O. Addison Gethers
e-mail address [email protected] [email protected] twitter URL http//:twitter.com/OAddisonGethers Messenger contact window live/msn messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS rs ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> To: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 12:35 AM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Tuesday August 18 > Day 230 > > Jeremiah 22-24 (The Message) > > Jeremiah 22 > Walking Out on the Covenant of God > 1-3 God's orders: "Go to the royal palace and deliver this Message. Say, > 'Listen to what God says, > O King of Judah, you who sit on David's throne-you and your officials and > all the people who go in > and out of these palace gates. This is God's Message: Attend to matters of > justice. Set things right > between people. Rescue victims from their exploiters. Don't take advantage > of the homeless, the > orphans, the widows. Stop the murdering! > 4-5"'If you obey these commands, then kings who follow in the line of > David will continue to go in > and out of these palace gates mounted on horses and riding in > chariots-they and their officials and > the citizens of Judah. But if you don't obey these commands, then I > swear-God's Decree!-this palace > will end up a heap of rubble.'" > > 6-7This is God's verdict on Judah's royal palace: > > "I number you among my favorite places- > like the lovely hills of Gilead, > like the soaring peaks of Lebanon. > Yet I swear I'll turn you into a wasteland, > as empty as a ghost town. > I'll hire a demolition crew, > well-equipped with sledgehammers and wrecking bars, > Pound the country to a pulp > and burn it all up. > > 8-9"Travelers from all over will come through here and say to one another, > 'Why would God do such a > thing to this wonderful city?' They'll be told, 'Because they walked out > on the covenant of their > God, took up with other gods and worshiped them.'" > > Building a Fine House but Destroying Lives > 10Don't weep over dead King Josiah. > Don't waste your tears. > Weep for his exiled son: > He's gone for good. > He'll never see home again. > 11-12For this is God's Word on Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his > father as king of Judah: > "He's gone from here, gone for good. He'll die in the place they've taken > him to. He'll never see > home again." > > 13-17"Doom to him who builds palaces but bullies people, > who makes a fine house but destroys lives, > Who cheats his workers > and won't pay them for their work, > Who says, 'I'll build me an elaborate mansion > with spacious rooms and fancy windows. > I'll bring in rare and expensive woods > and the latest in interior decor.' > So, that makes you a king- > living in a fancy palace? > Your father got along just fine, didn't he? > He did what was right and treated people fairly, > And things went well with him. > He stuck up for the down-and-out, > And things went well for Judah. > Isn't this what it means to know me?" > God's Decree! > "But you're blind and brainless. > All you think about is yourself, > Taking advantage of the weak, > bulldozing your way, bullying victims." > > 18-19This is God's epitaph on Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: > "Doom to this man! > Nobody will shed tears over him, > 'Poor, poor brother!' > Nobody will shed tears over him, > 'Poor, poor master!' > They'll give him a donkey's funeral, > drag him out of the city and dump him. > > You've Made a Total Mess of Your Life > 20-23"People of Jerusalem, climb a Lebanon peak and weep, > climb a Bashan mountain and wail, > Climb the Abarim ridge and cry- > you've made a total mess of your life. > I spoke to you when everything was going your way. > You said, 'I'm not interested.' > You've been that way as long as I've known you, > never listened to a thing I said. > All your leaders will be blown away, > all your friends end up in exile, > And you'll find yourself in the gutter, > disgraced by your evil life. > You big-city people thought you were so important, > thought you were 'king of the mountain'! > You're soon going to be doubled up in pain, > pain worse than the pangs of childbirth. > 24-26"As sure as I am the living God"-God's Decree-"even if you, > Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king > of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, I'd pull you off and give > you to those who are out > to kill you, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans, and then > throw you, both you and > your mother, into a foreign country, far from your place of birth. There > you'll both die. > > 27"You'll be homesick, desperately homesick, but you'll never get home > again." > > 28-30Is Jehoiachin a leaky bucket, > a rusted-out pail good for nothing? > Why else would he be thrown away, he and his