Author: Dave M Price

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Chapters of Wrath

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 46-48

Daily Thought

God utilized the enemies of Israel to discipline his children, but it does not make virtuous the enemies’ violence. These nations were all too willing to strike God’s chosen, and lest they glory in their victories, the Lord executes the promise of retribution he gave to Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse” (Genesis 12:3). God’s sword now turns toward justice against the Egyptians and the Philistines, the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, Elam, and Babylon.

These nations assaulted Israel and ought fear the looming wrath of God and run. And run they will, but “he who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare (Jeremiah 48:44). Out of the frying pan, into the fire, so to speak, and God’s judgment is sure. There will be no place to run, hide, or escape. 

God’s terror of righteousness against those opposed to righteousness creates an awful clamor, and Jeremiah cries, “Ah, sword of the Lord! How long till you are quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard; rest and be still!” (Jeremiah 47:6). The Bible is a book of love, yet there are chapters of wrath, and this must be. A holy love demands a holy hatred of evil. “How can it be quiet when the Lord has given it a charge?” (Jeremiah 47:7), responds the Almighty. These nations desired neither grace nor God, and thus, the sword.

Daily Prayer

Righteous God of Justice, You are holy. Thank You for salvation, because I deserve Your wrath. My righteousness does not measure up–it is as filthy rags. And my unrighteousness, well, I’m good at that. You have covered my sin by the blood of Your Son who took my sins and, thus, bore Your wrath. There is, therefore, now no condemnation because Your justice is true and satisfied and the righteousness of Your Son is now mine. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2Corinthians 5:21). Thank You.

Amen

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God Is Always Late

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 42-45

Daily Thought

The nation of Judah had been carried off in captivity to Babylon with only a small remnant left behind in the land of Israel. The prophet Jeremiah remained with the remnant. Fearful that Babylon would return against them, the remnant of Judah favored seeking refuge in Egypt, but requested Jeremiah first ask God if they should go. They vowed before the prophet, “Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God” (Jeremiah 42:6).

God responded, instructing them to remain in the land, “Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not fear him, declares the Lord, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand” (Jeremiah 42:11). A short time later, “they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord” (Jeremiah 43:7). The people vowed to obey, then rebelled when God answered. What happened?

The answer is found between the request and the rebellion, “at the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah” (Jeremiah 42:7). God is always late (it seems), because “‘my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8)). In our prayers, we seek answers. In our prayers, God seeks faith. 

The silence tested their faith. God took ten days to answer, which gave the people ten days to ponder whom they feared, and they feared the Babylonians they could see more than they feared the God they could not, so they disobeyed the word of God. Time is a test of faith. They should have waited.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” ~Hebrews 11:1

Daily Prayer

Almighty God, You are forever faithful and true. I place my trust in You because You are the Rock, the Solid Foundation on which to build my life.

You are my God and I will wait for You and Your Word, because it is worth the wait. You are my God. I will place my faith in the One who is always faithful.

Amen

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The Simple Certainty

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 38-41

Daily Thought

Jeremiah’s prophetic warning is summarized in one proclamation: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day’” (Jeremiah 39:16). When the day arrives and Judah at long last falls to Babylon, it is recorded in a perfunctory cadence, “In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it. In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city” (Jeremiah 39:1-2). There is no joy in judgment, but a simple certainty that God is true to his word.

The same applies not only in judgment, but salvation as well. “But I will deliver you on that day” (Jeremiah 39:17), declares the Lord to Jeremiah, short and sweet, and there is found the joy, a simple certainty that God is true to his word.

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up. ~1Thessalonians 5:9-11

Daily Prayer

My God, thank You so much for salvation, saving me from the judgment I deserve. The future is certain, but which certain is up to me and Who I follow. I choose You.

May my life lead others to follow, as well. God, Your Word is true, and it is good.

Amen

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Rebellion

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 35-37

Daily Thought

The sin common to all is unbelief. It may be a lack of faith in God’s good intent, fooling myself that I know better what will satisfy my desire; or it is a disbelief in the certainty and finality of God’s judgment, brushing aside “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), as Eve did when she trusted the serpent above God. “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). Yes you will. 

This common sin is a terrible sin, yet there is worse, and that is a sin of rebellion. Rebellion is not unbelief; rather it believes and rejects. Jehoiakim “was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2Kings 23:36-37). His reign was the end of the road for Judah, yet God was still extending grace. The Lord instructed Jeremiah, “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin” (Jeremiah 36:2-3). One last chance.

