The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 225: Our Will Versus God's Will (2022)

Episode Date: August 13, 2022

Fr. Mike reviews one of the most powerful verses in Proverbs, dealing with personal discernment and wanting to follow our own will instead of God's. He also goes into a deeper explanation of the prophet, Jeremiah, and how we ourselves can reflect the actions of Israel in the Old Testament. Today's readings are Jeremiah 2, Ezekiel 28, and Proverbs 14:9-12. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 225, and we're reading from Jeremiah chapter 2. We just started yesterday, Jeremiah chapter 1. In Ezekiel chapter 28, we're also reading from Proverbs chapter 14,

verses 9 through 12. As always, the Bible translation that I am reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I am using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. And you also can subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe and you receive daily episodes right in your inbox, but you don't get them in your inbox. You get them whenever you open up your app, then you see them right there. Bam, day 225. If you subscribe today, tomorrow, it'll be day 226, which is pretty incredible.

As I said, it's day 225. We are reading from Jeremiah 2, Ezekiel 28 and Proverbs 14 verses 9 through 12. The book of the prophet Jeremiah chapter 2, Israel's apostasy. The word of the Lord came to me saying, go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord, I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of his harvest. All who ate of it became guilty. Evil came upon them, says the Lord. Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord, what wrong did your fathers find in me that they went

far from me and went after worthlessness and became worthless? They did not say, where is the Lord who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells. And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination. The priests did not say, where is the Lord?

Those who handle the law did not know me. The rulers transgressed against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit. Therefore I still contend with you, says the Lord, and with your children's children I will contend. For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kadar and examine with care, see if there has been such a thing. Has a nation changed its gods even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that

which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this. Be shocked. Be utterly desolate, says the Lord. For my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. Is Israel a slave? Is he a home-born servant? Why then has he become a prey? The lions have roared against him. They have roared loudly. They have made his land a waste. His cities are in ruins without inhabitant. Moreover, the men of Memphis and Taffanis have broken the crown of your head. Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the Lord your God when he led you in the way? And now, what do you gain by going to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? Or what do you gain by going to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?

Your wickedness will chasten you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God. The fear of me is not in you, says the Lord God of hosts. For long ago you broke your yoke and burst your bonds, and you said, I will not serve. Yes, upon every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down as a harlot. Yet I planted you a choice vine, holy of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine? Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap,

the stain of your guilt is still before me, says the Lord God. How can you say, I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baals? Look at your way in the valley, know what you have done. A restive young camel interlacing her tracks, a wild donkey used to the wilderness in her heat sniffing the wind. Who can restrain her lust? None who seek her need weary themselves. In her month they will find her.

Keep your feet from going unshod and your throat from thirst. But you said, it is hopeless, for I have loved strangers and after them I will go. As a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of Israel shall be shamed. They, their kings, their princes, their priests and their prophets, who say to a tree, you are my father, and to a stone, you gave me birth. For they have turned their back to me and not their face. But in the time of their trouble, they say, arise and save us. But where are your gods that you have made for yourself? Let them arise if they can save you in your time of trouble. For as many as your cities are your gods, O Judah. Why do you complain against me? You have all rebelled against me,

says the Lord. In vain have I struck down your children. They took no correction. Your own sword devoured your prophets like a ravening lion. And you, O generation, heed the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness to Israel or a land of thick darkness? Why then do my people say, we are free, we will come no more to you? Can a maiden forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire?

Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number. How well you direct your course to seek lovers, so that even to wicked women you have taught your ways. Also on your skirts is found the lifeblood of guiltless poor, you did not find them breaking in. Yet in spite of all these things you say, I am poor, you did not find them breaking in. Yet in spite of all these things you say, I am innocent. Surely his anger has turned from me. Behold, I will bring you to judgment for saying I have not sinned. How lightly you got about changing your way. You shall be put to shame by Egypt as you were put to shame by Assyria. From it too you will

come away with your hands upon your head, for the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust, and you will not prosper by them. The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, Chapter 28. Ruin of Tyre Foretold. The word of the Lord came to me, Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, thus says the Lord God, because your heart is proud and you have said, I am a God. I sit in the seat of the gods in the heart of the seas. Yet you are but a man and no God, though you consider yourself as wise as a God. You are indeed wiser than Daniel. No secret is hidden from you. By your wisdom and your understanding, you have gotten wealth for yourself and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries.

