Lesson Commentary

A D U LT

Lesson Commentary Contents

Editor’s Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . About the Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction ...............................................

2 3 5

Lesson 1

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Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Lesson 6 Lesson 7 Lesson 8 Lesson 9 Lesson 10 Lesson 11 Lesson 12 Lesson 13 Lesson 14

The Sign of the Almond Rod—Jeremiah’s Call . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeremiah 1:1-19; 2 Kings 24:1-5

The Sign of the Broken Cistern—God’s Pleading . . . . . . . . . 18 Jeremiah 2:1-37; 2 Kings 24:6-10

The Sign of the Polluted Harlot—God’s Forgiveness . . . . . . 29 Jeremiah 3:1—6:30; 2 Kings 24:11-16

The Sign of the Shaved Head—Judah’s Destruction . . . . . . . 39 Jeremiah 7:1—12:17; 2 Kings 24:17-20

The Sign of the Marred Girdle—Judah’s Pride . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Jeremiah 13:1—15:21; 2 Kings 25:1-21

The Sign of the Unmarried Prophet—Judah’s Judgment . . . . . 61 Jeremiah 16:1—17:27; 2 Kings 25:22-30

The Sign of the Potter’s House—God’s Sovereignty . . . . . . . 72 Jeremiah 18:1—22:30; 2 Chronicles 36:1-7

The Sign of the Righteous Branch—Israel Regathered . . . . . 84 Jeremiah 23:1-40; 2 Chronicles 36:8-14

The Signs of the Figs—Deportation and Restoration . . . . . . 94 Jeremiah 24:1—10; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21

The Sign of the Wine Cup—Judgment of Nations . . . . . . . . . 104 Jeremiah 25:1—26:24; 2 Chronicles 36:22, 23

The Sign of the Yokes—Submission to Babylon . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Jeremiah 27:1—28:17

The Sign of the Seventy Years—Captives To Return . . . . . . . . 125 Jeremiah 29:1—31:40 The Sign of the Purchased Field—Israel Restored . . . . . . . . . 135 Jeremiah 32:1—49:39

The Sign of the Destroying Wind—God’s Faithfulness . . . . . . 146 Jeremiah 50:1—52:34

ADULT LESSON COMMENTARY, Sunday School, Vol. 9, No. 1, issued June 1, 2008, is published quarterly. Prepared by James Crain, David Butimore and Larry Crouch. Cover design by Jeff Allen; Larry E. Clements, Editor in Chief, ; Wayne Sewell, Business Manager, . © Copyright 2008, BAPTIST SUNDAY SCHOOL COMMITTEE of the American Baptist Association, 4605 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana, TX 75503-2928; . Phone: 1-800-264-2482.

Editor’s Note Our study for this quarter focuses on the book and ministry of God’s mighty prophet, Jeremiah. In Warnings of the Weeping Prophet we will study the prophecies of Jeremiah and the chronological sequences recorded in 2 Kings 24 and 25, along with 2 Chronicles 36. The prophet Jeremiah, like many before him, faced intense persecution by his own people because he bravely proclaimed the unwelcome truth regarding the impending Babylonian captivity. Through the most inhumane treatment and cruelty by his captors, he never stopped loving his people and their land. Jeremiah was a man of deep compassion for God and the people of Judah. Jeremiah came on the scene about 100 years after Isaiah. He was a priest from Anathoth, a village of the tribe of Benjamin. Jeremiah’s father was Hilkiah (Jer. 1:1). Jeremiah was called by God during the thirteenth year of King Josiah. Early in his ministry he was a contemporary of Zephaniah and Habakkuk. His later ministry overlapped the ministry of Daniel. He prophesied during the reigns of Kings Josiah, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. Given the choice by Nebuchadnezzar of going to Babylon or staying in Jerusalem with the remnant, Jeremiah chose to stay and minister to God’s people. During the upheaval which followed the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah was taken with a group to Egypt where he continued being the spokesman for God. More than likely he died in Egypt. The book of Jeremiah is not arranged in chronological order. It seems to follow a logical pattern which develops the overall theme of God’s judgment. This sequence reveals messages of God’s judgments on His people Judah then on Gentile nations. Our study will follow fourteen of the signs given by God through Jeremiah to His rebellious people. Each sign helped illustrate God’s message to Judah. This Adult Lesson Commentary is an in-depth study of the Scripture passages in each lesson. Every lesson consists of three elements: the narrative of the Scripture passage; the mannas, a discussion of interesting and informative topics related to the Scripture passage; and the word studies, which are based on specific words used in the Scripture text. The number following each word study identifies the word by the numbering system of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible and is provided for the benefit of those who want to examine the Word of God in greater detail. For this issue of the Adult Lesson Commentary, we appreciate Larry Crouch who wrote the lesson narratives, James Crain who did the word studies and David Butimore who prepared the mannas.

Larry E. Clements, Editor in Chief Baptist Sunday School Committee

About the Writers Recognized for their knowledge, wisdom and understanding of the Holy Scriptures, the writers of the Adult Lesson Commentary are faithful pastors, teachers and spiritual leaders among the Lord’s churches. Following are a few biographical notes about these men.

Brother Larry Crouch is a native of California, saved and baptized at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Sacramento, California, in 1952. He surrendered to preach on August 4, 1957, at Bayshore Missionary Baptist Church in Vallejo, California. Brother Crouch received his Bachelor of Theology degree from California Missionary Baptist Institute in Bellflower, California, in 1976. He remained with the school for several years and taught Major and Minor Prophets, Pastoral and Prison Epistles, Hermeneutics and Journalism. He is a member of the California and American Baptist Association History and Archives Committees. The Fresno Missionary Baptist Institute in Fresno, California, conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1998. He has pastored in Washington and California. He is currently working with the Fresno Missionary Baptist Institute. He and his wife, Joyce, and son, Zachary make their home at 4580 El Monte Court, Oakley, CA 94561. Brother David Butimore, Sr. was born in January, 1951 in Lynwood, California. He graduated from Westminster High School (Westminster, California) in 1969. He attended and graduated (AA degree) from Orange Coast College in 1972. He was saved August 20, 1970, at a Missionary Baptist Encampment in Northern California. He was baptized by the authority of Community MBC, Orange, California. He enrolled at California Missionary Baptist Institute and Seminary (CMBI) and graduated with a Doctor of Theology in 1990. He was ordained by the authority of Olive Hill MBC, Oroville, California (1975), and has held pastorates in California and Washington. He is currently the pastor of First MBC, Fresno. He served as faculty member and administrator of CMBI (1987-1993) and is currently President of Fresno Missionary Baptist Institute and Seminary. In the California Association, he has served as moderator, music director and parliamentarian. He has served in the Washington Association as moderator. He has served as Music Director, Assistant Parliamentarian, Parliamentarian, Vice President and President of the American Baptist Association. He is currently serving on the Baptist Sunday School Committee and is Treasurer of the American Baptist Association of Theological Schools. He is the author of six books. He has been married to

his wife, Debby, since 1977, and has two sons, a daughter and son-in-law and one grandson. Brother James “Jim” A. Crain was born in Longview, Texas, and reared near McNeil, Arkansas. He was saved at the age of sixteen. He served in the military during the Vietnam conflict. He was baptized and licensed to preach by Mount Zion MBC of Cale, Arkansas, in 1972. He received Bachelor, Master and Doctor of Theology degrees from the Louisiana Missionary Baptist Institute and Seminary, where he serves as an instructor. Since beginning writing in 1983, he has written in the Missionary Baptist News, Baptist Sunday School Committee publications and various other publications. He has twice served as a local missionary. He presently pastors the Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Minden, Louisiana. Beverly, his wife, is the daughter of a Baptist minister and a native of Texas. They have two children and grandchildren.

Jeremiah

Introduction

Jeremiah is perhaps one of the least read books of the Old Testament. This may be because it is arranged by subject rather than chronologically. Chapter 1 presents the call of Jeremiah. Prophecies during the time of good king Josiah, 641—610 BC, are found in chapters 2—6. The prophet’s only mention of Jehoahaz (Je-ho-a-haz), 609 BC, also called Shallum (Shal-loom), is found in Jeremiah 22:10-12. Prophecies given during the reign of Jehoiakim (Je-hoi’akim), 609-598 BC, are recorded in chapters 7:1—13:17; 13:20; 20:18; 25; 26; 35; 36; 45:1—46:12; 47—49. Prophecies during the reign of Jehoiachin (Je-hoi’akin), 597 BC, are recorded in chapters 13; 18; 19; 22; 23. The prophecies uttered during the reign of Zedekiah (Zed-e’-ki-a), 597-587 BC are found in chapters 21; 24; 27—34; 46:13-28; 50—52. It is necessary to know contemporary settings and history for a clear understanding of these prophecies. Jeremiah stands as one of the leading prophets of the Scriptures. We know more about the life of Jeremiah than any other Old Testament prophet. The book was written like a personal journal. Jeremiah was born of a priestly family in the village of Anathoth (Jer. 1:1). This was near the end of the reign of evil King Manasseh. Anathoth was a Levitical town in the territory of Benjamin, near present-day Anata, a few miles northeast of Jerusalem (Joshua 21:1-3, 17, 18). The name Jeremiah is common in Israel. The Hebrew name Yirmeyah (Yir-meh-yaw) has been translated “the LORD will elevate,” “the LORD will establish” and “the LORD exalts.” Jeremiah began his public ministry during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah (Jer. 1:2). This would have been during the year 628-627 BC. Jeremiah would have been quite young at the time of his call, possibly still a teenager. He considered himself still a child (Jer. 1:6). After the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, Jeremiah was taken forcibly by Azariah and Johanan to Tahpanes (Taphp´a-nez), Egypt, (Jer. 32:1, 2; 43:1-8). He was still alive and ministered during the time of Pharaoh Hophra (Hof-rah) who ruled from 589-570 BC. How long Jeremiah lived in Egypt is not known with any certainty. According to rabbinical accounts and tradition, Jeremiah was stoned to death by his own people at Tahpanes around the year 570 BC. This being true he would have lived into his seventies, and his ministry would have spanned a period of over fifty years. During the reign of King Jehoiakim, the Lord told Jeremiah to write his earlier prophecies in a scroll (Jer. 36:2). He used the help of Baruch to record his prophecies and rewrite the scroll that Jehoiakim cut to pieces and burned. There are fifty-one prophecies clearly marked by the words, “The Word of the LORD.” The Lord also gave Jeremiah fifteen signs to help illustrate His message to Judah: The “almond rod” (Jer. 1:11); the “seething pot” (Jer. 1:13); the “broken cistern” (Jer. 2:13); the “polluted harlot” (Jer. 3:1-17); the “shaved head” (Jer. 7:29); the “marred girdle” (Jer. 13:1-11); the “unmarried prophet” (Jer. 16; 17); the “potter’s house” (Jer. 18:1-10); the “broken bottle” (Jer. 19:113); the “two ways” (Jer. 21:8-10); the “two baskets of figs” (Jer. 24:1-3); the

“wine cup” (Jer. 25:15); the “yokes” (Jer. 27; 28); the “purchased field” (Jer. 32:1-15); the “hidden stones” (Jer. 43:8-13); and the “destroying wind” (Jer. 51:1-2). A review of 2 Kings 23—25 and 2 Chronicles 34—36 are important and will be helpful in the study of Jeremiah. From the time of Jeremiah’s call in 628627 BC, until the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC (one generation), he saw his people fall from the pinnacle of revival during the reign of Josiah to the depths of despair under Babylonian captivity. Good King Hezekiah was succeeded by evil Manasseh. During Manasseh’s fifty-two year reign, the nation drifted away from the message of Isaiah. During the reign of Josiah, the nations bent to do evil was reversed. Judah, like Israel, had fallen subject to Assyria, but the Assyrian empire was crumbling. By 628 BC cities belonging to the tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon and Naphtali were reclaimed and included in the purging (2 Chron. 34:3-6). In 622 BC the book of the Law was found in the Temple (2 Kings 22:8). This book became the basis for the wide-sweeping reforms in Judah and Israel (2 Kings 23:4-20). Repairs were made to the Temple in preparation for the Passover and the renewal of the ancient faith. In 612 BC, Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, fell to Cyaxares (Cy-a-zar-ez), King of Media and Nabopolassar (Na-bo-po-laz-zar), King of Babylon. The Assyrians continued to retreat westward to join their allies, the Egyptians. In 609 BC Pharaoh-Necho set out to join the Assyrians in an attempt to push back the onrushing Chaldean army. Josiah, in an attempt to stop PharaohNecho, was mortally wounded in the battle at Megiddo (2 Kings 23:29, 30). Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz (also called Shallum, Jer. 22:11; 1 Chron. 3:15) was deposed after only three months and taken to Egypt, where he died (2 Kings 23:31-35; Jer. 22:10-12). Pharaoh-Necho placed Jehoahaz’s brother, Eliakim (El-yaw-keem), on the throne and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim was a vassal king who paid heavy tribute to Egypt. During his reign, the old pagan cults of his great-grandfather, Manasseh, were brought back (2 Kings 24:3, 4). Yet, through all of this, the Temple services continued. However, they were filled with hypocrisy rather than worship of Jehovah. In 605 BC Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians at Carchemish. Jehoiakim, along with Daniel and the other prime young men of Judah, was carried away into Babylonian captivity (2 Chron. 36:5-7; Jer. 25:1-9; Dan. 1:1, 2). This was the first deportation of the citizens of Judah along with the vessels of the Temple. Jehoiachin, also called Coniah and Jeconiah (Jek-o-ni-a, 1 Chron. 3:16; Jer. 22:24), was so wicked that during his three month reign his lineage was cursed so none of his direct descendants would ever again sit on the throne of David (Jer. 22:28-30). He was taken captive to Babylon along with ten thousand other captives of Judah and the treasures of the house of the Lord in 597 BC (2 Kings 24:13, 14). Jehoiachin’s uncle, Mattaniah (Mat´a-ni-a, the third son of Josiah, 1 Chron. 3:15), was placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar and his name was changed to Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:17). Against the warnings of Jeremiah, he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. 6

It was during these trying times that God called Jeremiah to speak for Him. Though he was called the weeping prophet, Jeremiah was not a spineless weakling. He was among the strongest of the prophets. His messages were so stinging that those whom they stung attempted to destroy him. The closing scenes of Jeremiah’s life took place following the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of much of Judah’s citizens in the year 586 BC. Jeremiah was vindicated by God for his prophecies were proven to be true. When Nebuchadnezzar’s army took the city of Jerusalem, they found Jeremiah imprisoned in the court of the guard. He was bound and taken as far as Ramah. Nebuzaradan (Neb´u-zar-a´dan), the captain of the guard, released Jeremiah and gave him the liberty to go where he desired. Jeremiah returned to a colony that had been established at Mizpah (Jer. 40:1-12). The Jews left in Judea were placed under the leadership of Gedaliah (Ged´a-li-a). He was assassinated by Ishmael and ten other men with him. Fearing repercussions from Babylon, many of the Jews fled to Egypt against the wishes of Jeremiah (Jer. 42:14-22). They founded military colonies in the cities of Migdol, Tahpanes, Noph (Memphis) and at Yeb (Elephantine Island at Aswan), (Jer. 44:1). The people began to embrace the immorality of the Egyptians. Jeremiah spoke against his fellow Jews in Egypt for their apostasy (Jer. 44:25-30). It was for this message that tradition says his own people stoned him.

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Lesson 1

For Sunday, June 1, 2008

The Sign of the Almond Rod— Jeremiah’s Call Jeremiah 1:1-19; 2 Kings 24:1-5

God called Jeremiah to warn the sinners of his day of impending judgments, so He has also called every church member to warn sinners of his generation of judgments to come. To have a good understanding of the historical setting of the book of Jeremiah, review the Introduction to Jeremiah, along with 2 Kings 21—25, 2 Chronicles 33—36, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Ezekiel 1—24 and the first chapter of Daniel. During the time of Jeremiah, the nations of the Middle East were preparing for war. The tiny kingdom of Judah, which occupied the fertile crescent of the Mediterranean Levant, was bound to get caught in the crossfire. To the north was Assyria, which was in the process of recouping from the death of Ashurbanipal (A-shoor-ba-ne-pal). They attempted to keep a firm hand on the land in the Northern kingdom of Israel, while they kept a watchful eye to the east and south. To the east was Nabopolassar (Nab´o-po-las´ar), who was determined to reestablish Babylon. To the south lay Egypt, which was once again hungry for power. During these turbulent times, God called Jeremiah to warn the people of Judah of the impending doom which was to befall them because of their national apostasy. Jeremiah’s message was a call to repentance. If this message was heeded, God’s forgiveness and redemption from their enemies was promised. A part of Jeremiah’s message was directed to the godly in Judah. He preached to them of the coming Messiah and the blessings He would bring. God’s prophets have never been popular with the unbelievers and backsliders. This was never more true than with Jeremiah. This same hatred for the truth was also found in the New Testament and is still witnessed today. Jeremiah is an example to all who desire to be truthful and worthy spokesmen for the Lord. Although he wavered at times, he, in the end, stood true to his calling from God. The vast majority scoffed and scorned the man and his message. However, Jeremiah lived to see much of his message come to pass. God is still calling men to proclaim the truth to this generation of rebellious and sinful people. Whether they believe the message or not, we, like Jeremiah, must remain true to our calling, trusting God will grant a harvest. 8

The Sign of the Almond Rod—Jeremiah’s Call / 9 THE WORDS OF JEREMIAH Jeremiah 1:1-3 “The words of Jeremiah” (verse 1) is an unusual opening for a book of the prophets. “The words of Amos” are the first line in the book that bears his name. These are the only two books of the prophets introduced in this manner. Generally they are introduced by a phrase such as, “the word of the Lord” or “thus saith the Lord.” Jeremiah’s father, Hilkiah, was among the priests in Anathoth (An-awthoth´) and should not be confused with Hilkiah who served as high priest during the reign of Josiah. Had Jeremiah’s father been the high priest, his family would have lived in Jerusalem. Jeremiah’s family was descended from Abiathar (Ab-yaw-thawr´), the sole survivor of the priests of Nob when Saul ordered the priests of the house of Ahimelech (A-him´-e-lek) killed because they had given refuge to David (1 Sam. 22:9-23). Abiathar served faithfully during the reign of King David, but because he aided Adonijah in his attempt to usurp the throne, Solomon exiled him to Anathoth (1 Kings 2:26, 27). Thus, Jeremiah’s priestly order came from the line of Ithamar (Ith´a-mar) (Num. 3:4; 1 Chron. 24:1-6). Although Jeremiah was a priest, there is no indication in the Scriptures that he ever officially served in the office. Jeremiah was called to prophesy unto Judah in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, who was then twenty-one years old. The year was 628/27 BC (Jer. 1:2). His ministry covered the reigns of Josiah, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah (Jer. 1:3). Therefore, Jeremiah’s ministry spanned a period of fifty-five to sixty years. During that time, he witnessed the nation of Judah as it rejoiced when the book was found and the Passover memorial was restored with a celebration unlike any in their history. Then he watched in tears and dismay as the prophets began to prophesy falsely, the priests offered sacrifices to idols, the judges were for hire and the “people love to have it so” (Jer. 5:31). JEREMIAH’S ENCOUNTER Jeremiah 1:4, 5 To better understand Jeremiah’s call and office, it will be helpful to understand the biblical concept of a prophet. There are two primary words used in the Hebrew and Greek that have been translated prophet in the King James Version. In the Old Testament Hebrew the word is nabiy´ [naw-bee], and it is used three hundred sixteen times. In the New Testament Greek the word is prophetes [prof-ay´-tace], and it is used one hundred forty-nine times. Both words note those who announce beforehand the will and plan of God for the future. However, this is the secondary meaning of both words which is derived in part from their message and ministry. The primary meaning is simply one who speaks openly, an interpreter of a message from God or one to whom God spoke to and through. What characterized a true prophet was his communion with God. The true prophet was called by God and therefore was His spokesman. The basic idea is much the same as the New Testament apostle who was called, commissioned and sent forth with a message; with all the why, what, when, where, who and how to proceed supplied by the Lord. The

10 / Jeremiah 1:1-19; 2 Kings 24:1-5 true prophets of the Old Testament and the true bishops anna (pastors or undershepherds) Jeremiah’s Call Before His Birth (Jeremiah of the New Testament are 1:4, 5): Jeremiah’s call to serve as a prophet to Judah came on the basis of the word of the men called of God. The selfLord, not a vision. The nature of the call also appointed prophets or preachgave Jeremiah an understanding of the type of ers are referred to as false ministry he would be performing. He was to be prophets and false teachers (2 an instrument of God, speaking the message of the words of God which the Lord would give Peter 2:1-3). him in due course. If the words were those of By comparing the call of the prophet himself, then the words would be Jeremiah with that of Moses, meaningless. But the Lord inspired him to Isaiah and Ezekiel, we disspeak divine words. With Jeremiah’s call from the Lord occurring cover a confrontation bebefore he was even conceived, much speculatween them and the Lord tion concerning the issue of foreordination proconsisting of five basic parts: vides a backdrop of various interpretations. encounter, objections, comThe thing to remember is this. The Lord said, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew mission, assurance and you.” God chose Jeremiah to his particular authentication. This may ministry because He foreknew that Jeremiah prove to be the pattern for would be a willing, godly servant and would those who are called of God. serve faithfully in the special capacity to which God had called him. God also provided all he First, we are met with urging needed to work that ministry. The prophet was of the Holy Spirit and the set apart for the purpose of becoming equipped Word and the numerous to serve and to be separate from the spiritual encounters with the Lord in compromise which affected the nation of Judah. prayer. We may find hundreds of reasons why we should not answer such a call—too young, too old, family, job or just not willing to surrender. There is a huge difference in answering the call and surrendering to it. The commission to Jeremiah was unique for his day and time. God did not call Jeremiah to be another Isaiah or Ezekiel. He wanted Jeremiah to be Jeremiah. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). The book of Jeremiah from the onset proclaims these words of the apostle Peter to be true. Jeremiah 1:4 is the heart of the prophet’s experience, “Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying.” The verb came is from the same Hebrew root used in Exodus 3:14 where God gave His name as the great “I AM.” The meaning of this verb is to exist, to breathe, to be self-existent. “Now was breathed the word of Jehovah to me, saying” (Jer. 1:4) best expresses how the book of Jeremiah came by divine inspiration. When the children of Israel asked, “How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?” (Deut. 18:21). The Lord supplied the answer by which all true and false prophets can be judged. “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but

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The Sign of the Almond Rod—Jeremiah’s Call / 11 the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him” (verse 22). Jeremiah’s encounter with the Lord made him understand that his calling was by divine decree. The Lord explained that before Jeremiah’s time of conception He had a plan for his life. The emphasis here is on the initiative taken by the Lord and His sovereign choosing of men and calling them into His service. First Corinthians 1:26-29 shows that the Lord does not take into consideration the same things which men do when making His choice of whom to call and who will serve. Samuel and John the Baptist, like Jeremiah, could neither explain nor deny their calling. They were called by sovereign choice. Only an Omniscient God can make such a calling. The Lord said He did four things with regard to Jeremiah as His prophet: “I formed thee in the belly” (Jer. 1:5). That children are a special gift from God is taught throughout the Scriptures (Psalm 127:3). It is the Lord who grants the life in the womb (Gen. 30:22; 1 Sam. 1:5), forms it, [causes it to grow] (Psalm 139:14-16; Eccl. 11:5). He sustains that life (Psalm 71:6; 139:13) and calls it forth (Psalm 22:9). Since the 1973 Supreme Court decision in the case of Roe v. Wade, it has been estimated more than twenty million unborn children have had their lives taken away in abortion clinics. God is at work in conception; therefore, life is precious because it has eternal qualities. Man, made in the likeness of God, was created to live. Sin brought the plague of death (Rom. 5:12; 6:23). Jesus came to restore eternal life by means of His death and the new birth (John 3:3-5; Heb. 2:14, 15). Jeremiah 1:5 translates three Hebrew verbs that are noteworthy. First the Lord said, “ I knew thee” (Jer. 1:5). This is from yadha (yaw-daw´), meaning to know in a truly intimate sense. It is used to describe the relationship between a husband and wife. This was not just a passing acquaintance, but a relationship and accord as the Lord had with Israel (Amos 3:1-3). Believers have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ (Titus 3:4-7); next, He said, “I sanctified thee” (Jer. 1:5). This is from qadash (kaw-dash), which means “to be consecrated, set apart, separated or selected for spiritual service to God.” Every God-called minister is to live a separated life from the world (1 Tim. 3:1-7). Paul challenged every believer to live a consecrated life before the Lord in this evil world (2 Cor. 6:14-18); and then He said, “I ordained thee” (Jer. 1:5). This is from nathan which means “to give.” It is also translated to appoint or set in place. When Paul told Timothy, “I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle” (1 Tim. 2:7), he used the Greek word tithemi (tith´-ay-mee) which means “to place, to commit, to set forth.” Every ordained man should take his calling and setting apart seriously. Accordingly, Jeremiah was called to be a prophet and set apart by God. Not only was he a prophet to the people of Judah, but his ministry was also to the nations (Jer. 25:15; 46—51). Jehovah is the Lord of all the nations not just Israel and Judah. This message rings as true today as when Jeremiah first spoke or wrote the words. It is vital to our spiritual welfare to understand and apply the message for our times.

12 / Jeremiah 1:1-19; 2 Kings 24:1-5 JEREMIAH’S OBJECTIONS Jeremiah 1:6 In answer to God’s call, Jeremiah, like Moses, pleaded he had limited abilities. Here we are privileged to witness the grace of God and the humility of Jeremiah. Jeremiah pleaded, “I am a child” (verse 6). The Hebrew word for child in this verse is naar. It does not identianna fy a definite age. It is used to speak of one Jeremiah’s Youth and Inexperience (Jeremiah from the age of infancy 1:6): The immensity of the task to which Jeremiah was called caused him to be struck with terror. to adolescence and is His mind immediately focused on his youth, lack translated as baby, of experience and lack of eloquence. Such was the child, youth, boy and same type of excuse Moses used when he was young man. Within the called to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. context either youth or Jeremiah understood that his call to the prophetic young man would be office required a certain ability in public speaking. But God’s requirement for his labors was that he best. Neither the fact would have a tender heart, not only in its sensithat Jeremiah was a tivity to the spiritual condition of the people but teenager nor his lack of also his sympathetic identification with his own eloquent speech were people who stood condemned before their God. acceptable excuses to A proud man would not have been able to refuse the Lord’s call. faithfully discharge the task to which God called him and with respect to the circumstances of his God was not searching prophetic ministry. A humble servant of God for a trained orator but trusts the Lord to provide him strength, enfor one with a tender durance and the tools necessary to succeed. And heart whom He could in Jeremiah’s case, God’s intervention would turn mold into His prophet. out to be crucial, given the difficult, hopeless and This feeling of inability heartbreaking nature of his task. has, at one time, fallen upon all those who are truly called of God. To be fully used of the Lord, we must recognize and admit the inability and weakness of our flesh. Having done this, one is ready to depend upon the Lord for strength and guidance. A lot of young men have shown great ability in the Word and as pastors. Age should not be a factor. It is the willingness to surrender and be faithful to your calling that God will bless. We are not told the age of Timothy when Paul told him, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). The word youth is from the Greek word neotes (neh-ot´-ace), which means “newness or fresh.” The word despise is from the Greek word kataphroneito (kat-af-ron-ei-to), which means “do not let them think against, or think little of you because of your youthfulness.” We all have times when we feel our inabilities. However, we serve the same God as Jeremiah and Paul and the promise is sure that we too “can do all

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The Sign of the Almond Rod—Jeremiah’s Call / 13 things through Christ which strengtheneth” us (Phil. 4:13). The word strengtheneth is from the Greek word endunamo (en-doo-nam-o). This word indicates that Christ continues to empower, make strong and increase in strength. The Lord does not forsake those He calls (Heb. 13:5). JEREMIAH’S ASSURANCE Jeremiah 1:7, 8 The Lord does not make mistakes in choosing men and women for His service. He always provides the things needed for His servants to be successful in their calling. The Lord’s reply to Jeremiah’s excuses was both immediate and full of assurance. Jeremiah was assured that his youth would not be a problem. He was guaranteed divine sufficiency to complete the Lord’s purpose for his life. Jeremiah saw how the Lord was using the youthful Josiah to lead Judah in a revival. His early ministry no doubt found great joy and excitement in serving alongside godly Josiah. Jeremiah was encouraged by the Lord not to worry about his age. That was not to be an issue. “Say not, I am a child” (Jer. 1:7). There were times when Jeremiah earnestly thought about renouncing his call and returning home. He, like many pastors today, felt he had failed because the ones to whom he was sent to witness spurned the message of God. However, within the commission the Lord included His Word, “Whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak” (Jer. 1:7). It was the Word, the Lord’s message, that brought joy and a burning desire to the heart of Jeremiah (Jer. 15:16; 20:9). Those who are truly called of the Lord are excited by His Word and deliver the message with joy. If the message does not excite the message bearer, it will be difficult to stir any excitement in the listeners. It must be prayed over and studied repeatedly if necessary until the heart is on fire with the message. It will never catch fire if it is not the Word of God. There is a lesson here for those who have reached the so-called golden years. The exuberance of youth is a wonderful thing. It is our responsibility, as Paul did with Timothy, Titus and Mark, to help guide this exuberance in the right direction. The road will not always be easy. We may not see things exactly alike or use the same methods in getting things done. Paul clashed with the young Mark, but watched him grow in the Lord and become “profitable” (2 Tim. 4:11) or easily used in the ministry. Jeremiah, like all true servants, found his strength in the Lord. “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD” (Jer. 1:8). The Lord does not abandon His servants on the field of battle. Jeremiah not only battled the faces of backslidden and idolatrous Judah, but also the faces of the older, more experienced prophets, who, for the most part, preached an ear-tickling rather than a heart-searching message. There were also the faces in the courts of Jerusalem. All of the kings of Judah under which Jeremiah ministered (save Josiah) were wicked men with stubborn and calloused hearts bent toward pagan idolatry. Fear and intimidation would only be natural, especially for one so young. However, such trepidation was removed by the Lord’s assurance that He would deliver him. The construction of the

14 / Jeremiah 1:1-19; 2 Kings 24:1-5 Hebrew verb natzal means, “I will cause you to be delivered,” or “I (personally) will deliver you.” What blessed assurance we have in knowing that the Lord “preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 97:10). The same blessed assurance given to Joshua is ours today. “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Joshua 1:5). JEREMIAH’S MESSAGE AND COMMISSION Jeremiah 1:9, 10 The One who formed Jeremiah, put forth His hand and touched his mouth. Here, human met with divine. Jeremiah’s lack of speech would not be a problem, for his message would be the words the Lord put in his mouth. Is any stronger language needed to show that Jeremiah spoke and wrote by divine inspiration? Jeremiah’s message was the Lord’s message. Paul instructed Timothy to “preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:2), and Titus to “speak thou the things which become sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). These admonitions are still sound advice for those God has called into His service. The Old Testament prophets used the phrase, thus saith the LORD, three hundred forty-nine times. The desire and aim of every God-called preacher should be for the message to truthfully declare, thus saith the LORD. It is a wonderful, glorious feeling to know the Holy Spirit has taken and blessed the message as it goes forth to the glory of God through Christ. Jeremiah 1:10 makes known a sixfold task in Jeremiah’s commission. To fulfill this task, the Lord “set” (appointed as an overseer) Jeremiah over kingdoms and nations. It is no marvel that Jeremiah was taken back by the magniI Have Set Thee: the meaning of tude of what lay before him. Overseer is the text is “to go and visit somethe primary function of a God-called pasone or some place, and, while visittor. We are to remember it is the Lord’s ing there, the appointed prophet church, not ours. It was bought and paid was to examine, prove or oversee the circumstances that were prefor by His blood, not our dollars and sent.” While performing this action, cents. The feed we give His sheep must be the prophet also applied the mesthat which was ordained in His Word sage of God to the circumstances. (Acts 20:28). No bishop, from the Greek God set His prophet Jeremiah as a word episkope (ep-is-kop-ay´) meaning messenger from Him to the “overseer, inspector or superintendent,” nations. He was to go and apply has any God-given right to be a dictator. the message of God to the circumWe are to “feed the flock of God which is stances. Word Study #6485. among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind” (1 Peter 5:2). Far too many self-made preachers have missed these truths of the Scriptures. They are dictators who preach for the base gain of worldly goods. It is the calling and responsibility of the Lord’s ministers to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:26, 27). We do not have the right to pick and choose. There are already too many digest versions

The Sign of the Almond Rod—Jeremiah’s Call / 15 of the Scriptures and so-called worship. The message must go forth in its Godgiven purity. The Lord told Jeremiah he would oversee the destruction of the wicked and rebellious nations and the building and planting of others in their place. Jeremiah was to: 1. root out; 2. pull down; 3. destroy; 4. throw down; 5. build; and 6. plant the kingdoms and nations as the Lord directed him. Often in the work of the Lord there must be a rooting out and dismantling before there can be a planting and building up. We, like Jeremiah and the apostle Paul, are God’s laborers. We must strive to be wise masterbuilders in the task He has given us to do. Trust the Lord and He will give the increase (1 Cor. 3:5-11). Judah turned from God to idolatry and moral decay. Therefore, under such conditions there had to be a tearing down before there could be a building-up. The apostle Paul had this in mind when he instructed Timothy to “preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:2). When the task seems too much for us to bear, we are assured “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Cor. 10:4). JEREMIAH’S CALL AUTHENTICATED Jeremiah 1:11-19 The Lord presented Jeremiah with two visions to authenticate his call. The first vision was of “a rod of an almond tree” (verse 11). Rod is from anna the Hebrew word The Boiling Pot (Jeremiah 1:13, 14): In this second maqqel (mak-kale´) vision, which is closely related to the first, the boiling pot signifies the calamity which would soon meaning “to germinate; take place. While the vision of the almond branch a shoot with buds and spoke concerning the time of the judgment, the boilleaves on it.” The ing pot described the direction and nature of the judgment. The imagery is quite forceful. The vision almond is always the of the boiling pot disclosed the fact that it was leanfirst to put forth its ing away from the north, not toward the north. It blossoms. This is done meant that the judgment would come from the in the winter month of north and head toward the south. The Chaldean armies would come from the north instead of the January when all the east where Babylon actually was located. But, a other trees are dormant direct route from the east meant a treacherous jourand barren looking. ney through the Arabian desert, which was impassThroughout the Old able most of the year. Also, the idea of an invasion from the north was also a reminder that NebuchadTestament the rod was nezzar’s troops would be coming from the former used to symbolize judgNorthern Kingdom of Israel that had already ment (Isa. 10:5; Lam. become a conquered people many years prior. 3:1; Ezek. 20:37; Micah The anticipated fury of the conquest of Judah by the Babylonians, as depicted through the prophets, 6:9). Jeremiah was asis quite clear. The disaster would engulf the entire sured that the rod land of Judah and would ensure a devastating spoke of the imminent defeat for God’s people as well as a great victory for judgment which the the Chaldeans. Lord would hasten to

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16 / Jeremiah 1:1-19; 2 Kings 24:1-5 perform upon Judah. It is important to know anna and understand that God always keeps His The Almond Branch (Jeremiah 1:11, 12): To authenticate his divine call, Jeremiah was given two Word. visions, the first of which was an almond branch. The second vision of Unlike other fruit or nut trees which are dormant the “seething pot” (Jer. until the early spring, almond trees blossom in the 1:13) (boiling cauldron) winter, even as early as January. It is an early indication that spring is soon to arrive. The Lord used such was closely related to imagery to indicate that He was watching early to the first. The first dealt affect judgment upon His sinful people. Jeremiah with the time of the prophesied somewhat later than many of the earlier judgment and the secprophets. But, in spite of the earlier warnings to the people, which also included the demise of the ond with the direction Northern Kingdom of Israel, the people of Judah from which the judgstill refused to confess their sins and return to the ment would come. The God of their fathers. The sign of the almond branch seething pot symbolwas imminent judgment. What the previous prophets had spoken concerning impending judgment ized total calamity. was about to occur. Cauldrons were a comThe Hebrew word for almond tree is similar to the mon sight around JeruHebrew word for watching, so a play on words is salem and Judah since likely what was written. Even though some of the prophecies concerning the judgment which would they were used for fall on the people of Israel and Judah had not yet cooking. But now they been fulfilled, God was watching over His Word to would take on a differfulfill it. It should be pointed out that the length of ent meaning. Calamity time between the message of the prophets and the fulfillment of their prophecies shows that God is would come out of the indeed merciful and long-suffering, always hoping north. The Babylonian that His children would forsake their sins and turn army was like boiling back to Him. water in a pot, steaming up and ready to flow over the brim. The cauldron was tiltBreak Forth: the wording means ed from the north, thus its overflow would “to open wide a channel, remove be quick and with great force. Jeremiah restraints and allow the contents was told to keep his prophetic eye trained to empty onto an object.” The toward Babylon. This was the nation God phrase was a declaration concernchose to use in judging His people. These ing the future. God announced the coming of an enemy force. They pagan conquerors would come against would pour out like a flooding Jerusalem and take control of the throne. water gushing from an opened They brought with them their pagan dam. Word Study #6605. shrines and worship. The thought of Jeremiah 1:15 is the complete conquest and subjection of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans. Jeremiah, regrettably, lived to see and write about the fulfillment of this tragic event (Jer. 39:13). From the day of his calling, he was a prophet of judgment. The Lord was ready to utter His judgments against Judah concerning or touching all of their wickedness. The Lord charged them with three things: 1. They forsook

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The Sign of the Almond Rod—Jeremiah’s Call / 17 the Lord. 2. They burned incense to other Dismayed: the basic meaning is “to gods. 3. They worshiped the works of break and take away the strength their own hands. Therefore, because of of a thing, a result accomplished by their defection, Judah would be dominatinstilling terror or fear.” The emoed by Babylon, the most idolatrous nation tional strength of a person may be broken by such terror or fear. God on the face of the earth at that time. called Jeremiah to face a difficult How was such a young prophet to meet people in difficult circumstances, the challenge of presenting such a and God encouraged him not to scathing message? The final three verses be broken or scared by the threatening of this people. Word Study contain admontions and warnings for #2865. Jeremiah. The Lord called upon Jeremiah to take courage. “Gird up thy loins” (Jer. 1:17) is an imperative, declaring the importance and urgency of the message. It is as though the Lord told Jeremiah to brace himself for what lay ahead. The words dismayed and confounded are from the same Hebrew word. The verb chathath (khaw-thath´) means “to prostrate; to break down, either by violence, or by confusion and fear: to be or make afraid, to beat down, discourage, scare, terrify.” One can only imagine the feelings Jeremiah experienced as he stood before the wicked kings and people. Yet, the Lord’s admontions were do not be terrified, do not let them beat you down and do not become discouraged because of them. CONCLUSION Jeremiah 1:1-19; 2 Kings 24:1-5 With God on his side Jeremiah was invincible. Though the kings, princes, priests and people of Judah would strongly oppose him, they would not prevail. King Zedekiah imprisoned him; Pashur, the priest, put him in stocks; the princes tried to destroy his scrolls; and the people sought his life. The Lord not only placed Jeremiah as a well-fortified city and an iron pillar and brazen wall, but the Lord promised He would be with him “to deliver thee” (Jer. 1:19). Jeremiah’s prophecies were verified, and he prevailed as a true prophet of the Lord. The Lord is still calling young men. Be diligent and both answer and surrender to God’s call. The key to success was given by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Rom. 12:1, 2).

Lesson 2

For Sunday, June 8, 2008

The Sign of the Broken Cistern— God’s Pleading Jeremiah 2:1-37; 2 Kings 24:6-10

The messages and prophecies in chapters 2—6 were delivered early during Jeremiah’s ministry to Judah. They have been assigned to the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah. Among these messages are some of the finest poems in the book of Jeremiah. The setting is the city of Jerusalem, the city upon which the Lord placed His name (1 Kings 11:36). The theme of the message is the coming judgment upon Jerusalem and Judah for their perpetual backsliding. Jeremiah and the Lord discussed the false optimism which Judah and Jerusalem had that all would be well simply because the Temple was there and they were God’s chosen people. The warnings of deserved judgment were mixed with Jeremiah’s anguish and the Lord’s pleas for repentance and return to true worship. Think for a moment of the many blessings the Lord bestowed upon the people of Israel and Judah in the past. How distressing then to pause for a moment and consider the numerous ways they showed their ungratefulness. Note carefully the horrible consequences that befell those who rejected the Lord’s messenger and His message. It is a critical spiritual reminder as to how we respond to the Lord’s blessings today. Are we aware of His greatness and compassion toward those who will call upon Him (Psalm 145:18; Rom. 10:12)? It is essential that we understand what happened to the people of Israel and Judah. They serve as an example for God’s people today (1 Cor. 10:11). If we lust and sin as they did, we will also face God in judgment (Heb. 10:26, 27). The United States and other Christian nations are as guilty as Israel and Judah. Today’s true gospel preachers are chided as fanatics and doomsayers. The message of repentance and salvation is scorned and ignored even by many who consider themselves to be conservative. Many who claim to be ministers are doing the devil’s work because they are not preaching the Word of God. Their followers have been spoiled through philosophy and vain deceit. They would embrace the teachings of the world, that is, evolution, secular humanism and the other false isms, rather than trust in Christ (Col. 2:8). There are too many religious cisterns today that will not hold water. 18

The Sign of the Broken Cistern—God’s Pleading / 19 A BLESSED TIME OF REMEMBERANCE Jeremiah 2:1-3 The focal point of these verses is the love God showed His chosen people in spite of their adulterous love of idols. To stress how far the people of Judah strayed from Him, the Lord invited them to remember their day of deliverance from Egypt. They were in bondage under the slave master’s whip for four hundred thirty years (Ex. 12:40, 41). The Lord heard their cries and called Moses to lead the people out of Egypt by His mighty hand (Deut 6:21; 7:8). The Lord had not forgotten the love of their betrothal and the blissful times of their trust and fellowship together (Jer. 2:2). He could have as easily reflected on their bowed necks and days of murmuring (2 Kings 17:14; Num. 14:27). When the Lord called them out of Egypt, they had nothing. They promised to love Him and follow His commandments (Ex. 19:8). The Lord found pleasure with the nation of Israel, as a groom with his new bride (Ezek. 16:1-14). Their every need was supplied. Two important truths were presented here by Jeremiah. The first was to please the Lord, they must follow Him (Matt. 16:24). The second truth was simply this—where could they go but to the Lord? When the Lord fed the multitude with the five loaves and two fishes, they followed Him because they were pleased to have full bellies. When Christ began to teach them that He is the Bread of Life, many of the disciples turned back from following Him. Jesus asked the twelve, “Will ye also go away?” Peter’s answer still resonates with the true followers of Christ. “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:66-68). True followers of Jesus Christ will not be found thirsting alongside the broken cisterns for they have come to the water of life, Jesus Christ (John 4:14). The living water flows like a river from those who have trusted Christ (John 7:37, 38). The doctrine of firstfruits is important in both testaments. Jeremiah used the Hebrew word re´shiyth (ray-sheeth´), which means “first or beginning.” Its first usage is in Genesis 1:1 where it is used concerning creation. Jeremiah reminded the people of Judah that they were the first nation chosen to worship and serve the true and living God (Ex. 19:5, 6). They were to be the Lord’s best among the group of nations. The Lord vowed to be Israel’s protector. To hurt the people of Israel would be the same as to hurt the Lord. The Lord’s message through Zechariah was this: “After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye” (Zech. 2:8). The Lord promised Israel, “I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries” (Ex. 23:22). He loved, comforted, honored, kept and did not forsake His beloved. However, Israel played the erring and adulterous wife. The New Testament uses the intimate relationship of a husband and wife to illustrate the love between Jesus Christ and His church (Eph 5:22-33). To touch the church in a wrong manner is to touch the glory of God in Christ (Eph. 3:21). A New Testament church is the body of Christ, of which He is the Head (Col. 1:18). This is figurative language used to refer to a church as an assembly of believers, who have been scripturally

20 / Jeremiah 2:1-37; 2 Kings 24:6-10 immersed and covenanted together to carry out anna Christ’s commands. Each local, visible assembly is so The Kindness of Youth—the Love of Betrothal (Jeremiah 2:2, 3): Jeremiah prepared to prophorganized to worship and esy by first reminding the nation of Judah just honor God. The marriage of how far the people had departed from the Lord the Lamb, Jesus Christ, is compared to their relationship to Him at the yet in the future (Rev. 19:7, time of the deliverance from Egypt. Jehovah 8; 21:9, 10). The church is was informing the people that He still remempresently espoused to Jesus bered their love when they were as a young bride, betrothed to her beloved, devoted to him (2 Cor. 11:2). To understand as she prepared to abide exclusively with him. this relationship between The nation proved its love for the Lord by folthe Lord and His churches, lowing Him in the wilderness journey between we need to understand the Egypt and Canaan. The wilderness journey nature of an espousal durmarked a period of devotion and faithfulness to ing biblical times. It was God, apart from the golden calf incident. But the people of Israel’s failures in the wilderness were more formal and legally more out of a lack of faith instead of outright binding in nature than our apostasy. present day westernized enThat period of love and purity for Israel was gagements. The betrothal recalled to contrast what was taking place at the was esteemed the most time Jeremiah was writing. Judah had plunged binding part of the marinto deep apostasy, showing an unfaithfulness unparalleled in its history. The comparison of riage transaction. It served the remembrances of the past only showed how as a legal and moral conhurt the Lord was at the nation’s rejection of tract. So binding was the Him and its relentless pursuit of idols. The betrothal that the parties anticipation of God’s chastisement at the hands involved were legally in the of foreign nations was in sharp contrast to the position of marriage, alprotection the nation received from its enemies when it was dedicated to Him. though they were not allowed the intimacies of marriage until after the ceremony took place. Infidelity during this time was considered adultery. If unfaithfulness was shown, the bride or groom could not marry another until a bill of divorcement was written. The espousal is still the legal part of marriage in many Middle East countries. A local New Testament church, like Israel and Judah, must stay true to her betrothal vows if she is desirous of a glorious future relationship with Christ. We are challenged by the apostle Peter to be discreet and vigilant as we stand against our adversary the devil and to resist by remaining strong in the faith. God, by His grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, will make us complete, set fast, strong and grounded (1 Peter 5:8-11). It is the Lord’s desire to have “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27). After salvation and scriptural baptism, the way we receive God’s blessings is through faithful service in a local New Testament church (Eph. 3:20, 21).

