Psalm 150 (continued, part 13)
"The sure mercies of David" involve God's covenant with David (2 Sam. 7) in which He promises that a Descendant would reign on David's throne forever. This, of course, is Jesus Christ (Luke 1:30–33), and the proof that He is God's King is seen in His resurrection from the dead (Acts 13:34–39). Jesus Christ is God's covenant to the Gentiles ("peoples"), and His promises will stand as long as His Son lives, which is forever.
Isaiah 55:5 indicates that God will use Israel to call the Gentiles to salvation, which was certainly true in the early days of the church (Acts 10:1ff.; 13:1ff.) and will be true during the kingdom (Isa. 2:2–4; 45:14; Zech. 8:22). Jerusalem will be the center for worship in the world, and God will be glorified as the nations meet together with Israel to honor the Lord.
Seek (55:6–13). When God delivered His people from Babylon and took them safely back to their own land, it was a witness to the other nations. It also gave Israel another opportunity to be a light to the Gentiles
Keep in mind that the Sabbath day is the seventh day of the week, the day that God sanctified when He
Isaiah 56—57
godly found rest and peace, and the ungodly went into captivity, and some of them were killed. Rebellious people do not deserve dedicated spiritual leaders. When His people reject His Word and prefer worldy leaders, God may give them exactly what they desire and let them suffer the consequences.
completed creation (Gen. 2:1–3). Sunday is the Lord's day, the first day of the week, and it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To call Sunday "the Sabbath" or "the Christian Sabbath" is to confuse these two important days. The Sabbath was a sign to the Jews and belongs to the law: You labor for six days, and then you rest. The Lord's day speaks of resurrection and belongs to grace. God's people trust in Christ, and then the works follow.
Idolaters (57:3–13). During the last days of Judah and Jerusalem, before Babylon came, the land and the city were polluted with idols. King Hezekiah and King Josiah had led the people in destroying the idols and the high places, but as soon as an ungodly king took the throne, the people went right back to their old ways. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah told the people that God would punish them for breaking His law, but they persisted in the ways of the godless nations around them.
God never before asked the Gentiles to join the Jews in keeping the Sabbath, but here He does so. He calls the very people He prohibited from entering His covenant nation: foreigners and eunuchs (Deut. 23:1–8). This is another picture of the grace of God (see Acts 8:26ff.). The invitation is still "Everyone come!" It applies to sinners today, but it will apply in a special way when Israel enters her kingdom, the temple services are restored, and the Sabbath is once again a part of Jewish worship.
God sees idolatry as adultery and prostitution (v. 3). The people knew it was wrong, but they arrogantly practiced their sensual worship ("inflaming yourselves with idols") without shame. You would find them everywhere: visiting the shrine prostitutes under the green trees in the groves, offering their children in the fire in the valley, worshipping under the cliffs and by the smooth boulders, sacrificing up in the mountains, and committing fornication behind the doors of their houses. Publicly and privately, the people were devoted to idols and immorality.
God's admonition to the remnant to "keep justice and do righteousness" (Isa. 56:1) was not obeyed. When you read Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Malachi, you discover that the Jews soon forgot God's goodness and returned to their old ways. Taking special time each week to remember the Lord and worship Him helps us to obey His will.
But they were also guilty of consorting with pagan leaders and trusting them for protection instead of trusting God (v. 9). To trust a pagan ruler and his army was the same as trusting the false god that he worshipped (see 30:1–7; 31:1–3). They found false strength in their political alliances and refused to admit that these treaties were hopeless (57:10). God would expose their sin and judge it, and when that happened, their collection of idols ("companies" in v. 13) would not save them.
Accusation Against the Sinners (56:9—59:21) The prophet presented in this section a series of indictments against the disobedient in the nation: the leaders (56:9—57:2), the idolaters (57:3–13), the proud and greedy (vv. 14–21), the hypocritical worshippers (58:1–14), and those responsible for injustice in the land (59:1–21). But even in His wrath, God remembers mercy (Hab. 3:2); for along with these indictments, the Lord pleads with people to humble themselves and submit to Him.
Anything that we trust other than the Lord becomes our god and therefore is an idol. It may be our training, experience, job, money, friends, or position. One of the best ways to find out whether we have idols in our lives is to ask ourselves, "Where do I instinctively turn when I face a decision or need to solve a problem?" Do we reach for the phone to call a friend? Do we assure ourselves that we can handle the situation ourselves? Or do we turn to God to see His will and receive His help?
The leaders of the nation (56:9—57:2). It was the godless conduct of the leaders that caused Judah to fall to Babylon (Lam. 4:13–14). Had the prophets, priests, and rulers turned to God in repentance and faith, He would have intervened on their behalf, but they persisted in their rebellion. With biting sarcasm, Isaiah called them "blind watchmen" who cannot see the enemy coming, and "sleeping dogs" who could not bark their warning even if they were awake! The leaders were not alert; they loved to sleep, and when they were awake, they loved to eat and drink.
When the storm starts blowing, the idols will blow away like chaff (v. 13). They are "vanity," which means "nothingness." The storm does not make a person; it shows what the person is made of and where his or her faith lies. If we make the Lord our refuge, we have nothing to fear.
Spiritual leaders are "watchmen" (Ezek. 3:17–21; 33:1–11) who must be awake to the dangers that threaten God's people. They are "shepherds" who must put the care of the flock ahead of their own desires. When the foreign invaders ("beasts of the field") come, the shepherds must protect the flock, no matter what the danger might be. (See Acts 20:18–38 for the description of a faithful spiritual ministry.)
The proud and greedy (57:14–21). God has a word of encouragement for the faithful remnant: The highway will be built and the obstacles removed, so that the exiles might return to the land and serve the Lord. (On the "highway" theme, see 11:16.) God will dwell with them because they are humble in spirit. (See 66:2; Ps. 34:18; 51:17.) Pride is a sin that God hates (Prov. 6:16–17) and that God resists (1 Peter 5:5–6). God was "enraged" by
God permitted the unrighteous leaders to live and suffer the terrible consequences of their sins, but the righteous people died before the judgment fell. The
Isaiah 57—60
intervened and brought the Babylonians to destroy Judah and Jerusalem and to teach His people that they cannot despise His law and get away with it.