By your great wisdom and trade, you have increased your wealth and your heart has become proud in your wealth. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, because you consider yourself as wise as a God, therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you, the most terrible of the nations. And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor. They shall thrust you down into the pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the heart of the seas. Will you still say I am a God in the presence of those who slay you, though you are but a man and no God in the hands of those who wound you? You shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners.

For I have spoken, says the Lord God. Lamentation over the King of Tyre Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, Son of man, raise a lamentation over the King of Tyre, and say to him, thus says the Lord God, You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering, carnelian, topaz, and jasper,

chrysolite, beryl, and onyx, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald, and wrought in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created, they were prepared. With an anointed guardian cherub I placed you, you were on the holy mountain of God. In the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till iniquity was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence and you sinned.

So I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God and the guardian cherub drove you out from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground. I exposed you before kings to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade, you profaned your sanctuaries.

So I brought forth fire from the midst of you. It consumed you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth, in the sight of all who, you profaned your sanctuaries. So I brought forth fire from the midst of you. It consumed you. And I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you. You have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever. Prophecy against Sidon. The word of the Lord came to me, son of man, set your face towards Sidon and prophesy against her and say, thus says the Lord came to me, in her, for I will send pestilence into her and blood into her streets. And the slain shall fall in the midst of her by the sword that is against her on every side. Then they will know that I am the Lord. And for the house of Israel, there shall be no more a briar to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God. Future blessings for Israel.

Thus says the Lord God, when I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land which I gave to my servant Jacob, and they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall dwell securely when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God. The book of Proverbs chapter 14 verses 9 through 12. God scorns the wicked, but the upright enjoy his favor. The heart knows its own bitterness and no stranger shares its joy.

The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Father in heaven, we give you praise and we thank you so much. We thank you for, as every day we pray that we thank you for your word. We thank you for revealing to us your call to repent, your call to come back to you. We thank you for revealing to us the fact that you have a plan for our lives and that you actually want us to be blessed by you you want us to be close to you you want us to be as faithful to you as you are to us and even when we are not faithful even when we fail you have not abandoned us because you are a good dad and so father today dad today we you. And thank you for your gift. Thank you for your wisdom.

And thank you for never abandoning us and continuing to call us back to your heart. Help us to say yes to your heart. Help us to say yes to your will. And help us to turn away from what we have turned to in place of you. What we have placed our trust in in place of you. What we have given our heart to instead of you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. One of the most powerful Proverbs, well, I mean, they're all pretty great, right? But Proverbs 14, verse 12 is so good. It's the last one that I just had read. It's, there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. And that is so

powerful because there's that sense that the reality, of course, is that there are many things that we choose that we thought at the time, I thought this was the right thing to do. And even though it goes against what the Lord has taught us, it goes against what the church has taught us, it goes against even what sometimes our experience has taught us.

We can look around at this world and think, oh my gosh, this never works. It never works ever. Gosh, I can think of a dozen examples, but I think we all can think of a bunch of examples in our own lives where we can look around and say, you know, let me try it. It's kind of that, there's an old skit, I think it might've been on SNL or something like this, where it was the family that had to, they all had to smell the smelly thing. It was like milk had gone bad or eggs had rotten. And everyone was like, oh my

gosh, they smelled it. And like, no, let me smell it too. Oh, it's so terrible. Or they tried to taste the food. It was all rotten. And let me, I need to taste it too. That is us. There was a way that seems right to a person, but that road leads to destruction in spite of the fact that we know so much of our choices that go against God's will and what go against his heart. Guys, we've been listening to God's word for 225 days and he has revealed his heart to us for over half of a year. And yet there are times when we say, well, let me just try it my own way. Let me just try to go my own way and see what happens. And I think scripture would say that way is the way to folly. I think it has said that. And I think we heard that today. So we have more

of this. We have more folly happening, right? We have Ezekiel chapter 28 and Ezekiel chapter 28 going in reverse. We just began Jeremiah. We're going to get to back to Jeremiah in just a second, but let's look at Ezekiel 28. The beginning is remember Ezekiel, the prophet, he is preaching to the nations around Judah, right around Israel. And so he now is talking to Tyre and Sidon, which aren't nations, but they're cities. And so he talks about the ruin of Tyre and talks about the lamentation of the king of Tyre, the king of that region.