children, > thrown away to a foreign place? > O land, land, land, > listen to God's Message! > This is God's verdict: > "Write this man off as if he were childless, > a man who will never amount to anything. > Nothing will ever come of his life. > He's the end of the line, the last of the kings." > > Jeremiah 23 > An Authentic David-Branch > 1-4 "Doom to the shepherd-leaders who butcher and scatter my sheep!" God's > Decree. "So here is what > I, God, Israel's God, say to the shepherd-leaders who misled my people: > 'You've scattered my sheep. > You've driven them off. You haven't kept your eye on them. Well, let me > tell you, I'm keeping my eye > on you, keeping track of your criminal behavior. I'll take over and gather > what's left of my sheep, > gather them in from all the lands where I've driven them. I'll bring them > back where they belong, > and they'll recover and flourish. I'll set shepherd-leaders over them who > will take good care of > them. They won't live in fear or panic anymore. All the lost sheep rounded > up!' God's Decree." > 5-6"Time's coming"-God's Decree- > "when I'll establish a truly righteous David-Branch, > A ruler who knows how to rule justly. > He'll make sure of justice and keep people united. > In his time Judah will be secure again > and Israel will live in safety. > This is the name they'll give him: > 'God-Who-Puts-Everything-Right.' > > 7-8"So watch for this. The time's coming"-God's Decree-"when no one will > say, 'As sure as God > lives, the God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt,' but, 'As sure as > God lives, the God who > brought the descendants of Israel back from the north country and from the > other countries where > he'd driven them, so that they can live on their own good earth.'" > > The "Everything Will Turn Out Fine" Sermon > 9My head is reeling, > my limbs are limp, > I'm staggering like a drunk, > seeing double from too much wine- > And all because of God, > because of his holy words. > 10-12Now for what God says regarding the lying prophets: > > "Can you believe it? A country teeming with adulterers! > faithless, promiscuous idolater-adulterers! > They're a curse on the land. > The land's a wasteland. > Their unfaithfulness > is turning the country into a cesspool, > Prophets and priests devoted to desecration. > They have nothing to do with me as their God. > My very own Temple, mind you- > mud-spattered with their crimes." God's Decree. > "But they won't get by with it. > They'll find themselves on a slippery slope, > Careening into the darkness, > somersaulting into the pitch-black dark. > I'll make them pay for their crimes. > It will be the Year of Doom." God's Decree. > > 13-14"Over in Samaria I saw prophets > acting like silly fools-shocking! > They preached using that no-god Baal for a text, > messing with the minds of my people. > And the Jerusalem prophets are even worse-horrible!- > sex-driven, living a lie, > Subsidizing a culture of wickedness, > and never giving it a second thought. > They're as bad as those wretches in old Sodom, > the degenerates of old Gomorrah." > > 15So here's the Message to the prophets from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: > > "I'll cook them a supper of maggoty meat > with after-dinner drinks of strychnine. > The Jerusalem prophets are behind all this. > They're the cause of the godlessness polluting this country." > > 16-17A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: > > "Don't listen to the sermons of the prophets. > It's all hot air. Lies, lies, and more lies. > They make it all up. > Not a word they speak comes from me. > They preach their 'Everything Will Turn Out Fine' sermon > to congregations with no taste for God, > Their 'Nothing Bad Will Ever Happen to You' sermon > to people who are set in their own ways. > > 18-20"Have any of these prophets bothered to meet with me, the true God? > bothered to take in what I have to say? > listened to and then lived out my Word? > Look out! God's hurricane will be let loose- > my hurricane blast, > Spinning the heads of the wicked like tops! > God's raging anger won't let up > Until I've made a clean sweep, > completing the job I began. > When the job's done, > you'll see that it's been well done. > > Quit the "God Told Me This" Kind of Talk > 21-22"I never sent these prophets, > but they ran anyway. > I never spoke to them, > but they preached away. > If they'd have bothered to sit down and meet with me, > they'd have preached my Message to my people. > They'd have gotten them back on the right track, > gotten them out of their evil ruts. > 23-24"Am I not a God near at hand"-God's Decree- > "and not a God far off? > Can anyone hide out in a corner > where I can't see him?" > God's Decree. > "Am I not present everywhere, > whether seen or unseen?" > God's Decree. > > 