Christ in Daniel: The Smiting Stone

Almost any child who has ever attended Sunday School can tell you the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, as well as the story of Daniel in the lion’s den.  I love those stories, and they both point us to Jesus.  The book of Daniel is full of pictures of Him -- not only in those two stories of real events that happened during Daniel’s life in Babylon, but also in the dream that Daniel interpreted for King Nebuchadnezzar and also in his own dreams and visions.  Those dreams and visions were prophecies of events that were to occur in the future.  Some of those prophecies came to fruition during Daniel’s life:  The downfall of Nebuchadnezzar, the fall of the Babylonian Empire, the rise of the Medo-Persian Empire, the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem.  Many more of Daniel’s prophecies have come to pass since then:  The rise of the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great, the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the coming of Christ and His death and resurrection, God’s blessings of the Gentiles.  And many more of Daniel’s prophecies are yet to occur, but we can be assured that they will: The rapture of the church, the coming of the antichrist, the great tribulation, the second coming of Jesus Christ, His eternal Kingdom.

In the story of the flaming furnace, the three men who would not bow down to the golden idol were condemned to die by fire, but the pre-incarnate Jesus was with them in the fire, protecting them.  They emerged from the furnace unharmed, not even smelling of smoke.  Their experience was a testimony to the king, causing him to bow down and worship God, The King of Kings:

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste and spoke, and said unto his counselors, “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said unto the king, “True, O king.”  He answered and said, “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. . . And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed nor had the smell of fire passed onto them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree that every people, nation, and language which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses shall be made a dunghill, because there is no other God who can deliver in this way.”  (Daniel 3:23-25, 27-29)

Jesus does the same for us today.  When we allow Jesus to be Lord of our lives, even when we are in distress, He will give us the joy of His salvation which gives us the strength to face adversity with grace and dignity.  He does not promise us that we will always emerge from persecution without “being burned or smelling of smoke.”  To the contrary, many Christians have suffered because of their faith, and, sadly we are seeing the number of Christians who are martyred for their faith increase daily.  But God’s word does promise us that He will be with us in our suffering and that He will use it to His glory:

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. . . Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this account.  (1 Peter 4:12-13, 16)

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this: that the trying of your faith worketh patience. (James 1:2-3)

Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him; if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us; (2 Timothy 2:10-12)

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God; and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so it be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:16-18)

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)

Followers of the One True God have been persecuted and condemned by kings and rulers since the day Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden.  We can be assured that persecution, ridicule, marginalization, and even martyrdom will continue until the end of this age.  But we are promised that this age will end.  Daniel’s interpretation of the king’s dream, as well as his own dream, assures us that all kingdoms of men will one day be conquered.  We can look forward to the day that Christ, The Smiting Stone, will return and destroy the kingdoms and nations of this world, and rule His Kingdom in perfect righteousness and peace:

“Thou sawest until a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces. . . And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Inasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. And the dream is certain and the interpretation thereof sure.” (Daniel 2:34, 44-45)

And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in Heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15)

There are many other references to Christ in Daniel.  Why not read the book for yourself and see how many you can find?  Here’s a hint to get you started.  Read the story of Daniel in the lion’s den (chapter 7) and see how many similarities you can find with Christ.  To start you off, look for how they were both blameless, both set up for trial by powerful men, both thrown into a hole in the ground that was sealed by a stone, and both emerged alive…

My prayer for you and for me this week is Daniel’s prayer, from Daniel 9:4-5, 18.  It is a prayer of confession, for we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.  And it is also a prayer for mercy, knowing that God loves us in spite of our sin, and that He will forgive us if we will trust in Him and Him alone:

“O Lord, the great and fearsome God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him and to them that keep His commandments, we have sinned and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments . . . O my God, incline Thine ear and hear. Open Thine eyes and behold our desolations and the city which is called by Thy name; for we do not present our supplications before Thee because of our righteousnesses, but because of Thy great mercies.

All scripture is from the 21^st Century King James Version.

Christ in Ezekiel: The Coming King

The prophet Ezekiel was a contemporary of Jeremiah and Daniel, and God spoke to him and all the other prophets in much the same way.  God used Ezekiel to warn the people of His coming judgment against Jerusalem, and to assure them of His unfailing love and provision for eternity to come.  The book of Ezekiel can be divided into about five segments:  1. Ezekiel's call by God; 2. Prophesies against Judah and Jerusalem; 3. Prophesies against other nations; 4. Prophesies of the restoration of Israel; and 5. Prophecies of the Millennial Kingdom.  Jesus Christ can be seen throughout this book and even in Ezekiel himself, as a type of Christ.  But it would take a book to cover all the ways that we see Christ in Ezekiel, so we will focus on only a few.

