Oh, Jeremiah!

I have passed through the book of Jeremiah and I thought to myself … is there anywhere else in the Bible that I can find so many:

… this is what the Lord says:

… the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:

… this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 

… this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:

(well I soon found out that Ezekiel had the same mission to accomplish)

What a life he had, Jeremiah. He was obedient to God and his obedience brought him one blow after the other. Yet he was calm in the calamity and he didn’t give in to all the threats and promises of death by his enemies.  Think about it; if you were in his shoes; receiving a direct word from God for 39 years and every time you spoke the word of God you gained only  hostility and a reputation as a traitor.

He was strong in God but in his weakest moments “he expresses regret at ever being born” The words of God was like a fire inside and he could not keep silent. He begged and pleaded but the people did not repent and they brought the foretold judgment over themselves.But there was also hope and God would not abandon his people as will be shown i the coming reading of the Old Tetament.

As I opened my Bible to a random place, it fell open to John 12 and approximately 620 years after Jeremiah Jesus cries out:

 “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. ⁴⁵ The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. ⁴⁶ I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.⁴⁷ “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. ⁴⁸ There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. ⁴⁹ For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. ⁵⁰ I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” John 12:44-50

Jerremiah didn’t speak of his own either but told everything God told him to say. Jeremiah’s words became a judgment because the people didn’t listen but continued their worship of baal and  murdered their own children. 620 years later God sent his only Son who spoke only what was given to him from his Father and his words became judgment or salvation depending on how people received them.

1979 years later Jeremiah and Jesus are still speaking the word of God to us for judgment or salvation. And as Jesus would say “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear”

Sincerely yours,Ida 

(image by Michelangelo.)

What happened next?

Jeremiah 39:15

 While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him: ¹⁶ “Go and tell Ebed-Melek the Cushite, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words against this city—words concerning disaster, not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. ¹⁷ But I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. ¹⁸ I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.’”

Remember Ebed-Melek from a previous post?  In a very difficult time in the history of Israel; when it was easier said than done to trust in the Lord; despite his fear, Ebed-Melek trusted in the Lord and that saved his life. There is no more record of Ebed-Melek in the Bible but he is remembered for speaking against injustice, and so helping the prophet Jeremiah and trusting the Lord. 

Spring time - Anemone Hepatica (Blue Anemone)

In my garden now.

Saying goodbye.

Handed over into God's care and love, a friend made her final journey from this earthly existence today.  It is a very weird feeling that she is not here anymore.

When she fell ill with cancer she wanted to make preparations for this day.  It was a serious conversation mixed with laughter and we both found it a bit absurd.

She wanted special songs and I asked if it should include texts about Jesus and she answered: Absolutely! 

She was confident about her salvation and that she was going to be with Jesus when she died. Her time of death came all too soon so we never got the chance to say a proper goodbye. I thought there would be time but no more time was given. The call from heaven was: Enough! Enough of pain and struggle; let my child rest!

And she left us behind; bewildered and empty-handed like when a bowl slips through the hands and crashes on the floor. The pieces will never be put together again; all we have is memories of what it was like to feel the bowl in our hands… before it broke.

Ecclesiastes 12:6

The book of Isaiah

Dear Reader
Coming to the book of Isaiah I have listened twice and I think another third time is necessary to let it all sink in. A lot to take in. There are many famous verses referring to Jesus and prophesies about his coming. Also many verses about the sin and evilness of man.

 I feel heaviness over this book but chapter 61 brings light and foretell the very much existing Israel today. Think about the volunteers on the kibutzes in verse 5.

And ofcourse think of Jesus calling out the first verse.

" 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners," 

Sincerely yours, Ida

Remember God ...

Ecclesiastes 12

6 Remember Him—before the silver cord is severed,
and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel broken at the well,
7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

The Name

Dear Reader,

I have been walking through the Proverbs and this is some verses that talked to me.

I answer Jesus to the question below. Whay about you?

Sincerely yours, Ida

Proverbs 30

Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Whose hands have gathered up the wind?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is the name of his son?
Surely you know!

⁵ “Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Proverbs 16:31

Proverbs 16:31

Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
it is attained in the way of righteousness.

Read Jesus where there is Wisdom ...

Painting by Akiane Kramarik "The faceof Jesus"

Proverbs 8

²² “The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works,
before his deeds of old;
²³ I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
²⁴ When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;
²⁵ before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,
²⁶ before he made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth.
²⁷ I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
²⁸ when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
²⁹ when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
³⁰ Then I was constantly^[e] at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
³¹ rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.

³² “Now then, my children, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.
³³ Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
³⁴ Blessed are those who listen to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
³⁵ For those who find me find life
and receive favor from the LORD.
³⁶ But those who fail to find me harm themselves;
all who hate me love death.”

Sincerely yours, Ida

I refuse to give in again ...

Yim Jae-beum : You, 임재범 : 여러분 20110522

So I try again to keep this song on my Blog. It was taken away in 2011 but I keep doing what I did then: I refuse to give in again ...

This is from a Korean TV-contest "I am a singer".

When you feel pain
I will comfort you
When you feel despair
I will become your tears

On a dark night, When you walk up a troubled path,
I will, I will, I will, I will become your lamp.

When you feel empty and alone,
I will be your friend.

I am your eternal brother,
I am your friend,
I am your eternal music.
I am, I am, I am I am your.......delight

"But, when I feel lonely, who will comfort me?"

"You"

I am your eternal brother,
I am your friend,
I am your eternal music.
I am, I am ,I am I am your.......delight

"All of You. Thank you."

Susan Werner - Did Trouble Me