Israel's "sinful greed" and repeatedly chastened them for it, but they would not change (Isa. 57:17). How often He had "taken them to court" and proved them guilty, yet they would not submit. But now that was over. The time had come for God to heal them, guide them, and comfort them.
God's judgment on His people was a foreshadowing of that final day of the Lord when all the nations will be judged. When it is ended, then "the Redeemer shall come to Zion" (Isa. 59:20), and the glorious kingdom will be established. Israel will be not only God's chosen people but God's cleansed people, and the glory of the Lord will radiate from Mount Zion.
The hypocrites (58:1–14). God told Isaiah to shout aloud with a voice like a trumpet and announce the sins of the nation. The people went to the temple, obeyed God's laws, fasted, and appeared eager to seek the Lord, but their worship was only an outward show. Their hearts were far from God (1:10–15; 29:13; Matt. 15:8–9). When we worship because it is the popular thing to do, not because it is the right thing to do, then our worship becomes hypocritical.
C.God's glory—58—66 (the Spirit and the kingdom)
The glory of the Lord in the promised kingdom is the theme of the closing chapters of Isaiah. While we are waiting and praying, "Thy kingdom come," perhaps we should also be interceding and intervening. We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matt. 5:13–16), and God expects us to make a difference.
The Jews were commanded to observe only one fast on the annual day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29–31), but they were permitted to fast personally if they wished. They complained that nobody seemed to notice what they were doing. Perhaps they were trying to "buy God's blessing" by their fasting. Worshipping God involves more than observing an outward ritual; there must be an inward obedience and submission to the Lord (Matt. 6:16–18).
CHAPTER THIRTEEN Isaiah 60—66 THE KINGDOM AND THE GLORY G
race is but glory begun," said Jonathan Edwards, "and glory is but grace perfected." Whatever begins with God's grace will lead to God's glory (1 Peter 5:10), and that includes the nation of Israel.
If in my religious duties I am doing what pleases me, and if doing it does not make me a better person, then I am wasting my time, and my worship is only sin. Fasting and fighting do not go together! Yet how many families walk piously out of church at the close of a Sunday worship service, get in the family car, and proceed to argue with each other all the way home!
Isaiah began his "Book of Consolations" (chaps. 40—66) by promising that "the glory of the Lord shall be revealed" (40:5). Now he concludes by describing that glory for us. In these seven chapters, he used the word glory in one form or another at least twenty-three times. When God's glory is on the scene, everything becomes new.
True fasting will lead to humility before God and ministry to others. We deprive ourselves so that we might share with others and do so to the glory of God. If we fast in order to get something for ourselves from God, instead of to become better people for the sake of others, then we have missed the meaning of worship. It delights the Lord when we delight in the Lord.
The Dawning of a New Day (60:1–22) "Arise and shine!" is God's "wake-up call" to Jerusalem (v. 14), because a new day is dawning for Israel. This light is not from the sun but from the glory of God shining on the city.
The unjust (59:1–21). There was a great deal of injustice in the land, with the rich exploiting the poor and the rulers using their authority only to make themselves rich (see 1:17–23; 3:13–15; 5:8–30). The people lifted their hands to worship God, but their hands were stained with blood (1:15, 21). God could not answer their prayers because their sins hid His face from them.
God's glory had once dwelt in the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34–38), only to depart because of Israel's sin (1 Sam. 4:21). God's glory then came into the temple (1 Kings 8:11), but it departed when the nation turned to idols (Ezek. 9:3; 10:4, 18; 11:22–23). The glory came to Israel in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14), but the nation nailed that glory to a cross. Today, God's glory dwells in His church (Eph. 2:20–22) and in His people individually (1 Cor. 6:19–20); but one day His glory will be revealed to the earth when He answers His people's prayer: "Thy kingdom come."
It was a conflict between truth and lies, just as it is today. Isaiah compared the evil rulers to pregnant women giving birth to sin (59:4; Ps. 7:14; Isa. 33:11), to snakes hatching their eggs, and to spiders weaving their webs (Isa. 59:5–6). What they give birth to will only destroy them (James 1:13–15), and their beautiful webs of lies can never protect them.
The Babylonian captivity had been the nation's darkest hour, but that was not the darkness Isaiah was describing. He was describing the awful darkness that will cover the earth during the day of the Lord (Amos 5:18), when God punishes the nations of the earth for their sins (Isa. 2:12ff.; 13:6ff.). But the prophet was also describing the glorious light that will come to
When people live on lies, they live in a twilight zone and do not know where they are going (Isa. 59:9–11). When trust falls, it creates a "traffic jam," and justice and equity (honesty) cannot make progress (vv. 12–15). God is displeased with injustice, and He wonders that none of His people will intercede or intervene (Prov. 24:11–12). So the Lord Himself
Isaiah 60—62
you have a crown on your head, for He has made you a king (Rev. 1:6). You have been anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit, and you wear a garment of righteousness (Isa. 61:3; 10).
Israel when her Messiah returns to reign in Jerusalem. Then "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14). Israel's sons and daughters will come home again (Isa. 60:4, 8–9), and all of them will know the Lord.
In her days of rebellion, Israel was like a fading oak and a waterless garden (1:30), but in the kingdom, she will be like a watered garden (58:11) and a tree (oak) of righteousness (61:3). But all of God's people should be His trees (Ps. 1:1–3), "the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified" (Isa. 61:3).
It will be the dawning of a new day for the nations of the world as well as for Israel (vv. 3, 10–13). The Gentiles will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord and to share their wealth (2:2–4; 11:9; 27:13; 56:7; 57:13; 65:25; 66:20). Some people "spiritualize" these promises and apply them to the Gentiles coming to Christ and His church today, but that is not the basic interpretation. Isaiah saw ships and caravans bringing people and wealth to Jerusalem (60:5–7), and the nations that refuse to honor the Lord and His city will be judged (v. 12). Even Israel's old enemies will submit and help to serve the Lord (vv. 10, 14).
