Theme: IT SHALL BE WELL WITH THE RIGHTEOUS
Text: “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.” – 1 John 3:7.
Comment: Some people ignorantly claim that there are no righteous persons on earth. This is not correct. When one is determined to do right by diligently keeping the commandments of God all the time, he is counted as righteous before God. Though such ones may make mistakes, they do not relish in such errors but make efforts not to do so again. (Proverbs 28:13,14) Thus, there are, by the grace of God, many men, women, boys and girls who are morally upright, humble and willing to do the Lord’s will by His grace.
Abraham, Lot, Noah, Moses, Joshua, Job, David, Simeon, Zechariah and women like Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth, and so on were righteous people. Though some of them lived among the ungodly, they never compromised their faith in God. Concerning Lot the Bible says, that “For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.” – 2 Peter 2:8
We cannot claim to be devout worshippers of God today and expect Him to hear us, unless we honestly and diligently keep His laws. Scripture says: “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.” (John 9:31) We can live among the ungodly and not conform to the world (Romans 12:2) or join them to do unrighteousness. – Exodus 23:2.
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