Jo’s Place

Jeremiah Questions the Lord’s Justice Lord, you always give me justice  when I bring a case before You.  So let me bring You this complaint:  Why are the wicked so prosperous?  Why are evil people so happy?  You have planted them, and they have taken root and prospered.  Your name is on their lips, but You are far from their hearts.  But as for me, Lord …You know my heart...  You see me and test my thoughts.  Drag these people away like sheep to be butchered!  Set them aside to be slaughtered!  How long must this land mourn?  Even the grass in the fields has withered.  The wild animals and birds have disappeared because of the evil in the land.  For the people have said,  “The Lord doesn’t see what’s ahead for us!”  The Lord’s Reply to Jeremiah “If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses?  If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the...

​ The Coming Destruction Pack your bags and prepare to leave; the siege is about to begin.  For this is what the Lord says:  “Suddenly, I will fling out all you who live in this land.  I will pour great troubles upon you,  and at last you will feel My anger.”  My wound is severe, and My grief is great.  My sickness is incurable, but I must bear it.  My home is gone, and no one is left to help Me rebuild it.  My children have been taken away, and I will never see them again.  The shepherds of My people have lost their senses.  They no longer seek wisdom from the Lord.  Therefore, they fail completely, and their flocks are scattered.  Listen!  Hear the terrifying roar of great armies as they roll down from the north.  The towns of Judah will be destroyed and become a haunt for jackals.  So, this is Jeremiah’s Prayer I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own.  We are not able to plan our own course.  So...

Idolatry Brings Destruction Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel!  This is what the Lord says:  “Do not act like the other nations,  who try to read their future in the stars.  Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them.  Their ways are futile and foolish.  They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.  They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over.  Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!  They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.  Do not be afraid of such gods, f or they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”  Lord, there is no one like You!  For You are great, and Your name is full of power.  Who would not fear You, O King of nations?  That title belongs to You alone!  Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the king...

Weeping in Jerusalem This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:  “Consider all this, and call for the mourners.  Send for the women who mourn at funerals.  Quick! Begin your weeping!  Let the tears flow from your eyes.  Hear the people of Jerusalem crying in despair,  ‘We are ruined! We are completely humiliated! …We must leave our land, because our homes have been torn down.’ ”  Listen, you women, to the words of the Lord; open your ears to what He has to say.  Teach your daughters to wail;  teach one another how to lament.  For death has crept in through our windows and has entered our mansions.  It has killed off the flower of our youth: children no longer play in the streets, and young men no longer gather in the squares.  This is what the Lord says:  “Bodies will be scattered across the fields like clumps of manure,  like bundles of grain after the harvest.  No one will be left to bury them.”  ...

I will praise the Lord at all times. This is a psalm of David, regarding the time he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech, who sent him away.  I will praise the Lord at all times.  I will constantly speak His praises.  I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart.  Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt His name together.  I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me.  He freed me from all my fears.  Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.  In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; He saved me from all my troubles.  For the angel of the Lord is a guard; He surrounds and defends all who fear Him.  Taste and see that the Lord is good.  Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him!  Fear the Lord, you His godly people, for those who fear Him will have all they need.  Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but...

​ Sorrow in Jerusalem In  Hebrew  Yĕrūshalayim   means  (God’s) “possession of peace” Jerusalem, once so full of people, is now deserted.  She who was once great among the nations  now sits alone like a widow.  Once the queen of all the earth,  she is now a slave.  She sobs through the night;  tears stream down her cheeks.  Among all her lovers, there is no one left to comfort her.  All her friends have betrayed her  and become her enemies.  Judah has been led away into captivity, oppressed with cruel slavery.  She lives among foreign nations a nd has no place of rest.  Her enemies have chased her down, and she has nowhere to turn.  The roads to Jerusalem are in mourning, for crowds no longer come to celebrate the festivals.  The city gates are silent,  her priests groan,  her young women are crying— how bitter is her fate!  Her oppressors have become her masters,  and her enemi...

The Woman and the Dragon Past, present, and future… (are all the same to God, because) God and Heaven are outside of time. The things that have happened may be yet to come… and the things that are now …have always been known. So, John’s vision from God is not surprising… Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance.  I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head.  She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth.  Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event.  I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns… with seven crowns on his heads.  His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth.  He stood in front of the woman, as she was about to give birth… ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born.  She gave birth to a Son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod.  And he...