Encouragement (Part 1): Week 6, Day 3

This is our last study of encouragement (for now).  You have made it through six weeks of faithful study of the Word of God.  I hope that you have been blessed by this study.  I know that I have been!  Today we are going to APPLY Jeremiah 29:1-14 to our lives, and find encouragement in God's Word.

Read through the passage again.

God is telling the people of Israel who were exiled to Babylon that they were going to remain there for a significant period of time, so they needed to live their lives.  Build their houses.  Plant their gardens.  Marry and have children.  Continue to grow the nation of Israel; do not let it decrease.  This is a mighty reminder that God is going to do what God says he is going to do.  He had been warning the people about this exile, and they continued to walk in their own ways.  Now, He was fulfilling what He had promised.  The people needed to recognize that God's ways were going to happen.

The people of Israel had made a major mistake in their lives.  They had listened to false teachers.  They prophesied falsely in the name of the Lord, and the people listened.  Instead of listening to Jeremiah, the true prophet of God, they chose to listen to these false teachers.  In present time, this world is full of false teachers.  How can we be sure that we do not listen to them?  We must know and understand what the Word of God says.  That is one of the reasons why Bible study is so important.  The more we study God's Word, the more we are able to discern when the teaching is false.

Even though the people of Israel had sinned against God, even though they had worshiped false idols, even though they had listened to false teachers, God is still merciful.  He is a just God, and He punishes sin.  Verse 10 says that the people will remain in Babylon for 70 years.  That is the length of their punishment - that is God's justice.  Verse 10 also says that after the 70 years, God was going to bring the people of Israel back to their land - that is God's mercy.  This is an awesome thing that we need to remember in our lives.  God punishes sin, making Him just.  God also forgives sin, making Him loving.  We have to respect every aspect of God equally.  But we can also expect forgiveness, if we confess our sins to God.  Look at the promise of God in 1 John 1:9.

Verse 11 shows the Sovereignty of God.  God is promising to His people a future and a hope.  His plans for His people are not calamity, but hope.  Yes, they are going to be in exile for 70 years.  They deserved that punishment,  But that is not the end of the nation of Israel.  God will prevail!

Verse 12 and 13 tell us that if we call to God, He will listen to us.  If we search for God with all of our hearts, we will find Him.

Once again in your notebooks, write out Jeremiah 29:10-14.  This is a mighty word of encouragement that we can hide in our hearts.  God knows the plans that He has for us.  He is not writing our stories day by day.  Our stories are already written, and they are stories of hope and a future.  We studied about the Highway of Holiness - that is our future.  We talked about Jesus Christ dying for our sins and giving us eternal life - that is our hope.

As believers, we have a responsibility to call out to the Lord and seek Him.  Yes, He is our future and hope, but we are told very clearly that we will only find God when we look for Him with all our hearts.  We cannot put half of our effort into our relationship with God.  He is worthy of, and demands, our whole heart.

Be encouraged, my sisters.  God has big plans for you.  Plans to give you a future and a hope.  But, you must remain faithful to Him.  The Israelites were unfaithful to God and had to spend 70 years in exile.  Remain faithful to God.  Stay in His Word.  Remember that He has awesome plans for you.

I have truly enjoyed this study.  There will be more in the future.  I hope that you will come back soon and see what else the Lord has to show us in His Word.

To read the previous posts on Encouragement, click these links:

Week 1: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 2: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 3: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 4: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 5: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 6: Day 1, Day 2

Encouragement (Part 1): Week 6, Day 2

Today we are going to INTERPRET Jeremiah 29:1-14.  As with any passage of Scripture, it is important to interpret the text based on the text itself.  When you are dealing with Scripture that is familiar, it is even more so important to interpret the text based off the text, not based off what we think, what someone has told us, what we have heard previously, etc.  There is an extremely familiar verse in this passage, and we need to be careful to listen to the message that the text has to tell us.

Read through Jeremiah 29:1-14 slowly, absorbing the words for what they actually say.

Read the passage again, and answer the following in your notebooks:

1. Summarize what the Lord is telling the people in verses 5-7.
2. What mistake had the people made in verses 8 and 9?
3. What promise does God make to His people in verse 10?  In verse 11?
4. What final promise does God make to His people in verse 14?

What do you think the people are feeling in verses 1-9?  How do you think they feel after listening to what God said in verses 10-14?

Be encouraged, sisters.  God always has a plan!  Tomorrow we are going to APPLY this Scripture to our lives.

To read all of the posts on Encouragement, click these links:

Week 1: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 2: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 3: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 4: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 5: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 6: Day 1

Encouragement (Part 1): Week 6, Day 1

Well, sisters, we have made it to the last week of this study.  You have been so faithful to learning the ways of the Lord.  This will be our last week of studying Encouragement in the Old Testament.

