{"id":2407,"date":"2012-11-24T09:12:58","date_gmt":"2012-11-24T13:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oldsandals.net\/?p=2407"},"modified":"2012-11-24T09:14:59","modified_gmt":"2012-11-24T13:14:59","slug":"how-indeed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.oldsandals.net\/?p=2407","title":{"rendered":"How indeed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, with all the women who stood by, a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying:\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAs for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you!\u00a0But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and saw no trouble.\u00a0But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Jeremiah 44:15-18<\/em><\/p>\n

“We will not<\/em> listen to you!”\u00a0 The force with which these words are spoken to the prophet— in light of the destruction which has taken place in Judah and Jerusalem, which destruction was prophesied for many years by the mouth of the very same prophet—is\u00a0 chilling.<\/p>\n

It is not as if these rebellious men and women were utterly devoid of the grace of God.\u00a0 It was the grace of God which sent Jeremiah to them in the first place.\u00a0 And, in one sense, they could not have even rebelled against\u00a0God apart from His grace.\u00a0 What is man, anyway?\u00a0 But they cast aside God’s\u00a0gracious warnings and refused to listen, preferring instead their own “damn” way, if you will.<\/p>\n

These words spoken so long ago are\u00a0chilling, but we should also find them sobering.\u00a0 Sobering because you and I have also to decide how we will respond to the word of the Lord.\u00a0 Recall these words spoken by another of God’s prophets.\u00a0 To us today.\u00a0\u00a0“For if the word spoken through messengers proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward,\u00a0\u00a0how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”\u00a0 How indeed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, with all the women who stood by, a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying:\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAs for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the … <\/p>\n

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