Theme: IT SHALL BE WELL WITH THE RIGHTEOUS
Text:
“Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.” – Psalm 33:18-20.
Comment:
Our heavenly Father has provided food and other resources in abundance for the good of mankind. But due to sin, the land is no longer as fertile as it used to be but this does not mean that food would not be available for people in the world. The sentence of God on Adam means food would require more time and labour to produce.
Expert analysis shows that man’s activities like developments, farming, burning, irrigation, and so on have been grossly compounded the depletion of the environment. Chemicals used for farming pollute the environment, destroying cropland, poisoning the water, and creating serious health problems among people. The ozone layer is depleting faster than was earlier known. King Solomon summed it thus: “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions”. – Ecclesiastes 7:29.
Evidently, human beings compound the problems they have to contend with in life. They trust in their learning rather than look to God for solutions. The Holy Bible states: “Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.” (Isaiah 47:13) “Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel”. – Jeremiah 3:23.
Theme: COMMENTARY ON HEBREWS 11:32 - 40
Text:“For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.” – Jeremiah 32:3.
Comment: Because the king and people of Judah had given themselves to the worship of the devil, God Almighty used Jeremiah the prophet to warn them, telling them that if they would not repent, He would make Jerusalem and the temple they took pride in to suffer the fate of Shiloh, where the name of God was in earlier times before it was destroyed and abandoned. (Joshua 18:1; 19:51; 1Kings 14:2.) For warning the people against sin the leaders determined that Jeremiah must die. (Jeremiah 26:1-10) However, some of the elders, together with Ahikam, an officer of the king, intervened to prevent them from their wicked plot.
Again, when the Chaldeans besieged Jerusalem, Jeremiah was instructed by God to tell them to submit to their rule to avoid death and destruction. This was seen as treason for which the leaders of the people convinced King Zedekiah to cast Jeremiah into.a well. But God also delivered him. When we stand up for the truth, even in the face of danger, God will give us victory in the end. St. Paul in his writings recalled God delivered them “from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:10).. He added that God Almighty shall deliver him “from every evil work, and will preserve him unto his heavenly kingdom. – 2 Timothy 4:18