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.

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."

The Remnant Isaiah 10

Isaiah 10:12 "Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the LORD hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks."

Assyria is the instrument used to punish the children of Israel but Assyria thought themselves to be more than that. So, in this chapter we are told that once the purpose of Assyria is fulfilled, their attitude will be dealt with.

v20 "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth."

There were the very poor who were left by the conquerors to tend the vineyards and then there were those who returned from captivity to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. These are the remnant. Others did not return when given the opportunity because they were doing well financially in the land of captivity.

v21 "The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God."

I'd recommend Nehemiah and Daniel as study books here. We should keep in mind, as Christians, that all the prophecy concerning Israel has not been fulfilled. The gospel is still a mystery to those who do not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. We live now in a time when redemption is come to the Gentiles, a time of grace, before the events of Daniel and Revelation fully come to pass.

We are looking from Isaiah toward the short term future events and the long term future events. I think there are some key words and phrases which should be considered: v12 "whole work" "remnant" "v25 "very little while" "indignation" .

v33 "Behold the LORD, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled."

We could say that the LORD is chastening Israel but he will not allow the punisher to exceed his bounds without cost.

Psalm 119:81 "My soul fainteth for thy salvation; but I hope in thy word."

"Here Am I. Send Me" Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6:8-9 "Also I heard the voice of the LORD, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not."

We get a glimpse into heaven itself in this chapter and I must say, it can be a frightening thing when we consider our unworthiness as Isaiah did. I for one, would not want to face Him without the blood of Jesus on my soul.

v1 "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple v2 Above it stood the seraphims; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly."

The peoples understanding is to be clouded by Isaiah. Here is where I have a little trouble. It is the same feeling I used to get when working algebra. The problem seems impossible then it would come to me somehow.

I believe the understanding of the people was to be darkened so that the previous prophecies and judgments could be fulfilled.

Deuteronomy 28:64 "And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shall serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone." Also Neh 1:8

I cannot explain this, although I know the LORD knows the future. I think of the price Jesus paid. He preached to his people and did many miracles, yet it seems only a few believed. He was crucified so that everyone could seek salvation and not just the nation Israel. So, if he had not been rejected by his own people, we would not have had salvation. One thing we must always consider while studying the Bible: when God says a thing will happen, it will happen.

v11 "Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, v12 And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land."

Then the promise: v13 "But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return..."

So we must remember that this was Isaiah during the time of the carrying away to captivity. We have already studied how they came back and started to rebuild Jerusalem.

I should note that I am not a Bible prophecy expert. I recommend seeing the links I have on the right for much more learned men than myself to get a deeper understand here.