This is what the LORD says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’” Jeremiah 44:30

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 31, 2014): Jeremiah 44

The future is unexpected. Even predictions and prophecies that come true often come through in unexpected ways. The future is a mystery. That is what makes trying to unwind the prophecies of the Bible such a hard task. And those that think they see prophecies unwinding before their eyes throughout history, most of the time, have been deluding themselves.

When I was growing up I remember predictions that Henry Kissinger was the antichrist – that Kissinger was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. The argument was strong and multifaceted. I know that for many people in the 1970’s, it must have seemed so obvious. And the prediction has been persistent. Even though Henry Kissinger is 90 years old and there has been no hint of the prediction coming true, every once in a while I run into somebody that has bought into the expectation. And these are hard people to convince that they might have been wrong – that the way that they saw the future was not how the future had to turn out.

Jeremiah speaks of the fall of Judah and the subsequent fall of Egypt because of the presence of the people of Judah in Egypt – and according to Jeremiah all of this is supposed to happen at the hands of the Babylonians. And so as Jeremiah draws his prophecy to a close, his final prophecy concerns the death of Hophra, the Pharaoh of Egypt. It would be really easy to read this prophecy and assume that Hophra died valiantly at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. But Jeremiah doesn’t actually say that. His actual statement is that Hophra will be delivered into hands of his enemy, just as Zedekiah of Judah was handed over the Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon – Nebuchadnezzar was Zedekiah’s enemy

History records Hophra under a different name – Apries. Apries was Pharaoh over Egypt during this tense moment of world history. But, unfortunately, Apries was a man out of his time. While Egypt needed a warrior in order to survive in a world dominated by the Babylonian Empire and with the rise of the Greek Empire on the horizon, Apries was more of a builder – his great intellect was more geared toward being the producer of great buildings than the fighting of great wars. Apries’ attempt to help Judah was an ill-considered move. Apries was not only unable to come to the aid of his Northern neighbour, but in the process he lost the confidence of his army which resulted in mass defections. Later, Apries attempted to come to the aid of his Libyan neighbours against the Greeks. But Apries did not fare any better in Libya than he did in Judah. It was at this moment that Egypt turned to a successful general of the army for help, a man who had led the Egyptian army it success in Nubia during the reign of Apries father – his name was Amasis. And in 570 B.C.E., Amasis declared himself Pharaoh.

And it turns out that Jeremiah was speaking of Amasis as the enemy of Hophra, not Nebuchadnezzar. In fact, Apries (Hophra) was killed in battle by Amasis in an attempt to regain his kingdom – and as unexpected as this idea might have been when Jeremiah wrote the prophecy, Apries died with the Babylonian army at his side. Nebuchadnezzar, instead of being the enemy that would kill Apries was the ally that was attempting to help him regain his throne at the time of his death.

The future often seems to work that way. Even when it is expected, it is unexpected. And to limit our future according to our expectations is to limit the way that we allow God to move. And the moves of God are always unexpected – and undeserved.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Lamentations 1

There in the temple of the sun in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt. – Jeremiah 43:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 30, 2014): Jeremiah 43

I sometimes wonder about the way – the sequence of events – that things happen in in the Bible. I have to admit that I am not convinced that the future is fixed. I really believe that it is fluid and that we serve a passionate God who is moved by all of our actions – both our obedience and our disobedience – and because of these moments, the future changes. It is not that I do not believe that God knows the future. I actually believe the reverse. God knows all of the possible futures and all of the possible outcomes – but what actually happens is a joint decision between us and God. And I do know that that is a radical thought. And for me the proof is in texts like this one.

Jeremiah tells the people that God has spoken and he does not want them to run to Egypt; that the safest place for them to exist was right where they were in Judah – the land that God had promised to his people. But the people were convinced that safety was found in Egypt. And it was not a belief that was without merit. Nebuchadnezzar had already tried to defeat Egypt and Egypt had won the battle. It was at this moment of loss that Nebuchadnezzar turned his eyes to both securing Asia and the Middle East for his empire, and toward the many building projects that Nebuchadnezzar was hoping that he would be remembered for.

But this was one of the moments (admittedly there were many of them) when the people disobeyed. Actually, what happened was that the people decided that they were smarter than God; that they knew better than God what the truth was with regard to the Babylonian-Egyptian conflict. God, Egypt has already won. We will be safe in Egypt. So the people ran to Egypt, carrying the reluctant prophet Jeremiah with them – and every step of the way Jeremiah talked to the people about the folly of the action that they were engaged in.

And as you read history, you get a sense that the people were right. In this moment of Nebuchadnezzar’s life, it made sense for Nebuchadnezzar to do tidying up conflicts, securing his borders and concentrating on the peaceful building projects that he already had in his mind to complete. By this time, Nebuchadnezzar was starting to be influenced by the Judean captives – especially Daniel. This made a good stopping point.

But the Judean rebellion against God also needed to be handled. And so I almost get the sense as the people of God rebelled, that plans changed. Instead of actions dedicated to securing the borders, Nebuchadnezzar began to make plans for a second attempt to move into Africa. And part of me wonders if the people of Israel had obeyed God, if just maybe Nebuchadnezzar would have stopped and history would be different. But the history that we know tells the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s defeat not only of Egypt, but of Liberia and the north coast of Africa as well. And the people who had run to Egypt hoping to be safe came to the realization that they, much like Jonah, could not run from the presence and the purposes of God.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 44

“Remnant of Judah, the LORD has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be sure of this: I warn you today … – Jeremiah 42:19

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 29, 2014): Jeremiah 42

Italian author Laurentius Abstemius wrote his most famous work, Hecatomythium, in 1495. The book is a collection of a hundred fables written in Latin. Some of the fables were translated from Greek for the book. The book of fables were passed over by the critics of the day. The stories that they told were considered to be ridiculous, and many took exception to the negative view that some of the fables took on the clergy.

One of the fables told is a story about a group of fish. The fish had been caught and were being placed in a pan of boiling oil. And the fish began to have a conversation. One of them suggested that they needed to do whatever they could to get out of the pan. So a plan was made – and the fish jumped out of the oil, but they landed in the fire. There, lying on the burning coals, the fish curse the bad advice that they had followed. The fabulist concludes that “this fable warns us that when we are avoiding present dangers, we should not fall into even worse peril.” Aesop paraphrased the fable for his collection of fables. He entitled the fable “Worse and Worse” and rephrased the moral as “jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

The fable of the fish fits the message that God gives to Jeremiah. It would seem that the immediate reaction of those left in Judah, after the close of the Babylonian-Judean war, was to run to the other superpower in the world. The idea was that maybe in Egypt they could be safe. It is sometimes amazing as we tell the story of the Bible how often Israel seems to believe that safety is found in Egypt – that place where they once existed as slaves.