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The Sign of the Broken Cistern—God’s Pleading / 21 WHAT DID I DO WRONG? Jeremiah 2:4-8 In spite of the Lord’s matchless love for the people of Israel, they proved to be ungrateful and unfaithful to Him. He led them across the Red Sea on dry ground, through the wilderness, parted the Jordan River, brought them to a land flowing with milk and honey, and yet, they chose to walk after idols. If they had only obeyed the Lord, all their enemies in the land of Canaan would have fallen as surely as did Jericho. But sin in the camp brought death and loss. What more could He have done in His vineyard that was not done in it? When He came for the harvest, He found it had produced wild grapes (Isa. 5:4). Where have we walked with the Lord? From sin unto anna salvation, from death unto life, from the judgment of hell Walking After Vanity (Jeremiah 2:4, 5): Israel was, and is, a favored chosen nation to eternal life, through illness and, as such, is not utterly destroyed and cast and difficult times. Are we off completely. But the covenant relationship willing to go that extra mile established by Jehovah toward the nation and take up our cross and folhad been sorely tested because the people had forsaken Him. The question asked in low the Lord daily (Luke verse 5 was intended to shock the nation by 9:23)? We would be quick to appealing to their consciences. The answer to say that the behavior of the the question lies squarely with the fact that people of Judah was irresponthe Lord had not forsaken His people and sible and scandalous. They thus had not violated the terms of His covenant with them. They had forsaken Him, openly forsook the Lord and and such had been progressively occurring followed after strange lovers. for several generations, hence the reference They did not listen to or heed to “your fathers” (verse 5). the Word of the Lord (Jer. 2:4). The reference to vanity is an interesting How are we doing in the area one. The people of Israel had forsaken the true God who had manifested Himself in of hearing and heeding the countless ways. But they forsook Him for Word? If we desire to keep our vain, empty, worthless idols. They had no lives clean, then we must take substance, were not real, but the people went heed according to the Word of after them anyway. Even though there was absolutely no logical reason for the people of God (Psalm 119:9). Israel to follow after gods which did not What had the Lord done to exist, idolatry was, nonetheless, the nation of deserve such treatment? Who Israel’s most besetting sin of all. in Judah could accuse Him of infidelity? Was there something unjust or oppressive in His laws? Was there anything unkind or cruel in His government? All that He did for the people of Israel and Judah was for their good. They strayed from a place of fulfillment, to a place of complete emptiness (Jer. 2:5). Jesus asked a group of Pharisees and Jews which of them could convict Him of sin (John 8:46). They falsely accused Him of being a Samaritan and having a devil and were ready to cast stones, but Jesus passed through their midst (John 8:47-59). They, like their forefathers, turned a deaf

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22 / Jeremiah 2:1-37; 2 Kings 24:6-10 ear and hard heart to the truth. When has the Lord ever made any unjust demands upon the church or the lives of His children? Jesus stated during His earthly ministry, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Jesus Christ proved His love for us at Calvary. He does not deserve the treatment the world is giving Him today. Past blessings were forgotten (Jer. 2:6). They were brought to Canaan “to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof” (verse 7). The Lord was not and is not a killjoy. Neither the people of Israel nor today’s Christians have to give up joy and pleasure to serve the Lord. Real joy and pleasure is found in the service of the Lord. In the midst of perilous times and knowing the Chaldeans would soon be on their way to take Jerusalem captive, Habakkuk found joy and reason to rejoice in the God of his salvation (Hab. 3:18). The psalmist sang a millennial song of the Lord’s coming, judging and reigning. “Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness” (Psalm 97:12). The apostle Paul from a Roman prison cell encouraged the saints at Philippi to “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” anna (Phil. 4:4). Forsaking the Fruitful—Returning to the BarThe people of Israel’s ren (Jeremiah 2:6, 7): The Word of God shows idolatrous harlotry contrepeatedly that sin often involves the thoughtless forsaking of God’s blessings, thus proving a aminated the land and lack of continued thanksgiving for those blessmade the Lord’s inheriings. The prophet drew the attention of the peotance something disgustple back to the countless blessings and benefits ing (Jer. 2:7). After all the the Lord bestowed on that nation at His own Lord has done for Amerihand; yet, they had grown to lack any knowlca, how do you think He edge of His presence in their midst. Comparatively speaking, they had both forgotten their feels about court actions wilderness experiences, which were depicted as that have taken His one where divine intervention provided their Word out of our courts unprecendented survival and the lush, fertile and schoolrooms? What land which was well cultivated and provided a did He do wrong that has bountiful harvest. It only boggles the mind when the choices of caused some Baptists to the people of Israel made in response to God’s allow themselves to be deliverance from the desert and His great bouncalled Protestants? If we ty of blessings in the land of promise resulted in have not been in existheir gross idolatry and the immorality associattence since the Lord’s ed with the pagan worship in which they had engaged. How could God continue to allow earthly ministry, we have them to remain in the land He gave them since no rightful claim to be they continued to defile it? Even though He had called the church Jesus given the land to Israel, the Lord retained ultibuilt. Since He died for mate ownership, thus providing that the people and purchased the church of Israel were to be faithful stewards of that which belonged to Him. with His own blood (Acts 20:28), why would some

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The Sign of the Broken Cistern—God’s Pleading / 23 defile it by accepting alien immersion, practice open communion and preach and practice other things which contaminate the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3)? BROKEN CISTERNS WILL NOT Jeremiah 2:9-13 HOLD WATER The people of Israel became what they worshiped. The Hebrew word`eliyl (el-eel´) is translated idols and means something which is “good for nothing, worthless, vain, or nought.” Their religious resources had been invested in gods who had eyes but could not see; they had ears but could not hear; they had noses but could not smell; they had hands but could not feel; they had mouths but could not speak. They were empty carvings of stone and, therefore, could offer them nothing. The people became just like them (Psalm 115:3-8). This was not a small segment of the population or the Lord would have dealt with it. The priests who should have led the people in the worship of Jehovah lost sight of the living God. They became indifferent to the truth. The scribes, whose occupation it was to write the Law and Word, did not know Him. This sounds a lot like some who attempt to translate and comment on the Scriptures today. It is soon evident that they do not have a right relationship with Christ, for they have produced mutilations and idle chatter. The pastors refer to the rulers who should have been faithful watchmen, but they were too busy trespassing, apostatizing and rebelling to worry about others. The prophets, whose words should have been thus saith the LORD, were speaking lies and consequently offered the people no hope (Jer. 2:8). What about today’s civil authorities? False leaders and prophets are as worthless today as they were in Jeremiah’s time. It has been said, “Consistency, thou art a jewel,” but in Judah that jewel was tarnished beyond recognition. The people of Judah were charged with a number of conspicuous inconsistencies. The Lord was not yet ready to give up on them. He continued through Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk and Huldah to deliver His message of love and concern, urging them to consider their ways (verse 9). The Lord challenged them to search and see whether they could find a heathen nation that had forPlead: the idea behind pleading saken the gods of their land (verses 10, may be understood to mean 11). They remained loyal in their devotion “grabbling or striving with anothto them. They sacrificed their children (2 er.” It may be a fight in which the combatants grab and hold to one Kings 3:26, 27) to gods who could not deanother. In the text, the meaning liver. Does this not sound like modern day is more emotional than physical. extremists who worship false gods instead The cry of one is sufficient to of Jehovah? Yet, the children of Israel who hold to the other emotionally. God pleaded with His people in were called, delivered, led, given a land, such a manner as to stir their had the priesthood and the Temple of God, emotions even as His emotions forsook the living God and made themwere stirred. Word Study # 7378. selves gods of stone (Jer. 2:11).

24 / Jeremiah 2:1-37; 2 Kings 24:6-10 Their actions contradicted common sense. The heavens were appalled, stunned and devastated by what they witnessed (Jer. 2:12). Why would anyone in his right mind trade a precious jewel for a worthless stone? So inane were their actions that they did not realize their loss until it was too late. Why would the church at Ephesus leave its first love (Rev. 2:4)? Why would the church at Pergamos tolerate the false practices of Balaam and the Nicolaitans which God hates (verses 14, 15)? Why would the church at Thyatira embrace a false woman preacher (verse 20)? Why would the church at Sardis allow themselves to slowly die (Rev. 3:1, 2)? Why would the church at Laodicea become so lukewarm that Jesus was on the outside knocking to get in (verses 15, 16, 20)? Why would churches and Christians today who were once faithful to the Word embrace false doctrines and life-styles contrary to the Bible? We are living in the days of which Paul spoke: “For the time will come when they will not endure [hold up under] sound [healthy, uncorrupt] doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap [accumulate] to themselves teachers, having itching [tickling] ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables [myths or fiction]” (2 anna Tim. 4:3, 4). Water is a precious Broken Cisterns (Jeremiah 2:13): The pagan nations were guilty of practicing idolatry, but commodity in an arid Judah was guilty of both practicing idolatry and land. A natural fountain forsaking the true God. This compound sin was is not only rare in such far more excessive in that their disobedience an area but a great trearesulted in renouncing their own God to serve sure. Why would any nonexisting pagan deities. right-thinking person forIn beautiful and forceful imagery, Jeremiah depicted Jehovah as the foundation of living sake an oasis for arid waters, the source of all life. This metaphor is waste? Yet, the people of often used in Scripture to depict God, salvation Israel had forsaken God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior. In the arid the fountain of living desert of Palestine, water was considered a most water, for worthless, broprecious commodity, especially a perennial ken cisterns (Jer. 2:13). source. On the other hand, cisterns which were Jesus Christ was their used to store water for times of drought and the dry, hot summers contained water which was fountain of living water. stagnant rain water and were often unable to He followed them through retain the water due to cracks which allowed the the wilderness and rewater to seep out. The image Jeremiah portrayed mained with them in the was that of idols compared to cisterns which were land of promise (Jer. not only cracked, but broken and therefore unable 17:13; 1 Cor. 10:4). Jesus to provide life-giving water. The lifeless barrenness of pagan worship cannot be compared to the Christ is the only founredeeming, life-giving water of God. Dead gods tain of living water (John cannot impart life. 4:10-14). The fountain springs forth and pro-

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The Sign of the Broken Cistern—God’s Pleading / 25 duces a river of living water in the believer’s life (John 7:38). God had not changed. He had not turned aside; however, Judah was guilty on both counts. It was not God’s desire for them to die but that they come to the wells of salvation (Isa. 12:1-3; 55:1-3). The wells of salvation are provided freely by God’s grace to all who thirst. Money cannot buy it for the price is beyond human means. The arid soul of man is invited to freely drink from the water of life, Jesus Christ. He paid the price so we may drink freely of Him (Rev. 21:6; 22:17). The people of Judah, like so many today, went about to find their own water supplies. Rather than turn back to the pure waters God offered, they turned to Egypt and Assyria and hewed out their own broken cisterns which could hold no water. No relief could be found among the hard rocks of idolatry. Their cisterns were cracked and of no value. Any water found in them would not be fit for human consumption. Much of what is called Christianity today is nothing more than the broken cisterns of man-made religion. Their doctrines and practices, like the broken cisterns, do not and cannot hold the water of life, Jesus Christ. Works for salvation will not hold water. It is a broken cistern. We are saved by grace through faith and not by our works (Eph. 2:8, 9; Titus 3:5). Baptismal regeneration is another broken cistern. Every example in the Bible puts faith and belief in Jesus as the Christ, His death, burial and resurrection before immersion. It was a fact the eunuch believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God who saved him. Philip, being a true gospel preacher, required a statement of faith before he and the eunuch entered the waters of immersion (Acts 8:35-38). Believing or not believing marks the difference between salvation or condemnation and God’s wrath (John 3:18, 36). The teaching of falling from grace, that one who has repented of his sins and trusted Christ as his Savior can lose his salvation, is yet another broken cistern. It will not hold water. The truly repentant believer is saved eternally. They are hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3, 4). They are redeemed, not by works or corruptible things, but with the precious blood of Christ, the Lamb of God without blemish (1 Peter 1:18-21). They are sealed by the Holy Spirit and are a purchased possession that belongs to Christ who paid the price (Eph. 1:13, 14). The people of Judah’s sinful actions could not be laid at another’s feet. The day of accountability was close at hand for them just as it will be for all those who reject the fountain of living water, Jesus Christ. THE BITTER FRUIT OF SIN Jeremiah 2:14-19 Jehovah and Jeremiah established the fact that the people of Judah had apostatized. Jeremiah reminded them of what had taken place with their brothers in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The same consequences of sin was about to fall upon Judah. Sin always has consequences and brings about

26 / Jeremiah 2:1-37; 2 Kings 24:6-10 its own punishment (Lam. 4:6) which was in sharp contrast to what the Lord desired for Israel and Judah. Were they slaves purchased with money, or servants born in the family (Jer. 2:14)? The answer to these questions is neither. He was a son himself (Ex. 4:22). A servant born in the family was the master’s lifelong possession. If men protect and fight for what is theirs, how much more would the Lord protect and fight for those who are His. Since Israel was a son, why was it so violently spoiled by its enemies as though God was not its protector? It was not because God had not shown love and kindness to it. Israel rebelled against Jehovah, turned away and joined itself to idols. The people of Israel’s actions were that of a runaway slave. They deserted the family of their birth, and as a result brought untold misery upon themselves. Israel became easy prey to the nations around it. The young lions are symbolic of the military power of Assyria (Jer. 2:15). From 745-721 BC the Assyrians wreaked havoc on the Northern Kingdom of Israel and deported large numbers of the people. In 721 BC Sargon destroyed Samaria. On the walls of his royal palace, he recorded, in my first year of reign . . . the people of Samaria to the number of 27,290 I carried away. He then rebuilt the city and repopulated the land with foreigners that intermarried with the Israelites. They also brought their strange gods into the land (2 Kings 17). This new class of citizen took the name Samaritan. Noph (Memphis) and Tahapanes were Egyptian cities allied with Judah. But they turned against them and ran back home (Jer. 2:16). Noph is fifteen miles up the Nile River south of Cairo. It was the ancient, white-walled, capital city of Egypt at the time of Abraham, Jacob and Joseph. Moses was possibly raised here in the palace of Pharaoh. Tahapanhes means “the black.” After the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC, a number of Jews settled in this city, which was located in the land of Goshen on the Nile Delta (2 Kings 25:26; Jer. 43:7). The judgment coming upon them was their time of accountability (Jer. 2:17, 18). They “procured” (verse 17), that is, they worked or produced the sinful rebellion and their evil actions could not be laid at another’s feet. The day of accountability had come for Israel as it will for all those who reject the fountain of living water, Jesus Christ. The waters Forsaken: the word represents of the Nile and Euphrates were of no help loosening oneself from an object to the sin-laden souls in Israel nor would so as to loosen or disconnect and they be of any help to Judah against the leave the object behind. It has the idea of abandonment. This action attacks of the Babylonian army (Jer. may be good or bad, depending on 37:7). the context and interpretation. Alliances with the ungodly will never The people of the text had disconnected themselves from the help. Such are not true allies and will only Lord and left Him behind, going add to the trouble and misery (Jer. 2:19). away from Him and His ways. Judah’s wickedness, when it forsook JehoWord Study #5800. vah, would be its chastisement. Judah

The Sign of the Broken Cistern—God’s Pleading / 27 would learn just how “evil” (verse 19) (malignant, displeasing or hurtful) and bitter the chastisement would be for those who reject Jehovah. SPIRITUAL IMMORALITY Jeremiah 2:20-28 The people of Judah committed both spiritual and sexual adultery. They were given over to unbridled lust. Their apostasy had taken many forms. Jeremiah saw them as wild oxen. They had broken the yoke of Jehovah. Jeremiah Snuffed Up the Wind: the meaning is “to sniff at the wind or saw a pitiful figure portrayed as a eagerly inhale the wind.” The wild nymphomaniac harlot that had thrown ass of the text eagerly sniffs the off all restraint (verse 20). They were wind searching her pleasure in planted as a choice vine (Isa. 5:1-7), corlustful heat. She is easily found by her suitors. Likewise, Israel makes rectly set, tilled, watered and fenced. Howitself easy prey for apostasy and ever, they became a wild growth problem idolatry. Israel eagerly plays the to the vinedresser (Jer. 2:21). The stain of spiritual whore, hurrying to the their sin was set so deeply that any atarms of its false gods. Word Study #7602. tempt at outer cleanliness could not wash away what was in their hearts (verse 22). We are lords: the meaning is to Nitre is a carbonate of soda made from come and go freely without conmineral potash alkali. The word soap is a straints, as if no worthy power exists to demand otherwise. The vegetable alkali like a strong lye soap. text portrays a people who prideWhat was needed in Judah is still needed fully claim the right to come and today, which is a washing by the Word go as they please. They claim (Eph. 5:26) and regeneration (Titus 3:5). themselves to be lords, having dominion over their own lives, Judah acted as a camel or wild ass in free of any obligation or allegiance heat who was easily found and submisto another. Judah rejected any sive to its pursuers (Jer. 2:23, 24). The duty toward its God and claimed people were unrelenting in the pursuit of freedom to live as they pleased. Word Study # 7300. strange gods. Although they were perishing from thirst, they clung to their broken cisterns (verse 25). Judah was a thief caught in the act (verse 26). The shamefulness of idolatry is noted by the ridiculous thought that a tree or a stone could be the creator of life (verse 27). In the day of trouble Judah would cry out to the stock and stone, “Arise, and save us” (verse 27). How foolish to call upon an inanimate object that cannot see, hear, speak or move. It is of no value (verse 28). Jehovah’s evaluation was an indictment that all in Judah had sinned (verse 29). All mankind has sinned and rebelled against God. (Rom 3:23). So contradictory were their lives that any attempt to correct their children was hopeless. Their children followed the parent’s example. They had slain the true prophets and the children did not know whom to believe (Jer. 2:30). They were like a lost traveler who refused their guide (verse 31). They were as a bride who forgot her ornaments which showed others she was married. They had forsaken their sacred vows, their husband, and sought strange lovers

28 / Jeremiah 2:1-37; 2 Kings 24:6-10 (verse 32). Once again Jeremiah looked upon a shameless harlot who attempted to deny her sin. Her false lovers demanded and received the killing of innocent children (verses 33, 34). The irony here is that, since God’s wrath had not already fallen, the people of Judah claimed they were innocent (verse 35). CONCLUSION Jeremiah 2:1-37; 2 Kings 24:6-10 Forgiveness cannot be taken for granted if there is no true repentance. Judah’s failure to return to the Lord and seek His forgiveness only compounded the sin. Judah, like a harlot, gadded about from lover to lover only to finally be rejected by them all, and now, its one true love must punish it (verses 36, 37). God would overrule all of the people of Judah’s proposals to their disgrace and regret. Repentance and trust that is not placed in the Lord is utter impertinence. If the heart is not right with God, no nation or its peoples will prosper. The only way to succeed is to follow the Lord and His Word (Joshua 1:8). It is possible for a backslider to fool his brethren and regain their confidence, but, if there is not a cleansing of the heart, fellowship will be broken (1 John 1:7-10).

Lesson 3

For Sunday, June 15, 2008

The Sign of the Polluted Harlot— God’s Forgiveness Jeremiah 3:1—6:30; 2 Kings 24:11-16

The words backsliding or backslider are used fifteen times in the Old Testament. They are from the Hebrew word sug, which means “to flinch, to fall back, to retreat, or to apostatize.” Children of God may, and do, backslide today. Although they will never cease being His children, they can suffer broken fellowship with the Lord and His churches. From the days of Hezekiah’s revival, the nation of Judah began to fall rapidly away from the Word of the Lord. Jeremiah delivered a message of grave warning, but most of the people of Judah would have none of it. The message concerned the need for repentance, God’s love and His willingness to forgive. Disobedience to the Word and will of God still brings His judgment. But the majority of the world does not want to hear such a message today any more than Jeremiah’s congregation. The people of Judah were placed on trial, and the Lord, Himself, was the prosecutor who presented an open-and-shut case. The United States is as guilty as was Israel and Judah. Today’s real gospel preachers are chided as fanatics. Their message is laughed at and ignored by many in high offices. There are those who claim to be ministers of the Word who know neither its true message nor its Christ. The Lord still has watchmen upholding the truth of His Word. Let us fervently pray that the people of this nation and others around the world will hear and heed the message of God’s Word. God proved His love to the sons of Jacob and the world when He sent His Son to die for our sins “while we were yet sinners” (Rom. 5:8). Six times in chapter 3 of Jeremiah the Lord made reference to backsliding. The sin of backsliding, once begun, grows and spreads rapidly. Sin reacts in our flesh and life as a small lump of leaven in bread dough. It spreads and swells until it permeates everything around it (Gal. 5:9). Sin finds its birthplace in the lust of our flesh. Once it is conceived, it will continue to grow and spread until the finished product is death (James 1:14, 15). Sin will continue to gnaw away like gangrene until all hope is gone. The apostle Paul used this example in reference to the words of false teachers (2 Tim. 2:17, 18). The word canker is from the Greek word gaggraina (gang´-grahee-nah), meaning “to gnaw, an ulcer, gangrene.” Unless the proper remedy is applied, it spreads, attacks other parts of the body and lastly eats away at the bones. 29

30 / Jeremiah 3:1—6:30; 2 Kings 24:11-16 The prodigal son did not end up with the swine the first day away from home. His backsliding was a gradual course that began with disrespect for his father and his inheritance. It was followed by days of riotous living before he hit bottom in the pig sty (Luke 15:12-24). A small rock at the fountain head can change the course of a river. A little sin can change the course of a person’s life. Sin reacts in our flesh as a small lump of leaven in bread dough. It will spread and swell until it has permeated the entire body (Gal. 5:9). THE LORD PLEADS, “RETURN Jeremiah 3:1-13 AGAIN TO ME” The Lord issued repeated calls for the children of Israel and Judah to return Polluted: the moral purity which once adorned this people was now and repent. Herein shines a ray of hope soiled, corrupted and defiled. Its for the children of Israel, Judah, and actions had violated its state of every sinner who will turn to the Lord purity. The actions of the people of (Jer. 3:1, 12, 14, 19, 22). This was a graGod were like that of a harlot who cious, undeserved invitation from the had polluted her purity, and she had come before Him with her heart of a loving God. These are four filth. Word Study #2610. words that can change your life, the life of a church and a nation. These four words, if heeded, would have changed the course of Judah’s history. These same four words can change our lives. The Lord pleaded with both the people of Israel and Judah, “return again to me” (Jer. 3:1). They needed to return to the Lord because they knew God was their husband, but they had played the role of a harlot. The people of Judah knew the Law of Moses that concerned unlawfully putting away a man’s wife without the proper writ of divorcement. Divorce under the Law was allowed because of human frailties. The Law condemned the remarriage of a divorced couple to their previous mate (Deut 24:1-4). The people of Judah, who had been unfaithful, had no legal right to return to the Lord. They left their husband without a bill of divorcement and embraced a number of strange lovers. The New Testament church is presently espoused to Christ. This is a binding agreement between God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and His church (2 Cor. 11:2). The word chaste means “to be clean, modest and pure.” The Lord simply asked them to be true to the marriage vows. The Lord asks no less of us today. Christ also loves His churches and gave Himself for them. Therefore, they are to keep themselves pure doctrinally, spiritually and morally. The people of Judah needed to return again to the Lord because they were contaminated by spiritual and sexual idolatry. Jeremiah compared them to the desert tribes who frantically run to pillage. This was the way the people of Judah acted toward idolatry (Jer. 3:2). The word lien in this verse is from the Hebrew word shagal (shaw-gal´) meaning “to lie with.” The picture is that the people of Judah were in the bed with idols. The worship of the idol gods that were prevalent in Judah during Jeremiah’s time included deviant sexu-

The Sign of the Polluted Harlot—God’s Forgiveness / 31 al practices by both men and women. Rehoboam, anna who followed Solomon to the throne of Judah, was Unfaithful Judah; Faithful Jehovah (Jeremiah the son of an Ammonite 3:1): Through the prophet, God questioned the people of Judah’s behavior on the basis of the named Naamah (Nah-amMosaic Law. According to Deuteronomy 24, the aw´). Not only did he worLaw strictly forbade the remarriage of a man ship the gods of the Amwith his previously divorced wife, even if her monites, he built high second husband had either died or divorced her places, images and groves, himself, with the possible exception being the abduction of a wife from her husband by force. which is a reference to AsThe Law was given to restrict the arbitrary use of tarte, a Phoenician godthe bill of divorce. But in the case of Judah at the dess. Such abomination time of Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry, the matter was everywhere in Judah. was worse than divorce. In fact, they had not been divorced at all; they had played the harlot. “And there were also And the matter involved more than their seeking sodomites [a male devoted after a single lover (god). They had followed to prostitution] in the after many lovers (gods). land” (1 Kings 14:24). According to the Law, Jehovah was within Prostitution, male and feHis rights not to receive His people back in reconciliation. Such should have been the obvious male, is labeled as an conclusion on the part of God’s people. But abomination to the Lord God’s nature of mercy far exceeds the Law since (Deut. 23:17, 18). Godly He exercises grace beyond the Law. In spite of kings such as Asa and Jethe sins of the people, the Lord continued to hoshaphat made an atplead with them to repent and then to return to Him. In spite of all the people of Judah’s sins and tempt to rid the land of failures, the Lord stood ready to forgive and such ungodliness (1 Kings restore them. What seemed impossible according 15:12, 13; 1 Kings 22:45, to the Mosaic Law was only made possible 46). In spite of their because of the mercy and faithfulness of Judah’s valiant efforts during the God. reign of wicked kings, the houses of prostitution were allowed to return and were erected on Temple grounds. This last courageous effort to do away with these outrageous atrocities was made by the young, godly king Josiah (2 Kings. 23:7). The women mentioned in this verse probably also served as priestesses attached to the worship of Astarte (Ashtoreth) the wife of Baal who was the highest male god of the Canaanites and Phoenicians. God’s viewpoint of idolatrous worship has not changed. It is still an abomination in His eyes. Many churches around the world have become contaminated with the idols of false doctrines and practices which do not honor the Word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. The people of Judah needed to return quickly because they did not learn from God’s discipline (Jer 3:3). Instead of showers of blessings, they suffered the curse of drought. The showers had ceased because Judah was a marked harlot who showed no shame (verse 3). The forehead, being so prominent, was used to mark a person’s character. The people of Judah wore the scarlet letter of shame. Whoredom was a capital offense. It was punishable either by

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32 / Jeremiah 3:1—6:30; 2 Kings 24:11-16 burning or stoning (Gen. 38:24; Deut. 22:20, 21). Although they were markedly guilty of crimes against God and man, they falsely believed that a simple declaration would meet God’s requirements for service (Jer. 3:4). This is yet another reason they needed to return; they were two-faced. This was nothing more than lip service. They called Jehovah “my father” and “guide,” but they were no longer listening to their Father and following His instructions. Their love, false though it be, was given over to idolatrous gods. False prophets led the people of Judah to believe God’s chastisement would be quick and easy (Jer. 3:5). The charade of lip service will only build a false hope because such practice is never pleasing to the Lord. This is why many of them fell during the wilderness journey (1 Cor. 10:5). Many believed that, since judgment had not fallen swiftly and harshly, all would be well. While it is true that God is longsuffering, there will come an end to His paanna tience (Rom. 2:3-6). The people of Judah Upon Every High Mountain, Under Every Green Tree (Jeremiah 3:6. 7): The pagan idolaters would needed to return again erect altars on the highest mountains and hills to to the Lord because show the elevated status of the idols and show the they had become worse blatant priority of their deities to others. Not to be than their sister, Israel. outdone, the Northern Kingdom of Israel made sure that its surrounding neighbors knew that it placed a Judah witnessed the high value on the newest and most popular idols. evils, judgment and An integral part of pagan worship revolved around downfall of Israel (Jer. fertility, which involved immoral practices. Playing 3:6, 7). Israel was put the part of the harlot, Israel thought it was being faithful in its idol worship through such practices, away, and its union with while all along it was committing the most dreadful Jehovah was negated. offenses against the true God. So blatant was the sinShe was given a “bill of ful activity that it not only took place at the high divorce” (verse 8). What places, the pagan temples, but along the roads where there was the shade and refreshment availdoes it take for some able for travelers. The idolatrous images were literpeople to wake up? The ally everywhere. By that time, their consciences had people of Judah were long been hidden in their idolatrous, if not adulterspiritually asleep (versous, hearts. es 8-10). Jeremiah sought to show the people of Judah how their sister nation to the north had so played the harSince the people of lot that Jehovah divorced her and she was His no Judah was given much, more. He hoped to help them recall their gross error such as the lineage of and sin. He desired for the people of Judah to stop the kings, the city of and think, as well as repent and return to their true love, Jehovah. But it was found that Judah continJerusalem, the Temple ued just as its sister nation to the north and was and godly prophets, the about to receive the same judgment as it had. Even Lord required more. though the kings and priests of the north had led They were branded to Israel into exile, Judah learned absolutely nothing and was headed for the same outcome. be worse than Israel— they knew better (verse

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The Sign of the Polluted Harlot—God’s Forgiveness / 33 Backsliding: the word means “to turn so as to reverse direction.” Such a turn may be for the purpose of going back to a previous starting point, or to go away from something. The context must determine the meaning, and, in this text, the turning is bad. God labeled the people of Israel with a descriptive term backsliding meaning that they were guilty of going away from Him. Word Study #7725. Acknowledge: the meaning is basically “to know or have knowledge of something.” The context, however, suggests more than merely having knowledge but to confess the possession of that knowledge. God accused the people of Israel of sins and called them to acknowledge or confess their sins. Their acknowledgment would begin a renewal of fellowship. Word Study #3045.

11). Both the people of Israel and Judah forsook Jehovah for idols. Israel was apostate whereas Judah was apostate and treacherous. The evils of Manasseh and Ahaz saturated the nation of Judah, but the final straw was the rejection of Josiah’s godly revival and reforms. Manasseh and Ahaz greatly influenced the cause of idolatry, while Hezekiah and Josiah were true to Jehovah. But it the was the people which decided who and what would triumph. The call to return again was given to all who would hear, come and obey (verse 12). Repentance is possible because the Lord is merciful. There was still hope for the remnant of Israel and Judah because of the grace of God. Such a call was to provoke Judah to have the desire to return. Repentance involves a confession of sin and turning to Him (verse 13). The problem is that they and we must be con-

Manna Judah: More Apostate than Israel (Jeremiah 3:11-13): As strange as it might have seemed, Judah had plunged into greater depths of sin than the Northern Kingdom of Israel had plunged. Jeremiah then called upon the people of the north, exiled to Assyria for a little over a century, to repent, be restored and return to the Lord in a covenant relationship. Such a restored relationship with Jehovah could cause Judah to be provoked to jealousy. It should be pointed out that not all of the Northern Kingdom had been exiled. A small remnant was left and had mingled with a group of Assyrians who remained with them. The two peoples formed the Samaritans. The people of Israel had no preferential claim to restoration. Even though they were less guilty than their sister nation to the south, spiritual restoration still rested largely on the grace of God. As such, God pleaded with the Northern Kingdom with tenderness, reminiscent of its relationship in earlier days from the time of the marriage bond at Sinai with His high regard for the intimate bond He uniquely shared with it. The people of Judah had the example of judgment which had been placed upon Israel, and had, therefore, additional stimuli for turning from their blatant sin and idolatry. The Northern Kingdom did not have that example of judgment. Judah also had a great many more righteous kings than Israel had. Judah’s kings were in the true lineage of David and were, therefore, divinely appointed. With all of the additional benefits and example before them, Judah’s sins were that much more grievous than those of Israel.

34 / Jeremiah 3:1—6:30; 2 Kings 24:11-16 vinced that we have sinned against God. Know this, God will not look upon sin, but He loves the sinner (Jer. 51:5). THE LORD’S PROMISED BLESSINGS Jeremiah 3:14-18 The treachery of the people of Judah lies in the fact that, although they were eyewitnesses to Israel’s idolatry and chastisement, they refused the Lord’s invitation to return and continued on the path of spiritual harlotry. A ray of hope shone in the promise that the scattered remnant would return to Zion (Jer. 3:14). This would be a personal escort back home by the Husbandman Himself. But none of this would happen until the people of Judah and Israel repented and returned to God. Then would the fulfillment of Israel as the messianic kingdom be accomplished. This verse reminds us of Christ’s second coming and the rapture (Matt. 24:36-41). When the sons of Jacob return again to the Lord during the Millennium, Christ, the seed of David, the Good Shepherd and the Chief Shepherd, will lead them. He will literally cut them a peace covenant which will establish peace with God. In that day He will cause showers of blessings to fall on His people (Ezek. 34:22-26). Upon their return, the Lord promised He would grant them faithful shepherds to govern the restored people (Jer. 3:15). Unlike the unfaithful shepherds before them who forsook the flocks of Israel and Judah, these God-appointed shepherds would govern in the fear of the Lord. As a result the people of the Lord would increase greatly in the land. The Ark of the Covenant, once revered, will wane as it is replaced with the actual presence of the Lord on Imagination: it is to make something firm, hard or stiff. It repreHis throne in Jerusalem (verses 16, 17). sents a prideful willingness to reThis will fulfill God’s promise to David sist, much like an enemy might that, “thy throne shall be established for become hard against another. In an ever” (2 Sam. 7:16); it will fulfill the angel emotional sense, the word represents a hardening of the heart Gabriel’s promise to Mary that God would against a supposed enemy. They give her Son, Jesus, “the throne of his faimagined their self-sufficiency and ther David: and he shall reign over the no longer depended on God. house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingTheir hearts were made hard against God, and they treated Him dom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32, as an enemy. Word Study #8307. 33). The people of Israel and Judah will be reunited as one nation in the land of promise (Jer. 3:18). The British announced they would leave Palestine at midnight on May 14, 1948. David Ben-Gurion issued a statement that the moment they did leave, a Jewish state would be declared. On Wednesday of that week, members of the shadow government met to discuss what name the new country should be called—Judea, Zion or Eretz Israel. The name “Land of Israel” was chosen. May 14 was a Friday. At sunset the Sabbath would begin and for twenty-four hours no religious Jew would be able to sign his name or travel in a car. Secret invitations were delivered by hand to two hundred Jewish leaders to meet at Tel Aviv’s Municipal Museum at 4 p.m. on May 14. At

The Sign of the Polluted Harlot—God’s Forgiveness / 35 the meeting Ben-Gurion read the nine hundred seventy-nine word document declaring the State of Eretz Israel. The kingdom was split between Rehoboam and Jeroboam in 975 BC (1 Kings 12:16-25); however, after a period of 2,923 years, the Jewish people, as promised, are today one nation and one people. THE LORD CALLS FOR REPENTANCE Jeremiah 3:19—4:4 How could such a sinful and rebellious people be restored to their inheritance? The people of Judah’s apostasy encountered a loving and caring Father who desired to give them a heritage and treat them as His children (Jer. 3:19). This looks forward to the nation’s conversion when they “shall not turn away from me” (verse 19). This promised blessing will commence when they acknowledge Jehovah as their Father. The same type of promise was given to the saints at Corinth and is applicable to all who will heed Paul’s message. Like Judah, we must separate ourselves from idols and unclean things and God “will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters” (2 Cor. 6:18). The answer is to practice what is professed. They called on the Lord in times of trouble but did not live as His children in their daily lives. They dealt treacherously with their husband. This is from the Hebrew word bagad (bawgad´) which is used to speak of covert actions that are done faithlessly and with deceit (Jer. 3:20). In the places they shamelessly worshiped idols, Jeremiah pictured them on their knees where they cried aloud because of their perverted, twisted and distorted ways. From the promises of a glorious future, they were called back to the reality of the present. In the darkness of their sins, their need was for sincere repentance and to turn back to God (verse 21). The Lord’s call for them to return was repeated a fourth time. The Lord had patiently waited for them to respond to His call. How gracious is the Lord as He promised to heal their apostasy (verse 22). The people of Judah answered the Lord’s plea with a distressful cry. Several reasons as to why they should return to God and not to Egypt, Assyria and idols were stated. First and foremost Jehovah is the one true God (verse 22). This was not a newfound fact for Judah or Israel; it had been stated and proven numerous times (Deut. 4:35, 39). The Lord was the answer because the idols they had erected upon the hills and mountains were all vain. This is from the Hebrew word sheqer (sheh´-ker), which means “they were a sham, false, a fraud.” They needed to return to Him because God alone can grant true salvation (Jer. 3:23). Even the hypocritical Jews during Jesus’ earthly ministry realized this fact (Mark 2:6, 7; Luke 5:21). Because since the day they forsook the worship of Jehovah, affluence ceased. And this was not only their case, but it was the case of their forefathers who all suffered consequences for their idolatry and disobedience (Jer. 3:24). They confessed their sins in a state of confusion. Remembering their sins brought them much grief. The burden was disobedience to the Word of the Lord (verse 25). Their confession made, the Lord in Jeremiah 4 gave them a merciful promise. He was clear with directions on how they were to return and live in

36 / Jeremiah 3:1—6:30; 2 Kings 24:11-16 the future. To receive the blessings of repentance, the Lord outlined three things the people of Judah must do. They must return to Him. They must remove all the abominations. This included all that was detestable to God and His Word. There would be no peace or stability in the land until they fully turned from idols to serve the true and living God. The threat of war and captivity, “shalt thou not remove,” would be removed by the Lord (Jer. 4:1). This promise was given at least ten years before the first Babylonian attack on Judah and Jerusalem. What a hand of mercy and gracious promise was extended. If they would return to Jehovah, they would not be taken captive to Babylon. The declared judgment could be avoided by repentance and their return. This message is of great importance to every unbeliever (John 3:18, 36) and backslider today (1 John 1:7-10). They must be faithful to their oath and devote themselves to the living Lord, in truth, in judgment and in righteousness; then the fulfillment of the messianic promises will be realized as all nations are blessed through the nation of Israel (Jer. 4:2). If they turned to God, He would usher in blessings for all nations. The promises God made to Abraham would be realized. The promise to bless them who bless thee, curse him that curses thee is a tried, tested and proven statement (Gen. 12:3). Four times the Lord promised that the nations of the world would be blessed by Abraham’s seed (Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4). The apostle Paul acknowledged the blessings of Abraham’s seed and faith upon all the saints (Gal. 3:8, 9). The need for spiritual renewal in Judah was self-evident. The Lord exhorted Judah to break up their uncultivated hearts (Jer. 4:3). Steeped in idolatry, their hearts were likened to hardened, weed infested and untilled ground. No worthwhile farmer would broadcast good seed across unprepared ground. The ground had potential; however, some hard labor was needed to properly prepare the soil. Preparing the hearts of men and women to receive the seed of God’s Word takes much work. There must be a going forth, a time of tilling, planting, watering and a time of weeping and prayer. This being done, God has promised a gathering of sheaves. We are laborers together and it is God who gives the increase (Psalm 126:5, 6; 1 Cor. 3:6-9). It does little or no good to scatter the seed among the thorns or upon the rocks. The parable of the sower teaches the need for dedicated workers to prepare the soil of man’s heart to receive the Word (Matt. 13:18-23). The people of Judah’s call to repentance also included the need of a circumcision of the heart (Jer. 4:4). This shows the difference between thoughtless or artificial repentance to that of a real heartfelt return to God. Circumcision, an outward ritual, needed an inward reality. The callused skin that had surrounded the heart of the people of Judah needed to be cut away. Without a circumcision of the heart, the outward ritual profited them nothing (Rom. 2:28, 29). The alternative to properly tilled and cleaned hearts is the wrath of God. To be used of God, the corrupt heart must be changed; it needs the new birth (John 3:3-7). It needs the sowing of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God

The Sign of the Polluted Harlot—God’s Forgiveness / 37 (1 Peter 1:23). May God grant that those who need to return to Him in repentance and faith will seek the Great Physician, Jesus Christ, to perform the needed spiritual surgery upon their hearts. “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ” (Col. 2:11). THE LORD JUDGES Jeremiah 4:5-31 “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34). The alarm was sounded. The danger was real. This was a day of alarm. The blare of the trumpet was a call to battle (Jer. 4:5). A signal flag would be raised as a rallying point for the people of Judah. Great destruction was coming from the north by way of a Babylonian invasion. The lion was on its way and would devour the land and its inhabitants (verses 6, 7). The enemy, likened to a roaring lion, struck terror in the hearts of all the people. Their sins would destroy them. The Lord was not turned back. His wrath would be upon them and the fierceness of it would melt the heart of the king. The hypocritical priests and false prophets who had mislead and lied to the people would be numb and dumbfounded at what they witnessed (verses 8, 9). When King Zedekiah saw the destruction and Chaldean army, he attempted to flee by night through a hidden gate by the king’s garden. He was captured near Jericho and brought before Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah. Zedekiah’s rebellion was judged with an iron hand. His son and the nobles of Judah were slain, as he was forced to watch. This was the last thing his eyes ever witnessed. He was blinded and led in the dark to Babylon (2 Kings 25:1-7). How many pastors, like Jeremiah, have cried out to the Lord (Jer. 4:10). It is not possible for God to tempt or deceive His people (James 1:13). This is not in harmony with His character. “God is not a man, that he should lie” (Num. 23:19). God’s true prophets had preached the need of repentance and returning to the Lord or judgment would surely come (Jer. 1:14-16; Micah 3:9-12; Hab. 1:5-11; Zeph. 1:4-13). This parenthetical reference is to the false prophets who deceived the people with the promise of peace and prosperity regardless of their sins. Peace and prosperity were promised by the Lord if there were a true repentance and returning to Him; this Judah failed to do. The enemy fell upon Jerusalem like a blasting, hot wind out of the desert. God used the wind to judge His people. Jeremiah cried out in anguish as he witnessed the carnage of both the land and the people. (Jer. 4:12, 13). The Lord’s love for Judah cried out once again, “wash thine heart” (verse 14). Their sins were evident to the nations and seated deep within their heart (verses 14-18). Jeremiah mentally experienced the anguish of the day of judgment. So grievous was the sight that he cried out, “How long shall I see?” (verse 21). He cried out because of the foolishness of the people who would not turn to the Lord for cleansing. He compared them to sotish, meaning “silly” children (verses 19-22). Because of the Lord’s fierce anger (verses 23-26), Jeremiah saw the destruction all around him (verses 27-31).

38 / Jeremiah 3:1—6:30; 2 Kings 24:11-16 THE LORD QUESTIONS Jeremiah 5:1-31 A search to find one who sought after the Lord and His Law proved to be fruitless. All ears were deaf to the prophet’s message. There was religious fervor, but not for Jehovah. Their service was pretentious and met with tragedy, like one overtaken and devoured by wild animals (verses 1-6). Their was no pardon or leniency offered at this point. The judgment was inevitable. Judah could not be forgiven because the people would not turn from their idolatry and return to the Lord (verses 7, 8). The sins of the people of Judah and Jerusalem justified the severity of their chastisement. To them the prophets were just windbags, but Jeremiah’s words would be like a burning fire (verses 9-18). Seeking their own way had proven a dreaded mistake; yet, the people loved to have it so. They had become void in the fear of the Lord. The startling question which remained to be answered was, “what will ye do in the end?” (verse 31). THE LORD WARNS Jeremiah 6:1-30 Jeremiah foretold of the coming invasion of Judah and Jerusalem as though it was already in progress (verses 1-8). The Lord beckoned the invaders to pick the land clean like a well-gleaned vine. Such was justified because they refused to listen to God’s Word, which had become an object of ridicule. The messenger grew weary of restraining his aggravation with such a backslidden people. They were callused in their sins. When summoned to return to the old paths, they went headlong down the road of destruction. All was to be lost—lands, houses, wives, children and their own lives (verses 9-18). This chapter closed with the Lord’s rejection of the people of Judah because of their idolatry. Turning from the Lord, they found every avenue of escape was cut off by the enemy (verses 26-30). There is no escape apart from the salvation of the Lord (Heb. 2:1-4). CONCLUSION Jeremiah 3:1—6:30; 2 Kings 14:11-16 In spite of Judah’s sins, the Lord pleaded and urged His chosen to return and repent. The Lord did not acknowledge the claims of Assyria or Egypt upon his chosen one. Those who have truly repented of their sins and accepted the redemptive work of Jesus Christ are saved and sealed (Rom. 10:9-13; Eph. 1:13). Satan’s claim on them is no longer valid (Heb. 2:14, 15; 1 John 3:18). This is not a call from the Law; this call comes from love, mercy and grace (Isa. 55:7; 2 Tim. 1:9, 10). The Lord calls His people to holiness and not to lives of sin (1 Thess. 4:7). Returning to the Lord means one will no longer continue to be a slave to sin (Rom 6:5-7). The Lord’s grace abounds beyond and above the Law and sin (Rom. 5:20, 21; 8:1-4).

Lesson 4

For Sunday, June 22, 2008

The Sign of the Shaved Head— Judah’s Destruction Jeremiah 7:1—12:17 2 Kings 24:17-20

Jeremiah had dealt with the peple of Israel and Judah as social communities. He now deals with their association to the Temple in Jerusalem. Under the leadership of King Josiah, Judah was purged from its idolatrous worship, which had been commonplace during the reign of Manasseh. Those to whom Jeremiah addressed his message were not ignorant concerning Temple worship but for the most part were pretentious in their worship. The real reason for worship was lost. There was no form of true godliness manifested (2 Tim. 3:5). There was a great crisis in Judah and Jerusalem. They were about to be destroyed because they refused to honor the Lord’s message. They were His chosen people, lived in His city, worshiped at His house and felt secure. They believed Jehovah would defend His people, city and house. However, they overlooked the fact that they were void of the righteousness required by God. There was a spiritual famine throughout the land (Amos 8:11). Many place their trust in a denomination, a man or some ancient or newfound creed. This has brought about a spiritual crisis in the world. Our trust must be in the Lord and His Word. These chapters are filled with pointed questions from the Lord which are applicable for today. Judeans were hypocrites when it came to serving Jehovah. Jesus referred to the scribes and Pharisees, who dressed the part and talked the part, as whited tombs full of dead men’s bones (Matt. 23:27). The word hupokrites refers to an actor who plays a part under an assumed character or name; therefore, the meaning is an “impostor or pretender.” There are still many in today’s religious circles who are just as pretentious and hypocritical as were the scribes and Pharisees of whom Jesus spoke. Jeremiah preached before his largest crowd ever. Among the priests serving the congregation were those from Jeremiah’s hometown of Anathoth. Their livelihood depended upon the corrupt system of false religion that had deceived Judah and Jerusalem. Therefore, the people did not want to hear Jeremiah’s message. Attacking the cults and trends of the day is never popu39

40 / Jeremiah 7:1—12:17; 2 Kings 24:17-20 lar among those who follow the liberal and evil trends of society. However, this was Jeremiah’s task as it is for every true minister and teacher. JEREMIAH’S CHARGE Jeremiah 7:1-4 Jeremiah began each message by proclaiming its divine origin. The prophets did not make sermon outlines and deliver their own thoughts. The Lord gave Jeremiah the message and told Thoroughly Amend: it is to him the place to deliver it. This message change something so as to make it was delivered during the early years of good, well, happy or pleasing. If the King Jehoiakim. The words of Jeremiah people of Judah would change or 26:1-6 are also dated at the beginning of amend their ways to living a way Jehoiakim’s reign and the giving of the that would be considered good by God, it would also be pleasing to Temple court message. Upon the death of Him. The text assumes God to be good King Josiah, the revival that had the judge determining what is good been achieved during his reign rapidly or bad so the result of their came to a shameful end. The real spirit change must harmonize with the ways of God. Word Study #3190. and heart of the people took hold and idolatry once again was the norm. Jeremiah’s charge presented three challenges to the people: 1. hear the Word of the Lord; 2. amend their ways and doings; and 3. stop trusting lying words. The message was directed to all those who came to the Temple to worship. Religion was thriving in Jerusalem. Things had not changed years later when Jesus addressed the Pharisees in Matthew 15:8. He told them their mouth spoke one thing, but their heart was not in it. The word worship is from a Hebrew root meaning “to prostrate or bow self down to give proper reverence.” Judah failed in such worship of Jehovah. But God promised if they would amend their ways, He would allow them to continue to inhabit the city of Jerusalem and the land of Judah. The false prophets gave the people a rallying cry, “The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these” (Jer. 7:4). Jeremiah referred to this as the lie. These pseudo-prophets, priests and scribes persuaded the Judeans the Lord would protect them because they still had worship services at the Temple. But their worship had become a sham. Let us beware of dead formalism and pretentious worship which does not honor the Lord. To speak of the Temple in the manner referred to in verse 4 was to take God’s name in vain. They associated His name with their idolatrous worship. The commandments of the Lord were concise and the wording was clear (Ex. 20:3-5). Their trust in the Temple made it an idol instead of the house of God. JEREMIAH’S PROMISE Jeremiah 7:5-7 The invitation was for the people of Judah to “amend” (verse 5) their ways and their “doings.” The Lord expected all of their actions, endeavors and work to be acceptable to Him. Jeremiah listed four things that they must do to amend their ways and secure the Lord’s promise. 1. execute proper justice, 2.

