Jeremiah 7:21-8:3 9:22-23

Text Box: Jeremiah gave a “Temple sermon” so called because the people of Jerusalem mistakenly believed that they were forever protected by the nearness of the Temple. The sermon was preached, in all likelihood, at the beginning of King Jehoiakim’s reign, 609-608 BCE, How futile it must feel at times when serving as a prophet of G-d. This Haftorah portion starts off with outlining Israel’s failure in following G-d’s prophets. G-d laments “From the day your ancestors left the land of Egypt to this day, I have been sending you My servants, the prophets, sending them day in day out, But they would not listen to me, the paid no heed…. Jeremiah is told that when he speaks the words the L-rd gives him to say, they will not listen to him either. Jeremiah is then commanded what to say to them. Talk about an exercise in futility. G-d has just told you the people to whom He is sending you will not listen, then He tells you to go and say that which you know will not be listened to. The people of Judah have entered into Idol worship. G-d is a jealous G-d and there are to be no other gods but Him in our lives. How sever will be G-d’s punishment for not heeding the prophets and following false gods? The most joyful thing in Jewish life is a wedding. It is one of the items of which the blessing of assisting a Bride or Bridegroom is mentioned every morning in Shakrit prayers. But G-d says in the town of Judah and the street of Jerusalem He will silence the sounds of Joy and the sounds of gladness that the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride will not be heard. The remnants of the people will prefer death to life. How do we put this into practice in our lives? I need only ask if it feels futile to live a G-dly life in our everyday circumstances. Do we dare to separate ourselves out as different? Are there rewards for following G-d or are we frequently the subject of ridicule. I know a man who was wearing a veggie tales tie. For those of you who don’t know of veggie tales, you really need to look them up. Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber tell Bible stories and parables in such a way as to be fun for children with hidden humor that only adults would truly appreciate. That this man wore the tie showed his household was one that follows the Lord and he seeks to pass the knowledge of G-d on to his children. A woman asked him if they were M&M creatures. He said they were veggie tales and they told Bible stories in such a way as to amuse while instructing. The woman interrupted the man to say, “Oh, just another form of brainwashing to create the next generation of fools…” When you stand up for G-d and let people know He is the ruler in your life, and you will follow His ways as best you understanding them, be ready for derisive comments. The last two verses give us a joyful ending to the readings. We are to glory in the wisdom of the Holy One, Blessed be He. Selah

This week’s Parasha and HafTorah

Standing Strong

A Messianic Jewish Congregation with an outreach to Believers in Israel

Mar 22, — Command

Jer 7:21-8:3 9:22-23

Matt 5:21-30

Rev 20:7-10

Text Box: In 2006-7 / 5767 I wrote on the Parashot, Torah portions, on the ponderings and things revealed to me through research and prayer. To access those writings click here or click on the title of the Parasha above to go to this week's portion To access all past teachings click here. For 2007-8 / 5768 I will be writing on the Haftorah portions that are read in conjunction with the Torah portion for that week. If you have a question you wish to have addressed, please write to us at mail@standingstrong.org.