Today we are going to OBSERVE Jeremiah 29:1-14.  Over and over again in Scripture, God is revealing His plan for the redemption of a fallen world.  In the Old Testament times God used prophets to speak directly to His people.  He had used the prophet Jeremiah to warn the people to turn from their wicked ways, repent of their sins, and return to the Lord.  The people refused to do so, so their punishment was a 70 year exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Jeremiah 29 is written after the people had been taken to Babylon.  Read the passage slowly, absorbing the words.  Don't try to understand it now, that will come with time.  Just read to see what the words are saying.

29 Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 

2 (This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) 

3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 

4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 

5 ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. 

6 Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 

7 Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’ 

8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. 

9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord.

10 “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 

11 For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 

12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 

13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 

14 I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." 

Now read the passage again, and use the following markings:

• Mark God and Lord with a purple triangle colored yellow (color all pronouns yellow)
• Mark Jerusalem and Israel with a blue star of  David
• Mark Babylon with a green B
• Mark all time phrases with a green clock
• Circle the word "for" in verse 11 and the word "because" in verse 19 red

Now that you have marked the text, read the passage again.  Jeremiah 29:11 is a very familiar verse of Scripture, and one of my favorites.  Copy this verse into your notebook and be encouraged with it's message.

Our next study will look at INTERPRETING this passage of Scripture.

To read the previous posts on Encouragement, click these links:

Week 1: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 2: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 3: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 4: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 5: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Encouragement (Part 1): Week 5, Day 3

I am so glad you have come back for today's study!  Read through Isaiah 35:1-10 slowly, and absorb the feeling of joy that comes from this text of Scripture.

This Scripture passage is talking about a time when the Lord will come back for His people.  At that time, even the desert will bloom and be glad!  The glory of the Lord will be seen in the land.

We may feel feeble and exhausted in this present world, but do not get weary.  Isaiah 35:4 tells us to, "Take courage, fear not.  Behold, your God will come with a vengeance!"  God is coming back!  He will save us!  Rejoice, be glad, and wait for the glory of the Lord.

When the Lord does come back, miraculous things will happen.  You listed these things in your notebook, and we are going to review them today.

1. the eyes of the blind will be opened
2. the ears of the deaf will be unstopped
3. the lame will leap like a deer
4. the tongue of the mute will shout for joy
5. the waters will break forth in the wilderness
6. the scorched land will become a pool
7. the thirsty ground will have springs

All of the bad that is on the earth will go away.  All of the trials and tribulations that we face, whether big or small, will go away, and the Lord will be glorified.  What an amazing time that will be!

Review verse 8.  This verse talks about the Highway of Holiness.  Only those who walk in the way of holiness can walk on this highway.  So who, exactly, are those who can walk on the Highway of Holiness?  Isaiah 4:3 says that everyone who is recorded for new life in Jerusalem will be called holy.  1 Peter 1:15-16 says that the Holy One has called us, and we are to be holy in our behavior because He is holy in His.  As Christians, we are called holy.  We are also to act holy, just as God is holy.  He has a place for us on His Highway of Holiness, praise Him, hallelujah!  But, as Christians, we need to make sure that our behavior reflects the Holy One who saved us.  Remember as we have studies previously, we are known by our fruits.

So if Christians - those who are called holy, those who are set apart by God - are allowed to walk on the Highway of Holiness, who is not allowed to walk there?  The unclean, the fools, the lions, the viscous beasts.  There is no in between with God.  Either you are holy and set apart, or you aren't.  I hope that you have made the personal decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, so that you can experience your eternal future with Him, and you can feel the abounding joy that comes from Him alone.  If you haven't done this, please contact me, or another Christian that you trust.  We want to lead you to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Verses 9 and 10 go into more detail about the holy ones allowed on the highway.  The two terms used to describe Christians in this passage are Redeemed and Ransomed.  What glorious words to describe us!  We are Redeemed, meaning that we are reclaimed as Christ's!  We once were lost to sin and death, but we are now found to new life in Him.  We are Ransomed, meaning bought with a price.  Jesus Christ died for our sins on the cross.  He paid our penalty.  Romans 6:23 says, "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ."  When Jesus died on the cross, He said, "It is finished." This means, "paid in full." We are ransomed by Jesus to new life in Christ.  And because of our new life, we are called holy, and we get to walk on the Highway of Holiness in eternity.

Not only will we walk on the Highway, we will do so with joy and gladness.  We will never have sorrow or sighing again, once the Lord comes to take us into eternity with Him.

