As Strong As Iron

[Walter and Deborah]

Friday 8-19-22 6th. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Av 20 5782 60th. Summer Day

As Strong as Iron

Read: Jeremiah 1:14–19 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 103–104; 1 Corinthians 2
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Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall. Jeremiah 1:18

Ironclad beetles are known for their tough exterior which protects them from predators. One special variety, however, has extraordinary strength under pressure. The insect’s hard, outer shell stretches, rather than cracks, where it joins together. Its flat back and low profile also help it to resist fractures. Scientific tests show that it can survive a compression force of nearly forty thousand times its body weight.

Just as God made this bug extra tough, He gave resilience to Jeremiah as well. The prophet would face intense pressure when he delivered unwelcome messages to Israel, so God promised to make him “an iron pillar and a bronze wall” (Jeremiah 1:18). The prophet wouldn’t be flattened, dismantled, or overwhelmed. His words would stand strong because of God’s presence and rescuing power.

Throughout his life, Jeremiah was falsely accused, arrested, tried, beaten, imprisoned, and tossed into a well—yet he survived. Jeremiah also persisted despite the weight of inner struggles. Doubt and grief plagued him. Constant rejection and the dread of a Babylonian invasion added to his mental stress.

God continually helped Jeremiah so that his spirit and testimony weren’t shattered. When we feel like giving up on the mission He’s given us, or backing away from living faith-filled lives, we can remember that Jeremiah’s God is our God. He can make us as strong as iron because His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Which circumstances are threatening to crush you? How do the examples of Bible characters inspire you to exhibit faith in God?

Dear God, please strengthen me to meet the challenges I face today.

INSIGHT

The words terrified/terrify in Jeremiah 1:17 translate the Hebrew word hatat, meaning to be shattered, dismayed, broken, abolished, afraid, discouraged, terrified. The word is used in contexts where God’s people are encouraged to take a stand in the face of odds (see 1 Chronicles 22:13; 2 Chronicles 20:15, 17; Ezekiel 3:9).

It’s often preceded by the word not and the exhortation to “not fear” as in Joshua 1:9, where the Hebrew word is translated “discouraged”: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

In the Gospels, Jesus’ words to His disciples echo what we hear in the Old Testament: “Do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say” (Luke 12:11–12).

By Jennifer Benson Schuldt|August 19th, 2022

Encouragement Jeremiah One:14-19

14 Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.

16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.

18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.

19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.

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Love, Walter and Debbie

[B-B]

3 hours ago, Walter and Deborah said:

19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.

Amen...

[Mama Etna]

Excellent devotional.  I also marvel at God's design of that little beetle.