We also talk about, he prophesies the destruction of Sidon. And the common denominator here is that the king of Tyre, the king of Sidon, that the city of Tyre, the city of Sidon, the city of Tyre, the city of Sidon, their port cities, they ran on the Mediterranean and they were wealthy. They were powerful. They were influential because people had to trade through Tyre and trade through Sidon. And even lamentation over the king of Tyre is that, yeah, you were brilliant. You're beautiful. You were blameless in your ways. You were wise. I even appointed a guardian cherub I placed in you.

You were on the holy mountain of God. All these things. And yet what happened? What happened was your heart was proud because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. And this is one of the themes that we've already encountered here in God's word, is that God can give us a wisdom that we begin to think is our own. God can give us a beauty that we begin to think is our own. God can give us a

beauty that we begin to think comes from ourselves. God can even give us a position, maybe wealth, maybe influence, maybe whatever it is. We begin to think that that is not a gift from him, but it's our right, right? We can begin to think that this is, you know, this is from me. This isn't from the Lord. And that's what happens. That's what happened with Tyre. It's happened with Sidon. And yet at the same time, here is the Lord God, who says, I'm going to allow you again, I'm going to allow you to get what you've done. I'm going to cast you down. But, but this is so good. As for the house of Israel, there shall be no more a briar to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors. Again, Tyre and Sidon are neighbors among who have treated them with contempt. And there's something so powerful about this as well,

because we all know what it's like to have people around us who are beautiful, who are powerful, who are influential, who are successful, and look at us and they might see our lack of beauty, our lack of strength, our lack of success or intelligence intelligence and treat us with contempt. And here is God who's saying, get your neighbors. They will be cast down. And once again, I will raise you up. And that is, again, not for your sake. He goes on to say, this is the end of chapter 28. He says, when I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered and manifest my holiness in them, in the sight of the nations, yes, they I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations. Yes, they'll remove the contempt, but I'll manifest my holiness in them in the sight

of the nations. And there's something so powerful about this because our lives are meant to do that. Our lives are meant to manifest, to reveal the holiness of God in the sight of the people around us. That when people see us or hear from us or whatever, think of us, that they actually are called to think of God himself, not really strictly speaking of us. The point of our lives, right, is to not only belong to God, but to be pointers to God, like Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, and like the people of God were meant to be. Speaking of Jeremiah, let's go to chapter two. This is remarkable.

You know, Jeremiah mentioned yesterday was he was born a priest, right? He was the priestly family because he even says that. I think there are some scholars who say that Jeremiah, when he began his preaching, again, I think I mentioned yesterday that Jeremiah preached for roughly 50 years. And when he began his preaching, some scholars say that he was about 20 years old. So yesterday when we heard him say to the Lord God, Lord God, I do not know how to speak. I'm only a youth, that he was right. He was roughly 20 years old or so when he began to have that life as a prophet. Jeremiah is known, I think I mentioned again, sometimes I forget what I say, what I haven't said. Jeremiah is the weeping prophet and he's weeping not because he's weird. Ezekiel is sometimes known as the weird prophet,

but Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet because he lets his heart be broken. He lets his heart be broken for what the people are going through. He is a prophet who speaks hard words, but he always speaks hard words with so much love that he's allowed the apostasy, right? The chapter two here, he's allowed the apostasy, the idolatry, the adultery of the people of God to break his heart. You can hear it. You'll be able to hear it in the next number of days. As even today, as Jeremiah is saying, like, gosh, even think about this.

Very beginning of chapter two, the word of the Lord came to me saying, go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, thus says the Lord. And here's what God says. I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness Then think about this. Just this term, you can imagine, I remember hearing someone say this. You can imagine a husband saying to his wife,

I remember when you used to look at me like you loved me. Or a wife say to her husband, I remember when you used to look at me like you loved me. Or a wife say to her husband, I remember when you used to look at me like you adored me. Here's God saying, I remember the devotion of your youth, how your love is a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness. And goes on to say, Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of his harvest. And God is saying, I remember that. I remember our relationship. I remember how you were mine and I was yours. And then it goes on to say, and he asked the question, what wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me? Like, what, what, what, what could I have done that I didn't do?

Like, what did I do wrong that you don't want me? And he actually goes on to talk about, you've chased after these other gods. In fact, there is a, there's a moment here where he talks about the donkey. I don't know if you caught that, the camel and the donkey. It says the wild donkey used in the wilderness in our heat, sniffing the wind who can restrain her lust. And there's something about that image. It's so, um, I don't want to say it's just weird, but it is, it is graphic. And basically it's picture of a donkey in heat, um, who is going after any confined, any male donkey she can, she can find. And that's this image of the people of Israel.

