A Father's Commandment - Jeremiah 35

Jeremiah 35:14 "The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed, for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment, notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking but ye hearkened not unto me."

Here we have a comparison between an earthly father and our Heavenly Father. In dealing with Israel to turn from their wicked ways, the Lord sent prophet after prophet, 'rising early' to entreat Israel to turn from idols and obey the Lord's commands. They would not. But here is a man who commanded his children to not, nor never, drink wine and they obeyed.

v5 "And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine."

They all knew Jeremiah. Upon the Lord's command he had brought the wine into a chamber of His house to offer it to the children of Rechab. Even at that, they refused saying that their father(Jonadab) told them not to. Furthermore, they said, he told us not to build houses and live in tents and until we fled into the city, we lived in tents. We did not build houses as our father commanded.

v8 "Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters; v9 Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed: v10 But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us."

The illustration here is that if a family can obey the command of their earthly father, surely it is not too hard for Israel to obey the commands of God who led them out of bondage into the promised land.

There was a reward for Jonadab the son of Rechab. v19 "Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me forever." His blood line would continue always.

Jonadab : whom Jehovah impels. Also, given as Jehonadab (whom God incites) Son of Shimeah, the brother of David. II Samuel 13:3,5,32,35 II Kings 10:15

Liberty taken Away - Jeremiah 34

Jeremiah 34:15 "And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name. v16 But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return and brought them unto subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids."

The original covenant is found in Exodus 21:2. I suppose there were a number of reasons why a person could become a servant. He may have had a bad year and lost his home and crops. Being a servant would be a way for them to remain in the homeland and get a new start. The deal was that they would go free after a set time. These people were obeying the rule by letting them go free but then they would bring them under their authority immediately after.
They obeyed the letter of the law.

Exodus 21:2 "If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing."

I believe if we looked back we would find that the Jews were confronted with the 'commandments' as a whole, then in one chapter only the sabbath was mentioned, then in this chapter it was the liberty of the servants that they had failed in. One by one they broke the commandments and covenant that they agreed to.

Their punishment was that they would be given over to the enemy and would die except for Zedekiah, king of Judah.

v4 Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah kind of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword; But thou shalt die in peace; and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odors for thee; and they will lament thee, saying Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the LORD."

These one-by-one offenses show clearly to Israel that their punishment is justified. Jeremiah's book, he was commanded to write, will serve as a reminder when Israel looks back to the captivity.

A Promise - Jeremiah 33

Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

It is hard to talk to someone who will not talk to you. So it was with Israel. The Lord had tried to talk with them but as it says in another chapter, they had turned their back to him.

But here is a promise that if they would call to him, He would answer. It was in the captivity that a young man did just that and he was shown 'great and mighty things'. His name was Daniel.

Daniel 9:3 " And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes; v4 And I prayed..."

As promised an angel fought his way to Daniel and told Daniel of many thing that were to come.

Daniel 10:14 "Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days; for yet the vision is for many days."

Daniel had been reading the book of Jeremiah when he decided to seek God's face diligently to find out the future of his people.

Here in Jeremiah and this chapter, the promise is continued that after the 70 years Judah and Israel would return to claim their homeland.

v7 "And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first."

Sometimes, in trying to understand the details of these chapters, it might be easy to overlook a major truth. That truth is that God will perform what he says he will perform. He said in our text verse that he would answer when he is sought with a true heart. The story of Daniel bears that out. We can hold that fact in our heart.

v14 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah."

It is the same God that we, as Christians, serve. He made us many promises. One was that He would return someday and he will.

He goes on to compare His covenant with the day and the night. It goes on and on. And with the sands of the sea. He says if you (earthlings) can break the covenant of the night or day then it might be possible for His covenant with David to be broken.

v21 "Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers."

He is saying that they will be gone from the land but only for the time specified by Him.

Jeremiah in Prison - Jeremiah 32

Jeremiah 32:2 "For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house. (See Nehemiah 3:25)

In these books of the Bible, the kings and the prophets, there is usually, if not always, two points of reference. In the Kings and Chronicles it most often tells the year of reign of the king of Judah and the king of Israel. In Jeremiah, it tells the year of the reign of the king of Judah and the king of Babylon. It is a double reference which takes care of the overlap and lapse of the king ships and leaves no doubt as to when the events took place. Refer back to chapter 24 where it was the first year of king Nebuchadrezzar's reign.

Zedekiah, king of Judah, is mad at Jeremiah because Jeremiah prophesied that the king would be carried away. As if to avoid the fulfillment of the prophecy, the king locked up the messenger.

v7 "Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is thine to buy it." See also the book of Ruth.

I believe this is for a witness. The evidence of the purchase was to be done before witnesses and the evidence buried in an earthen vessel to 'keep for many days'. I believe until after the 70 years of captivity when it would show the confidence in Jeremiah's prophesy which was actually the Lord's words.

v9 "And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver."

After this was done, Jeremiah prayed to the Lord.

v17 "Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:"

Those things which seem impossible when we face them are merely another act which the Lord can perform at his will.

v27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is there any thing too hard for me?"

Jeremiah answered that question for us. There is not.

So again we are given the reason why the captivity must take place.

v33 "And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face; though I taught them, rising up early and teaching the, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction."

I know Israel went through a lot, as recorded in the Bible. It is good for us that those things were recorded for we learn a lot about God and his heart from reading the stories. How little we would know were it not for the Old Testament.

New Covenant - Jeremiah 31

Jeremiah 31:33 "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people."

I believe this refers to the giving of the Holy Spirit to dwell within the new born Christian. No longer is it just a set of rules to follow but a person from within that tells what is right and wrong.

This chapter reminded me of the Song of Solomon. It tells of the love the LORD has for Israel.

v3 "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."