What a glorious thing that we have to look forward to!  Keeping with what we have already learned, while we are here on earth, God will always be with us.  When we go to heaven, we will have nothing but exceedingly great joy.  What comforting words!  You may be experiencing sorrow and sighing now, but you won't always.  Wait on the Lord, my sisters.  Wait on Him, be faithful to Him, and be holy in all your ways.  The Lord is with you in the present, and the future is glorious!

To read the previous posts on Encouragement, click these links:

Week 1: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 2: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 3: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 4: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 5: Day 1, Day 2

Encouragement (Part 1): Week 5, Day 2

Today we are going to INTERPRET Isaiah 35:1-10.  Before we begin, read through the passage slowly.

Now, read through the text again, and answer the following questions:

1. What is going to happen to the desert land?  What will be seen in the desert?
2. What is the promise in verses 3 & 4?
3. Four miraculous things will happen to the people when the Lord comes.  List them.
4. Three miraculous things will happen to the land when the Lord comes.  List them.
5. What is the name of the highway mentioned in verse 8?  Who can walk on this highway?  Who will not be allowed on the highway?
6. In verses 9 and 10, what two terms are used to describe Christians?

This is a joyful, encouraging passage of Scripture.  As a reminder, this passage is talking about the future - a time that is promised to come, but has not come yet.  Be encouraged, sisters.  If the Lord says it is going to happen, it is going to happen!

During our next study, we will APPLY this passage of Scripture to our lives.  I can't wait for you to join me in that time!

To read the previous posts on Encouragement, click these links:

Week 1: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 2: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 3: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 4: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 5: Day 1

Encouragement (Part 1): Week 5, Day 1

Today we are going to read a passage in Isaiah that is talking about a time yet to come.  A time in the near future that we can patiently wait for, knowing without a doubt that God will fulfill this promise.  Be encouraged as you read and study about the future.

Read through Isaiah 35: 1-10 slowly, OBSERVING the words of the Scripture.

The wilderness and the desert will be glad,
And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom;
Like the crocus
2 It will blossom profusely
And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
The majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the glory of the Lord,
The majesty of our God.
3 Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.
4 Say to those with anxious heart,
“Take courage, fear not.
Behold, your God will come with vengeance;
The recompense of God will come,
But He will save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened
And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.
For waters will break forth in the wilderness
And streams in the Arabah.
7 The scorched land will become a pool
And the thirsty ground springs of water;
In the haunt of jackals, its resting place,
Grass becomes reeds and rushes.
8 A highway will be there, a roadway,
And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean will not travel on it,
But it will be for him who walks that way,
And fools will not wander on it.
9 No lion will be there,
Nor will any vicious beast go up on it;
These will not be found there.
But the redeemed will walk there,
10 And the ransomed of the Lord will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
With everlasting joy upon their heads.
They will [g]find gladness and joy,
And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." 

Read through the passage again, and mark the text in the following ways:

• Mark every reference to glad, joy, and rejoice with a red cloud colored yellow
• Mark glory with a purple cloud colored yellow
• Mark holiness and "that way" in verse 8 with a purple box colored yellow
• Mark every reference to God with a purple triangle colored yellow (color all pronouns yellow)
• Mark redeemed and ransomed with a red box colored yellow

In case you are wondering, I use yellow for things that are specific to God.  True joy comes from God.  True glory comes from God and belongs to God.  Holiness is of the Lord.  Redemption comes from God.

Read through the text again, now that you have marked it.  In your notebooks, summarize what the overarching theme of this passage is.  Aren't you already encouraged?

To read the previous posts on Encouragement, click these links:

Week 1: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 2: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 3: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 4: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Encouragement (Part 1): Week 4, Day 3

Today we are going to APPLY Psalm 27 to our lives.  Before we do that, take the time to read through the Psalm again, absorbing the words of the Scripture.

In verses 1-3, David describes the Lord in three ways:

1. my light
2. my salvation
3. the defense of my life

David is facing evil doers, adversaries, enemies, host camps, and war as he is writing this Psalm.  He had every reason to write a Psalm of being worried and afraid.  But instead of letting his fear overtake him, David put is faith and trust in the Lord - his light, his salvation, his defense.  In verse 3, David says that, "in spite of this" - in spite of the evil doers, in spite of the adversaries, in spite of the enemies, in spite of the host camps, and in spite of the war, David is putting his confidence in the Lord.  We need to be like David and put all of our faith and trust in the Lord God.  No matter what is around us, the Lord is our light, our salvation, and our defense.

In verses 4-6, David asks from God to dwell in His house and to meditate in His temple forever.  Forever is a time phrase (green clock).  Because of the reference to "secret place" in verse 5, I do not think that David was talking about a literal place.  I think that David was referring to an internal, safe place, that he will always have, forever.  Think about what the Scriptures says in 1 Corinthians 6:19.  "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you."  If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit is always inside of you, with you wherever you go.  When our bodies die on this earth, our souls will go to heaven where we will be with God forever.  David understood that he not only had the Lord with him on earth, but that he would forever be able to be with the Lord, even after he died.  David experienced joy when he was in the tent.  He offered God praise and sacrifice.