The Sign of the Shaved Head—Judah’s Destruction / 41 show the proper concern for foreigners, orphans and widows, 3. cease the shedding of innocent blood as a part of their worship, 4. no longer worship the strange gods of the heathens. Until the Lord’s standards were met, there could be no renewal. If and when these requirements were carried out, the promise was sure (verse 6). The people of Judah and Jerusalem had everything they needed to properly serve the Lord. They had the Law, priesthood and the Temple. However, they neglected the things God had given them. What is the practice and attitude today concerning the things Jeremiah listed in verses 5 and 6? How do we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ? How should we treat them? (John 13:34, 35; Gal. 6:1, 2). Our daily lives and that of the church must be in harmony with God’s Word to successfully complete the work He has given us to do. His promises to the church are just as sure as those given to the people of Judah (Matt. 16:18; 28:20; John 14:18). JUDAH’S GUILT Jeremiah 7:8-11 Sound reasoning dictated that due to their past experience with and without the Lord, the people of Judah would readily accept any offer of mercy and blessing He offered to them. Yet, in spite of all the Lord had done and promised that He would do, they turned deaf ears and hardened hearts instead of trusting in the Lord, who cannot lie (Titus 1:1; Heb. 6:18). They continued to trust in the words of the lying prophets. Their messages of lies were of no value to them or anyone else (Jer. 7:8). Judah was not unlike those Paul spoke of who would not receive the love of the truth (2 Thess. 2:1, 12). The Lord brought the people of Judah face to face with their sins by asking them a pointed question in verses 9 and 10. The evidence overwhelmingly showed that they forsook the Law of the Lord. They placed their hopes in the ceremonial rites of the Law but did not keep its commandments. They were accused of breaking all of the Ten Commandments. Although they worshiped on the Sabbath, they so desecrated it that it no longer honored the Lord. The sins named in verse 9 are stated in a Hebrew form which intensifies their meaning. Their sins meant death for the nation. The wages of sin have always been death (Rom. 5:12; 6:23). But God, who is rich in love and mercy, will forgive those who will turn Abominations: being a plural and come to His Son, Jesus Christ (Eph. noun, the word names types of 2:4-7). actions. The word points to actions The people of Judah added to their that God finds detestable and unacceptable. He abhors them and guilt when they came to the Temple and therefore declares them abomproclaimed their innocence and deliverinable. These ways are the ways of ance (Jer. 7:10). Being God’s chosen sinful flesh and not the ways of nation did not give them a license to sin God. These ways transgress the laws and nature of God so that any more than our salvation gives us the they may bring the wrath or the right to use our liberty as a cloak of malichastisement of God upon the ciousness (1 Peter 2:16). What is to be guilty. Word Study #8581. said of those who attend only when

42 / Jeremiah 7:1—12:17; 2 Kings 24:17-20 church is in season? They do not support the church with their prayers, talents or financial means but have the false notion that once in awhile visits make everything all right (Luke 12:42, 43). This is hypocrisy, and the Lord is not pleased with such lives. Jeremiah 7:11 was quoted by Jesus when He cast out the money changers from Herod’s Temple (Matt. 21:12, 13). The Lord’s question literally translates Are you making my house a robber’s cave? They had made the Lord’s Temple a house of merchandise rather than the house of prayer that He had intended (Isa. 56:7; John 2:13-17). UNANSWERED PRAYER Jeremiah 7:12-16 During the time of Israel’s judges, Shiloh stood much as Jerusalem did during the time of the kings. It was looked upon as the spiritual center of the nation. From the time of the conquest of Canaan until the days of priest Eli, the Ark and Tabernacle stood at Shiloh. Here the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, led the people to do wickedly. They, like those to whom Jeremiah spoke, placed a false sense of security in a place and a piece of Tabernacle furniture. God never intended for the Ark to be an implement of war. The Philistines captured the Ark and at some point destroyed Shiloh (1 Sam. 2:12; 4:1-11). Archeological digs in the area have proven the words of Jeremiah and those of the psalmist to be true (Psalm 78:59-67; Jer. 7:12; 26:6, 9). The people of Judah’s irreverent confidence in Jerusalem and the Temple proved to be their downfall. The destruction of Shiloh and the subsequent movement of the Ark showed the deception behind the claim that the Lord was either committed to, or confined to, any earthly Tabernacle or Temple regardless of the moral fiber of the nation. That the Lord is long-suffering was never more evident than in these verses. Jeremiah pictured the Lord rising up early to speak to Judah. A more literal meaning is, “I spoke to you time and time again.” Their disregard for the Lord’s earnest pleadings led Him to tell Jeremiah to no longer pray for them. What a sad day when one sins away his time of grace, and the Lord no longer listens to entreaty made on his behalf. Judah would soon meet the same fate as Israel. IDOLATROUS WORSHIP Jeremiah 7:17-34 Entire families, fathers, mothers and children, were openly and secretly given to the worship of Astarte (Ishtar), the queen of heaven. This idolatrous worship came from the Assyrians and Babylonians. Astarte was worshiped as the goddess of love and fertility mainly by the women. The entire family helped to produce the cakes and libations offered to her and other gods. What does it take for some folk to learn their lesson? The worship of Astarte was so deep-rooted in Judah and Israel that her worship continued after the exile among those in Egypt (Jer. 44:12-26).

The Sign of the Shaved Head—Judah’s Destruction / 43

Manna Cut Off Thine Hair . . . Cast It Away (Jeremiah 7:29): Because the people of Judah had turned to the evil, pagan practice of infant sacrifice, introduced by Kings Ahaz and Manasseh, abolished temporarily by King Josiah but, unfortunately, resumed under King Jehoiakim, Jehovah commanded Jeremiah to inform the people that they were going to endure a desolation in the land and a time of unparalleled mourning due to the Lord’s impending wrath upon them. Through the image of the vow of the Nazirite, Jeremiah was to inform the people that the city of Jerusalem was no longer separated to Jehovah as it once had been. The Nazirite’s hair was the sign of his separation to God. When he was defiled, he was to shave his head. In the imagery, Jerusalem had defiled itself with the corruption of idols and strange cultic practices and was to “shave her head.” Because the Lord was about to cast it away, its unique identity as a favored city of God was to be removed; its city would ultimately be destroyed and her inhabitants would be taken captive to a foreign land. The lamentation of the people was not to take place in the city itself but on the high places where they had erected their pagan idols. Their lamentation was to be distant since the Lord would be distant toward them. That particular generation of Hebrews was to endure a greater judgment than their forefathers had encountered because their sin was much more heinous.

Hardened necks: it is to be hard or difficult in mind and attitude. This hardened neck person is unwilling to be humble to appease another. It is difficult indeed to bow a hardened or stiff neck in humility; therefore, the phrase is used to represent the unwillingness of the people of Judah to bow in humility before their God. They were unwilling to appease God, who was offended by their abominations and has determined their judgment. A hardened neck before a holy God also is foolish.Word Study #7185.

Lamentation: it is to make sound, especially sound with musical and rhythmic tones. The word depicts a sound of sorrow, as with women wailing and lamenting at a funeral. God instructed the people of Judah to lament. This lamentation would be appropriate, seeing that His wrath and judgment were about to fall on them. Word Study #6969.

With all their ceremonies and offerings the people of Judah were a spiritual failure. They missed the point of true service to the Lord. It was not ceremonies and sacrifices which the Lord demanded but obedience and faithfulness to Him (Jer. 7:21-26). It is not intended to deny the first statement, but to put it in its proper order or place in the thought under discussion (Hosea 6:6; Psalm 40:6-8). The emphasis at Mount Sinai was not on sacrifice but on obedience to the commandments just given. The Lord’s order of service is obedience first and then offer the proper sacrifice (Psalm 51:16-19; Rom. 12:1, 2). The Lord sought fellowship with and among His people. His desire was “that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8) and have a place to meet and commune with them (verse 22). The people of Judah constantly refused to obey, and this resulted in spiritual and moral degeneration that became worse and worse. The sign of their defilement was to be the shaved head. Hair is from the Hebrew word nezer [nay’-zer] meaning “something set apart, the dedica-

44 / Jeremiah 7:1—12:17; 2 Kings 24:17-20 tion of a priest or Nazirite”; hence the meaning “unshorn locks” (Num 6:2-5, 12-20). Jerusalem was to be shorn of its crown because of its defilement with idols. The valley of Hinnom witnessed the greatest atrocity of all, the sacrifice of their children (Jer. 7:31). The valley was filled with dead bodies. The voice of mirth that accompanied the presence of children and the gladness of the bride and groom ceased. The mark of her beauty was cut off and cast away. UNABLE TO BLUSH Jeremiah 8:1-22 By God’s revelation of the defilement of the bones of the kings (verses 1-3), He showed that He was aware of how those rulers had carried on a worship of the heavenly bodies contrary to His clear and precise anna instructions against it (Deut. 17:18-20). Things sometimes The Bones of the Inhabitants (Jeremiah 8:1): become so bad that men One of the common things in the Near East was the practice of a victorious army to give further choose death over life. All of insult to their defeated foes by desecrating the this would come upon them remains of their ancient dead by exhuming the because they would not heed bones. They were especially interested in the the laws of God. The subject of desecration of the bones of kings, priests, Jeremiah’s message continprophets and princes—the more prominent among the inhabitants. Additionally, a comued to be the severe visitation mon practice in Egypt and Babylon was the of God’s judgment upon the exhumation of the remains of the more well-towayward nation. Their sin do for the purpose of the plunder of valuables became a perpetual backslidwhich were buried with those who deceased. ing, and they refused to The irony of the whole matter was when they previously had put their sole allegiance repent and return to God. and service with Jehovah, they were able to This they did even though a overcome any enemy attack and experience a loving and gracious God respiritual and material prosperity which was peatedly warned them through noticeable among their neighbors. But as soon His prophets. They continued as they abandoned Jehovah and began worto rush headlong into unreshiping other gods, after a clear warning to the people by the Lord through the prophets, such strained behavior as they pracas Jeremiah, they suffered incredible loss. ticed vile forms of idolatry. When the people of Judah were defeated and The scribes were the taken captive to Babylon, their gods were ancient lawyers and interunable to rescue them or respond to their preters of the Law. Those of many pleas for safety. Simply stated, a god which does not exist will never be able to help Jeremiah’s day falsely boasthis followers. In spite of their great zeal, those ed, “We are wise, and the law nonexistent gods did not because they could of the LORD is with us” (Jer. not deliver. However, through the message of 8:8). They so stretched the the prophets, the long-suffering Jehovah still Law that their pens wrote in provided a final opportunity for the people to repent and return to the God, Jehovah. The vain. They professed that historical record shows that they did not seize they were wise; they became that final opportunity. fools and changed the glory of God. The truth of the situa-

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The Sign of the Shaved Head—Judah’s Destruction / 45 tion was contrary to their assertion. They were unwise to the Law, and the Lord was not with them. Understand this, the Law is one thing, the correct interpretation and use of it is another matter. The courts today are no different. Many of them have been corrupted by lawyers who are more concerned with collecting their high fees than they are with upholding the real justice of the law. We must ever be on guard that our attitude toward the Word, especially in the area of discipline, is not governed by personal feelings and family ties rather than “thus saith the LORD” (verse 4). They boasted of their wisdom, but the beasts and birds displayed more common sense than Judah (verses 4-7). The animals were fulfilling their God-ordained purpose. The people of Judah bragged and boasted but were brought to naught because of their continual backsliding from God’s Word. These verses rebuked the prophets, priests and scribes for their hypocritical view of morality and the false optimism that all was well. Verses 10-12 are a repeat of Jeremiah 6:12-15. Jeremiah, speaking by divine inspiration, repeated these truths to firmly plant them in the minds of the people. But the people chose to heed the message of the false leaders and refused to listen to Jeremiah and God’s Word. In this indictment against the religious leaders of the nation we read, “For they have healed the anna hurt of the daughter of my people The Harveset Is Past, the Summer Has Ended . . . We Are Not Saved (Jeremiah slightly, saying, Peace, peace; 8:20): Since the inhabitants of Judah were when there is no peace” (Jer. 8:11). primarily involved in agriculture, the This was what the people wanted imagery used by the prophet Jeremiah to hear, but it was not the truth. drove home the point of their impending complete devastation. The annual harThere are those today who, by vest of barley, wheat and spelt, which their actions and testimony, think was a wheat-like grain with split kernels, having their name on a church took place in the spring; the harvest of roll makes everything satisfactosummer fruit, such as figs, grapes and pomegranates came in the late summer; ry. Such a conviction makes about and the harvesting of olives occurred in as much sense as what the scribes the early fall. If there were no times of and prophets of this reading were harvest, then their food supply for the saying. Regardless of one’s posiwinter would be severely hindered. The statement of Jeremiah was more metation on the rapture, the key word phorical than actual, meaning that the in our churches and Christian people had exhausted every opportunity lives is faithfulness. Most of the Jehovah had give them, and they were people of Judah listened but heedentirely without hope for survival. The Lord gave them opportunities ed baseless promises. The prophrepeatedly again, and each time these opets, priests and scribes were portunities went unheeded. The time for physicians of no value. They were their repentance and returning to Jeholulled into apathy. They had bevah had past. There was no more hope. come so hard-hearted that they no longer blushed in the face of the

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46 / Jeremiah 7:1—12:17; 2 Kings 24:17-20 gross immorality prevalent in the land. Such attitudes and life-styles are becoming more widespread as we rapidly approach the end of this age and the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 4:1, 2). God ordained judgment for them, and the sound of it was already in the land. The enemies that stripped the land were so complete that there were no grapes or figs left for the gleaners (Jer. 8:13). Those living in the rural area asked, “Why do we sit still?” (verse 14). It was time to flee. There was no hope for a time of healing, for it had turned to a day of terror. The enemy was so close they could hear their horses neighing. As in the days of their wilderness journey, because of sin, snakes invaded the land (Num 21:4-9; Jer. 8:14, 17). “Is not the LORD in Zion?” (Jer. 8:19). This was a rhetorical question. Jehovah could not be replaced. He had, however, been replaced by “graven images, and with strange vanities” (verse 19). Jeremiah used a figure taken from agriculture (verses 20-22). Harvest was the time to reap the wheat and the summer fruit, but there was none because the crops were lost to the enemy. A greater truth is given here. The harvest was God’s grace extended again and again as a time of repentance. The plague of idolatry had overtaken the people, the balm of Gilead had not been applied, and the physician could not help. Their wound was deep into the heart and there was no recovery. A WEEPING PROPHET Jeremiah 9:1-26 Jeremiah anguished over turning Judah to repentance. He would have wept day and night for them, but his eyes could no longer produce the tears (verse 1). So troubled by their perpetual backsliding and evil, he desired a quiet place away from it all. The people continued in their wickedness. Their tongues were like a bow shooting out lies. No one could trust his neighbor because he was filled with deceit (verses 2-6). The Lord grieved over the judgment He had to bring upon the people of Jerusalem and Judah. He saw the beloved city, surrounding mountains and

Manna The Mourning and Cunning Women (Jeremiah 9:17, 18): In announcing the coming expulsion from the land by the people of Judah, Jeremiah called upon the professional “mourning women” (verse 17) and the more expert “cunning women” to arouse the grief of the people. These professional wailers were employed for funerals to show proper mourning at the memorial service. During funerals, they would wail unceasingly, be arrayed in a shameful attire, flail their arms repeatedly, throw dust on their heads, run their dirty hands through their hair and leave it in a disheveled condition. Such a practice was common among all of the nations in the Middle Eastern area. In some cultures, the practice continues to this day. The prophet was encouraging the people of Judah to be prepared for the worst—their opportunities for restoration were over, and all they were to prepare for was suffering, death and its aftermath. Hence, the best of the professional mourners were to get themselves ready for the most profound of sorrows, more devastating than they could imagine.

The Sign of the Shaved Head—Judah’s Destruction / 47 valleys burned, deprived of life and wept with great lamentation. Jerusalem would become the habitation of jackals. Sowing to the wind and reaping the whirlwind is a bitter harvest. The results in Judah are comparable to a draught of wormwood and gall (verses 7-16). The mourning women, hired to attend funerals were called to weep and mourn for the people of Jerusalem and Judah. The day for the funeral dirge was at hand (verses 17-22). The wise were instructed not to glory in their wisdom, nor the mighty man in his might, nor the rich in his riches. The only thing they have to glory in was the knowledge of the Lord and His Word (verses 23-26). THE GODS SHALL PERISH Jeremiah 10:1-25 Chapter 10 is similar to Isaiah 44:9-20. Both prophets describe the work of the hapless craftsman as he fashions the images of wood, stone and precious metals. These mock idols stood in sharp contrast to the true God of Heaven and earth. Yet, the people forgot Jehovah, their Creator and Husbandman and fell down before the helpless idols of the heathen nations. The idols were a dead and lifeless work, and Judah became just like them. Their actions proved their spiritual stupidity (Jer. 10:1-14). There was nothing left for Judah except the judgment of God. Instead of His blessing, they faced famine, death and exile. The judgment also included the downfall of the heathen nations that had plagued Israel and Judah. God’s judgment is universal to all people. None shall escape. The people were told to gather up what little they had left and prepare for exile (verses 15-22). Jeremiah understood that sinful man could not direct his steps to please God. Man’s way and destiny are in God’s hands. We must submit ourselves to the Lord for Him to direct our steps in the right way. This was the heart and soul of Jeremiah’s message (verses 23-25). THE BROKEN COVENANT Jeremiah 11:1-17 His authority for this message was confirmed in verse 1. In this message the Lord pleaded for the people of Judah to return to the covenant made with their fathers. A reaffirmation of the covenant made with the Lord at Sinai was desperately needed. The Lord’s covenant was serious business. The word covenant means “to make a stipulation, to form a league or confederacy.” The parties in this context were Jehovah and the people of Israel. If the nation failed to keep its commitment to the covenant, the curses contained therein would come upon them (Deut. 27). Jeremiah repeated the words of Deuteronomy 27:26. The Hebrew word, arar, translated cursed in verse 3, is a strong word meaning “to revile, denounce, loathe, detest or despise.” They were aware of their standing with the Lord. If the covenant were kept, its blessings would be enjoyed. Obedience to the Word of the Lord is the key to His blessings. The word obey is a command that notes continual action on the part of the subject. The Lord brought them out

48 / Jeremiah 7:1—12:17; 2 Kings 24:17-20 of Egypt to Mount Sinai where He made His covenant with them. The Lord confirmed the covenant by leading them to a “land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:8). The Lord kept His word, performing His part of the covenant to the letter. The people of Judah briefly renewed their vows during the reign of Josiah. But for most, it was a revival in word only and not of the heart. When he looked over the litigants involved in the covenant and how each performed his duty, Jeremiah said, “so be it, O LORD” (Jer. 11:5). Jeremiah had to agree with the Lord’s patience and fairness with the people of Israel and Judah. Truly the Lord is long-suffering (2 Peter 3:9). However, there is a limit to the Lord’s long-suffering. Jeremiah’s responsibility was to carry the Lord’s message (Jer. 11:6-10). He was not responsible for the people’s reaction to it. Paul instructed Timothy to “preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:2). This is still the task of every God-called minister. As the prophets and apostles, our duty is to preach the message and leave the results to God (1 Cor. 3:6, 7). Jeremiah 11:6 indicates that Jeremiah traveled to the cities of Judah and through the streets of Jerusalem to declare his message. He may have traveled with King Josiah during his campaign to rid the land of idols (2 Kings 23:4-20). The Lord’s indictment against Judah charged that even though He continued faithful and sent prophets to warn them, they rebelled. From the days of their deliverance, to the exact day of this message, the Lord said, “Obey my voice” (Jer. 11:4). This statement shows how urgent and timeless the message of the Lord is. Judah was without excuse; it rebelled and broke the covenant. The people united in a conspiracy. The Hebrew word used here means to “revolt” or “mutiny.” They foolishly sought to revoke the covenant and remove Jehovah from their worship. The provisions for violation of the covenant were put into full effect. Judah turned to idols and their children learned by example. Children are led astray by the unfaithful examples of their parents. His verdict was given (verses 11-17). The judgments of God come in many different ways—through storms, plagues or some bodily affliction. The Lord prepared Babylon to carry out His plan of chastisement upon Judah. Every city in Judah had a shrine, as did every street in Jerusalem. Thus we read one of the saddest statements in the Old Testament, “Pray not thou for this people, . . . for I will not hear them” (verse 14). Their cries for help were to go unheeded. The Lord planted the nation and tended them like a well-watered garden. His ideal for them was to remain green and fruitful. They were like a beautiful green olive tree, but the tree was struck by a lighting bolt. Nothing was left but a charred stump. WHY DO THE WICKED PROSPER? Jeremiah 11:18—12:17 These verses mark the beginning of the section called “The Confessions of Jeremiah.” There are five personal prayers which describe the anguish the

The Sign of the Shaved Head—Judah’s Destruction / 49 prophet wrestled with during his ministry. These prayers have no equal as to their pain, frankness and sincerity. In the first prayer we discover that the men of Anathoth plotted Jeremiah’s murder (Jer. 11:18-23). He was like a lamb led to the slaughter. His preaching raised the charge of treason. If his message was heeded, these pagan priests would be out of a job. His fellowcitizens, many of them priests, cried out, “Prophesy not in the name of the LORD” (verse 21). Messages that condemn sin and challenge lives are not readily accepted. The unrepentant sinners’ emotions run rampant. Common sense gives way to anger and resentment rather than godly sorrow that leads to repentance (2 Cor. 7:10). We, like Jeremiah, have no choice but to preach the Word. Jeremiah was given the Lord’s promise that He would punish these rebels of Anathoth. Some would perish by the sword and famine. Those still alive would be taken captive to Babylon. Jeremiah was puzzled; yet, he was able to boldly plead with the Lord (Jer. 12:1-4). The prosperity of the wicked has long been a puzzlement to God’s children (Psalm 73:3, 16, 17). Our trust and delight is to be found in the Lord and not things (Psalm 37). Jeremiah, in his boldness, asked the Lord to give his enemies what they deserved. They were a curse to the nation of Judah that caused the righteous to suffer. They laughed at Jeremiah’s message and thus laughed at God. Jeremiah, though weeping, felt their punishment was deserved. The Lord’s reply was addressed to Jeremiah’s attitude. He was told that it would get worse before it got better (Jer. 12:5, 6). This was a challenge to greater faith and service. Where would Jeremiah turn? His townspeople and family were against him. His strength, and ours, is found in the Lord (Jer. 16:19; Phil. 4:13). Jeremiah 12:7-13 views future events as though they were in progress or already fulfilled. Several figures were used to show Judah’s abandonment by the Lord (verse 7), their rebellion (verse 8), their judgment (verses 9-12) and their final state (verse 13). Judah, having been warned, was abandoned by the Lord. Judah was the Lord’s house, inheritance and beloved. As Ephraim (Israel), how does God give up on one that He loves so dearly (Hosea 11:8)? The people of Judah turned on Jehovah like a wild lion pouncing on its prey. The bird’s plumage was beautiful, but trying to feed with the hawks and buzzards (pagan idolatry and alliances) it came under attack by the birds of prey (the nations around them). The shepherds were the false prophets who preached lies to Judah and hastened the day of destruction. They planted wheat, but because of their rebellion, the time of harvest found the fields full of thorns. Jeremiah gave a light of hope not only for Judah but for all of the nations. The mercy of God is not nationalistic but will be shown upon any nation that will heed His Word and follow Him (Prov. 14:34).

50 / Jeremiah 7:1—12:17; 2 Kings 24:17-20 CONCLUSION Jeremiah 7:1—12:17; 2 Kings 24:17-20 May God grant us the spiritual insight not to be duped by charlatans who come in the guise of angels of light but whose end will be according to their works (2 Cor. 11:13-15). The New Testament church was warned by Paul in his letter to Thessalonica to beware of those who cry, “Peace and safety.” This is a sign that judgment is near for “sudden destruction” will come from the Lord (1 Thess. 5:1-4). Our desire must be to heed and obey His Word. We must come before God confessing our sins trusting that He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There are those who are still preaching a message of false hope and peace. Our hope and peace is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 1:1; Eph. 2:13, 14).

Lesson 5

For Sunday, June 29, 2008

The Sign of the Marred Girdle— Judah’s Pride Jeremiah 13:1—15:21; 2 Kings 25:1-21

Chapter 13 records five parables given by Jeremiah. The first is illustrated by action; the other four are spoken. These warnings restate the messages already preached by Jeremiah, which is that sin brings judgment. The wicked appeared to be prospering in Jerusalem. They were blinded by greed and could not see they were headed for a great fall. In 609 BC, good King Josiah was killed in battle. His reign was a deterrent for a time to the coming judgment. Jeremiah’s ministry during the reign of Josiah was compared to running with the footmen and growing weary. With the death of Josiah came the evil reigns of Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and finally Zedekiah. Jeremiah would now “contend with horses” and the “swelling of Jordan” (Jer. 12:5). Judah in size and number was small compared to the powers allied against it. The leaders unwisely thought about an alliance with Egypt. Jeremiah took a strong stand against such political decisions because they were made against the council and Word of God. Jeremiah lamented because of the certain judgment that was about to fall upon Judah and Jerusalem. THE MARRED GIRDLE Jeremiah 13:1-11 This was more than a vision. The language used supports a literal interpretation of these events. Jeremiah was told to purchase a linen girdle (verse 1). The white linen was symbolic of their cleanliness when they were first brought into fellowship with Jehovah. It was also a reminder to the priests of their holy calling (Ex. 19:6; 39:27-31). Paul reminded the young preacher Timothy that they were called “with an holy calling” (2 Tim. 1:9). The ministry of the Lord is to be kept above reproach (Titus 1:7). Jeremiah was told not to wash the girdle. It was to be worn next to his body, like an undergarment, for a period of time. Jeremiah was then to take it off and hide it in the rocks somewhere along the Euphrates. After a period of many days, he was to return to the hiding place and retrieve the girdle. The once white and clean belt was found to be rotten and useless. The people of Judah were like this girdle which was mildewed, full of holes, stinking and filthy. They had become useless to the Lord. Jehovah had held them close and cherished them, but Judah’s pride 51

52 / Jeremiah 13:1—15:21; 2 Kings 25:1-21

Manna The Linen Girdle (Jeremiah 13:1-7): For Jeremiah to understand God’s perspective of His heart toward rebellious Judah, the prophet was told to secure a linen girdle, place it around his waist, much like the undergarment used by the priests of Israel who wore such linen garments, but to be sure that it would not be put in water. Linen is not a durable fabric, and water would tend to bring it to a condition of rotting much quicker. The original condition of the girdle spoke of Judah’s earlier status of a dedicated people toward God, who worshiped and served the Lord from pure hearts. After wearing it for a few days, Jeremiah was told to remove the girdle and hide in the crevice of a rock close to the Euphrates river. After several days, he was commanded to retrieve the girdle. He found it to be unusable because it had decayed from the moisture of the river. Symbolically, the rotted linen girdle was to remind the nation that she had spiritually drifted from the Lord to the point that the relationship with Him was strained by the influence of the pagan people of the Mesopotamian plain. The people of Judah had forsaken the exclusive worship and service of Jehovah and replaced it with the worship of the pagan deities of their corrupt neighbors. The imagery also may speak of the coming deterioration of Judah and Jerusalem with the soon coming Babylonian siege and exile. Cleave: the meaning declares an intentional act of pursuing something, and, when finding that thing, attaching oneself to it.The act of attaching is not accidental. Neither is it the cause of an outside force, but it is a deliberate and willful act of clinging to the object. God declared that He had caused the people of Israel and Judah to want to be attached to Him. Word Study #1692.

Hide: the meaning is “to place an item so that it cannot be seen.” It is to place a covering over the item and to make secret its existence and location. God told the prophet to hide the girdle. The hiding of the girdle was to prevent anybody from finding it while the purpose of God was accomplished. Word Study #2934.

Marred: the meaning here is “to become spoiled and unpleasing in relation to its natural use or purpose.” The meaning suggests a rotting process has occurred in the fabric. The item once was good but afterwards is bad. Once spoiled, the item was ruined, corrupted and unusable. Both God and man would consider the girdle marred. Word Study #7843.

and evil had marred them to the point they could no longer wear His beautiful garment. Paul, when writing to Timothy, admonished him to be a vessel of honor in the Lord’s house (2 Tim. 2:20, 21). Some, because of the distance (about three hundred miles from Jerusalem), believe that Jeremiah went somewhere other than the Euphrates or that the act was only a vision. Jeremiah would have had plenty of time to make such a journey during the reign of Jehoiakim. During the fifth year of his reign, Jeremiah was forbidden to enter the city. Baruch was instructed to read the scroll of Jeremiah, which so angered the king that he destroyed it. He sought the life of Baruch and Jeremiah. This was when the Lord hid them. Jeremiah was not seen or heard in Jerusalem until the eleventh year of Jehoiakim. During this time, Jeremiah would have had sufficient time

The Sign of the Marred Girdle—Judah’s Pride / 53 to carry out the Lord’s command concerning the girdle and to rewrite the destroyed scroll with its additions (Jer. 36:1-32). Their captivity, in and of itself, could not change the state of their evil hearts, for only true repentance and returning to the Lord could accomplish this. This is a message for us today of our need for spiritual self-judgment and true repentance toward God. THE WINE BOTTLE

Dash: it means “to break an item so that it no longer exists as one but afterwards becomes many pieces.” It is to shatter a thing. The word has a negative connotation in that it denotes a chastisement or punishment. The one having become pieces is then scattered so as to lose the strength of its previous union. It becomes weak and delusional by the dashing process. Word Study #5310.

Jeremiah 13:12-14

Manna Every Bottle Filled with Wine (Jeremiah 13:12-14): In the Middle East at that time, large earthen jars were used to store wine. Some of the jars could hold as much as ten gallons. As a proverbial saying, the statement in verse 12 was a positive one which indicated that the individuals whose bottles (jars) were filled had prospered. But the prophet’s use of the proverb in verse 14 indicated just the opposite. He had turned that common saying into a symbolic message of a prediction for their soon disaster. In the prophet’s use of the proverb, the people were the earthen jars, and they would be filled with the “wine” (verse 12) of God’s wrath against their grievous sin. In his prediction, Jeremiah left no one out, and each bore his individual responsibilities for the coming judgment—the various kings of the nation, the priests, the false prophets and, finally, the people themselves. The image was graphic. All the people would be like individuals who were hopelessly intoxicated with wine, helpless, confused and who turned on each other, rather than on the ones who were the intruders. Instead, they embraced their enemies, especially in their forms of worship. They had reached the point of no-return. God would show no more pity on His people.

The next figure used by the Lord was the wine bottle. A nebel (nay´bel) is a skin-bag for liquids that is collapsible when empty; the word has been translated vase, bottle, pitcher and vessel. Some of the wineskins and wine pitchers found by archeologists are large enough to contain several gallons of liquid. The full wine jugs would note the hope of continued prosperity. Jeremiah used a play on words, which the drinkers of Judah quickly mocked with, “Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?” (Jer. 13:12). The prophet just as readily put the barbs to this illustration. The men of Judah were the wine containers, which were to be filled with the wine of God’s wrath. When the Babylonians arrived, they behaved as men in a drunken stupor and ran into one another and dashed themselves to pieces. Having rejected the Lord’s covenant, the people of Judah were empty, and the bursted wine

54 / Jeremiah 13:1—15:21; 2 Kings 25:1-21 bottle was incapable of being filled with the joy of the Lord. The mention of David’s throne stresses how empty and fallen they were from the godly standard of worship set during David’s reign. Public and church officials are called upon by the Lord to be an example to those they lead and serve. As a citizen, how comfortable would you be if you constantly witnessed the leaders in Washington D.C. drinking, let alone the clergy and church leaders. THE RESULTS OF PRIDE Jeremiah 13:15-27 Jeremiah in this parable presented six features of pride. (1) Pride will bring darkness. What light was left in Judah would be turned to darkness (verses 15, 16). When they looked for light, they would find darkness. Jeremiah still hoped, but he knew the end was near. (2) Pride will bring tears. His pleas went unheeded, thus his anna eyes and heart turned to tears God’s Secret Tears (Jeremiah 13:15-17): (verse 17). (3) Pride goeth before The nations of Israel and Judah had once been the proud nations of God’s heritage. destruction. The whole nation Their pride had been in the fact that Jehowould fall including the king, and vah was their unique God whom they the queen mother. The king prophworshiped and served. But even though ets and priests had completely forthe people of Judah had long abandoned saken their sacred duty to God’s and forsaken their God in exchange for the nonexistent deities of their foreign flock. When they asked, “Why?” neighbors, they still retained their pride The answer was clear, “For the about being the chosen people of Jehovah. greatness of thine iniquity.” (verse Jeremiah warned the people against the 22). Judah was pictured as a pride of their spiritual heritage. Their sin was hypocrisy and disobedience to His naked prostitute manhandled by commands for repentance and confession her captors (verse 22). (4) Pride of their sins. To be so arrogant as to still heaps up and becomes irreregard themselves as the favored people of versible. The sins of the people of God, and, at the same time, refuse to obey Judah were so deep-rooted that His commands and worship Him uniquely, indicated their unjustified pride in their Jeremiah used them to remind us standing. They were about to be plunof the total hereditary depravity dered and overrun by their enemies, and of man. Self-reformation, the they obviously did not heed the warnings. proverbial turning over a new leaf Nonetheless, the Lord still called prophets like Jeremiah to give warning and the will not suffice in the day of judgpotential of their repentance and restorament. We are all sinners by tion to favor. But even the prophet knew nature. It is our nature to sin, as it the obstinate ways of the people and that is the nature of a leopard to have they would not heed his prophetic messpots and for an Ethiopian to have sage. Even though he was resolute in the declaration of the message, Jeremiah was dark skin (verse 23). No amount also moved with compassion and grief of washing or soap and water can over their continued obstinance which erase the leopard’s spots or would ultimately lead them into captivichange the color of a man’s skin. ty.

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The Sign of the Marred Girdle—Judah’s Pride / 55 The only one who can forgive sin and cleanse the sinner is the Omnipotent God (Mark 2:7-12; 1 John 1:9). (5) Pride will be fully exposed, and the shame will be there for all to see (Jer. 13:24-26). The people of Judah would be scattered like the chaff by strong desert winds. They were compared to an immoral woman, who, because of lust, openly pursues her lovers with total disrespect for her loving husband. This was the picture presented of Jehovah and Judah. (6) Pride is under the all-seeing eye of God (verse 27). Note carefully the long-suffering and grace of God. “O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?” (verse 27). After all that had been done in shame against Him, He was still ready and willing to forgive those who would return and repent. PRAY NOT FOR THIS PEOPLE The people of Judah had gone way beyond the Lord’s limits. They reached the place where intercessory prayer was futile. Jeremiah’s attempt to intercede on behalf of Judah and Jerusalem was rebuffed by the Lord. Even his attempt to intercede on the basis of the covenant was all in vain. They had strayed too far and relaxed too long in sin. Jeremiah confessed the sins of Judah and asked the Lord to help them “for thy name’s sake” (verse 7). This was a plea to a merciful God not to allow the people of Judah and Jerusalem to perish. Jeremiah called the Lord “the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble” (verse 8). The Lord had never abandoned them. He promised to defeat their enemies and give them the land. “The LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee: he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Deut. 31:6). It was not the Lord’s faithfulness that was called into question. The nation of Judah was the guilty one who had failed and forsaken God.

Jeremiah 14:1-12

Manna Devastating Droughts (Jeremiah 14:1-7): The word dearth in verse 1 is a plural word in the original Hebrew, translated droughts. The use of the Hebrew plural can sometimes indicate one long, intensive drought or a series of multiple droughts. Rainfall in Israel is never in great abundance, especially in the Judean plain. However, throughout the history of the nation, droughts were all too common. The agricultural needs of the area required the anticipated seasonal rains. When droughts did occur, they were never viewed as a mere coincidence; they were acknowledged as divine curses with respect to the conditional covenants with God. Droughts were threatened by the Lord for disobedience and were sometimes used to point the people to repentance. A severe drought or series of droughts were universal in their devastation. With mild droughts the people could be sustained by the reserve of water in their underground cisterns, which collected and stored rainwater for the seasons which were rain deprived. During severe drought conditions, even the cisterns would dry up leaving the people and their animals without water. Droughts had a progressively worsening effect. If there were no water for agricultural needs, then there would be no harvest. If there were no harvest, there would be famine conditions. All of the people from the farmers to the rulers in the land were equal in their mourning over the drought conditions.

56 / Jeremiah 13:1—15:21; 2 Kings 25:1-21 A severe drought and famine was to come upon Judah. The words of the Lord were quite clear (Deut. 11:26-28). Droughts are a problem in the Near East. They can bring much suffering and death. Jehovah is the Lord and God of all nature. The wind and the rain are under His control. Had Judah chosen the path of obedience, no enemy could have conquered, and no drought would have ever stricken the land. However, since they chose to disobey, calamities of the worst sort fell upon them. The conditions in the land of Judah were deplorable. The cisterns were empty, crops failed, livestock perished and then came the cries of the thirsty children. Their parched tongues and cracked lips presented a pitiful sight. All of this was because they were backslidden and would not confess, repent and turn to God. Chastisement came upon Judah because of the sin of disobedience. All were guilty, the kings, priests, prophets, scribes and people. Their bent to idolatry brought the strong hand of God down upon them. Unrepentant sin is the reason God’s children have problems today. The land of Judah depends on the Lord sending seasonal rains. Rivers do not traverse the land. In the north flowing from the snows of Mount Hermon are four rivers: the Bareighit, the Hasbany, the Leddan and the Banias that come together at Lake Huleh to form the Jordan River. From a height of 9,232 feet at Mount Hermon the Jordan (Hebrew hayyarden, meaning “the descender”) serpentines 200 miles over a 70 mile distance to 1,292 feet below sea level at the Dead Sea. There are a number of brooks and wadis that during the rainy season feed into the Jordan. Yet, the Lord watched over Israel and made it a land of milk and honey when His people obeyed His commands. The Lord would send them showers of blessings. The area called Mizraim referred to upper and lower part of Egypt that was watered by the mighty flowing Nile River. The condition of the pagan Egyptians was quite different from that in the land of Canaan. The evil men of the world seem to prosper despite their godless lives. Their pride and pomp seem to lift them higher and higher, but alas in the end they fall much farther and much harder. God’s children are under His care and a part of His loving care is to chasten those He loves. Those of His children who walk disorderly will come under His chastening rod. The Lord had chosen Judah and made them a special people in the earth; “therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities” (Amos 3:2). Jeremiah loved his people and nation; consequently, he took on the roll of mediator and intercessor on their behalf. He identified himself with them. It was not those people, those sinners, that group, but he pleaded “for our iniquities,” “for our backslidings” and “we have sinned against thee” (Jer. 14:7). This example of Jeremiah should be followed by every God-called pastor and teacher today. Good shepherds tend to their sheep. They know and feel their pain. They cry over their anguish and loss. They are concerned about both the staff and the rod, not only for discipline but for the comfort and protection they can bring.

The Sign of the Marred Girdle—Judah’s Pride / 57 The situation had grown so bad in Judah that to Jeremiah it seemed the Lord was an alien in the land. Although the Temple service was still being carried out, and His glory was still present in the Holy of Holies, the majority of the people no longer looked to it or recognized it as being needful. Verses 11 and 12 show just how far the people of Judah had strayed from the Lord. To go beyond God’s limits for intercessory prayer is a most dangerous journey. Jeremiah was commanded, “Pray not for this people” (verse 11). Apparently their sin and guilt was worse than that of Sodom and Gomorrah because Abraham was allowed to plead for them and Lot (Gen. 18:23-33). God’s children today can also go beyond His bounds. If, like Judah, our feet love to wander in sin and we habitually practice those things God has forbidden, He will visit our transgressions. First John 5:16 states, “A sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” No one specific sin is in mind here. It is one’s attitude toward and practice of sin that the writer had in mind. Those who brought shame to the Lord’s table (1 Cor. 11:27-30), Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-10) and Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Tim. 1:20), are examples of such wrongful behavior. God’s Word commands His children to pray for one another (Heb. 13:18; James 5:16). We are to “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thess. 5:22), and this we must do if our prayer lives are to go unhindered before the Lord. The same law of God which declared that the righteous will be blessed, also avows that the wicked must be cursed. Our own actions determine in which of these groups we will be. LAMENTABLE DROUGHT PREDICTED Jeremiah 14:13—15:9 These chapters are filled with Jeremiah’s lamentation because of the certain judgment which was about to fall upon the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The events recorded here occurred during the early years of Jehoiakim’s reign over Judah. The lack of concern of the people was due to the pseudoprophets who falsely promised the people of Judah and Jerusalem a bright future. During this time, Jeremiah had become so downhearted over his own persecution he was ready to quit. At one point he accused the Lord of maltreatment. Once he reasoned with the Lord and listened to His words, Jeremiah no longer had doubts concerning his call. At the time the people of Judah and Jerusalem were in great crisis, Jeremiah got caught up in the distressing times because those for whom his message was intended rejected both the message and the message bearer. It was and is evident that people do not like to be told they are sinners. If we totally judge our success by the response of our listeners, it is easy to become discouraged as Jeremiah did. The people of Judah were placated by the optimistic message of the lying prophets. They were falsely told that no attack by a foreign enemy was forthcoming, no calamities were on the way and there would be peace in their time. The false prophets of Jeremiah’s time spoke to tickle the itching ears of the populace. The message of tribulation and judgment is still not popular with

58 / Jeremiah 13:1—15:21; 2 Kings 25:1-21 most people. Much of the blame for Judah’s predicament was placed on the false prophets, however, the people had a choice. The message of truth had been preached by Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Huldah and Urijah. Their sin was not excused by the presence of false prophets. The fact that the Lord had sent at least five prophets to the people of Judah to proclaim the coming judgment and the need of repentance was a sure sign that they were not walking with the Lord (Amos 3:3). These true prophets and their messages were not popular then, anymore than they are now. Judah did not believe the message of an imminent judgment. The scoffers are still with us (2 Peter 3:4), denying the Lord and His coming. But as assuredly as the Chaldeans invaded Judah, devastated the land and carried captives back to Babylon, so the promise of the Lord’s coming will take place as the Scriptures have foretold. The false prophets led Judah away from God and the truth. The things they said would not happen, (like judgment, famine, war and captivity), consumed them and their families (Jer. 14:14-16). When Jeremiah saw their ruin, he longed for unceasing tears. He called Judah “the virgin daughter of my people” (verse 17). Judah had been jealously loved and guarded by the Lord. The godless prophets and priests led them to pursue strange lovers. The chaste virgin had been violated. Those who are members of the Lord’s New Testament church need to realize the gracious position they are in being espoused to Christ. They are loved beyond human understanding and knowledge (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25-32). By what right could the people of Judah possibly think they had a legitimate complaint or protest against the Lord? They were at the height of impertinence when they mustered the audacity to ask three questions of the Lord. “Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul loathed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us?” (Jer. 14:19) They got the opposite of what they had expected. They had pled their case, but they could not believe they had been rejected and smitten by the Lord. Those who have truly trusted the Lord as their Savior need never worry about being cast off by Him (John 6:37). The people of Judah pleaded with the Lord but too late. Their confession and affirmation of faith was too little too late. Chapter 15 continued the thought of chapter 14. Jeremiah represented the ideal association which should exist between today’s pastors and the flock over which the Lord has made them an overseer. Jeremiah knew, felt and lived the sorrows and trials of his people. He greatly loved the people of Judah and Jerusalem; yet, his attempt to be their intercessor failed. Judah’s sin was so great that even Abraham and Moses, two great intercessors of the past, would not have been able to mediate for it. J. B. Coats wrote a line in his song that said, “Where could I go but to the Lord?” When they realized their selfproclaimed prophets had lied to them and the Lord was going to cast them out, Judah asked, “Whither shall we go?” (Jer. 15:2). When the crowds walked away from Jesus, He asked His disciples, “Will ye also go away?” (John 6:67). Peter gave the answer all true believers know. “Lord, to whom shall we go?

