Theme: The Vice of Slander
Text: “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 11:3.
Comment: In his conversation with Eve, the devil misrepresented both the letter and the spirit of the commandment God gave to Adam. Eve had told devil that they had been commanded not to eat of the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, or even touch it, lest they die. But the devil told her they would not surely die but that by eating it, their eyes would be opened and they shall be as gods “knowing good and evil”. This is a blatant lie. Again, the devil said that if the couple ate the fruit they would become superhuman, having more knowledge than God had permitted them. But God increases human knowledge in stages.
The Garden of Eden was the part of the earth that had been prepared for man’s habitation then. The devil knew this but misrepresented God as if He did not want man to have certain aspects of knowledge. However, the couple ate the fruit and lost the perfect conditions in the Garden. They were driven into the harsh conditions outside the Garden. After some time they died, contrary to what the devil had said. (Genesis 3:1-19; 5:5) Believers should be knowledgeable to be able to stand up to the devil’s devices. – 2 Corinthians 2:11; Psalm 91:4.
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