“Jeremiah said, ‘The word of the LORD came to me: Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you and say, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.”’” (Jeremiah 32:6–7 ESV). Jeremiah received this word from the Lord while imprisoned in the court
Chapter: 32
ANSWERING THE CALL TO BE FAITHFUL
“Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people…” (Deuteronomy 32:49–50 ESV). God
WHEN MAY THE LORD BE FOUND?
“Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found” (Psalm 32:6 ESV). David wrote of a time when his unconfessed sin weighed heavy on him. He finally decided to stop trying to hide his iniquity and to confess his sins to the Lord. When he did,
HEZEKIAH’S TUNNEL AND BIBLE HISTORY
“This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works” (2 Chronicles 32:30 ESV). King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians, by closing the “upper outlet of the waters
PRAYING THE PROMISES
“But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’” (Genesis 32:12 ESV). When Jacob heard that his brother Esau was approaching with 400 men, he was afraid. So, he prayed to the Lord for protection. In his prayer, he
Confessing Our Guilt
We want to please God, but still have sin areas that cause us to feel guilty and defeated or past sin areas that we still feel guilty about. This robs us of living the blessed life, the happy life.
What is guilt? It’s that feeling of shame and regret we feel over a sinful attitude or behavior. It can be appropriate guilt when we are indeed responsible for an offense and feel remorse for it. Or it can be false guilt when we feel responsible for something that we had no control over, yet still feel we could’ve prevented in some way. Guilt feels heavy, like baggage that we carry with us. It fills us with shame and regret.
Some will try to help us deal with our guilt by trying to convince us that we shouldn’t feel guilty. But the Bible tells us that the reason we feel guilty is because we are guilty! But it also tells us how to give it to God! In David’s Psalm 32, he described how confessing his guilt led to living under God’s blessing. We can understand how confessing our guilt leads to living under God’s blessing.
WHOSE PATH DO YOU FOLLOW?
‘The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you”‘ (Psalm 32:8 NLT). David reminds us in this psalm that the Lord offers to lead, guide, and direct us. He says don’t be like a mule that needs a bit and bridle to
A NEW NAME AND A NEW IDENTITY
“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won” (Genesis 32:28 NLT). Jacob got a new name after wrestling all night with God. The name “Jacob” means “grasping the heel” or “pulling the
REMEMBER HOW FAR GOD HAS BROUGHT YOU
“I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps!” (Genesis 32:10 NLT). As Jacob returned to the land of Canaan with his wives,
“Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to You at a time that You may be found” (Psalm 32:6 HCSB).
WHEN MAY THE LORD BE FOUND? David wrote of a time when his unconfessed sin weighed heavy on him. He finally decided to stop trying to hide his iniquity and to confess his sins to the Lord. When he did, the Lord heard his prayer and forgave him. Experiencing the Lord’s forgiveness himself, David urged