But God’s message was that the only place where they could be all that they were created to be was with God. What had happened in Judah may have been uncomfortable, but if God had not been with the people of Judah during their conflict with Babylon, it would have been so much worse. God had never left them. And now God was inviting them to stay – not to run to Egypt. God was still with them – and had no plans on leaving them. And they needed to leave behind them any plans to leave God if they wanted to be successful in the future.

According to Jeremiah, to run to Egypt would be like “jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.” Life might have been uncomfortable, but they could trust God to be with them where they were, and walk with them into the future. Here is the reality that I know. People will let you down. That was the danger that Egypt represented. It was trust in a group of people that could not save them. Only God was worthy of their trust – and if they were looking for someone to move them through to the end of the story, that someone was not going to be found in Egypt. That someone was the one that had held them every step of the way so far – and the one that was never going to give up on them. That someone was their God – the one who deserved their trust.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 43

Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land. – Jeremiah 41:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 28, 2014): Jeremiah 41

After the close of the Second World War, the first war of the Cold War era was fought between the Soviet Union and the United States. The ground that was fought over was found in Greece. Nazi Germany and Italy had gained control of the Greece throughout the middle portion of the Second World War. As a result of this change in control, the Greek government became a government in exile. But when the nations allied with the United Kingdom and the United States began to take control of the war in Europe, a power vacuum was created in Greece. And as a result of that power vacuum, by the time of the close of the Second World War, there was no clear government in control of Greece. So from 1946 until 1949, the Greek government which had been in exile, backed by the United Kingdom and the United States, waged a civil war against the Greek Communist Party backed by the Soviet Union. But it was a Civil war that had essentially been set up by the events of the Second World War.

The Babylonian conflict in Judah was over. The Babylonian army had been, for the most part, withdrawn. Jerusalem laid in ruins. The Babylonians had left Gedaliah and his supporters, all of whom had defected to the Babylonian army at some point during the war, in charge of the country. But much like happened in Greece after the Second World War during the 20^th Century, during the 6^th Century B.C.E. a power vacuum in Judah had been created by the Babylonian-Judean war, and that left conditions favorable for the beginning of a civil war.

Jeremiah writes that in this case, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah (to differentiate him from Ishmael the son of Zedekiah – both of these Ishmaels were part of the Royal family, but Ishmael the son of Nethaniah was from a much more remote part of the family) disagreed with who the Babylonians had left in control of the nation. Ishmael strongly believed that he was the one that should have been left in control of Judah. And so he decides to take matters into his own hand and he assassinated Gedaliah.

Gedaliah, on the other hand, seems to have taken no precautions with regard to a possible uprising. Rabbinic writings indicate that Gedaliah was known for eating and drinking well, and the understanding is that Gedaliah invited Ishmael to share food and drink with him – but when Gedaliah and his men were drunk enough, Ishmael and his men killed them.

But Jeremiah also wants to make sure that the reader understands the enormity of Ishmael’s crime. All the way through his prophecies, Jeremiah is clear that Nebuchadnezzar (and Babylon) wins the conflict with Judah because God had decreed it. And here, Jeremiah says that Ishmael takes his sword and kills “the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.” Ishmael, in killing Gedaliah, was not only guilty of killing his own countryman, but he killed the man that Nebuchadnezzar had placed on throne, and therefore he opposed the will of his God who had placed Nebuchadnezzar in control of the nation.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 42

However, before Jeremiah turned to go, Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.” – Jeremiah 40:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 27, 2014): Jeremiah 40

Lewis Carroll once said that “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Carroll, speaking from the 19^th century seemed to have a great handle on the 21^st century. We seem to be running a lot of places, but we aren’t really sure where we are going.  We are busy, but we aren’t really getting much accomplished. We seem to have no idea where to be.

I am a fairly solitary individual. I love people, and being with people, but I am also fairly shy. As long as I have a place to be, a purpose to be somewhere, I am okay. But when I lose that place to be, I am lost. I don’t know where to be. There is nothing more frustrating than to exist in a place, but not have a place where you feel secure – a place where you belong – a place to simply be.

As Jeremiah closes in on the end of his tale. We meet him on a road with a Babylonian man named Nebuzaradan. Jerusalem is gone, the people are scattered. For most of Jeremiah’s life, his story had centered around Jerusalem and the temple – and now it was all gone. It would have been as if Jeremiah’s purpose in life had disappeared. As he stands with this Babylonian official, Jeremiah is a prophet without a place to be. And in that moment I am sure that he felt as awkward standing on the road with Nebuzarden as I do when I no longer have a place to be.

There is no doubt that Nebuzaradan respected Jeremiah, and he wanted Jeremiah to return with him to Babylon, not as a prisoner, but as an honored guest. But for Jeremiah there was no purpose for him in Babylon. We get the sense in this exchange that Jeremiah’s mind and heart was still looking back at the destroyed city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the only place that Jeremiah wanted to be. Jerusalem had always been Jeremiah’s purpose. It was home. And so Nebuzardan tells Jeremiah to follow his heart.

But then Nebuzarden realizes his mistake. Jerusalem was no longer a safe place to be. The city had been destroyed, the walls were torn down. The city was now inhabited by dangerous animals, and even more dangerous humans. And so he stops Jeremiah and basically says that if he will not come with him to be his guest in Babylon, then he should go and attach himself to Gedaliah. Gedaliah was a prince of Judah who had left the city before the fall of Jerusalem and had attached himself to the Babylonian army. To the people of Jerusalem, Gedaliah was probably a traitor. But to Nebuzarden, Gedaliah was honored and respected. And Nebuzarden knew that all Gedaliah had done was follow the instructions of Jeremiah. And therefore, Jeremiah would be safe with Gedaliah. And he might find a place to be.

That was important to Nebuzarden. Because he knew that this man that he respected would never be healthy until he found that place to be. He needed a safe place where he could examine everything that had happened – and Babylon could have been that place for Jeremiah, but if he would not go there, then maybe the next safest place would be in the court of Gedaliah.

We need a safe place to be. I am convinced that that was exactly what God intended for his church. But the church has not always remembered this thing that they are supposed to be. But in a time where things are changing, the church needs to stop judging (that has never been our job) and just be a safe place where people can be. I can think of no better place to simply be than in the church that understands what their role is in a changing world. And that is the job that we have been called to.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 41

In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed him from prison. – Jeremiah 52:31

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 26, 2014): Jeremiah 52

I am convinced that some people simply like to argue. If you pick a position, they will choose the opposing side. (And if I am real honest, I have been accused of that very thing.) Sometimes it is because the discussion is fun (my reason for arguing the opposing opinion.) But other times it is because the personalities of the people themselves are in conflict. And to agree with the person is somehow validate their stance on a whole range of issues. This is the political saga – groups of people who seem to take opposite sides on an issue for no other reason than they oppose each other on a political level.

