Listening To False Teachers

Jeremiah 14:1-20

“The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.

Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.  And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.  Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.  Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.  And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.” (Jeremiah 14:1-6)

All of Judah was suffering as a result of a severe drought.   Everything was dried out, and wilted, and the gates that normally would be bustling with activity were deserted and Jerusalem was crying about how bad things were.  Their wells and springs and the pits that so often held water had dried out so that the people they sent to find water returned home without any.  The ground was so dried out from lack of rain that the crops the farmers had planted didn’t even sprout or grow.  It was embarrassing to realize they had wasted their seed.  Deer were traveling so far looking for food they never returned to care for their young, and the wild donkeys were climbing to the tops of hills trying to smell any moisture, but were so dehydrated their eyes were failing. 

“O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.  O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?  Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, 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 14:7-9)

Jeremiah called on the Lord to give them relief as a testimony of his faithfulness.  He recognized that they had been disobedient and habitual sinners, but he was their only hope in times like this.  Why would God not intervene, acting like he was just a tourist passing through instead of getting involved?  Why did he just act as if he was unable to do anything for them when in fact He made His home among them and the very name, Israel, meant A Prince With God?    He asked that God not leave them at such a time

“Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.  Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.  When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.” (Jeremiah 14:10-12)

God said the people had deliberately run away from him and gotten themselves into trouble and as a result He was not willing to come to their rescue.  He would remember their attitude toward him and demand repayment of what they owed him.  In fact he commanded Jeremiah not to even pray for their benefit because God was not going to listen to their prayers or accept their sacrifices and offerings, but will collect what he is owed, even if it causes them to lose everything. 

“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.” (Jeremiah 14:13)

Jeremiah felt that God’s position seemed a little harsh.  After all, their prophets were telling them that God would bless them and prevent them from experiencing problems because he loved them, much like modern evangelists and pastors do.  Surely it wasn’t fair to punish them for doing what the prophets said. 

 

“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.  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.  And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.” (Jeremiah 14:14-16) 

Though the prophets claimed to be speaking by God’s authority, they had not been sent by him and their messages were lies.  They claimed God had spoken to them or commanded them to do what they were doing or that God had revealed some special vision, but it is a result of their own imagination and lusts.  As a result the very things they promised would not happen would happen to those prophets. 

The people that listen to those prophets and follow their teachings will be punished as well, because they have listened to the prophets instead of to God.  They had God’s written word to tell them what was right.  In addition, God had given them a way to determine whether a prophet came from god or not.  Deuteronomy 18:20-22 describes what they were to look for.  “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.  And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?   When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”   The prophet was to give a short term sign that wouldn’t normally happen as proof that the message was from God.  If the short term sign didn’t happen they knew the prophet was not from God and they were to execute him for lying about God. 

They knew how to tell if the message was from god or not and they knew what his word said.  They had no excuse for going along with the lies of those false prophets.  They would suffer the full punishment for their sin because they didn’t bother to find out what was right.  Their failure to check was itself disobedience to God.   as a result they would die as a result of war and terrorism, and also as a result of starvation, and there would be no one who cared enough to even bury them.  They were just receiving the consequences of their wickedness. 

“Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.” (Jeremiah 14:17)

Jeremiah was to tell them there prayers were not going to stop their suffering because God was breaking them.  It is very similar to the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 and has serious implications for churches today.  Jeremiah then describes what he was experiencing. 

“If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.  Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul loathed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!” (Jeremiah 14:18-19)

Everywhere he looked, Jeremiah saw signs of suffering.  Dead bodies lay in the fields outside Jerusalem and those who were still alive in the city were starving to death.  Even the prophets and priests who have lived there through it hardly recognize the land in its present state.  He asked if God had completely disowned Judah and hated them.  Why else would god allow such things to happen to them?  They were expecting something completely different. 

“We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.  Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.  Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.” (Jeremiah 14:20)

Finally they are broken enough that some of them recognize their sin and ask that God not hate them or disgrace his word by breaking his covenant with them.  They realize none of the gods other peoples worship can help them.  Only God has the power to send rain and they are willing to wait for him.  

Sign Of The Rotten Sash

Jeremiah 13:1-27

“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.  So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.  And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, 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 I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.

And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.  Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.” (Jeremiah 13:1-7)

God commanded Jeremiah to purchase a linen belt or sash and wear it but not to wash it at all.  After he had worn it for a time, he was to take it several hundreds of mile to the Euphrates River and hide it in a hole in the rocks by the river.  Sometime later God told him to go back and get the sash.  When he did, he discovered that the moisture had caused the cloth to rot and be discolored to such a degree that it was no longer useable. 

“Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.  This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

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 for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.” (Jeremiah 13:8-11)

The girdle or belt was to be a portrayal of Judah.  Just as Jeremiah had drawn the sash tight around his waist, God had drawn Judah close to himself.  Separated from Jeremiah, the belt had decayed in the moisture and was no longer fit for use.  In a similar fashion, Judah had separated themselves from God, involving themselves in sin until they were no longer fit to be close to him.    The belt originally was purchased as a useful addition to the clothing which would look good and compliment the wearer’s appearance, but the rotten one did not, and Judah was the same way.  There is no longer anything for them to be proud of. 

“Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?  Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.  And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.” (Jeremiah 13:12-14)

Just as a normal woman would not keep all the cans and food containers unless they have food in them, God said every container was to be filled.  The people would naturally respond that they understood why that was true.  Jeremiah was then to explain that they were like empty containers.  He would fill them again and destroy those that leaked.  When testing and disposing of the useless containers, their position in the nation would not make any more difference than the design printed on the defective container. 

“Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.  Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.  But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away captive.” (Jeremiah 13:15-17)

If they would give up their pride and listen, correcting the problems before he began to judge and they started to stumble and or needed help, God would turn judgment away and they would be saved from destruction.  If they refused, like a woman cleaning out her cabinets and finding some treasured keepsake but realizing it was no longer worth keeping, God might weep at throwing it out, but he has no choice. 

“Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.  The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.  Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?  What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?” (Jeremiah 13:18-21)

Jeremiah is to warn the rulers, the king and queen, that their kingdom is going to be destroyed. And they will be left with no power or recognition.  Their southernmost cities will be deserted and closed up and all the people taken away as slaves,  After the defeat of the Assyrians, the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar will turn south and take away all their subjects that God had given them to lead and teach.  What can they say when he punishes them for having taught them to focus on gaining power and it destroys them?

“And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.  Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.  Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.  This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.  Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.  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?” (Jeremiah 13;22-27)

Like people today the Jews would complain, asking why they are having such problems and refusing recognize that the problems are the result of their own actions.  Their sin has become such a habit that breaking it will be almost as hard as it would be for a black man to change his skin color or for a leopard to change its spots.  The judgment and suffering they will experience is what they receive from God for their actions. 

They have turned their backs on God, chasing other gods and believing their lies.  Like a husband who catches his wife in bed with her lover, God knows just what is going on and they will be embarrassed by being caught in such a state.  At that point, what will it take to save their marriage?

If You Think It’s Bad For You…

Jeremiah 12:1-17

“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?  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.” (Jeremiah 12:1-2)

Jeremiah knows God is righteous and will listen to his concerns.  Like many others, he is asking why God allows wicked people to prosper.  They seem successful and satisfied with the results of their deceitful and dishonest ways, and it seems like they have taken over permanently.  Their philosophy and standards seem to be taking over, so that while they may easily speak about God, he seems to have little impact on their lives. 

“But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.  How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end. ” (Jeremiah 12:3-4)

God knows how sincerely Jeremiah has tried to please him.  He asks that those wicked ones be separated out like a shepherd would pull out a sheep he had decided to butcher to fatten them up for slaughter.  How long is God going to allow them to continue to drain and damage the land, destroying both the ecology and the economy as a result of their wicked actions, because they believe God is incapable of stopping them. 

“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?  For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee. ” (Jeremiah 12:5-6)

If Jeremiah has become discouraged or upset with the success of the wicked in a land that still professes to believe in God, what will he do when satanic forces are in power?  When the laws that once restricted the wicked are removed, and evil is given free rein, how will he respond?  Their own leaders and associates have betrayed them, turning people against them, while purporting to be on their side, and cannot be trusted.  It will only get worse. 

“I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.  Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it.  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. ” (Jeremiah 12:7-9)

If Jeremiah thinks it is bad where he is he needs to look at it from God’s perspective.   God has been forced to walk away and allow the child he loves to suffer the consequences of her actions.   He has allowed her to be controlled by those who hate her.  She has become like a wild lion, attacking the father that loved her, with the result he has withdrawn from her.  Just as a flock of chickens will destroy one that is different, other nations were attacking Israel, but God would not intervene because they had rejected him like a runaway teenager.  Any parent who has dealt with this situation can understand God’s distress.

“Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.  They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. ” (Jeremiah 12:10-11)

Those charged with caring for God’s people had instead destroyed the church.  They had taken the authority and honor that belonged to God and thrown it to the ground like a piece of trash.  When they finished, his church and nation had as little to offer as a barren dessert.   God’s people cried out for relief as things keep getting worse, but nobody took his judgment for their disobedience to heart and made any changes.   