To begin with, in the very first chapter, as Ezekiel is telling us that his instructions came from God, we see that it was Jesus Himself, the pre-incarnate Christ, in all His magnificent glory who spoke to Ezekiel:

Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man . . . As for the likeness of their faces, all four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side, and all four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. (Ezek. 1:5, 10)

Who could this describe but Jesus?  The “face of a man” describes Jesus, the Son of Man, the God-Man, the Word made Flesh; the “face of a lion” symbolizes the King, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah; the “face of an ox” symbolizes the Servant of God, the Suffering Servant who came to serve, not to be served, “to give His life a ransom for many;” and the “face of an eagle” represents power, triumph, and royalty.  Who embodies all of these traits but Jesus?

And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, with the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness in appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the color of amber, with the appearance of fire round about within it. From the appearance of His loins even upward and from the appearance of His loins even downward, I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of One who spoke. (Ezek. 126-28)

Compare Ezekiel’s description with that of John as he describes Christ in his vision of Heaven:

And immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was set in Heaven, and One sat on the throne. (Revelation 4:2)

His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were as a flame of fire. (Revelation 1:14)

And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices. (Revelation 4:5a)

(Don’t get too bogged down in all the seemingly symbolic language that Ezekiel and John used.  Some people have read the first chapter of Ezekiel and claimed that he was taken captive by extra-terrestrial beings in a flying saucer.  That is ridiculous.  Just take what you read at face value – both Ezekiel and John were given the privilege of seeing God in all His glory, seated on His throne in Heaven.  There is nothing on earth, no words in any language that can adequately describe or compare to what Ezekiel and John saw.)

Both Ezekiel and Jesus rebuked the priests, calling them false shepherds.  And God told Ezekiel that He is The Good Shepherd:

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds: Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? (Ezek. 34:1-2)

For thus saith the Lord God: Behold I, even I, will both search My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock on the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek out My sheep and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered on the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be; there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.  (Ezek. 34:11-15)

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (Matthew 7:15)

Then said Jesus unto them again, “Verily, verily I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not but to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.” (John 10:7-11)

Ezekiel told the people of Israel that they would not have a king again until Messiah comes:

I will overturn, overturn, overturn it. And it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it to Him. (Ezek. 21:27)

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the living beings and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength, and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature which is in heaven and on the earth, and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, saying, “Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:11-13)

The book of Ezekiel can be intimidating because of all the symbolic language and because much of his prophecy is yet to be fulfilled.  So read this book prayerfully.  Don’t try to rush through it, but study it, looking at the footnotes in your bible and perhaps even using some commentaries.  Be careful that the commentaries you use are supported by the Bible as a whole.  Don’t try to read something into this book that was not intended.  There are parts of it that we will not fully understand until we see all of the prophecy fulfilled.  So don’t get hung up on debates or questions to which no human has definitive answers.  Look at the big picture – God is judging this world for our disobedience; all of creation suffers because of sin; God is just; God is sovereign; God is longsuffering and patient, but He will judge this world; God loves us so much that He sent His Son to take the punishment for our sin; Christ will return to establish His kingdom on earth – the Millennial Kingdom; Satan and his demons are defeated and will be thrown into the pit of hell; Jesus will rule and reign in Heaven forever and ever; Those of us who have made Him our King will spend eternity with Him.

My prayer for you and for me this week is taken from Ezekiel 11:19-20: 

Heavenly Father,
(Give us) one heart, and . . . put a new spirit within (us); and . . . take the stony heart out of (our) flesh, and will give (us) a heart of flesh, that (we) may walk in (Your) statutes and keep (Your) ordinances, and do them. And (we) shall be (Your) people, and (You) will be (our) God.

 All scripture is from 21^st Century King James Version.

Christ in Lamentations: Our Comfort

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, saw his prophecy of the fall of Judah realized in 586 B.C.  In the book of Lamentations, he very effectively described the desolation of the city of Jerusalem and the punishment of her people by God.  Don’t kid yourself.  The enemies of Judah did not punish her, but God did.  He used Babylon to overtake His chosen people as punishment for their rejection of Him, but Babylon is not even mentioned by name in this book.  Many people today want to acknowledge only the loving nature of God, completely ignoring the fact that He is also just and righteous.  He will not tolerate sin and disobedience.  And the book of Lamentations is a picture of His judgment against an unrepentant people.  But in addition to the theme of judgment, we also see in Lamentations the theme of hope in God’s great compassion and faithfulness.  The book ends in the last three verses with Jeremiah pleading for God’s restoration and renewal, even though the people of Judah did not deserve to be restored.  He was pleading for God’s grace, His undeserved favor.  Even though this book was written by Jeremiah as he mourned the downfall of Judah, we should read it today as a warning to ourselves.  God does not change.  Malachi 3:6a says, “I am the Lord, and I do not change;” and James 1:17 says, “Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. These gifts come down from the Father, the creator of the heavenly lights, in whose character there is no change at all.”  He still punishes disobedience and rejection.  But He still offers us hope because of His grace when we repent and come to Him.