Then he goes on to describe how it will be in Israel after the time of trouble. The people will do well and the land will be fertile.

v12 "Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd; and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all."

This is a wonderful message of hope delivered to Israel at the time of their captivity. It was hope for their children. What better hope can a man have than that his children do well?

v17 "And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border."

Israel as a nation has sinned, worshipped idols and turned from the Lord. The nation is being chastened. These words seem to be directed at the families and of a more personal nature.

v16 "Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and thy shall come again from the land of the enemy."

I don't know if I got it right or not, but it seems like the scene when a parent has to correct a child with spanking. The child weeps and it hurts the parent but the punishment must stand if the child is to be helped in life.

So, this is not the abandonment of Israel. The Lord was angry but has not forsaken.

v37 "Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD."

Of course, we know it is impossible to measure those things. A parent who loves cannot totally cast away their child. If they do, there was no love in the first place. The Lord loves Israel. He has proved it over and again. And now, as a Christian, we are partakers in that love. And that is wonderful.

Trouble & Comfort - Jeremiah 30

Jeremiah 30:1-2 "The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book."

From our studies, we remember that there were other prophets which were false prophets during the time that Jeremiah was preaching. I find no books by their name. Jeremiah's words from the LORD have stood the test of time. We can look back and Israel can look back and see that Jeremiah was the true prophet and that the words of the LORD were true.

V 3 "For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah saith the LORD; and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it."

Seventy years is a long time and so we know that most of those taken into captivity will not return (did not return) but the nation returned.

Israel is afraid and trembling. The people are afraid. There is a lot of comfort in this chapter for them. Although this verse stands out:

v7 "Alas, for that days is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it."

For the sake of space, I will hit some highlights:

v11 "...and will not leave thee altogether unpunished."

v17 "For I will restore health unto thee, and will heal thee of thy wounds..."

v19 "...they shall not be few, I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small."

v20 "...I will punish all that oppress them."

v22" And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." See also Ezek. 36:28

So the book is written. We can look back at the words and say that it was so. This verse perhaps also refers to a future time when Israel will look back at many things that are written and will consider them.

v24 "The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it."

It reminded me of an old song: We will understand it better by-and-by.

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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Amen Jremiah 28

Jeremiah 28:6 "Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the LORD do so; the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD's house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place."

The dispute is over the treasures of the Lord's house. The false prophet is saying they will be back in two years. He guarantees it. Jeremiah has been trying to tell them that they will be in captivity for 70 years along with those who submit to the yoke of Babylon. Nevertheless, Jeremiah says Amen to the boost of the false prophets. I think it would have been pleasing to Jeremiah if it had been true.

v1 "And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, tht Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the hosue of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying v2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon."

Hananiah really stepped over the line with his remarks. We know from the last chapter that God send Jeremiah out with a wooden yoke to illustrate the yoke that the children of Israel would be under in Babylon but were assured that it would be broken after a set time. Hananiah shortened the time by about 68 years. He also took the wooden yoke off Jeremiah and broke it.

v3 "Within two full years, will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD's house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon;"

Well, he was wrong. Jeremiah presented to him a test.

v9 "The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known that the LORD hath truly sent him."

v10 "Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and brake it."

He went on with his speech and I suppose it pleased the people and he had favor with them. But he would not live to see that his prophesy did not come true.

v14 "For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him; and I have given him the beasts of the field also."

v17 "So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month."

It had to be a difficult thing for Jeremiah to be the only one in the kingdom who brought bad news even though it was the truth. Israel was to go into captivity to keep them together as a nation. Those who rebelled were scattered. Nebuchadnezzar was the instrument of the Lord to carry out this plan.

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Carried to Babylon - Jeremiah 27

Jeremiah 27:22 "They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place."

For us, God's plan does not seem like the best plan when it involves pain on our part. The cleft of the rock may not seem like a very good place until the storm comes.

Jeremiah told the people to submit to the captivity. There were false prophets who told them not to submit and that every thing would be fine if they would just resist. God's plan was for them to go into captivity and stay together until the day he brought them back into Canaan.

The slavery days in Egypt were a trying time and no doubt very bad times for families. But out of that pain came forth a nation. Where 70 entered Egypt, a nation came out. There is travail with birth.

Here is the message sent out to the surrounding area from the LORD:

v5-6 "I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. (Isaiah 45:12) v6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him."

God is very specific. Nebuchadnezzar (notice the name now has an 'n' instead of an 'r') would reign then his son and his son's son. God has given all nations to him and his sons, Those who do not submit will be consumed. v8. The LORD even calls Nebuchadnezzar his servant. So the false prophets were wrong.

The purpose of the captivity was punishment in in one respect but also was to preserve the nation.

v9 "Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon.

Many wonderful stories came out of the time of the captivity. We will read them later, the Lord willing.

I'm reminded of Acts where the persecution came and the preachers were dispersed into other nations. I wonder if they would have stayed in Jerusalem where it all happened, if the persecution had not come. It is a bitter cup but the gentiles have the gospel.

So, in compassion, the message is again sent out so that everyone knows the right thing to do.

v17 "Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live, wherefore should this city be laid waste?

Shiloh Remembered - Jeremiah 26

Jeremiah 26:6 "Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth."

We will remember Shiloh (not the Civil War site) in the Bible as the place where the tabernacle and the ark once sat. The Philistines defeated Israel there and took the ark. Thousands of Israelites were slain. I Samuel 4:10-

Shiloh: (the place of rest) a city Judges 21:19 17 miles north of Jerusalem. Joshua 18:1 Where , the Tabernacle was set up and remained for 300 years.

The message of this chapter is that the priests and council did not like the message God sent Jeremiah to deliver, so they sought to kill Jeremiah.

v3 "If so be they will hearken, and turn every ma from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings."