The Sign of the Marred Girdle—Judah’s Pride / 59 thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God” (verses 68, 69). Without the Lord, all that was left for Judah was the sword, famine and captivity. The Lord lamented that none would mourn for the people of Jerusalem, widows would number like the sands of the sea and they would cry out as they watched their sons carried away captive. JEREMIAH’S COMPLAINTS Jeremiah 15:10-21 Jeremiah’s first complaint was against the day of his birth. His lament recalled the words of Job (Job 3:3-10). He felt his mother had been thoughtless in bringing him forth to face such a calling from the Lord. The Lord told him he had been chosen from the day of his conception. Jeremiah’s lament to undo his birth was really a desire to reject his call. His complaint was that he was a man given to strife, contention and without friends. His message of sin and judgment aroused strong animosity against him from the king on the throne down to the lowly man on the street. He could not walk the streets of his home town Anathoth or the streets of Jerusalem without being accosted by the people. His fellow-citizens also cursed the day of his birth. They did not want to heed the message and desired to destroy the messenger. Jeremiah confessed that the Lord is Omniscient (Jer. 15:15). He cried unto the Lord to see the testing times he was facing. If things continued as they were, Jeremiah would likely be killed by his own kinsmen. He pointed out that all of this was because of his faithfulness to God. When he made the Word a part of his life, he was, at first, filled with joy in knowing he was truly called of God. The message was a firebrand against the sin of idolatry. Rather than repent, the people bowed their neck and told Jeremiah to leave town (verse 16-18). The Lord promised there would be a remnant who would not suffer during the Babylonian overthrow. Jeremiah would be treated well. It is apparent Jeremiah did not, as yet, fully understand the Lord’s message. His complaint was that what he witnessed did not agree with what he had preached. The enemy would rob the land of all its treasures, and the people would be carried away by the fire of God’s wrath, although he hoped some would be spared. Jeremiah reasoned, “I’m preaching a hopeless message; no wonder they want to kill me.” The Lord consoled Jeremiah and gave him the assurance He would be with him. The faithful would be treated well during the days of evil. Jeremiah turned his complaint directly toward the Lord. He appeared to put the blame on the Lord for the afflictions he suffered. He reminded the Lord that it was for Him that he suffered such abuse. His words became bitter as he accused the Lord of leaving him. “I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation” (verse 17). Jeremiah was filled with anxiety. Would his pain continue? Was his wound incurable? And worst of all, had the Lord lied to him like a summer wadi? These creek beds that are so full and

60 / Jeremiah 13:1—15:21; 2 Kings 25:1-21 promising after a rain were empty and dry during Judah’s long hot summers. Jeremiah’s thoughts were difficult thoughts indeed, and some have thought they border on blasphemy, but they were the honest longings and pains of the prophet’s heart. The Lord gently censured Jeremiah for his spiritual nearsightedness. The answer was a challenge for less self-pity and greater confidence in the Lord’s commitment to him. Jeremiah was urged to stand before the Lord as a servant and true messenger of His Word (verses 19-21). There would be no compromise with or for the people. This soul-searching time with the Lord gave Jeremiah the assurance he needed that He would be his comrade-in-arms during the days ahead. CONCLUSION Jeremiah 13:1—15:21; 2 Kings 25:1-21 Several things are emphasized in this lesson: (1) The Lord is certain to judge those who make it a habit of turning their backs on Him and continue in sin. Believers should live free from sin, not as slaves to it (Rom. 6:1, 2, 1214). (2) The foolishness of trusting in the arm of the flesh (2 Chron. 32:8). Our trust in the Lord is what will bring the needed blessings (Psalm 37:3, 4). (3) Man is totally depraved and in need of a Savior. We must be on constant guard against the possibility of backsliding. We must not be people of excuses but people who trust in the Lord. (4) These chapters do not present a call to repentance like the previous ones. Jeremiah’s message turned to one of judgment. The Lord’s hand was lifted up against the people of Judah even though in His heart He still loved them dearly. No amount of preaching and intercession will deter God’s judgment if the people will not hear and repent. Faithful witnessing has always provoked criticism and hatred from those engrossed in worldliness. We must not make the mistake of trying to make the Word of God say what the people want to hear. It must always be, “Thus saith the Lord” (Jer. 15:19). For God to bless we must speak and teach the true message and not worry about the outcome which is up to the Lord.

Lesson 6

For Sunday, July 6, 2008

The Sign of the Unmarried Prophet—Judah’s Judgment Jeremiah 16:1—17:27; 2 Kings 25:22-30

Jehoahaz (Je-ho´-a-haz), after reigning only three months, was deposed by Pharaoh-Necho, who then placed Eliakim (El-yaw-keem´) on the throne of Judah and changed his name to Jehoiakim (Je-ho-yaw-keem´), who reigned from 607-597 BC (2 Kings 24:1-7; 2 Chron. 36:5-8). Pharaoh-Necho was defeated at the battle of Carchemish (Kar-kem-eesh´) in 605 BC. Jehoiakim quickly allied himself and the people of Judah with Nebuchadnezzar. Jehoiakim served Nebuchadnezzar for three years and then he rebelled against him. Nebuchadnezzar sent his Chaldean garrisons to Jerusalem (2 Chron. 36:6, 7). They carried away the vessels of the Temple to Babylon. The king was bound in fetters to be taken to Babylon. But this apparently was not carried out. Daniel 1:1, 2 speaks of this same event and the fact the vessels were taken and the king captured. The exact manner of Jehoiakim’s death is not given. Second Kings 24:6 says he “slept with his fathers.” Josephus (Ant., X, vi, 3) states that the king of Babylon made an expedition against Jehoiakim, . . . when he was come into the city he slew Jehoiakim, whom he commanded to be thrown before the walls, without any burial. This would be in agreement with Jeremiah 22:19 which states, “He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.” During these distressing times, Jeremiah was also faced with an intense personal crisis. He had proven that he was not an ordinary hireling. He saw the wolves coming for the sheep; yet, he did not flee. He surrendered his ministry to the Lord and laid his life on the line for the sheep. LAUGHTER SHALL CEASE Jeremiah 16:1-9 As you read these verses, ask yourself the question, “How much self-denial would I be willing to take upon myself for the cause of Christ?” Jeremiah was instructed by the Lord to take upon himself three self-denials, that within the Jewish society would be considered extremely costly. Jerusalem (Jehovah’s City of Peace) was to have peace removed. The personal life of Jeremiah was a picture of his message. He was forbidden to marry (verses 1, 2). He com61

62 / Jeremiah 16:1—17:27; 2 Kings 25:22-30 Grievous Deaths: these words refer to a physical death.This event of death, however, associated with the word grievous means “a death due to sickness or disease.” It is an undesired and unwelcomed sickness. The words portray a person suffering with a terrible sickness for a time, until finally, as if death were the better thing, he died in relief from the suffering. Word Studies #8463 and 4191. Bemoan: the basic meaning is that of tossing. It means “to toss the head as perhaps in scorn, or to be moved, shaken or agitated.” It suggests a person nodding or shaking his head with deep emotion, perhaps sadness or regret. Appropriately, it is in a context with words like mourning and lament because the meaning is similar to these. Word Study #5110.

Manna The Lonely Prophet (Jeremiah 16:1-4): In chapter 15, the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the Lord concerning his deep sense of loneliness. In spite of his urging the Lord offered no relief. In chapter 16, he was told not to marry due to the anticipated devastation in the land. It was highly unusual for anyone in Israel, as well as the entire Middle East, to remain celibate. For Jews, marriage and family were keys to the prosperity of the people and the nation as a whole. There was a strong desire on the part of every Hebrew male to perpetuate the family name through normal family life. Such desire manifest itself in nearly universal marriage in Israel and Judah. But for Jeremiah, it was not to be the case. His service to the Lord in the waning days of the people of Judah’s survival required him to be intensely involved in the prophetic ministry. It was a high price for him to pay, individually, but the greater needs of the people to be warned of their impending judgment and, potentially, their eleventh hour repentance, required the prophet to be available without the encumbrances of family responsibilities. His compliance with the command not to marry shows two different, but related, dynamics—his complete submission to God in his prophetic ministry and the seriousness of the woes of the nations coming judgment, destruction and captivity.

plained to God, “I sat alone because of thy hand” (Jer. 15:17). This, at first, appears to be a harsh command. Jeremiah needed a friend and confidant. If any prophet or preacher ever needed a loving helpmate, it was Jeremiah. Marriage was instituted by God so a man and a woman could cleave together as one (Gen. 2:24). Jews look upon marriage as the natural thing for a man to do (Deut. 7:14). The wish to bare sons and produce an heir to uphold the family name was the custom in Israel and Judah. Yet, God instructed Jeremiah to live the life of a lonely recluse. The people of Judah and Jerusalem thus far had not seriously taken into account the message of Jeremiah. Therefore, he would once again become the message by his actions. This was a difficult command for a Jew. To not marry and have no sons was considered a disgrace. These were harsh times and the needs of a wife and family would only add misery to an already sorrowful situation (Jer. 16:3, 4). Women would be widowed and ravaged by the Chaldean armies. Children born during this time would only witness sin and loss. Many of them would be killed, and those left alive would be taken away as captives to Babylon. A

The Sign of the Unmarried Priest—Judah’s Judgment / 63 man who loved his wife and family would only have increased grief anna and sorrow. He would be forced to Neither Lamented nor Buried (Jeremiah stand helplessly by and watch 16:5-9): Mourning the loss of loved ones them tortured and taken prisonentailed a long process for giving honor ers by the Babylonians. Such was to the deceased and consolation to the the case with Zedekiah who witfamily. Body preparation, ceremonial nessed the death of his sons before mourning and proper burial were considered a normal passage in family life. being blinded and carried in fetThe time for mourning lasted seven days. ters to Babylon (2 Kings 25:7). To abstain from mourning and burial of There would be little time for the deceased was highly unusual in either mourning or rejoicing. Israel, especially after the people began Therefore, Jeremiah was forbidden to practice the pagan rituals of cutting themselves and causing themselves to be to join in either the mourning or made bald. Such practices were strictly joy of the people (Jer. 16:5). He was forbidden in the Law of Moses, but had not to take part in a funeral serbecome a common practice among the vice, meal or show any signs of disobedient people of Israel and Judah. All ceremonial practices, both Scriptural sympathy. A similar restriction or pagan, ceased because of the overall was placed upon Ezekiel as he death and devastation which occurred in ministered to the exiles in Babythe nation, as a whole. There simply was lon. When his wife, who was “the not time nor provision to properly bury desire of your eyes” (Ezek. 24:21), the dead. Dead bodies were left unattended in the streets, only to be plunpassed away, Ezekiel was forbiddered by the birds of prey. Ceremonial den to cry. This was to be a sign of mourning and burial proved to be luxuthe devastation and heartbreak at ries to the people and would cease bethe fall of Jerusalem and the Temcause of the universal pandemic of disple. So great would be the sorrow ease and death which was to pervade the land just prior to their captivity. of their loss that they would not be able to weep (verses 15-24). This was because the Lord forbid Jeremiah to intercede any further for the people of Judah. God withdrew His blessings and mercy from His people. Their day of grace was passing them by. So great would be the fall of the people of Judah and Jerusalem that there would not be time for burials and mourning. Those who survived would not be able to find anyone to console them. The entire nation would be overwhelmed with shock by the devastation brought by the Chaldean hordes (Jer. 16:6, 7). To cut oneself or to shave the head was a heathen practice (1 Kings 18:25-28). Such acts of mourning were forbidden by the Law (Lev. 19:28; Deut. 14:1). Yet, the practice appears to have crept in and found its place in Judah (Jer. 41:5; 47:5; 48:37). No one would come to the wake. It was customary during the time of mourning for neighbors or servants to bring food and drink. But this would not happen. There would be neither the tearing, dividing of food nor the cup of kindness offered to those left behind.

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64 / Jeremiah 16:1—17:27; 2 Kings 25:22-30

Manna The Voice of the Bridegroom and the Voice of the Bride (Jeremiah 16:9, 10): In addition to the restraint of mourning for the dead, the prophet was to avoid times of joy and gladness, such as wedding feasts. Such feasts lasted seven days and were marked by festive, noisy processions which were the most joyous of occasions. The friends of the bridegroom would accompany him to the home of his bride’s family and the friends of the bride would accompany her, the bridegroom and his friends to either his house or that of his father. Singers and other musicians often accompanied the processions, and the joyous sounds could be heard at great distances. The people who participated in such processions often rang bells or outfitted their camels with strings of bells, beads or shells to add unmistakable sounds to the whole celebration. During the ministry of the prophet Jeremiah, there would be no joy associated with wedding feasts due to the knowledge he possessed from God concerning the judgment which would soon come and devastation which would befall the people of Judah. As such, there would be no purpose in celebrating anything, including marriage feasts.

Jeremiah was not to partake with the people in the joyous festivities and holidays. There would be no time for joy with the threat of divine judgment looming over the nation because of their sins. Even the joyous celebration that accompanied the Jewish festive wedding would no longer be heard. Due to the terrors they faced from the marauding Chaldeans, there would be no weddings or funerals (Jer. 16:8, 9). Jeremiah’s celibacy and his daily actions stood as signs to all who witnessed them of the turmoil that lay ahead for the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The people were to eat the fruits of the evils they had sown. These were indeed perilous times in Judah and Jerusalem.

WHAT IS OUR INIQUITY? Jeremiah 16:10-13 It is difficult to imagine that anyone in Judah would have had the gall to ask, “What is our sin?” (verse 10). They truly sounded like disobedient children who were caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Jeremiah repeatedly, along with Zephaniah, Huldah and Habakkuk, warned them and clearly spelled out their evils. Each of the prophets emphasized that this judgment was coming because of their sin. But, instead of heeding their messages, they became hardened and incensed at them and the Lord. They neither wished to see nor admit their guilt before God. One of the effects of habitual sin is that the sinner’s heart and conscience grows harder and harder. The wicked heart becomes so blackened with sin and the evil mind is so tainted that it attempts to rationalize and justify the ungodly life. This is just one of the atrocious results of sin. Paul spoke of those who “depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Tim. 4:1, 2). These are like those “who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Eph. 4:19). Sin

The Sign of the Unmarried Priest—Judah’s Judgment / 65 never works to the good of anyone. It hardens the heart and conscience to the point that the sinner does not see or recognize his own guilt. These will be the charges and evidence laid before the high court of Heaven when the Lord returns and demands an accounting from every man (Matt. 25:37-40). God’s answer rang out again as it did in the days of Isaiah. God’s hand of love and mercy had not changed. He desired to be with them that He might save and deliver (Jer. 15:20). His ears were not yet so burdened that He would hear their cries. But the one thing that can separate man from God stood in the way. That one thing is sin (Isa. 59:1, 2). The hands of Judah, from the king, priests, and down to the servants, were filled with innocent blood. Their cries would now fall on a deaf ear (verse 7). The grace of the loving God is patient and long-suffering (Psalm 86:15). By His grace He offers mercy and pardon. He made provision for our sins (2 Cor. 5:19-21; 1 John 1:8-10). When that provision is accepted through repentance and faith, the sin question is once and for all settled. If the provision is rejected, the sin question and its wages remain, and the unbeliever continues to be separated from God (John 3:18, 36; Rom. 6:23). Jeremiah’s generation was worse than Hearken: the basic meaning is to their forefathers. They lived much like hear, listen or give attention. It can men in the days of Noah. Their imaginamean hearing only with the ears, tions were on evil continually (Gen. 6:5; however, the text suggests a hearJer. 16:11, 12). This is a picture of world ing with obeying that which is conditions in the last days, when evil heard. God accused them of not shall abound and love shall wax cold hearing and not having any inten(Matt. 24:12). The majority of the world’s tion of obeying Him. Word Study #8085. citizens would find Jeremiah’s message as unpopular today as it was then. THE GREAT EXODUS Jeremiah 16:14, 15 The children of Abraham spent four hundred thirty years in Egypt. God’s deliverance of them from that bondage was much sung and written about throughout their history. Yet, the land would be made so desolate and the bondage in Babylon so difficult that they would forget about Egypt. The Lord promised a new exodus. In the midst of these dark hours Jeremiah was permitted to see God’s light of love shining Favor: the meaning is to bend or through the night. They would be brought stoop the body in kindness to an back from exile, back to their own land. inferior person. It means “to be The message portrayed a hope for the gracious, as a gracious host might future that reached beyond Babylon. The show favor, compassion or mercy.” The people were in need of such Lord today is bringing the seed of Abrafavor from God, as all men are, but ham home “from the land of the north, God would refuse to show them and from all the lands whither he had drifavor because of their idolatry. ven them” (Jer. 16:15). Two great truths Word Study #2603. are presented in these verses. The Lord

66 / Jeremiah 16:1—17:27; 2 Kings 25:22-30 lives and He “will bring them [Israel and Judah] again into their land that I gave unto their fathers” (verse 15). The people of Israel’s captivity and deliverance from Egypt was a monumental day in their history. The Passover was established to commemorate the day and night the blood was shed and applied as a sign of faith that the Lord would deliver them (Ex. 12:1-13). This day, as commanded, has been rehearsed in Jewish homes for over three thousand years. The Lord kept His promise to Abraham and the prophets. The exiles did return from Babylon (Jer. 16:14, 15). However, the numbers that returned were small in comparison to those who chose to stay in the lands of their captors. Both Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s accounts list less than fifty thousand names who returned (Ezra 2:1-65; Neh. 7:7-67). The greater Exodus is yet to come. World War II with its Nazi death camps that were responsible for killing over six million Jews, along with millions of others, still strikes horror in one’s heart and mind. At the end of the war entire families had been killed. There is not a Jewish family left alive today that has not been gravely touched by the atrocities of the Holocaust. Efforts were begun to find the Jewish refugees a homeland. On the evening of November 29, 1947 the United Nations General Assembly, by a vote of thirty-three to thirteen, approved the partition of Palestine into a homeland for the Jews. Ten countries abstained from the voting. It was not until May 14, 1948 that David Ben Gurion, upon the departure of the British forces, read his 979 word document declaring, Eretz Israel (Land of Israel). The Exodus began from all around the world. During the past sixty years, the Jewish population in Israel has grown from about eight hundred thousand to over six million. But the Exodus is not complete. There are still more Jews living outside of Israel than in the country itself. The greatest number outside of Israel is found in America. A THOROUGH CHASTENING Jeremiah 16:16-21 Before the great Exodus and regathering was complete, the land of Israel and its people had to go through a time of thorough chastening. Attempts to run and hide would prove to be futile. The Lord’s punishment of Judah would be full and complete. The punishment issued would be proportionate to the evil committed. Idols polluted the land like so many dead corpses. Their lifeless forms were strewn everywhere throughout the land and the contamination was everywhere. The Lord likens it to fishermen who come to catch the last fish in the sea and to hunters who seek the last of the prey in the mountains and caves (verse 16). This judgment did not arise out of impulse, but it was decreed with the full knowledge and thorough examination of their evil works (verse 17). Neither the refugees nor their sins were ever concealed from God. The Lord will repay them double for the way they defiled the land with their detestable idols. The Lord called it His land not theirs (verse 18). Jeremiah addressed the Lord in the form of a prayer, “O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction” (verse 19). Jeremiah

The Sign of the Unmarried Priest—Judah’s Judgment / 67 presented an optimistic note concerning not only Israel but the Gentile nations as well. They will confess that their idol gods are worthless. Men make their own gods, but they are of no profit (verse 20). The overall picture here is messianic (verse 21). The Lord will teach the nations, and they will know that He alone is God (Isa. 2:2; 66:18; Micah 4:2; Zech. 14:9). The complete restoration of the people of Israel will be concluded in the work of the great Prophet and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Near the end of the Tribulation Period, Israel will face its greatest challenge from its enemies. This will be the day the Lord shall go forth to battle (Zech. 14:3). The outcome of the Battle of Armageddon will be devastating upon Israel and Jerusalem (Isa. 29:5, 6). The presence of the Lord will literally shake the earth (Zech 14:4; Rev. 16:18, 19). The presence of the Lord on the earth once again shall cause great alarm among the godless nations. They will slaughter each other in shear madness (Ezek. 38:21, 22). This too is the judgment of the Lord (Ezek. 39:1, 2). Why are they brought to the land of Israel? It is so God can sanctify Himself in Israel before the Gentile unbelievers (Ezek 38:23). Israel and the nations will know that He, Jesus, is the Son of God, the Messiah. There will be no question about this when the battle is finished. After this time of Great Tribulation, Israel will turn in repentance to the Lord for salvation (Zech. 12:10). Only a third of them shall be brought through the fires of the Tribulation and judgment (Zech. 13:8, 9). The Lord will open a fountain for Israel to cleanse its sins. It is by His wounds and His stripes that they are healed (Isa. 53:4, 5; Zech. 13:1, 6). Christ will come victoriously with the remnant of Israel and establish His kingdom of peace upon the earth. The apostle Paul, by inspiration, preached, “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved” (Rom. 9:27). Paul also declared, “And so all Israel shall be saved” (Rom. 11:26). This does not mean that they will be saved individually simply because they are Jews. This statement refers to national Israel not individual Jews. ENGRAVED IN STONE Jeremiah 17:1-4 Once again the sins of the people of Judah were the subject of this message of Jeremiah. They were inscribed in stones and upon the horns of altars (verse 1). The pen of iron refers to an iron chisel that is used for cutting inscriptions upon tables of stone. The point of a diamond illustrates the sharpness and hardness with which the cuts were made. They went deep. Jehovah had but one altar. Judah erected many altars that they set up for the Baal (Jer. 11:13). Josiah cleansed the land of these, but, during Jehoiakim’s eleven year reign, they flourished everywhere. They stood as proof of the people of Judah’s idolatry. Their sins were written permanently where the blood should have been. Their sins were indelible. Therefore, God’s judgment was inescapable. According to Leviticus 4, the blood of the sacrifice was to be placed on the horns of the brazen altar, thus providing for their forgiveness. It was also to be placed

68 / Jeremiah 16:1—17:27; 2 Kings 25:22-30 on the horns of the golden altar, which was a symbol of their anna prayers going up to God. The peoA Pen of Iron, a Point of a Diamond ple of Judah refused to accept (Jeremiah 17:1): The people of Judah’s God’s provision for sin. “For the sins were so much a part of who they had life of the flesh is in the blood: and become that their current generation I have given it to you upon the knew little else. The sins associated with pagan idolatry were especially heinous altar to make an atonement for to the Lord, and it had become an inteyour souls: for it is the blood that gral part of their life-style. The term maketh an atonement for the “horns of their altars” may well have reference to the fact that they had forsaken soul” (Lev. 17:11). Without this the scriptural worship of the Tabernaprovision there can never be a cle/Temple which their forefathers had remission of sin (Heb. 9:22). practiced, and the image of the horns of the altar was a reminder of what they Idolatry was so all-encompasshad forsaken and what they had eming that even the young children braced in its place. Under the divine departicipated in worship at the sign for true worship, the priests would strange altars (Jer. 17:2). Ashram place the blood of the sacrifices on the four horns of the brazen altar. They had was the Canaanite goddess of ferreached a point of no return. The sin had tility. Her image was placed in been engraved upon their hearts much God’s Temple by Manasseh (2 like an iron tool was used to cut an inscription on stone. Some of the most Kings 21:7). Josiah, during his ancient artifacts, such as the Moabite reforms, burned it in the Kidron Stone, have their inscriptions still legible Valley (2 Kings 23:6). As quickly after many centuries of time has passed. Such describes the irrevocable nature of as they had been destroyed, the the hearts of Judah’s citizens who people resumed their idolatry became insensitive to the draw of convicafter the death of this good king. tion and the voice of their prophets callThis is likely the “image of jealing them to repentance and a return to their true God, Jehovah. ousy” spoken of by Ezekiel (Ezek. 8:5). The traditional place of worship for these false gods was among the trees and on top of the hills (Jer. 17:3; Ezek. 6:13). Because of the people of Judah’s sins, the Lord gave the city of Jerusalem and its wealth to be plundered by the invading Chaldeans (Jer. 17:4; 20:5). The people of Judah lost their land, which was a part of the inheritance given to them by God. “Even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage” (Jer. 17:4). The Lord made a somber statement in reference to how the sins of the people of Judah and Jerusalem had touched Him. “Ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever” (verse 4). Their perpetual backsliding and sinning had kindled a perpetual fire. Such blatant rebellion would not soon be forgotten. Sin leaves a crimson stain that no earthly means can erase. God’s offer of pardon and love had been shunned once too often. Even though their sins were as scarlet and red like crimson, God’s hand of mercy was extended, but

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The Sign of the Unmarried Priest—Judah’s Judgment / 69 their idolatry had shortened its reach. No longer touched by the hand of God, they faced His wrath without the mixture of love and mercy. The people of Judah sinned away their day of grace. DECEITFUL HEARTS Jeremiah 17:5-11 Jeremiah 17:5-8 bears a close similarity to Psalm 1. Jeremiah put forth the sharp distinction between the believer and the unbeliever. It is difficult to say with certainty whether verse 5 is a reference to Jehoiakim or to Zedekiah. They both wrongly looked to Egypt for help in their revolts against Babylon. Jehoiakim served Nebuchadnezzar for three years. He then revolted and unsuccessfully appealed to Egypt for help (2 Kings 24:1). Zedekiah did no better in his rebellion and appeal to Egypt (verse 20). The Lord warned Judah’s kings that going down to Egypt for help would bring woe upon them (Isa. 33:11). The emphasis here is to put one’s trust in the Lord. Those who turn to the world are cursed like the grass of the desert with no hope of a future. He is “like the heath in the desert” (Jer. 17:6). This is the “destitute” man of which the psalmist sang (Psalm 102:17). Without faith in the Lord, he is likened to a tree burned by the desert’s blasting winds which receives no moisture; therefore, it is parched and withered. So severe is the spiritual drought that the heart of such a man is no longer capable of absorbing the blessings of God when they come. He “shall not see when good cometh” (Jer. 17:6). So barren is this soul that it appears like the salt flats around the Dead Sea, unfit for habitation. Destitute of the Lord and His blessings, this soul and life cannot prosper. However, the one trusting the Lord is blessed. He is like a well-rooted tree that has been planted near a flowing river; his future is full of life. “And shall not see when heat cometh” (Jer. 17:8). Christians feel and experience trials and tribulation like the unsaved, but they do not see it, view or regard it like others do. The Lord has promised the believer the strength to stand up and bear the burden (1 Cor. 10:13). The true believer continues to bear fruit even during the heat of worldly trials like a deep-rooted tree that can weather both storm and drought. The arm of the flesh will fail, but praise God, Jesus never fails. There are those who will readily consult with doctors of all sorts, but will turn a deaf ear to the pastor who delivers the Word of God. The way of blessing or cursing is clearly outlined, so where is the problem? The problem stems from man’s heart (Jer. 17:9). Jeremiah strongly stressed the fact of the total hereditary depravity of man. The heart of man is “desperately wicked” (verse 9). The Hebrew word used here is ‘anash (aw-nash´). This speaks of that which is frail, sick, feeble and incurable. Therefore, it is sick with sin and all the maladies that result from its rotting effect. The fact is that it is not an apple tree because it has apples on it; it has apples on it because it is an apple tree. Man is not a sinner because he sins, he sins because by nature he is a sinner (Rom 5:12). This is why man must be born

70 / Jeremiah 16:1—17:27; 2 Kings 25:22-30 again (John 3:3-6). Who can know the heart of man? Only God can search the reins of our hearts. Man’s heart is incapable of seeing things in a clear-cut way. It is full of shrewd cunning that seeks to get the better of others. God answered the question by telling Jeremiah that He alone could search the heart (Jer. 17:10). The Lord knows the secrets that we think are concealed from others. Thus, He alone can justly give to every man according to the fruit of his doings. As vines and trees, men are known by the fruits they produce (Matt. 7:16-20). The sinful heart produces the works of the flesh while the Christian is to produce the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:19-26). There are two things that cannot be trusted: the human heart because by nature it is depraved, and money gotten falsely because as it came so shall it go (Jer. 17:11). The partridge foolishly gathers eggs that she has not laid, and is unable to hatch them. The covetous heart of man will be more disappointed than the foolish partridge with her stolen and rotting eggs. Man will reap what he has sown. JUDAH’S HOPE Jeremiah 17:12-18 The Lord’s answer to the sin problem is for man to concentrate on the majesty of God. The picture here is of God enthroned in His sanctuary (verse 12). This is the throne of grace to which all men should and must flee. Here, within His sanctuary, is the mercy seat, the meeting place of God with man. Here Christ has entered and provided an anchor for our souls (Heb. 6:17-20). His grace gave the people of Israel and Judah by the shed blood of the Lamb and the work of the high priest the privilege to enter into His presence. The seed of Abraham had an open door of communication with the Lord. The believer can “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). As the Lord is the hope of Israel, so is He our hope today (Jer. 17:13). He is the only Savior (Acts 4:12). Those who forsake the Lord shall quickly vanish away like names written in the dust of the earth. A board covered with sand is used in some Eastern country’s schools still today. They are used to give writing lessons. Such writing and lessons can be immediately erased. As fleeting is the existence of those who forsake God. All men’s names are written somewhere, the saints in the Lamb’s book of life in Heaven, but sinners in the dust of the earth and therefore illegible. They are deserving of their fate because of their rejection of the “fountain of living waters” (Jer. 17:13). The prophet, in pain and sorrow, saw the Lord as “waters that fail” (Jer. 15:18). This is like a dry wadi bed that only holds water after a heavy rain or as the desert mirage of a water-filled lake. They were both a depressing sight to those who searched for cool, refreshing water. The Lord did not disappoint Jeremiah, and neither will He disappoint any who will come and drink freely from the fountain of living water at the wells of salvation (Isa. 12:3; John 4:10, 11; 7:38). Jeremiah understood that it was here and here alone that the world, Jew and Gentile, would find the needed healing (Jer. 17:14).

The Sign of the Unmarried Priest—Judah’s Judgment / 71 Even though his congregation doubted his message, they did not understand what they were asking in their taunting statements. After a time in captivity these were words of regret (verse 15). Much of the world today does not understand the coming of the Lord and the judgment that will ensue. In spite of this opposition, Jeremiah did not run away from serving as the Lord’s pastor (a ra´ah, is one who tends a flock). Because of their taunting, Jeremiah asked the Lord to put them to shame. What they had asked for was also requested by Jeremiah. He asked God to bring a double measure of judgment against them (Jer. 17:16-18). REMEMBER THE SABBATH Jeremiah 17:19-27 Apparently some argued that the mere keeping of the Sabbath and the offering of the sacrifices would be some type of cure-all for the people of Jerusalem and Judah. Jeremiah strongly advocated the need for a real inner experience with the Lord and not just outward show. Certainly the people of Judah desecrated the Lord’s Sabbath. This special day had been set aside to be a continual reminder of how the Lord delivered them and gave them rest (Deut. 5:15). It was to be a day dedicated to the Lord (Lev. 23:3). Although the Sabbath day worship was fulfilled at Calvary (Col. 2:14-17), the Lord’s day should have a special place in the life of every child of God. We should set it aside as a day of remembrance of our salvation and that we serve a living Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. CONCLUSION Jeremiah 16:1—17:27; 2 Kings 25:17-30 No amount of intercession will deter judgment if people are not willing to repent. The faithful witness of Jeremiah motivated criticism and detesting from the unbelieving. The false prophets of today have not changed from those of Jeremiah’s day. They attempt to make the Word of God say what they desire it to say rather than letting it simply be the Word of the Lord. Jeremiah, as the faithful pastor, is an example for every pastor and teacher to follow. It is our responsibility to preach the Word of God and not worry about the outcome. God will not allow His Word to return void (Isa. 55:11). He will give it the desired increase (1 Cor. 3:6, 7). Jeremiah continued to preach during the evil days of Judah’s history. His message was not softened to gain a crowd and tickle their ears.

Lesson 7

For Sunday, July 13, 2008

The Sign of the Potter’s House— God’s Sovereignty Jeremiah 18:1—22:30; 2 Chronicles 36:1-7

The chapters under consideration in this lesson date back to the early years of Jehoiakim’s reign. This is perhaps the most familiar of Jeremiah’s messages. The figure of the potter is used in other Scripture passages in both the Old and New Testaments (Psalm 2:9; Isa. 29:16; 45:9; 64:8; Rom. 9:20, 21; Rev. 2:27). It was difficult for Jeremiah to understand the people of Judah’s response to his message. He loved his kindred and nation and desired above all that they return to the Lord. Because of his love for the Lord, Jeremiah had little choice but to preach the messages of coming judgment upon the backslidden people of Judah and Jerusalem. The message concerning the potter and the clay should have alarmed the people of Judah to see themselves as the cracked and useless vessels they had become. But, they instead spurned the message and turned against the message bearer. One cannot serve the Lord any way he chooses. It must be in accordance with God’s Word. Jeremiah’s crisis was far from being finished. Although he seemingly did not dwell on his hurt feelings, this message produced the exact opposite result Jeremiah sought. His feelings once again turned toward the Lord in embittered tones of frustration. Often pastors and teachers today feel the pains of frustration as they try to bring the cold and indifferent back to full service as they turn deaf ears and continue to drift further from the Lord. THE FASHIONING OF THE CLAY Jeremiah 18:1-10 Once again Jeremiah set forth his rightful claim to prophetic office by beginning his message with “the word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD” (verse 1). The conditions under which Jeremiah ministered made it necessary to stress the importance of his call and message. Jeremiah had met and passed the test for a true prophet of Jehovah (Deut. 18:20-22). The Lord commanded Jeremiah to rise and go. This put an urgency to the message about to be taught and delivered by Jeremiah. God’s sovereignty is not dictatorial, and He does not exercise His power arbitrarily or capriciously. 72

The Sign of the Potter’s House—God’s Sovereignty / 73 The real meat of this lesson is the mesAs seemed: the meaning here, sage of God’s long-suffering and grace. while taken from a pronoun, gives His actions are always done in relation to purpose to the following word in His grace. The scene before Jeremiah was the text, good. It speaks of the one in which he was familiar. The potter’s authority that recognizes and declares the goodness of the fashhouse and his work with the clay is pictoion of the vessel. It is the potter rial. Potters were considered important who judges the value of this fashand honorable. Several potters were used ion. He judged the old to be by royalty (1 Chron. 4:21-23). Professionmarred, and now, he judged the al pottery shops have been discovered at new to be good because it seemed Lachish and Qumran. The potter sat on good. Word Study #834. the edge of a small pit in which stood the wheels, usually two stones, one pivoted upon the other. The potter would turn the lower anna stone with his feet. He would The Potter and the Clay (Jeremiah 18:1-4): use his hands as well as shells, Jeremiah was told to travel to the potter’s bones and broken shard to house to receive a message from the Lord. shape and smooth the clay. If Most likely, he traveled south from the inner we had gone with Jeremiah to city of Jerusalem to the foothills of the Valley of Hinnom, which was located south of the the potter’s house, we would city. Water and clay were in great abunhave found it on the edge of the dance, thus providing an idyllic setting for valley of Hinnom near the Potthe trade. In the process of producing earthsherd Gate (Jer. 19:2). The enware, the potter or one of his assistants shop would have been located would take the raw clay mixed with water, and the mixture was trodden under foot near the tower furnaces menuntil the appropriate consistency was tioned in Nehemiah 3:11 and achieved. The clay slick was then put on the 12:38. A field would have been wheels. The lower wheel was immovable, nearby to weather native clay and the clay was worked by the potter’s feet. dust, or there would have been The upper wheel was turned on an axis by a stream that had bank clay means of a device known as a treadle, operated on a separate flywheel by an assistant. suitable for molding and shapThat freed the potter to use both hands in ing. The potter mixed the dust the shaping of the vessel. Whenever a slick and bank clay with water and was being fashioned into a earthen vessel, trampled it with his feet into there were a few times that the clay would the desired mixture (Isa. have defects and would hinder the potter from continuing his fashioning of the vessel. 41:25). At that point, he would mold the clay back Jeremiah observed the potinto its raw form and begin his turning and ter at work. It was while he fashioning again. In almost every case, watched the potter work on the defective clay was the reason for vessel failwheels (literally “a pair of ure, not that of the potter. The potter had absolute control over how the vessel was stones”) that he received the shaped and what kind of vessel the slick message for the nation of would become. Judah. As Jeremiah watched the clay, it became marred. The

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74 / Jeremiah 18:1—22:30; 2 Chronicles 36:1-7 vessel was not turning out right and the defect became evident. The potter immediately remade it. Made is the Hebrew word asah which refers to the work or product of one’s labor. God called the people of Israel out of Egypt. He molded them, gave them a land flowing with milk and honey, a righteous Law and a great kingdom under the reigns of David and Solomon. But do not forget, the people of Israel and Judah were marred by their own choosing. The hand of God did not spoil nor corrupt His people. They were held responsible for their choices. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and each person is held responsible before God for his actions. Man is a sinner by his own volition (Rom. 3:23; 5:12). The potter took the marred clay and remade it into a vessel of his own liking. Jeremiah was privileged to see the sovereign plan of God to remold, reshape and remake the people of Judah over again (Isa. 64:8; Lam. 4:2). The potter had the right either to cast the clay away or to rework it. God exercised the same prerogative over the people of Judah and the nations. Care must be taken when making any application between mankind and the clay. Human clay is not passive. God had a plan for the people of Judah, but they marred His plan with idolatry. Pluck up: the basic meaning is “to tear something away from an attachment, as to tear a plant away from its root or root position.” In relation to a national existence, plucking up a nation could certainly entail removing it from its natural setting both politically and geographically. It may or may not be for the purpose of utter destruction. In the case of the nation of Judah, God would pluck it up but not for utter destruction. (See Jeremiah 1:10). Word Study #5428.

THE HARDENED CLAY Jeremiah 18:11-18 Witness the gracious and marvelous interaction which takes place between God’s sovereignty and the responsibility of mankind. God, who has saved us and made us a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15), holds us responsible for our choices whether good or bad. God will act differently toward a nation and mankind depending upon their repentance and service to Him. God once again raised a light of hope and offered Judah an opportunity to repent (Jer. 18:11). The Lord constantly works on His children and His churches, molding and shaping them into vessels without blemishes and spots (Eph. 5:25-27). Sins committed by God’s children are a matter to be settled between God the Father and His children. The Father stands ready when we confess, to “forgive” (to send forth, to send away from, to lay aside) our sins and to “cleanse” (to make clean, purge, purify) us from all that would mar or contaminate us (1 John 1:7-10). The reaction of the people of Judah to Jeremiah’s message is both shocking and disheartening. Their response showed how backslidden they were and the heavy toll that unconfessed sin must pay. They ignored the truth and argued against it. Their answer was one of mockery. “There is no hope” (Jer. 18:12) was their way of saying, “There is no way that what you have preached

The Sign of the Potter’s House—God’s Sovereignty / 75 will happen to us.” They manifested a Frame: it is to place a thing under complacent assurance that Jeremiah’s stress while in the process of prophecies were false. They called him changing it into a desired form.The and God liars. It was hopeless to try to word refers not to the end result, change them from their evil ways (Jer. although such is in sight, but it 2.25; 18:12). The people of Judah conmeans “the process necessary to achieve the goal, the pressing of demned themselves. Judah’s willful sin the material into the desired was unprecedented even among the heashape.” Such a process also speaks then nations. The nation of Israel was of the designer who is the cause guarded and loved like a virgin. The Lord behind the process. He fashions or camped round about the nation in an frames according to his will. Word effort to preserve the nation’s godliness Studies #3335. and devotion, but they chose the pathway to destruction (Prov. 16:18; Jer. 4:6, 20; 6:1; 17:18). The problem with the people of anna Judah remains among us today. It The Snow Waters from Lebanon (Jereis that the “imaginations” (twisted, miah 18:13, 14): The Gentile nations surobstinacy, lust) of man’s heart is rounding Judah were scratching their filled with “evil” (bad, adversity, heads over their evil acts. Not only had it forsaken the Lord, it had done so in a affliction, calamity, displeasure, fashion which was unparalleled among mischief and wickedness). Jeremithe other nations. Even though Judah ah’s message fell on ears that had had been preserved or sanctified (as a been deafened by hearts which virgin) by the Lord, the incredible deparwere as hard as baked clay. For ture from Him to the extreme caused others to wonder. The prophet underscored such hardness, the people of that phenomena by asking rhetorical Judah’s condition became so questions of the other nations. The quesshocking that the land and its peotions had obvious answers. He used the ple became objects of scorn. Those known consistent aspects of the natural passing by whistled and shook landscape, well-known to its inhabitants, to further show the fickle nature of the their heads in amazement. The people of Judah. The snow of Lebanon, Lord’s “face” (His favor) was which is never completely gone from its turned from Judah. rocky foothills, which provided cold The apostle Paul referred to water to the valleys below during the Jeremiah’s message to teach the spring, proved to be consistent and dependable factors for agriculture. Cold Jews that it is in God’s power to water typically evaporates at a much pluck up, pull down and destroy; slower rate than warmer water, providto make one nation of honor and ing necessary moisture even during the another of dishonor as He pleases dry, arid months. Using this dependable example from nature, the prophet Jeremi(Rom. 9:21). God chose the nations ah contrasted nature’s reliability with the of Israel and Judah as vessels of instability of the nation of Judah. honor; but the people stumbled over the “rock of offence” (1 Peter 2:8), Jesus Christ. Paul was therefore appointed an apostle to the Gentiles. In both passages the main emphasis is upon nations and kingdoms. Paul spoke

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76 / Jeremiah 18:1—22:30; 2 Chronicles 36:1-7 Hissing: the meaning is “to make a shrill sound as a revelation of thought, and that thought being of the nature of evil, contempt or scorn.” This hissing expresses condemnation toward the object of the hissing. The person hissing considers the object of low value and unworthy of praise. The object has become a shameful thing in the eyes of the one hissing. Word Study #8319.

of the Lord choosing first the Jews and then the Gentiles to be recipients of the gospel blessings. This in no way implies that God chose some among them to be saved and others eternally damned. According to Peter’s and Paul’s messages, the gospel of Jesus Christ is to be preached to all nations without any discrimination. Peter learned this at the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:34, 35) and declared it at the council in Jerusalem (Acts 15:9). Paul wrote to the Romans that God declared both Jew and Gentile sinners so He might have mercy on them all (Rom 11:32). God has predestined the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles who will freely and willingly, by faith, believe in Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:26). JEREMIAH’S PRAYER Jeremiah 18:19-23 Because of his strong message, the plot against Jeremiah by the religious and political leaders was intensified. Their plot against him unfolded as they dug a pit for his soul, set snares for his feet and planned to kill him. The false religious leaders had no use for the truth, thus they had little use for Jeremiah. Jeremiah pleaded with the Lord to hear his prayer. This is perhaps one of the most austere and embittered prayers found in the Bible. Jeremiah boldly came to the throne of God and opened his heart. Jeremiah sought the good of the people and they repaid him with hate. God had forbidden him to offer any prayer on their behalf. Therefore, Jeremiah was ready to call down the wrath of God upon these ungrateful people who had passed the point of no return. Jeremiah’s enemies were God’s enemies. Thus, he pled for the Lord to remember him and vindicate the message that had been delivered. THE BROKEN VESSEL Jeremiah 19:1-15 A man of lesser faith would have stayed low for awhile. Jeremiah, though he is called “the weeping prophet,” was not a spineless preacher. He boldly demonstrated the message of the potter and the clay at the Potsherd Gate. The Lord instructed His prophet to buy an earthen bottle. Most likely this was a narrow necked water jug that was common to the area. Beyond this gate, which most Jewish writers identify as the Dung Gate, was the valley of the son of Hinnom. It was here that Jeremiah was to invite the ones of Jerusalem who plotted to take his life. It was in this valley that Ahaz and Manasseh led the people of Judah to sacrifice their children to the pagan god Moloch. The valley was also called Tophet. The Hebrew Topheth literally refers to the smiting of a tabret or small drum. This name derived from

The Sign of the Potter’s House—God’s Sovereignty / 77 the people beating on drums to drown out the noise of the chilanna dren screaming in the fires of The Clay Jar at the Valley of Hinnom Moloch. Because of the innocent (Jeremiah 19:1-5): To impress upon the blood the people of Judah shed, minds of the people of Judah just how they would perish and their their time had run out and that they corpses would be left unburied, would face destruction of their land, the city of Jerusalem, and be conquered and carcasses for the birds and beasts. taken captive by the Chaldeans, the Lord The valley would no longer be told him to go to a potter and purchase a called Hinnom or Topheth, but the clay jar, one which was used as a water valley of Slaughter. The situation pitcher with a neck which was narrow. He was to take the elders of the people in Jerusalem continued to worsen and the priests, representing the civil and until the people actually resorted religious leaders of the nation. They were to cannibalism (Jer. 19:9; Isa. 9:20; to see through the visual image that Lam. 4:10). God’s long-suffering had run its course and His judgment could not be withheld. Jeremiah took the jug he had Upon receiving the clay jar, the prophet purchased and dashed it to pieces was told to go to the valley of Hinnom by on the ground to picture the comway of the Potsherd Gate. Because the plete destruction of the people and pagan practice of the sacrifice of children had occurred in that valley, King Josiah the city. The vessel was irretrievhad turned it into the refuse dump for able and it was destroyed. The Jerusalem. After proclaiming the Lord’s Lord would shatter their lives and message of doom and destruction to the the city as this broken pottery elders and priests, Jeremiah was to break the clay jar, which could not be repaired, because the people of Judah had to show that their pending judgment was become a worthless vessel of disirrevocable and the destruction of the honor. people of Judah and Jerusalem was Jeremiah returned to the Temirreparable. The valley of Hinnom, associated with the most pathetic of pagan ple court and repeated his mespractices, then had its name changed to sage before all the people. Jeruthe valley of Slaughter. salem and all the cities were about to be destroyed. The prophet reiterated the reason for such destruction which was their stubborn will to turn from the living God to serve idols.

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JEREMIAH ARRESTED Jeremiah 20:1-18 While delivering his message in the Temple court, Jeremiah was confronted by Pashur, a Temple officer. This is the first record we have that Jeremiah actually suffered physical abuse at the hands of the people. What a disgrace that it was instigated by one from the priesthood of Israel. Pashur had Jeremiah beaten and placed into stocks to restrict his movement. Jeremiah was openly exposed to the ridicule of the same people he was so desirous to see saved. Such treatment would have stopped a lesser man. But Jeremiah continued his message by telling Pashur that the Lord had changed his name to Magor-

78 / Jeremiah 18:1—22:30; 2 Chronicles 36:1-7 missabib (verse 3) (maw-gore´missaw-beeb´) meaning “terror all anna around.” From this moment on The Persecuted Prophet and Pashur the this man and his family lived in Priest (Jeremiah 20:1-6): As a result of the fear. Jeremiah foretold how word of prophecy Jeremiah gave, he was Pashur and his family would be later banished from the Temple. But immediately after the incident which taken captive to Babylon, and took place at the valley of Hinnom, Pashthere they would die and be hur, the son of Immer who was the overburied in a foreign land. It is a seer priest of the Temple court, was in fearful thing for anyone to openly charge of Temple security, and who also was considered one who had prophetic defy and in any way bring harm responsibilities and abilities, took Jeremiupon one of God’s anointed (1 ah, had him beaten and placed in stocks Chron. 16:22; Psalm 105:15; Heb. at the Upper Gate of Benjamin. The stocks held the hands, the feet and the neck so 13:17). that the entire body was distorted. They Jeremiah lamented his pain were used for false prophets which was and shameful humiliation. He felt the ultimate irony. They not only restrained the prisoner, but held them for deceived. He accused the Lord of other kinds of torture. The Upper Gate of deceiving him because He was Benjamin was the Northern Gate of the stronger. So keen were the prophupper Temple court, which was a place et’s feelings of hurt at this time, that had a great deal of traffic, causing many to further mock the true prophet. that he determined to renounce He was released the next day, to which his call and no longer speak in the the prophet continued to proclaim the Lord’s name. Perhaps every passame message of pending judgment, which then included specific details of tor who has stood for the truth how Pashur himself would be taken capagainst the opposition of those to tive and actually die in Babylon. whom he desired to serve has felt this same deep emotion. Many have succumbed to the pressures of the office of bishop. Only they and the Lord know the whole story. However, there is no indication in Scripture that those who are truly called of God receive a part-time or on-again, off-again calling. Those who are truly called of God understand that God’s call is without repentance or irrevocable. They, like Jeremiah, witness the word and message of God’s burning within their bones and hearts until they cannot but speak. The resolve to quit is impossible to keep by any good and faithful servant of the Lord. Our feeling and emotions need to be turned over to the Lord. Jeremiah’s treatment by the Lord is an example of the master potter as he molded and shaped the clay into a usable vessel of honor. Jeremiah returned to preach as strongly and fervently as ever. The potter did not throw the clay away. Neither has the Lord thrown the people of Israel away or cast them off forever (Psalm 94:14; Lam. 3:31). Despite their unbelief, there is still a remnant today.

