Day 240: Remaining Humble

Jeremiah 23:1-8 Despite the end of the Davidic monarchy, God promised to send a new and righteous king from the line of David to bring prosperity and salvation to his people. This prophecy refers to the future Messiah, Jesus.

Ch 23:9-40 False prophets, who were self-appointed prophets without a divine calling, were interested in notoriety and the material benefits resulting from that position. They would ingratiate themselves with the people by preaching what was consoling and pleasant. They posed a serious problem for Jeremiah since his message contradicted theirs blatantly. In summary, Jeremiah predicted severe punishment while the false prophets promised prosperity and victory in war.

Daniel 4:28-37 The king wavered between faith and incredulity and never managed to embrace the religion of Israel totally. (CCC 543)

Ch 5:1-30 Some factual errors exist here (e.g., Belshazzar was not the son of Nebuchadnezzar), but they are secondary to the intended meaning of the narrative. 

Fingers of a man’s hand: Implicitly, the hand and finger of God. These images are also used elsewhere in Scripture. In the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus (“Come, Holy Spirit”), which is sung at First Vespers of Pentecost in the Liturgy of the Hours, the Holy Spirit is referred to as the “finger of God.” (CCC 700)

(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)

• I LOVE GOSH YOU GUYS!

• So do I! 😉

• Every reading today was FIRE today

• JUST GOLD

• Proverbs 16:3 should be BOOKMARKED (I shall go add a ribbon in my Bible to that verse 🤓)

• “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

• That has been every day since Fr. Mike was in second grade

• “God, this is for you and everything I do I want to do it for you.” (Just like Bryan Adams sang 😉Bryan Adams   Everything I Do I Do It For You   YouTube )

• Maybe not EXACTLY like Bryan Adams sang

• What a gift to be able to go through Jeremiah, the Weeping Prophet

• He talks a lot about GOOD SHEPHERDS AND BAD SHEPHERDS

• He talks a lot about TRUE PROPHETS AND LYING PROPHETS

• Today is no exception

• Jeremiah 23:23, “Am I a God at hand, says the Lord, and not a God afar off?”

• THIS IS SO KEY

• “Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? Says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? Says the Lord. I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’”

• It goes on to talk about not only the people who prophesy THEIR OWN THOUGHTS as opposed to prophesying the WORDS GOD HAS SPOKEN

• We were COMMANDED to NOT TAKE THE LORD’S NAME IN VAIN

• This not only means uttering the name of God without meaning or carelessly

• BUT…

• It also means to NOT DOING SOMETHING IN THE NAME OF THE LORD THAT THE LORD WOULD NEVER ENDORSE

• Doing something IN THE NAME OF GOD that actually is REALLY TRULY ONLY DONE IN MY OWN NAME

• OR IN THE NAME OF SOMEONE ELSE

• OR IN THE NAME OF A POLITICAL THING

• OR IN THE NAME OF A CULTURAL THING

• OR IN THE NAME OF ANY OTHER KIND OF PREFERENCE

• What I have done is I have ascribed or invoked God’s name upon this thing THAT I PREFER

• That is what seems to be happening in Jeremiah Ch 23

• These prophets are not prophesying what God has said

• They are simply prophesying THEIR OWN THING

• They are simply prophesying THEIR OWN HEART

• They are simply prophesying THEIR OWN MIND

• They are simply prophesying THEIR OWN IDEAS

• Of course that is NOT PROPHECY AT ALL

• That is simply them talking

• THAT IS NOT GOD TALKING

• We are called in so many ways to HUMBLE OURSELVES BEFORE THE LORD

• LET GOD TEACH US!!

• That’s what Daniel Chs 4 and 5 are all about

• King Nebuchadnezzar is being humbled before the Lord

• Not only being humbled before the Lord, but then being TAUGHT BY GOD

• THIS IS SO CRITICAL

• He is not simply humbled FOR HUMILITY’S SAKE

• He is HUMBLED BEFORE THE LORD

• HIS POWER IS TAKEN AWAY

• HIS MAJESTY IS TAKEN AWAY

• EVEN HIS REASON IS TAKEN AWAY

• So that he can realize that THE MOST HIGH IS TRULY GOD

• Nebuchadnezzar was the number one person to himself in his entire life

• He was the top dog his entire life

• God is making it known, “Actually there are those above you.”

• And GOD HIMSELF

• THE MOST HIGH IS THE HIGHEST

• GOD IS THE MOST HIGH

• Nebuchadnezzar learned this and it is REALLY REMARKABLE

• Daniel Ch 5 we have Belshazzar and The Handwriting on the Wall

• It is interpreted noting that he was going to be taken down and surpassed by the Persians

• So as we get to the end of Daniel Ch 5 we have a transition

• The Persians have now come into Babylon and they are now going to be the top dogs

• Kingdoms come and kingdoms go

• Nations rise and fall

• Kings are lifted up and Kings are brought down

• THAT IS THE WAY THE WORLD GOES

• So many of us can be so preoccupied with the stories of WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD

• WHAT’S HAPPENING IN POLITICS

• WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE CULTURE

• As opposed to realizing…

• THIS IS WHAT ALWAYS HAPPENS

• PEOPLE COME AND PEOPLE GO

• NATIONS RISE AND NATIONS FALL

• KINGS COME AND KINGS GO

• WHAT WE ARE CALLED TO DO IS HUMBLE OURSELVES BEFORE THE LORD!!

• WE ARE CALLED TO SERVE THE LORD OUR GOD!!

• WE ARE CALLED TO LOVE GOD WITH EVERYTHING WE ARE!!

• WE ARE CALLED TO LOVE GOD WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE!!

• WE ARE CALLED TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS AS OURSELVES!!

• SO WE GIVE GOD PRAISE TODAY!!

• ASK GOD TO HELP US DO THAT!!

• Help us to pay attention, yes we have our fingers on the pulse of the world

• BUT AT THE SAME TIME…

• OUR HEARTS BELONG TO THE LORD

• OUR SERVICE AND WORSHIP BELONG TO THE LORD

• OUR CARE BELONG TO THOSE PEOPLE AROUND US

• THAT IS A LOT

• THAT IS PLENTY FOR MOST OF US

• So we need help even to do that

• WE NEED GRACE

• WE NEED PRAYERS

• PRAY FOR FR. MIKE

• PRAY FOR EACH OTHER

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven we give you praise and glory. We thank you so much. Thank you for this day. Thank you for a new day. Thank you for bringing us to this moment where we get to not only hear your Word, but we get to be united. We get to be united as a group of people, as a community of people, who are listening to your Word and are bound together not only by your love for us, our love for you. Your Word and also this bond of prayer that we lift each other up in prayer every single day because we need your Grace and we need each other. We cannot make this journey on our own. You have not left us orphans. You have called us your sons and daughters. You have become our Father. You made us brothers and sisters from all across the world, Lord God. From every race, from every ethnicity, from every nationality, we are united by your Holy Spirit, and we are truly brothers and sisters belonging to you, our true Dad, our true Father. Thank you. Please hear our prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.”