FWD: Morning Manna (Sept. 13); BP: Jer. 24; RBTTY: II Cor. 6; Prov. 16-18

 
Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net

 

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-----Original Message-----
From: Apostle Tom <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Sent: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:57:00 -0500
To: <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Morning Manna (Sept. 13); BP: Jer. 24; RBTTY: II Cor. 6; Prov. 16-18
 

September 13                                                                                                             “Rotten and Ripe Fruit”

 

“The Lord showed me and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the Temple of the Lord, after that Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, had carried away captive Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon.  One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe—and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.”

                                                                                                                                                    Jeremiah 24:1-2

     The Master Gardener always knows which one we are.

     Nothing is more delicious than a fully ripe piece of fruit, whether it be an apple, orange, banana, pineapple, grape, persimmon, etc.  However, nothing is worse than sinking your teeth into a piece of rotten fruit, that seems perfectly okay on the outside, but is rotten to the core on the inside.

 

     Jeremiah’s vision of the “two baskets of figs set before the Temple” was a powerful one that is as relevant today as it was in his day.  In every generation, there are “good figs” and there are “very naughty (Heb. ‘ra’—‘evil, displeasing, ill-favored, wretched, etc.’) figs.”  We refer to the “good figs” person as “honest as the day is long,” while we describe the “naughty, evil figs” as someone who’s “rotten to the core.”

 

     In Jeremiah’s case, the “naughty figs” referred to the corrupt prophets, priests, king and citizens of Judah who’d stiffened their necks and hardened their hearts against God.  Their being carried off into Babylonian captivity for 70 years was simply their receiving their just “wages of sin” (Rom. 6:23a).

 

     However, the “very good figs”—though also being carried off to captivity—would one day be restored to their homeland and once again become fruitful in their service to Him (vv.6-7).  Even during their suffering in Babylon, the Lord would “set His eyes upon them for good and give them a heart to know Him—that He is the Lord—and they shall be His People and He will be their God, for they shall return (repent) unto Him with their whole heart.”

 

     In every generation there are those who are “wheat” and those who are “tares” (Mt. 13:24-30). . . “sheep” and “goats” (Mt. 25:31-3). . . “fertile soil” and “hardened, shallow or thorny soil” (Mt. 13:18-23). . . “possessors” and “professors” (which are really “wolves in sheep’s clothing”—Mt. 7:15).

 

     That’s why Jesus said we are not to judge (Mt. 7:1-5)—which is a wholesale “sizing up of someone even before we get to know them;”  however, He did say “By their fruits you shall know them” (Mt. 7:15-23).

 

     Dear Pilgrim, Jesus’ cursing of the fruitless fig tree (Mt. 21:18-22) stands as an eternal warning of the danger of “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (II Tim. 3:5).  Pretenders will not enter into God’s Kingdom; neither will those who are “whitened sepulchers full of dead men’s bones” (Mt. 23:27).  May the Holy Spirit help us to bear His fruit today (Gal. 5:22-23) and warn those who aren’t.