Deliver Us From Evil!

Reflection:  Jeremiah and Paul are speaking truth into two very different situations.  Jeremiah is prophesying about the destruction that is about to come upon Israel, for they have forsaken the covenant God made with them.  In that covenant, which we find in Deuteronomy, God promised to bless the Israelites if they obeyed him, but if they disobeyed and ran after other gods they would be disciplined.  Israel had broken its covenant, despite many warnings and clear instruction in the Torah about what they were doing. Jeremiah is called to deliver the message regarding their impending judgment.  Not a job many of us would be glad to have! 

Jeremiah himself is threatened by the people when they say, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hands.”  That is some big time intimidation, but Jeremiah does not back down, because he knows God is bigger than their threats and will watch over him.

Then, in Thessalonians, we have Paul urging the Thessalonians to stand firm and stand up against evil.  He also asks them to pray for him, as he continues to deliver the message and is encountering evil people who want to stop him.  Paul is smart enough to ask for prayer from his new brothers and sisters in Christ and says this to them,

^“2 And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. ⁴ We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. ⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”

Paul knew there would be obstacles for the Gospel to be planted in places where the enemy had deep roots.  He knew that it was only through prayer and reliance on God’s Word that he could fulfill his calling.  Most importantly, He knew God was faithful and would protect them from the evil one.  This is what Jesus taught us to pray when he said, “Deliver us from evil” (or other translations say “the evil one”).

The people of God needed prophets to correct and admonish the people back then, and we need prophets today who call us back to God’s Word and Truth.  We need to be reminded that the Lord is faithful and will strengthen us to persevere in the trials we go through.  Finally Paul gives us these words,

^“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

Amen!!!

Psalm 97:7-12

⁷ All who worship images are put to shame,
    those who boast in idols—
    worship him, all you gods!

⁸ Zion hears and rejoices
    and the villages of Judah are glad
    because of your judgments, Lord.
⁹ For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.
¹⁰ Let those who love the Lord hate evil,
    for he guards the lives of his faithful ones
    and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light shines on the righteous
    and joy on the upright in heart.
¹² Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous,
    and praise his holy name.

Jeremiah 10:17-11:23

Coming Destruction

¹⁷ Gather up your belongings to leave the land,
    you who live under siege.
¹⁸ For this is what the Lord says:
    “At this time I will hurl out
    those who live in this land;
I will bring distress on them
    so that they may be captured.”

¹⁹ Woe to me because of my injury!
    My wound is incurable!
Yet I said to myself,
    “This is my sickness, and I must endure it.”
²⁰ My tent is destroyed;
    all its ropes are snapped.
My children are gone from me and are no more;
    no one is left now to pitch my tent
    or to set up my shelter.
²¹ The shepherds are senseless
    and do not inquire of the Lord;
so they do not prosper
    and all their flock is scattered.
²² Listen! The report is coming—
    a great commotion from the land of the north!
It will make the towns of Judah desolate,
    a haunt of jackals.

Jeremiah’s Prayer

²³ Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own;
    it is not for them to direct their steps.
²⁴ Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure—
    not in your anger,
    or you will reduce me to nothing.
²⁵ Pour out your wrath on the nations
    that do not acknowledge you,
    on the peoples who do not call on your name.
For they have devoured Jacob;
    they have devoured him completely
    and destroyed his homeland.

The Covenant Is Broken

11 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. ³ Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant— ⁴ the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.’ I said, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God. ⁵ Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’—the land you possess today.”

I answered, “Amen, Lord.”

⁶ The Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them. ⁷ From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.” ⁸ But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.’”

⁹ Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. ¹⁰ They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors. ¹¹ Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. ¹² The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes. ¹³ You, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.

¹⁴ “Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.

¹⁵ “What is my beloved doing in my temple
    as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes?
    Can consecrated meat avert your punishment?
When you engage in your wickedness,
    then you rejoice.”

¹⁶ The Lord called you a thriving olive tree
    with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
    he will set it on fire,
    and its branches will be broken.

¹⁷ The Lord Almighty, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused my anger by burning incense to Baal.

Plot Against Jeremiah

¹⁸ Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. ¹⁹ I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying,

“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
    let us cut him off from the land of the living,
    that his name be remembered no more.”
²⁰ But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously
    and test the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
    for to you I have committed my cause.

²¹ Therefore this is what the Lord says about the people of Anathoth who are threatening to kill you, saying, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hands”— ²² therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. ²³ Not even a remnant will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.”

2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5

Stand Firm

¹³ But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴ He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

Request for Prayer

3 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. ² And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. ⁴ We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. ⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Seek good and not evil, that you may live. Amos 5:14

Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. Romans 12:17

Almighty God, help us to seek the right path. We delight in your goodness and seek to follow you. We are your children, give us your peace. May we be noble in your sight and walk in your ways. Amen.