9 Again the Lord said to me, “A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. 11 Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. 13 For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, altars to make offerings to Baal.
14 “Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble. 15 What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done many vile deeds? Can even sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can you then exult? 16 The Lord once called you ‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.’ But with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed. 17 The Lord of hosts, who planted you, has decreed disaster against you, because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal.”
18 The Lord made it known to me and I knew;
then you showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.
I did not know it was against me
they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously,
who tests the heart and the mind,
let me see your vengeance upon them,
for to you have I committed my cause.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, who seek your life, and say, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand”— 22 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine, 23 and none of them shall be left. For I will bring disaster upon the men of Anathoth, the year of their punishment.”
There are many people laying in wait for Jeremiah. There are even more people that have set traps for God's prophet throughout the years. There are even people scheming today with charts and diagrams to trap Christians, preachers, and denominations. They may be able to stand in the back ground of our view but not God's view.
God is the one who can see through all their tricks and schems. God looks into the hearts of people. God knows everything that his people and those who stand opposed to his people do and think. God notices who has faith and who does not have faith. God can see these plans and tricks. God delivered Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others through various traps. He stands guard to protect his people.
God knows that his people are tempted by various people in the world. God knows that his people will fall into sin. God knows that his people are not perfect. But God provides a way out of these traps and temptations and sins. God delivers us by sending one who could not be tricked. Jesus Christ could not be tempted, he could not be trapped or tricked.
Yet, it was this same Jesus Christ the son of the Living God who was nailed to a cross and killed, or sacrificed. He offers his own life to deliver sinners from their sins. He dies to deliver his people out of the snare of the Devil. Christ does this to save his people from their sins, and the curse.
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