The message was one of warning and compassion. But the leaders held fast to their sinful ways and would not repent but rather wanted to kill Jeremiah as if that would solve their problem. It is the old "kill the messenger" mentality.

v8 "Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets, and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die."

So there was a hearing for Jeremiah with the princes as the sort of court. At first, the people went with the priests and prophets but then they changed sides and went with the princes who were to let Jeremiah live. For Jeremiah stood firm.

v16 "Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die; for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God."

So then the elders spoke up.

v17 "Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying."

They reminded the people of Micah and how Hezekiah responded to his message in a good way. And of Urijah who also had a strong message for Israel. So the elders were Jeremiah's defenders and Jeremiah lived a long life.

v24 "Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death."

It must have surely been an intense day. The priests and prophets were taking it on themselves to judge Jeremiah until the princes heard the commotion and came up the hill to see what was going on. Then as the people swayed from one opinion to the other, the elders finally stood up.

The Cup of Fury - Jeremiah 25

Jeremiah 25:15 "For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it."

This seems to be the final warning before the captivity. (We will read on to see.) Jeremiah tells them, I got up early to warn you but you would not listen. Now, the day is at hand.

Proverbs 1:25 "But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and y our destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer, they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me, For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof."

So from Proverbs we see a picture of the conditions before the captivity of Israel. The Lord appealed to the people and the leaders but they would not listen. Now, He is angry.

v7 "Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt."

Jeremiah was told to take the cup around to various nations. We are given a list in verses 18-26. I believe it was a symbolic cup to tell them that there was no escape from what was to come. They must drink of the cup.

v28 "And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink."

v32 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth, from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth."

It was, undoubtedly, to be a great time of upheaval. But there is an end to it. Isn't it true, that if we can see an end to something, we can hope at least.

v12 "And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations."

So, although Babylon is used to punish Israel, they themselves will receive judgment in 70 years. You can study Daniel to learn what it was like for those who remained true to God.

Two Baskets of Figs - Jeremiah 24

Jeremiah 24:1 "The LORD showed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple o f the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon."

(Note: I noticed that in Jeremiah the king of Babylon's name was spelled with an 'r' after Nebuchad- while in Daniel it is an 'n' and makes the name as we pronounce it today.)

We have in this chapter a very simple illustration. One basket of figs would go off into captivity in Babylon and would be looked after by the LORD. The other basket of figs would try to stay in Jerusalem/Judah but would be scattered far and wide, never to return.

Jeremiah preached that trouble was coming but the local prophets preached that everything was just fine and not to worry. Jeremiah apparently told the people to submit to the king of Babylon. It was chastisement and so would have been the correct thing to do.

v5 "Thsu saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them tht are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the chaldeans for their good."

The last phrase being key "for their good." and "I have sent".

v7 "And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; for they shall return unto me with their whole heart."

People sometimes drift away from the LORD. It is then that as children they are punished. Punishment not from hate but from love. Punishment that is meant to draw the children back to doing the right thing. So it was with Israel, the remnant.

Not so for those who rebelled.

v9 "And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them."

If one just picked up the Bible and read this passage without reading the previous chapters, it would seem a cruel thing. But look back and it will be justified.

II Kings 24:4 "And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon."

Just one verse that tells of the evil that was going on in Israel.

They had been given a way to avoid this captivity and the scattering:

II Chronicles 7:14 "If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

But they would not.

Pastors & Prophets - Jeremiah 23

Jeremiah 23:25 "I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed."

Hebrews 4:13 "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."

Of course, it means the Lord is watching.

This chapter deals with pastors and prophets who have told the people lies. The lie mentioned is that everything was going to be alright when in fact the enemy was at the door.

v1 "Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD."

Pastors of our time are due the rest due their station. They have a great responsibility. The good ones have given up what ever life they may have had to devote their time and energy to a group of people who may or may not follow his teachings.

The caution here is that pastors are not to make stuff up. They are to preach what the Bible says, or as the Bible says what 'Thus saith the Lord." There are many truths in the Bible. As much as they have been preached for over 2000 years, they are still fresh and appropriate for our time.

v2 "Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them; behold I will visit upon you the evil of your doings saith the LORD."

The people are being scattered for their disobedience but they were led by some people who made up things out of the imagination of the heart. There will be a new day when a righteous leader will come.

v5 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice int he earth."

We are talking about the Messiah. He came to Jerusalem and was rejected but with purpose. It was to provide a time of grace for the Gentiles and all the world to come to Christ. When that work is finished, He will return to the throne of David.

v6 "In his days, Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

Oh for that day to come. It is Israel's day but it is also the Christians day when our hope is come and we escape this wicked world.

(These studies have a lot to say about the rebellion of Israel but it is not meant as criticism. It is meant as a history review. We as Christians and as a Christian nation have done no better in staying by Bible teachings, as a whole. There are still the faithful and I am thankful for them.)

The balance of the chapter is devoted to the subject of the pastors' and prophets' misleading of the people.

v17 "They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you."

That shoots in the foot some of the modern day preaching of prosperity. Some say, 'just send us your money and you will in turn receive abundance and be healed and reap mountains of rewards on this earth in this life', or something like that. That is not necessarily true. We will be blessed but it may be peace in our heart instead of a piece of property, it may be joy over the well-being of another instead of complete health for ourselves. Christ was perfect, yet he suffered for the glory beyond the cross.

So if you have a dream, tell a dream. The truth comes from the Lord and we have it written down for us.

v28 "The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD."

There we have it, a caution to lead the people correctly.

Josiah's Sons - Jeremiah 22

Jeremiah 22:2 "And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates."

v3 "Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place."

