The Discipline of God

Jeremiah 29:3–5 NKJV

3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.

1. Dealing with the Technicalities of the Text:

The New King James Version Chapter 29

Elasah the son of Shaphan

The New King James Version Chapter 29

Gemariah the son of Hilkiah

the scholars don’t know who these people really are:

it is possible that Hilkiah was possibly the son of the prehistory.

the reason I think they are here is to establish

2 Corinthians 13:1 NKJV

1 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”

these guys are here as a witness. God will provide for himself a witness.

2. There is a reason that the nation of Isreal was taken captive by Babylon; it has nothing to do with military life.

they forgot who’s they where. Because of who’s they where they forgot who they are. as a result of forgetting God we don’t know who they are.

Psalm 139:13–16 NKJV

13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

God Formed me.

God gifted me.

God established all of the days of my life.

when I swap where I am supposed to be for where God is called to be; then I get in trouble because I think its about me.

what often happens is that I am doing the right things out of the wrong motive. so there efforts come to not because we make ourselves God.

now I can feel you resisting me; hear me out. you really want to tell me right this second how you are not trying to be in God’s place. I hear you, I don’t want to be on God’s throne either, let me ask this; have you ever realized that in order to let God meet your needs you have to release control?

For the believer ‘success’ is executing the will of God for your life.

Matthew 25:20–28 NKJV

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

The Point is the God that birthed you, also gifted you, and knows the fullest of your potential.

as a result all we can do is our best.

this to me illustrates the need to let God be God and for us to do what we are called to do to obey.

3. God allowed Isreal to reap what they sowed so that they will return to Him.

Galatians 6:7 NKJV

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

we make decisions, those decisions have consequences.

we have to live with those consequences.

when we are tricked into being like the world we are in trouble.

Hebrews 12:6 NKJV

6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”

Correction by definition is to keep us away from judgement.

the Lord is bringing His people back.