Jeremiah wept over the destruction of Jerusalem, as we see in the entire book of Lamentations, but specifically in the following verses:

Because of all these things I’m crying. My eyes, my own eyes pour water because a comforter who might encourage me is nowhere near. (Lam. 1:16a)

My eyes are worn out from weeping. (Lam. 2:11a)

Streams of water pour from my eyes because of the destruction of the daughter of my people. My eyes flow and don’t stop. There is no relief until the Lord looks down from the heavens and notices. My eyes hurt me because of what’s happened to my city’s daughters. (Lam. 3:48-51)

Jesus also wept over Jerusalem as He saw her rejection of Himself, and since He knew that she would once again be destroyed, this time by the Romans in 70 A.D.: 

As Jesus came to the city and observed it, he wept over it. He said, “If only you knew on this of all days the things that lead to peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes. The time will come when your enemies will build fortifications around you, encircle you, and attack you from all sides. They will crush you completely, you and the people within you. They won’t leave one stone on top of another within you, because you didn’t recognize the time of your gracious visit from God.” (Luke 19:41-44) 

Jeremiah was comforted by knowing that God is faithful and compassionate:

Certainly the faithful love of the Lord hasn’t ended; certainly God’s compassion isn’t through! They are renewed every morning. Great is your faithfulness. I think: The Lord is my portion! Therefore, I’ll wait for him. The Lord is good to those who hope in him, to the person who seeks him. (Lam. 3:22-25)

Jesus said:

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4, King James Version)

I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world. (John 16:33)

And Paul wrote about Jesus Christ:

May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! He is the compassionate Father and God of all comfort. He’s the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God. That is because we receive so much comfort through Christ in the same way that we share so many of Christ’s sufferings. So if we have trouble, it is to bring you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is to bring you comfort from the experience of endurance while you go through the same sufferings that we also suffer. Our hope for you is certain, because we know that as you are partners in suffering, so also you are partners in comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

And John wrote about the comfort Jesus will give us in Heaven:

They won’t hunger or thirst anymore. No sun or scorching heat will beat down on them, because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:16-17) 

Jeremiah trusted in God to provide his salvation through mercy and grace.  Read the following verse carefully.  Notice that Jeremiah is asking God to provide the means for reconciliation with Himself, despite the sinfulness of His people.  He is not asking, "What can I do to be reconciled to God," but rather "God, return us to yourself.":

Return us, Lord, to yourself. Please let us return! Give us new days, like those long ago. (Lam. 5:21)

When God sent His Son to die for us, He provided the means for reconciliation with Himself, despite our sinfulness:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18, King James Version)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, King James Version) 

However, we know that a person isn’t made righteous by the works of the Law but rather through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. We ourselves believed in Christ Jesus so that we could be made righteous by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the Law—because no one will be made righteous by the works of the Law. (Galations 2:16)

This week, my prayer for you and for myself is from 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17:

Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work.

All Scripture is from Common English Bible except where otherwise indicated.

Christ in Jeremiah: The Lord Our Righteousness

The second of the Major Prophets was Jeremiah, and the first of his books is the book named for him.  In the book of Jeremiah, we see his despair over Judah and their complete abandonment of God.  They had become complacent, proud, and self-centered.  They saw the Temple of God as more of a good luck charm than a place of worship and adoration of God Almighty.  Much like many Christians today who go to church on Sunday and think they have done their weekly (or monthly, or yearly) duty to God, leaving their faith and their “spiritual lives” at the church door, only to be revisited the next time they decide to darken the door of the church, all the while attempting to live life on their own terms between visits with God.  I see so many parallels between today’s society and the people to whom Jeremiah preached.  If my faith was not so strongly anchored in God and His love for His people, it would be frightening.  But I will leave that part of this book for you to read for yourself.  Just be aware as you read Jeremiah that his prophecies, like those of Isaiah, are not in chronological order.  He prophesied at irregular intervals for over 40 years, beginning about 60 years after Isaiah’s death.  He witnessed the fall of the Assyrian Empire and the rise of the Babylonian Empire.  He predicted and eventually witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by Babylon.  He prophesied during the reigns of six kings and governors of Jerusalem.  He was taken captive by the Jews who fled Jerusalem under the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, taken to Egypt where he continued to prophecy, and there he died.  Some of his prophecies concern the second coming of Christ, so we can still, all these years later, look forward to many of the events Jeremiah tells us about.