In their kingdom Year of Jubilee, the Jewish people will rebuild, repair, and restore their land, and the Gentiles will shepherd Israel's flocks and herds and tend to their crops. Instead of being farmers and shepherds, the Jews will be priests and ministers! God will acknowledge them as His firstborn (Ex. 4:22) and give them a double portion of His blessing (Isa. 61:7; Deut. 21:17). The "everlasting covenant" of Isaiah 61:8 is described in Jeremiah 31:31–37 and includes the blessings of the new covenant that Jesus Christ instituted by His death (Heb. 10:1–18; Matt. 26:28). Note that Isaiah 61:9 speaks of the Jews' "descendants." Those who enter into the millennial kingdom will marry, have families, and enjoy God's blessings on the earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1–5). They will study God's Word from generation to generation (Isa. 59:21).
In verses 15–22, the Lord describes some of the joys and wonders of the glorious kingdom. The nation will no longer be forsaken but will be enriched by the Gentiles and nursed like a beloved child (vv. 4, 16; 49:23; 61:6). As in the days of King Solomon (1 Kings 10:21, 27), precious metals will be plentiful. It will be a time of peace and safety. "I will make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler" (Isa. 60:17 niv).
John used some of the characteristics of the millennial Jerusalem when he described the Holy City (Rev. 21—22): The sun never sets; there is no sorrow; the gates never close; etc. But the city Isaiah described is the capital city of the restored Jewish nation, and Jesus Christ shall sit on the throne of David and judge righteously. The Jewish "remnant" will increase and fill the land (Isa. 60:22; 51:2; 54:3).
The prophet speaks (vv. 10–11). Isaiah is speaking on behalf of the remnant who are praising God for all He has done. They rejoice that He has cleansed them and clothed them and turned their desert into a fruitful garden (55:10). They have gone from a funeral to a wedding!
The Bestowing of a New Name (62:1–12) God will not hold His peace (vv. 1–5). The "I" in verse 6 indicates that the Lord is the speaker. God promises to keep speaking and working till His purposes for Jerusalem are fulfilled. This is not only for the sake of Zion but also for the sake of the nations of the world. There will be no righteousness and peace on this earth till Jerusalem gets her new name and becomes a crown of glory to the Lord.
The Beginning of a New Life (61:1–11) The Lord speaks (vv. 1–9). Jesus quoted from this passage when He spoke in the synagogue in Nazareth, and He applied this Scripture to Himself (Luke 4:16–21). (Note that Isa. 61:1 names the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.) However, He did not quote, "And the day of vengeance of our God" from verse 2 because that day is yet to come (34:8; 35:4; 63:4).
As an unfaithful wife, Israel was "forsaken" by the Lord, but not "divorced" (50:1–3). Her trials will all be forgotten when she receives the new name, "Hephzibah," which means "my delight is in her." God delights in His people and enjoys giving them His best. The old name "Desolate" will be replaced by "Beulah," which means "married" (see also 54:1). When a bride marries, she receives a new name. In the case of Israel, she is already married to Jehovah, but she will get a new name when she is reconciled to Him.
The background of this passage is the "Year of Jubilee" described in Leviticus 25:7ff. Every seven years, the Jews were to observe a "sabbatical year" and allow the land to rest. After seven sabbaticals, or fortynine years, they were to celebrate the fiftieth year as the "Year of Jubilee." During that year, all debts were canceled, all land was returned to the original owners, the slaves were freed, and everybody was given a fresh new beginning. This was the Lord's way of balancing the economy and keeping the rich from exploiting the poor.
The watchmen must not hold their peace (vv. 6–12). God gave His people leaders to guide them, but they were not faithful (56:10). Now He gives them faithful watchmen, who constantly remind God of His promises. "Give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth" (62:7
If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, you are living today in a spiritual "Year of Jubilee." You have been set free from bondage; your spiritual debt to the Lord has been paid; you are living in "the acceptable year of the Lord." Instead of the ashes of mourning,
Isaiah 62—65
bestowed on Israel. God identified with their sufferings (v. 9; Judg. 10:16; Deut. 32:10–12) as He does with His people today (1 Peter 5:7). The Jews asked, "Where is our God who did wonders for His people? Why is He not working on our behalf?"
niv). What an encouragement to us to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (Ps. 122:6).
God promises that the Jews will never again lose their harvests to the enemy but will enjoy the fruit of their labors in the very courts of His sanctuary. What a privilege! According to Ezekiel 40—48, there will be a millennial temple, and the Jews will worship the Lord there. Having received their Messiah, they will now clearly understand the spiritual meaning of their worship. Today, their minds are veiled (2 Cor. 3:14–18), but then, their eyes will be opened.
The prophet looked up and called on God to bare His arm and display His power (Isa. 63:15–4:12). For Abraham's sake, for Israel's sake, because God is their Father, he pled for a demonstration of power just as God did in the ancient days.
He asked God to "look down" (63:15) and to "come down" (64:1). This is one of the greatest "revival prayers" found in Scripture. Just as God came down in fire at Sinai (Ex. 19:16–19), so let Him come down again and reveal His awesome power to the nations. They trust in dead idols, so let them see what the living God of Israel can do!
Isaiah 62:10 is another reference to the "highway" (11:16; 40:3–5), and there is an urgency about these words. The Lord is about to arrive, and the people must get the road ready! When the work is completed, they must lift a banner to signal they are ready.
"See, your Savior comes!" (62:11 niv). This is a proclamation that goes to the ends of the earth! And when He comes, He shares more new names: Israel is called "the Holy People" and "the Redeemed of the Lord,' and Jerusalem is called "Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted" (v. 12 niv).
Why is God not working wonders? They have sinned (Isa. 64:5–6) and must confess their sins and turn from them. If our righteousness is filthy, what must our sins look like in His sight! According to verse 4, God has planned for His people wonderful things beyond their imagination, but their sins prevent Him from sharing His blessings. (See 1 Cor. 2:9; Eph. 3:20–21.) Is there any hope? Yes, because God is a forgiving Father and a patient Potter (Jer. 18). He can cleanse us and make us anew if we will let Him have His way.
God will have no rest till He accomplishes His purposes for His people, and the world will have no peace till He succeeds. He asks us to "give him no rest" (v. 7) but to intercede for Israel and Jerusalem, for the prayers of His people are an important part of the program of God.
