Theme: BECOMING A WISE AND UNDERSTANDING NATION
Text: “Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” – Deuteronomy 4:6
Comment: The laws of several modern societies are based on the Holy Bible. The concept of human rights – right to life, dignity, freedom of speech, association, religion, disavowal of capital punishment, preference for reforms of criminals than retribution, principles of service, law and order, values of hard work, temperance, sobriety, thrift, abstinence from wasteful consumption and so on – have long been enshrined in the Scriptures and have served humanity well over time.
For a nation to be truly great, the leaders and their subjects must have the fear of God. The qualities of selflessness, fairness, diligence, love for one another, patience, endurance and so on and so forth should be upheld. King David says: “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” – 2 Samuel 23:3.
When Nehemiah became the governor in the land of Judah, his fear of God and compassion for the people made him succeed as the Scripture states, “…But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God. – Nehemiah 5:14,15.
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