“The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.  They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD. ” (Jeremiah 12:12-13)

Outsiders have come against Israel, capturing and killing so that no one is safe.  Their efforts to provide for themselves all fail, like they were planting wheat but only weeds grew.  All their effort and suffering produces little or no benefit, and even that will become a source of embarrassment when they face God’s wrath. 

“Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.  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 it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people.  But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD. ” (Jeremiah 12:14-17)

Asking For It

Jeremiah 11:1-23

“The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant, 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: Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.” (Jeremiah 11:1-6)

When Israel came out of Egypt, God made a covenant or contract with Israel, He promised to give them a land of their own, to protect them from their enemies and disease and to make them prosperous in exchange for their obedience.   Here he commands Jeremiah to remind them of their commitment and warn them that anyone who breaks that contract is cursed of God.

“For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.  Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.” (Jeremiah 11:7-8)

From the very beginning, God had sent prophets to remind Israel of the terms of their contract with Him and the need to obey, and that they had agreed to it.  From the very beginning, less than forty days after signing the contract, they made the golden calf and began to worship it.  Thirteen times in the book of Judges, and repeatedly through the kingdom period they decided not to keep their contract, doing whatever they thought was good instead.  Part of the covenant specified the punishment for breaking it, and now God is warning him that he is going to take those actions.     

“And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  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.” (Jeremiah 11:9-10)

It is clear that Judah’s violation of the terms of their contract are not from a lack of understanding or even of carelessness or complacency.  They have been warned repeatedly and refuse to change, insisting on doing the same things they always have.  Their forefathers refused to obey God, choosing to worship other gods instead.  In doing so they have broken the contract.

“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.  Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.  For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.” (Jeremiah 11:11-13)

God will bring judgment on Judah for their deliberate refusal to honor their contract. And their will be no avoiding the consequences.   Because their actions have been deliberate, God will not listen to their pleas for leniency, and they will turn to the gods they served instead for help.  At that time thy will learn how useless and helpless those gods are.  Every city had adopted their own gods, with altars to Baal on every street corner as well. 

“Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.  What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.” (Jeremiah 11:14-15)

Once again God uses the analogy of an adulterous wife.   In Deuteronomy 24:1-4, the law deals with a woman who for one reason or another separates from her husband and maries someone else.  “When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.  And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.  And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”  Once they have been with someone else, they have no right to go back to the first husband. 

God asks Judah what right they have to be in His house once they have left Him to worship other gods?   He instructed Jeremiah not to intervene on their behalf because they have gone too far.   Any effort to be reconciled will have to start with them.    Genesis 6:3 tells us, “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man…” 

“The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.  For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.  And the LORD hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou showedst me their doings.  But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.” (Jeremiah 11:16-19)

God had set up Israel and Judah like an olive tree, but after a while he built a fire to burn it down because of their sin.   By violating God’s covenant, knowing that it specified certain judgments for doing so Israel and Judah have brought the judgment on themselves.  Though they don’t recognize it they have asked for their own destruction, thinking they are just going to destroy the mention of God and his prophet, Jeremiah.  It was very much like what is happening in America today.  In the effort to eliminate Christian influence, the so called “liberals” are destroying their own freedoms. 

“But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.  Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand: Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine: And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.” (Jeremiah 11:20-23)

Hurt by the constant attacks and efforts to silence him, Jeremiah prayed to see God’s judgment on those who tried to destroy him, because he had only tried to show them what God had said.   God responded that the men of the Anathoth who had devoted their efforts to silencing him, forbidding him to speak the word of God under penalty of death would be punished by Him.  The young men would be killed serving in the military.  Their children would die of starvation and ultimately none otf them would survive, even though there would be a remnant of the Jews as a whole. 

There’s No Comparison

Jeremiah 10:1-25

“Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith 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.  For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.  They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 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.” (Jeremiah 10:1-5)

One of Israel’s biggest problems throughout history has been their tendency to adopt the practices and beliefs of the people around them.  God warns them not to follow the practices and beliefs of those people.  those who did not believe in God were continuously looking for some special sign in heave to know what was going to happen, with the result that the Chaldeans and others had developed detailed studies of the relationships of the various stars and planets in an effort to predict the future.  Horoscopes and astrology are just some modern day versions of those beliefs, as is the focus on the four blood moons or various other efforts to predict the future based on astronomical events.  God’s people were not to allow themselves to worry about these things, just because others were. 