We can have these same experiences with God within ourselves.  I hope these studies on encouragement have shown you the joy that God wants us to experience.  He is always with us, no matter what is happening around us.  No matter what kind of enemies or evil doers are at our doors, we can offer praise to God.

The Lord commands David to seek His face, and  David commits to do this.  We looked at the passage in Joshua about meditating on the Bible day and night.  We are commanded over and over again in Scripture to always seek the Lord.  We do this by studying our Bibles, by praying, by living our lives 100% of the time in tune with God.

Look at verse 10.  This verse literally means, "If my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up."  God's message does not change through out Scripture. In Joshua we are told that God will never leave us or forsake us. In Psalm 27 we are told that even if those who were once closest to us abandon us, God will still be with us.

David asks God for three specific things in verses 11 and 12:

1. teach me Your way
2. lead me in a level path
3. keep me safe from my adversaries

How can we learn the ways of the Lord? By studying His Scriptures.  I have said it before, and I'll say it over and over again. I truly believe that the Lord has given us 66 books that He wants us to know, understand, and do.  We can learn the Lord's ways by studying the road map that He wrote for us in the Bible.  He has given us everything we need, we just have to be proactive in reading and studying it.  Thank you, sisters, for sticking with this Bible study.  Not for my sake!  I do not want you to study the Scriptures for me.  I want you to study the Scriptures for you.  I want you to grow in the Lord, to meditate on His Word, and to live your lives the way God intended us to live - as holy people, set apart to glorify Him

David wanted God to lead him in a level path.  According to Psalm 5:8, God's level path is righteousness.  Doing the right thing.  Being righteous before God.  This is something that we should strive for every day.  

David was facing evil doers, adversaries, enemies, host camps, and war as he was writing this Psalm.  It would have been so easy for David to despair, but his faith in God kept him from that.  David said that he, "would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord."  David knew what his eternal future held.  And because of that, he encourages us to wait for the Lord, be strong, and be courageous.

Through out this Psalm, David is constantly seeking his refuge in God, and he is reminded that God is always with him.  No matter what we are facing in the world, God is always our refuge.  We face evil everywhere we go.  We have adversaries and enemies everywhere we go.  David reminds us that we can take refuge in God.

David also reminds us the importance of staying in the Word of God. We never need to neglect the importance of God's Word and learning His ways. God's way is that of righteousness.  If we continue to seek Him, we will continue to learn the way of righteousness.  As we learn the way of righteousness, we will live that out in our lives.  The Scriptures say over and over again that people will be known by their fruit.  If you study the ways of righteousness and live that out daily, you will be known by good fruits.  (It is so much better to be known by good fruits than by bad fruits!)

Finally, my sisters, wait on the Lord! Be strong and courageous and wait on the Lord.  David said it twice - that means that it is doubly important.  Isaiah 55:8-9 says, " 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are Your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.' "  God's ways are so much better than ours.  Let us trust in Him, study His Word, and wait on His ways.

To read the previous posts on Encouragement, click these links:

Week 1: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 2: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 3: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 4: Day 1, Day 2

Encouragement (Part 1): Week 4, Day 2

Today we are going to INTERPRET the Psalm of David that is recorded in Psalm 27.  Take the time to read through the entire Psalm slowly.

Read through the Psalm again, and write these things down in your notebook:

1. In verses 1-3, David describes the Lord in 3 ways.  What are they?
2. What is David facing in his life when he is writing this Psalm?
3. In verse 3, what is David's confidence in?
4. In verse 4, what does David ask from the Lord?
5. In verse 5, the word temple means refuge. What does David consider the temple of God to be?
6. Do you think David is talking about a literal tent or temple? Look closely at verse 5.  Does that change your answer?
7. What emotion does David experience in the tent? What does David offer to God?
8. In verse 8, what did the Lord command David to do? What did David commit to do?
9. In verses 11 and 12, David asks God for three specific things.  What are they?
10. What does "level path" mean? Use Psalm 5:8 to help you answer.
11. David's conclusion is in verses 13 and 14.  Summarize these verses.  Read Psalm 31:19 to see more about the goodness of the Lord.

What does David encourage us to do do in verse 14? Wait for the Lord, and be strong and courageous.  The theme that we started at the beginning of this study on encouragement has carried through this far.  If God says the same thing so many times in the Bible, I think we ought to listen and do what He says!

Our next study will be the APPLICATION piece of this week - my favorite!  See you then!

To read the previous posts on Encouragement, click these links:

Week 1: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 2: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 3: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 4: Day 1