Sometimes history is shrouded – there are just too many things that we don’t know. And this is the case with the story of Awel-Marduk (or the man from Marduk.) As far as we can tell, Awel-Marduk is the son of Nebuchadnezzar. And indications are that Father and Son did not get along well. Nebuchadnezzar and Awel-Marduk actually shared the throne for a while before Nebuchadnezzar died. According to most reports, Awel-Marduk did not necessarily agree with the policies of his father, although the reasons for the disagreements are varied. Some say that Awel-Marduk let Jehoiachin out of prison for humanitarian reasons. He just thought that his father was wrong for imprisoning the King of Judah for such a long period of time. But there is very little evidence that Awel-Marduk was a humanitarian. Most describe him as evil egotist. It would be more in keeping with what little we know of Awel-Marduk to argue that he overturned his father’s decision for no other reason than that he opposed his dad – Nebuchadnezzar.

So in some of the stories Awel-Marduk releases Jehoiachin from prison and is thrown into prison himself for the action by his father as a further stage of their conflict. But there are problems with this theory. One of them arises right out of the biblical record itself. The question is, if this is true, would Nebuchadnezzar allow Jehoiachin to stay free and pay him an allowance for the rest of his life. The logic would be that Nebuchadnezzar would most likely just throw Jehoiachin back into prison.

A more colorful possibility, but one that has a ring of truth to it, places this event after the death of Nebuchadnezzar. In this story, the evil son digs up the bones of his god-fearing father and parades them through the streets of Babylon as he reverses all of his father’s decrees. Jehoiachin, rather than being freed for humanitarian reasons, is freed only because it was Nebuchadnezzar that imprisoned him.

The story stands as a weird example of what can happen when we make decisions for no better reason than we personally oppose another person. Our reality is that history records Nebuchadnezzar as an extremely successful king, while Awel-Marduk has almost disappeared from the pages of history, and it was probably his son (Nebuchanezzar’s grandson) that presided over the downfall of the Babylonian Empire. Opposing someone without good reason can never take us to a good place, and will never carry us to success.     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 40

Note: The VantagePoint Community Church (Edmonton) Message "The Sermon on the Mount" from the series "The Path of Suffering" is now available on the VantagePoint Website. You can find it here - http://www.vantagepointcc.org/the-path-of-suffering-1.html

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. – Jeremiah 39:18

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 25, 2014): Jeremiah 39

On August 22, 1572, Gaspard II de Coligny was shot by a man called Maurevert. The shot missed taking Coligny’s life, but it did cost the French Nobleman and admiral one of his fingers. No one is sure who it was that ordered Coligny to be shot, but the assassination attempt caused French Catholics a problem. Coligny was a prominent Huguenot (Protestant) and the fear was that the attempted assassination would be seen as being religiously motivated. So the French Catholics made a fateful decision. They decided to make a pre-emptive strike against the Huguenots. Many of the Protestant leaders, including Gaspard II de Coligny, were executed on August 24, 1572. And after the execution, mob violence would claim as many as another 70,000 Huguenots in what has become known as the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

Part of what we know of the Massacre comes from a Huguenot who narrowly escaped the Massacre. His name was Maximilien de Bethune, the Duke of Sully. The Duke escaped death by walking out of Paris with a Catholic book of prayer under his arm. With the book of prayer under his arm, the attacking Catholics at the height of the violence simply overlooked the Huguenot Duke.

As Jerusalem is preparing to fall, the inhabitants of the city prepare for a very uncertain future. But for the leaders in the city, what happens next is fairly certain – what awaits them is death at the hands of the Babylonians. One of these leaders would have been a man named Ebed- Melek. Ebed-Melek was a Cushite who served in the court of King Zedekiah. One of the reasons why we believe that Ebed-Melek was a leader was because Jeremiah says that it Ebed-Melek that went to the king to ask for Jeremiah’s release from the cistern in which the prophet had been imprisoned. And the king responded positively to Ebed-Melek’s request.

But another reason that we believe that Ebed-Melek was a leader in the court of Zedekiah is that Jeremiah also tells us that the Cushite was worried about his future when the city fell. So Jeremiah assures him that because he honored God by getting his prophet out of the cistern, when the city fell – and the city would fall – God would find a way to get him out of the city. All because he dared to trust in God.

Amazing things still happen when we dare to trust God. Even when things look bleak, we can trust that God has plan, and we honor God when we are willing to follow the example of Ebed- Melek and place ourselves in the middle of that plan.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 52

King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.” – Jeremiah 38:19

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 24, 2014): Jeremiah 38

One of the stories told by the T.V. Series “M*A*S*H” was the story of two enemies. In this tale of the 4077, a group of North Korean prisoners are brought in to the camp. And a South Korean soldier who happens to be at the 4077 with his regiment takes a special interest in the captives – a negative interest. He is mean and belligerent, but much of his anger seems directed at one of the North Koreans. The actions of the South Korean soldier offends the non-combative and peace-loving nature of Hawkeye, and finally Hawkeye confronts the soldier. And in the conversation between the two, Hawkeye learns that the South Korean soldier knows way too much about his North Korean counterpart, including the North Korean’s medical history as a child. When Hawkeye questions him about how he knows so much about this soldier, he finds out the two men were brothers. Dad had placed a son in both armies in the hope that one of them would survive. The South Korean soldier feared that if his superiors found out about the secret of these two men – both would be in trouble. So one brother feigned hate for the other in the hope that no one would suspect the truth.

It is actually an old story. Civil War breaks out and fathers make the hard choice to place brothers in opposing armies. Or maybe it is just the sympathies of the brothers that are divided and carry them in different directions. But either way, the fight becomes one that is quite literally between brothers.

Jeremiah advocates for the people of Jerusalem to leave the city – to flee to the hills. Maybe there they can find life. But Zedekiah and the officials of the city actively opposed Jeremiah’s plan. They wanted the soldiers – and really all of the people – to stay and fight, to defend the city against the Babylonian invaders. But from Zedekiah’s comment in this passage, it is evident that some people had followed the prophet’s advice – and not the king’s. There had been a noticeable exodus out of the city and the surrounding area. And the king was worried that maybe they had gone over to the other side and were now fighting on the side of the Babylonians. He feared that these people would blame him for the destruction of the city and the nation because of his opposition to Jeremiah and Jeremiah’s God. And in this moment he feared these former subjects more than he feared Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians.