Instead they should consider how meaningless and hopeless what those people’s practices were.   A person would cut a tree in the forest and carve it to a special shape, then ooverlay it with sheets of silver or gold and nail it up where it wouldn’t fall from its place.   When they finished the idol they had created could not speak or move around under its own power.  Obviously they offered on threat since they  had no power to anything, either good or bad.  There was no reason to worry about them or what they might want. 

“Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.  Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.  But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.  Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.  But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.” (Jeremiah 10:6-10)

God is not at all like those idols they make.  He is a living god who has real power, even to the creation of the universe.  There is every reason to fear God’s power and is foolish not to consider it since it affects everything on earth.  Compared to God, even the most intellectual and educated men are like the least intelligent animals, incapable of making logical decisions.    The chunk of wood they have carved into an idol is simply a useless waste of time, and the silver  and cold with which they overlay it do not give any special properties as they are only products of human craftsmanship,  just as the fancy tapestries and clothing that are made for them.  God, on the other hand is the true and living God and the everlasting King.  The entire earth shakes at his anger and no nation will be strong enough to survive his judgment.    

“Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.  He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.  When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.” (Jeremiah 10:11-13)

Every trace of the idols that people worship will ultimately be destroyed.  God created the earth by power and made it function in an organized manner by his wisdom, creating the entire universe based on his judgment.  By just speaking he causes the water to evaporate from all over the earth and be collected into one area forming rainclouds.  He causes the it to fall as rain and the lightening and wind to accompany it.

“Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.  They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.  The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name.  Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress.  For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so.” (Jeremiah 10:14-18)

By comparison to god, every Human being is like one of the animals.  The things we make are only copies of what god has made that have no power in themselves and when we ascribe such power, we are only confusing ourselves.  Ultimately, they are a waste of effort based on mistaken ideas that will fail at some point in time.  The God of Jacob is nothing like that, because he made everything and the nation of Israel is the scepter of his kingdom.  Those who have made and sold their idols need to get out of His land because He is going to shake it and sling them out if they are there when he starts. 

“Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.  My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.  For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.  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.” (Jeremiah 10:19-22)

Because those who were responsible for leading and teaching God’s people, the pastors have become like animals concerned only with their own comfort and pleasure, no longer concerned with Lord, the people have strayed like a bunch of sheep without a shepherd.    When they are attacked by the northern countries, it will cause a commotion like a bunch of sheep when attacked by a lion or wolves, just killing for the sheer pleasure of it and leaving the land occupied only by lizards and snakes.  There has been no concern with God’s feelings, just leaving him to deal with it. 

“O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.  O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.  Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.” (Jeremiah 10:23-25)

Although our pride leads us to believe we can control our destiny, we really have little power to do so.  In fact we have difficulty even controlling our own actions, as demonstrated by our inability to lose weight or give up some addiction.  Jeremiah asks that God would correct him chastising him before He is angered by his actions, so he was not destroyed.  He asked that he destroy those who refuse to be corrected and reject God because of what they have done to His people.

Like Dealing With An Addict

Jeremiah 9:1-26

 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!  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.  And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:1-3)

As he looks at the attitudes and actions of Judah, the lord is broken hearted.  His entire head would need to be just water and his eyes like a spigot for him express his feelings about his wayward daughter Judah.  Knowing they will not change.  The Lord would like to have some remote place he could go so he wouldn’t have to see what they are doing.  It is almost like they are addicted to crack cocaine or meth, prostituting themselves, betraying their friends and lying about everything to feed their habit.  They have no interest in the truth, and will commit any crime, totally rejecting and ignoring their family.   

“Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.  And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.  Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:4-6)

The Lord warns others about Judah like parents warning their friends and relatives about an addicted son or daughter, that they cannot be trusted.  They will take things they no right to, slander their neighbors, deceive everyone around and lie constantly, working at doing wrong.  They live in a dream world and deny reality, refusing to acknowledge those that know the truth because they don’t want to deal with it.    

“Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?  Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.  Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?  For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.  And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.” (Jeremiah 9:7-11)

Though he knows they will not appreciate his efforts, God has to take action because he has seen how much Judah has hurt others, slandering and insulting them, taking advantage and lying.  He cannot just ignore what they are doing, because it only gets worse as they are allowed to get by with it.  Though He doesn’t want to, for the sake of others, He will destroy both the mountains and the deserts so that they have no soured of food, and Jerusalem will be destroyed, suitable only for insects and lizards, and other cities will be just heaps of rubbish. 

“Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?” (Jeremiah 9:12)

God is looking for a person who is able to comprehend what is going on that God can explain it too?  He will be sent to warn Judah and Jerusalem why the land is being destroyed and why nobody does business with them anymore. 

