May 27

Journey-through-the-Bible-with-us

READING FOR MAY 27, 2026: JEREMIAH 3, MARK 10, PSALM 47

JEREMIAH 3 God begins this chapter by posing a hypothetic question: If a man divorces his wife and she marries another man, would the first husband remarry his first wife? The answer implied by that question is no. This situation would have been well known to Jeremiah’s original audience due to the Mosaic Law: “Her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance” (Deut. 24:4).  Thus, God says in effect that Israel and Judah have prostituted themselves with other husbands/gods and now in some way seek to be taken back by God, their first husband.  God says in effect, “Get real.” He tells them to look seriously at all the damage they have done by their spiritual prostitution. Their lack of godliness had ruined the promised land. They shamelessly behaved as a spiritual prostitute and now wonder why God seems angry.

In verses 6-10, God seems to say to Jeremiah (writer’s paraphrase), “Can you believe these guys? Israel never missed a chance to idolize their culture’s false beliefs. I assumed they would eventually come to their senses, but instead Judah started doing it, too. I divorced Israel and sent them to Assyria thinking Judah would get the message and return to me. Judah then acted like they would return to me, but down deep in their hearts, it was a deception.”  Likely because Judah failed to learn from Israel’s example, God shockingly says, “Faithless Israel has proved herself to be more righteous than treacherous Judah” (vs. 11). 

Then God told Jeremiah to somehow tell the already-departed Israel to return to God. God said if they would only repent, He would no longer be angry with them and bring them back to Zion from wherever they are. He even goes on to say that, when this happens, they will be numerous in the land.  He says the ark of the covenant won’t be there but says they won’t miss it. Instead, Jerusalem will be called the “throne of the Lord,” all the nations will be assembled there, and Judah will live in harmony with Israel (vs. 17).

Did this happen anytime in the Old or New Testament or since? No. How might this happen in the future? Amillennialists (i.e., belief in no millennial or 1000-year period) contend the references to Israel and Judah are merely symbolic references to the church, that Jerusalem also symbolically represents the church, and all the nations who “no longer follow the stub- bornness of their evil heart” also symbolically represent the church.  Premillennialists (includ- ing this writer) believe this describes the millennial period as presented in Rev. 20:3-6: “He [angel] threw him [Satan] into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed... they [Christians]will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.”

READING FOR MAY 27, 2026 CONTINUED: MARK 10, PSALM 47                                             MARK 10 Quite a few of us at church have been professional educators. Isn’t it great that the text affirms our craft when it says Jesus was accustomed to teaching. The Pharisees are like certain students in our classrooms who are not interested in learning, but in tripping us up.  This was the intent of their question about divorce. Jesus responded by pointing to the Mosaic Law, which, being strict law keepers, they liked a lot. His next comments are stunning and worthy of a doctoral dissertation, not a few sentences. Jesus said that God’s design for marriage was a lifelong commitment. He said Moses allowed a lesser standard because of that culture’s hardheartedness, but now, thousands of years later, Jesus reinstates the original stricter creational standards regarding divorce and remarriage. This standard can be lived today because believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit after Pentecost: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). As was mentioned when Matt. 19 was discussed, anyone who has already divorced and remarried can seek and find full forgiveness from God (1 John 1:9). That’s why Jesus went to the cross!                                   

Once again, we are running out of space with much yet to be said. Here are some highlights:

  • We must come to Jesus like a child, fully trusting His love, wisdom, and power--not our efforts.
  • Money can be a false idol that blocks faith in God. Wealthy people can come to faith, but it’s hard.
  • By giving up our fixation for wealth, relationships, or any asset to follow God, we receive many more rewarding blessings from God now and the guarantee of eternal life. FAITH IN JESUS IS WISE!
  • Again, Jesus teaches His disciples about His suffering, death, and resurrection. This is the third chapter in a row, yet they were still shocked when it happened. Clearly there was nothing in their experience or knowledge that provided a framework for them to grasp this concept. God’s ways are beyond ours.
  • Didn’t Jesus also address the issue of kingdom prominence in Chapter 9? Why are we like this? SIN.
  • Isn’t Bartimaeus’s loud insistence for Jesus great? Jesus agrees (vs. 52):“Your faith has made you well.”

PSALM 47 Do we shout and clap our hands when we worship God? There are some black and charismatic churches who do this. Visit a Christian college chapel service to observe this. Better yet, let’s obey this command at Yorktown Methodist, not just at Purdue basketball games. Why? Because our Lord is the highest being (ranked #1) in the universe and is a great king over the whole earth—not just a leader of one religion among many.  Perhaps the Psalm- ist was speaking of countries under Israel’s authority in verse 3.  Perhaps he was also looking to the future: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” (1 Cor. 6:2). Isn’t it wonderful that the Lord chooses our inheritance? He decides our place in this world and the next. Again, what is our appropriate response to a God like this? “Sing praises to God, sing praises; Sing praises to our King, sing praises... Sing praises with a psalm of wisdom” (vs. 6-7). This kind of praise is not mindless group dynamic like at a political rally or rock concert.  It calls for our deepest understanding of the character of God and our relationship to Him.