There is no evidence that the people who had left the city had left to join the Babylonian army. It would have been much more likely that they would have fled to the hills as Jeremiah had recommended – especially because they would have interpreted the prophet’s instructions as being the will of God. But the admission of Zedekiah would also seem to indicate that he fully realized that he had opposed God, and now the last thing that he wanted to do was to come in contact with God’s people.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 39

This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves, thinking, ‘The Babylonians will surely leave us.’ They will not! – Jeremiah 37:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 23, 2014): Jeremiah 37

Recent developments in the Ukraine have highlighted the interconnectedness of our world. Our reality is that we really do need each other. And the ties between Russia and the Ukraine have to stay strong. For those in the Ukraine who would like to leave the days that they spent tied to Russia in the U.S.S.R. somewhat buried in the past, the idea is unrealistic. Russia’s focus is on the Ukraine, and to be honest, the focus of the Ukraine is on Russia. It has to be. As one Ukrainian worker put it, whenever he looks behind him, he sees the lives of his father and grandfather – and in those memories, Russia is there. That tie is important. Whenever they look into the past what they see and hear is Russia. And the reality is that Russia will not be going away any time soon.

Jeremiah sends a message to the king that is very similar, telling the king that the focus of Babylon is on Judah. In the case of Babylon, it is not a shared history that has caused this focus – it is God. Jeremiah’s message to the king is that whenever he looks at God, he sees Babylon. Whenever he listens to God he hears Babylon. The focus of the two nations are on each other. And neither nation is going away any time soon. Even though Egypt rides out to support Judah (not out of a love for Judah, but out of a fear of Babylon and a belief that the best thing for Egypt’s future was an independent Judah that could provide a buffer zone between the two empires) Egypt would be unsuccessful. Babylon was not going away.

As much as we desire to spend effort on changing our physical realities, that time would be better spent in trying to understand our realities and how we can live within them. I am Canadian. We are defined by saying “eh” (which just so you know is rarely actually said in Canada anymore), and for our apologetic, gentle nature. We take issue with the citizens of the United States being called Americans because we are Americans too, we are full citizens of the North American Continent. But we also try to distance ourselves from the Americans that live to the South of us. We are different from them. When we travel abroad we sew Canadian flags into our stuff so that people will know that we are Canadian, and equally so that people will know that we are not from the United States. We have our own character. But our reality is much like that of the Ukraine. When we look backward we see the United States. These Americans are our brothers and sisters, often quite literally. We share history with them and we are influenced by them. And Canada knows that the United States is not going away – it would be foolish to think that they were. So our task is in defining ourselves as a people in our own right and developing a good relationship this these people who are also called “Americans.”

Jeremiah’s basic instruction to the king is simply that Babylon is not going away. The best thing – and the most God honoring thing - for the king to do was to figure out what life looks like in the new reality and in relationship with Babylon. To do anything else would be foolish – and God never instructs us to act the part of the fool.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 38

Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage. – Jeremiah 34:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 22, 2014): Jeremiah 34

During the American Civil War, African American soldiers fought freely on the Union side of the war. Over 185,000 African American Soldiers fought in over 160 units. But on the Confederate side of the equation, the use of African American soldiers, whether free or slave, was a hotly debated topic. The role of the African American in the south during the civil war was as a strictly as a common laborer, not as a soldier. They were used for tasks that required manual labor, but they were not armed.  Near the end of the war the Confederate Congress approved a plan to arm the African Americans of the south, but fewer than 50 were ever enlisted into the Confederate Army. And in the end the Confederation fell to the Union Army.

Jeremiah sends word to the king instructing him to free the slaves. Scholars are split as to whether the original command indicated the freeing of all of the Hebrew slaves, or whether it was just the freeing of the Hebrew slaves that were being held illegally – against the instructions of God. Under Jewish Law, a Hebrew man or woman could be enslaved, but only for a limited period of time, and then they had to be released. But there is some question as to whether that ever actually happened. The result would have been a population of Hebrew people who were enslaved against the law of God. And these slaves needed to be freed if God law was to be taken seriously. So Jeremiah’s instruction started a debate in Jerusalem that would have been similar to the debate in the Confederation Congress. The question was what are we to do with the slaves?

The act of freeing the slaves could have possibly been simply an act attempting to appease God – a promise to God that the people of Judah were willing to do things differently, to do things God’s way. But another explanation might have been more about self-preservation. A slave might have been reticent to fight for the nation that was responsible for holding them as slaves, and with the gathering of the Babylonian forces around the city of Jerusalem, the king was going to need every available person to be ready and willing to enter the fight.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 37

“Inquire now of the LORD for us because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps the LORD will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.” – Jeremiah 21:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 21, 2014): Jeremiah 21

We seem to have established a pattern – we act as we want to act and then ask God to perform a wonder. It is an old pattern. Jeremiah speaks to the pattern almost six centuries before Christ. Israel had set itself on a path that would ultimately carry them away from God. But when trouble came, then they went running to Jeremiah (they didn’t have to go far, after all, they had imprisoned him in the courtyard) and asked him to inquire of God – maybe then God will move.

We saw the same reaction during the Crusades – one of the darkest blots on Christianity’s record. We ran ahead of God in declaring war against all who disbelieved in the Christian God. We were bound that we would tear from the hands of the infidels the city of Jerusalem. The cry of the Crusaders was a simple one - God wills it. But it doesn’t appear that anyone actually asked. Instead we routinely killed people – some of the victims were even Christians that just happened to be in our path. 

More recently in Canada we have been involved in the fiasco of Native Residential Schools – the last federally funded Residential School was not closed until 1996. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Christian Church meant well, that we even believed that we were following the will of God. But instead of helping the Native Canadians, the church helped to spread disease which created an unacceptably high death rate in the schools. We weakened the native Canadian families and their connection with their own culture. The church caused irreparable damage and we continue suffer the effects of the damage we created. And all of this because we moved ahead of God – and we tried dress our own selfish will up as if it was the will of God.

And so we pray – “God move in this situation, even though we haven’t listened to you, haven’t asked the questions of you that we should have asked.” And sometimes, God moves. But other times his response to us is much the same as it was to Jeremiah – “Now I am moving in a different direction. It didn’t have to be this way, but this is the path that you have chosen, and I am willing to walk it in my way.” Whenever we move ahead of God, destruction is always the result. History has shown it over and over again. And God wants us – needs us to understand that we need to hear his will before we embark on an action “because God wills it.”

Maybe the church needs to join with Archbishop Michael Peers in his apology from the Anglican Church to the survivors of the Residential Schools.

I accept and I confess before God and you, our failures in the residential schools. We failed you. We failed ourselves. We failed God.

I am sorry, more than I can say, that we were part of a system which took you and your children from home and family.

I am sorry, more than I can say, that we tried to remake you in our image, taking from you your language and the signs of your identity.