Josiah started his reign when he was 8 years old and reigned for 31 years then was wounded in battle and died when he was 39. He was a good king.

He had several sons which were not good leaders. The Bible says they did evil.

v11 "For thus saith the LORD touching Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah which reigned instead of Josiah his father, which went forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more;" See I Chronicles 3:15 where he is also called Jeheahaz in Chronicles 36:4.

Well, some of the names were changed by Jeremiah, probably to show their standing at the time. It was common in the Bible to depict character or some other meaning i.e. Jeremiah 20:3 with Pashur changed to Magormissabib after he smote Jeremiah.

Shallum or Jeheahaz reigned 3 months and was carried away never to return.

v18 "Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying Ah my brother! or Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or Ah his glory!"

v24 "As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;"

Coniah is called Jehoiachin in II Chronicles 36:5. Again, Jeremiah is using another name. I think it could have been a way to wipe them from history or to separate them from the great kings of Judah at least. It does serve to confuse the tracing of their history. See all II Kings 24:12.

Verse 30 tells us the final judgment.

v30 "Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah."

We can again read the Kings and Chronicles to see the evil things going on when these people were kings.

Hezekiah was a good king. His son Manasseh was evil. Amon his son did evil. Josiah, his son was a good king and followed Hezekiah's example.

II Chronicles 34:27 "Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God... v28 Behold I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same.

35:25 "And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel; and behold they are written in the lamentations. (4:20)

Although there were some good kings during the end, before the captivity, there were also evil kings which reigned over the end and they expressed the evil that caused the judgment to come.

Life and Death - Jeremiah 21

Jeremiah 21 : 8 "And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold I set before you the way of life and the way of death."

This verse illustrates why we should always read scripture in its context. We would think of this verse (for the Christian) as a choice between choosing salvation or rejecting salvation. That is not the case for this verse.

v9 "He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine and by the pestilence; but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey."

Jerusalem is surrounded and the judgment of God is being finalized. Under a siege, a city is basically starved out. The enemy knows that if they wait long enough, the people inside will run out of food. Disease will set in and victory will come without a frontal assault.

In the first part of the chapter, the very man who smote Jeremiah (Pashur) was sent by the king to Jeremiah to try to get some help for their situation. It must have pressed on the man's ego to have to go to Jeremiah.

v1 "The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur, the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,"

The Bible makes it clear who these men were that went to Jeremiah. It is important to have a witness with credentials.

They did not hear what they wanted to hear.

v4 "Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city.

v5 "And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath."

After begging Israel to repent of their idol worship and the form of 'obedience' they had, the LORD has had enough of rebellion and it is time for chastisement. I find it interesting that the LORD still introduces himself as the LORD God of Israel. They knew who he was.

v14 "But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD; and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it."

See the Kings for the story.

He Smote a Prophet - Jeremiah 20

Jeremiah 20:1-2 "Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD."

First off, it was the previous chapter Pashur was referring to where Jeremiah broke the vessel in the valley of the son of Hinnom causing it to be a place of death and the origin of the name for everlasting punishment that we have in our New Testament (which is hell).

Secondly, Pashur did not like the prophesy and got angry enough to hit Jeremiah over it. He tossed him in the stocks then called for him the next day.

It is amazing to me that the governor of the house of the LORD would have stocks so handy, that he would smite a prophet and be so far from God that he would hurt the messenger instead of being concerned about the message. It shows how far away from God they really were.

v3 "And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The LORD hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magormissabib."

These are important names. Pashur means freedom. Magormissabib means 'terror on every side'. So by the symbolic name change the destiny of this priest governor is changed for his actions toward the prophet of God.

v4 "For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends; and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the and of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword."

v5 "Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the labors thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon." See II Kings 20.

We see in these verses the surroundings of the governor Pashur stripped away. He looses his friends and the treasures he apparently regarded as his own taken away. Now we see his personal sentence.

v6 "And thou, Pashur and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies."

Now, he learns that he will loose his position, his life and that he will not be buried in the precious tombs of Zion where the kings are buried. As we will see in the next chapter, he will live long enough to ponder these things.

The balance of the chapter deals with Jeremiah and the distress he must have felt over the situation, for he said he tried not to speak of it anymore but that it was a fire inside him and he could not refrain.

v9 "Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name, But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay."

He seems to feel very depressed for it was a depressing situation. He had to tell the truth but he stood as the only human who told the people the truth. Yet, he knew the outcome, that captivity was coming. Maybe he said to himself, as we do, 'what's the use'. But he kept on. He even wondered why he was born. After all, it was Jeremiah's nation too.

v18 "Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?"

Even prophets get discouraged. Yet he kept on. see I Kings 19:10

Broken Vessel - Jeremiah 19

Jeremiah 19:11 "And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again, and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury."

I pondered this chapter as I prayed for my family this morning. I had already read it over several times but the broken vessel seemed so final. I wondered what lesson there was and what hope there was for a broken vessel.

First we should keep it in context. What was Tophet anyway? It was a place in the valley of Hinnom where human sacrifices were offered to Molech. It is also known as the place of the sun, the place of fire, the valley of slaughter. The sacrifice of infants to fire-gods was kept up here. eventually after Josiah spread bones there to stop the practice it became a cesspool for the sewage of Jerusalem. It became Gehenna to indicate the place of eternal suffering. It is translated hell in the gospels.

v1 "Thus saith the LORD, go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests v2 And go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee."

There was a reason why such judgment was pronounced here. As we saw from the bit of history above, it was an evil place. Israel had turned to gods and idols and every kind of worship that they could imagine.

v4 "Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;"

We have here a nation that has been built by God and protected by God. Yet they have turned from him and even forgotten him. Forsaken is a sad word.