The scroll was read to the people of Judah, and they responded rightly, with fear and fasting, until the scroll came to the king. As the scroll was read to the king, three or four columns at a time, “the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire” (Jeremiah 36:23).

The sin rooted in rebellion is Satan’s sin, a defiance that says, “I believe God, and his way is true, even good, but I prefer my way because I prefer me.”

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, Your Word is life itself. It lights the path in front of me and leads me in the way everlasting. It is good, and it is good for me. I will read it and hear it, listen to it and follow it. I will put it in my heart and meditate on it.

There are other words, other advisers, calling out to me, distracting me from Your Word and Your way. What they offer sounds fun and free, worldly and wonderful. May I choose what is heavenly and good, what comes from faith and gives hope. May I choose Your joy and Your love. May I choose You.

Amen

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Trust and Treasure Go Together

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 32-34

Daily Thought

Jeremiah spoke a terrible and terrifying truth, “Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am giving this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall capture it. The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come and set this city on fire and burn it” (Jeremiah 32:28-29). Then he spoke of a hope and a future, “Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God” (Jeremiah 32:37-38). It was a package deal. As sure as there was something terrible about to happen, (Jeremiah 32:2, “the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem” at that very moment”), there was a certain hope to come.

So sure was Jeremiah of the truth of his word that he put his money where his mouth was, he put his treasure into the land of Israel, “I bought the field at Anathoth from Hanamel my cousin, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales” (Jeremiah 32:9-10). He would have a place to build when he returned.

There is a coming judgment of my deeds, and there is good news of God’s Kingdom through the grace of Jesus Christ. How sure I am of God is revealed by where I put my treasure.

Daily Prayer

My God, Creator of all, Creator of me, You and You alone are worthy of my worship and devotion. Everything I see is awesome. I know I use that word a lot, but it truly applies to Your handiwork. I am awe-struck at the majesty, the intricacy, the wisdom, the beauty.

I have concerns, needs, issues, problems in my life. We all do. No wonder we pray to You. You have created a grand universe, and paid attention to the tiniest details. I can trust you with anything, big or small. How I spend my money and my time reveals my trust in You. I trust You with me, all of me, all that I have.

Amen

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Sunrise, Sunset

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 30-31

Daily Thought

Thus says the Lord,
who gives the sun for light by day
and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the Lord of hosts is his name. ~Jeremiah 31:35 

It says sunrise will occur at 6:32am, so I show up at 6:30 and wait. Five minutes pass, I check my watch, and still no sun. Here is what I know: either my watch is wrong or the charts were wrong, or maybe I am facing west. The sun is not wrong. It shows up exactly on schedule every morning. You can bet your life on it; in fact, God says you should: 

“If this fixed order departs
from before me,” declares the Lord,
“then shall the offspring of Israel cease
from being a nation before me forever.” ~Jeremiah 31:36

Judah sinned and was taken captive by God’s enemies. Would God remain faithful to them, they wondered, even though they were not faithful to him? Jeremiah assures them God fastens his promises to the universe; more sure is his Word than the sun and the moon and the stars. “This is the day that the Lord has made,” proclaims the Psalms. Every sunrise is a promise kept, a daily reminder that God is true.  “Let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

Daily Prayer

My God, You are true and right and good. By Your breath this world came into existence, and Your Son holds it together. “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). You are faithful and true. When You declare what will happen, it will happen.

I place my trust in You, O God, because there is no foundation more sure. So much is outside of my control, I would feel helpless and hopeless, but I know that You, my God, are sovereign. You have declared the end from the beginning, so that I may always live in the wonderful hope of things to come.

Amen

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Most Blessed

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 26-29

Daily Thought

God was teaching the Hebrews in captivity what they had failed to learn in freedom. Israel was created by the promise of God, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2). The nation liked being blessed; they did not care much, however, to be a blessing.

When I was hired for my first job, I thought the company existed in order to provide me with a paycheck. My dad straightened me out, “Son, you work for them. They don’t work for you.” My employer, he explained, exists to make a product and a profit. The better they are at what they do, the better they will take care of their employees. Dad taught me making the success of a company my goal is the best way to find my success.

Judah would be captive in Babylon for seventy years. Jeremiah’s advise to Judah was Dad’s advise to me, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare’” (Jeremiah 29:7). Be a blessing first. Your blessings follow. In fact, the most blessed in life are those who bless others most.