I am sorry, more than I can say, that in our schools so many were abused physically, sexually, culturally and emotionally.

On behalf of the Anglican Church of Canada, I present our apology.

We are all sorry for the destruction that results whenever we move ahead of God. We are sorry for proclaiming that “God wills it” when God has done no such thing. And we are sorry for asking God to bail us out when all we needed to do was to listen to God in the first place. To the world we ask for your forgiveness for misrepresenting God.

And we promise to listen better in the future.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 34

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. – Jeremiah 33:3

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading (March 20, 2014): Jeremiah 33

I have to admit that I am amazed at what we refuse to believe. It does not seem to matter what the event is – or was – there are always those among us who seem to be willing to disbelieve. Did we actually make it to the moon (let alone the current plans for a manned expedition to Mars), or was the whole thing acted out on a Hollywood sound stage. Some of us refuse to believe that the moon – or any of the planets - are within our reach. Did the Holocaust happen, or was Hitler guilty of a few atrocities, but nothing like what he was accused of? In the case of Hitler, maybe it is not surprising that we still have people that doubt the crimes against humanity that occurred during the Second World War, after all, that was one of the problems that we had during the war. We heard of the atrocities, but they were so bad that we had trouble believing that they could be true, that we could guilty of such acts – until the moment that the troops entered the first of the concentration camps. In that moment, no matter what it is that we believe, the lives of the soldiers that walked into the camps were forever changed. Ultimately, in order to believe – even in truth – we have to want to believe.

God speaks to Jeremiah and gives him what is really a very simple message. Call to me and I will answer, and I will tell you of great and unsearchable things. But it only makes sense if we want to hear the answer.

My granddaughter, a few days ago, met a dog. She was only in contact with the dog for a couple of minutes, but that was all it took for her to fall in love. But it made it hard to allow the dog to go to his home while my granddaughter needed to make her way to her home. And in that moment, there was no truth that she wanted to hear. All she wanted was the dog. And as I watched her, and tried to tell her that I loved her and that life would go on even without the dog that she was in love with, in her I saw myself. I saw my own unwillingness to hear truth that has been spoken to me, even when the one who loves me more than I could imagine is the one trying to speak that truth to me.

God is continually speaking into our lives the truth. But often we can’t hear him. And it is not that God is not speaking loud enough, we just don’t want to hear the words. And, while God is answering and speaking of the wonders of his love, shouting his love to us, we will never hear it – unless we want to hear God’s message given to us.   

Today’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 21

The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah. – Jeremiah 32:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 19, 2014): Jeremiah 32

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. The order allowed Secretary of War to prescribe certain areas as military zones which, in turn, cleared the way for the United States to declare the Western Coast of the nation as a restricted zone. The result was that Japanese Americans who lived on the coast could be detained in relocation centers. By the end of the war, over 100,000 people of Japanese descent were detained in these centers – and 62% of these detainees were American citizens.

The incident became one of the black mark incidents against the United States that occurred during the Second World War. Specifically, the incident has resulted in numerous court cases asking the same basic question – are there any boundaries placed on a nation with regard to the actions that are permissible to be taken against its own people? What moral limits exist on the treatment of people during times of conflict? Specifically, the question hovers around the central tenet of law stating that a person is innocent until proven guilty. For the vast majority of the detainees, there were no legal charges ever even considered, let alone laid and proven. Innocent Americans had their rights suspended without any deliberation or objective reasoning. The rights were suspended simply because of their race – and the belief that some might be in league with a foreign power.

As much as we want the question to be an easy one, it seldom is. And some firmly believe that during extraordinary moments of war, extraordinary measures are necessary. But those on the other side of the argument are just as adamant – no circumstances can ever be used as an excuse to take action against innocent citizens of the nation. To do so would be an immoral act.

Jeremiah was a citizen of Jerusalem, but as the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonian Army begins, Jeremiah finds himself in his own relocation center. The reason for the detainment is found in the prophecies of Jeremiah. In his effort to faithfully carry the message of God to the national leaders in Jerusalem, he makes himself an enemy of the state. The leaders simply did not like the what Jeremiah felt God was telling him. Jeremiah would have considered himself a patriot of Judah, but the king questioned his loyalty, and detains the prophet.

At the heart of the conflict was really the why hiding behind the Babylonian domination of Judah. For the leaders of the nation, they could not believe that God would subject them to the same exile that their northern brothers had suffered. They were different, and there was no good that could come out of a Babylonian exile. And while I am not sure that Jeremiah really understood, he had clearly heard the voice of God and understood that God intended good out of everything that was about to happen – even a defeat in war at the hands of the Babylonians.

We sometime face numerous challenges, but if we learn the lesson from Jeremiah, even the bad things in our lives God can use for good- if we will let him.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 33

How long will you wander, unfaithful Daughter Israel? The LORD will create a new thing on earth—the woman will return to the man.” – Jeremiah 31:22

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 18, 2014): Jeremiah 31

Tomyris was a queen of a nomadic people that inhabited the Iran during the 6^th Century B.C.E. How she rose to be queen is unclear, but she was queen and she ruled well over her people. Ancient historical records indicate that the Persian Emperor, Cyrus the Great, wanted to rule over Tomyris’ people. But rather than attacking Tomyris, Cyrus offered to marry Tomyris and take over her empire in that way. But Tomyris refused the offer. Instead, relations between the two leaders deteriorated until Tomyris offered to meet Cyrus on a level plain in central Asia so that the two armies could meet in an honorable battle. And Cyrus agreed to the offer.

But Cyrus knew that Tomyris’ people were unfamiliar with the effects of wine. So Cyrus left a camp for the soldiers of Tomyris that was well stocked with food – and wine. When the soldiers found the camp, the soldiers ate and drank themselves into oblivion. And when the soldiers of Cyrus showed up, the soldiers of Tomyris were no match for Cyrus’ experienced army. But when Tomyris learned of the treachery, she personally led her army against the Persian forces. And it was in this battle that Tomyris’ troops got the upper hand and inflicted heavy casualties on the Persian forces. And in this fight, Tomyris had a chance to face down her former suitor, and it was Tomyris that won, killing the great Persian Emperor. This battle on a plain in central Asia was enough to lift Tomyris to the role of a warrior queen.

Jeremiah asks Israel how long she intends to wander and be unfaithful. Some versions of this text have translated the word Daughter as virgin. And the line of thought seems to be that Israel was supposed to be the one who was faithful, but they had desired something different. So God was going to save them, but he was going to do it with a daughter – a virgin – who would remain faithful to him.

The key passage is that God ‘will create a new thing on earth.” A woman who will protect the man – a virgin that will give birth to a child. The prediction is not of the rise of a Tomyris, or even the return of a Deborah – a warrior woman within the Israelite historical story. This would be new. When interpreted from within the Messianic passages, we see this as a woman who will be the protector of the man – the one who would be the Messiah.