Then, I returned to the broken vessel and wondered what lesson of good could I draw from it. Then I thought of the potter in his shop. I have heard of how they would from time to time pick up a piece of a broken vessel and use it to shape a new vessel they were making. Then I thought of Israel in the Bible and the church. Isn't it true that, as Christians, we draw heavily from the Old Testament and the history of the people of Israel.

In a way, we are shaped by the broken vessel Israel. We learn from their greatness and their great God. We, as a church, are a new vessel shaped by the old.

Even broken Christians can shape other Christians. Every life is a lesson that others can learn from. Even the 'don't does' of others can be a warning to those who would do right.

We look at their greatness and their turning away. We look at the lovingkindness of God toward them and the stern chastening they received. From these stories, we learn much about ourselves and the importance of the sacrifice Christ made. We are indeed sinful and hopeless on our own. It took a sinless person to die for our many transgressions.

Try as we may to do the right thing and live a good life, we are still prone to turn back to sin or to yield to temptations. Thank God, we have a refuge, a city of refuge, a place to run when we come to ourselves and see that we have wrong God. We also forgiveness and a place to start over. We do not have to be the broken vessel in the valley of Hinnom.

Being a Christian is a better way.

I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

He is justified in doing so because Christ took our place and carried our sins to the cross.

Potter's House - Jeremiah 18

Jeremiah 18:2 "Arise, and go down to the potter's house; and there I will cause thee to hear my words."

The Bible is full of stories and examples to explain a hard truth. Jeremiah is sent to the potter's house to illustrate to him what is happening to Israel and why. The potter is making a vessel but something is wrong. It is not the potter that is in error.

v4 "And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the Potter to make it."

The vessel was marred. We have to retrace the history of Israel and that of humanity. We must remember the garden where Adam and Eve yielded to temptation putting a stain and impurity into man. We must remember the journey from Egypt where Rachel hid the instruments of idol worship to take on their journey. We must remember the actions of Israel when they entered Canaan and disobeyed by not doing away with ALL the inhabitants. The result was that idol worship was still in the land and it gradually made its way into the lives of the people.

v6 "O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD, Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."

We might, at first glance, see a potter who was ready to cast aside the piece he was making. But the potter being a professional sees that even though the vessel he intended is not possible, upon turning the clay, he sees another possibility. He does not cast aside the clay but continues to work with it until he creates a second vessel, not the original design but still a vessel. At no time here do we see the clay out of the potter's hand.

v7-8 "At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. "

The point here is that it is in the power and the right of the potter to do with as he pleases with the clay. It should be no surprise that the LORD deals kindly with the clay and makes it again. It should also be noted that in remaking the clay, it must be remolded, pulled apart, packed together, flooded with water in just the right places, the impurities plucked out. I am not a potter but I can imagine that it might be necessary to flatten the clay in order to pick out the impurities.

The we go back to the reality of the rebellion of the people.

v15 "Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble int heir ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up; ....v17 I will scatter them..."

I have but touched on the potter and the clay. To clarify the statement for those who may not have studied the Bible. The Potter is the LORD and we are the clay. He molds us as he sees fit. Can the clay tell the potter what to do? We can no more tell our heavenly Father what to do.

The potter knows the clay.

Hope - Jeremiah 17

Jeremiah 17:7-8 "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."

It is such a wonderful passage of scripture. It is no wonder that some people go through the storms of life and seem to be unshaken. They are looking not out across the barrenness of a waterless world but at the cool waters of the river of life which began when we are saved and runs through the street of New Jerusalem.

Here in the midst of judgment and with the enemies at the gate and captivity, like a dark cloud overhead, is hope.

v1 "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond; it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;"

But the children have not been taught the commandments and to fear God.

v2 "Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills."

When Israel goes away into foreign countries and are standing naked before other nations, these words will be branded on their hearts to remember why they are no longer in their great nation.

Jeremiah is sent to proclaim the what and why of the events.

v4 "And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not; for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever."

It is not a lite thing the Lord does. He did not just fly over and decide that the nation was doing some things wrong. He searched what was in their heart and saw their intentions.

v9-10 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

So, it is a righteous judgment that is made. It is like the honest person who is caught in a wrong and suffers some consequence : "I deserved that." He says.

The summary is found in verse 13 and should be a reminder and a warning for us all.

v13 "O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters."

Well, I don't know if this is what that means but it does give an example: Israel forsook the LORD and much has been written of their tragic history since that day. The glory of the kingdom and the captivity. Still there is hope for those who trust the LORD.

We should not be too quick to judge Israel, that has been done by the just judge, we should consider that it also applies to an individual life. When we forsake the LORD, we always serve the consequence.

Lost Favor - Jeremiah 16

Jeremiah 16:13 "Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not show you favor."

I have experienced a little of the strange land feeling while I was in the military. I remember pulling into a harbor and seeing a large Buddha sitting on a hill overlooking the harbor. The image was about as large as the hill it sat upon. Of course, coming from the Bible belt of the USA, I was shocked to see something besides the cross representing religion. It was strange to me but I was in a land accustomed to the image.

So it must have been for Israel when they were carried away into captivity and saw images of strange gods at every turn. But in this chapter they are still being offered hope.

v15 "But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers."

In summary, the generation being addressed here was raised by fathers that did not teach them the ways of the commandments. In some cases their were good teachers but the children rebelled. In general, the people are worshipping idols. The consequence will be much like when the children of Israel failed to believe good after the report from the spies in Exodus and that generation died in the wilderness except for the few who did believe.

v17 "For mine eyes are upon all their ways; they are not hid from my face, neither is there iniquity hid from mine eyes."

Look at these two verses. At great cost, the people Israel are learning a hard lesson that there is but one LORD.

v20-21 "Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods? Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is THE LORD."