Daily Prayer

Father God, You made me to do Your work and will in the world. You gave humans mastery over creation, to subdue it and care for it, to populate it and enjoy it. We failed badly. We thought of ourselves first, and wanted the world to serve us, and this is how we have acted on our own ever since. It is how I act on my own.

Thank You for not leaving me on my own. You put my self-centered actions to death on the cross, and now You are working on the desires that remain. You are changing me from the inside out, teaching me grace and humility and compassion. I don’t make it easy, but thank You for persisting. Do what it takes, God, whatever it is. Make me a blessing to others and a testimony to Your grace.

Amen

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Righteousness

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 23-25

Daily Thought

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” ~Jeremiah 23:5-6

Jeremiah speaks of Jesus and it is good that God will make him king because we would never elect him. Not with that slogan. Browse our bumper stickers and web banners and you will find words such as hope and peace and love and justice, but never righteousness. We do not place value in righteousness. 

We bought our first home and it needed a retaining wall in the backyard, so I headed to Home Depot with the measurements. I gave the clerk the height and length of the wall and he sold me the blocks. Too many blocks, I thought, and I questioned him and discovered an additional row of blocks called the footer must be buried underground. I did not like to pay for a row of blocks that would never be seen, but the wall would never stand without them. 

This is righteousness. It is not for show (Matthew 6:1, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them”) and comes with a cost (Matthew 5:10, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake”), righteousness is buried beneath the surface, but hope and peace and love and justice will not stand without it. 

Daily Prayer

My Heavenly Father, Your Word is good, it fills me and keeps me going. It is what I live on. That’s what Jesus said, more than bread, every word from Your mouth gives me a life that is full and vibrant.

May I feast on what the right food, what brings light and life into my world, rather than the dark and empty words that waste to nothing. May I fill myself with words of hope and faith and love, grace and truth, justice and righteousness.

Amen

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True Love

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 18-22

Daily Thought

God makes as a condition of Judah’s judgment their goodness to others, that they will treat well those who are lost, harmed, poor, and abused. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place’” (Jeremiah 22:3). Yet later, when asked why they are being judged, the answer is, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them” (Jeremiah 22:9). So, which is it that brings judgment against Judah, their indifference toward others or their idolatry against God?

Jesus was asked which commandment is greatest. He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” But he wasn’t finished, “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). Two commandments, together the greatest, essential to each other, neither stands alone. Indifference is idolatry; compassion is worship.

“The righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” ~Matthew 25:37-40

Our love for God is only as true as it is displayed in our love for others, and our love for others is only as true as our devotion to God and his ways. 

Daily Prayer

Wonderful God, I am learning to love You better by learning to love others more. You are teaching me humility and service by doing it Yourself first. I would not know You unless You had sacrificed Yourself for me; You loved me that much. May I love that much.

I cannot worship my Creator without caring for those You created, those who bear Your very image. May I love actively, seeking opportunities to serve and to share. May others find You in my actions toward them, recognizing Your grace and goodness in all I do.

Amen

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A New Heart

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 14-17

Daily Thought

If you do a thing often enough, you become that thing. Pick up a basketball, practice and play, and, in time, you will become a basketball player. So, also, a pianist, a writer, a welder, and, yes, a sinner. It is argued that there are no bad people, rather people do bad things; however do a bad thing often enough, it will become part of who you are. “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars” (Jeremiah 17:1). The heart in Jewish thought is the essence of you. Doing is becoming. Sin leaves a deep mark. Jeremiah etched with a diamond-tipped pen the sins of Judah on the stone horns of the altar, as sin itself has left its indelible mark on the hearts of the people.

Habits can be broken, but the heart requires more; “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Jeremiah cries for a surgeon, a Savior, because more than changing habits, he is healing hearts, “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved” (Jeremiah 17:14). A Savior will come, one who can and will, if you let him, erase what has been written and write something new, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). Let him create a new you with new habits, repetitions of righteousness that change your heart.

Daily Prayer

Holy God, lead me in Your ways; change my heart. May I desire good, may I love deeply, as You do, so that my heart will be holy and righteous. I cannot do this, I need Someone who knows me better than I know myself. I am deceived by my own heart; You designed me for better than this. Take over, God.

Teach me new things, build in me new habits, create in me a new heart, O God.

Amen