A virgin will be with child, and she will bear the child and protect the chid – the Messiah – until the time came for him to be revealed. This faithful woman would be a key factor in the ultimate saving of Israel – and in all that would follow afterward.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 32

The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the LORD.” – Jeremiah 30:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 17, 2014): Jeremiah 30

One of the ugliest scars that we have inflicted on our planet has absolutely nothing to do with strip mining or any of the other ecological disasters that we insist on inflicting on this planet on which we live. The scars even worse than the ecological ones (as if the things we are doing to our ecology was not bad enough) is the insistence that we have in behaving in a bigoted way. The discrimination that we visit on people because of their race, creed, sex, health, or even sexual orientation is unconscionable. In the midst of our hate, we seem to forget that these are the creations of a living God – and recipients of the most important gift God could give us – life – and the objects of God’s biggest sacrifice – his only son – so that they could live that life he had given to them to the absolute fullest extent possible. Discrimination belittles us and our belief in God.

Jeremiah prophecies that the exiles from Judah will one day return to their native land. And historically we understand that prediction. In less than a hundred years, the Babylonian Empire would lie in pieces and Judah would return home. But Jeremiah does not just say that Judah will return home – he also says that Israel would return home.

In popular culture, we seem to believe that that is a prophecy that still remains outstanding. We speak of the lost ten tribes of Israel meaning the tribes of the Northern nation that were carried into captivity by the Assyrians more than a century before Judah was carried into exile by the Babylonians. But the tribes were never really lost. The children of the northern ten tribes slowly filtered back into their homeland. But the insidious plan of the Assyrians was to intermarry with the captives from Israel. The result was that the descendants of the Northern tribes that returned to their homeland were no longer genetically pure. They were half-breeds. Israel was never lost – just watered down.

By the time of Jesus, the Northern tribes had become the hated Samaritans, a group that was routinely discriminated against by the citizens of Judah. For the Jews, the Samaritans represented something that was almost less than human. They were a people who had been created as the children of God, but had traded that position in for something else. Yet, Jeremiah reminds us that God doesn’t see half breeds when he looks at the Samaritans of Jesus time – all he sees is his children.

Whatever it might be that we see in the people around us, God still sees his children. Children worthy of his love – and so worthy of ours. God’s children now includes us, and one day God is going to bring us all home – to the land that he has given to his children.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 31

We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed; let us leave her and each go to our own land, for her judgment reaches to the skies, it rises as high as the heavens.’ – Jeremiah 51:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 16, 2014): Jeremiah 51

Following the end of the First World War, the nations looked for a way to stop such an occurrence from ever happening again. Their solution was to form an international body that would strive after world peace, a group of nations committed to doing whatever was necessary to make sure that World War never took a hold of the earth ever again. President Woodrow Wilson worked hard at the idea of this group of countries, and on January 16, 1920, the League of Nations was born – a league of nations committed to the idea of peace.

Ironically, in spite of the work of Woodrow Wilson, the League of Nations held its first meeting, and every other meeting throughout its 27 year existence, without the United States. In the end, the rising Superpower objected to covenant 10 of the charter of the League specifying that the nations of the League would come to the defence of any other member that was attacked by another foreign nation. The idea was that by providing a united front, the nations of the League would make the probability of attack – and a Second World War – less likely. But without the United States, and a parade of nations that entered and left the League throughout its existence, the league ended up failing in its biggest objective - preventing World War II. And the unanswerable question that historians have been left with is this - would the addition of the United States to the League have been enough to keep the nations inside of the League and stop World War II. As Benito Mussolini once remarked, "the League is very well when sparrows shout, but no good at all when eagles fall out." For the world to be healed, it needed to be able to act together as one in the support of peace.

Jeremiah remarks that Babylon was beyond the possibility of being healed. The war that was coming was unavoidable. While Judah’s faith in her God would eventually heal Judah, Nebuchadnezzar would experiment with the faith of Judah, but Babylon would never fully accept the God of the Jews. And in the end, he would be the only hope of Judah or Babylon. Without God, the crisis that loomed in the future was unavoidable. Babylon’s fate was absolute. In the end, the nations would rebel and Babylon would fall as swiftly as it had risen. Peace would be as impossible for Babylon as it was for the world in 1939.

Reality is that the future healing and peace always requires our total commitment. And the truth is that unless we allow God into our lives and our plans, healing and peace will never be available. Nebuchadnezzar’s faith could have led Babylon into a very different future. But without that faith, Babylon’s fall was unavoidable - and the possibility of her healing a distant memory.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 30

So desert creatures and hyenas will live there, and there the owl will dwell. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation. – Jeremiah 50:39

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 15, 2014): Jeremiah 50

The city of Babylon was planted some time prior to 2300 B.C.E. We know the city (or town at that time) existed in 2300 B.C.E. And for most of its existence since then, the city was noting more than a minor administrative center. Babylon was mildly important, but not really important. It was an average city, the capital of a small province. But by the middle of the 7^th century B.C.E., all of that was changing. Babylon, this obscure administrative city was becoming very important. And with the rise of Nebuchadnezzar II (more commonly known as just Nebuchadnezzar), it was not only becoming significant, but it was also becoming powerful.

By the time Jeremiah is writing his prophecy, Babylon had become something like our modern day Washington, D.C. – it was a place where the powerful people gathered. And for those that lived in that time, it was impossible to imagine a world where Babylon was not in control. Nobody in the world was unaware of what was happening in Babylon, and either you served Babylon, or you feared Babylon – or quite possibly you did both.

But Jeremiah’s prophecy was that, while the exiles needed to settle down because they were going to be there for a while, Babylon’s time dominating the world stage was going to be short lived. In fact, the city was not just going to cease being the most important city in the world – it was not just going to return to being the minor, administrative city that it had been through much of the city’s history, it was going to disappear off of the face of the earth.  And Jeremiah also makes another prediction – after Babylon was emptied, it would never be inhabited ever again.

History does not reveal a major battle in which the city is destroyed. But over the next 400 years, the city simply dwindled – people just began to migrate away from the city – until the city of Babylon totally disappeared. By the middle of the 2^nd century B.C.E, no one lived in the city of Babylon anymore. And while it is hard for us to understand what exactly happened historically to the city from our vantage point, it was impossible for the original readers of Jeremiah’s prophecy to imagine such a thing ever happening to the great city of Babylon. But history records that that was exactly what happened.

