Read To Me Daily Semester 3Намуна

JEREMIAH 52:
Today, we have come to the addendum to Jeremiah— seemingly written by someone else, perhaps Baruch.

I commented yesterday how chapter 51 foreshadows Revelation 18. Jeremiah was prophesying the downfall of the real city of Babylon. What he foretold happened 70 years later. His prophecy includes details about the enemies being from Media, and about the drunkenness of Babylon’s leaders. God proclaimed through Jeremiah more than once that Babylon will become a desert for all time to come. The famous hanging gardens of Babylon would never be restored, even though Sadam Hussein wanted to see that happen. Observe how all this fits with a theme that runs all the way through Scripture: We see the City of Man going all through the Bible, represented by Babel, Nineveh, Babylon, Rome (figuratively called Babylon), and finally the Babylon in Revelation. Guess which city we are all living in (figuratively) today?!

PROVERBS 11b:
What I said about Proverbs is important, so I’m going to repeat it now: An important thing about the book of Proverbs is that it contains principles, not promises. This particularly needs to be remembered for verses that talk about prosperity. There will be times, such as what Jeremiah experienced, when no amount of Godly living will bring us wealth.

EPHESIANS 1:
Today we start reading Ephesians! In verse 1 in the ascription of this letter, the words ‘in Ephesus’ are missing from a few ancient manuscripts. So it has been that this was a circular letter and every church who received it would fill in their location name.

H.C. Mears says of Ephesians:
In this epistle, we enter the holy of holies in Paul’s writings. Paul speaks in 2Corinthians 12:2 of being “caught up to the third heaven.” Here [in Ephesians], [it is as if//as it were,] he gives his report, and he seems to be carried away as he tells about it. [This letter speaks of//It is] the greatest revelation of truth that God has given to us, the revelation of a mystery that [was//has been] hidden from before the foundation of the world.

An important theme in Ephesians is one I have often highlighted this year. It is the idea of being (in literal translations) ‘in Christ’. This idea is also important in John’s writings, like in the chapter we heard yesterday. In Christ’ doesn’t mean inside. It means being joined to Christ or one/in union with Christ, like a branch is with the vine. 

This is the letter where we hear of the Christian’s armor. I believe that a key part of the belt of truth is to believe that what God says about us (as believers)— is true.

Let’s pray.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving us eternal life, and that precious gift comes because of the relationship we have with your Son, Christ Jesus. Dear Lord Jesus, thank You that we haven’t just learned about You, but have become joined as one with You. Therefore, following your will and commands is no longer impossible for us. Therefore we have victory over the evil world system and over the Evil One himself. Again, this is only possible through our union with You, not in our own strength. Thank you for the sacrifice of your blood, which cleanses us from those times when we still fall into sin. Thank You again for the Holy Spirit. Through our believing in You, Lord Jesus, we are simultaneously joined with the Father and the Spirit, and we know that the Father hears and answers our prayers. So therefore, we have courage to come before the throne of God to make our requests. Help us, O Holy Spirit, to pray according to God’s will, and we pray that all the things we ask God for now would glorify Christ.