Israel has been chosen by God.

Forsaken - Jeremiah 15

Jeremiah 15:6 "Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting."

I don't know why I thought of this but maybe it has some bearing. An old preacher told the story: "A young man who had been raised by loving parents was in rebellion against them. He even became abusive. Still wishing to enjoy the benefits of food on the table and a warm place to sleep with a roof over his head. He stayed home but disrupted the household and disregarded the wishes of his parents. One day the dad stood in the sons way at the door as he was about to go on another of his nightly 'adventures'. He would come staggering in sometime in the night. The dad said you are not leaving this house tonight. "I'm a man, I can do as I please!" He cried. The son pushed, shoved and struck out at his dad. The dad responded with a fist to the young man's chin and the son went down. The son looked up and said "But you are my daddy and I'm just a child." The dad replied: "You were a man a minute ago."

Israel was rebellious and disrespectful to God but they still wanted a protecting hand and blessings without having to follow any rules. Now is judgment day and payday is tough sometimes.

v1 "Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth."

Years of loving them, caring for them and blessing them have passed. The LORD is repaid with the sad word "FORSAKEN".

v4 "And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem."

Jeremiah pleads but to no avail. It is as if Jeremiah were given to Israel as a defense attorney but the guilt is undeniable. The sentence sure unless there is repentance.

The plea: v18 "Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?"

The answer: v19 "Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them."

Do you have the picture? Israel wants the blessings but not will not stop worshipping idols. Guidelines have been set down and conditions for blessings. They were agreed to by Israel. God has not changed, they did. So, we go on. It would be good to jump back to the Kings and Chronicles to review how it was while Jeremiah represented the LORD in the land.

False Prophets - Jeremiah 14

Jeremiah 14:14 "Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart."

Jeremiah seems to be wondering about what he is told to tell the people. One the one hand the LORD is telling him that there will be great trouble and Jeremiah is suppose to convey that message to the people. But all the other prophets are telling the people that everything will be alright and that there will be peace in the land.

Patiently the LORD explains that the false prophets did not get their information from him.

Here are some of the things Jeremiah was to tell them v3 "...no water..." v4 "...no water..." v6 "...no grass..." It is a picture of gloom and doom that Jeremiah is told to tell the people. The false prophets, on the other hand, are telling them all is well, just keep doing what you are doing.

v9 "Why shouldest thou be as a man astonished, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not."

Jeremiah must surely know that he has a direct line with God, that he has the true message. At the same time, it must have been a hard message to absorb when he remembers the greatness of Israel and the way it was before the rebellion against God.

It is not that the LORD cannot save. It is that Israel is going under judgment and the LORD chooses not to save at this time in order to teach Israel a lesson.

v13 "Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. "

The big difference: Jeremiah says 'Thus saith the Lord" while the false prophets put in the big "I". The false prophets have neither the ability or the authority to make such a statement and the Lord calls them lairs.

v15 "Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed."

The chapter ends with a plea for the LORD to not turn against Israel.

v21 "Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory; remember, break not thy covenant with us."

It shows that Israel has not been listening to the words sent to them through the prophets. The verse on the one hand lifts up the Lord, then accuses Him of breaking the covenant when it is Israel that is worshipping idols and has turned away plea after plea to repent.

The answer next.

Pride - Jeremiah 13

Jeremiah 13:9 "Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem."

Pride is a subject that could take up many pages. Here we discuss the pride that is associated with arrogance. It is not, (I don't think) the way we use the word when we speak of our children.

Pride: conceit; haughty behavior - I think is the definition we are looking for.
arrogance: offensive exaggerating one's own importance

My thought on the matter is that we can be blessed by God to do certain things which put one in a position of leadership (and power) then the individual forgets that it is through God's power that they do what they do and begin to feel it is within themselves that they perform. That is arrogance and pride.

Proverbs 8:13 "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."

Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."

So we find Jerusalem and Judah about to fall. They have been begged to turn back to God even while the enemy is approaching with a great army, but they would not. After Jeremiah reasoned with God in the last chapter, we find here and illustration of the pride of Judah and Jerusalem.

v1 "Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water."

v4 "Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates and hide it there in a hole of the rock."

So Jeremiah does as he is told and after some days he is instructed to go and get the linen cloth and he sees how it is soiled and good for nothing. Such is the pride of Judah and Jerusalem, the LORD tells him.

v11 "For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear."

He goes on to say that the people will be drunk and staggering against each other and there will be no pity for them. The kingdom is lost because of pride. Although a physical enemy is approaching, the real enemy is within the nation itself.

v23 "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil."

v27 "I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?"

II Kings 24:15 "And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon."

Footmen,Horses Speckled Bird - Jeremiah 12

Jeremiah 12:5 "If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?"

Several famous phrases and terms are found in this chapter, those above, and the speckled bird in verse 9.

v9 "Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour."

In verse 12 we have an exhortation to strengthen ones faith or at least fortitude because things will get worse and it will take more strength later than now. Things are bad now, but buckle down because worse things are coming. You have to picture the war of their time. Fighting hand to hand combat is pretty bad and dangerous, but when the horses and their riders charge into men on foot, it is devastating to the footmen. To the prophet, the land is at peace now and it is troubling with the way things are going, but the enemy is just out there and will soon invade.

The other first with the speckled bird reminds me of the days on the farm. We handled laying chickens. They got along fine until a chicken was injured, i.e. a slight blood spot from falling. Then all the chickens that passed by would peck that spot until it became a deadly wound. They would even chase the injured chicken until it was pecked to death. So the speckled bird represents all that someone has (I expect the prophet), his heritage, those around him are pecking away at it and inviting others to do the same.

