Monday, July 27, 2020

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 27 July 2020


Skeptics

Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words. And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth? Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book. Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be. And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king. So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king. Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them. But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them. Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.(Jeremiah 36:16-31)

Today’s Morsel:  Religious skepticism generally refers to doubting when given to religious beliefs or claims. There are many in religious circles that doubt what they read in the Bible as being true, and thus they never come into the knowledge of the truth.  A skeptic is a person who, when he sees the handwriting on the wall, claims it as a forgery.  Jehoiakim king of Judah heard the words that had been written by Baruch from the mouth of Jeremiah which was given by the Lord.  But he did not believe what he was hearing.  And so he took a penknife and cut it into pieces and cast it in the fire.  But God had Jeremiah send it to him again and to tell him that he would not have any to sit upon the throne of David and that his dead body would be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.  And that God would punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them.  One may become skeptical about the things that they read in the Bible, but Jesus said, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.(John 12:48-49)  And John would write from the island of Patmos, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.(Revelation 20:11-15)  When Belteshazzar saw the handwriting on the wall, he trembled and quakes, but it was too late.  Friend, don’t let doubt cause you to get wiped out. As Paul admonished, “For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” (Romans 3:3-4)  Your doubt will never change the truth of God's word.  

Sing:  I’ll say yes Lord yes, to Your will and to Your way. I’ll say yes, Lord, Yes, I will trust You and obey.  When Your spirit speaks to me, with my whole heart I’ll agree and my answer will be yes, Lord yes.

Thought For Today:  A skeptic is a person who, when he sees the handwriting on the wall, claims it as a forgery.

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