This prayer (and the believing remnant) ends with a question: Why is God silent? His temple has been destroyed, His glorious land has been ravaged, and His people are in exile. "After all this, O Lord, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?" (Isa. 64:12 niv). God's reply is found in the next two chapters.
The Announcing of a New Victory (63:1—64:12) The prophet looks ahead in 63:1–6 and sees Jesus Christ returning from the Battle of Armageddon that climaxes the day of the Lord (Rev. 19:11–21). Edom is named here as a representative of the nations that have oppressed the Jews. Bozrah was one of its main cities, and its name means "grape gathering." This is significant since the image here is that of the winepress (Joel 3:13; Rev. 14:17–20). The name "Edom" means "red" and was a nickname for Esau (Gen. 25:30). The ancient winepress was a large, hollowed rock into which the grapes were put for the people to tread on them. The juice ran out a hole in the rock and was caught in vessels. As the people crushed the grapes, some of the juice would splash on their garments. Our Lord's garments were dyed with blood as the result of the great victory over His enemies (Rev. 19:13).
The Blessing of a New Creation (65:1–25) "I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom" (65:6). God now replies.
First, He announces that His salvation will go to the Gentiles (v. 1), even though they did not seek the Lord or experience the blessings that He gave to Israel. Paul applied this verse to the Gentiles in Romans 10:19–20. If Israel did not want what God had to offer, then He would give it to others. (See Luke 14:16–24; 21:10; Acts 28:23–31 for other illustrations of this divine principle.)
When Jesus came to earth the first time, it was to inaugurate "the acceptable year of the Lord" (Isa. 61:2; Luke 4:19). When He comes the second time, it will be to climax "the day of vengeance of our God" (Isa. 63:4; 61:2). The enemy will be crushed like grapes and forced to drink their own blood from the cup of God's wrath (51:17; Jer. 25:15–16). These images may not appeal to sophisticated people today, but the Jews in that day fully understood them.
Then, God describes the sins of His people that kept Him from answering their prayers (Isa. 65:2–7). They resisted His grace and His loving appeals, though He held out His arms to them and spoke to them through His Word (Rom. 10:21). They went their own way (Isa. 53:6) and provoked Him with their evil worship of false gods, getting involved with the occult and demons. They ate food that was unclean and openly worshipped idols in the high places. And yet these rebellious people considered themselves to be better than others! "I am holier than thou!"
Then the prophet looked back at what God has done for Israel (Isa. 63:7–14). He praised God for His lovingkindness and goodness, for the pity and love
Isaiah 65—66
Stephen quoted Isaiah 66:1–2 in his defense before the Jews (Acts 7:48–50), and Paul referred to these words in his address to the Athenian philosophers (17:24).
God then explains that He had to judge the nation for her sins (65:8–16). He called the Babylonians to be His instrument of punishment to teach His people that they could not sin and get away with it. However, in mercy He preserved a remnant—like a few grapes rescued from the winepress—and that remnant would return to the land and restore the nation. When His people sincerely seek Him (v. 10), then He will bless them (2 Chron. 7:14).
In Isaiah's day, were God's people trembling at His Word? No, they were not. Instead, they were going through the motions of worship without having a heart for God. The people were not sacrificing the animals; they were murdering them! Because their hearts were far from God (Isa. 29:13), their offerings were as unclean things to the Lord. It is the heart of the worshipper that determines the value of the offering.
"The Valley of Achor" was the place where Achan was stoned to death because he disobeyed the Lord (Josh. 7). When the Lord restores His estranged wife, Israel, the Valley of Achor will become for them "a door of hope" (Hos. 2:15).
God's hand will bring blessing to His servants but "indignation toward His enemies" (66:14), and Isaiah described that "indignation" in verses 15–18. The day of the Lord will be a storm of judgment with fire and whirlwinds and with the sword of God, "And those slain by the Lord shall be many."
In Isaiah 65:11–16, God sees two kinds of people in the land: those who forsake the Lord and those who serve the Lord. ("My Servant" has now become "My servants.") Those who forsake the Lord ignore His temple and worship false gods, such as fortune and destiny (in v. 11, "that troop" and "that number"). These disobedient Jews will not live but be destroyed, and those who do survive will not enjoy it. In fact, their very names will be used as curses in the years to come!
Who will be slain? Those who have disobeyed God's law in their eating and their worshipping (vv. 17–18). Instead of worshipping the true and living God, they turned to pagan idols and pagan practices. It is not enough to be "religious"; we must serve Him according to what He says in His Word (8:20).
God saves the best for the last: His description of "the new heavens and new earth" (the millennial kingdom) in 65:17—66:24.
The book closes with a description of messengers going to the ends of the earth to announce what God has done for Israel (66:19). The result will be a flow of people to Jerusalem (see 50:3–14; 66:12) to bring offerings to the Lord. In the past, Gentile nations came to Jerusalem to attack and destroy, but in the Kingdom Age, they will come to worship and glorify God.
This is not the same as John's "new heaven and new earth" (Rev. 21:1ff.), because the characteristics Isaiah gives do not fit the eternal state. As far as we know, in the eternal state people will not get old or die (Isa. 65:20), nor will there be any danger of losing anything to invaders (vv. 21–23).
The book ends on a seemingly negative note describing worshippers looking at the desecrated and decayed corpses of the rebels (v. 24). The Valley of Hinnom (Hebrew, ge hinnom = Gehenna in the Greek) is a picture of judgment (30:33). Jesus used it to picture hell (Mark 9:43–48). The people who come to Jerusalem to worship will also go outside the city to this "garbage dump" and be reminded that God is a consuming fire (Jer. 7:32).
Jerusalem will be a source of joy, not only to the Lord but to the whole earth. It will be a city of holiness, harmony, and happiness. During the millennial kingdom, people will work, and God will bless their labors. People will pray, and God will answer (v. 24). Nature will be at peace (v. 25) because the curse will be lifted.
