We studied last night into the morning, and got back home when it was almost light outside. I went to sleep at 6am, and got up at 11:30 for devotions. Our economics final exam was at 12:30, and lasted three hours. Since I'm taking it pass no pass, it wasn't too stressful of an experience. I think I sealed a pass.

Afterwards we got something to eat (calzone), brought it to the Y to eat, and then went to TPR to study and work. We stayed until about 10pm, and then went home.

In the second to last photo of the students in the lecture hall, if you look really really closely you can see sean and aaron doing peace signs towards the camera. What's funny about it is that they did this while still taking their final, without any prior agreement to do so. They just both saw me pull out my camera, and posed for the picture.

Devotion time questions:

Jeremiah 16

What kinds of prohibitions were given to Jeremiah by God and why?

Jeremiah was prohibited from doing things that seemed to contradict his message of impending destruction. This included marriage, mourning a death of someone he knew, or participating in feasts and festivities. He was commanded to live a life that demonstrated his consuming conviction that judgement was near. If he believed in the message he was proclaiming, then how could he start a family and settle down in the land he was speaking out against? He would be trying to live comfortably in a doomed land. In the same way, if he showed great remorse over the death of a single person, then it would detract from his greater message of the death of a nation. The last example, participating in feasts and festivities, has a pretty obvious explanation.

What would Jeremiah’s vivid obedience to these prohibitions have accomplished? How does this underscore the power of a life of self-denying obedience to God?

I kind of covered this in the previous question, but it would have made his life a sign for the people to see and consider in addition to the words they were rejecting. We not only need to serve God by proclaiming his words, but by living out lives that reflect our true conviction in what we're saying.

Obedience to God must very often be self-denying, for our will and desires frequently do not coincide with God's desires for us.

What prohibitions do I need to accept in my life in order to make God’s message ring out more clearly and powerfully from my life?

In general, I need to strictly follow the moral guidelines God has laid out for us. Though these are very often self-denying and contrary to the ways of culture and the world, they are necessary in order to live a life that reflects our belief in the truth of God's word.

What is amazing about vv.14-15? How does this capture who God is and His heart toward us despite our sinful nature? In what ways have I experienced this aspect of God in my life?

God is a God of love and mercy. Though he sees all of our sins and deals with us accordingly, he gives us grace and continues to call us back to himself. If we turn from our sinful and wicked ways, he will forgive us and restore us.

Thoughts omitted here.

How is the statement “they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols” true of today’s world?

The people of today's world are seeking after idols and worthless things rather than God, just as the Israelites did prior to their exile. People put their trust in things that cannot save, and hide behind things that cannot protect. Money, power, and fame cannot save us from sin and judgement. The best medicine and the safest homes cannot fully protect us from death. Trust in these things turn them into idols that people seek instead of God.

How does my life give evidence to the fact that God is “my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress” especially during that final day of judgment?

Thoughts omitted here.

Reflect on the purpose of judgment expressed in v. 21. Why is it a blessing to know God’s “power and might” and to know that he is the Lord, even if this knowledge comes through judgment?

It is better to know and turn to God through judgement and destruction and be saved, than the live the most comfortable life without knowing him, and falling into destruction. Knowing him is all we need, and is to our benefit however we come to know him.