Scripture
Worthless now is the thing for which people toiled; nations wore themselves out for a mere nothing.
~Jeremiah 51:58, REB
Quote
Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.
~Solomon
Jeremiah was some kind of prophet. Although he never sat foot in Babylon, he sent a letter by Currier with the exiles telling them exactly what was going to happen. His accuracy is astounding. He told the exiles that they would be there for 70 years and then Babylon would fall never to rise again. Her massive gates would be burned by fire, the walls razed to the ground, the place would become a heap of ruins, a haunt for jackals and it would never be rebuild or inhabited again. Long after Jeremiah had been stoned to death by the belligerent Jews, his prophecies were fulfilled to the letter. The Medes invaded from the North and Babylon was destroyed. I rode right by the ancient site of Babylon when I was in Iraq and there is nothing there but a sand dune. We look back in time through the perspective of history so we have no trouble believing the prophecies of Jeremiah but think about the people of his life and time.
During the days of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian Empire was at it’s zenith and the city itself was one of the wonders of the world. It was man’s version of the Garden of Eden with all the parks and gardens, lush with vegetation and well watered. Jeremiah told Seraiah to read his prophecy aloud to the Jews as soon as they arrived in Babylon and then tie a rock to the scroll and through it into the Euphrates with these words, “So will Babylon sink and never rise again.” I don’t know if Seraiah read the prophecy or not but if he did, I imagine the Jews scoffed, saying such a thing could never happen. It did not seem likely at the time but it did happen.
A couple of lesson to carry with us: [1] Don’t make light of God’s word–What He says, He will do, likely or not. [2] Don’t waste your life building or helping to build a worldly empire. There is only one KINGDOM that will stand the test of time and that is the Kingdom of God. Get invested in the kingdom of God. Don’t throw your life away building a kingdom that will turn to ashes.
It amazes me how time flies when you get 70; actually it speeds up once you get 16 and then when you hit 40, it begins to fly and then at age 60 it zooms. One third of 2020 is history. I’m still having problems accepting the reality that it is 2020. This is day 44 of the Covid-19 over reaction. Some things are opening up. Pigeon Forge is one and the beaches are another. You take the beach and I’ll take Pigeon Forge.
Personally, I like DRIVE-IN CHURCH. Joe David came up with another brilliant idea, Drive-in Church where people bring their lawn chairs and enjoy the sun and fresh air. We may suggest that next week.
Josh is working on our new HOME PAGE and he has the mobile version set up but I can only get it on my phone. I have not tried the I-pad. Eventually, it will have all the sermons and blogs. Right now you have to search for them on FB or YouTube. We are going to attempt communion tomorrow so we could use some prayer. Of course, we can always use prayer.
I will be glad when we can visit the sick: this thing has cut me off from people that I care about it. Hopefully, it will end soon.
Have a great day!