The Birth of the New Nation (66:1–24) Of course, the remarkable thing will be the "birth of a nation" as Israel takes center stage on the international scene (vv. 7–9). The return of the Jews to their land will be as swift as the birth of a baby. Israel's "travail" will be "the day of the Lord" or "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7), when God will purify His people and prepare them for the coming of their Messiah. Political Israel was born on May 14, 1948, but "the new Israel" will be "born in a day" when they believe on Jesus Christ. Jerusalem will experience joy, peace, and satisfaction (Isa. 66:10–14). Like a nursing baby, she will find health and peace in the arms of the Lord. "Peace like a river" reminds us of Isaiah's words to Ahaz (85:5–8) and God's promises in 41:18 and 48:18. There will be a new temple (66:1–6; Ezek. 40— 48), but the ceremonies of worship can never take the place of a humble heart. God does not live in buildings; He dwells with those who submit to Him.
Throughout his book, Isaiah has presented us with alternatives: Trust the Lord and live, or rebel against the Lord and die. He has explained the grace and mercy of God and offered His forgiveness. He has also explained the holiness and wrath of God and warned of His judgment. He has promised glory for those who will believe and judgment for those who scoff. He has explained the foolishness of trusting man's wisdom and the world's resources.
The prophet calls the professing people of God back to spiritual reality. He warns against hypocrisy and empty worship. He pleads for faith, obedience, a heart that delights in God, and a life that glorifies God.
"'There is no peace,' saith the Lord, 'unto the wicked'" (Isa. 48:22; 57:21); for in order to have peace, you must have righteousness (32:17). The only way to have righteousness is through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:19–31).
Isaiah 66
"Seek ye the Lord while he may be found" (55:6). "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" (1:18).
Isaiah's message has been "Be comforted by the Lord!" (See Isa. 12:1; 40:1–2; 49:13; 51:3, 19; 52:9; 54:11; 57:18; 61:2; 66:13.) But God cannot comfort rebels! If we are sinning against God and comfortable about it, something is radically wrong. That false comfort will lead to false confidence, and that will lead to the chastening hand of God
"O Lord, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me" (12:1 nkjv).
BE COMFORTED!
J E R E M I A H
J e r e m i a h L a m e n t a t i o n s E z e k i e l D a n i e l H o s e a J o e l A m o s O b a d i a h
G e n e s i s E x o d u s L e v i t i c u s N u m b e r s D e u t e r o n o m y J o s h u a J u d g e s R u t h
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J o n a h M i c a h N a h u m H a b a k k u k Z e p h a n i a h H a g g a i Z e c h a r i a h M a l a c h i
E s t h e r J o b P s a l m s P r o v e r b s E c c l e s i a s t e s S o n g o f
S o l o m o n I s a i a h
OUTLINE Key theme: Repent and return to the Lord or He
Jeremiah 1 1204 The Reluctant Prophet
will judge. Key verse: Jeremiah 3:22
Jeremiah 2—6 1209 The Prophet Preaches
I. JEREMIAH'S CALL AND COMMISSION (1)
Jeremiah 7—10 1215 The Voice in the Temple
II. JEREMIAH'S MESSAGES TO HIS PEOPLE
JUDAH (2—33)
Jeremiah 11—13 1219 Voting with God
A. During the time of Josiah's rule—2–13
1. The sins of the nation—2—6 2. The temple messages—7—10 3. The broken covenant—11—13 B. The coming Babylonian invasion—14—16 C. The Sabbath message—17 D. The potter's house sermons—18—19 E. Messages to the leaders—20—24 F. Judah's captivity—25—29 G. National restoration—30—33
Jeremiah 14—17 1224 Sermons, Supplications, and Sobs
Jeremiah 18—20 1230 The Prophet, the Potter, and the Policeman
Jeremiah 21—24 1234 Kings on Parade
Jeremiah 25—29 1239 Facing Truth and Fighting Lies
III. JEREMIAH'S MINISTRY AND THE FALL OF
Jeremiah 30—33 1244 The God Who Makes Things New
JERUSALEM (34—39) A. Ministry during the siege—34—38
Jeremiah 34—39; 52 1249 Contemporary Events and Eternal Truths
1. To King Zedekiah—34, 37—38 2. To King Jehoiakim—35—36 B. Jerusalem falls—39
Jeremiah 40—45 1253 Tragedy Follows Tragedy
IV. AFTER THE FALL OF THE CITY (40—45, 52)
Jeremiah 46—49 1257 God Speaks to the Nations
V. JEREMIAH'S MESSAGES TO THE NATIONS
Jeremiah 50—51 1260 Babylon Is Fallen!
(46—51)
A. To Egypt—46 B. To Philistia—47 C. To Moab—48 D. To Ammon, Moab, Edom, Syria, Kedar,
and Elam—49 E. To Babylon—50—51
Jeremiah 1
PRELUDE P
CHAPTER ONE Jeremiah 1 THE RELUCTANT PROPHET
ower tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Lord John Acton wrote that in a letter to his friend Mandell Creighton on April 5, 1887. When he ended the letter, the British historian added this postscript: "History provides neither compensation for suffering nor penalties for wrong."
For a people to boast in the glory of the past, and to deny the secret that made the
past, is to perish.
I. Jeremiah's call and commission (1)
As you study the prophecy of Jeremiah, you'll learn that Lord Acton was right in his first statement, for you will meet in this book some of history's most powerful and corrupt rulers. But Lord Acton was terribly wrong in his postscript. God is still on the throne and history is His story. The German writer Friedrich von Logau said it better:
G. Campbell Morgan1 J
eremiah was perhaps twenty years old when God's call came to him in the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign (626 BC). Why did he hesitate to accept God's call? Let me suggest some reasons.
The Task Was Demanding (v. 1) Jeremiah's father Hilkiah was a priest2 as was his father before him, and young Jeremiah was also expected to serve at the altar. He may even have been at the age when he would have stepped into his place of ministry when God called him to be a prophet.
Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they
grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, with
exactness grinds He all.
God judges the nations and eventually pays them the wages earned from their sin. No nation can despise God's law and defy His rule without suffering for it. The prophecy of Jeremiah teaches that very clearly.
Since serving as a prophet was much more demanding than serving as a priest, it's no wonder Jeremiah demurred. If I had my choice, I'd take the priesthood! For one thing, a priest's duties were predictable. Just about everything he had to do was written down in the law. Thus, all the priest had to do was follow instructions.3 Day after day, there were sacrifices to offer, lepers to examine, unclean people to exclude from the camp, cleansed people to reinstate, official ceremonies to observe, a sanctuary to care for, and the law to teach. No wonder some of the priests said, "Oh, what a weariness!" (Mal. 1:13 nkjv).