Over 2000 years after the emptying of the Babylon, the site of the city remains empty. And the truth is that there have been plans throughout history to rebuild the city, but every time something has happened to stop the rebuilding process. Most recently Saddam Hussein made plans to rebuild the city. He characterized himself as the Son of Nebuchadnezzar and he wanted to rebuild the city of his adopted father. But the Gulf War stopped the process. The current plan for the city is to build a tourist center on the site of old Babylon. But as of right now, nothing has happened. And there are currently no plans to make the city a place where the generations live once more – just as Jeremiah prophesied over 2500 years ago.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 51

Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. – Jeremiah 29:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 14, 2014): Jeremiah 29

The events of the Trojan War seemed to catch the imagination of the ancient world. There is no single definitive text about the war. Instead, what we know of it is scattered through many documents, some of which we no longer have available to us for examination - we just know that they once existed because they are mentioned in the writings of others. We are not even sure that the war ever happened. And if it did happen, the events mentioned in the various documents about the conflict are most definitely exaggerated.

But the ancient Greeks definitely seemed to believe that the war was a historical fact. The war was based on the kidnapping of Helen of Sparta from her husband Menelaus, the King of Sparta, by Paris of Troy. According to the story, Paris and Helen had fallen in love with each other. So for the next decade the Greeks and the Trojan would be locked in battle.

The climax of the war was the siege of Troy. Essentially the siege was a deadlock. As long as the Trojans were able to stay behind their walls, there was very little that the Greeks could do. So, one night, the Greeks appeared to give up. They withdrew their armies from Troy and went home. In their place they left “The Trojan Horse.” There was a great debate within Troy concerning what to do with the horse. Some advocated its immediate destruction, but others within the city feared that because it was dedicated to the gods, its destruction would bring calamity to Troy. In the end, the Trojans moved the horse inside of the city walls. And that night, a small contingent of soldiers that had been hidden in the belly of the horse emerged - killing the guards and opening the city gates to the larger Greek Army which had not returned home after all, but rather, were waiting just off shore.

Whether or not the story is true, it does illustrate that sometimes the things that we want to believe are different from what the way that they really are. The story of war is filled with these moments – times when leaders convince themselves that something is true because they want it – and need it – to be true. And so they overlook the dangers and make decisions that should never have been made – such as bringing a huge wooden horse with soldiers hiding in its belly inside the gates of the city.   

At the time of the exile of Judah to Babylon, there was a conflict going on inside of Judah about what it all means. It is a conflict that Jeremiah documents well in his writings. The common message seemed to be that the Babylonian army would fail to take Judah or Jerusalem, but after that message proved to be false, the common message changed to the assertion that the resulting captivity would be short lived. Prophets shouted the message to any that would listen that the exiles would soon be on their way home. After all, they were prisoners of war in a conflict that God would not allow to last for long. If the Trojan Horse showed up in Judah, these were the people who would have welcomed the wooden statue into the city.

Often it seemed that Jeremiah was the lone voice giving the people a very different message (in actuality he wasn’t, Ezekiel and a few others also carried the dissenting message of God to the people of Judah during this period.) But after the city of Jerusalem fell and the exile had begun, Jeremiah writes a letter to the exiles. In the letter he tells them to build houses and plant gardens. His instructions stood against the fair weather prophets instructing the people not to bother, that they would not be in Babylon long enough to make it worthwhile. Why bother to plant a garden when you would be home long before the harvest.

But Jeremiah’s letter tells them something else. He had been right about the invasion armies of Babylon intruding on Judah and about the fall of Jerusalem. And now he was telling them that they would be in Babylon for a while, long enough that they needed to build their houses and plants their gardens. Ultimately, God had provided for them in Judah. And now, if they were obedient, God would provide for them in Babylon. What mattered had never been “the where” – it had always been “the who.”

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 50

Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it … - Jeremiah 28:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 13, 2014): Jeremiah 28

There is a tension between what we can do and what we should do. And often we hear the comment that just because we can do something does not mean that we should do it. In science, the comment often comes in regard to advanced weapons of war – especially weapons of mass destruction. It was the argument that surrounded the development of the Hydrogen and Atomic Bombs. It is also the argument that continues to surround the question of Atomic Energy. We know the positive uses of atomic energy, but we also know the negative uses in war and the great dangers that atomic energy presents to the human race - and so the question remains – just because we can, does not necessarily mean that we should.

In national finances, the question is asked with almost every budget. Just because we have the money, or in a lot of cases are able to borrow the money, that does not necessarily mean that the money should be spent in these areas. Can does not mean should.

As a prophet, the tension was immense between can and should. The king would pressure the prophet to speak in favor of his policies and the future of his nation. And it was not just an egotistic wish that the prophet would stroke the ego of the king. But if the prophet would stand with the king, it gave a very positive energy throughout entire reach of the nation. So the pressure to support was considerable. And the prophet had to make a choice. He could support the king, but should he? And the question was really settled by the prophet’s relationship with his God. The prophet was supposed to speak with the voice of God, but that assumed that the prophet was close enough to God to be able to hear his voice.

Hananiah removes the yoke from the shoulders of Jeremiah and breaks it. The message was that Jeremiah was clearly wrong. Hananiah asserts that he had heard the voice of God and God wished to support the king. And deep down I think that Jeremiah wished that Hananiah was right, he wished that he could give support to the king – even if the king was not honoring God. But Jeremiah had heard the voice of God, and the prophecy was that Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was not fighting against the wishes of God. The yoke that was about to be put on the shoulders of Judah would not be so easily broken just because Hananiah wished to do it.

We are still charged with speaking the will of God into our culture, no matter how uncomfortable that might make us. Speaking to the world about a God who loves them is always what we should – and can – do.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29

All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him. – Jeremiah 27:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 12, 2014): Jeremiah 27

Benedict Arnold wrote an open letter to the American people on October 7, 1780 (the letter was published in the New York Royal Gazette on October 11.) The purpose of the letter was to give Arnold’s reasons for his action of betrayal during the American Revolutionary War. In the letter, Arnold stressed that he had favored the war of independence because there were some legitimate grievances that the colony had against the British. But that once those problems had been addressed, there was no longer any need for the war to continue. And yet the war did precisely that – it continued. Arnold also objected to the American alliance with France, depicting Catholic France as the enemy of the Protestant Faith. And for these reasons, Benedict Arnold was set to act against the United States.

I am sure that some people turn into traitors for money, but I suspect that most have either personal or ideological reasons behind their actions. There needs to be something more compelling than just money for a patriot to turn traitor.

Jeremiah comes with a message from God, and it must have seemed like just more evidence that Jeremiah had betrayed his nation. Maybe it was just because he was angry with the king and the king’s court. Maybe he felt that he had been cut out of religious structure of the nation. But either way Jeremiah must have seemed like someone with an anger problem against the kings of Judah and the surrounding nations who had decided to back Nebuchadnezzar – probably the very one that the kings were currently trying to band together to protect themselves against.

