Reading from Wednesday, October 20

Hey kids, what's shakin?


Reading for October 20
Jeremiah 35:1-36:32
This reading is pretty hard to follow but there is one section with a clear message. There is a family of people who are all descendants of this guy Jonadab. Jonadab ordered that none of his offspring should ever drink wine. And to the day of the writing of this book, the family kept that promise. God uses this as an example to the Israelites:

¹⁴ 'Jonadab son of Recab ordered his sons not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather's command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me. ¹⁵ Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, "Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your fathers." But you have not paid attention or listened to me. ¹⁶ The descendants of Jonadab son of Recab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.'

If this entire family can abstain from wine, surely God's people can keep a few rules here and there...

The thing that started to bug me as I see God getting angry again about all his people's sin is thinking about the reading from a couple of days ago when he outlined the plan of salvation he was going to carry out for his people. Now it seems like he's going back on that. That was my initial thought, but now I'm thinking he's just showing how badly his people need this salvation, because its likely that they aren't even aware of their own sin. So he uses these examples to show them how bad of shape they're actually in.

1 Timothy 5:1-25
This section talks very specifically about widows and how to care for them. There are also details about a list of widows that are really bad off that must be cared for by the church, and how if you have a widow in your own family that you yourself can care for, then do it and don't make the church handle it.

Not too much relatable here. I think the idea of becoming a widow was much more devastating back when this was written.

Psalm 89:14-37

²⁷ I will also appoint him my firstborn,
       the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
       ²⁸ I will maintain my love to him forever,
       and my covenant with him will never fail.

God is referring to David here and it's pretty amazing how he references Jesus here. My pastor talked about this in this sermon from last week - where he said that where the Israelites could not keep the covenant with God, Jesus was able to fulfill the terms of the covenant perfectly for us. Even to his own detriment. Even to his own demise.

Proverbs 25:25-27
 ²⁵ Like cold water to a weary soul
       is good news from a distant land.
 ²⁶ Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
       is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.
 ²⁷ It is not good to eat too much honey,
       nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.

So tired.