But in keeping with my goal of looking for Christ in every book of God’s Word, I will, as briefly and concisely as possible, point out some of the many ways that we see Jesus in Jeremiah. 

First of all, we will look at how Jeremiah was a “type” of Christ – not that he was a pre-incarnate Jesus, but rather, he was a “picture” or an “illustration” of Christ.  Remember, an illustration is never as good as the real thing, so the one who is foreshadowed is always superior to the “type.”  

• Both Jeremiah and Jesus wept over God’s city and His people:

Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! (Jer. 9:1, American Standard Version)

But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because Jehovah's flock is taken captive. (Jer. 13:17, American Standard Version)

And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it (Luke 19:41, American Standard Version)

• Both Jeremiah and Jesus were called false prophets:

So why haven’t you threatened Jeremiah of Anathoth, who pretends to be a prophet among you? (Jer. 29:27, Common English Bible)

The Jewish opposition said to Jesus, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham and the prophets died, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never die.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died and the prophets died, so who do you make yourself out to be?” (John 8:52-53, Common English Bible)

• Both Jeremiah and Jesus were mocked, insulted, and rejected:

Now I’m laughed at all the time; everyone mocks me. (Jer. 20:7b, Common English Bible) 

The men who were holding Jesus in custody taunted him while they beat him. They blindfolded him and asked him repeatedly, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” Insulting him, they said many other horrible things against him. (Luke 22:63-65, Common English Bible)

• The enemies of both Jeremiah and Jesus tried to trick them by twisting what they said:

I hear many whispering — “Panic Lurks Everywhere! — proclaim, yes, let’s proclaim it ourselves!” All my friends are waiting for me to stumble: “Perhaps he can be enticed. Then we’ll prevail against him and get our revenge on him!” (Jer. 20:10, Common English Bible)

As he left there, the legal experts and Pharisees began to resent him deeply and to ask him pointed questions about many things. They plotted against him, trying to trap him in his words. (Luke 11:53-54, Common English Bible)

• Both Jeremiah and Jesus were innocent:

Only know for certain that if you sentence me to death, you and the people of this city will be guilty of killing an innocent man. (Jer. 26:15a, Common English Bible)

When Judas, who betrayed Jesus, saw that Jesus was condemned to die, he felt deep regret. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, and said, “I did wrong because I betrayed an innocent man.” (Matthew 27:3-4, Common English Bible)

• Both Jeremiah and Jesus were plotted against:

Lord, you know all their murderous plots against me. (Jer. 18:23a, The Living Bible) 

So from that time on the Jewish leaders began plotting Jesus’ death. (John 11:53, The Living Bible)

• Both Jeremiah and Jesus were led as lambs to be slaughtered:

But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. (Jer. 11:19a, English Standard Version)

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (Isaiah 53:7, King James Version)

So he went back inside the palace and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus did not answer him. (John 19:9, Easy to Read Version)

Secondly, we see Christ in the book of Jeremiah in the many prophecies written about Him.  As I said before, some of those prophecies are still yet to be fulfilled, and we are waiting with great excitement for the day that Jeremiah's prophecy will be completely unveiled.  But here I will show you only a few of the many things Jeremiah told us about Christ, close to 600 years before He was born:

• Jeremiah said that Christ is God:

And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ (Jer. 23:6c, English Standard Version) 

I and the Father are one. (John 10:30, English Standard Version)

• Jeremiah said that Christ would be a descendant of David, just as Isaiah had said:

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 (Jer. 23:5, English Standard Version)

Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, . . . the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, (Luke 3:23,31, English Standard Version)

• Jeremiah said that Christ would be a New Covenant:

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, (Jer. 31:31, English Standard Version)

And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. (Mark 14:24, English Standard Version)

 

The world we live in today is not much different from the world in which Jeremiah lived.  Our idols may not be made of wood and bronze, but our society has idols of its own.  Our nations do not honor God, just as the nation of Judah did not honor Him.  We need Him to save us from ourselves, just as the people 2600 years ago did.  So I hope you will join me this week as I pray the same prayer that Jeremiah prayed in Jeremiah 10:23-25a (The Message):

“I know, God, that mere mortals can’t run their own lives, that men and women don’t have what it takes to take charge of life. So correct us, God, as you see best. Don’t lose your temper. That would be the end of us. Vent your anger on the godless nations, who refuse to acknowledge you, and on the people who won’t pray to you.”  Amen.