But in this case, the problem was actually one of allegiance. Jeremiah was not really a traitor to Judah. His allegiance had never been to Judah, even though that was his home. His allegiance had always been to God. And it was God that was sending Judah into exile in Babylon. But Jeremiah’s behavior had never led the power structure in Judah to believe that this allegiance could have been to anyone else but God.

It is the uncomfortable fact of our faith. We may live in a nation – even in a nation that we love. But our allegiance is to our God. It has to be – it can’t be given to anyone else.      

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 28

My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. – Jeremiah 24:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 11, 2014): Jeremiah 24

A Japanese proverb says that “we learn little from victory, much from defeat.” If it were not for the defeats in life, we would not grow in any of the areas of our lives. Our growth, to a great degree, depends on the challenges that we face. Challenges and defeats help us to fine tune our behavior – and help us to identify bad behavioral strategies. All of this happens, that is, as long as we admit that we have been defeated.

And apparently defeat is a plan that God uses to strengthen his people. As Jeremiah watches the first of the people to be carried into exile, God stresses that the purpose of the Babylonian Captivity is not to destroy Israel; it was to protect them. In the end they would come back stronger. And this wasn’t the first time that God had used the strategy. Back in the very beginning of the nation, Israel was faced with the challenge of being absorbed by the much larger and stronger Canaanite nations. God’s plan then involved sending this family group into exile in Egypt. There the nation would grow and mature, and at the same time be isolated in a group and able to bond together into a national unit. The result was that 400 years later they were a nation that was capable of holding their own in Canaan – even if they doubted that fact themselves. And into this situation steps Moses - to lead Israel into their future.

In Jeremiah’s day, the nation was under threat one more time. This time they were about to be swallowed up by a wave of idolatry. And God decides to repeat the strategy one more time. He takes the best and brightest and allows them to be taken into Babylon. There, God promised to protect them. Meanwhile, Jerusalem and the surrounding area would be cleansed. The seed that was the future of Israel was to be protected until the time came for the nation to be planted once again in the Promised Land.

The problem from the point of view of Israel was that it felt like the biggest failure of the nation, not a moment that God was in control of – or a moment that was to be a stepping off point into the nation’s future. And just as when Israel was in Egypt, the time came to raise up Moses and Aaron, when the time was ready God had plans to raise up leaders like Nehemiah, Ezra and Zerubbabel to lead the nation back home one more time.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 27

“Therefore,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.” – Jeremiah 23:30

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 10, 2014): Jeremiah 23

In November, 1970, George Harrison released his first single as a solo artist. The song was “My Sweet Lord.” The song was actually intended to be a sort of bridge between Christianity, Judaism and the Eastern religions – specifically Hinduism and the Krishna Consciousness. The bridge comes in a chant which combines both the Hare Krishna chant and Vedic prayer with the word Hallelujah used in Christian and Jewish settings. The question inherent in the song is this – aren’t we talking about the same thing?

But what we remember about the song is the copyright struggle over the song after it was released. People started to notice that there were similarities between Harrison’s song and the Chiffon’s song “He’s So Fine.” The lawsuit was messy and in the end it was the judgment of the court that Harrison had unconsciously copied the Chiffon’s song. The penalty for this unintended infraction was steep, but maybe the greatest effect of the lawsuit was on Harrison himself. Harrison commented after the court case was finished that he was afraid to write another song for a long period of time afterward – afraid that he would unconsciously copy someone else once again.

God declares through Jeremiah that he does not want his prophets to copy other people’s words. His prophets have to be willing to struggle with the ideas of God on their own. It is not that all the words of the prophets were wrong, but when we don’t struggle to make the words our own, we copy the mistakes as well as what is right. And if we continue to copy without struggling with the words and making sure that they are from God, it often seems that it is the mistakes that add up.

God created each one of us as originals, and he wants us to be just that – originals. We are not supposed to just adopt the beliefs of those around us. We are designed to puzzle and argue, and to not be afraid of those that might have a different opinion as we seek out the things of God. While we may not agree with George Harrison’s attempt to combine the God of the Christians with everything that attracted him about Hinduism, but “My Sweet Lord” stands as evidence that at least Harrison was struggling with the question. And God’s promise to us is that if we will take the time necessary for the struggle – then he will be with us for every step of the process.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 24

This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. – Jeremiah 22:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 9, 2014): Jeremiah 22

In November 1937, Prince Yasuhiko Asaka took control of the Japanese forces in China. He was placed in temporary command because of the illness of General Iwane Matsui. Because of the change in leadership, it was Asaka that was in command of the Japanese forces as they entered into the Capital of the Republic of China – Nanking (now Nanjing) in early December of 1937. The Chinese had made the decision not to defend Nanking after the fall of Shanghai because they felt the city was not in place where the defense of the capital made any logical sense. No matter what the Chinese Army did, there was no eventual reality where the city did not fall to the approaching Japanese forces. But what happened in Nanking in late 1937 and early 1938 was unthinkable.

The event has been called the “Massacre of Nanking” or the “Rape of Nanking.” The reason for the massacre was complex. The Japanese had been moving too fast. The supply line behind them had not been secured and there were no reserve forces to be brought up to the front of the battle. And in the midst of all of this Prince Asaka allegedly issues the order to “kill the captives.” Whether or not it was really Asaka that issued the order, we will probably never know. But the whole world watched what happened over a six week time after the order was given. Estimates vary. But more than 200,000 civilians were killed, and 20,000 women ranging in age from children to the elderly were raped as well as the military personnel that were executed. All together, the death toll in Nanking was over 300,000 people. And there is no way to justify the events.

Jeremiah brings his people the word coming from God. Do what is just and right. Avoid the killing of the innocent, rescue the oppressed and be concerned for the vulnerable. Even the foreigner was given the protection of God. Our reality is that we are close to the character of God when we engage in these things. In a massacre like happened in Nanking, the will of God is never accomplished.

Because he was a member of the royal family, Prince Asaka was immune from punishment. Later in life he would convert to Roman Catholicism – making him the first person of the imperial family to do so. General Iwane Matsui was not so lucky. In reviewing the aftermath of the Battle for Nanking, Matsui said to an aid "I now realize that we have unknowingly wrought a most grievous effect on this city. When I think of the feelings and sentiments of many of my Chinese friends who have fled from Nanking and of the future of the two countries, I cannot but feel depressed. I am very lonely and can never get in a mood to rejoice about this victory." General Matsui was found guilty of war crimes. His trial concluded with the judgment that Matsui knew what was happening in Nanking and failed to do anything to stop it. He was executed on December 23, 1948 at the age of 70 for his failure to protect the innocent.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 23