January 21, 2021 (Thursday)
To me, Jeremiah is an interesting character. He was called
to ministry as a child and given God’s seal of protection. Later, he was tossed
into a dry cistern by his enemies. Feeling betrayed by God and angry that his
protection failed he tried unsuccessfully to quit. Minus the seal of
protection, I’ve felt like that a few times in my life.
The valley of Gehenna was an image Jesus used for Hell.
Where did this come from? I am so glad you asked! Jeremiah was the one who
created the image of what we would call “Hell.” Let’s take a look.
Here’s the set up, “Thus says the Lord, “Go, buy a potter's earthenware flask, and take
some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests, 2 and
go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate,
and proclaim there the words that I tell you.” [Jeremiah 19:1 – 2 ESV] The valley Jeremiah is sent
to deliver his message is called Gehenna, in Jesus’ day.
The Lord promises disaster (see verse 3). The valley of
Gehenna was a place of worship, for Baal (a title meaning “lord,” in general reference
to the various gods worshiped, which is why Baal is mentioned in the plural). However,
the Baal Israel fell for was a Palestinian fertility god.
God complains, “Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this
place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their
fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and because they have filled this
place with the blood of innocents.” [Jeremiah
19:4 ESV] Not only does God take this personally, but it is a matter of
justice. Innocents are losing their lives in this valley.
Here is punch line, “Yes, they have built shrines to Baal, to burn their sons and
daughters in the fire, although I never commanded or ordered such a thing, nor
did it ever cross my mind.” [Jeremiah
19:5 CEB] This was a place parents offered their children as sacrifices. It has
been suggested that the parent and the priest would toss a child across a fire
until… Idols of Baal have been recovered that were metal with ovens in the
chest. These idols had arms at an angle, where the child would roll down the
arm into the oven.
So God promises three things: 1.) “I will foil the plans of Judah and Jerusalem
in this place and will have them fall in battle before their enemies” [Jeremiah 19:7a CEB] 2.) “I will make this city something that sounds
horrible; all who pass by it will be shocked at its pain.” [Jeremiah
19:8 CEB] 3.) “They
will resort in desperation to eating the flesh of their sons and daughters, and
to devouring the flesh of their neighbors.” [Jeremiah 19:9b CEB] If
God did this to His covenant people, what will He do us?
Tomorrow will be the 48th anniversary of the
completion of the Supreme Court case Roe v Wade. At 40 million+ abortions a year,
abortion is the leading cause of death in the world. At 800,000+ abortions a
year, abortion is the leading cause of death in the USA. Fact check it.
We have had election chaos, covid, wild fires, and
hurricanes. Hold on to your hats, it feels like we have only just begun.
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