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The Sign of the Potter’s House—God’s Sovereignty / 79 JEREMIAH’S MESSAGE TO ZEDEKIAH Jeremiah 21:1-10 Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, is the main focus of chapter 21. Chapter 22 makes mention of Shallum (Jehoahaz), Jehoiakim and Coniah (Jehoiachin). These were among the most wicked kings to ever rule in Jerusalem. Yet, the people continued to follow after and put their trust in the leadership of these faithless pastors, which is a reference to the ungodly kings of Judah. The political leadership during this time of Judah’s history was the worst they had ever experienced. Judgment was set for the unfaithful pastors and their followers. God’s judgment is just as certain today upon those who are unfaithful to their calling. Leaders in the Lord’s work are to be faithful to Him and His Word. We, like the “pastors” of the people of Judah, have a tremendous responsibility to the Lord and His people. How we preach, teach and live is a matter of life and death. Our preaching and daily walk must be compatible with the Word of God. The message was addressed to Zedekiah during the last days of his reign. Zedekiah’s reign, as the three before him, was filled with wickedness and tragic events (2 Kings 24:17—25:7; 2 Chron. 36:10-21). The house of David was greatly ravaged by his wicked grandsons. Jehoiachin, his mother and a number of captives had been taken to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar placed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Mattaniah, on the throne and changed his name to Zedekiah. The false prophets convinced the majority of the people that the captives, including Jehoiachin, would soon return. Therefore, the people never fully accepted Zedekiah as their king. The anti-Babylonian-pro-Egyptian voices won the ear of Zedekiah and pressured him for a revolt. The opening verses find Zedekiah in a panic because the Chaldeans were advancing on Jerusalem and the city was under siege. Zedekiah showed what happens when one knows the truth but chooses to continue in sin. Zedekiah knew whom to seek, what to ask and was aware of what the living God was capable of doing which made his sin even more offensive to God. Zedekiah sent an emissary consisting of Pashur and Zephaniah to inquire of Jeremiah. This is not the same Pashur that had arrested and beaten Jeremiah in chapter 20. Mentioned again in Jeremiah 38:1, this Pashur was from the family of Melchiah or Malchijah (Mal-kee-yaw) (1 Chron. 9:12). This family of priests made up the fifteenth course that David had established to serve in and around the Temple. Zephaniah was from the family of Maaseiah (Mahas-ay-yaw’) and is mentioned again in Jeremiah 29:25 and 37:3. This family made up the twenty-fourth course of priests (1 Chron. 24:18). They stood next in rank to the chief priest (Jer. 52:24). It appears that Zedekiah hoped for a message from Jeremiah like the one Isaiah delivered to Hezekiah during the days of Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah and Jerusalem. Such a message was not possible because of the spiritual difference between Hezekiah and Zedekiah. Real repentance and faith made the difference for Hezekiah. The lack of it made the difference for

80 / Jeremiah 18:1—22:30; 2 Chronicles 36:1-7 Zedekiah. Zedekiah was Josiah’s third son. Josiah led the people in a great revival; yet, not one of his sons or grandsons followed his godly leadership. Each, in turn, led the people away from God into idolatry. Jeremiah’s message to Zedekiah was a declaration of doom. There would be no forthcoming angel of deliverance to slay the Chaldeans. No hope of deliverance was held out to Zedekiah or the people of Jerusalem. The Babylonian army would soon muster inside the city walls because the weapons of Zedekiah and his army would prove useless against the Chaldeans. The reason for this failure was the fact that the real enemy was the Lord Himself (Jer. 21:5). The commander-in-chief of the mighty oncoming force was God Himself. The Lord graciously set before Zedekiah and the citizens of Jerusalem the way of life and death. They could physically survive if they would surrender to Nebuchadnezzar or, if they chose to stay, they would die in the city. The Lord set His face against Jerusalem; therefore, there was no chance of survival within its walls. This was not what the king or the people wanted to hear. The message was viewed as treasonous. The Lord in every generation has set Himself against sin and those who practice it. He has also made it clear to all generations that they have a choice as to which way they want to travel through this life and how they will meet the life to come. There is more at stake here than just saving our physical lives. Trusting the Lord involves the whole man, body, soul and spirit. The Lord put the choice of life and death before the people of Israel, and they made the wrong choice (Deut. 30:19, 20). During the Lord’s personal ministry here on earth, He encouraged His listeners to enter the “strait gate . . . which leadeth unto life,” rather than the wide gate and broad way, “that leadeth to destruction” (Matt. 7:13, 14). Jesus is the way, the only way (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). The need today is the same as it has always been, men and women need to choose this day whom they will serve (Joshua 24:15). The way of life and death is set before us and the only real choice is Jesus Christ (John 3:18; 5:24). The siege of Jerusalem began in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign on the tenth day of the tenth month (January, late 588 BC). The siege lasted for one year and seven months until the ninth day of the fourth month (July, 586 BC). Famine and pestilence struck the city. Jeremiah’s Lamentations revealed how even the rich of the city searched the dumps and dunghills for scraps of food (Lam. 4:5); how the people turned black and parched for want of food and drink (verses 8, 9); and how the starving actually turned to cannibalism in a feeble attempt to survive (Lam. 2:20; 4:10). So great was the siege that twothirds of Jerusalem’s citizens perished (Ezek. 5:12). During the heat of the battle for Jerusalem, Zedekiah fled the city out of one the city’s smaller gates near the king’s garden. This was located on the south end of the city near the Pool of Siloah (Siloam) (Neh. 3:15). This opened into the area were the Kidron and Hinnom Valleys meet. Under the cover of night, Zedekiah took flight toward the east and the city of Jericho. Zedekiah, abandoned by God and his

The Sign of the Potter’s House—God’s Sovereignty / 81 own army, was captured and taken to Riblah to stand in judgment before Nebuchadnezzar. The last thing Zedekiah’s eyes witnessed was the death of his sons. He was then blinded and carried captive to Babylon (2 Kings 25:1-7; Jer. 39:1-8). There Zedekiah remained in prison until the day of his death (Jer. 52:11). Jeremiah’s message, sadly, had been vindicated. The words of Jeremiah and the Lord were fulfilled to the letter. Jesus told the Pharisees that the Word they rejected would be their judge (John 12:48). The message or lesson you refuse today may be faced in judgment. Therefore, it is of the greatest importance to heed the words of Isaiah 59:6, 7. JEREMIAH’S MESSAGES TO Jeremiah 21:11—22:30 THE ROYAL HOUSE These verses present several prophecies grouped together by subject rather than chronologically. The first message was to the royal house and the people of Jerusalem. It was delivered at a time when repentance and right living could have brought relief. Jeremiah spoke directly to the king of Judah because the responsibility of the kingdom and the execution of proper judgment fell upon the king’s shoulders. The king was to see that justice prevailed. However, at this date in Judah’s history this was not possible. In Jeremiah 21:13, the focus of the message turned to Jerusalem and its inhabitants. The false prophets wrongly convinced the people that Jerusalem was unconquerable. They had become quite at ease in their sins and audacious in their boast, “Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?” (verse 13). They had heard Jeremiah’s message, but they let it fall on deaf ears. The Lord Himself was coming against them. Any claim they may have once had to special liberation had long since passed. The “fire in the forest” (verse 14) is a reference to the entire city’s destruction. The message of Jeremiah 22:1-9 was for the ruling monarch. The plea was for him and the people of Jerusalem to exercise repentance and once again perform justice the way God intended. The sins referred to in verse 3 were especially prevalent during these times. The Lord graciously offered His blessing for their obedience. God takes no pleasure in, and neither does He desire, the death of the wicked. His delight is when they repent and turn to Him (Ezek. 18:32; 33:11). The judgment for their actions was clearly spelled out if they did not repent and turn. The house of David and Jerusalem would be made desolate. Great would be the fall of it so all of the surrounding nations would realize it was the hand of the living God which fell upon the people of Judah. To forsake one’s covenant with the Lord is to place one’s self in the hands of an angry God (Jer. 22:8, 9; Heb. 10:25-31). The next message concerned the people and Shallum (Shal-loom), also called Jehoahaz. The people who mourned the death of Josiah were commanded to cease their crying because a worse tragedy faced the land. The people took Jehoahaz, the twenty-three-year-old son of Josiah and crowned him

82 / Jeremiah 18:1—22:30; 2 Chronicles 36:1-7 king. Jehoahaz in three short months put out much of the revival fire his father had kindled. Jehoahaz was taken in fetters to Egypt by Pharaoh-Necho and was the first king of Judah to die in exile. Jeremiah 22:13-19 shows how far the royal family fell. The people chose Saul as their first king. The Lord chose David, and now the king was chosen by a Pharaoh of Egypt. The Egyptians placed the second son of Josiah, Jehoiakim, who was placed under a heavy reparation payment by the Egyptians (2 Kings 23:34, 35). He not only oppressed the people to raise these needed funds, but he also initiated lavish building programs with forced labor. His refusal to pay the workers impoverished a great number of the people (Jer. 22:13). Such treatment of the people was forbidden by the Law (Lev. 19:13). Fancy palaces did not make him a king. Jeremiah accused him of being motivated by greed and of shedding innocent blood. Jeremiah concluded his message to this haughty, merciless king by telling him he would die in disgrace. There would be none to mourn for Jehoiakim. There would be no royal ceremony, for he would have the burial of a donkey by being thrown on the garbage heap and left for the birds and beasts to devour (Jer. 22:19; 36:30). Jeremiah called upon Jerusalem to join him in mourning. Nebuchadnezzar had conquered the lands and kingdoms all around; Judah and Jerusalem were next. All of their strange lovers had been taken away, yet, they soon would follow them to Babylon. After the unceremonial death of Jehoiakim, his son, Jehoiachin, came to the throne (2 Kings 24:8-16). Jeremiah called him Coniah, and in Matthew 1:11 he is called Jechonias. During his brief one hundred day rule, he demonstrated so much wickedness that he and his seed were prohibited from ever again sitting on David’s throne. The city of Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar, and Coniah and his mother were carried to Babylon. The false prophet, Hananiah, tried to assure the people that within two years Jehoiakim would return with all whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away (Jer. 28:1-4). Jeremiah denounced this by proclaiming that the king would die in Babylon. In the thirty-seventh year of his captivity, Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, took Coniah from prison and allowed him to eat at the king’s table (2 Kings 25:27-30). This was done until the day of his death in Babylon (Jer. 52:31-34). CONCLUSION Jeremiah 18:1-22:30; 2 Chronicles 36:1-7 We, like Jeremiah and Judah, need to learn and understand that God is sovereign and is in control. The craft of the potter ably illustrates this great truth. God, as the Creator of all things both visible and invisible, is the rightful owner of His creation. As divine Creator, He alone has a right to rule over it in the same way the potter does the clay (Rom. 9:20, 21). God has the right and therefore does exercise His will throughout every realm of His creation (Eph. 1:11). God’s sovereign will is based upon His wise and holy counsel. It is the sovereignty of wisdom, holiness and love. God is constantly working

The Sign of the Potter’s House—God’s Sovereignty / 83 and reworking in the lives of men, often breaking and then remolding them into useful service. His sovereignty acknowledges His right to do so. Within God’s sovereign will the penitent believer has the assurance of God’s love and forgiveness of sin (Acts 5.31; 13:38, 39; Eph. 1:6-12). There is also the assurance that God will judge the marred clay and broken vessel. The Lord desires to mold our lives into useful vessels in His service (2 Tim. 2:20, 21). No child of God should ever want to be considered a cracked pot and become a castaway or set on the shelf (1 Cor. 9:27).

Lesson 8

For Sunday, July 20, 2008

The Sign of the Righteous Branch—Israel Regathered Jeremiah 23:1-40; 2 Chronicles 36:8-14

Jeremiah took a long look at and a strong stance against the leadership which came from the self-made false prophets. What he witnessed broke his heart. Since Jeremiah was confronted with them almost daily, he, more than any other Old Testament writer, denounced them and their lying messages. During the reign of Zedekiah, the adversity between Jeremiah and these pseudoprophets was at its greatest. Jeremiah was not a liberal compromiser out to please the people. His message throughout his life remained, “Thus saith the Lord.” Jeremiah, like all true prophets of God, did not take his responsibility as the Lord’s prophet lightly. He continued to speak boldly because of the confidence he had in God and His message. This is a valuable example that every God-called minister would do well to follow. A big part of the people of Judah’s problems stemmed from the fact they learned little, if anything, through the years from the great prophets of God who faithfully ministered to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. They had actually grown worse than their kinfolk to the north. The false prophets, on the whole, supported the king’s political decision to rebel and resist any Babylonian domination of the area. They argued against Jeremiah’s message of invasion and total destruction. They reasoned that a God of love and mercy would never allow the people of Jerusalem and Judah to be defeated and destroyed. Jeremiah’s message targeted the prophets who falsely claimed their message was “thus saith the Lord” and godless kings of Judah. This chapter reflects back to chapter 18 and demonstrates once again the Lord’s patience as the Master Potter molds and shapes those He loves. The Lord has always had a faithful remnant whom He could mold and shape for His service. Evidence of this is found among the early deportees from Jerusalem to Babylon. Included among these were such young men as Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), Azariah (Abed-nego) and Ezekiel. Through their ministries and testimonies of faithfulness to Jehovah, the lives of nearly fifty thousand people were made ready for the return to Jerusalem and Judah under the leadership of Zerubbabel (Zer-oob-baw-bel´) (Neh. 7:6, 7, 66, 67). 84

The Sign of the Righteous Branch—Israel Regathered / 85 MESSAGE OF THE RIGHTEOUS KING Jeremiah 23:1-8 These verses present the King of kings. He will have complete power over all the Woe: the word is an expression of kings of the earth. This great Messiah is pain. It is not a confession of posthe coming Prince of Peace. What a welsessing pain, but an announcement come contrast to the pastors (kings) who of the presence of pain. The locamercilessly scattered the sheep. Jeremiah tion of the pain must be identified by the context. This pain may not pronounced a woe upon these unfaithful be present with the speaker but shepherds of God’s people. They had been instead with the person or persons appointed by God to watch over, take care being addressed. In the text, the of the sheep. But because of their evil pain is not with God but is associ-

Manna Promised Return to Pasture (Jeremiah 23:3): The prophesied scattering of the people of Judah which was realized in the captivity was accompanied by the further prophecy of restoration. However, the scattering prophesied was of greater magnitude than that of the seventy years in Babylon. The dispersion, spoken of in this verse, has a more universal aspect to it. It speaks of the dispersion of the Jews through many world events, which will consummate in the regathering of the people from every area of the world. Of course, the anticipation of restoration gives further evidence that the Babylonian exile would be a reality. The scattered sheep would be brought back to their pasture but not until the penalty for the sins of the people and that of the evil shepherds had been fulfilled. But during the restoration, evil shepherds will be replaced by faithful shepherds who will properly tend the flock of Jehovah under the King of kings. The complete fulfillment of this prophecy did not occur after the seventy years captivity but is still in view. The Davidic Covenant which anticipates an eternal kingdom under the occupant of David’s throne was never and has never been occupied. In the end times, the true King of Israel will occupy David’s throne and He is the Messiah of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ. The righteous shepherds will rule with justice, fairness and righteousness since the King will Himself rule in the same manner.

ated with pastors to whom God warned that He might administer judgment. Word Study #1945.

Visited: the meaning is “to go to the location of another and attend to that person, whether the action of attending is for good or bad.” It is often used to denote ministering to people, such as when God ministers to the needs of His people. Also, God has called men to visit, attend or minister on His behalf to the people. In the text, the pastors have not properly performed their duty of ministering. A use of the word is found in the text where God will visit judgment upon those pastors. Word Study #6485.

leading, the Lord was due to pay them a “visit” (verse 2) with judgment. God promised that He, Himself, would gather His flock back to Israel and Jerusalem from all the countries where He scattered them. No race of people has been so scattered in foreign countries as have the Jews. The promises of God are sure. The “remnant” (verse 3) would return to their “folds” (verse 3), the place of their habitation and pasture. Once back home they will be “fruitful and increase” (verse 3). Glimpses of

86 / Jeremiah 23:1-40; 2 Chronicles 36:8-14 this were seen in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. However, anna with the rejection of Jesus as Shepherds Who Scattered the Sheep (Jerethe Christ, Israel was scattered miah 23:1): Because the last king of Judah, to the four winds and to every Zedekiah, was an extremely weak leader, continent. Since becoming a the priests not only exercised spiritual leadnation again in 1948, this small ership but also had an unhealthy influence nation has grown from a popuupon the king regarding civil matters. Since they assumed authority and power lation of less than one million to which was not theirs, they became oppressix million Jews. The land they sive and were responsible for passing judgoccupy today is fruitful and ment on the people for matters which were yielding a bountiful increase. clearly beyond the parameters of their priestly office, and they had many innocent The Lord promised to give people in Judah killed. Those who survived the people of Israel faithful were scattered from the rest of the nation shepherds to replace those who and had virtually no protection from had proven unfaithful. A compotential enemies. The spiritual leaders had led the people into gross idolatry parable passage is recorded in which eventually led them into captivity. Ezekiel 34:1-6. There the Lord And that was the ultimate scattering of the said, “Woe be to the shepherds flock inflicted as a result of the disastrous of Israel that do feed themleadership of those who were regarded as their spiritual shepherds. And since the selves! should not the shepshepherds had not properly cared for the herds feed the flocks?” (Ezek. flock of Judah, God ultimately would mete 34:2). The rulers are often called out judgment on the shepherds. “shepherds” (Isa. 44:28; 63:11). This is perhaps the most ancient title given to a ruler. This title has been Prosper: the meaning is “to act found on the oldest of monuments written intelligently, wisely and prudently.” in cuneiform characters. Like a faithful Acting wisely is directly associated shepherd and his sheep, the rulers were with prosperity as a base for its to feed, guard and protect their nation existence. If a man will act wisely, he shall prosper. True wisdom like a flock dearly loved. Those who have comes from God. Jesus Christ is been called and appointed of God to shepthe perfect revelation of that wisherd one of His blood-bought flocks need dom; therefore, in all that He does, to learn the lesson taught here. The care He will prosper.The psalmist also associated wisdom with prosperity. of the Lord’s people is serious business. Word Study #7919. Pastors are to feed the flock (Acts 20:28), not seek to skin or scatter them; it is the design of God’s Word to protect His flock not destroy them. It is a good thing for a shepherd to remember that you can only skin a sheep once, but you can shear again and again. Pastors are to take “the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:2-4). The Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, mentioned by Peter,

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The Sign of the Righteous Branch—Israel Regathered / 87 is one and the same with the righteous Branch, “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jer. 23:6) spoken of by Jeremiah. Although Coniah was cut off, the Lord promised to preserve the seed of David. The Davidic Covenant would be honored (2 Sam. 7:12-16). PROPHETS OF SODOM Jeremiah 23:9-14 “Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness” (Jer. 23:9). This presents a sharp contrast to the messianic reign discussed in the previous verses. The Lord and Jeremiah looked at the conditions which confronted Judah. The reality of the situation had to be faced, even if only a few would do so. Throughout history, some have thought might makes right. But all too often, right was in the minority. This fact is true today when we look at the world of religion. Real Christianity and the Lord’s New Testament churches often have to stand alone. Jeremiah was so stirred by what he witnessed that he anna trembled and staggered like The Brokenhearted Prophet (Jeremiah 23:9): a drunkard. We, like JeremiThe false prophets along with the evil kings of ah, should be heartbroken Judah led the nation in its betrayal of Jehovah. Jeremiah prophesied against them through the when we hear the names of reigns of several kings but was especially Jesus and Landmark Bapintense in his denunciation of them during the tists so maliciously treated reign of Zedekiah. The prophets were false for and maligned today. several reasons. They had never been called by God as Jeremiah had been. As such, they never Sad but true, as then, received the true message from the Lord, and even so today, our own worst they henceforth gave contrived messages of enemy is often within our false hope and promises to the people. They own camp. Why would any drew their messages from themselves or other false prophets. And, when they spoke to the real Baptist choose to deny people, their false messages were compoundthe faith? Some would ed as they attached the name of Jehovah to rather be called a Protestant them without His authorization. Since they led than follow the courageous the people into false religion, their moral charand blood-bought line of peracter was as weak as their discernment of God’s words. petuity of our forefathers, With his constant confrontation of the false the Anabaptists, Waldenses, prophets, Jeremiah experienced tremendous Paulicians, Donatists, Novaheartache and emotional stress. He was awetions, Montantists and the struck as to the enormity of the offenses of the false prophets and considered his reaction to apostles. It is time once again them like he was a man who was in a drunken to check our metal and let stupor. He compared the true message of God our faith stand the test. The which he received from the Lord and disheart of every true believing pensed it to the unwilling people with heartBaptist should be stirred break. and grieved when he hears

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88 / Jeremiah 23:1-40; 2 Chronicles 36 those calling themselves Baptists teach the church started on Pentecost, adopt the so-called universal-invisible church theory, accept alien immersion, teach falling from grace and the list continues to grow longer. Frank Mead in his book Handbook of Denominations in the United States listed twenty-eight different Baptist Associations, Conventions, Fellowships and Conferences. Shepherds, it does make a difference how we lead the flock of God. It is of the utmost importance to know the sheep and flock you pastor. Jeremiah was moved to action for the Lord. What about us? Jeremiah saw a land full of evil. Are the nations of the world any different today (Jer. 23:10)? Why would any Baptist choose to deny the faith? This is always dangerous (2 Peter 2:1). Why would any Baptist rather be called a Protestant than follow the courageous and blood-bought line of perpetuity of our forefathers? Several excerpts from today’s so-called Baptist historians reveal just how far from the truth some groups have gone. Lynn E. May, Jr. in the “The Baptist Story” wrote the following: “Scholars have discovered Christian groups prior to the seventeenth century, which resembled Baptists. Baptists are concerned today with maintaining New Testament teachings and practices, not with establishing an historical lineage of churches to New Testament times. Baptists emerged into history in early seventeenth century England.” Walter Shurden in an article entitled “Crisis in Baptist Life” wrote, “J. R. Graves was the founder and high priest of Landmarkism. Graves influenced Baptist life in more ways than any other person. As a result some Southern Baptist hardened their attitude toward other denominations and their ministers. Prior to the rise of Landmarkism Pulpit-exchange was a common practice between Baptists and other Protestants, especially Presbyterians and Methodists. Landmarkers advocated a practice of ‘closed communion.’ “The error of Landmarkism was in distorting Baptist history and claiming that all Baptists had denounced alien immersion and practiced closed communion. To the contrary, Baptists had often accepted alien immersion and practiced open communion. ‘Church’ to a Landmarker meant an independent, local congregation of believers. No allowance was made for the universal church. “A third feature of the Landmark movement was its peculiar interpretation of Baptist history. Known as the ‘Successionist Concept,’ this view maintains that Baptist churches began in the New Testament era and have continued in unbroken succession since that time. “Southern Baptist historians today do not accept the Landmark interpretation of Baptist history. Instead, most see Baptists originating out of seventeenth century English Separatism.” As Jeremiah, we need to stay with the truth of God’s message. It has not changed and it will not change to please man. The truth is that the Paulicians

The Sign of the Righteous Branch—Israel Regathered / 89 (of whom the Montantists and Donatists readily joined hand and heart), whose history and doctrines can be traced from the first century to the reformation, believed and taught the following—inspiration of the Scriptures, rejection of all relics and image worship, believer’s baptism, a genuine experience of salvation must come first, the church is independent and self-governing, baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the only ordinances, baptism is by immersion, the church has had a succession from Christ and the apostles and the purity of church discipline. The Paulicians readily mingled with the Albigenses and the Waldenses. Many of them became pastors among the Waldenses. The Waldenses believed and practiced the following: “There is one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Apocryphal books are not received to confirm authority of doctrine; God created all things good; Christ’s coming satisfied the law; Christ was born at the time appointed by God: That He might show us grace and mercy; Christ is our life, truth, peace, and righteousness, as also our Pastor, Advocate, Sacrifice, and Priest, who died for the salvation of all those that believe, and is risen for our justification; Jesus is the only Mediator between God and man; After this life the saved go to paradise; the damned go to hell; Purgatory was invented by Antichrist; Vigils of saints, holy water, abstaining from meats, and masses, are an abomination before God; God has gathered together a church in this world for the salvation of mankind; She has but one head and foundation, which is Jesus Christ; This church cannot fail, or be quite destroyed; but that it will remain; That baptism and the Lord’s Supper are only visible forms of the invisible grace: that people can be saved without them; and acknowledge no other ordinances but Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.” This is from the Ancient Confession of Faith of the Waldenses, bearing the date AD 1120. This was four hundred years before Martin Luther and John Calvin split with Rome and gave birth to the Protestant reformation. The only thing the reformation added to some calling themselves Baptists was heresy. Jeremiah saw a land filled with profane prophets and priests. The lying prophets and unholy priests led the people of Judah to a place of contentment with their idolatry and spiritual adultery (Jer. 23:11-14). They proved themselves to be worse than their counterparts in Israel. These self-made and selfcalled prophets of Judah proclaimed, “the burden of the LORD” (verse 34) and then delivered their lying words. Their depravity and idolatry was openly practiced in the Temple which was dedicated to the Lord. They led and encouraged the people of Judah when they delivered the message their itching ears desired to hear. As a result, the whole land was filled with evil which is proof that a people never rises any higher than the leadership they follow. There are pseudopreachers who deny even the most basic truths of God’s

90 / Jeremiah 23:1-40; 2 Chronicles 36:8-14

Manna Prophets of Samaria; Prophets of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 23:13, 14): The prophet Jeremiah considered a long-range view of the past sins of the false prophets. He considered the prophets of the Northern Kingdom of Israel to bore a great deal of responsibility in their demise and subsequent conquest by the Assyrians. They had devoted themselves to the worship of Baal and then led the people away from worshiping the true God. And, even with the benefit of recent history, the prophets of the Southern Kingdom of Judah were worse. They had learned nothing from the judgment the northern prophets and the people of the Northern Kingdom received. In addition to the sin of following after the false gods of Baal, the prophets of Samaria did not sin to the degree the prophets of Jerusalem had. The prophets of the south engaged in immoral activities, encouraged evil instead of good and they led the people into further debauchery and spiritual disintegration. The comparison of the prophets of Jerusalem with the men of Sodom and that of the people of Judah with those of Gomorrah had to be the worst commentary on the spiritual conditions which existed in Judah.

Word. Many of these selfproclaimed apostles have joined rallies in our nation’s capital to promote gay rights and abortion, along with other things condemned in God’s Word. Evil is in the land today, and much of it is due to the lack of truth proclaimed from the pulpits. God’s people must “try the spirits whether they are of God: because false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). The Lord witnessed their evil and charged these unscrupulous leaders with spiritual adultery, lying and aiding the evildoers. So great was their sin that they were viewed in the same light with which the Lord had looked upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

THE LORD’S ANGER Jeremiah 23:15-22 “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” The principle stated here by Jesus in Luke 12:47, 48 was applicable in Jeremiah’s time as well as today. Above all other nations and peoples, the people of Judah knew Jehovah God. Time and time again He proved and showed Himself to them by His prophets and mighty deeds. They received much from the Lord and then blatantly turned their backs on Him. In Isaiah 5:4 the Lord asked His people, “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” He cleared the land, tilled the soil, planted the seed, watered, weeded and built a fence about it, and it still brought forth sour grapes. The Lord’s long-suffering reached its limit with these perpetual backsliders (Jer. 8:5). They would reap as they had sown. The people of Judah and

The Sign of the Righteous Branch—Israel Regathered / 91 Jerusalem were ripe for judgment. This is pictured when they were fed bitter wormwood, regarded as poisonous and therefore accursed, and given gall to drink. Gall is from a Hebrew word which refers to the poisonous poppy flower. Think for moment of the things Christ has done and has planned for His New Testament churches. Shame and woe upon those who would take these blessings lightly and do any acts of despite toward the Spirit of grace. As with the people of Jerusalem and Judah, judgment will begin at the house of the Lord (1 Peter 4:17). These self-proclaimed prophets lacked the Lord’s authority for their message. The message was their own and not the Lord’s. Their visions and dreams were self-instigated and not from the Lord. Jesus spoke of false prophets as wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt. 7:15). The apostle Paul declared they are deceitful workers who are in reality ministers of Satan (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Both they and their message shall be accursed (Gal. 1:8, 9). The people of Judah had ample warning concerning their false message, but they chose not to heed it. What of us today? We are told to try the spirits because of the many false teachers who are in the world (1 John 4:1). The people were deceived by a false message to believe in a false hope and false security. True prophets of the Lord are burdened for and with the message of truth. Two questions were asked that formed the dividing line between the lying prophets and the prophets of the Lord. “For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?” (Jer. 23:18). These pseudo-prophets knew the answer but would not answer. The Lord was clear to Moses concerning His feelings and judgments toward lying prophets, “even that prophet shall die” (Deut. 18:20). God’s wrath fell upon them like a grievous (to twist or twirl) whirlwind (a hurricane or howling tempest). Both they and their wicked followers were swept away. There could be no mistake of the Lord’s purpose. The name of the Lord shall be vindicated in the latter days. In the day of judgment, the truth of Jeremiah’s message was clear. Time and circumstance will always vindicate the true prophets of God. What a difference the truth makes. It can be told the same way every time. Even though the Lord had not called them, had not given them a message nor sent them forth, they claimed to have it all. Since their message was a lie, not one soul in Judah was saved by their message. Not one life was changed for the better by their ear-tickling message. God’s Word saves souls (James 1:21; 1 Peter 1:23). God’s Word changes lives (Psalm 119:11; Heb. 4:12). Rather than preaching a message of repentance and faith, they encouraged the people to continue in sin. True prophets long for the salvation of souls and changed lives (2 Cor. 5:17; Eph 4:20-24).

92 / Jeremiah 23:1-40; 2 Chronicles 36:8-14 THE OMNISCIENT GOD Jeremiah 23:23-32 The Lord is not some localized deity who can be defined or limited by time and space and easily avoided by man. His Omniscience and Omnipotence fill the heavens and the earth (Psalm 139:7-10). Our God cannot be contained (1 Kings 8:27). Although His throne is in Heaven (Isa. 66:1), He declared, “Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?” (Jer. 23:23). He is as near as your heart and life will allow (James 4:8). The Lord is not a finite being with moderate capacity. He was fully aware of the actions of the prophets, priests and people. God’s court case against sin is clearly revealed in both the Old and New Testaments. How fraudulent for these lying prophets to think for one moment that their wickedness was in any way hidden from the Lord. The message of the lying prophets was embraced by the people who made lies their refuge (Isa. 28:15-17; Jer. 16:19). God has His all-seeing eye upon man as clearly taught in both the Old and New Testaments (Prov. 15:3; 1 John 3:20). The Lord wanted Judah to understand the difference between the delusional dreams and visions of these lying prophets and the Word He had given through His prophet, Jeremiah. There are several references in the Bible where the Lord used dreams and visions to proclaim His Word (Num. 12:6). A true prophet’s dream and vision would never contradict the Word of God and turn the people away from Him (Deut. 13:1-3). It is God’s Word against theirs. Whose Word has the power to break the stony heart and burn away the dross? “Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jer. 23:29). Only the Word of God possesses such power (Heb. 4:12). God was, is and shall be against the false prophets. The Lord’s challenge was for the prophets who had a dream to tell it. However, if they were going to speak in His name, they were to remain true to His Word. The dreams of the false prophets were likened to the chaff of the wheat which has no value but to be blown away or burned. Lightness: bubbles in boiling water Jeremiah mentioned three groups of rise as if to declare themselves prophets. One group consisted of those important, but once at the surface, who used many of the same words spoken they break and no longer exist, or by the true prophets but wrested them to as one might say, come to nothing. fit their own message (Jer. 23:30). Peter Their essence is false and they lack in sustaining value. They may be spoke of this same group in his day (2 characterized more correctly as Peter 3:16) and such preachers, so-called, frivolous, unimportant and of little are still among us today. The Scriptures or no value. Similarly, this lightness tell us that they preached their own refers to the value of the message of the false prophet. He rises with destruction. The next bunch was made up great excitement, but the fruit of of tongue-waggers who spoke freely sayhis surfacing proves him to be like ing, “He saith” (Jer. 23:31).This was an a bubble of hot air, frivolous. Word attempt to authenticate their message. Study #6348. Because one cries, “hallelujah” or “praise

The Sign of the Righteous Branch—Israel Regathered / 93 the Lord” every other breath does not mean the message he delivers is scriptural and from the Lord (Matt. 7:21, 22). Many are caused to err by today’s brand of lying prophets. The Lord is just as strongly against these vain dreamers as He was those in Jeremiah’s day (Jer. 23:31, 32; 2 Peter 2:1). The third bunch was made up of the people pleasers. Their message, true or false, was designed with this purpose in mind. A message filled with half-truths, using the name of the Lord and tickling the listener’s ears profits no one (Jer. 2:11; 7:8; 16:19; 23:32). THE BURDEN OF THE LORD Jeremiah 23:33-40 All of the groups Jeremiah witnessed had one thing in common. They were all liars who mocked the Word of God. They would come to Jeremiah and say, “What is the burden of the LORD?” to mock him and the “burden” [message of coming judgment] he preached (verse 33). True ministers of the gospel are still being mocked today by the liberals who run the media and the lying liberal religionists. They are neither theologians nor Christians for the most part. When these mockers inquired “What is the burden of the Lord,” Jeremiah was to answer, “What burden?” Literally the reply was truly to the point, “You are the burden.” The Lord’s long-suffering reached the place where He was ready to rid Himself of this burden. What about those in our own cities and neighborhoods, how should we respond to them and their message? God’s Word is decisive on this matter. May we be granted the spiritual fortitude to put away from us those who preach and practice lies. The fellowship lines are clearly drawn in the Scriptures. False prophets, preachers and teachers are not to be bidden with Godspeed (Gal. 1:8; 2 John 9-11). Past, present and future pseudoministers’ ends shall be according to their works (Jer. 23:39, 40; 2 Cor. 11:13-15). CONCLUSION Jeremiah 23:1-40; 2 Chronicles 36:8-14 Since He is called the branch of the Lord and the “righteous Branch,” it is clear He is divine. He is also called the “fruit of the earth” which indicates He is also a human of lowly birth. As the Branch of the house of David, Christ is that descendent of David who will rise above the humbleness of His lowly birth and the humiliation of being rejected and come in power and glory (Isa. 4:2; 11:1). He will execute judgment and righteousness in the land (Jer. 33:15). By the time of Zechariah’s writing the title “Branch” was used as a man’s name (Zech. 6:12). This is none other than the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The modifier righteous is the quality of a person not a plant. Jesus Christ will reign as the true King of kings.

Lesson 9

For Sunday, July 27, 2008

The Signs of the Figs— Deportation and Restoration

Jeremiah 24:1-10; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21

In chapter 24 the Lord used the two baskets of figs to illustrate Jeremiah’s message concerning good and evil. Jesus, during His ministry, was masterful at using such illustrations to teach His disciples. Such stories as the wheat and tares (Matt. 13:24-30), trees with either good or bad fruit (Matt. 7:15-19) and the fruitless fig tree (Luke 13:6-9) all fall into this category. Each of these concern the Lord and those who are His. Korah, Dathan and Abiram stood up against Moses and Aaron. The Lord showed the world who was His (Num. 16:5). When the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy concerning the doctrinal error of Hymenaeus and Philetus, he proclaimed this same truth, “The Lord knoweth them that are his” (2 Tim. 2:17-19). Several questions may be rightly asked of us today concerning the above mentioned passage. In which basket have we placed our lives? Will we be gathered with the wheat or burned with the tares? What kind of fruit are we producing, or, are we just cumbering the ground? May the Lord grant that every teacher and student take a long, serious look at the meaning of this chapter and make the needed applications in their lives. A MESSAGE FROM THE FIRSTFRUITS Jeremiah 24:1 Chapters 24 and 25 continue to show the spiritual growth of Jeremiah’s ministry. His name has been translated “the Lord will elevate,” and “the Lord exalts.” The Lord exalted him above his brethren and set him “over the nations” (Jer. 1:10). Kings, priests and other so-called prophets conspired against him and threatened his life. Pashur’s stocks were loosened and he stood before Zedekiah in the palace. Though he was called the weeping prophet, Jeremiah found boldness in the Lord to deliver a stern message to a sinful and unrepentant nation. Jeremiah said, “The LORD shewed me” (Jer. 24:1). This statement shows that the message came by divine revelation. This is God speaking through His prophet. The same could be said of all the true prophets of God (Ezek. 11:25; Amos 7:1; Micah 6:8). The Master Teacher sought yet another way to get the 94

The Signs of the Figs—Deportation and Restoration / 95 message across to the people of Judah. This is anna another of the Lord’s Jeconiah, Son of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 24:1: Jeconigreat object lessons. The ah (also Jehoiachin) and his father, Jehoiakim, were situation in Jerusalem vassal kings of Judah. Jehoiakim was subservient called for drastic meato Pharaoh-Necho of Egypt until the latter was sures to awaken the returned back to the borders of his own country by bellious people to the the Chaldean army. As a result, King Jehoiakim switched his loyalties to King Nebuchadnezzar and truth. served him until he believed he had the power and Jeremiah 24:1 is a the resources to conquer him and assume sovertransposition sentence. It eign rule in Judah. He was a wicked king, having is where the normal or raised the taxes of the people to pay Pharaohusual order of events is Necho, but, when he returned to Egypt, Jehoiakim transposed. In chronologibuilt elaborate governmental buildings and lived a life of unparalleled splendor. After he sought to cal order the first clause overthrow the Chaldeans and failed, he was taken of this verse time wise outside Jerusalem and killed. should be the last. The His son, Jeconiah, assumed the throne of Judah time was during the early in 597 BC which was a pivotal year for Judah. The years of Zedekiah’s reign, king, his counselors and several of Judah’s most shortly after Nebuchadexperienced craftsmen were taken to Babylon, along with the vessels of the Temple, thus leaving nezzar had taken Jeconiah the poorest of the inhabitants to fend for them(Jehoiachin), the princes of selves and serve under King Zedekiah. Jeconiah Judah and the best tradesand the first group of captives actually were better men captive to Babylon in off than to stay for the destruction of the nation 597 BC (2 Kings 24:8-16). and the capital city in 586 B.C. Jeconiah lived the Ezekiel was carried to rest of his life in Babylon and was honored to be Babylon at this time able to sit at the king’s table because he and the first group of captives had served Babylon well. along with a large portion of the spoils of Judah and Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar carried away those citizens who were skilled craftsmen. They would be helpful in aiding him build the city of Babylon and other building projects throughout his empire. These also were not likely to help an invading army overthrow the Babylonians. Through all of this the prophets for hire continued to offer their message of false hope. Their dream of peace and prosperity was quickly turning into the people of Judah’s worst nightmare. The Lord showed Jeremiah two baskets of figs that had been placed before the Temple. They were set in the place appointed for offerings of the firstfruits. This was in the forecourt of the Temple (Deut. 26:10). When the wandering people of Israel took possession of the Promised Land, they were told to celebrate two rituals. Moses had given them instructions regarding the tithe they were to bring every third year (Deut. 14:28). These two rituals accompanying the offering of the firstfruits and the tithe in the third year were to be done after the people of Israel’s first harvest and the other after they

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96 / Jeremiah 24:1-10; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21 were established in the land three years (Deut. 26:1-19). They were to be done in celebration of their being settled in the Promised Land. The land of milk and honey was made possible by God’s grace and covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Deut. 6:3; 11:9). First, they were to take the firstfruits, which is the early product of the harvest, to the priest at the sanctuary as a wave-offering before the Lord (Lev. 23:9-14). This was a declaration by the bringer that he had come to the land of promise. It served as a testimony to the faithfulness of the Lord in bringing His chosen people to the land He promised their forefathers. This was a way for each family in Israel to come before God and openly confess its faith and thanks before Him. The priest took the basket of firstfruits and “set it down before the altar of the LORD” (Deut. 26:4). Secondly, there was a confession of the Lord’s faithfulness which was followed by yet another giving of the basket (Deut. 26:5-10). This prayer was to give thanks and praise for God’s faithfulness and the perpetuation of Israel as a nation. The offering of the firstfruits was the hope and assurance of a full and complete harvest. It did not consist of one sheaf but of a full bundle; not one grape but a full cluster; not one piece of fruit but a basketful. The firstfruits offered to God assured God’s blessings upon the fruit that would follow in the day of the full harvest. This serves as one of the great pictures and types of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the firstfruits of the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15:2022). Christ was the first to be raised from the dead never to die again. Jesus, during His earthly ministry, miraculously raised the dead. The widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7:11-16) and Lazarus (John 11:14, 43-45) are examples of this. As the offering of the firstfruits, Jesus was not alone as the firstfruits of the resurrection. Many of the Old Testament saints arose and were seen in Jerusalem after the Lord’s resurrection (Matt. 27:50-54). The firstfruits of the resurrection destroyed Satan’s power or dominion over death and released the believer from the fear of its bondage (Heb. 2:14, 15). The firstfruits of the resurrection is the believer’s hope and assurance that we, like Christ and those who came forth that day, shall also be raised from the dead. The full harvests are yet to come. All the dead shall one day rise again (John 5:26-29). Those who are Christ’s, the born-again believers, will be raised at His coming (1 Cor. 15:23). This is called the first resurrection (Rev. 20:5, 6). This will be the greatest gathering of God’s people ever witnessed. TWO BASKETS OF FIGS Jeremiah 24:2, 3 The first mention of figs in the Bible is a reference to the tree’s leaves being used by Adam and Eve to make themselves aprons (Gen. 3:7). Moses told the children of Israel that God was bringing them to a good land with fig trees (Deut. 8:7, 8). There are number of different varieties of the fig in Israel. The mature trees grow from ten to twenty-five feet in height. Their thick foliage provides a cool shade from the summer heat (John 1:48). The fig tree yields

The Signs of the Figs—Deportation and Restoration / 97

Manna Good Figs, Bad Figs (Jeremiah 24:1-3): For the prophet Jeremiah to understand what was taking place in the first and second sieges of the Chaldean invasions, one in 597 BC, and the other in 586 BC, the Lord taught him through an interesting object lesson in a vision. The baskets of figs were considered having good figs, which were edible and a sweet fruit, which were acceptable to the Lord as an offering (Deut. 26:2), and on the other hand, the baskets of bad figs, which were inedible and were not appropriate for an offering to the Lord. The good figs represented the initial ten thousand captives, who included King Jeconiah, and also included the best craftsmen in all of Judah. They would prosper, even as captives in Babylon, while the bad figs represented the remaining people of Judah with the king’s successor, Zedekiah, who were the poorest, the least skilled and would suffer great loss of life in the later siege of Nebuchadnezzar, which destroyed their land, the capital city and the Temple. The initial harvest of figs in their season are especially delicious and are considered a great delicacy. The later figs are bitter to the taste and are largely rejected for human consumption.

Bad: the basic meaning is “to break an item in pieces.” The breaking devalues the item so that it is considered of little or no profit to possess. Its presence brings a cloud of disappointment to all that is associated with it. What should have been of value and highly prized, when bad, is then more of a hindrance. Word Study #7489.

two crops annually. The early figs ripen in June. They grow from the old wood. The second, and fuller harvest, ripens in August on the new spring shoots. The tree is bare from December until the end of March. Along with the new leaves comes tiny figs about the size of a cherry. Most of these fall to the ground and are “untimely figs” (Rev. 6:13). Those that remain and ripen are called in the Hebrew bikkurah, “the first-ripe” (Hosea 9:10) or “the hasty fruit” (Isa. 28:4). These firstfruit figs are still highly prized for their sweet taste. Again, this reminds us of Christ and the firstfruits of the resurrection. The Old Testament saints who came out of their graves after the resurrection of Christ likely included the great heroes of faith mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11. They desired a better, heavenly country and city prepared by God (Heb. 11:16). They sought to obtain a better resurrection (verse 35). They are the captivity led captive by the power of the Lord’s resurrection and ascension (Eph. 4:8-10). One basket was filled with good figs. These edible (good) figs of the first crop are mentioned by Solomon and Micah (Song of Sol. 2:13; Micah 7:1). This is also symbolic of continued prosperity because fig trees are slow-growing and take several years of labor before maturity. This is not unlike the spiritual growth of God’s children. Growing in the nurture, admonition and grace of God takes time (Eph. 6:4; 1 Peter 3:14-18). The other basket was filled with “very naughty” (Jer. 24:2) figs that were so rotten they were not fit for human consumption. Such an offering was unacceptable to the Lord (Malachi 1:7, 8).