In his familiar poem "The Present Crisis," American poet James Russell Lowell penned words that summarize Jeremiah's life and ministry:
Once to every man and nation comes the moment
to decide, In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good
or evil side.
The ministry of a prophet, however, was quite another matter, because you never knew from one day to the next what the Lord would call you to say or do. The priest worked primarily to preserve the past by protecting and maintaining the sanctuary ministry, but the prophet labored to change the present so the nation would have a future. When the prophet saw the people going in the wrong direction, he sought to call them back to the right path.
Though at first Jeremiah hesitated when God called him, he surrendered to the Lord and became one of history's most decisive spiritual leaders. Tragically, however, the people who most needed his leadership rejected him and turned their backs on God's Word.
As never before, our homes, churches, cities, and nations need decisive leaders who will obey the Word of God. "If you ever injected truth into politics," quipped Will Rogers, "you have no politics." The politician asks, "Is it popular?" The diplomat asks, "Is it safe?" But the true leader asks, "Is it God's will? Is it right?" To quote James Russell Lowell's "The Present Crisis" again:
Priests dealt with externals such as determining ritual uncleanness and offering various sacrifices that could never touch the hearts of the people (Heb. 10:1–18), but the prophet tried to reach and change hearts. At least sixty-six times the word heart is found in the book of Jeremiah, for he is preeminently the prophet of the heart.
Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on
Priests didn't preach to the crowds very much but ministered primarily to individuals with various ritual needs. Prophets, on the other hand, addressed whole nations, and usually the people they addressed didn't want to hear the message. Priests belonged to a special tribe and therefore had authority and respect, but a prophet could come from any tribe and had to prove his divine call. Priests were supported
the throne, Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the
dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch
above His own.
That's what the Lord told Jeremiah: "I am watching over My word to perform it" (Jer. 1:12 nasb).
Jeremiah 1
When the king heard the law of God read, he was deeply moved. He tore his robes and sent to Huldah the prophetess for instructions from the Lord (2 Kings 22). Her message was that the people had forsaken God and therefore judgment was coming, but because of Josiah's sincere repentance, judgment would not come during his reign.
from the sacrifices and offerings of the people, but prophets had no guaranteed income.
Jeremiah would have had a much easier time serving as priest. Therefore, it's no wonder his first response was to question God's call. Offering sacrifices was one thing, but preaching the Word to hardhearted people was quite something else. When you read his book, you will see a number of pictures of his ministry that reveal how demanding it was to serve the Lord as a faithful prophet. In his ministry, Jeremiah had to be
Josiah didn't wait for the temple repairs to be completed before calling the whole nation to repentance. He made a covenant with the Lord and led the people in renouncing idolatry and returning to the law of the Lord. Unfortunately, the obedience of many of the people was only a surface thing. Unlike the king, they displayed no true repentance. Jeremiah knew this and boldly announced God's message: "Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense" (Jer. 3:10 nkjv).
• a destroyer and a builder (1:9–10) • a pillar and a wall (1:17–18) • a watchman (6:17) • a tester of metals (6:27–30) • a physician (8:11, 21–22) • a sacrificial lamb (11:19) • a long-distance runner (12:5) • a shepherd (13:17, 20–21; 17:16, 23) • a troublemaker (15:10, 15–17)
Josiah led the nation in a reformation but not in a heart-changing revival. The idols were removed, the temple was repaired, and the worship of Jehovah was restored, but the people had not turned to the Lord with their whole heart and soul.
Does this sound like an easy task?
Politics instead of principle. No sooner did Josiah die on the battlefield6 and his son become king than the nation quickly returned to idolatry under the rule of Jehoahaz. But Pharaoh Necho removed Jehoahaz from the throne, exiled him to Egypt where he died, and placed his brother Eliakim on the throne, giving him the name Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim, however, was no better than his brother and "did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done" (2 Kings 23:37). He taxed the people heavily in order to pay tribute to Egypt, and then he agreed to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. After Jehoiakim reneged on that promise, Nebuchadnezzar took him prisoner to Babylon and took the temple vessels with him (597 BC).
The Times Were Difficult (vv. 2–3; 2 Kings 21—25; 2 Chron. 33—36) I suppose there never is a time when serving God is easy, but some periods in history are especially difficult for spiritual ministry, and Jeremiah lived in such an era. Consider what the history of Judah was like during Jeremiah's lifetime.
Rebellion instead of obedience. To begin with, Jeremiah was born during the reign of King Manasseh, the most evil man who ever reigned over the kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 21:1–18). The son of godly Hezekiah,4 Manasseh came to the throne when only twelve years old, and the officials around him easily influenced him toward idolatry. "Manasseh seduced them [the people of Judah] to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel" (v. 9 nkjv). When Manasseh died, his evil son Amon continued his father's evil practices.
Jehoiakim's son Jehoiachin reigned only three months; then his uncle Mattaniah, Josiah's third son (1 Chron. 3:15), was made king and renamed Zedekiah. Zedekiah was the last king of Judah, a weak, vacillating man who feared his officials more than he feared the Lord7 (Jer. 38:19). "And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord" (2 Chron. 36:12). Zedekiah would ask Jeremiah for help while at the same time courting ambassadors from neighboring nations and plotting rebellion against Babylon. He allowed his princes to persecute and even imprison Jeremiah, though he himself had secret meetings with the prophet as if he were seeking God's will.
Thus, Jeremiah grew up in Anathoth5 at a time when idolatry flourished in Judah, children were offered in sacrifice to idols, the law of Moses was disregarded and disobeyed, and it looked as though there was no hope for the nation. Godly priests were not greatly appreciated.
Reformation instead of repentance. In 639 BC, some of Amon's servants assassinated him. Josiah his son became king, reigning until his untimely death in 609. Josiah was quite young when he began to reign, but he had godly counselors like Hilkiah, and thus he sought the Lord. In the twelfth year of his reign, he began to purge the land of idolatry; six years later, he commanded the priests and workers to repair and cleanse the temple. It was during that time that Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law in the temple and had it read to the king. This document may have been the entire five books of Moses or just the book of Deuteronomy.