“And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein; But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them: Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.  I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.” (Jeremiah 9:13-16)

These things are happening to them because they have turned their backs on the Lord, deliberately disobeying his commands and doing as they pleased.  As a result God will give them misery and bitterness, scattering them among those that hate them and send their enemies after them to destroy them. 

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come: And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.  For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.

Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.  For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.  Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.“ (Jeremiah 9:17-22)

Judah and Jerusalem will be in sorrow and suffering because God has taken everything from them.  They will be forced to leave their land and death affects every home and family.  They will learn what it means to be sad and lonely.  So many will die they will not even attempt to gather them up and bury them but will just leave the bodies lie. 

Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Instead of focusing their wisdom, or strength or wealth, they needed to learn to focus on knowing understanding God and what he desired.  They needed to understand that he is the God who shows love to his people, gives justice and makes things be right.  Unlike other people and political leaders who are only concerned with their own benefit, God delights in these things. 

“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised; Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.” (Jeremiah 9:25-26)

God’s people will be punished for their sins right along with those who make no claims to know him.  In fact, I Peter 4:17 states, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”  The Idea that God will pull out all the Christians before he allows judgment to fall has no scriptural precedent or support.  When Israel and Judah sinned they were judged just like the other peoples.  Their circumcision was meaningless since their heart attitude was no different than the uncircumcised. 

Just Waiting to Help

Jeremiah 8:1-22

“At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves: And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.   And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Jeremiah 8:1-3)

It was prophesied that Josiah would destroy the jeroboam’s altar, emptying the graves of the priests and rulers and burning their bones on it as a show of the powerlessness of those gods.    In II Kings 23:16 we find a description of his doing so.  God is giving a similar prophecy about the Temple at Jerusalem and the kings, prophets and priests and people who have worshipped so many false gods. 

According to historians, Nebuchadnezzar first conquered and took Jerusalem in 605 BC.  Eleven years later, after repeated rebellions, the Babylonians destroyed the entire city, including the sepulchers to make sure there was no one hiding in them who might start another insurrection.  The bodies were left lying on the ground like other refuse to show how powerless those other gods were to protect them.  Many of the Jews committed suicide rather than be enslaved.

“Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?  Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.” (Jeremiah 8:4-5)

God had promised to keep Israel and make them a great nation.  Time after time he warned that if the broke his covenant, they would be punished, but that when they turned back to him, they would be restored, and God cannot and will not break his promise.  It made no sense for Israel to keep rebelling against God, clinging to their self-deception and refusing to obey his command.  They had seen repeated proofs of His willingness to forgive and bless when they turned to Him. 

“I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.  Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.” (Jeremiah 8:6-7)

Nobody was willing to admit they were doing wrong or even second guess their behavior.  They plunged ahead like a war horse charging into a battle.  Even the migratory birds pay attention to the weather and things around them and know when it is time to migrate to escape winter storms, but the Jews didn’t pay any attention, even when God warned them specifically of his coming judgment. 

“How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.  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?  Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.  For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.” (Jeremiah 8:8-11)

The Jews considered themselves to be highly intelligent and know what God wanted.  God had made his law for no purpose, and the efforts of the scribes to make exact copies was wasted.  They followed the teachings of their leaders rather than God’s word.   Because they have rejected God’s word their teachers have nothing to base their teaching on and have focused on their own success and advancement, they will lose everything they have.  By convincing the people they will be blessed for what they are doing, they have temporarily overcome their concerns, but it will not last, and they will face the consequences.     

“Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.  I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.” (Jeremiah 8:12-13)

There was not even a sense of guilt when they violated god’s commands.  As a result those leaders will be destroyed right along with the others who are destroyed.  God will judge them, leaving no trace of the things they have done.  They will lose everything God had given them. 

“Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced 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.  We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!  The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.  For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 8:14-17)

Why stay in the same place, and make no changes.  God had clearly shown the emptiness and meaninglessness of what they were doing, making them miserable because of their sin.  They had looked for something better and more satisfying and instead it had gotten worse.  Their enemies had them surrounded and defeated them and now they would be betrayed by snakes among them that are only interested in harming them.

When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.  Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?  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.  Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?” (Jeremiah 8:18-22)

Like a father despairing over a runaway child, God is depressed with what is happening to Judah.  They are being abused by people from other lands.  He is left to wonder why they insist on doing what he warned them against, knowing it would upset him.  Like the father grieving over the things the wayward child is suffering, God is frustrated and upset by what is happening to Judah.  How can they persist and not listen or come for help?  Don’t they understand that God can and will help them if they ask?  Why won’t they ask?