98 / Jeremiah 24:1-10; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21 THE GOOD FIGS EXPLAINED Jeremiah 24:4-7 The good figs were favored like the captives in Babylon whom the Lord promised to acknowledge. The good figs picture the captive exiles who, in 597 BC at the end of the reign of Jehoiachin, were taken to Babylon. They were not there because they were good, but the Lord allowed them to be taken there for their own good. Their situation in Babylon would be better for the good For Their Good: the word implies a condition exists that is good or figs than that of the bad figs left with clean, pure and innocent. This conZedekiah in Jerusalem and Judah. dition referred to simply as good The Lord’s plan for these goodly figs may reflect an atmosphere of joy, reached far into the future. These repregladness and pleasantness. The presence of the preposition sent those of Israel and Judah whom He reveals that their good is the will refine and call His people. After their desire and the aim of the effort. days in the potter’s hand and the refinGod had acted with a desire to er’s fire, “they shall say, The LORD is my bring about their good. Word Study #2895. God” (Zech. 13:9). God promised to preserve a faithful remnant during their time in captivity. He promised to bring them back to the land of promise (Ezek. 11:16, 17). Upon their return they were promised a new heart. This was so they would know the Lord is God (Jer. 16:21) At that time they would truly be His people and would serve the Lord with all their hearts. Though He did restore a minority of the people to the land after the Babylonian captivity, they never experienced the full blessings of fellowship promised by God (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:24-32). While in Babylon, they were guided by the ministry of Ezekiel. anna They prayed earnestly for the day The Bad Figs: the Judgment on the Last of their return. The seventy years Exiles (Jeremiah 24:8-10): After Jeconiah and the first exiles were taken to Babylon, of captivity completed (Dan. 9:2), the response of those who remained in Babylon fell to King Cyrus of PerJudah should have been repentance and sia. In the first year of his reign he a turning away from the pagan idols and issued a decree permitting the a turning back to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. At first, they believed Jews to return to Judah and rethey had been spared the indignity of the build Jerusalem (2 Chron. 36:22; first exile. But they did not repent toward Ezra 1:1-4). Almost fifty thousand the Lord and their remaining in Judah did return under the leadership of actually turned out to be the worst possible condition. With Jeconiah in exile, Zerubbabel. They began reconZedekiah ascended to the throne of structing the Temple in JeruJudah, and his reign was characterized as salem. one which was derelict and ineffective. When Alexander the Great and Those who remained in Judah later experienced the slaughter in the land, the his armies invaded the Middle destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, East in the fourth century BC, he and scattering of the people in disgrace. ordered the Temple to be spared and the Jews to be left alone. Two

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The Signs of the Figs—Deportation and Restoration / 99 hundred years later, Antiochus Epiphanes forbade the Jews to practice the Law of Moses. He defiled the Temple and ordered sacrifices to be made to Greek gods. In 167 BC a small, but brave, army led by Judas Maccabbees, the son of a Jewish priest, drove the Syrians out of Jerusalem. The Temple was cleansed and worship restored. For the next hundred years the Jews prospered under the leadership of the Maccabees. Then in 63 BC came the Romans. Judah became a vassal kingdom to Rome. Herod the Great was appointed king of Judea (37 BC-AD 4). He was given the official title “King of the Jews.” This angered many of the Jews because Herod was an Idumaean and not what they considered Jewish stock. Herod died when Jesus was still a child. For at least one generation the people of Israel knew relative calm and peace during Jesus’ public ministry here on earth. THE BAD FIGS EXPLAINED Jeremiah 24:8-10 The second basket may have been filled with wild or caprifigs. The caprifig must be pollinated by a fig wasp. The insect creeps inside the inedible male caprifig. These trees produce several times a year but the fruit grows no larger than a cherry. They usually fall to the ground as untimely figs and are often bitter. Jeremiah saw these as “evil” (verse 8) figs not fit for use. In both verses 2 and 3 the Hebrew word ra was used in the Lord’s description. Ra is used to speak of that which is bad or evil naturally or morally. This is a fitting description of man, who is first of all a sinner by nature and then a sinner by choice. The evil figs were rotten to the core. They were a fitting picture of Zedekiah and those who chose to stay with him in Jerusalem. They listened to the lying prophets’ messages that all would be well. Their future was bleak. Those who did not die from starvation and plagues or were not killed in the siege were dispersed among the Gentile nations in disgrace. Even those who fled to Egypt would not escape. They felt that, since they had been spared deportation to Babylon, they were better. But God’s ways and thoughts are not those of sinful man. They soon adopted the ways of the Egyptians and met God’s judgment. The captive in Babylon did not have to face the final destruction Nebuchadnezzar brought upon the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Many of them helped to form the remnant the Lord brought back to rebuild the land and the city. The world and its false prophets is not our refuge; Jesus is our hope. Amos received a similar vision concerning the Northern Kingdom of Israel when he saw the basket of summer fruit. The basket of summer fruit Amos saw must be quickly picked and used or it will soon perish. Summer fruit will overripe and will fall to the ground and rot. The end of harvest and the fruit’s usefulness was nearly gone. The picture was that the people of Israel were fast rotting away in idolatry and were overripe for judgment. They would fall

100 / Jeremiah 24:1-10; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21 and rot away unless a meaningful harvest of repentance and turning to God was not done soon. The announcement was made, “the end is come” (Amos 8:2). As Israel, the people of Judah had become overripe with idolatry and were spiritually rotting away. Their once useful service as the Lord’s witnesses to the Gentile nations was quickly rotting away. Even though it may not be popular with most, our message must ever be true to “thus saith the LORD” (Jer. 24:5). In the year 597 BC, Judah’s leading citizens were taken captive. Jeremiah was seemingly left alone in Jerusalem to proclaim the Lord’s message. His contemporaries, Zephaniah, Huldah, HabakTaunt: the meaning refers to a kuk and Urijah were all silenced either sharp point which possesses the ability to inflict pain when coming by death or captivity. Neither Daniel nor in contact with the flesh of a perEzekiel had started their ministries. son, such as, when a soldier After what happened to the people of Ispierces another with a pointed rael and what had transpired in Judah spear or sword. The jabbing with since the death of Josiah, one would think the point will likely cause pain and the people would be more than ready to possibly cause serious injury. The text suggests that the people will listen to Jeremiah and run the false be a source of pain and trouble to prophets out of town. Jeremiah took a those people among whom they long look at, and then a strong stance dwell. Word Study #8148. against, the leadership that came from the self-made, false prophets. What he witnessed broke his heart. Since Jeremiah was confronted with them almost daily, he, more than any other Old Testament writer, denounced them and their lying messages. During the reign of Zedekiah, the adversity between Jeremiah and these pseudoprophets was at its greatest. Jeremiah was not a liberal compromiser out to please the people. His message throughout his life remained, “Thus saith the LORD” (verse 5). Jeremiah, like all true prophets of God, did not take his responsibility as the Lord’s prophet lightly. He continued to speak boldly because of the confidence he had in God and His message. This is a valuable example that every God-called minister would do well to follow. Judah’s problems stemmed from the fact that they learned little, if anything, from the great prophets of God who faithfully ministered to the Northern Kingdom of Israel and to Judah. Judah had grown worse than its kinsmen to the north. Israel’s days of diaspora were not over. The rotten figs continued to grow. They materialized once again in the leadership of Israel among the priests and religious groups known as Pharisees and Sadducees. It was about thirty years after the death of Herod the Great that Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. His followers, rightly so, believed He was the Messiah, the anointed one. The message that Jesus was the Christ was rejected by most in the same manner that their forefathers had rejected the prophets. At Jesus’ mock trial before Pilate, they cried out for His crucifixion and said, “His

The Signs of the Figs—Deportation and Restoration / 101 blood be on us, and on our children” (Matt. 27:25). Jesus said it best on the cross, “They know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). In AD 66, the Jews revolted against Rome. The Roman proconsul, Vespasian, sent Roman legions throughout the country. In AD 70, Vespasian’s son and successor, Titus, overpowered Jerusalem, burned the Temple and carried many of its treasures to Rome. Thousand were killed and thousands more were sold into slavery. For the next sixty years Jews were forbidden to worship in Jerusalem. Shimon Bar-Kokhba, in AD 132, led about half a million Jews against the Roman empire. They were finally routed at Beitar. The Romans, to assure there would be no more such rebellions, scattered the remaining Jews throughout the Roman empire. The word Judea was erased from all maps and replaced with the name Syria Palestina. For centuries the land was called Palestine after the most detested and hated of Israel’s ancient enemies, the Philistines. The long, long exile had begun. Throughout the centuries of wandering from country to country, the Jewish people kept their identity. With the years, Palestine became more like a desolate wilderness. It was invaded and occupied by Arabs in AD 636, then the Crusaders in AD 1099, the Tatars in AD 1244, and the Turks of the Ottoman empire in AD 1517. In their synagogues around the world the dispersed people would pray for deliverance and to return from the four corners of the earth to Israel. Nearly two thousand years passed before their dream would realize some hope. During the eighteen hundred seventy-eight years between the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem and the creation of the modern state of Israel, millions of Jews around the world prayed for their Savior, the Messiah, to arrive. They recited the words, “Zion has become a desert, Jerusalem a wilderness.” In 1896, a Budapest-born lawyer and journalist, Theodor Herzl, was struck with the idea of a Jewish homeland. He published a book, The Jewish State. This publication gave rise to the movement called Zionism. Herzl’s proposal was rejected by the wealthy Jews in America and Europe. They felt it best not to stress Judaism. Many of the Orthodox Jews objected, believing that only the coming of the Messiah could call Israel home. Over the next few years a number of Aliyahs (ascent is the Hebrew word for immigration) were made to Palestine. Chaim Weizmann played a huge role in early Zionism. He was instrumental in winning British support. During World War I, Britain promised the Arabs an independent state if they helped defeat the Turks who were allied with Germany. On November 2, 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour in a letter to Lord Rothschild, head of a successful banking house and member of an influential Jewish family, stated: “His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” The Balfour Declaration, although vague, helped to pave the road for the Jews to return to the ancient homeland.

102 / Jeremiah 24:1-10; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21 Within a few weeks of the Declaration, General Edmund Allenby defeated the Turks at Jerusalem. Britain was assigned the Mandate for Palestine, which included the Balfour pledge. Before the Mandate was confirmed, Arabs rioted in protest to any immigration of Jews to Palestine. In the 1930s, the persecution of the Jews in Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia, and the unopened doors of western nations, caused many Jews to flee to Palestine for refuge. Confronted by Adolf Hitler’s rise in Germany, the British policy toward the Jewish immigration hardened. In 1939 Britain issued Command 6019, called the White Paper. This stated that only fifteen thousand Jews could make Aliyah each year. The Jews were opposed to such an order. David Ben Gurion, head the Jewish Agency, stated after the Nazis invaded Poland, “We shall fight the White Paper as if there were no war, and the war as if there were no White Paper.” During the early 1940s, while Britain was busy training Jews to parachute into Nazi-occupied Europe, the Jews were busy smuggling refugees into Palestine. A group of Jewish men and women called the Haganah (defense) had to smuggle in weapons and supplies. They trained in hospitals and schools in an effort to hide their operations from the British and Arabs. When the war in Europe ended and the truth of the holocaust became known, all the various Jewish groups in Palestine began to consolidate for the final struggle to obtain a homeland. In September 1945, the United States took a direct hand in the situation. President Harry Truman asked Britain to allow one hundred thousand refugees to be immediately accepted into Palestine. This they refused to do. In June 1946, Haganah forces attacked British communications and dynamited bridges. The British made mass arrests. In July, the Irgun, another resistance organization fighting for a Jewish homeland, blew up the wing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem that housed British offices. On the request of the British, the United Nations General Assembly met in special session in early spring 1947. An eleven man committee was appointed. After visiting Palestine they reported and called for the partition of Palestine to form a Jewish state. On November 29, 1947, the Assembly approved the order by a vote of 33 to 13. Ten countries, including Britain, abstained. The British were requested to leave Palestine in eight months. It had been a long and costly wait, and Jewish troubles were not yet over. The worst outbreak of rioting between the Jews and Arabs took place and in most cases the British simply watched. Finally on May 14, 1948 at 4:00 p.m. the ceremony began with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra playing “Hatikvah” (The Hope), the Israeli national anthem. David Ben Gurion then read the proclamation of independence declaring “Erets Israel” (Land of Israel). Since that day over five million Jews have returned to their ancient homeland.

The Signs of the Figs—Deportation and Restoration / 103 A number of Old Testament prophecies Consumed: the word means “comhave been fulfilled. The land occupied by pleteness.” It is the end result that the people of Israel today is productive is in view and not the process of agriculturally (Isa. 35:10). Their cities are reaching that result.The result may be good or bad, but the process is modern and clean; yet, there is much turdefinitely complete with nothing moil in the Middle East today and Israel left to be done. It declares comstands at the center. Many in Israel still pleteness and the process cannot pray and await the coming of their Jewbe reversed, neither can the fact of ish Messiah. The ultimate fulfillment of completion be erased. It is complete. The context suggests the Old Testament prophecy awaits the comcompletion of a process that ing of the great Messiah King, Jesus removed people from the land; Christ. This is the Christ their forefatherefore, the removal was not thers desired to be crucified. He is the partial but absolute and complete. Word Study #8552. hope of Israel and the hope of the world. The Jews still living outside of Israel will return with the coming and recognition of Jesus as the Christ (Zech. 12:1014). “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20). CONCLUSION Jeremiah 24:1-10; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21 The good figs are symbolic of continued prosperity because fig trees are slow growing and take several years of labor before maturity. This is not unlike the spiritual growth of God’s children. God has placed us where we are for our own good; and the good of the Lord’s work. Today there is no body that is more highly favored than the Lord’s New Testament church. There is no greater future than the one promised the Lord’s church. This passage reflects and demonstrates once again the Lord’s patience as the Master Potter molds and shapes those He loves. Evidence of this was found among the first captives—Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah and Ezekiel. Through their ministries and testimonies of faithfulness to Jehovah, the lives of nearly fifty thousand people were made ready for the return to Judah under the leadership of Zerubbabel (Neh. 7:6, 7, 66, 67). The Lord has always had a faithful remnant whom He could mold and shape for His service. May God grant that we are in that number.

Lesson 10

For Sunday, August 3, 2008

The Sign of the Wine Cup— Judgment of Nations

Jeremiah 25:1—26:24 2 Chronicles 36:22, 23

The year 605 BC marked several events which helped change the course of history. The ramifications were felt throughout the known world at that time and have carried on down to this present day. This was the first year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar over the Babylonian empire. Nebuchadnezzar led his armies in a decisive battle at the ancient Hittite city of Carchemish. This city was located on the west bank of the Euphrates and just inside the Turkish border from Syria. Today the site is marked by a mound called Jerablus. Pharaoh-Necho, whose army occupied the city, was defeated by the Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 46:2). The defeat of Necho decided the fate of all of West Asia because this ended Egypt’s years of domination. The year 605 BC also marked the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim in Jerusalem. Chronologically this corresponds to Jeremiah chapters 35 and 36. Jeremiah’s scroll was given to Baruch, who read it aloud in the Lord’s house. This scroll was later cut apart and burned by Jehoiakim. The year also marked Nebuchadnezzar’s first invasion of Judah (2 Kings 24:1, 2). Nebuchadnezzar’s reign and world domination began the succession of the world empires revealed to Daniel (Dan. 2:27-47; 7:1-14). This is also when the “times of the Gentiles” began (Luke 21:24). However, the final and greatest kingdom will be led by the God of Heaven, the Ancient of Days, and all other kingdoms shall be crushed by the “stone” (Dan. 2:34) that is cut without hands. This is Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Be reminded once again that the book of Jeremiah was not compiled chronologically but according to subject matter. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint), Jeremiah 25:13 down to the word book serves as an introduction to Jeremiah chapters 46—51 which are inserted at that point and deal with the Lord’s judgment upon other nations. With the completion of Jeremiah 51:64, the words of Jeremiah 25:15 continues the text. Although Jehoiakim ruled over Judah for eleven years, little space is given him in the books of the Kings and Chronicles (2 Kings 23:34—24:6; 2 Chron. 36:4-8). From these fifteen verses we learn that he was made king by PharaohNecho and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He 104

The Sign of the Wine Cup—Judgment of Nations / 105 rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar (who had him bound in fetters but, for reasons not revealed, did not take him to Babylon) and finally died in disgrace at Jerusalem (Jer. 22:18, 19; 36:30). JEREMIAH REFLECTS ON HIS MINISTRY Jeremiah 25:1-8 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign, Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and Jerusalem and reflected on his twenty-three years of prophetic ministry (627-605 BC). Throughout those twenty-three years, Jeremiah faithfully proclaimed anna the Word of the Lord to the people Fourth Year of Jehoiakim; First Year of of Jerusalem and Judah. “Rising Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 25:1): Using the people of Judah’s continued disobeearly” (Jer. 25:4) indicates that dience to show that Jehovah’s patience Jeremiah did not hesitate in his was finally exhausted, the prophet Jereduty to deliver the message the miah listed the precision of the dates to Lord revealed unto him. This was show the historical significance of the a long ministry with little results events about to transpire in the nation. Since the time of the Gentiles was about to show for it. The vast majority of to begin, showing the four great Gentile Judah’s citizens rejected Jeremikingdoms, God raised up to deal with ah’s message. Jeremiah made His wayward people. repeated valiant efforts to warn It seems this verse and Daniel 1:1 with the people of Jerusalem and their different chronologies of the progression of the kings are in contradiction. Judah of the judgment they would While the two passages present a diffiface. It spite of all he had done and culty, they do not present a contradiction. said, they were permanently bent Since Jeremiah prophesied and wrote toward idolatry. prior to the exile in Babylon and Daniel Using the standard of the world prophesied and wrote after the exile, the difficulty is easily explained. In Judah, the to measure success, most would method of calculating the chronologies of deem Jeremiah a failure as a misthe kings was to use the year of their sionary or pastor. Where were the ascending year. In Babylon, the other converts? Where was the building? method was used which was to use What did he have to show for his another year besides that of their ascending the thrones. labor? For the most part he had precious little to show for his twenty-three years of prophetic ministry. As far as the people of Judah were concerned Jeremiah himself said, “Ye have not hearkened” (verse 4). Considering the conditions under which Jeremiah ministered and the apparent lack of success, one might ask, why bother to continue? The people of Judah should have been well-schooled with regard to the price of rebelling against the Lord; yet, they stiffened their necks, would not listen to the Lord’s Word and did worse than their fathers (Jer. 7:26; 19:15). Jeremiah was not the only true prophet of the Lord during this time. Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah (641-626 BC, Zeph. 1:1). His message likely contributed to the revival during the time of Josiah. Huldah,

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106 / Jeremiah 25:1—26:24; 2 Chronicles 36:22, 23 the prophetess, was consulted concerning the book found in the house of the Lord (623 BC, 2 Kings 22:3-20). Her message, which concerned the judgment written in the book, also encouraged Josiah’s revival. However, the speed and apparent ease with which Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim led the nation back to idolatry would indicate that, for most, the revival was not truly of the heart. Habakkuk, too, was a contemporary of Jeremiah during these turbulent years of Judah’s history. He clearly foretold of the imminent invasion and captivity by Babylonian (621-605 BC, Hab. 1:5-11). The time that the Lord and His prophets would shake the dust of their feet was fast approaching (Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5). Paul and Barnabas did this same thing concerning the Jews and city officials at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:14, 49-51). Jeremiah’s love for the Lord and his people compelled him to continue his prophetic ministry. Jeremiah understood that he and the others were the Lord’s servants. The Lord called and sent each one of them with His special message. As the true prophets of the Old Testament, every true New Testament minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been called by the Lord (Gal. 1:15-17; 1 Tim. 1:12, 13). The gospel ministry is not a vocational choice such as that of a lawyer, doctor or mechanic, but, it is a calling and placing by the Lord. We, like they, are to be men sent from the Lord. The facts that the people needed to repent and return to the Lord, and Jeremiah and the other prophets of God had the only message that could bring these changes, compelled the prophets to continue their ministries. If the people of Judah and Jerusalem perished, who cared? Certainly not Egypt, not Assyria, not Babylon who was poised to attack. True prophets longed for a day of repentance and glory to God. If men and women today perish in their sins, who cares? False religionists care no more today than they did then. The liberal, professional bishops and clerics who deny the inspiration of the Scriptures and the deity of Christ apparently do not care. But praise God, Jesus still cares and so must every truly God-called pastor and missionary. Jeremiah was also compelled to continue because of the promise that the people would be blessed or they would face judgment. Our message today must resound as boldly with the doctrines of judgment and hell for the unrepentant as they do with the hope and blessings promised to the believer. Even at this late hour in the people of Judah’s rebellious history the Lord held out His hand of mercy and promised, “I will do you no hurt” (Jer. 25:6). But to claim this promise they had to turn from evil and return to the Lord. The people of Judah’s willful rejection of Jeremiah’s message provoked the Lord to anger, therefore judgment was certain. Their evil works brought about their hurt. JUDAH EXILED Jeremiah 25:9-11 The reason for the people of Judah’s exile is clearly stated. “Therefore [for which cause or for this reason], thus saith the Lord of host; Because ye have not heard my words” (Jer. 25:8). The people of Judah’s deaf ears refused to

The Sign of the Wine Cup—Judgment of Nations / 107 hear. The Lord’s servant was ready to do His bidding and exeanna cute judgment. “The families of the north” (the nations that made My Servant Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 25:9): Because the people of Judah continup the Babylonian empire), would ued to disobey Jehovah God, even with be used of God to punish the the incredible long-suffering of the Lord, nation of Judah and the surroundthey finally exhausted His patience. Nebing nations. (Compare Habakkuk uchadnezzar had previously been postured to completely defeat the people of 1:5-11.) Three times in Jeremiah, Judah, but God was not ready for the the Lord referred to Nebuchadcomplete annihilation of His people. nezzar as “my servant” (Jer. 25:9; However, the disobedience continued 27:6; 43:10). This does not mean to and He pulled all barriers to the Babyimply that Nebuchadnezzar was a lonian king in accomplishing his evil intentions. He was considered the sersaved child of God. It was used to vant of the Lord, not because he enjoyed show the importance of the task divine favor because he did not. But the entrusted to him. At some point magnitude of judgment upon the people Nebuchadnezzar realized that the of Judah left God no alternative but give the king of Babylon a green light. As the Lord God pronounced this evil Lord’s instrument, he was to be the agent upon the people of Judah and that of judgment upon Judah. He was unconJeremiah was His true prophet scious of God’s overall will for His peo(Jer. 39:11—40:4). ple, the people of Babylon or the king First, the Babylonians struck himself. He was a pawn in God’s plan. He simply continued to pursue the against the people of Judah and destruction of the nations, including Jerusalem, and then they turned Judah. But he progressed only because their war efforts against all the God’s permissive will allowed him to surrounding nations. The people conquer the surrounding nations. of the land were made an astonishment, and a hissing; that is to say, they were left in ruin and waste to be mocked and scorned perpetually. The everyday life of the people was disrupted. The noise of rejoicing at weddings and religious festivals was heard no longer in the streets of the cities. The people of Judah were to serve Babylon for seventy years. There are those who teach that this number is not significant and refers to the natural life span of man. However, the number seven played, and continues to play, an important role in the Jewish economy and the fulfillment of prophecy. The seventh day was to be a day of rest, called the Sabbath. The seventh year was to be a fallow year in which the whole land and its people rested. After seven such sabbatical years, the fiftieth year was to be a Year of Jubilee. If these sabbatical years where honored, they would prove to be times of special blessings from God (Ex. 20:8-11; Lev. 25:1-24). But for four hundred ninety years the people of Judah did not honor the sabbatical years. Therefore, the Lord Himself saw to it that the land had its promised and needed rest of seventy years. The Lord claimed what was rightfully His. Daniel was among those taken captive in the first deportation to Babylon. This was in the fourth year of Jehoiakim and during the three month reign of

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108 / Jeremiah 25:1—26:24; 2 Chronicles 36:22, 23 his son, Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:1-12). In the year 605 BC, Daniel was a student of God’s Word and studied the scrolls that were available while in Babylon. Since he read the scroll of Jeremiah (Dan. 9:1, 2; compare Jeremiah 25:11). Daniel knew the time for the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy was at hand because he had been there for seventy years. The year 536 BC is the coming of Cyrus, king of Persia and the return of the remnant under Zerubbabel and Joshua (Ezra 1:1-3; 2 Chron. 36:22, 23). Daniel lived to see the return of many of his countrymen to the land of Israel (Dan.1:21). God’s Word is precise. He did not then, nor does He now, mince words. JUDGMENT OF BABYLON

Manna Judgment on Babylon (Jeremiah 25:12): God’s chastisement upon the people of Judah was devastating but also temporary. He used the time of exile in Babylon as a means to provide the opportunity for them to be brought to desperation and repentance. The judgment on the people of Judah was not destruction but chastisement which is a manifestation of God’s love for His people though He judged their sins severely. Babylon, on the other hand, was the agent of Jehovah, in so far as He removed any barrier of defense found in Judah. Because the nation and its king had overthrown Judah, destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the house of God, the Temple, His judgment on them would not be an act of chastisement but a complete destruction and devastation. The kingdom of Babylon was the greatest of the four Gentile powers, but its glory was temporary. Its judgment from Jehovah is forever. Once the seventy years of captivity ended, the dual kingdoms of Media and Persia overthrew Babylon and its king and the Babylonian empire was no more.

Jeremiah 25:12-14 God permitted Babylon to chastise His wayward people. When the chastisement was sufficient, God put an end to Babylon’s power (Jer. 25:12; 29:10). A loving God was close at hand to deliver His people. Even when the load seemed the heaviest, God watched over Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the rest of His faithful children (Jer. 23:23, 24). Isaiah foretold that Jehovah would use His “mighty ones” (Isa. 13:3) to carry out His judgment upon Babylon. These mighty ones are identified as the Medes. The Hebrew word translated “sanctified” as used here means they were set apart to do God’s service. The Medes were set aside or chosen as God’s instrument to lay the heavy load of judgment upon Babylon. Cyrus led his armies under the title “my shepherd” (Isa. 44:28). Cyrus rejoiced in the recognition of Jehovah and fulfilled His will (Isa. 45:1-3). This prophecy was one hundred seventy years before he

spoken before Cyrus was born and over took Babylon. Isaiah also foretold that so many would be slain that men would become the prized possession of trade (Isa. 13:12-16). The majority of the people did not believe Isaiah and their grandchildren did not believe Jeremiah. Jesus also spoke of a great day of slaughter (Matt. 24:22). The census of the world

The Sign of the Wine Cup—Judgment of Nations / 109 today is right at six billion. According to Be Moved and Go Mad: to be the numbers given in Revelation 6:8 and moved means “to agitate or shake 9:18, one-half of the world’s population violently.” Go mad denotes somewill be destroyed. This means that three thing clear and shiny, and here it billion will be slain. If this troubles you, refers to making a show, boasting or foolishly raving so as to be and it well should, remember this—a lovnoticed by others. In the text, God ing and merciful God is in control of this declared that He would cause the world and its nations, and He will win the nations to act in such a manner. final victory (Rev. 19:11-21). The magnifiWord Studies #1607 and 1984. cent golden empire built by NebuchadDesolation: the meaning is “dryness nezzar was lost in one night without a and emptiness of value.” The word fight (Dan. 5:30, 31). Isaiah, one hundred represents a dry, desert-like place. seventy-five years before it happened, The place was not always in that condition, but the word suggests a foretold the downfall of the Babylonian process has taken place to reach empire that Daniel knew so well. that condition. This was a process Babylon came to symbolize all the evil of drying and destruction. Once governments and religious systems of the the process ended, the place was a desolation also meaning emptiness world, especially those in the last days. of value. Word Study #2717. Although the city of Babylon continued to be inhabited for several centuries, it continued to decline until it was no longer fit for habitation. Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq, fancied himself as the successor to Nebuchadnezzar. He attempted to restore the hanging gardens and was planning a big celebration, but the dream was shattered by Desert Storm. Babylon, in its ruined state, is a testimony to the world of the truthfulness of God’s Word. The evil systems of government and religion that drank from Babylon’s cup will also meet their destruction, and Babylon will fall in one day and be as Sodom and Gomorrah as Isaiah foretold (Isa. 13:19; Rev. 17:5, 16-18). Revelation 18 reads as an overlay of Old Testament prophecy concerning the fall of Babylon. THE WINE CUP Jeremiah 25:15-33 Jeremiah was commanded to take the wine cup from the hand of the Lord. The cup was a symbol of God’s wrath. The picture painted here is a stern reminder of what is in store for any nation that will turn its back on the Lord, His Word or His people. The wine cup was used by the apostle John to describe the indignation and fierceness of God’s wrath that will fall upon the great harlot Babylon that caused the nations of the world to commit fornication (Rev. 14:8; 16:19). The wine cup of this fury was filled with the anger and wrath of God. Jeremiah was told to carry the cup to all the nations designated by the Lord and make them drink it. The choice of whether or not to drink was not left to the nations. The wine was not given as a sedative to help ease the coming fury. When they drank of it, they were moved. The Hebrew word used here means “to be agitated violently, shaken back and forth, tossed about, or to be trou-

110 / Jeremiah 25:1—26:24; 2 Chronicles 36:22, 23 bled.” Such a movement of the nations, brought about by the sword of the Lord, caused the nations to rage like crazed madmen. The nations were made to drink the dregs (the worthless bitter solids that settle to the bottom of a wine skin or cask) (Psalm 75:2-8). They received the worst of it. This same cup and mixture is promised to those who worship the beast (antichrist) (Rev.14:9-11). How Jeremiah accomplished his task is not revealed. The cup was first partaken of by God’s own people. Jerusalem, with its kings and princes, and all the cities of Judah suffered great desolation and waste. As it is, this day shows that the Lord and Jeremiah presupposed the complete fulfillment of the prophecy (Jer. 44:6). Jeremiah literally caused the nations to drink from the cup of wrath. They were dealt with as like kind because they were all guilty of idolatry. The first listed among these nations was Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar would purge them because Pharaoh-Necho led an allied army against him. All the mingled Utterly Unpunished: here are (foreign) people were the mercenaries two words which come from the same root meaning. It means “to who joined Necho in his battle against be clean, pure, innocent or blamethe Babylonians. less, and that the person or perThe kings of Uz were mentioned next. sons under discussion be set free of any judgment.” One of the two The land of Uz was Job’s homeland (Job words adds intensity to the other 1:1). Josephus (Ant. 1, VI, 4) claimed that so that the condition of innocence Uz was the founder of Damascus and that represented by unpunished is emphasized to a much greater his land was south of Damascus which degree, utterly unpunished. Word lay between Edom and northern Arabia. Study #5352 This would place it almost due east from Israel and Judah. The Uz named here is likely the son of Nahor Abraham’s brother (Gen. 22:20-22). Abraham sent all the children of Keturah away from Isaac to the east country (Gen. 25:6). Uz was either inhabited by, or had been made subject to, the Edomites during the time of Jeremiah (Lam. 4:21). Next in line were the Philistines. Gath was not mentioned and Ashdod was referred to as a remnant; these two had already lost their prominence. For Nebuchadnezzar to control the Middle East all of Philistia had to be subdued. Much of this area today is controlled by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and is called the Gaza Strip. The PLO is a fractured governmental structure divided into two main factions called Fatah and Hamas. They are adamantly opposed to each other but will join hands to fight against Israel. Judah’s kinsmen in Transjordan were called on next. Moab and Ammon were the sons of Lot by incest, while the Edomites descended from Esau, Jacob’s wild brother. They had long been antagonists of Israel and Judah. Tyre and Zidon were named as the two leading cities of the Phoenician

The Sign of the Wine Cup—Judgment of Nations / 111 empire. The kings of the isles in the Hebrew text is singular, the isle or coastland. The reference is likely to the island nation of Cyprus. Moving farther south, the Lord’s cup was passed to Dedan, a son (grandson) of Abraham by Keturah (Gen. 25:1-3). The city of Dedan today is known as al-`Ula, in northwest Saudi Arabia. Tema was one of the sons of Ishmael (verses 13-15). The descendents of Buz, the younger brother of Uz (Gen. 22:21), are the Bedouins (the mingled people) of the Arabian desert. The name Zimri has been linked with Zimran, one of the sons of Abraham by Keturah (Gen. 25:2). The name means, “wild sheep or goat.” The name has also been connected with a clan that roamed western Arabia, who used the mountain goat as its symbol. Elam was a son of Shem and grandson of Noah (Gen. 10:22). His kingdom, one of the earliest civilizations, was on the east side of the Tigris River located in the mountains opposite Babylon. They joined with the Assyrians against Judah (Isa. 22:6). They were listed among those the Assyrians mingled into Samaria (Ezra 4:9, 10). Media, or the Medes, were descendents of Madai, a son of Japheth and grandson of Noah (Gen. 10:2). They inhabited the land to the west and south of the Caspian Sea. Babylon’s dominance was to reach all the Controversy: the meaning here is known kingdoms around them (Dan. “to contend, strive or quarrel with 4:22). another.” It also may mean to plead, defend, or argue a cause. The After all the others had their drink, the presence of an offense on the part cup was finally given to Sheshach. This of one or both parties may exist as name is a play on the Hebrew alphabet the root cause of the controversy. and the word Babylon. By substituting In the text, the nations had offended the holiness of God; therefore, the last letter for the first and so forth God will strive with them with His through the consonants of Hebrew, Babyhand of judgment. Word Studies lon becomes Sheshach. In the end, the #7378 and 7379. king of Babylon, too, had to drink. The wine of fury inebriated all those who drank it, and it proved to be fatal. The question was asked, If I (the Lord) will judge the city that bears my name (Jerusalem), what makes you think your nation will escape? The voice of the Lord was likened to the roar of a lion which resounded to the ends of the earth. The nations of this world will all pass in judgment before the Lord (Matt. 25:32-46). The questions they must all answer is, What have you done with the Lord? and, What have you done with His people (either Israel or the church)? This was, and is, the controversy the Lord had and will have the nations. The rebellious goat nations will be trampled like grapes. The Lord will act as both prosecutor and Judge as He charges the wicked nations and brings the sword against them. The judgment will be swift and violent as a great whirlwind blowing over the earth. The picture of the slain left unburied and lying around on the ground like garbage reminds us of the judgments that will be brought by the Lord in the last days (Isa. 26:21; Ezek. 39:11-14; Rev. 14:14-20).

112 / Jeremiah 25:1—26:24; 2 Chronicles 36:22, 23 THE HOWLING SHEPHERDS Jeremiah 25:34-38 These shepherds were the leaders of the Lord’s flock. The reference was to Judah’s kings. Jeremiah was especially concerned about these faithless shepherds who had forsaken the flock of God. Unkept, the flock was grievously afflicted and scattered. They, too late, understand that they were unable to make any advancement against the Chaldean army. The country they were called to serve would be left in desolation. These selfish shepherds were left to cry in the ashes of Jerusalem and Judah. However, all of their crying could not save them at this point. They were weeping for their lives. The day was set for them to be slaughtered. Jeremiah shifted the imagery from shepherds to pottery to picture the total destruction of the unfaithful shepherds. They would be broken into pieces like clay pottery that is dropped on the floor. The day of grace had changed to the day of judgment. There was no place for them to flee; as there will be no place for the wicked unbelieving in the end-time (Rev. 6:17). The Lord spoiled their pleasant pastures and the sheep were gone. The Lord abandoned His own land. This is a strong reminder, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). JEREMIAH’S MESSAGE Jeremiah 26:1-6 The exact date of this message in the Temple court is uncertain. We are told it was in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim. It most likely took place during the first year he was on the throne of Judah. The chapter begins with a biographical sketch of Jeremiah. It is probably written by his secretary and confidant, Baruch. The timing of this message corresponds to that of chapter 7. The difference being that chapter 7 highlights the contents of the message; while the penalty or judgment of the message is dealt with in detail in this chapter. The message was addressed to all of the cities of Judah which had come to worship at the Temple. Considering the spiritual climate in Judah at this time, for most, any worship at the Temple was purely hypocritical. Jeremiah’s message was designed to convict Judah of its idolatry and show the people that if they repented and returned to Jehovah, they could avoid His wrath in judgment. The message warned that if they did not heed God’s Word, He would allow the Temple to become like Shiloh. This was a reference to the days of Eli. When his evil sons Hophni and Phinehas took the Ark of the Covenant into battle and the Lord permitted the Ark to be taken by the Philistines (1 Sam. 4:4-11). The Tabernacle which housed the Ark of the Covenant had stood at Shiloh from the days of Israel’s conquest of the land of Canaan (Joshua 18:1). Shiloh stood at the center of the people of Israel’s worship for a period of about three hundred years, but it was destroyed. The Temple in Jerusalem had served the nation since the days of Solomon, almost four hundred years up to this lesson. However, it, too, would be made desolate like Shiloh. The city of Jerusalem became a curse to the nations of the earth. More

The Sign of the Wine Cup—Judgment of Nations / 113 battles have been fought and more international strife stirred up over the city of Jerusalem than any other in history. JEREMIAH’S MOCK TRIAL Jeremiah 26:7-24 Rather than heed Jeremiah’s message, the people were enraged. Jeremiah was opposed by the hypocritical priests and false prophets. They, in turn, rallied the support of the people and had Jeremiah arrested. The priests, the prophets and all the people in the Temple courts who heard Jeremiah’s message acted in unison. They took him as he finished his message and demanded “thou shalt surely die” (Jer. 26:8). The charge brought against Jeremiah was that he was a false prophet because he preached in the Lord’s name that the Temple and the city would be made desolate. Obviously, they believed that such a prophecy could never come from God. At the mock trial, the priests and prophets accused Jeremiah of treason and sought the death penalty. God’s prophet stood his ground. His defense was simple. My life is in your hands: do what you will with me, but killing me will be shedding innocent blood, and God will hold you accountable. This caused certain of the elders to think more wisely. The elders’ counsel concerning Micah and Urijah prevailed. Ahikam, the son of Shaphan who was sent by Good King Josiah to ask the meaning of the book (2 Kings 22:12), successfully arranged the safe release of Jeremiah. CONCLUSION Jeremiah 25:1—26:24; 2 Chronicles 36:22, 23 There were those in Judah and Jerusalem who would face the coming judgment. This lesson is a strong reminder that we reap what we sow. In every generation, those among God’s children who chose to live the life-style of the ungodly world must also share in the judgment that befalls them. They will suffer the loss of all those things which the world and the lust of the flesh holds dear. God’s blessings upon a nation will correspond to the faithfulness of His people. There will come no spiritual relief without repentance and submission to the will of God. Living in and condoning sin will always result in the judgment of God.

Lesson 11

For Sunday, August 10, 2008

The Sign of the Yokes— Submission to Babylon

Jeremiah 27:1—28:17

The message of Jeremiah would bring blessings and hope to all these who believed it and returned to the Lord. But, on the other hand, it would bring judgment and shame upon those who rejected it. The Word of God (the Bible) is divinely inspired and thus without error (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). Therefore, God honors and keeps His Word (Jer. 1:12). Every born-again child of God is the result of someone hearing the gospel (Rom. 10:17; 1 Cor. 1:18). Not one jot (iota) or tittle (the apex of a Hebrew letter) shall pass until all is fulfilled (Matt. 5:18). His Word will live and abide forever (1 Peter 1:23). God will judge those harshly who misuse His Word. God is always mindful of those who preach His Word and of those who hear it. Both are held responsible, one for how he preaches it and the other for how he receives it. Judgment is certain upon those who twist the Scriptures to fit their interpretation (2 Peter 3:16). The lesson material presents a showdown between a true prophet of God, Jeremiah, and the false prophets. This is exemplary of how the Lord protects those who are His and judges those who are false. JEREMIAH’S YOKE Jeremiah 27:1, 2 Verse 1 gives the time of this message as “in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim.” However, the message of this chapter and the sign of the yokes was addressed to the court of Zedekiah, especially to the king himself, as clearly indicated in verses 3, 13 and 20. Several explanations have been offered to explain Jehoiakim’s name in verse 1. Three Hebrew manuscripts along with the Arabic and Syriac versions of the Old Testament have the name Zedekiah. However, most manuscripts have the name Jehoiakim. Since the Lord is allknowing and Jeremiah wrote and spoke by divine inspiration, it is possible that the message was given to Jeremiah during Jehoiakim’s reign but not delivered until the appointed time. Whatever the reason or whenever the time it does not diminish the fact that it was God’s message and sign to Zedekiah. This message was given about a year after the scuffle in the Temple mentioned in Jeremiah 26. The Temple message sternly and clearly warned that Jerusalem would become like Shiloh. Jehoiakim was dead but his evil reign 114

The Sign of the Yokes—Submission to Babylon / 115 brought Jerusalem to the place as Shiloh was when the Ark of the anna Covenant was captured by the Philistines. Judah was soon to be The Yoke of Babylon (Jeremiah 27:2, 3): Jeremiah was asked by the Lord to place without God’s presence in the an agricultural yoke on his neck. He then Temple. His glory could no longer summoned the representatives of the remain among the many false kings of the surrounding nations to come gods and false worship. and hear the prophecy of the Lord regarding Judah and each of the nations This chapter comprises three who would fall under the siege of the sections. The first was a warning Chaldean armies and King Nebuchadto the nations who came to meet nezzar. The yoke, a wooden implement with Zedekiah at Jerusalem for which caused the beasts under it to be in complete submission and in total control the purpose of forming an alliance by the master, was a symbol of servitude against Nebuchadnezzar and his and in this case captivity. Jeremiah actuarmies. The second was an appeal ally wore the yoke. He was indeed obedito King Zedekiah to heed the Word ent to the Lord. He conveyed to the various representatives of the kings what the of God. The third section was a yoke meant and that God’s hand of judgrenewed plea to the priests and ment would not be stopped. His point people to return to Jehovah and was that instead of staging a combined true worship. rally of rebellion against Babylon, they should submit to them, instead. Jeremiah To illustrate his message and showed that God was the sovereign Crefix it deeply into the minds and ator of the universe and determined the hearts of his hearers, Jeremiah events of all His creatures including was instructed by God to make a nations. He also determined to whom they should submit, and His plan includwooden yoke large enough to wear ed that the siege of the Babylonians be around his neck. This was not a successful as a means of chastising His dream. Jeremiah did what the people. Lord commanded. He actually wore wooden yokes with bonds. The bonds made the straps of the halter by which the yoke was attached to his neck and shoulders. The yoke was like those used to hitch together teams of oxen so they could pull a plow or heavy wagon. Having taken notice of Jeremiah’s other actions during his messages, the people were sure to ask, What is he doing now? I wonder what this means? This was more than a vision as some have hinted. The force of the message would be lost without the reality of the yoke. The yoke of Jeremiah was a symbol of servitude and bondage. According to Jeremiah 28:10, Jeremiah wore the yoke when he was challenged by the false prophet, Hananiah.

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THE YOKE AND THE NATIONS Jeremiah 27:3-11 Five nations, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon, sent ambassadors to Jerusalem to meet with Zedekiah. Three of these nations, Edom, Moab and Ammon, were kinsmen of Judah, Uncle Esau and cousins Moab and Benammi. They all three had been antagonists of the people of Israel and Judah

116 / Jeremiah 27:1—28:17 for centuries. However, when they were threatened with destruction and slavery, they quickly turned to Judah for help. As this unholy alliance sat in the palace to discuss their plans, their worldly reasoning would have sounded rational and appeared to be the right thing to do. After all, Nebuchadnezzar and his army were hundreds of miles away. They still had time to recruit mercenaries and the help of Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar was busy conducting other military operations and did not have a close eye on these smaller nations around Judah. The Babylonian Chronicle tells about a rebellion that occurred in Babylon shortly before this time. Nebuchadnezzar was forced to defend himself against an attempted overthrow. With such unrest going on in Babylon, these five small nations evaluated their chances of success for defeating Babylon’s armies. It is quite certain that these ambassadors had heard about this radical prophet named Jeremiah. Much to their surprise, they were to meet him face to face. Imagine the shock when Jeremiah appeared in the king’s court wearing a large wooden yoke around his neck. This was not a sight they would soon forget, and one they would certainly share with others. Their wonderment soon turned to gloom as they listened to Jeremiah’s message. This was not what they wanted to hear, but it was what they needed to hear. Jeremiah, by the Word of the Lord, urged Judah and the kings to peacefully surrender to Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. Each refused and Zedekiah was no exception. In his rebellion against Jeremiah’s message and in an apparent attempt to ward off Babylon, Zedekiah summoned the ambassadors of the surrounding nations to enlist their help by forming an alliance. What boldness Jeremiah demonstrated when he entered the court of Zedekiah and stood unflinchingly before him and the ambassadors. The prophet to the nations was fulfilling his commission. He got the court’s attention as he entered the room wearing a yoke made of wooden bars laced together with leather straps. All eyes were focused on him, and every ear was tuned to what Jeremiah would do and say next. Each ambassador carried the symbolic message back home to his king. They came to meet with Zedekiah and plan how to rid themselves of the yoke placed on them by Babylon. However, the Lord God, Creator of all, had other plans. All of these kingdoms would be delivered to Babylon. If they did not submit to the yoke, the Lord would punish them with the sword, famine and pestilence until they were consumed. The Lord, who is sovereign over His creation, by His mighty arm rules the affairs of nations. This is a fact the kings, prime ministers, presidents and ambassadors of today’s nations need to understand and accept fully. Wake up, America. God is in control. Jeremiah’s message and sign of the yoke was clear. His message shattered all hope the ambassadors had of a secret meeting and finding a way to successfully confront and defeat Babylon. God’s message was a challenge. The reality was that any challenge against Babylon was also a challenge against Jehovah. “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the

The Sign of the Yokes—Submission to Babylon / 117 ground, by my great power and by my outOutstretched: the meaning is “to stretched arm, and have given it unto stretch oneself beyond the norwhom it seemed meet unto me” (Jer. 27:5). mal.” It is to spread either physicalHis right as Creator gave Him the authorly or with influence outwardly to ity and power to accomplish His will and areas where one does not normally reach.The direction of the purpose among the nations. God is in stretch is outward from self and charge. toward a desired area for the purThe people of Judah and the surroundpose of influencing that area. The ing kingdoms were at the mercy of God text speaks of the ability of God to influence all areas of creation. whether they liked it or not. At that presWord Study #5186. ent time it was God’s choice, not theirs, to punish their rulers and people. They Punish: the basic meaning is “to would be delivered into the hands of the visit.” This visit may involve a searching for the person, place or Babylonians. They would serve Babylon thing one wishes to visit. There is under three kings, Nebuchadnezzar, his some degree of concern on the son, Evil-Merodach (Jer. 52:31), and his part of the one searching and visitson’s son, Nabonidus. The dynasty was ing. The text reveals God, who is above all creation, visiting certain overthrown for a short period when Nercreatures. At contact, God extends gal-sharezer, Nebuchadnezzar’s son-inHis response to the condition law assassinated the king (Jer. 39:3, 13). which He finds.They were in sin; He ruled for five years and was succeeded therefore, God in His visit responded with judgment or punby his son Labashi-Marduck who was ishment. Word Study #6485. overthrown after a few months. Nabonidus, Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson, ascended to the throne. He has been called the world’s first archaeologist. It was his desire to unify the false religion in Babylon. He explored the ancient world and restored old temples. He placed his son, Belshazzar, in charge of the army and city during his often long absences. The military and defenses were weakened. Belshazzar threw a drunken feast and desecrated the gold and silver vessels from the Temple in Jerusalem. Babylon fell in one night with minimal fighting (Dan. 5:1-30). At the time appointed by God, Babylon fell. Darius the Median with the aid of the Persians overthrew the mighty Chaldeans. That Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans were appointed by God was clearly settled. The Lord told the prophet Habakkuk, “For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not their’s” (Hab. 1:6). The ambassadors were warned not to listen to the various leaders of the occult who preached a message of false hope. If they knew anything about history, they knew that this group had been right before this, so why trust them now? Their messages and their gods were both false. As the idols they served, they were worthless. Jeremiah named five types of evil deceivers. The prophets who were pretenders of the truth had not received any revelation from God. The diviners, qasam (kaw-sam´) practiced divination by casting lots or

118 / Jeremiah 27:1—28:17 a spell. God told the people of Israel that He had not given anna them the right to possess or The Danger of Resisting the Yoke, Part 1 listen to such a person (Deut. (Jeremiah 27:8): The symbol of the yoke, worn 18:14). The dreamers, chalam around the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, was (khaw-lam) claimed the abilito show each of the kings of the nations that it ty to see and interpret dreams. was futile to withstand the siege of Nebuchadnezzar, since it was determined by the The people of Israel were inLord that he would succeed and the other structed not to listen to nations would suffer defeat. The coalition of dreamers who would lead countries thought initially that their strength them to serve other gods. of numbers would be enough to overcome the Chaldeans. But in spite of their united front, Such dreamers were to be put the Lord had already raised up Nebuchadto death (Deut. 13:1-5). The nezzar and the Babylonians for their victory. enchanters, anan (aw-nan) If they, however, resisted the plan of Almighty practiced soothsaying and God, then the threefold usual results of war, sword, famine and plagues would occur. witchcraft. The Hebrew word Jeremiah was not the only prophet who means “to act covertly or to weighed-in on the situation. The false prophcloud over.” Such was not to ets of Judah long understood to be without be found in Israel (Deut. power and, therefore, without divine revela18:10). Those who practiced tion were opposed to the negative words of Jeremiah. But their words were not to be trustwitchcraft were to be put to ed. Jeremiah, alone, received his words from death (Ex. 22:18). The sorcerthe Lord and they were completely true. ers, kashshaph (kash-shawf) Additionally, the diviners of the foreign counwere magicians. They were tries agreed with the false prophets. During closely related to the practice times of crisis, people generally are easily swayed by messages which are more positive of witchcraft. All of these than negative in spite of the truth of Jeremiwere condemned by God. ah’s message and symbolism. Whatever they may have concocted came from Satan and evil spirits, not the Lord. None of these had ever helped one of Israel’s or Judah’s Yoke: the meaning here is “the master to servant relationship.” The neighbors, so why did they think they yoke typically was a wooden piece could be of any help to them? All they made by man to sit on the neck of could offer was removal from the land of an animal in servitude. A controlpromise and a day of dying. They should ling harness would attach to the yoke. The yoke and harness gave have sung the psalms of David that the master control over the anideclared, “The LORD is my rock, and my mal’s movement.The master, therefortress, and my deliverer; my God, my fore, was able to use the animal to strength, in whom I will trust; my buckserve his purpose. God called the people of Judah to bring their ler, and the horn of my salvation, and my necks under the yoke of Babylon, high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who therefore, becoming, at least from is worthy to be praised: so shall I be a political standpoint, the servant saved from mine enemies” (Psalm 18:2, of Babylon. Word Study #5923. 3).

