Friday, April 02, 2010

70 Years in Captivity - Jeremiah 29

Jeremiah 29:13 "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

It was a simple truth. Those who went off to Babylon into captivity would be preserved as a nation. Those who rebelled against the captivity (the plan to keep unity) were slain and scattered. The false prophets are dealt with severely because their lives gave the people false hope. If the people believed they were going to be there only a short time they would not settle down and raise families and thus the nation would die.

v5 "Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; v6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished."

That was God's plan and that was what was going to happen. The people should accept it and have a life there.

I could have titled this 'The Devil Goes to Babylon' because false prophets were right there telling lies again. Jeremiah sent them a letter..

v15 "Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon...v17 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil." See chapter 24 8&10.

This spoke to the people who were left in Judah who refused to leave.

All this trouble on Israel is because of their rebellion against the LORD, lest we forget. They had turned to idols. I expect those who were now telling a false prophesy were the same ones guilty of promoting the evil to the people in the first place. Nevertheless, the people followed.

These troubles are to bring Israel back to God. As the text verse says "...when ye shall search for me with all your heart." The generation that left Israel will die and another generation will have a family before they return to their homeland. Hopefully, the corruption will be gone out of them.

The balance of the chapter deals with some of the false prophets: Ahab the son of Kolaiah, Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, and Shemaiah the Nehelamite who got their sentence in a letter.

v23 "Because they have committed villainy in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the LORD. (Zeph 3:4)

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