August 14, 2012 … Out of Gloom – A Glimpse of Glory

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 227 

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Jeremiah 26-29 [NIV] To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passage: Jeremiah 30: 1-3; 8-11; 17-18; 21-22 :[NIV] … 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3 The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,' says the Lord." … 8 "'In that day,' declares the Lord Almighty, 'I will break the yoke off their necks [i.e., the oppressors of Israel] and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. 9 Instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. 10 "'So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel,' declares the Lord. 'I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid. 11 I am with you and will save you,' declares the Lord. 'Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.' … 17 But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the Lord, 'because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.' 18 "This is what the Lord says: "'I will restore the fortunes of Jacob's tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place. … 21 Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them. I will bring him near and he will come close to me — for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?' declares the Lord. 22 "'So you will be my people, and I will be your God.'"
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Highlight Passage: Jeremiah 31: 1-6; 17-19 :[NIV] … 1 "At that time," declares the Lord, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people." 2 This is what the Lord says: "The people who survive the sword will find favor in the wilderness; I will come to give rest to Israel." 3 The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. 4 I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. Again you will take up your timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful. 5 Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit. 6 There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, 'Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.'" … 17 So there is hope for your descendants," declares the Lord. "Your children will return to their own land. 18 "I have surely heard Ephraim's moaning: [the thoughts of repentant Israel after their captivity in Babylon] … 'You disciplined me like an unruly calf, and I have been disciplined. Restore me, and I will return, because you are the Lord my God. 19 After I strayed, I repented; after I came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.' … 33 "This is the covenant … [i.e., the New Covenant in Christ] … I will make with the people of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the Lord. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." 
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Reference Study Passage : Hebrews 8: 5-6 [NIV] To study this passage, go to this link -  


My Journal for Today: Wow! Only two chapters in Jeremiah today; but it’s still a big gulp of truth; and I’m going to cop out as a journalist today, not writing very much (to which I might sense some followers saying or thinking, “Finally!” ). Today, I just want you to take in these two uplifting and promise-filled passages, where Jeremiah is finally giving the people, i.e., those who had been taken captive by Babylon, a message which shifted from gloomy to glory-filled.

And as I read and studied through these chapters, I, personally, was drawn to the last two verses, one of which I’ve copied above highlighted in bold/underlined). And you can go to the reference passage in Hebrews 8 to which I have linked readers to see that the New Covenant – in Christ – was the covenant promise to which Jeremiah wrote in Verse 33 of Jeremiah 31. And Jeremiah was able – with God’s anointing – to look forward many years and centuries and millennia to see that God will never forget those who are the remnant of faithful followers; and that includes ALL PEOPLE who respond to the New Covenant, fulfilled after The Messiah, our Lord, Jesus, comes to redeem His people and lead them into glory [which, of course, is reality now].

 My friends, if you are truly born again … in Christ, … YOU are one of those people of promise written about by Jeremiah in these chapters. And though we see gloom all around us, we can take heart from the promises of God, through Jeremiah and so many other prophets, but even more through the life, death, and resurrection of our Messiah, that we are saved. He rose again and He lives to bring us home to glory with Him.

My Prayer Today: … Glory, Lord!!! Hallelujah!! Amen