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The Sign of the Yokes—Submission to Babylon / 119 Jeremiah’s message warned the ambassadors not to resist or rebel. The nations that refused to bow their necks to the Babylonian yoke would be judged by the Lord with sword, famine and pestilence from God. Only those nations that would submit to the yoke of Babylon would be allowed to remain in their own country and till the soil. THE YOKE AND ZEDEKIAH Jeremiah 27:12-15 Jeremiah boldly turned his attention and message directly to Zedekiah in verse 12. It is the same message specially tailored to meet the needs of the king. The warning and meaning of the yoke could not have been misunderstood or misinterpreted. The priests, false prophets, diviners, dreamers, enchanters and sorcerers spoke as one when they called Jeremiah a liar. Time and history proved who the liars were. Zedekiah was warned not to listen to Lie: the word means an untruth, and them. But here is proof of the old saying may be intended as a deception. It is to say or declare something that that man will believe a lie quicker than is false. Men usually tell lies delibhe will the truth, especially if those lies erately, and with some degree of are tickling his ears and appealing to his deceptive intent in their hearts. lustful flesh. This is not unlike what the God is Truth and only sinful men apostle Paul said man would do just may lie. In the text, God warned that false prophets had lied to the before the return of the Lord (2 Thess. people and before God. Word 2:1-12; 2 Tim. 4:3, 4). The Lord had not Studies #8266 and 8267. sent these lying prophets to Zedekiah. They spoke in His name, but they spoke lies and to listen to them meant death. Jesus warned, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:21-23). There are those today who use the name of Jesus freely in their message and song. Yet many of them do not declare His message in truth. THE YOKE AND JUDAH’S PRIEST Jeremiah 27:16-22 The priests would also be held as accountable as the lying prophets and kings whom Jeremiah confronted. The conclusion and capstone to Jeremiah’s message was his assurance that every residue of vessel from the Temple that still remained in Jerusalem would be carried to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar and his army. The lying prophets preached a different message that they would soon be returned. The priests and people, like the nations and Zedekiah, were told not to listen to such prophecy. Jeremiah issued a challenge, “If they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now

120 / Jeremiah 27:1—28:17 make intercession” (verse 18). Such a anna prayer for those wicked hearts would The Danger of Resisting the Yoke, Part 2 (Jeremiah 27:15): The message of Jeremiah, which had already not reach the ears and been given to the representatives of the kings of the heart of God. The “pilsurrounding nations was then given to Judah’s lars” were two brazen reigning King Zedekiah. Earlier, King Jeconiah was columns that Solomon told to submit to Nebuchadnezzar, and he did so, placed at the entrance which resulted in his life being spared and the initial captives enjoying a relatively peaceful existence in of the Temple. They Babylon. Zedekiah refused to listen to the prophet, stood eighteen cubits and manifest continued lack of resolve to lead the high or twenty-seven people to serve the living God. He was a weak and feet and twelve cubits indecisive leader. However, he was given the opportunity, as the kings of the nations about him, to cease or eighteen feet in cirany resistence and continued disobedience to the cumference (1 Kings Lord. God had already determined that the nation of 7:15-22). The “sea” Babylon was His instrument for the chastisement of (Jer. 27:19) was the His people, and no one would be successful in their massive molten sea attempts to subvert His will for His people and His purpose of using the nations for His ends. which was the fixed Again, the false prophets successfully convinced laver placed in the the king to ignore the pleas of the prophet of doom. courtyard. It was supThe king refused to ignore their lies. In addition to ported on twelve fullthe contradiction toward the message of Jeremiah, size brazen oxen and the false prophets were proven to be false. But, instead of obeying the Lord and standing for the true contained water for message of God through Jeremiah, King Zedekiah the priest’s washings foolishly prepared for a revolt against Nebuchadnezin the worship of zar rather than submit unto them and to a greater Jehovah. There were degree to Jehovah. But his personal history and that also the ten portable of the nation of Judah was consistent disobedience bronze lavers called toward God. They continued in their defiance and disobedience much to their folly and ultimate de“bases.” All of these struction. valuable treasures, once dedicated to God, would be carried to Babylon. In Babylon they would remain until the Lord’s appointed day of judgment fell upon the Chaldeans. The Lord was already arranging for their return under Cyrus king of Persia (2 Chron. 36:22, 23; Ezra. 1:1-8; 5:13-17; 7:19). Jeremiah understood that, given time, his message and ministry would be vindicated by God.

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JEREMIAH CONFRONTS HANANIAH Jeremiah 28:1-9 The first verse of this chapter makes is clear that the previous event of chapter 27 took place in the fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign. Calling the fourth year of an eleven year reign, “the beginning” is not a problem according to Jewish reckoning which divided such periods as a king’s reign into halves. Thus we have the first half or “beginning” as opposed to the last half or “end” of his reign.

The Sign of the Yokes—Submission to Babylon / 121 Hananiah was perhaps the most vociferous of the false prophets. Hananiah came from the city of Gibeon (Jer. 28:1), a city in the area of Judah allotted to the tribe of Benjamin. It is a well-known city in the history of Israel’s conquest of the land of Canaan. This was the city that “did work wilily” (Joshua 9:4), or by trickery, to make Joshua believe they were from a faraway country and pleaded that a league be made between them. Without any counsel from the Lord, Joshua made peace. When the deception was realized, they did not destroy this group of Hivites or their cities. They were cursed and made servants to hew wood and carry water (Joshua 9:1-27). It is not revealed whether or not Hananiah was himself a descendant of these people. It is clear that he was of the same deceitful character. He misled the nation of Judah with a false message. Hananiah engaged Jeremiah in a public debate beanna fore the priests and all the The Yoke of the King of Babylon (Jeremiah people. In his first speech he 28:2-4): One of the false prophets, Hananiah, showed no compunction or predicted a different scenario than Jeremiah but used the same symbol, the yoke, which the uneasiness when he declared true prophet had worn around his neck. But, his message was from the instead of the same interpretation, that of “LORD of hosts, the God of Judah and the other nations submitting to the Israel” (Jer. 28:2). What yoke of Babylon, he indicated that the yoke would be placed upon the neck of Babylon audacity to make such a after only two years of captivity. Having abclaim when he knew in his solutely no credibility as a prophet, since he heart that such was not true. had clearly not been given the prophecy from Perhaps he had spoken lies God, he emphasized the short duration of the captivity, as a positive aspect of his prophecy to for so long that his conlend credibility with King Zedekiah and the science had become seared as religious leaders in Judah. He paid absolutely with a hot iron (1 Tim. 4:2) no attention to the consistent warnings which His message was that God were previously given. To further his prophetwould break the yoke of ic credibility, he heard of the internal revolt in Babylon which Nebuchadnezzar was having to Babylon within two years. avert. Such caused Hananiah to presume the This was plenty of time for best for Judah. Obviously, his prophecy was Nebuchadnezzar and his never fulfilled. Its falsehood was proven by the army to besiege the city of standard of Deuteronomy 18:21, 22. His prophecy indicated that Jeconiah and the other exiles Jerusalem and destroy it. would soon return from Babylon. The vacillatHowever, Hananiah was not ing nature of King Zedekiah probably caused permitted to live and see it many of the people to desire the return of Jecocome to pass. Jeremiah had niah to the throne of Judah who in Hananiah’s prophecy might be a better leader to lead a clearly stated it would be revolt against the Chaldean army. Though it seventy years. He also was more popular than the prophecy of Jeredeclared that Jehoiachin and miah which his contradicted, it was proven the exiles with him would false when Jeremiah’s prophecy came to pass exactly as he predicted. return. Jeremiah’s message was that Jehoiachin would

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122 / Jeremiah 27:1—28:17 die in Babylon. It was apparent to all who heard these two men speak that one of them was a false prophet. The Law demanded that a false prophet be put to death (Deut. 13:1-5). Jeremiah was astonished by the bold and iniquitous message of Hananiah. Jeremiah did not have to defend his message. The Lord was his defense. In reply to Hananiah, Jeremiah said, “Amen: the LORD do so” (Jer. 28:6). Even though he knew it was a lie, he wished it were true for he desired that good would come to Judah, Jerusalem and the Temple. Jeremiah was distressed by what he knew was the truth. He did not want to see the Temple and Jerusalem destroyed or the people led away captive. Jeremiah warned Hananiah that many prophets had spoken before them and the test for who spoke the truth had not changed. “When the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him” (Jer. 28:9). Time, history and the Word of God showed which one was the liar (Deut. 18:20-22). The prophets of God before the time of Jeremiah—Joel, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum and Habakkuk—each in turn condemned the same sort of evil and a corrupt people. Hananiah was warned of the serious danger in which he was placing himself. The audience should have taken critical note of the fact that Jeremiah was preaching a new message. He was not the first of God’s prophets to warn Judah of the judgment to come if they did not repent and turn from their sins against Him. Jeremiah followed in the steps of the great preachers of truth who came before him. THE BROKEN YOKE Jeremiah 28:10-14 Hananiah rose for the second time, and, in open defiance to Jeremiah’s message, pulled the yoke from Jeremiah’s neck and broke it. Still in denial and speaking lies, he declared this was the Lord’s message, “Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar . . . within the space of two full years” (verse 11). Such action was to gain the favor of the people and turn them against Jeremiah. The verb broke is from the Hebrew shavar, which means “to break in pieces, to render a thing totally useless.” Hananiah may have broken the yoke the Lord had Jeremiah make, but this in no way broke the Word of prophecy given by the Lord to Jeremiah. Hananiah had not just challenged Jeremiah, but he had openly and defiantly challenged God and His Word. This is always an invitation for God’s chastening hand. “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me” (Isa. 30:1). It was at this point in the debate when Jeremiah turned and walked away. Jeremiah did not act foolishly. He waited for an answer from the Lord. Jeremiah knew for certain that Hananiah had spoken dishonestly. There are seemingly learned men who rightly define the word ekklesia, as “called out, an assembly, a people called out and convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating.” Then they attempt to explain this away by

The Sign of the Yokes—Submission to Babylon / 123 making reference to the true church, which they see as a universal, invisible body in both Heaven and earth made up of all the saved. It cannot be both ways. There is a great need today for God’s people to “try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Jeremiah did not get into a personal verbal exchange with Hananiah. His reply was ever, “Thus saith the LORD” (Jer. 28:13). The message was now harsher than before. “Hananiah, you have broken a yoke of wood, but you will be given one made of iron” (verse 13). When one openly and knowingly defies the Lord, things will always get worse. God’s Word of judgment would not be broken like the wood. It would be as hard as iron. Jeremiah 28:14 states that Hananiah’s false teachings had forged a yoke of iron to be placed around the neck of Judah and the surrounding nations. They would be servants of Nebuchadnezzar, and they could not break the yoke. THE DEATH SENTENCE Jeremiah 28:15-17 The Lord had not sent Hananiah; yet, he had great influence over the nations and Judah. Jeremiah came with boldness and spoke with authority. He demanded that Hananiah listen to the true message of the Lord. “The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust a lie” (verse 15). This was a serious charge that deserved capital punishment. The words expressed in Hebrew show the severity of the charges brought against Hananiah. Sent is from the word shalach, meaning “to send away, or to let go.” The Lord Himself denied that He had sent Hananiah, or that He has let him go to Judah with such a promise. Trust is from the Hebrew batach, which means “to confide, place hope, or have confidence.” Hananiah was charged with causing Judah to place hope and confidence in a false message. Lie is from sheqer. It is translated falsehood, vanity and fraud. Such a lying message was fraudulent and, therefore, worthless. Preachers of works for salvation and baptismal regeneration beware, for your message is as fraudulent as Hananiah’s. God will surely judge you and those you have deceived. Hananiah was told that God would remove him from the face of the earth. Since the people would not invoke the Law, the Lord would. Hananiah serves as a warning to all those who proclaim a false message. In the fifth month of that year Jeremiah prophesied, “This year thou [Hananiah] shalt die” (verse 16). The chapter closed with these words, “So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month” (verse 17). Wake up, Judah. Wake up, Zedekiah. Jeremiah told you the truth. Heed the warning, child of God. We have the privilege and obligation to proclaim God’s true message to the wicked. If we fail, we will be judged. Heed the warning, sinner friend. If you have heard the gospel message and refused it, judgment and condemnation from God shall be your lot (Ezek. 33:9; John 3:18, 36).

124 / Jeremiah 27:1—28:17 CONCLUSION Jeremiah 27:1—28:17 Opposition from the world should not make us waver from the truth. There is no power that can successfully resist or destroy the Word of God. Children of God need to know the truth and be prepared to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). Be prepared to answer with God’s Word the shameless contradictions of false teachers in the world today. God’s judgment on false teachers is inescapable. Jesus invites all those who “labour” (kopiao; kop-ee-ah´-o, feel fatigue from hard work) and are “heavy laden” (phortizo; for-tid´zo, loaded up, overburdened) to take His yoke, which is “easy” (chrestos, employed, fit for use, manageable), and His burden (phortion; for-tee-on, invoice, bill of laden) is “light” (elaphros; el-af-ros’, not weighty). If only the people of Judah and the nations Jeremiah addressed had taken the yoke appointed by God, how much easier their burden would have been. Even in the darkest hour and what may seem the worst of trials, the yoke of the Lord will always fit better, be far more manageable and less burdensome than any yoke the world has to offer.

Lesson 12

For Sunday, August 17, 2008

The Sign of the Seventy Years— Captives To Return Jeremiah 29:1—31:40

This section of the book of Jeremiah has been called “The Book of Consolation.” These chapters are filled with messianic hope. Together with chapter 23 they are some of the most comforting and reassuring prophecies concerning Israel’s future restoration and glory found anywhere in the Old Testament. Consolation cannot come to the people of Israel, however, until after the time of Jacob’s trouble when they repent and accept Jesus as their true Messiah. The restoration of the people of Israel spoken of in these chapters is yet future. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah record the events which took place with Cyrus’ decree and allowed the Jews to return to their homeland. However, at that time they did not fully possess the land as foretold here and by other prophets. The fullness of these prophecies will come to fruition when Jesus Christ sets up His millennial kingdom here on earth. Chapter 31 continues the same thought of chapter 30. The main subject in these chapters deals with the fact that in the restoration there will no longer be two kingdoms in the land of promise. Israel and Judah will be reunited as one. (A glimpse of this reuniting is being witnessed today in the state of Israel). But they have a long way to go before they reach the climax of the prophecies recorded here by Jeremiah. LETTER OF ENCOURAGEMENT Jeremiah 29:1-14 TO THE CAPTIVES God called the young man Ezekiel to be His watchman among the captives “by the river Chebar” (Ezek. 1:1). But it was Jeremiah whom He entrusted with the task or writing His message and sending it to his countrymen in Babylon. He identified the captives as those who were carried away with Jehoiachin and his mother (2 Kings 24:8-16). The deportation of captives took from among the best of the people of Judah and Jerusalem in 597 BC to fill the courts of Babylon and aid the workforce. The letter was entrusted to Elasah, brother of Ahikam and son of Shaphan. Ahikam saved Jeremiah for the mob of angry priests by pleading for his life. Shaphan was the faithful scribe during Josiah’s reign. Shaphan found the scroll of the Law during the restoration of the Temple. When he read the scroll in Josiah’s court, it sparked a revival fire. Gemariah the son of Hilkiah was 125

126 / Jeremiah 29:1—31:40 also one of the trusted ones. Hilkiah was the high priest during Josiah’s reign (2 Kings anna 22:3, 4). Note that Jeremiah A Prophet’s Letter to the Exiled Elders was not without converts or (Jeremiah 29:1-3): Jeremiah had not resigned himself from being God’s prophet to those he could trust. The Lord the nation of Judah, even those who had has always had those who are a been deported in the first exile in Babylon. witness to His name. We are The craftsmen, artisans, along with the not told the reason for Zedekideposed King Jeconiah and his advisors, ah sending a delegation to Nebhad probably set up a sense of community uchadnezzar. Likely, they careven within the confines of Babylon. The exiles seemed to fare well in spite of their ried tribute and a message of captivity and subservience to Nebuchadassurance of the king’s loyalty nezzar. The events described in the book of to Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah Daniel seems to bear proof. could have sent this letter with Through the willingness of the early capZedekiah’s blessings. It aptives which included the skilled craftsmen, pears from this chapter that Nebuchadnezzar took advantage of their Nebuchadnezzar allowed the abilities and utilized them in the beautification of the country, especially the city of letters and communication Babylon. The letter of Jeremiah was sent by between the captives and their an approved courier by Zedekiah, who families still in Judah and wanted to give the appearance of compliJerusalem. Considering all that ance with the king of Babylon, even though had happened in Judah and there were plans to resist and revolt against Jerusalem and the fact that him later. Zedekiah was not as much decepJeremiah’s message had proven tive as he was, according to his nature, vacillating again. His leadership seemed to to be true, they might have change with the direction of the wind and been ready to listen to what the alteration of various circumstances. Jeremiah had to say. Jeremiah addressed his first letter to the residue of elders. Jeremiah’s first concern was their conduct while in Babylon. He assured them they would be there long enough to build houses, plant crops, and give their sons and daughters in marriage. They were encouraged to have children so their numbers would not dwindle in captivity. God had made them exiles and now challenged them to make the best of their situation and seek the peace of the city were they were held captive. Nebuchadnezzar did not set them under slave masters such as they had in Egypt. In many ways they were better off than the families left in Jerusalem who faced famine and possible destruction. Jeremiah’s next concern was the false prophets who had risen up even among the captives. You would think with all that had happened in Judah and Jerusalem false prophecy would cease. This was not to be the case, however. When would they ever learn? What would it take to put an end to such blatant lying messages? To paraphrase the little red book used by communist instructors in China, a good lie catches on quickly. So, if you tell one make it a good one. And tell it loud and tell it often. The message of Hananiah apparently caught on with others. The false prophets among the captives pro-

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The Sign of the Seventy Years—Captives To Return / 127 claimed the same lie he had. The Lord warned the captives not to listen to the false dreamers. The captives in Babylon, still plagued by false prophets, were falling into the snare of their false message which directly opposed Jeremiah’s letter. They, like Hananiah who confronted Jeremiah in Jerusalem, preached a false message of hope. The letter from Jeremiah told the exiles not to heed any message which spoke of an early return to Judah. The people were in hopes of going home, and the false diviners filled their heads with false dreams that would turn into dark nightmares if they failed to listen to God. God was working on His timetable with Judah. God’s promise was given, “That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place” (Jer. 29:10). Why did the Lord decree seventy years of captivity in Babylon from 605 to 536 BC? From the year 1095 BC when Israel demanded a king, and Samuel anointed Saul until the first captivity in 605 BC was 490 years. During those years neither Israel or Judah honored the Law of the sabbatical year (Lev. 25:1-22). The Babylonian captivity allowed the land its anna Sabbath rest. The captivity lasted seventy years because this was The Seventy Years of Captivity (Jeremiah 29:10, 11): With his additional encourthe number of sabbatical years of agement for the exiles in Babylon, Jererest they had not observed. Durmiah further wrote concerning the actual ing the four hundred ninety years duration of their exile. In spite of the positive appearance of the false prophecy by the people of Israel and Judah Hananiah, God’s prophet gave true enwere under their kings, the spiricouragement to the people. They would tual lives of these two nations be in exile for seventy years not two were like roller-coasters, up and years. It should be pointed out that the seventy years were as much for the evendown. They turned to idols and tual demise of the Babylonian empire as forgot their Creator. Therefore, it was for the duration of Israel’s exile. God permitted them to be taken to The faithfulness of God would be shown Babylon which was the seedbed of in His merciful chastisement of His rebel-

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Peace: it is to exist in a state of safety, where circumstances are under the control of such a power so as to keep safety intact. It also suggests a state of completeness in which the circumstances are sufficient for well-being and good habitation. Peace does not promise the fulfillment of desires but the supply of needs. God told the people to seek the peace meaning to find that state of safety and completeness as they themselves offered nothing to counter it. Word Study #7999.

lious people, as well as His repudiation of Judah’s nemesis, King Nebuchadnezzar and the empire he ruled. Giving the real and truthful prophecy of the nation’s restoration to their God and to the land of Judah, the prophet was actually providing God’s gracious promise that their temporary exile was not evidence of God dismissing them, but actually indicated that He had remembered them even though the false prophets wrongfully predicted a quick deliverance. Jeremiah’s prediction actually was more heartening to the exiles who were already in Babylon before the siege of Judah and Jerusalem.

128 / Jeremiah 29:1—31:40 Expected End: the two words have different meanings but work together to reveal a unified thought.The end speaks of a future point in time which is in view. The mind stretches forth itself with desire and expectation toward a certain direction capturing a vision of that future end. The viewer has determined both the end and the expectation of it. Word Studies #8615 and 319.

idolatry. With the fall of Babylon and the arrival of Darius, Daniel understood that the words of Jeremiah’s prophecy had been accomplished (Dan. 9:1, 2). Jeremiah’s letter assured the exiles that this was not the end of the nation of Israel or Judah. The Lord had not stopped loving His chosen people. He was a disappointed Father who had no choice but to discipline His children. He would keep His word because His promises are sure (1 Cor. 1:20). God was planning for their future. Time among the Babylonians would bring true conversion. “Then shall ye call upon me” (Jer. 29:12). The captives were encouraged to pray and once again find the Lord. The promise is simple and clear. Return to Me, and I will return to you. God would gather His scattered sheep from every nation where they had been captive and bring them back to their pastures in the land of promise. The greater purpose of the Babylonian captivity was to bring the people of Judah and Israel back to the true worship of Jehovah. LETTER OF WARNING TO THE CAPTIVES Jeremiah 29:15-23 Jeremiah’s second letter concerned itself with Zedekiah and those left in Judah. These verses are not out of place as some have assumed. These verses were written in answer to questions asked by the exiles. Why should we stay here? Why seventy years? They are better off in Babylon seeking the will of God than those still in Jerusalem who are rebelling against Him. Those left in Judah and Jerusalem with Zedekiah faced the sword, famine and removal from among the nations. Those left behind would know no prosperity. This message which concerned the ultimate fall of Jerusalem was to encourage the captives to heed Jeremiah’s first letter. The false prophets held out the hope that one from the Davidic seed was still on the throne in Jerusalem. However, the truth was that those still in Judah would undergo the terrible disaster of war and famine. They were likened to vile figs of the worst sort. God would send His sword and deliver them to their enemies. God said they would become four things among the nations where they would be scattered. They would be a “curse” (verse 18) an alah, that which or who is denounced and detested because of a broken oath. They would be an “astonishment” (verse 18). The Hebrew word shammah, speaks of ruin and waste in the land. It is also the waste and horror caused by the desolation of judgment. There would be “hissing” (verse 18). This is from the Hebrew word shereqa (sher-ay-kaw) and is used to describe the reaction displayed by those who pass by the ruins of a once great city, either a hiss or a whistle as a sign of shock or horror at the scene. This would be a “reproach” (verse 18). The Hebrew word herpa has the idea of casting blame or scorn at someone, to treat one with contempt. This came to pass in its ful-

The Sign of the Seventy Years—Captives To Return / 129 ness with the rejection of Jesus as the Persecute: the meaning is “to run Christ. The Jews have faced such scorn after or pursue another.” This purwherever they have tried to make their suing is often with a hostile intent. home. In this text, the word means “to pursue an enemy with the intent This reproach was not because they to overtake and defeat him.” The were not warned. Their earliest warning pursuit suggests that the pursuant came through the message of Moses some has ought against the one being eight hundred fifty years earlier. They pursued. In the text, Judah has were told in no uncertain terms that if offended God with its sins and they turned to idols and served other gods God will pursue it with the intent of judgment. Word Study #7291. “thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee” (Deut. 28:37). The truth was evident. They chose not to heed God’s Word. During the time of Israel’s and Judah’s existence up to this chapter, God sent three prophets to the nation of Israel, eight to the Northern Kingdom of Israel and thirteen to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. That is a total of twenty-four prophets who were ignored by the majority. Jesus, during His personal ministry, told a group of Pharisees they were “the children of them which killed the prophets” (Matt. 23:31). The prophets who misled the people would be judged by the Lord. All those who bear false witness concerning the Word of God will answer in a day of judgment. As the false prophets of old they were shrewd operators. They told the people what they wanted to hear laced with half-truths. The apostle Peter warned that they are among us. They sneak in the side door with “damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1). Even though their message is reproachful and its end destruction, millions are deceived into following them. God has reserved a day of judgment for all such teachers and preachers (verses 1-9). Two false prophets among the exiles in Babylon named Ahab and Zedekiah were marked for judgment. Nothing else is said of these two other than that they were liars. God would deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. It would be politically beneficial for Nebuchadnezzar to be rid of these false prophets. Their predictions, though false, would tend to stir up the Jews for a rebellion. He had the two of them put to death. Jeremiah’s narrative indicates they were burned alive. Along with the fact that they were liars, the Lord also charged them with villainy or acting foolishly morally by committing adultery with their neighbors’ wives. Such sin would not go unpunished even in Babylon. LETTER FROM A FALSE PROPHET Jeremiah 29:24-32 Jeremiah’s letter to Babylonian exiles created a commotion among those who did not want to hear the truth. Jeremiah’s battle with the false prophets continued through the postal service. Shemaiah, yet another false prophet, who had been taken captive, thought to offset Jeremiah’s message to the captives by writing a letter to those still in Jerusalem. His letter lied about the

130 / Jeremiah 29:1—31:40 priesthood, Jeremiah and his message. He encouraged the leaders to silence and punish Jeremiah. He referred to Jeremiah as a “man that is mad” who deserved to be put “in prison, and in the stocks” (verse 26). Shemaiah not only accused Jeremiah, he also accused Zephaniah of being derelict in his duty. Zephaniah either held Jeremiah in respect or fear. In either case he read the letter to him. Jeremiah, under the guidance of God, sent a third letter to Babylon in answer to Shemaiah’s lies. For his evil, God declared He would punish Shemaiah. He would not have any man to succeed him. His family would not be among those to return from captivity. He would not see the good that God was going to do for His faithful remnant. Thus is the plight of all those who rebel against the Lord. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE Jeremiah 30:1-24 The first three verses of Jeremiah chapter 30 serve as an introduction to the Book of Consolation. Jeremiah was commanded to put the Lord’s Word in a book. The subject under consideration is the future restoration of the people of Judah and Israel; Jeremiah preserved the words for our generation. There is an appointed time when the Lord shall deliver the people of Israel from all their enemies (Zeph. 3:16-20). In that day the Jews from every corner of the earth where they have been scattered will return to the land of promise and possess it and thus the name of the Lord will be exonerated (Ezek. 36:21-28). Before this day of vindication and joy, there must, of necessity, first come a time of judgment. It will be a day of trembling and fear. This day will not be a time of peace, but a day when men will scream in pain as a woman in travail with child. The false prophets of Jeremiah’s day preached peace and safety but destruction came upon them. This serves as a glimpse into the future. The apostle Paul, when writing concerning the return of the Lord, foretold of false prophets who at that time will cry, “Peace and safety” (1 Thess. 5:3). The result shall be the same as foretold by Jeremiah, “sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (verse 3). The Great Tribulation will bring pain and suffering to all the ungodly of the world. Its primary purpose is to bring the nation of Israel to a place of repentance and acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah. Neither Israel, nor any other nation, has ever witnessed such a great day of judgment; there is none like it. Zechariah described this as a time when two-thirds of the people of Israel shall die; only a third of its citizens will be left in the land (Zech. 13:8). But they will come through the fire and be refined like silver and gold. The day spoken of in Jeremiah 30:7 is not a twenty-four hour time period. The reference is to “the day of the Lord” in which He and His Word will be fully vindicated. In describing this time in Israel’s future history, Jeremiah used a phrase unique to his book. “It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble” (verse 7). Trouble is from a Hebrew word meaning “adversary, adversity, affliction, anguish, distress,

The Sign of the Seventy Years—Captives To Return / 131 tribulation.” A form of the same word was used by the anna Lord when He spoke through Moses about the people of The Prophet’s End-time Predictions (Jeremiah 30:4-7): God not only used the prophet Israel and their tribulation Jeremiah to prepare His people Judah for the that would come in the latter anticipation of the seventy year captivity, but days (Deut. 4:26-30). Jesus also engaged him in predicting their overall referred to this time as “great future and the long-range purpose God had tribulation” (Matt. 24:21). for them. With that in mind, the prophet spoke concerning the long-standing history of God’s purpose for Israel durthe nation, covering the reigns of David and ing this time of tribulation Solomon, as well as the more recent kings of will be to bring about the Judah, Jeconiah and Zedekiah. Even though nation’s conversion to the the nation would be disciplined while in their Messiah, Jesus Christ. Daniel captivity in Babylon, this passage referred to as a time of trouble for Jacob refers to the final made it clear that this time dealing with the people of Israel during the involves his people (the Jews) seventieth week of Daniel. His description of and the city of Jerusalem the fear and terror associated with the de(Dan. 9:24). Daniel and scribed events are much more extreme than Zechariah both agreed with anything they experienced in Babylon, or even Jeremiah’s prophecy that this in the holocaust of the twentieth century. Once the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled, day will be a time of judgDaniel’s seventieth week will bring a terror ment as well as deliverance toward the Jews which shall be unparalleled and salvation for the refined in comparison to previous events. The prophand converted remnant (Dan. et Jeremiah, through divine revelation, real12:1). ized that and so described those prophetic events as a time of trouble for Jacob. This day will bring a time of healing to Israel, both to the people and the land. The bruise left by Nebuchadnezzar still smarts in the nation of Israel today. But it is a small wound in comparison to the wounds and sores inflicted by Titus and the Roman army in AD 70. The people of Israel’s rejection of Jesus as the Messiah and the cry of “his blood be on us, and on our children” (Matt. 27:25) inflicted a bruise and hurt that has continued to go uncured for 1,918 years. Today is much like the time of Jeremiah. “There is none to plead thy cause” (Jer. 30:13). In recent days Israel has often had to stand alone in its fight to survive as a nation. The people of Judah and Israel could find no cure either from their former lovers or within themselves. The Lord was, is and shall be the cure for the people of Israel. When the remnant was refined in Babylon and returned to the Lord, He returned to them and brought them home. Israel’s hope today is not the United Nations or the Israeli Defense Forces, its hope is Jesus the Christ. The Lord foretold of the day when the people of Israel “shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zech. 12:10).

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132 / Jeremiah 29:1—31:40 ISRAEL RESTORED Jeremiah 31:1-30 Verse 1 of chapter 31 closed the thought of chapter 30 and introduced the subject of God’s loving-kindness toward Israel. All the sons of Israel, not just Judah, will be restored and be known as God’s people. There are no lost tribes of Israel. God knows exactly where His chosen are. The long years of exile and tribulation over, God will intervene and bring rest to the nation of Israel. From the day of Israel’s conception the Lord has loved them with an everlasting love, like a father with his firstborn. Jeremiah gave three word pictures to help us understand the joy of Israel’s restoration. The first picture shows the people of Israel with tambourines and dancing merrily. This is similar to the scene the world witnessed when they were declared a nation in 1948 and again when the old city of Jerusalem and the Temple mount were taken back in the Six-Day War in June of 1967. The second picture is one of anna peace and prosperity. The Complete Restoration (Jeremiah 31:1): The Jews who have returned to anticipation of the return from exile shows the reunification of Israel and Judah. The prophet their homeland have witindicates the restoration of the people to their nessed the hand of the Lord own land through the promises of God. Howupon the land as it blossoms ever, he refers to the northern tribes first, indiand yields its increase, but cating a reunification element. Israel and Judah would be an undivided people under they have not known peace. God again. With the allusion to the Exodus, They will know this when the prophet indicated a definite analogy of the the Prince of Peace, Jesus wilderness wanderings with the return of the Christ, returns to Jerusalem. captives, not only those of Judah from BabyThe final picture Jeremiah lon, but also the ten tribes from their earlier captivity in Assyria. Jehovah provided for His painted is of the watchmen people out of Egypt in the wilderness. It was crying out once again from the promise of His provision in their release Ephraim, “Let us go up to from the captivity in Babylon and their reZion unto the LORD our God” storation to their own Promised Land. Once they returned to their land, which not (Jer. 31:6). only included the Judean plain, but also the The nations were chalnorthern area of Samaria, the Lord would lenged to listen and see cause the land to produce as it once had. what the Lord has done with Additionally, those in the north would resume Jacob (Israel). There is hope, their worship in Jerusalem, as noted in the use for the people shall be satisof the word Zion in verse 6. The Temple in Jerusalem would be rebuilt as it was the only fied. The day of Rachel’s authorized place where God was to be wor(Jacob’s wife) weeping will shiped in the Old Testament. The watchmen be over. Matthew referred to on the walls of Samaria were to inform the this passage in connection northern tribes concerning their need to with King Herod’s slaughter observe the feasts which required the pilgrimage to Jerusalem—Passover, Pentecost and of the innocent babies of Tabernacles. Bethlehem (Matt. 2:17, 18). T h e p r o m i s e wa s t h a t

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The Sign of the Seventy Years—Captives To Return / 133 Rachel’s children shall return. There is hope even for the likes of Ephraim, Rachel’s grandson by Joseph, who had been likened to a stubborn heifer and a cake unturned. As an untaught calf or an untrained steer, Ephraim resisted God’s will, but the Lord will have mercy upon this pleasant child for the house of Joseph will be restored. They were to set up piles of stones as road signs as they went to Babylon. These guideposts would help guide them home. The full and complete restoration of Israel would be so remarkable as though the “LORD hath created a new thing in the earth” (Jer. 31:22). All of Jerusalem, including the “mountain of holiness” (verse 23), a reference to the Temple mount, will be restored. Today this is a volatile area in Jerusalem occupied by two Arab mosques. These shall be replaced with the Temple of God. It is the restoration of the soul and its saturation with righteousness that is the Lord’s main concern. When this is done, He can watch over them. His new covenant will be one of the heart, and He will be their God. A NEW COVENANT Jeremiah 31:31-40 The main theme of Jeremiah’s many messages centers around the Jewish nation’s repentance and return to serve Jehovah. The people grew weary of his repeating himself time and time again but it was a message they needed to hear. A new pastor had been on the field about three months when one of the men of the church approached him and asked, “Brother Pastor, don’t you have any other sermons but those on repentance?” “Yes, I do” answered the young pastor, “but this church hasn’t done that yet, so I see no need to preach something else!” Perhaps this is the way the Lord and Jeremiah felt about the people of Judah. The message of repentance was the only one that could turn the sinful people around and head them back toward the Lord. Repentance and the return to their service of the Lord was the answer for the people of Judah. This message, if accepted and applied, still works today. Judah’s promised hope, as well as ours, is in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He is the only hope a nation has for survival. “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34). The kingdoms of Israel and Judah had broken every law laid down under the old covenant made at Mount Sinai. Their forefathers had readily agreed, “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do” (Ex. 19:8). With the exception of a few, each generation continued to rebel and reject God’s Word and His prophets who preached it. The covenant was broken through no fault of the Lord. There are a number of Jews today who belong to B´nai B´rith. There are several synagogues that use this name. B´nai B´rith means “Sons of the Covenant.” Yet, they cannot live the old nor have they accepted the Messiah of the new. The new covenant shall bring the people of Israel and Judah back together as one kingdom. However, this new covenant differs greatly from the old covenant. The old covenant was written and engraved in stone (2 Cor. 3:7). The new covenant is established by faith in the shed blood of the Messiah,

134 / Jeremiah 29:1—31:40 Jesus Christ. It is not written in stone, but upon and in the cleansed hearts of believers (verses 1-3). Neither Israel, Judah nor any other nation can keep the old covenant. Paul said, “The law (old covenant) was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24). No man or woman has ever been justified by trying to keep the old covenant (verse 11). Mankind is justified under the new covenant by grace through faith in the finished work of the Messiah, Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24-28). These verses in Jeremiah 31:31-40 are the only reference in the Old Testament to a new covenant. They are some of the most important verses in the book of Jeremiah. There are several passages in the New Testament that clearly show the new covenant is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus made reference to the new covenant in Luke 22:20, as did the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:25. Paul showed how the new covenant is symbolized by the elements used in the Lord’s Supper (the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ). The writer of the book of Hebrews deals with the old covenant vanishing away, while the new covenant is established once for all and is eternal (Heb. 9; 10). Hebrews 8:8-12 and 10:16, 17 quotes directly from Jeremiah and concludes that it shall be established in the hearts and minds of the people of Israel and Judah with their acceptance of the one offering, Jesus the Messiah. The new covenant will have no wall of partition between the Jew and Gentile, for that has been removed by Christ (Eph. 2:11—3:7). This promised hope and the glories of the new covenant may be yours today, when you, by faith, accept Jesus as the Christ, the Savior of the World. CONCLUSION Jeremiah 29:1—31:40 The last seven years of Jeremiah’s sign will truly be the time of Jacob’s trouble. It will be climaxed by an invasion of Israel that is unparalleled in history. The main target will be the city of Jerusalem (Zech. 14:2). Ezekiel prophesied that God “will bring thee [the nations] forth” (Ezek. 38:4). This will be the last great attempt by Satan and the descendents of Ishmael and Esau to destroy Israel. It will seem as though the whole world has turned its back on the tiny nation. However, the prophets tell us that all is not hopeless. This will be a day marked by the Lord’s mercy. The whirlwind of God’s judgment will cease to blow. The bringing again of “Jacob’s tents” refers to all the families, who shall return with rejoicing. The land’s new governor will be one of them who can draw near and approach the Lord. Israel was given a glimpse of this when the crowns were set on the head of Joshua the High Priest (Zech. 6:1113). The ultimate fulfillment is found in Jesus Christ as the King-Priest over His people (1 Tim. 6:15; Heb. 6:20—7:1). We know of a certainty that God is going to protect a remnant of His chosen people. “Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle” (Zech. 14:3).

Lesson 13

For Sunday, August 24, 2008

The Sign of the Purchased Field— Israel Restored Jeremiah 32:1—49:39

To fully appreciate the “sign of the purchased field” one must be familiar with the law of the “kinsman redeemer” (Lev. 25:24-55). The purchase of the field was proof of Israel’s future restoration and glory. The land which the state of Israel now possesses is only about twenty-five percent of the land that made up the Kingdom of Israel during the reign of Solomon. Jerusalem was in its final stages of the siege by Nebuchadnezzar’s army. Jerusalem faced the sword, famine and pestilence. A message of hope should have been greatly received and appreciated. But the people of Judah had forgotten the One who bought them. These chapters reveal things about those who were left in the land, along with Jeremiah and Gedaliah, who are not spoken of anywhere else in the Scriptures. Their flight to Egypt did not dismiss their responsibilities as God’s covenant people. God’s judgment upon sin is inevitable regardless of where one is. Not only did the Lord continue to judge the Jews in Egypt, He also judged the Gentile nations. God not only has the power to chasten but to preserve those who are His. There is much profit to be gained by the chastening hand of God (Heb. 12:5-11). JEREMIAH’S SIGN OF THE Jeremiah 32:1-44 PURCHASED FIELD The time under consideration of these verses is during the final siege of Jerusalem when it appeared that all was lost. How could Jeremiah’s message of hope and restoration possibly be true? It was Nebuchadnezzar’s plan to make a public example of Zedekiah and those with him. This was his answer to those who would rebel. Jeremiah continued to urge Jerusalem’s surrender. Instead, he was charged with treason and thrown into prison. From his prison cell, Jeremiah informed Zedekiah that he would not escape but would be captured and taken to Babylon (2 Kings 25:4-7; Jer. 52:7-11). Under these grim circumstances the Lord illustrated through the prophet’s actions the proof of his restoration message. Jeremiah was commanded of the Lord to purchase the field. God knew what was in store for the people of Israel 135

136 / Jeremiah 32:1—49:39

Manna The Fate of the King (Jeremiah 32:1): After Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry was brought into question by King Zedekiah, he was imprisoned after he tried to go to the land of Benjamin. It was thought that he was defecting to the Babylonians, but such was not the case. After the second siege of Jerusalem, Zedekiah ordered him to be released to prophesy concerning the outcome of the war. The prophet told him that he would be captured by Nebuchadnezzar and the city would fall. The king was mindful to put him back into prison. Jeremiah lamented concerning the conditions of the dungeon, so the king had him confined in the courtyard of the Temple, where he remained until the fall of Jerusalem. While he was there, he was later ordered to remain silent at the request of the Temple guards, and the king issued an order for his silence. King Zedekiah, true to his vacillating ways, recognized Jeremiah as a prophet, sought his predictions for the outcome of the war with the Chaldeans but rejected his message since it was not favorable toward Judah and him in particular. The king’s wishy-washy responses showed that he was self-serving and had no concern for God or His people, but only himself.

Right: the meaning identifies an absolute on the side of the holiness and righteousness of God and in opposition to sin and ungodliness. The nature of God is holy, and His holiness stands as a standard of what is right compared to what is wrong, the opposite absolute. To have the “right of redemption” declared a person’s worthiness under God to make that claim. He would not be condemned but upheld by the righteousness of God, which His Word does reveal.Word Study #8199 and #3789.

Subscribed the Evidence: two words form the phrase. The first word simply means “to physically write or record meaningful information.” It is to engrave or so influence a surface so as to leave an imprint of meaningful marks. This first word has the action of marking in view. The second word similarly refers to writing or marking so to make a record of information; however, the emphasis here is the resulting record rather than the marking action. Word Studies #5608 and 3789.

and He demonstrated the hope of His message in this command. The land and the people were taken captive. Surely, to any right-thinking person, this was not the time to make a land purchase. The sale of Hanameel’s field and its redemption by Jeremiah was an assurance to all the people of Israel and Judah that the land would be reoccupied. By the Word of the Lord, Jeremiah knew that the fall of Jerusalem and Judah was inevitable. He had for some time preached the deportation of the people of Judah and the Temple treasures to Babylon. He had advised each of Judah’s last four kings to be submissive to Nebuchadnezzar and to throw themselves upon his mercy. From his prison cell Jeremiah demonstrated one of the greatest acts of faith recorded in the Old Testament. He took on the roll of a kinsmen redeemer. It is likely that due to the difficult times since the days of Josiah, Hanameel was forced to sell the field to survive. Jeremiah, as a next of kin (a cousin), had the legal right to purchase this field near Anathoth, his hometown (Jer. 32:9). The reason for such a law in Israel was

The Sign of the Purchased Field—Israel Restored / 137 to protect a family’s inheritance. In this way, land and possessions were kept from being sold outside the family. The price was agreed upon according to the law of the sabbatical year and the Year of Jubilee. The price had to be paid in full by the goel or kinsman redeemer. When Hanameel came to the prison, as the Lord had predicted, Jeremiah, by faith, weighed out the seventeen shekels of silver and purchased the field. Jeremiah proved his faith in the Lord by his actions. James later declared that real faith produces action. “I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18) should be the motto of every child of God. The transaction and the necessary papers were witnessed, signed, sealed and delivered. Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, was instructed to take the sealed deed and place it in a clay jar for safekeeping. Jeremiah’s actions and confidence in God’s Word were sure signs to the people of Judah that they would Recompensest: the primary meanindeed return to the land of promise. ing here is “completed action.” It is Every child of God today can rest in the an action of finishing the paying of assurance that our Kinsman Redeemer, a debt and fully satisfying a condiJesus Christ, has made us a purchased tion. It may be stated as completepossession (Eph. 1:14). He paid the price ly paying a debt. The paying of the in full for our redemption (1 Cor. 6:20; debt brings it into a position of safety. The emphasis is on the comHeb. 9:12; 1 Peter 1:18-21) and sealed us pletion. God will repay, and He will for that day (Eph. 4:30) when we shall repay until He satisfies His will, the receive our inheritance (Heb. 9:15; 1 Peter standard of right payment. Word 1:4). At that time those who did not Study #7999. believe Jeremiah’s message no doubt Swear: the meaning here is to asthought such a purchase was worthless. sure an oath. It is not to merely There are those today who feel that God’s make an oath lightly as a man Word and Christianity are worthless. As might do, but the meaning includes in Jeremiah’s day, time will vindicate our a complete commitment of self to faith in Jesus Christ. Jeremiah’s prayer the oath, so that the completion of the oath is primarily in view. When and the Lord’s answer were both consolGod swears an oath, He places ing and reassuring to Jeremiah’s faith Himself as surety so the oath is as concerning the return of the people of sure as God. Word Study #7650. Israel and Judah. God, who has the power to create, has the power to keep His people (1 Peter 1:5). THE PROMISED BRANCH OF Jeremiah 33:1-26 RIGHTEOUSNESS The theme of consolation and restoration continues in this chapter. This chapter makes it clear that we must look to the future for the final and complete fulfillment of these prophecies. The words recorded here will come to pass during the millennial reign of the Messiah here on earth. The purpose of the repetition in the first fourteen verses was to comfort the still imprisoned prophet of God.