It's easy for political leaders to invite religious leaders in for consultation and then do exactly what they'd already planned to do. Today, it's good public relations to give people the impression that "religion" is important, but talking to a popular preacher isn't the same as humbling yourself before God.
Jeremiah preached to the nation for forty years,
Jeremiah 1
1:15). The Lord then ordained Jeremiah to be His prophet to the nations. God's concern from the beginning is that all nations of the earth know His salvation. That's why He called Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3) and set apart the nation of Israel to be His special channel to bring His Word and His Son into the world.
giving them God's promises and warnings; yet he lived to see Jerusalem and his beloved temple destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar's army and his people taken captive to Babylon. Jeremiah ministered in turbulent times and yet remained faithful to the Lord. He exposed the futile foreign policy of the rulers, pleading with them to turn to the Lord with all their hearts and trust God instead of trusting their political allies. Jeremiah is one of Scripture's greatest examples of faithfulness and decisive action in the face of physical danger and national decay.
A prophet was a chosen and authorized spokesman for God who declared God's Word to the people. The Hebrew word probably comes from an Arabic root that means "to announce." For example, Moses spoke to Aaron, and Aaron was his spokesman (prophet) before Pharaoh (Ex. 7:1–2). Prophets did more than reveal the future, for their messages had present application to the life of the nation. They were forthtellers more than foretellers, exposing the sins of the people and calling them back to their covenant responsibilities before God.
The Servant Was Doubtful (vv. 4–10) Jeremiah hesitated as he looked at the work before him and the wickedness around him, and when he looked at the weakness within himself, Jeremiah was certain that he wasn't the man for the job.
As God's children, we are chosen and set apart by Him and for Him (Rom. 8:28–30; Eph. 1:3–14). This truth ought to give us great courage as we confront an evil world and seek to serve the Lord. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31).
When it comes to serving the Lord, there's a sense in which nobody is adequate. "And who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. 2:16) asked the great apostle Paul as he pondered the responsibilities of ministry. Paul then answered his own question: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God" (3:5).
God's protecting presence (vv. 6–8). God gave young Jeremiah three instructions: Go where I send you, speak what I command you, and don't be afraid of the people. Then He added the great word of promise: "For I am with you to deliver you" (Jer. 1:8 nkjv). He repeated this promise at the end of His call: "'They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,' says the Lord, 'to deliver you'" (v. 19 nkjv). Please note that there was a condition attached to this encouraging promise: Jeremiah had to go where God sent him and speak what God told him to speak. He also had to believe God's promise and prove it by not fearing the people. We call Jeremiah "the weeping prophet," and he was (9:1), but he was also a courageous man who faced many dangers and trials and remained true to the Lord. He knew that the Lord was with him, just as we should know that the Lord is with us. "For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'10 So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'" (Heb. 13:5–6 nkjv). God's effecting Word (vv. 9–10). When the coal from the heavenly altar touched Isaiah's lips, it purified him (Isa. 6:5–7); when God's hand touched Jeremiah's mouth, it gave him power and authority. God put His words into the prophet's mouth and those words were effective to accomplish His will. God not only gave Jeremiah His words, but He also promised to "watch over" those words until they were fulfilled (Jer. 1:12).
When God calls us, however, He isn't making a mistake, and for us to hesitate or refuse to obey is to act on the basis of unbelief and not faith. It's one thing for us to know our own weaknesses, but it's quite something else for us to say that our weaknesses prevent God from getting anything done. Instead of being an evidence of humility, this attitude reeks of pride.8
God gave young Jeremiah three wonderful assurances.
God's electing grace (vv. 4–5). One of my seminary professors used to say, "Try to explain divine election and you may lose your mind, but explain it away, and you will lose your soul." God doesn't save us, call us, or use us in His service because we're deserving, but because in His wisdom and grace He chooses to do so. It's grace from start to finish. "But by the grace of God I am what I am," wrote Paul, "and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (1 Cor. 15:10).
Each of the phrases in Jeremiah 1:5 is important. To begin with, God knew Jeremiah,9 which refers to His sovereign election of His servant. God chose Jeremiah even before he was conceived or formed in his mother's womb. Then God formed Jeremiah and gave him the genetic structure He wanted him to possess. This truth is expressed poetically in Psalm 139:13–16. Jeremiah wasn't too happy about what his birth gave him (Jer. 20:14–18), but the Lord knew what He was doing. What we are is God's gift to us; what we do with it is our gift to Him.
The Word of God created the universe: "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. … For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast" (Ps. 33:6, 9 nkjv). The universe is upheld by the Word of God: "And [Christ] upholding all things by the word of His power" (Heb. 1:3 nkjv). But God also carries out His purposes on earth by means of His
God sanctified Jeremiah even before he was born. This means Jeremiah was set apart by the Lord and for the Lord even before he knew the Lord in a personal way. God would later do the same with Paul (Gal.
Jeremiah 1
The almond tree: God's Word will be fulfilled (vv. 11–12). In the Holy Land, the almond tree blossoms in January and gives the first indication that spring is coming. The Hebrew word for almond tree is saqed; while the word for "watch" or "be awake" is soqed. The Lord used this play on words to impress Jeremiah with the fact that He is ever awake to watch over His Word and fulfill it.
Word: "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isa. 55:10–11 niv).
In too many churches today, worship has become entertainment, and preaching is merely the happy dispensing of good advice. We need to hear and obey Paul's admonition to Timothy: "Preach the word" (2 Tim. 4:2). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (John 16:13) and works by means of the Word of truth (Ps. 119:43; 2 Tim. 2:15). Jeremiah didn't accomplish God's will on earth by means of clever speeches, cunning diplomacy, or skillful psychology. He heard God's Word, took it to heart, and then proclaimed it fearlessly to the people. God did the rest.
Like a husband or wife breaking the marriage vows, the sinful nation had turned from the covenant they had made with the Lord, and now they were giving their love and loyalty to pagan idols. But that covenant would stand, for the Lord had not forgotten it. He had promised to bless them if they obeyed and chasten them if they disobeyed, and He was "watching to see that [His] word is fulfilled" (Jer. 1:12 niv; see Lev. 26; Deut. 28). God had spoken to the nation through the earlier prophets, but the rulers and people wouldn't listen.