I've written a lot but this chapter is similar to Job reasoning with the Lord. Jeremiah is saying, why not just pluck up the evil and save the nation.

v1 "Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee; yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments; Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?"

Jeremiah is, no doubt, very alone in his country. We learned that the leaders and the priests are already lying to the people. He starts to wonder about things. Even Elijah got discouraged.

Jeremiah points out that the people talk a good talk but it does not come from the heart.

v2 "Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit; thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins."

But even with the judgment to come, there is a word of hope for the prophet.

v15 "And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land."

And a warning: v17 "But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD."

Broken Covenant - Jeremiah 11

Jeremiah 11:4 "Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you; so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God;"

It was not a one-sided agreement. The LORD presented it to the people and they accepted. They would keep his commandments and he would give them the land that flows with milk and honey. They, however, turned to idols. It is so then that the land is being taken away because Israel and Judah broke the agreement.

v10 "They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers."

Down through the history, we can remember how Abraham was brought out and promised that he would possess the land. Jacob became Israel and twelve tribes were made. Egypt's bondage was broken and a great nation came forth to possess Canaan led by Moses and Joshua. Many miracles were seen on the way. Then there was David and Solomon and the great lessons we have during the temple building.

v8 "Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart; there fore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not."

We have the record of all this and of the prophets warning the people to turn back to what they were taught. They would not.

v11 "Therefore, thus saith the LORD, Behold I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them."

The returning from all this has been long and difficult for Israel. We have recorded the history of their trials. We see events unfold all the time. There will come a day when the nation is gathered and a new king will reign. It will be when Christ returns to heal the nations.

As for now, in this study, we are going over how the nation was lost and why.

Idols - Jeremiah 10

Jeremiah 10:5 "They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not; they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good."

The prophet is telling the people that idols are inert and can do nothing for themselves. I suppose this would have enraged the heathen around there. It is as if the Lord had to start over with this generation and teach them the basics.

v2 "Thus saith the the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the heathen are dismayed at them."

That is a good verse. He says to them that even those who make and worship the signs and idols don't understand them and are no doubt amazed that with all their attention they give to them, still they do not respond. It would seem logical to throw them out.

v8 "But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities."

brutish: showing little intelligence stock: the word has many definitions but one of the that they all have the same origin. Makes sense, since we know the devil is the father of lies and deceit.

v11 "Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, event hey shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens."

Pretty good preparations for a people who are going into captivity and will be subjected to idol worship on a daily basis. They are given an answer to give those over them.

On the other hand, they can refer to their God who is a God of action and power.

v12 "He hath made the earth by his power...v13 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures."

They are being prepared mentally and physically to be uprooted.

v17 "Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress."

The enemy must have been close by when the prophet uttered these words.

v22 "Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons."

Then Jeremiah laments over his people.

v24 "O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing."

It is a chapter that tells of the goings on while in other books of the Bible we see the action.

Bad Situation in Israel Then - Jeremiah 9

Jeremiah 9:14 "But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:" See also Gal. 1:14

Israel is at a point, at this time in history, when a generation has grown up away from God and have taught their children evil ways. This chapter tries to explain the difference in the ways of evil and the way it ought to be but the prophet is in distress.

v1 "Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain; of the daughter of my people! v2 Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men."

Did you ever want to just run away? I have. There have been many times that I would like to have gone to a mountain cabin someplace and lived out my life. I don't know that one could escape the evil in the world even there.

Here the prophet is telling them that they should not trust anyone:

v4 "Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust ye not in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanders."

Even now, in our country, it is getting so things are nothing like it use to be. It use to be that a neighbor felt an obligation to his neighbor. It was a given that property lines were respected and that help was always available in hard times. Now we hardly know our neighbor is in trouble.

v5 "They will deceive every one his neighbor, and will not speak the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity."

It is a time for mourning. He tells them to go get professional women to mourn for things are going to get really bad. It is time to cry.

v11 "And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant."

Gold is refined in the fire. There is no other way to get the impurities out. So, it has become in Israel. It will take much trouble to turn them in this time. After telling the things that are going on the scripture asks this question:

v9 "Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"

Society has basically broken down. No one can trust anyone. They have forsaken the LORD and gone to idols.

Here is what you should do:

v24 "But let him that glories, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the LORD."

Loving-kindness is what the LORD would like to shed on Israel and all his people but when that fails there must be some action to turn His people back to him.
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Is There No Balm in Gilead-Jeremiah 8

Jeremiah 8:22 "Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?"

Did you ever go to a doctor for a sickness and then go home and do something other than what the doctor told you to do? Then, did you stay sick and wish you had followed the doctor's instructions?

Israel has been told by the prophets what 'thus saith the Lord' but they have ignored it. Further, they have gone out to do themselves more harm. (Of course, we are talking about the scripture we are studying.)

v5 "Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return."

Israel has a great history, to this point, of the leadership and the grace of God. They were redeemed out of Egypt, led through the wilderness and crossed on dry ground where the waters were high. These are the memories they carry, yet we have this situation of them going to idols.

v9 "The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken; lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?"

It is as if the Lord is standing and pleading with them to please turn back to the Lord, yet they turn their back and are carried away.

v14 "Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defensed cities, and let us be silent there; for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD."

Can you hear Jeremiah crying in the streets to his people. As the rows of people file by. Perhaps he grabs an arm here and begs them to turn from their sin. Then with tears he tells them.

v20-21 "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt, I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me."

A nation that is built on the trust and promise of God cannot leave that position and hope to stand.

Temple - Jeremiah 7

Jeremiah 7:2 "Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD."

Like a cancer that starts in some part of the body and then spreads to the brain or heart, idol worship and lying words and general breaking of the commandments has spread until it came into the place where the LORD had put his name. He here pronounces that even that place is doomed.

v4 "Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these."