138 / Jeremiah 32:1—49:39

Manna The Prophet’s Consolation (Jeremiah 33:3): While in the custody of the Temple guard, Jeremiah received another message from the Lord. Since the message elaborated still more pain and devastation, the Lord attached His name to the message and promised that the true prophet would receive great revelation which he had not known previously. All of that while he was imprisoned. Zedekiah and his advisors still wanted to consult him, thus recognizing that he was a prophet of Jehovah. But just as before, Jeremiah’s message was not a positive one, if anything, it grew more negative with the greater details of the new revelations Jeremiah received. Jeremiah was to receive things which were unsearchable, meaning that they were beyond the scope of human comprehension. Jeremiah was not only God’s true prophet, but a man of incredible courage and faith in the midst of his severe trials. God showed His continuing confidence in His servant by revealing more details concerning the near events of the future. In addition to the added specific nature of the siege, God provided the message of hope concerning the restoration of the people after the completion of the seventy year exile.

though Israel and Judah failed, the Lord will

David was promised that his seed and throne would be forever (2 Sam. 7:4-17). Here, that promise is renewed not in Solomon, but, in the “Branch of righteousness” (Jer. 33:15). This is the “Branch” that shall grow out of Jesse’s roots (Isa. 11:1). That Jesus was of the Davidic line is a fact proven by God’s Word. He is called the Son of David sixteen times in the gospels. Twice it is stated that He was of the “Seed of David” (Rom. 1:3; 2 Tim. 2:8). It is the Christ, the righteous Branch and legitimate ruler, who will save the people of Israel and bring peace and safety to this troubled world. Through Him the throne of David shall continue forever (Psalm 89). Even not break His covenant.

THE MESSAGE TO ZEDEKIAH Jeremiah 34:1-22 Much of this chapter ties closely with chapters 26—29. Zedekiah was assured of the downfall of Jerusalem and his captivity. He was promised that he would not perish in the siege but die in peace in Babylon and be given a proper burial. His attempt to make a covenant to free the Jews who had become servants may have showed him how the Lord felt about His broken covenant. First, the people agreed with Zedekiah, but they soon broke their promise and brought all the servants back under subjection. Zedekiah was reminded of the broken covenant and the consequences. THE RECHABITE’S AN OBEDIENT EXAMPLE Jeremiah 35:1-19 The Rechabites were not Israelites. They were part of a nomadic tribe of Kenites (1 Chron. 2:55). They were closely connected with the tribe of Judah. This particular family group descended from a man named Jonadab. Jeremiah took them into a special chamber of the Temple. He put pots full of wine and cups before them and told them to drink, and though they were, no doubt, hungry and thirsty. They refused. Why? They refused because of the

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covenant and oath they had sworn to their father, Jonadab. His descendants’ loyalty to their oath stands as an example to the people of Judah and us today. If they remained true to their oath under these conditions. The people of Judah and Israel could have also. Jonadab was dead; he could no longer either bless or curse them. Yet, they remained faithful. It was the Lord who would bless them. The Rechabites never failed to have a man to serve the Lord. GOD’S WORD PRESERVED Jeremiah 36:1-32 Throughout the course of man’s history there have been attempts to discard the Word of anna God. It started in the Garden of The Dictated Scroll (Jeremiah 36:2-4): The Eden when the serpent changed chronology of the book reverts to the words the wording to “ye shall not sureof chapter 25. The Lord commanded Jeremiah to record all the prophetic messages he ly die” (Gen. 3:4). Jeremiah’s had received from the Lord. His prophetic scroll literally came through the ministry comprised a lengthy period from fire. Praise God it was prethe time of King Josiah until the end of the served. reign of Zedekiah and beyond. However, the God’s Word is alive and powcommand was given to the prophet while King Jehoiakim was on the throne. This was erful. It gets into the hearts of the first occasion for the prophetic messages men (Heb. 4:12). The effects of of the prophet to be written down. He used its sharpness were certainly withis personal scribe, Baruch, to write the mesnessed in the case of Jehoiakim. sages as he dictated them to him. They were put on sheets of papyrus which were His heart was so pierced that he attached together end-to-end with wooden cut the roll with a knife and rollers at each end. tossed it in the fire. God’s Word Since the people of Judah largely rejected cannot be so easily destroyed. the preaching of the prophet’s God-given Hitler tried it in Nazi Germany, messages, perhaps they would be more but the Word prevailed. Stalin accepting of the messages in written form. Again, the Lord showed tremendous and other Kremlin leaders tried patience and endurance for His people, givit in Russia, but the Word preing them a written record, and reminder, of vailed. Jesus promised that His the consistent messages they had received Word would not pass away. from His faithful prophet. With the imThrough the difficult work of pending judgment upon Jerusalem, it was dedicated men, some who gave hoped that the addition of the written form of the prophetic messages would stir the their lives, the Word of God has people to repentance. been preserved in ancient manuscripts and translated into nearly every dialect known to man today.

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JEREMIAH CAST INTO THE DUNGEON Jeremiah 37:1—38:28 Pharaoh-Hophra sent some aid to Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar responded by lifting the siege on Jerusalem to attack the Egyptians. He soon returned to end the Jewish resistance. Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah with a request that he pray for Jerusalem and the king. This may sound admirable, but it was

140 / Jeremiah 32:1—49:39 hypocrisy. There was no repentance, no confession or sign of returning to the Lord. The judgment of God was certain. God hears and answers the prayers of a broken and contrite heart. The short reprieve by the Chaldeans gave Zedekiah a false hope. Egypt was defeated. The arm of the flesh had failed. So certain was the impending prophecy of doom that God assured them that even the wounded Chaldeans would rise up and burn Jerusalem to the ground. During the quiet, days Jeremiah sought to return home. This apparently had to do with the reallotment of family lands. When he started on his journey, he was seen by some of the princes who heard his counsel of surrender to the Chaldeans. They falsely accused him of running to the enemy camp. Jeremiah was charged with desertion and treason and put in prison. Four governmental officials demanded that Zedekiah have Jeremiah put to death. The four plotters knew they could not publicly execute a prophet of God. The people of Jerusalem would rebel. Therefore, they devised a horrible death for the aging prophet. They let him down by ropes into a dungeon. The bottom of this empty cistern was coated with deep mud and mire. Jeremiah sank into the mud and was left there to starve, out of sight, sound and mind. God had other plans for Jeremiah. Ebed-melech (Eh´-bed-meh´-lek), an Ethiopian, befriended Jeremiah. He went to Zedekiah and requested that Jeremiah be taken from the dungeon lest he starve. Zedekiah agreed and Jeremiah was placed in the courtyard of the prison. Zedekiah proved himself to be a pathetic vacillating coward. He sent for Jeremiah to have a private meeting with him. He chose a secluded room in the Temple. One good deed in Zedekiah’s life is recorded here. He assured Jeremiah he would not be put to death. Jeremiah repeated his message to the king. Surrender and he and the people would live. Zedekiah lacked the faith to believe that God would take care of him and Jerusalem. So he chose to go his own way, which proved to be the way of destruction. Jeremiah remained under house arrest until Jerusalem fell. THE FALL OF JERUSALEM Jeremiah 39:1-18 The siege of Jerusalem lasted about eighteen months, from January 588 BC to July 587 BC. Nebuchadnezzar’s army finally succeeded in battering in the walls and were inside the city. When Zedekiah saw the leaders of the Chaldean army within the city, he arose to flee. He took with him a squad of soldiers in hopes of finding a safe haven. He fled through a secret exit in the king’s garden. He headed toward the Jordan Valley. The Babylonians found the king near Jericho. He was captured and taken to Nebuchadnezzar for judgment. The judgment shows the cruelty and brutality of such wars. Zedekiah’s sons were killed before him, and then his eyes were blinded. These sons would have been small children because Zedekiah was only thirty-two or thirty-three years of age. The word slew is

The Sign of the Purchased Field—Israel Restored / 141 from the Hebrew word shachat, which means “to slaughter in the manner of slaying a sacrificial animal.” The nobles of Jerusalem who opposed Jeremiah were also put to death. Zedekiah died in Babylon. The palace and great houses were destroyed along with the Temple. The walls of the city were torn down. The people who survived were taken captive. The poorest were left behind to tend the fields and vineyards. Jeremiah’s reputation was known to Nebuchadnezzar. He gave orders to “look well to him” (Jer. 39:12). Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning Ebed-melech was fulfilled. He was delivered from the destruction of Jerusalem. His life was spared as a prize of war (verses 16-18). A REMNANT LEFT Jeremiah 40:1-16 Chapters 40—44 present the history of those who where left in Judah after the fall of Jerusalem. During the siege of Judah and Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar made his headquarters at Riblah in the land of Hamath, near the headwaters of the Orontes River. This was on the main route from Egypt to the Euphrates. Nebuzar-adan, the captain of the guard, freed Jeremiah from prison and loosed his bonds. This Babylonian captain seemed to be more aware of the mighty hand of God upon Judah than the Jews. He acknowledged that it was the Lord God of Israel, not Babylon, who brought the judgment upon Jerusalem. It is apparent that Nebuchadnezzar was aware of Jeremiah and his ministry and wished the prophet of God no harm. Nebuzar-adan offered Jeremiah three choices. (1) You may go with me to Babylon, where I will look after your needs. (2) You may stay in the land of Israel and go wherever you please. (3) You may go with Gedaliah, the newly appointed governor, to encourage and serve him. Jeremiah had a pastor’s heart because he chose to stay with his people and care for them and the land. Nebuzar-adan gave Jeremiah the necessary provisions he needed, along with a reward, and let him go to Gedaliah at Mizpah. Why Gedaliah, when there were still those alive who were of the house of David? Nebuchadnezzar looked for someone he could trust. His experience with the last three kings of Judah caused him to lose faith in David’s house. Gedaliah’s grandfather was Shaphan the scribe who assisted in the recovery and reading of the book during Josiah’s reign. His father, Ahikam, stood by Jeremiah to prevent him from being killed by the people of Jerusalem. This family remained true to the Lord. Jerusalem was destroyed, and Nebuchadnezzar possibly did not want it resettled as a rallying place for any rebels who remained in Judah. Mizpah was chosen as the residence of governors after the fall of Jerusalem. Gedaliah proved to be a fit leader. He gained the confidence of the majority of the people. The collapse of Judah and Jerusalem happened in the middle

142 / Jeremiah 32:1—49:39 of the summer months. This left plenty of time for those left in the land to gather the crops that still remained. When word got out of Gedaliah’s appointment and the harvest of summer fruits, the Jews who fled to the surrounding countries began to return home. ANARCHY AMONG THE REMNANT Jeremiah 41:1-18 Ishmael was a member of the royal house of Judah. He, along with Johanan and others, were invited to Mizpah to meet with the governor. Gedaliah urged them not to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar. Johanan, one of the leaders of rebel forces who had hidden out, warned the governor of a secret assassination plot. Johanan even asked Gedaliah’s permission to slay Ishmael, whom he accused of being the perpetrator of this evil plot. Gedaliah refused because he believed the information was incorrect but Gedaliah’s trust and hospitality soon turned to disaster. Gedaliah had only been the governor for three months when Ishmael and ten of his men where invited to Mizpah for dinner. During the meal, Ishmael arose and killed Gedaliah, the Jews with him, the Chaldeans and the men-ofwar who were stationed there. Ishmael’s plot likely stemmed from jealousy and his unwillingness to heed what he thought was a treasonous message. Since he was a member of the royal house, he possibly felt that he should be made king or governor and not Gedaliah. The next day, before word of Gedaliah’s murder was known, eighty men arrived at Mizpah with offerings for the house of the Lord. Ishmael wept and lured the men into Gedaliah’s house where he and his men killed them. Their slain bodies were thrown into a cistern. Ten men were spared who promised to show Ishmael where hidden stores were being kept. Ishmael made prisoners of those left at Mizpah, including the king’s daughters who were entrusted to Gedaliah. Fearing reprisal, Ishmael went across the Jordan River to the land of the Ammonites. When Johanan and the other captains received word of Ishmael’s crimes, they rose up and set out with an army to find him. Ishmael was overtaken at Gibeon. As soon as the prisoners saw Johanan and his forces approach they fled from Ishmael and joined him. Ishmael and eight of his men somehow escaped across the Jordan River. Fearing they would be blamed and punished for Ishmael’s crimes, Johanan led the remnant to Chimham near Bethlehem. THE REMNANT SEEKS GOD’S WILL Jeremiah 42:1-12 Johanan was a man of action. There was no question about his patriotism or his acts of bravery. But his actions were too often done before he sought the Lord about the matter. He was determined to go to Egypt with the remnant. It was not until then that the leaders came and sought a word of prayer from Jeremiah. For nearly forty years this prophet faithfully preached God’s Word.

The Sign of the Purchased Field—Israel Restored / 143 Only a small handful had given any heed to his words out of the thousands in Judah and Jerusalem. However, the situation these refugees were in forced them to take another look at Jeremiah and his ministry. His every prediction concerning Judah and Jerusalem had come to pass. Finally, would he get the respect he deserved? After all this time would the people truly seek spiritual guidance? What the remnant did next was reminiscent of their forefathers at Sinai. They looked for Jeremiah to get the Lord’s blessing on their predetermined course of action. Whatever the Lord tells you Jeremiah, good or bad, you just tell us and that is what we will do. Jeremiah did not answer hastily. It was ten days later when the Word of the Lord came to him. The message had not changed. Stay put, fear not, serve Babylon and I will deliver you. The Lord had given them fair warning about returning to Egypt. Why would they choose to go there? It had never worked for any of their forefathers. Once delivered from Egypt, going back could only bring more grief. If you think you will find peace and bread in Egypt, think again. The sword, famine, pestilence and finally death will find you there, and you will not see the land of Israel any more. This was the truth they had to face. THE REMNANT IN EGYPT Jeremiah 43:1—44:30 No sooner had Jeremiah finished his message than two of the leaders, Azariah and Johanan, along with the proud men accused him of lying. They accused Baruch of giving him the message instead of the Lord. The people disobeyed, which proved they were as hypocritical as those who had gone before them. Strange indeed was that the prophet they did not want to hear, Jeremiah, and the scribe, whose writings they cared not to read, Baruch, were both forced to go to Egypt with them. Here, the remnant first settled at Tahpanhes, an Egyptian fortress city on the northeast edge of the Nile delta near Lake Menzaleh. It is not uncommon for today’s hypocrites, who do not attend, pray or support in anyway the service and church, to cry long and loud about their church membership. Having Jeremiah and Baruch with them did not provide them with some magic amulet to ward off God’s chastisement; neither will having your name on the church roll. The Lord instructed Jeremiah in the use of yet another sign to get the point of His message across to the people. Jeremiah took large stones and hid them in the mortar of the pavement around the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace at Tahpanhes. This was done in full view of the remnant. As the other signs it was a living message. Jeremiah explained his actions when he told the people that Nebuchadnezzar would also conqueror Egypt and would one day place his royal throne over those stones. Judgment was certain. The Jews had moved in, and they quickly began to adopt the gods of Egypt. Jeremiah continued to preach against their idolatry.

144 / Jeremiah 32:1—49:39 In the thirty-seventh year of his reign (568-7 BC), Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh-Amasis. Thus, the prophecy of Jeremiah came to pass. A MESSAGE FOR BARUCH Jeremiah 45:1-5 This short chapter takes us back in time to the fourth year of Jehoiakim and should be studied with Jeremiah chapter 36. The year was 605 BC. It is a message of encouragement for the scribe not to lose heart for his life would be spared. JACOB (ISRAEL) TO BE SAVED Jeremiah 46:1-28 The kingdoms of Israel and Judah were scattered to the four winds and thus to the nations because they corrupted themselves with graven images (Deut. 4:25-27; Ezek. 12:14, 15). Yet, there is among these prophecies the voice of hope. If, and when, the people of Israel and Judah repent and return to the Lord, He has promised not to forget His covenant (Deut. 4:28-32; Neh. 1:8, 9). The words of today’s reading are also found in Jeremiah 30:10, 11. Jeremiah used the same text on more than one occasion. The people of Israel and Judah’s deliverance is a subject dear to the heart of the Lord and His prophets. After their seventy years in Babylon, Cyrus of Persia issued a decree which permitted the Jews to return to the Promised Land. The Bible and history record that there was only a small remnant who returned. They did not at that time, nor do they today, fully possess the land as Jeremiah foretold they would. The holocaust, which took place under Nazi Germany during World War II, left over six million Jews dead and millions more homeless. The eyes and hearts of many nations around the world were opened to the terrible plight of the world’s Jews. Late in the evening of November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly, while meeting in special session, approved the partition of the land of Palestine by a vote of 33 to 13. Ten countries, including the United Kingdom, abstained. The assembly requested Britain to leave Palestine within eight months. The Jews in Palestine celebrated wildly when the news was read. The British announced they would leave at midnight on May 14, 1948. David Ben-Gurion issued a statement that the moment the British left, a Jewish State in Israel would be declared. The Jews, still in camps, would finally have a place to call home. For fifty years now Israel has been surrounded by hostile Arab nations. Several wars have been fought. Peace does not yet prevail and neither do they possess all of the land of promise. Jacob (Israel) was not to become fainthearted over the judgment and fall of the nations. They shall survive just as God’s Word has promised. The Lord is fighting on the side of Israel. He, like in the days of Hezekiah, is still able to deliver them from all their enemies. The promises of God are sure. Therefore, the ultimate return and restoration of the land shall be accomplished in

The Sign of the Purchased Field—Israel Restored / 145 accordance with God’s timetable. In that day Israel shall know rest (be reposed, appeased, be at, or be in quietness, be settled, be still) and be at ease (be at peace, armies standing at ease). The nation and its people shall no longer suffer from the terrorist and threat of war that is with them now. CONCLUSION Jeremiah 32:1—49:39 Every nation that has stood against Israel shall answer for its misdeeds. The Lord will make a full end of those who have persecuted the Jews. On the other hand, Israel shall not be utterly destroyed, punished yes, but not made full end of as others. Israel will be disciplined and taught by measure (the verdict pronounced judicially by divine law and justice). The Lord will correct (reprove and teach) them. Israel’s full and complete deliverance and reestablishment in the land of promise as one nation and one people is germane to the judgment of the nations and the setting up the Messiah’s millennial kingdom. America is doomed to a day of certain judgment if it turns its back on the nation of Israel. May we today heed and practice the words of the psalmist, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

Lesson 14

For Sunday, August 31, 2008

The Sign of the Destroying Wind—God’s Faithfulness Jeremiah 50:1—52:34

God’s covenant with Abraham was made nearly four thousand years ago. It is as good today as it was the day God established it. Covenants were ratified by a sacrifice and the sprinkling blood (Ex. 24:4-8). One way this was done was for the two parties involved to erect two altars side-by-side. The sacrificial animal would be split in two and a piece placed on each altar. While the fire was burning upon the altar the two parties would pass between the altars signifying their acceptance and responsibility for the covenant. If there was any breach of the covenant by either party, they were to be like the rendered sacrifice (Jer. 34:18). Such a sacrifice was prepared between God and Abraham. But Abraham fell asleep and the Lord passed through alone. This signified this was an unconditional covenant to be honored by the Lord (Gen. 15:9-21). WHICH WAY TO ZION? Jeremiah 50:1-8 Jeremiah’s prophecy against the kingdom of Babylon, which begins with these verses, is the most lengthy of his messages to the heathen nations. It is almost as long as the prophecies against the other nations combined. Chapters 50 and 51 are dedicated to the overthrow and ruin of the city of Babylon and the country of the Chaldeans. Jeremiah was instructed to tell the nations God’s message and set up a standard as a rallying point and signal. Nothing was to be hidden. What God planned for Babylon would be done in the open for all to witness His power and glory. God used Assyria as His instrument of chastisement upon the kingdom of Israel. When that task was complete, the Assyrians were punished. Next, God turned to Babylon as His instrument of chastisement upon Judah. Once this task was completed, the fall of Babylon was predicted. Babylon subjugated the Middle East countries for almost two centuries, the seventh and sixth BC. Because of their vile practices of idolatry, they were an adversary of the Lord and His people. Nebuchadnezzar was Babylon’s greatest ruler and was still living when Jeremiah delivered this message of doom and destruction. The Chaldeans would never have envisioned such a disgraceful end to their 146

The Sign of the Destroying Wind—God’s Faithfulness / 147 mighty empire. The Lord held Babylon in contempt because anna of their many false gods. Bel was the Baal of the Bel and Merodach (Jeremiah 50:2): The prophet reintroduced himself in the context of Babylonians. A Babylonian proclaiming God’s detailed judgment upon song written for Bel was Babylon. The first thing God showed the translated from their cuneiprophet had to do with the idols. The utter form writings. The song redestruction of the great empire would discredit the gods of the Chaldeans in the plain view vealed him as the supreme of the captives who were being delivered. ruler, life giver, god of justice, The two names, Bel and Merodach (also one who held the social order referred to as Marduk) were simply two desigtogether and the controller of nations of the same god. In the Babylonian cult religion, Marduk was considered the the elements, particularly supreme god among many pagan deities. fire. This false god and those Originally, he was a god of thunderstorms, who trusted in it would be thus noting a god with great power. Accord“confounded” (Jer. 50:2), that ing to ancient Sumerian tablets, he defeated is, they would be put to Tiamat and Kingu, the dragons of chaos, and as a result, gained the supreme power among shame, confused and disapthe gods. Recognized by the Babylonian cult pointed. The god of stone was as the creator of the universe, including useless. “Merodach” (verse 2; humanity, the god of light and life, and the Hebrew form of Marduk) was ruler of destinies, he rose to such a prominent also considered a supreme position that he claimed as many as fifty different titles. Eventually he was named simply deity by the Babylonians. The Bel, which is the Chaldean form of the Hebrew Babylonian epic of creation name Baal, and simply means “lord.” As Belcelebrated this god’s victory Merodach, he was later connected with the over the forces of evil, and he planet Jupiter as one who controlled the productive power of nature. was honored as king of the gods. He was later called Baal, so his defeat would be synonymous with the defeat of his worshipers. Jeremiah declared “Merodach is broken” (verse 2). Nebuchadnezzar named his son Evil-Merodach. The Chaldea origin Amelu-Marduk means either “Man of Marduk” or “Soldier of Marduk.” This showed Nebuchadnezzar’s dedication to this false god. The Hebrew word asab (aw-sawb) is always used in the plural, and it means “to form or fashion.” This stressed the fact that they are made by human hands. The word images is from the Hebrew gillul (ghil-lool), which means “logs or blocks, shapeless things.” All such gods were nothing but stone and wood; they were both dead and useless. Babylon overran the people of Israel and the neighboring nations with great brutality and fierceness. A nation more fierce and stronger would strike Babylon. A fiercer and mightier nation than Babylon would come from the north and bring Babylon to utter defeat and ruin. Jeremiah looked beyond the destruction of Babylon in 539 BC. He envisioned a destruction which would reverse the fortunes of the people of Israel and Judah. This prophecy stirred

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148 / Jeremiah 50:1—52:34 a blending of the time of Jeremiah and the future. The fall of Babylon anna to the Medes and Persians and A Nation from the North (Jeremiah 9:17, the return of the captives under 18): The great Babylonian empire, considZerubbabel are a prophetic picered the greatest empire in the history of ture of the future destruction of the world, was to endure the judgment of God, as He had predicted through the Babylon and the final restoration prophet Jeremiah. The Median tribes of the people of Israel and Judah. were responsible for the overthrow of the The destruction of Mystery BabyAssyrian empire, with the aid of Neblon will be God’s judgment on the uchadnezzar I of Babylon. In 550 BC, the Persians, under Cyrus the Great, overGentile nations who defied Him threw the king of Media, Astyages, and and His Word. Scriptures point to the Medes were subservient to the Perthe future rebuilding of Israel and sians from that point forward. However, the destruction of Babylon (Zech. the Persians regarded the Medes as their 5:5-11; Rev. 17; 18). Babylon will equals and the joint empire enjoyed relative harmony for many years. be rebuilt only to be destroyed at The Medo-Persian empire had a vast the end of the Tribulation Period land holding, north and east of the Babybefore Christ returns to establish lonian empire. Once the Babylonians His millennial reign. served their purpose for the seventy years chastisement, their inevitable deThis done, those of Israel and struction occurred as God allowed the Judah would weep and seek after Medes and the Persians to conquer them. the Lord their God. Instead of Cyrus the Great, Darius I and Xerxes I their faces set to serve idol gods, were the prominent rulers of the empire their faces will be set toward when the three different bands of the Jews were allowed to leave Babylon and Mount Zion. Their chastisement return to their homeland through the would prove successful. Seventy edict of Cyrus. Once the Jews returned to years of living in the seedbed of their land, they were to rebuild the city, idolatry cured them from any its walls and the house of the Lord, the desire to worship false gods. Both Temple. They were never to forget their covenant with the Lord again. the people of Israel and Judah returned to the Lord seeking a perpetual or everlasting covenant. These were the lost sheep whose shepherds led Perpetual: the meaning refers to them astray by heeding the lying prophsomething hidden or concealed. ets. The people of Judah were urged to flee The person in control may veil it their captivity when they witnessed the from sight. Since the usage refers to time, it means “a hidden time, fall of Babylon. These prophecies foresaw out of sight and undetectable.” the returning of the people of Israel and No point in time can be identified Judah and the establishment of a new for completion because it is hidcovenant in the blood of Jesus Christ. den. No measure of time can be They look down through time to the secwritten for the measuring process has no visible point at ond coming of Christ, when His kingdom which to stop. It simply continues will be set up on the earth, and evil, repindefinitely. Word Study #5769. resented here by Babylon, will be removed.

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The Sign of the Destroying Wind—God’s Faithfulness / 149 The people of Israel have been like lost Resting Place: the meaning comes sheep for many generations. They have from the idea of crouching down wandered from country to country and or lying down in a place. It is a continent to continent. They, for the most known and identifiable place. Being known as the place of lying down, part, have forgotten their resting place, it takes on characteristics, such as, literally the place to lie down and wander restful, safety and quietness. The no more. Their enemies have ruthlessly action of lying down one’s own devoured them with fire and sword. They self-will suggests that it is a pleasant place. To forget or forsake such claim to be doing the work of the Lord a place would truly be a tragic loss. because they sinned against God. The Word Study #7258. Hebrew word chata means “they missed the mark, they missed the way.” The Lord will judge those nations who have devoured His sheep. The hope Jeremiah spoke of is the Great Shepherd of the sheep (Heb. 13:20), Jesus the Messiah. The people of Judah and Israel were to follow the he goats. Figuratively, this speaks of the leaders or chiefs among the people. They will lead the flock to safety. JUDGMENT UPON BABYLON Jeremiah 50:9-32 Jeremiah’s message assured the preservation of the people of Judah and Israel during the fall of Babylon. The prophecy continues to tell of the things which will happen to the proud nation. An assembly of great nations would come up against Babylon. The army of Cyrus was made up of Medes, Persians and Armenians. The Medes were known for their ability with the bow and arrow. Chaldea, the spoiler, would become the spoiled for they had spoiled God’s heritage. They ran and frolicked like a young calf running in a field and bellowed like a bull that had had its fill. Babylon was the embodiment of impudence and pride. When Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the great image, his pride got the best of him. The image, likely built to look like him, was arrogance personified. The Lord vowed to make Babylon a desert unfit for man or beast. As they did to Jerusalem, so shall their fate be. “Every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues” (Jer. 50:13). The ruins in Babylon, Egypt, Nineveh, Susa, Athens and Rome all stand as testimonies to the judgment of God. The once beautiful gardens and fields which surrounded Babylon, labeled as an ancient wonder of the world, were cut off by God’s orders. Jeremiah 50:17-20 is a digest of the biblical interpretation of Israel’s history. Verse 17 tells of Israel’s days of suffering. The name Israel as used in this verse speaks of all the Jewish people. No other race of people has been persecuted, scattered, hunted and slaughtered like sheep as have the Jews. Verse 18 foretells of God’s judgment upon those who brought the pain and suffering upon the people of Israel and Judah. The lions, Assyria and Babylon, chased them away. Verse 19 is assurance that the Lord’s flock shall return. The sheep of Israel will return and feed once again in the rich pastureland of Carmel and

150 / Jeremiah 50:1—52:34 Bashan, Ephraim and Gilead until they are fully satisfied. This looks beyond the time of anna Ezra and Nehemiah, for this Israel, the Scattered Flock (Jeremiah 50:17): is a time when Israel’s guilt The prophet Jeremiah used graphic metaphors to describe the nations of Israel and Judah in will be no more. Verse 20 is a relation to their captors, both at the time of the great blessing for the Jews. captivities and the destruction of their captors. God’s mercy and love will Israel, the first scattered flock, fell victim to the Assyrian empire and King Sargon II in 722 BC. give them pardon. “The iniqJudah, the second scattered flock, was taken uity of Israel shall be sought captive by the Chaldean army of King Nebfor, and there shall be none; uchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586 BC. Both the and the sins of Judah, and Assyrians and the Babylonians were described as the lions who chased the sheep from their they shall not be found: for I pasture and devoured them. By the time of the will pardon them whom I siege of Jerusalem, the Assyrian empire had reserve.” This will not hapalready been destroyed by the Medes, and the pen until they turn to Jesus prophetic word of Jeremiah based God’s promise of the return of the captives from and accept Him as the MessiBabylon on the premise that they would meet ah. Not one of His sheep a similar fate as that of the Assyrians. The shall be lost. imagery continued with the Lord promising Jeremiah addressed the that His sheep would return to their pastureland. subject of vindication and The most significant aspect of the return of punishment (Jer. 50:21-28). the captives was that they would not have the The Lord called upon the guilt of their past sins recalled. The complete enemies of Babylon to bring fulfillment of the prophecy was not complete after the captivity but will find its completion His judgment upon them. when the people of Israel serve under the rule The land of “Merathaim” of the Messiah in Jerusalem during the mil(verse 21) refers to an area of lennial reign of Christ. southern Babylon called “Mat Marratim.” This is the region where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers form a delta and enter the Persian Gulf. The word in Hebrew merathayim (mer-aw-thah´yim), means “double rebellion.” The inhabitants of “Pekod” (verse 21) was an Aramean tribe along the southern banks of the Tigris River. The name Aram is used for Syria in Numbers 23:7. The land of Mesopotamia was known as Aram-naharaim, meaning the “land between two rivers.” The reference is clearly made to Babylon. The Hebrew word Peqod (Pek-ode) means “visitation for the purpose of punishment.” The noise of battle would signal the destruction of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar and his armies, who like a mighty hammer had smashed the nations around them, would be cut off and destroyed. “The LORD is a man of war” (Ex. 15:3). He Himself would set the trap and Babylon would be caught unaware. When the Lord opens His array of weapons, there is no enemy who can withstand His almighty power. The destruction would be complete. The bullocks or young bulls were the strong youth, princes and magistrates, who

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The Sign of the Destroying Wind—God’s Faithfulness / 151 would also be brought down. Here is Jehovah’s vengeance for His Temple. The shout of victory would be heard in Zion. The day and hour had come for the exiles to “be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you” (Isa. 35:4). Every enemy of Babylon who could bend the bow was challenged to surround the city and let not one of the prideful escape. Babylon, which embodied pride would be humbled before Jehovah whom they had blasphemed. THE REDEEMER’S SWORD Jeremiah 50:33-46 These verses focus on both the people of Israel and Judah. When the Lord restores them in the land of promise, they will be a united nation and people. They will come out of exile as they came out of Egyptian bondage. The Lord compared these years of trials and testing. As Pharaoh of Egypt refused to let the people of Israel go when Moses came with God’s request, so their captors in Babylon refused to let them go. The word oppressed is from the Hebrew word ashaq (aw-shak), which means “to treat with violence, to press hard upon, to do wrong.” The record in the book of Exodus shows the oppression the people of Israel suffered while in Egypt. What most experienced from the Chaldeans was not pleasant. They were held fast, that is, they were bound or seized upon to stay put. Both Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar put an unbending hold on the Israelites. But the people of Israel had a Kinsmen Redeemer. The Hebrew word ga´al was the near kinsmen who by the Law was to avenge and redeem their next of kin. Jehovah was the people of Israel’s next of kin. He was bound by the Law to avenge their blood and restore their inheritance. The Law of the Kinsman Redeemer is given in Leviticus 25:25-55. The word Redeemer is rightly capitalized, for it is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ who will redeem the people of Israel (Isa. 43:14; 44:6) The Hebrew word ga´al is used eighty-two times in the Old Testament. It is a glorious type and picture of the vicarious atonement of Jesus for mankind. As Israel’s Redeemer, the Lord will plead its cause. He is strong and will strive for Israel within the court of the enemy. His redemptive work will give rest to Israel’s land and people, but it shall disquiet, or make to quiver, the citizens of Babylon. The redemptive work of Christ caused hell to tremble, but it will bring rest to every believer. The Lord was the true invader of Babylon. He is also the invader of death and hell. As He won the battle over Babylon, He won the battle over death, hell and the grave and led captivity captive holding the keys of death and hell (Eph. 4:8-10; Rev. 1:18). As the works of Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon were brought to destruction, so has Christ come to destroy the works of the devil and deliver the believer from the bondage of fear and death (Heb. 2:14, 15; 1 John 3:8).

152 / Jeremiah 50:1—52:34 The enemies’ sword will fall on the citizens and leaders of the Chaldeans (Jer. 50:35-40). The misfortunes of war are clearly outlined by Jeremiah. The great water system, which was an engineering wonder, would be dried up. The many irrigation canals would dry up, and the farmers’ crops would perish in the heat. This may be a reference to Cyrus’ army when they drained and rerouted the main channel that ran under the walls and through the city. This is how the Medes and Persians entered the city. Jeremiah compared the desolation of Babylon to Sodom and Gomorrah whose ruins are under the salt flats of the Dead Sea. The culmination of Jeremiah’s prophecy showed how the tables would turn. The sins of Babylon had found them wanting (Dan. 5:27). They would reap what they had sown. The fate they had reaped upon others was to be their harvest (Jer. 50:41-46). This is almost word for word what the Lord said concerning the judgment and punishment of Edom (Jer. 49:19-21). The nations of the world need to heed the Lord’s message concerning Israel and Judah, “For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye” (Zech. 2:8). SIGN OF THE DESTROYING WIND Jeremiah 51:1-10 God told of the great wind He would send against Babylon. The city and empire would be fanned like the winnowing of the chaff from the grain. It would touch all who dwelled in the midst, which means the heart of the land would be destroyed. The hot burning winds of the Middle East are pictured here as an emblem of a conquering and destroying army. They destroyed or carried away all that was before them and left behind fire and ruin. The people would be trodden under foot like wheat and corn on a threshing floor and tossed about into the air. The defenders of Babylon, the bow benders and the soldiers dressed in their brigandine or Fanners that Shall Fan: it means coats of mail, would be without defense “to press or place pressure on a and utterly be destroyed. The streets of material so as to force it to move Babylon would be filled with the bodies of from its present position and condition to a desired direction and the young men who were a part of the condition.” It may be described as Chaldean army. squeezing it out, and refers to the The people of Israel and Judah had work of winnowing or sifting the not been forsaken. The Hebrew word grain during harvest. Those who fanned were often foreigners hired used here is alman, which means “they and sent to the areas of harvest were not widowed by Jehovah.” God was for that purpose. They would winstill calling and sending His prophets now or sift the harvest of grain, thus removing it in a desired direcamong them. In the time of judgment and tion. God would send fanners to wrath the Lord was merciful like a loving Babylon to fan it in judgment. husband. The Lord called out for the peoWord Study #2114. ple of Israel and Judah to flee from Baby-

The Sign of the Destroying Wind—God’s Faithfulness / 153 lon in the day of judgment lest they die. This same cry is heard in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The Lord in Jeremiah and Revelation called attention to the guilt of Babylon. All nations have been subjected to the evils of Babylon’s idolatry and godless religion. Both Babylon’s religious and commercial center will be destroyed. As God directed Noah and his family to flee the wrath of judgment (Gen. 6:13-22), He calls for His people to flee (Rev. 18:4). Babylon was a golden cup in the hands of Jehovah. The nations of the world drank and were intoxicated with madness. Babylon would be given full measure for its evil deeds. The Thyatira church was warned against allowing Jezebel to teach her false doctrines and seduce the servants of the Lord. Babylon is the home of Jezebel and her false religion. A great number have embraced her apostate doctrines. Some have stayed away and rightly so. Those who will not flee her fornication, come out and be separate, will suffer in her judgment (2 Cor. 6:1418). Neither riches nor beauty could save Babylon from its fate. So quick and hard Breaking in Pieces: the meaning was the fall that the golden cup was is “to apply a force so great as to force the one to separate into destroyed. The Hebrew word shabar many pieces.” The force applied (shaw-bar) means “to burst, to break in must be greater than the strength pieces.” Babylon would be shattered by of the one mass to cause the breaking. God will use His people the fall. The howl, from the Hebrew yalal as a battling axe to break in pieces (yaw-lal) and referred to the boisterous, the strength of the nations that loud, wailing tones of the mourners. They have hissed at Him and His people. would search in vain for any healing This breaking represents the judgment of the nations and the balm. Much was done to heal Babylon but restoration of Israel. Word Study the wound was too deep. Nebuchadnezzar #5310. knew Jeremiah and his message. He witnessed God’s power over his hot furnace and non-effect on Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. A number of times He was confronted by Daniel and the power of Jehovah God. Nebuchadnezzar issued a decree that anyone who spoke anything amiss against Jehovah would be cut in pieces (Dan. 3:29). After eating grass like an ox, he blessed the most High and honoured the King of Heaven (Dan. 4:34-40). Babylon remained steeped in idolatry and wantonness. “The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness” (Jer. 51:10) is the people of Judah’s answer that God has vindicated them. They would once again sing His praises in Zion. THE BATTLE AXE Jeremiah 51:11-26 The first enemy wave came with the Medes and Persians. Cyrus united these two nations in 548 BC. God gave the command for them to sharpen their arrows and launch the attack. They overthrew Babylon in one night in 539 BC (Dan 5:29-31). The enemy was given the command to come up against the walls. Her wealth and canal defenses would not save Babylon. Xenophon, a

154 / Jeremiah 50:1—52:34 Greek historian 430-355 BC, wrote that Babylon had anna ample water and food supThe Omnipotent Jehovah; Impotent Idols plies to last twenty years. (Jeremiah 51:17): In a previous chapter (10), the This proved to be a false prophet encouraged the people of Judah that security. (Some two hundred they did not have to fear the wrath of the idols thirteen years later, while as they were powerless because they were breathless. They obviously did not heed his entertaining ten thousand at words but continued to abandon the true God a wedding party, Alexander and worship the false idols. In his prophecy the Great died here in a against the Babylonians, he asserted the coming wrath of Jehovah upon them with their drunken stupor.) The Medes idols powerless to do anything to thwart His and Persians infested the judgment. The simple truth is, not only is God city like a swarm of young unequaled in His Omnipotence, the pagan locusts, called “caterpillar” gods of the Babylonians were impotent. Why? The gods who do not exist do not breathe; the (verse 14) in the text. They gods who do not exist cannot provide their would sing the song of victopower for their followers to draw on. Such was ry as they rose up out of the a testimony, not only for the Babylonians, but also for the captives of Israel and Judah. King canal banks and seized the Nebuchadnezzar II testified concerning the city. unique power of Jehovah, the God of Israel The Almighty God mani(Dan. 4:34, 35). fested His power in creation When Babylon was conquered by the MedoPersian empire, the idols were destroyed. The and would do so again over allusion to the messianic rule during the MilBabylon. The Lord God of lennium is also in view here. At that time, there Judah is in control of nature. will be no pagan idols, for He will insist on uniThe clouds, lightening, rain versal worship and governance. By virtue of God being the Creator of the universe, He can and wind obey His voice. insist that His creatures worship Him alone These are a part of His treaand that they submit themselves to a righteous sures. This is from the Herule. Such will take place during the thousand brew word otsar, which refers year reign of Christ on the earth. to “a depository, an armory or storehouse.” What can an idol of stone or wood do against the Almighty Creator? Babylon had a pantheon of gods, all of which proved to be useless. They were lifeless therefore worthless. The portion of Jacob is from the Hebrew word cheleq (khay´-lek), which speaks of “the allotment or award from God.” In this verse it is God Himself who is allotted to Israel. “The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things, and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name” (Jer. 10:16). Cyrus would be the Lord’s battle ax or war club. With Him God would break, from the Hebrew word naphats (naw-fats), meaning “He would shatter or beat to pieces” the people of Judah. This word is used nine times in Jeremiah 51:20-23. The war machine of Babylon would be totally shattered to pieces. This was to repay Babylon for the many evils brought upon Zion. By

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The Sign of the Destroying Wind—God’s Faithfulness / 155 contrast, Babylon would be as a burned-out mountain or kingdom and within the burned-out crater the once beautiful and great foundation stones would not be found. THE LORD’S THRESHING FLOOR Jeremiah 51:27-64 This section begins with a call to all the nations to strike their colors and ready themselves for battle. This alliance of nations was raised up to fulfill God’s war plan. The Lord’s combined army would put terror in the hearts of the citizens of Babylon. The earth would tremble like a mighty earthquake as they marched to meet the foe. Instead of fighting, Babylon would turn and flee to its strongholds. The attackers pressed forward setting houses on fire and breaking the bars upon the gates. The watchmen of the city would flee their posts and run to the king crying out the city is taken. Historians record that, when Cyrus captured the city, his troops moved down the bed of the river and occupied the ferries or passages. At each place of docking, the gates were carelessly left open. Cyrus was God’s avenger. Babylon would be as wheat or corn on a threshing floor. By this the people would know that God’s time of harvest had come. The words of the people of Judah lament how Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon had devoured their nation. The people of Judah pleaded that Babylon would reap far more than she had sown. God’s answer was that He will plead their cause. All of the treasures of Babylon would be dried up. Its ruins would not be fit for habitation. God would make it the dwelling place of dragons, which likely refers to the jackal. They had been like a pride of lions on the prowl and attack. The Lord would prepare a feast for them that would put them in a stupor. As they drank from God’s cup of judgment, they would fall asleep never to awaken. The once mighty lion would be slaughtered like a meek lamb. Babylon worshiped a goddess called Shach. It is thought by some that the feast held by Belshazzar (Dan. 5:1) was in her honor. Sheshach (shay-shak´) became a symbolic name for Babylon. The nations of the world were surprised, yet relieved, at the fall of Babylon. This same scenario will be witnessed in its fullness during the Tribulation (Rev. 18:1-24). Babylon would be as though the sea covered it and washed it away. All the false gods of Babylon and those who served them would be judged. Those who had escaped the sword in Jerusalem and spent their time as exiles in Babylon will have cause to rejoice. Babylon could not escape from God’s appointed avengers. The people of Judah and Israel were once again called upon to flee. They were now ready to remember the Lord and Jerusalem. Seraiah, the king’s chamberlain and brother of Baruch, performed a symbolic enactment of the fall of Babylon. This shows how the message was taken to Babylon. At this time, Jeremiah was telling the captives to be submissive and wait upon the Lord.

156 / Jeremiah 50:1—52:34 A REVIEW OF JUDAH’S FALL Jeremiah 52:1-34 With such a crushing defeat by the Chaldeans and the desolation of the cities and land still fresh on their minds, it was no doubt difficult for the captives in Babylon and those with Jeremiah in Egypt to picture the fall of such a mighty nation as Babylon. Therefore, to illustrate the message, the Lord once again used a sign (Jer. 51:1-6). This time it was a mighty wind. The Lord had already prepared His instrument of destruction to use against Babylon and those who stood with her. The sign on this occasion was a destroying wind. Those who live in the southern part of the United States are all too familiar with tornados and hurricanes along the coast. How does one prepare for winds in excess of one hundred miles per hour? Man has not yet developed the technology to prevent them from forming and neither has he the power to change their direction nor turn them off. He can run and hide, but the mighty wind will wreck havoc as it blows across the land. The destroying wind the Lord sent was not a tornado but the combined forces of the Medes and Persians. With them came their allies to act as fanners to keep the wind blowing. Babylon could not stop their development nor turn them from their course. Babylon would utterly be destroyed. This was a sign of assurance to the captives that they and their children would not remain in Babylon any longer than Jeremiah had prophesied. Cyrus of Persia assumed the role as the Lord’s battle axe (verses 17-23). As a mighty wind the Medes and the Persians blew into Babylon. The war machine of Babylon was broken. The idol gods of Babylon proved impotent to help in the struggle for survival as a nation. The Lord destroyed them because of their evil and paganism. God was in control of the nations then and He is in control of them today. Daniel chapter 5 records how that on the night of Belshazzar’s drunken feast, he called for the vessels of God’s house to be used. He was weighed in the balances of God’s justice and found wanting. That same night the Medes and Persians, by damming up the river that flowed through the city walls, were able to march in and take the kingdom. The destroying wind and battle axe accomplished their appointed task. CONCLUSION Jeremiah 50:1—52:34 No greater word of assurance could be offered at the end of Jeremiah’s writing than a final word from the Lord. “Yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall. My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD” (Jer. 51:44, 45).

Bibliography / 157 BIBLIOGRAPHY Baker/Carpenter. The Complete Word Study Dictionary Old Testament. Chattanooga: AMG, 2003. Baxter, J. Sidlow. Explore the Book. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1960. Canavan, Martin. Old Testament Survey. Bellflower: CMBI, 1974. Cook, F. C. Barnes Notes. Grand Rapids: Baker House, Reprint, 1879. Cross, I. K. Events of the End Time. Bogard Press: Texarkana, 1997. Cross, I. K. O Israel. Brentwood Christian Press: Columbus, GA, 1992. Feinberg, Charles L. Jeremiah A Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982. Griffith, J. W. Exile and Return. Pasadena, TX: White’s Printing, 1986. Guest, John. Mastering the Old Testament, Jeremiah, Lamentations. Dallas: Word, 1994. Harris, Archer, Waltke. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press, 1980. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown. Critical & Explanatory Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1935. Jensen, Irving. Survey of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press, 1975. Keil & Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament. Peabody, MA, 2006. Lockyer, Herbert. All the Kings and Queens of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1961. Ludwigson, R. A Survey of Bible Prophecy. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973. Moreland, Samuel. The Churches of the Valley of Piemont. Fort Smith, AR: Franklin Printing Co., 1955. Neufeldt, Victoria. Webster’s New World Dictionary. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991. Orr, James. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974. Owens, John. Analytical Key to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1994. Payne, J. Barton. Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy. New York: Harper and Row 1973. Robertson, A.T. Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1930. Spence/Exell. The Pulpit Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988. Tenney, Merrill. Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1963. Wood, Leon J. The Prophets of Israel. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979. Wood, Leon J. A Survey of Israel’s History. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.

158 / Bibliography Zodhiates, Spiros. The Complete Word Study New Testament. Chattanooga: AMG, 1993. Zodhiates, Spiros. The Complete Word Study Old Testament. Chattanooga: AMG, 1994.

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