August 15 - Evening
"Put salt on Moab,
for she will be laid waste;
her towns will become desolate,
with no one to live in them.
'A curse on anyone who is lax in
doing the Lord’s work!
A curse on anyone who keeps their
sword from bloodshed!'
Moab has been at rest from youth,
like wine left on its dregs,
not poured from one jar to another —
she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
and her aroma is unchanged."
- Jeremiah 48:9-11
for she will be laid waste;
her towns will become desolate,
with no one to live in them.
'A curse on anyone who is lax in
doing the Lord’s work!
A curse on anyone who keeps their
sword from bloodshed!'
Moab has been at rest from youth,
like wine left on its dregs,
not poured from one jar to another —
she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
and her aroma is unchanged."
- Jeremiah 48:9-11
A Change of Location for Moab will be Helpful
Jeremiah was called by the Lord to be a prophet to the nations, not only a prophet to Israel.
“I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:5
Jeremiah gave prophecies to the following nations, and Baruch wrote many of them down on scrolls to be given their ambassadors when they visited Jerusalem (Jeremiah 27:3-15).
- Egypt (Jeremiah 46)
- Philistia (Jeremiah 47)
- Moab (Jeremiah 48)
- Ammon (Jeremiah 49:1-6)
- Edom (Jeremiah 49:7-27)
- Kedar and Hazor, Arabian Kingdoms (Jeremiah 49:28-33)
- Elam (Jeremiah 49:34-39)
The words in the prophecy against Moab in Jeremiah 48:9-11 call for salt to be covered on the land to make it worthless and unproductive (see example in Judges 9:45). The Assyrian king, Tiglath-pileser, scattered salt over the ruins of conquered cities during his reign during the days of the Judges (1100 BC). The prophecy comes with a curse on the man or the nation who does not follow through with covering the land with salt and who does not use their sword to slaughter Moab. In this prophecy the Lord’s work is the destruction of Moab with salt and sword. The man who is lax, sloppy, negligent in this work of the Lord is cursed!
Wine in the ancient world came from the juice of crushed grapes that was poured into large clay jars that were sealed. A small vent hole allowed the fermentation gases to escape to prevent the clay jars from exploding. The wine would rise to the top and the dregs would settle to the bottom. For the fermentation process to be completed the wine would be poured from the original clay jars into new jars and the dregs would be strained out. Then the strained wine would be left in the new jars (without the dregs) to finish fermenting.
The problem with Moab Jeremiah says is they are like wine that is still in setting in the same jar as the dregs. They have not progressed, but are going to be ruined because of their lack of progress or movement. Jeremiah indicates that an exile into a foreign country will be what the Moabites need. The Moabites need to be separated from their past, placed in a new culture and continue to ferment, or develop, there in a foreign land.
The Lord says that the best thing for Moab is to spend some time with Nebuchadnezzar in Babylonian exile.
Dietia (Gr) – two years (Eng) – the Greek word dietia is a compound word made up of dis meaning “twice” and etos meaning “year.” Dietia refers to the space of two years as in Acts 24:27.
The adjective form dietes means “lasting two years” and refers to being two years old in Matthew 2:16.
I will not be complacent, but will seek to improve, change and develop.
I will become more useful and productive for the Lord.
I will become more useful and productive for the Lord.
Bible Reading Descriptions Here
Personal
Your godly influence on others
Church
Long for Christ's return
Nation
Taxation
World
Libya
A model of the southwest end of the Western Wall of the Herodian Temple Mount. Robinson's Arch is the stairway entrance/exit on the SW corner on the right side of the photo.
Someone to Quote
“The corrupt pattern of this age not only molds people into wickedly immoral lives, but also teaches them to reject the good and decent in exchange for an ascetic life style.”
- Galyn Wiemers
Something to Ponder
Genesis 7:6 says that Noah was 600 years old when he built the ark. After the Flood Noah lived 350 more years which means he would have still been alive during the first half of Abraham’s life. Noah died at the age of 950. (Genesis 9:29)
Here’s a Fact
Proverb
"Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil."
- Proverbs 15:16
- Proverbs 15:16
Coach’s Corner
The greatest miracle is salvation. The godliest spiritual manifestation is the transformed soul.
Zechariah 7 New International Version (NIV)
Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting
7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev. 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the Lord 3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? 7 Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’”
8 And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 9 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.
13 “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty. 14 ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting
7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev. 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the Lord 3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? 7 Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’”
8 And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 9 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.
13 “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty. 14 ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Jeremiah 31 New International Version (NIV)
31 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”
2 This is what the Lord says:
“The people who survive the sword will find favor in the wilderness; I will come to give rest to Israel.”
3 The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
4
I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. Again you will take up your timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful.
5
Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit.
6
There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, ‘Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.’”
7 This is what the Lord says:
“Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say, ‘Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’
8
See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return.
9
They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.
10
“Hear the word of the Lord, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’
11
For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.
12
They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord— the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.
13
Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
14
I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,” declares the Lord.
15 This is what the Lord says:
“A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord. “They will return from the land of the enemy.
17
So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the Lord. “Your children will return to their own land.
18
“I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning: ‘You disciplined me like an unruly calf, and I have been disciplined. Restore me, and I will return, because you are the Lord my God.
19
After I strayed, I repented; after I came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’
20
Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the Lord.
21
“Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take. Return, Virgin Israel, return to your towns.
22
How long will you wander, unfaithful Daughter Israel? The Lord will create a new thing on earth— the woman will return to the man.”
23 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.’ 24 People will live together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks. 25 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
26 At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.
27 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. 28 Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the Lord. 29 “In those days people will no longer say,
‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’
30 Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.
31
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.
32
It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord.
33
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
34
No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
35 This is what the Lord says,
he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name:
36
“Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.”
37 This is what the Lord says:
“Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the Lord.
38 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
31 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”
2 This is what the Lord says:
“The people who survive the sword will find favor in the wilderness; I will come to give rest to Israel.”
3 The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
4
I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. Again you will take up your timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful.
5
Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit.
6
There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, ‘Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.’”
7 This is what the Lord says:
“Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say, ‘Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’
8
See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return.
9
They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.
10
“Hear the word of the Lord, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’
11
For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.
12
They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord— the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.
13
Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
14
I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,” declares the Lord.
15 This is what the Lord says:
“A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord. “They will return from the land of the enemy.
17
So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the Lord. “Your children will return to their own land.
18
“I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning: ‘You disciplined me like an unruly calf, and I have been disciplined. Restore me, and I will return, because you are the Lord my God.
19
After I strayed, I repented; after I came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’
20
Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the Lord.
21
“Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take. Return, Virgin Israel, return to your towns.
22
How long will you wander, unfaithful Daughter Israel? The Lord will create a new thing on earth— the woman will return to the man.”
23 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.’ 24 People will live together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks. 25 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
26 At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.
27 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. 28 Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the Lord. 29 “In those days people will no longer say,
‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’
30 Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.
31
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.
32
It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord.
33
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
34
No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
35 This is what the Lord says,
he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name:
36
“Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.”
37 This is what the Lord says:
“Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the Lord.
38 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.