Psalm 8:1; the Doxology

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in Jeremiah 17. The Mind of the Spirit met the spirit of my mind in verse 16:

Jeremiah 17:16 As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.

“As for me”! Contrast what Jeremiah said with what God had to say about Judah. As for Judah, “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills” (Jeremiah 17:1-2). God goes on to declare their judgment: Judah would “discontinue from [her] heritage that [He] gave [her]”! (Jeremiah 17:4). For the people had “kindled a fire in [God’s] anger, which shall burn for ever” (Jeremiah 17:4).

The root of Judah’s errors was this: “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD” (Jeremiah 17:5).*

“As for” Judah, their affections departed from their GOD, but “As for” Jeremiah, he could testify: “I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee” like the other pastors who “sought not the LORD” (Jeremiah 10:21; see 19-21).

Along the still waters, as I reflected on these things, I understood the fundamental issue of loyalty, of faithfulness to our King. It is required in stewards (like pastors) that a man be found faithful 12 Corinthians 4:2). Jesus made this the primary criterion of His judgment: “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matthew 25:21-23).

The unfaithful servant is severely chastised (Matthew 25:30).

Unfaithfulness arises in the heart of a servant whose affections are alienated from his LORD.

In the valley, kneeling in the shadow of the Cross, where our faithful LORD gave Himself for us, I pondered the criminal behavior of any who withdraws their affections from Christ and becomes unfaithful in their service to Him. Jesus spoke, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). It always comes back to this! The Cross! Those who refuse to “deny himself” and take up his cross are unfaithful to their LORD Who denied Himself and took up His.

At the table, my Shepherd anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace. Goodness and mercy followed close as we entered the harvest for another day’s faithful service.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap:

https://rumble.com/v71fl00-shepherds-pasture.html

[*It’s particularly interesting that the rebuke concludes with a reproof against something that was, from a New Testament perspective, temporary, transient —the Sabbath. I realize the Sabbath was a big deal in the Old Testament, but God always elevated the weightier matters above it, matters of truth, justice, judgment, and equity. Why does God bear down on them about the Sabbath in this chapter? It seems to me that this was their first point of departure. When Jesus evaluated His churches, He rebuked Ephesus because she left her “first love” (Revelation 2:4; see Colossians 3:2). Her affection toward Him cooled, the first step toward the lukewarmness He saw in Laodicea, which revulsed Him (Revelation 3:16). Circumcission was the token of the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 17:11; Acts 7:8; Romans 4:11). But the sabbath was the first token of His covenant with Israel, as a nation, after He drew them out of Egypt (Exodus 31:16). For them to violate the sabbath was to depart from their “first love.” It’s interesting to me that God reckoned their departure from Him to be particularly connected with this departure from the simple, imminently doable aspect of His law. The turning of their heart from trusting Him to trusting the arm of flesh was rooted in their departure from the sabbath. Sometimes, it is in the simple responsibilities of our duties to our LORD where we manifest the roots of disaffection toward our GOD, which leads to a full departure of our heart from Him. The alienation of our affections from Him begins with something relatively simple, like missing church, quitting our devotions, leading to a departure from our primary mission —to preach the gospel to everyone.]