The gods of the people around them didn't have to chase them down. They were willing to chase down those false gods. And that's this key. And going back to the beginning of chapter two, where chapter, verse five, it says, what wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me

and went after worthlessness and became worthless? And that sense of being able to say, here is the unique situation of the people of Israel. And it's our situation too. That the actual God, the real God, the God who actually exists, has the only people that is turned away from him and turned towards false gods. In fact, that's what's said in here. It says that, look at all these people around you. They have their false gods. In fact, that's what's said in here. It says that, look at all these people around you. They have their false gods, they have the Baals, and they have their high

places, and they have their green trees, and they have all these things, and no one turns away from them. No one turns away from these fake gods, these false gods that don't even exist. And yet, here is I, the Lord God, exist, and I've called you, and I've blessed you, and I've fought for you, and I've given you all these great things. You're the only people, you're the only people in existence that turns from your God to false gods, to other gods. And so here's Jeremiah, who just is weeping over this and letting his heart being broken by this. He goes on to say, gosh, this is verse eight.

The priests did not say, where's the Lord? And those who handled the law did not know me. The rulers transgressed against me, prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit. And this is just such a, the priests didn't say, where's the Lord? Basically, they didn't care. The priests who were meant to occupy and worship in the temple didn't even ask. They didn't care. Where's the Lord? Those who handled the law, right? Bible scholars didn't even know me. They might've known the law. They didn't know me. And the rulers transgress the prophets prophesied by Baal, by others. And it's just remarkable. Goes on to say, my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. So be

appalled, oh heavens, at this and be shocked, be utterly desolate. One last, two last images. It says they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. That's just a great image of fountain of living waters basically means like a spring, right? A spring of fresh water that's bubbles up in Northern Minnesota. There's this, there's a spring of water outside this little town of called Buell and has a little sign that says, you know, the best water in the world, or maybe the best water in Minnesota. I'm not sure, but it's this, it's this living spring, right? It's this artisanal well that I say, right? I'm not sure, but it has like the coldest, crispest, clearest, best tasting water you've ever had in your entire life.

And he just bubbles up. It's just complete grace, right? And here's what Jeremiah is saying. The people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me. The fountain of living water is basically just all this fresh water for free for you. And they hewed out cisterns. So what are cisterns? Cisterns are you dig into the limestone and you coat it with plaster so you can store water for yourself. And of course, it doesn't taste that great because it's in a limestone, basically man

made well covered with plaster. It's not going to taste that great. And also it's cracked that can hold that great. And also it's cracked that can hold no water. And yet that's what we exchange. And that's every time, gosh, you guys, every time we exchange the grace of God for anything less than God, that is what we, that's what we choose. That's what we choose. And so, um, the last thing I want to say, it says in verse 26, as a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of Israel shall be shamed as a thief is shamed when caught. And that's the, that's really a big piece, isn't it?

A thief isn't ashamed when they steal. A thief is ashamed when he's caught stealing. And so many of us, so many of us sinners, we're not shamed when we sin. We're shamed when we caught sinning. And there's something about this that we would say, even after that, even after that, would we turn our face to the Lord? Even after that, would we come before God and say, God, please help me, save me. It goes on in verse 35.

It says, yet in spite of all these things, you say, I'm innocent. Surely his anger has turned from me. Behold, I will bring you to judgment for saying I have not sinned. And that's again, Jeremiah is such a powerful word. He's such a powerful prophet, not just because he speaks the truth, but because he speaks the truth, loving, loving the people so much, loving the people of that southern country, southern nation of Judah. And obviously, this is God speaking through Jeremiah to us today. This is clearly God loving us, even in our unfaithfulness and saying, like, you've been

busted. Why don't you turn back to me? You're only ashamed of this because you were found out. But even then, you keep denying the fact that you've been found out. And so we come back to the Lord. Of course, repentance needs God's grace. We can't even come back to God without his help. And so we pray for each other. I'm praying for you. Please pray for me that all of us, that we can come back to the Lord with all of our

heart. And not only when we're caught, right? Not only when we're busted, but also just when we recognize in the silence of our hearts, God, you're calling me back to you. Let's go back to him. Anyways, my name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless. you