25-27"I know what they're saying, all these prophets who preach lies using > me as their text, saying > 'I had this dream! I had this dream!' How long do I have to put up with > this? Do these prophets give > two cents about me as they preach their lies and spew out their grandiose > delusions? They swap > dreams with one another, feed on each other's delusive dreams, trying to > distract my people from me > just as their ancestors were distracted by the no-god Baal. > > 28-29"You prophets who do nothing but dream- > go ahead and tell your silly dreams. > But you prophets who have a message from me- > tell it truly and faithfully. > What does straw have in common with wheat? > Nothing else is like God's Decree. > Isn't my Message like fire?" God's Decree. > "Isn't it like a sledgehammer busting a rock? > > 30-31"I've had it with the 'prophets' who get all their sermons secondhand > from each other. Yes, > I've had it with them. They make up stuff and then pretend it's a real > sermon. > > 32"Oh yes, I've had it with the prophets who preach the lies they dream > up, spreading them all over > the country, ruining the lives of my people with their cheap and reckless > lies. > > "I never sent these prophets, never authorized a single one of them. > They do nothing for this > people-nothing!" God's Decree. > > 33"And anyone, including prophets and priests, who asks, 'What's God got > to say about all this, > what's troubling him?' tell him, 'You, you're the trouble, and I'm getting > rid of you.'" God's > Decree. > > 34"And if anyone, including prophets and priests, goes around saying > glibly 'God's Message! God's > Message!' I'll punish him and his family. > > 35-36"Instead of claiming to know what God says, ask questions of one > another, such as 'How do we > understand God in this?' But don't go around pretending to know it all, > saying 'God told me > this...God told me that....' I don't want to hear it anymore. Only the > person I authorize speaks for > me. Otherwise, my Message gets twisted, the Message of the living > God-of-the-Angel-Armies. > > 37-38"You can ask the prophets, 'How did God answer you? What did he tell > you?' But don't pretend > that you know all the answers yourselves and talk like you know it all. > I'm telling you: Quit the > 'God told me this...God told me that...' kind of talk. > > 39-40"Are you paying attention? You'd better, because I'm about to take > you in hand and throw you > to the ground, you and this entire city that I gave to your ancestors. > I've had it with the lot of > you. You're never going to live this down. You're going down in history as > a disgrace." > > Jeremiah 24 > Two Baskets of Figs > 1-2 God showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the Temple of > God. This was after > Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king > of Judah from Jerusalem > into exile in Babylon, along with the leaders of Judah, the craftsmen, and > the skilled laborers. In > one basket the figs were of the finest quality, ripe and ready to eat. In > the other basket the figs > were rotten, so rotten they couldn't be eaten. > 3God said to me, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" > > "Figs," I said. "Excellent figs of the finest quality, and also rotten > figs, so rotten they can't > be eaten." > > 4-6Then God told me, "This is the Message from the God of Israel: The > exiles from here that I've > sent off to the land of the Babylonians are like the good figs, and I'll > make sure they get good > treatment. I'll keep my eye on them so that their lives are good, and I'll > bring them back to this > land. I'll build them up, not tear them down; I'll plant them, not uproot > them. > > 7"And I'll give them a heart to know me, God. They'll be my people and > I'll be their God, for > they'll have returned to me with all their hearts. > > 8-10"But like the rotten figs, so rotten they can't be eaten, is Zedekiah > king of Judah. Rotten > figs-that's how I'll treat him and his leaders, along with the survivors > here and those down in > Egypt. I'll make them something that the whole world will look on as > disgusting-repugnant outcasts, > their names used as curse words wherever in the world I drive them. And > I'll make sure they die like > flies-from war, starvation, disease, whatever-until the land I once gave > to them and their ancestors > is completely rid of them." > > > > > > > Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning > Skype Prayer Time. > > > Contact Me At: > Donnie Parrett > 1956 Asa Flat Road > Annville, Kentucky 40402 > Home Phone: 606-364-3321 > Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY > Skype Name: Donnie1261 > Email: [email protected] > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/dbilg?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
