Jeremiah 1-2

Jeremiah 1-2

Chapter 1: Jeremiah Foreordained

                Jeremiah is the son of Hilkiah, of the priests of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. He prophesied from the days of Josiah to the captivity. The Lord tells Jeremiah that he was ordained to be a prophet and that he knew him before he was born.

“Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

This tells us two things; God can preordain someone and you must be ordained of God to be a Prophet, you can’t just assume that role. Secondly, we learn that there IS a life before this earth life, where we lived with God… because he knew us before we are placed in the womb.

 Jeremiah is anxious he is a child, and cannot speak. The Lord touches his mouth, so he will be a prophet unto the nations. The Lord’s plans are compared to the branch of an almond tree – comes to fruit quickly. Jeremiah sees a boiling pot facing the north – an evil shall break forth from the north against the inhabitants of Judah. Jeremiah will be protected as he prophesies.

Chapter 2: The Jews reject everything

                Although pious when it first entered the Promised Land, Israel has forsaken the Lord and gone after other gods. Its own retreat from God will be its punishment. From a right seed, Israel has become a degenerate vine. They say to stock [wood], “…Thou art my father…” and to a stone, “…thou hast brought me forth [birthed]…” (Jeremiah 2:27)  Israel sinfully presumes itself to be innocent.

                The people of Israel say: “…Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned. Why gladdest thou about so much to change thy way? …” (Jeremiah 2:35-36)

                We need not to forget that God has His ways and we cannot turn our backs on what we know… sinning with knowledge and then think that God will forgive us, because we are “innocent” and that we have made a mistake. Surely God will forgive, but if we knowingly sin and then just thnk we will ask for forgiveness and that will be the end, we are slapping God in the face.

Job 7-8

Job 7-8

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 7: What is our time on earth?

                “Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? …As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work: So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day. My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.” (Job 7:1-5)

                Job saw that his suffering was like discouraging work of a servant. He felt that there was no hope or reward for what he was going through. He suffered from a skin condition and long nights of insomnia.

“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope…mine eye shall no more see good… As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.” (Job 7:6-10)

                Job, at this point was seeing life as meaningless and worthless.

“Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me? When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint; Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions: So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life. I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my daysare vanity.” (Job 7:11-16)

Job cried out to God, wondering if he was some sort of monster, like that of the sea. Job is telling God to stop or end his life, because he hates what he is going through.

 “What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment? How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself? And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be” (Job 7:17-21)

Job is mad at God for not curing him of his pain. He asks God if he had sinned, and then asks why he is being punished.

Chapter 8: Our time on earth is short

Bildad makes the argument; if Job was righteous, God would bless and defend him.

                “Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind? Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice? If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression… If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.” (Job 8:1-4)

                Bildad did not understand or take into consideration the pain that Job was experiencing. Instead Bildad chastises Job and makes it seem like it is his fault for the way he is and feels… obviously he had sinned. 

“For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:” (Job 8:8)

Bildad suggests that Job inquire of wisdom from the past and make things right with his sin. Essentially he is saying; Job, obviously you have sinned… now confess and make things right. But the truth is that Job did nothing.

                “(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:) Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart? Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?” (Job 8:9-11)

                Here we learn something very important that we can apply in our own lives… We are human, we have come to this earth to learn. But in reality, even with all the science breakthroughs and knowledge we have gained over last few thousand  years… we ultimately know…nothing! God knows all. 

                I normally do not like the New International Version of the Bible (mainly because I believe it is not as accurate and certain means can be lost), but the NIV might make a little more sense;

                “for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,  and our days on earth are but a shadow. Will they not instruct you and tell you? Will they not bring forth words from their understanding? Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water?” (Job 8:9-11, NIV)

                The scripture goes on to say…

“Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb. So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish” (Job 8:12-13)

                While the advice that Bildad was giving was not appropriate for Job, having done nothing wrong. We can learn from this advice! We don’t know everything; we are constantly learning new things daily… so for someone to say that God does not exist is absolutely absurd. Perhaps science has yet to discover him? Don’t get me wrong, I believe in science and I love science. I believe in EVOLUTION, but I also know that science had to come from somewhere… God created science and all the rules of nature. We still have a lot to learn, and having just been born and with such a short time on this earth… our life is but a shadow… and in that shadow we can choose our path. However, if we choose a path that forgets God… we will perish.

Genesis 4-6

This year, I plan on reading the Old Testament of the Bible within the 2012 calendar year. Follow me on this journey! Please, if you have questions of comments... let me know!

Genesis 4-6

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 4: Cain and Abel

                Adam and Eve "knew each other", or in other words they were no longer innocent as children, and because of that... they were able to conceive a child, and they conceived Cain. They also had Abel who was Cain's brother.

                Cain gets upset with his brother Abel and kills him in the field. The Lord asks Cain where his brother is, and Cain essentially denies that he did anything.

                The Lord curses Cain and sets a mark upon him, so that people will know that it is him. Cain is banished to the land of Nod, which is east of Eden. There, Cain conceives many children with his wife. Their first child was Enoch and after him did they name the city they started in the land of Nod.

                Adam and Eve have another child named Seth to replace the loss of their son Abel. Seth has a son and calls his name Enos, and from that day forward men look unto God.

Chapter 5: The Generation of Adam

•          Adam lived until the ripe old age of 930, and then he died.
•          Seth was 105, when he conceived Enos.
•          Seth died at the age of 912.
•          Enos, conceived Cainan when he was 90.
•          Enos died at the age of 905.
•          Cainan conceived Mahalaleel when he was 70.
•          Cainan died at the age of 910.
•          Mahalaleel conceived Jared at 65.
•          Mahalaleel died at the age of 895.
•          Jared conceived Enoch at the age of 162.
•          Jared died at the age of 962.
•          Enoch conceived Methuselah at the age of 65.
•          Enoch walked with God for 300 years after Methuselah was Born. (Enoch was a righteous man).
•          Enoch died at the age of 365.
•          Methuselah conceived Lamech at the age of 887.
•          Methuselah died at the age of 969.
•          Lamech conceived Noah at the age of 182.
•          Lamech died at the age of 777.
•          Noah was 500 years old when he conceived his sons: Shem, Ham and Japeth.

Chapter 6: Noah and the Ark

"And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, the daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw that the daughters of men that they were fair..." 

(Genesis 5:1-2)

                I get out of this scripture that it is NATURAL for a MAN to like a WOMAN and VICE-VERSA. No where do I see that it says "the sons of God saw the sons of men that they were fair", God did not make men or women to be gay. That is not love, it is simply lust.

                But, just like in today's time we see wickedness... God was upset to the point where he said he wished he hadn't made man on the earth. God was saddened by the wickedness of men! Therefore he decided to destroy mankind and their wickedness by using the earth to flood the earth.

                "And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with  violence through them, and, behold I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window thou shalt make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lover, second and third stories shalt thou make it." (Genesis 6:13-17)

The Ark:

Width: 50 Cubits= 22.5 M OR 73.8 Ft.

Height: 30 Cubits=13.5 M OR 44.2 Ft.

Length: 300 Cubits-135 M OR 442.9 Ft.

Three Floors: 4.5 M in each floor 14.7 FT (the floor to ceiling had almost 15 ft tall rooms)

The Ark had 1 Single Window.

*Drawings by Harold Santos of El Salvador.

                God tells Noah that he is going to flood the earth and that it will be his responsibility to save mankind and all life on earth through him building an ark, stocking it with animals and food and surviving through the flood.

                God commands Noah to have 2 of every sort "male and female", because without male and female there is NO LIFE.