Jeremiah 44:1-3

We cannot abide in (Egypt) sin and keep God’s peace within. God uses whom He wills to teach us. Greed, pride and control  are lesser gods… man made idols. Without trust in God alone there is fear.

We need to stay where God has planted us. In obeying His will for our life we will have peace even in adverse situations. Life is not about our desires but His desire to use us as instruments for peace that can only be found in Christ Jesus. Our thoughts and actions should always be filtered through the love the He has for all His creation wanting no man to perish but for all to have eternal life with their Creator. 

In the life and death of the Apostles and Martyrs… God is found. 

Spread the Good News of the Gospel of Christ. Love not hate shows our devotion to the Triune Godhead.

Jerusalem was brought to desolation because the people broke God’s covenant by worshiping other gods, rejecting the lordship of God, and thus provoking Him to anger.

Jeremiah 44:1-3

44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying, ² “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, ³ because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they went to burn incense and to serve other gods whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers

⁷ So they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And they went as far as Tahpanhes. 

Jeremiah 43:7

¹⁸ At Tehaphnehes the day shall also be darkened, When I break the yokes of Egypt there. And her arrogant strength shall cease in her; As for her, a cloud shall cover her, And her daughters shall go into captivity. 

Ezekiel 30:18

¹³ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will also destroy the idols, And cause the images to cease from Noph; There shall no longer be princes from the land of Egypt; I will put fear in the land of Egypt. 

Ezekiel 30:13

¹⁶ And set a fire in Egypt; Sin shall have great pain, No shall be split open, And Noph shall be in distress daily. 

Ezekiel 30:16

⁴ “Because they have forsaken Me and made this an alien place, because they have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they, their fathers, nor the kings of Judah have known, and have filled this place with the blood of the innocents 

Jeremiah 19:4

Mark 2:22-26

We need to be careful not to call good evil or evil good. 

The Holy Spirit is within and we need to listen carefully to Him. When we have done all we can… we need to stand firm putting on the full armor of God. In the unity of the Holy Spirit we are to go out and show the world the fruit He matures in us in Christ Jesus. 

When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. Luke 11:21

Jesus’ reply in parables was actually a threefold message that contrasted unity and disunity. Nothing—including Satan’s kingdom—can stand if it is divided.

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:13-17)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)

Mark 3:22-26

      ²² And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”

²³ So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. 

²⁵ It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 

Matthew 10:25

⁴⁸ Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 

John 8:48

²⁰ And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?” 

John 10:20

²⁰ But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²¹ When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. 

Luke 11:20–21

Colossians 1:9-14

I ask for wisdom daily to overcome the every day trials of this life by remaining steadfast in His love. I pray always for His will to be accomplished and carried out in my life while allowing me to  spiritually discern the working of Satan to destroy it. 

The battle we all fight is spiritual against the powers of darkness. Without the Holy Spirit we can do nothing. Pray that we can patiently hold onto the joy that comes with our salvation and increase His Kingdom by sharing the Good News of the Gospel of love in Christ Jesus. It is only through His birth, death and resurrection that redemption came to man.

As soon as  Paul heard of the new faith of the Colossians, he began interceding with God for them, asking Him to give them knowledge, wisdom, strength, and joy. Wisdom is the practical outworking of knowledge, and that knowledge cannot be separated from the spiritual understanding that comes through the discernment given by the Holy Spirit. A believer’s strength comes from God alone.The kingdom from which believers have been rescued is the kingdom of darkness.

The slavery from which believers are released is not physical but spiritual. They are freed from bondage to sin by forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:9-14

⁹ For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

⁵ that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 

1 Corinthians 1:5

² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 

Romans 12:2

²⁷ Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, 

Philippians 1:27

¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 

Ephesians 3:16

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 

Ephesians 6:10

¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

Ephesians 6:12

Jeremiah 44:7-10

We must be doers of God’s Word.

Christians are to be a beacon of hope. They are a living reminder of God’s great love and compassion for man. Our actions for good reflect God’s mercy and grace. Our lack of action based on fear reflects Satan and the tactics he uses to to stop us.

We either believe God is and He is in total control OR we take our place among  the  unbelievers in fear. The battle is His to win. The fight we face is not physical but spiritual and we can be instruments of His plan by helping  those caught in  the crossfires of Satan’s plan to kill, steal and destroy mankind.

The Book of Jeremiah, perhaps more vividly than any other book of the Bible, reveals the inner struggles of a prophet of God. Indeed, the prophet’s anguish over the message of judgment upon his people and the coming destruction of the land was at times overwhelming. Yet despite his anguish, Jeremiah fulfilled his ministry of proclaiming God’s judgment against the people of Judah for their idolatry, their unfaithfulness to the covenant, and their obstinate disobedience of His will. Long acknowledged as one of the great prophets of the Old Testament, Jeremiah serves to this day as an example of someone who remained faithful to the word of God despite countless hardships.

The present generation of Jews had learned nothing from the past failures of  the nation. The people were not broken in heart, only more stubborn

Jeremiah 44:7-10

⁷ “Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain, ⁸ in that you provoke Me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to dwell, that you may cut yourselves off and be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? ⁹ Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? ¹⁰ They have not been humbled, to this day, nor have they feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers.’

¹¹ Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’ 

Ezekiel 33:11

¹⁴ Happy is the man who is always reverent, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. 

Proverbs 28:14

John

There is no power higher, there is only One in control, the Triune God. Love Him above all and love others as much as you do you and your families. Those who know to do right and do not…bear the greater responsibility.

We do not war against people or places, we war against the powers of darkness, and he has already lost the battle to Jesus.

Jesus acknowledged that Pilate had the power to take His life, but only because God allowed him that power. Caiaphas, had the greater sin because as a religious leader he had that much greater a responsibility to recognize the Messiah. 

John 18:36-37

³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”

³⁷ Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”

Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

John 19:10-11

¹⁰ Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” 

Matthew 20:28

¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

John 3:17

⁵³ When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” 

Luke 22:53

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 

Romans 13:1

¹⁴ Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. 

Daniel 7:14

⁵ and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 

Revelation 1:5