Although they were declaring that the temple belonged to the LORD, there were things going on there that were not of the LORD. Ezekiel also has the story.

Still a plea to turn.

v6 "If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: v7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, forever and ever."

Just quit what you are doing and the LORD said he would stop the judgment.

It seems they were oppressing the most vulnerable people in the land and that made the LORD angry.

The boldness of their sin: v9 "Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Ba'al and walk after other gods whom ye know not; --- v10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?"

v11 "Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it saith the LORD."

There is no use denying it, the LORD tells them that he has seen it himself.

The temple was to be a special place where the sins of the people were dealt with. They could come here and go away feeling better for a season. But now there seems to be no conscience in Judah.

v30 "For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it."

Because Judah has shut their ears to the words of the LORD.

v34 "Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride; for the land shall be desolate."

Daughter of Zion - Jeremiah 6

Jeremiah 6:1 "O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem; for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction."

The trumpet was sound was the sign to Israel for various occasions, one concerned the approach of the enemy.

Here the prophet is encouraging them to sound the trumpet to let the people know to escape from the approaching enemy.

v4 "Prepare ye war against her; arise and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out."

It appears to be hopeless because this is the judgment that is to come upon Israel for disobedience. Still the prophet sounds the warning.

v11 "Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together; for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days."

The answer for Israel is simple, return to the Lord. As the scripture has said before, they have eyes to see and ears to hear but they will not even as the enemy approaches.

v16 "Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye int he ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls, But they said, We will not walk therein."

The enemy is fearsome: v22 "Thus saith the LORD, Behold a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth."

It is a sad time. The prophet cries for the nation to repent. The Lord calls for them to return to him. The enemy is on the way. Judgment is sure. Yet Israel continues as if nothing is going to happen. It is a hard lesson they are about to learn and one we should all take heed to.

v2 "I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman."

How Shall I Pardon Thee? -Jeremiah 5

Jeremiah 5:1 "Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it."

This reminds us of Sodom and Abraham's plea that God spare it and they went through the numbers and could not find sufficient righteous to justify God sparing the city. In this chapter, God says to search for just one and he will stop his judgment.

v2 "O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction; the have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return."

Often this is the difference in a child, as well, when they are corrected. Some will accept that they have done wrong and endeavor to do right while others will harden their heart against correction and persist to do wrong.

In verse 5, he goest to the the great men of the city seeking someone who will do right but even there he finds none.

Remember the armies are coming and the spies are already around.

v7 "How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods; when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses."

In this question, we touch on the many characters of God which I am not knowledgeable enough to explain. I do understand that God will not go against his character. God hates sin and sin must be judged. He is also love and that love is everlasting. So in this chapter he seeks just one person that will justify him stopping judgment on the land.

It also goes to the question that people often ask: "How can God let this happen?" It is not that God wants things to happen. It is that people bring the penalty of sin upon themselves for sin must be judged.

v9 "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"

The answer to the why is found in the following verse.

v19 "And it shall come to pass when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours."

The punishment reflects the transgression.

He goes on to say that they have eyes but do not see and ears but do not hear. verse 21. They have a revolting and rebellious heart. verse 23.

In verse 25 we can see the love of God and the consequence of sin: "Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withheld good things from you."

The bad part is that the leaders are teaching the people falsely and the people like it.

v31 "The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it so; and what will ye do in the end thereof?"

The captivity is coming and some will learn not to like falsehood.

Plea to Repent - Jeremiah 4

Jeremiah 4:1 "If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove."

Israel is in more danger than they know. They are still steeped in sin but apparently think they are not in danger. Perhaps they remember the days of David and Solomon when the enemy always fall before Israel. The thing about that time was that the kings looked to God for help.

v3 "For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns."

He is talking about their hearts here. They have hardened their hearts against God.

v14 "O Jerusalem, wash tine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?"

The armies are on the way to destroy them and Israel, Judah and Jerusalem are unaware of the danger because they will not listen to the cries of the prophets, in this case Jeremiah.

v7 "The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant."

The watchman sleeps.

The situation is this. Israel is in the midst of worshipping idols. Destruction is coming because of their sin, not because God wants to destroy them. The enemy is coming and yet there is warning given to Israel and another opportunity to repent and turn from the idol worship.

v22 "For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge."

He is not saying that doing evil is wise. He is saying they are quick to go after idols, they understand how to do that, but they are not quick to seek the Lord and do not seek understanding as to how to do that because they will not hear.

v27 "For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end."

Backsliding Children - Jeremiah 3

Jeremiah 3:14 "Turn, O backsliding children saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:" See Romans 11:5

The Lord alternate refers to the children of Israel and a wife and as children. Here he compares them to a wife that has left her husband for another (see Hosea). Also, I think he refers to the remnant of Israel. As in the wilderness, the majority of those idol worshippers will be lost.

v1 "They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly pollluted? but thou has played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. (See Hosea)

It is a demonstration of God's great love for his people. He is willing to take them back even after they have turned their back and face from him and even pretended to serve him but did not. Even then, God is willing to take them back.

v19 "But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me." See Isaiah 63:16

In the next verses, there is a cry from Israel, not to God, but a distress cry that they are wrong.

v21 "A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel; for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.:

In this condition, it seems they have forgotten how to approach God or are ashamed to do so. The Lord tells them to return then tells them the prayer to pray.

v22 "Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God."

It continues with the realization that there is no hope of salvation in the high places of idol worship.

v23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains; truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel."

The great confession of sin and the utter hopelessness of our condition.

v25 "We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us; for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth, even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God."

That is a very good place to start from to come back to the Lord. Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the LORD Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. I John 1:9 "If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.