Theme: GOD IS MIGHTY TO SAVE
Text: “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.” – Deuteronomy 7:6.
Comment: The healing of a man born blind by our Savior, Jesus Christ, rather than instilling awe and thanksgiving in leaders of the Jews, the Pharisees questioned the power of Christ and its source. In reprimanding them for their faithlessness and ill will, the man made the statement in the text above John 9:1-41.
The Holy Scriptures give the condition under which God will hear our prayers: Christ teaches us to pray in secret, and not to use vain repetitions (Matthew 6:5-8); our prayer should be made to God through our Savior, Jesus Christ, we must have faith in the prayer, realize our insufficiency and believe that God will answer it (1 Timothy 2: 5; Hebrew 9:14-16; 11:6); our prayers must not be selfish, or tainted with sin. In the words of Saint Paul, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” – 1 Corinthians 14:15.
Wise King Solomon wrote under inspiration, “The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.” (Proverbs 15:29; Psalm 34:16) “The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.” – Psalm 145:18.
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