Jeremiah's ministry was difficult because he had to tear down before he could build, and he had to root up before he could plant. In too many ministries there are organizational "structures" that don't belong there and should be torn down because they're hindering progress. Some "plants" are taking up space but bearing no fruit, and they ought to be pulled up. Jesus said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted" (Matt. 15:13 nkjv).
Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His prophets, namely every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets." Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them. (2 Kings 17:13–15 nkjv)
Any servant of God who feels himself or herself too weak to serve needs to consider these three encouragements. Has God called you? Then He will equip you and enable you. Are you obeying His commands by faith? Then He is with you to protect you. Are you sharing the Word? Then He will accomplish His purposes no matter how the people respond. Jeremiah's name means "Jehovah establishes," and God did establish His servant and his ministry and cared for him to the very end. "But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one" (2 Thess. 3:3 nkjv).
The Message Was Dangerous (vv. 11–19) When you study the Old Testament prophets, you discover that three strands of truth wove their messages together: (1) past sin: the nation has disobeyed God's law; (2) present responsibility: the people must repent or God will send judgment; and (3) future hope: the Lord will come one day and establish His glorious kingdom.
The boiling pot: God's wrath is coming (vv. 13–16). The nations in the East were often in conflict, each trying to gain supremacy. First the Jewish rulers would turn to Egypt for help, then to Assyria (see Isa. 30—31; Jer. 2:18, 36); and all the while, they failed to trust the Lord and seek His help. But this vision reveals that God is in control of the nations of the world and can use them to accomplish His own purposes. The Lord was even then preparing Babylon in the north11 to be His servant to chasten His people. For Judah to turn to Egypt for help was futile because Egypt would also fall to Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 46).
The Lord didn't give Jeremiah a joyful message of deliverance to announce, but rather a tragic message of judgment. So dangerous was this message that people hearing it called Jeremiah a traitor. He would be misunderstood, persecuted, arrested, and imprisoned—and more than once, his life was in danger. The nation didn't want to hear the truth, but Jeremiah told them plainly that they were defying the Lord, disobeying the law, and destined for judgment.
When Jeremiah began his ministry, Assyria, not Babylon, was the dominant power in the Near East, and no doubt many of the political experts thought Jeremiah foolish to worry about Babylon in the north. But the people of Judah lived to see Assyria defeated and Egypt crippled as Babylon rose to power and Jeremiah's words came true. Indeed, the thrones of the
God gave Jeremiah three promises to prepare him for this dangerous mission. Two of the promises were in visions.
Jeremiah 1
David Thoreau wrote, "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."12
conquering Babylonian leaders were set in the gate of Jerusalem (39:1–3), and the Holy City was eventually destroyed.
The sin God singled out was idolatry (1:16)—forsaking the true God and worshipping the gods they had made with their own hands. In their hypocrisy, the people of Judah maintained the temple worship, but Jehovah was only one of many gods who claimed their devotion. Some of the foreign idols were even brought into the temple! (See Ezek. 8—9.) The false prophets flourished in a ministry that was shallow and popular because they promised peace and never called for repentance (Jer. 5:12–13; 8:11–12; 14:13–22).
"If anyone desires to come after Me," said Jesus, "let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. … For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Matt. 16:24, 26 nkjv).
In light of that sobering question, what decision will you make? Will you conform to the crowd or carry the cross?
When a nation turns from worshipping the true God, its people begin to exploit one another, and that's what happened in Judah. The rich oppressed the poor and the courts would not defend the rights of the oppressed (2:34–35; 5:26–31; 7:1–11). Yet these evil rulers and judges went to the temple faithfully and pretended to be devoted to Jehovah! All they did was make the temple "a den of robbers" (7:11). It was this kind of sin that God was about to judge.
1 G. Campbell Morgan, Studies in the Prophecy of Jeremiah (Westwood, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1961), 19. 2 It's not likely that Jeremiah's father was the Hilkiah who found the book of the law during the repairing of the temple (2 Kings 22). In the Old Testament, there are several other Hilkiahs mentioned. The name was popular, particularly among the priests and Levites. If Jeremiah's father had been that close to the king, some of the prestige might have rubbed off on his son, but that doesn't seem to have happened. 3 I'm not discounting the fact that a priest's ministry was demanding in that he might disobey God and lose his life. He had to dress properly (Ex. 28:42–43), keep his hands and feet clean while serving (Ex. 30:20–21; Lev. 22:9), do his job carefully (Num. 4:15–20; 18:3), and always seek to glorify God (Lev. 16:13); otherwise, God's judgment could fall on him. 4 The ways of providence are sometimes puzzling. Hezekiah was a godly king, yet his son Manasseh was ungodly. Manasseh's son Amon, who reigned only two years, was as ungodly as his father (2 Kings 21:20–22); but Amon's son Josiah was a godly man. Yet Josiah's son, Jehoahaz, who reigned only three months, was ungodly like his grandfather. I suppose we must take into consideration both the influence of the mothers and of the court officials in charge of educating the princes. 5 The priestly city of Anathoth was located in the tribe of Benjamin (Josh. 21:18) and was about an hour's walk from Jerusalem. The priests would live in their own homes and travel to Jerusalem when their time came to minister in the temple. Contrary to the law, there were also local shrines at which some of the priests served, making it convenient for the people who didn't want to go all the way to Jerusalem. 6 Josiah made the mistake of rashly getting involved at the Battle of Carchemish, where Pharaoh Necho of Egypt was engaging the army of Assyria. Pharaoh Necho had warned Josiah to mind his own business, but the king persisted and was slain at Megiddo (2 Chron. 35:20–25). 7 Since many of the nobles, key leaders in the land, had already been deported to Babylon, the king was left with a weak staff. But it's doubtful that stronger men would have made any difference in his character or actions. 8 Compare God's call of Moses (Ex. 3—4) and Gideon (Judg. 6), and note how the Lord is patient with His servants and does all He can to encourage their faith. God still likes to use the most unlikely instruments to get His work done in this world, and for good reason: "That no flesh should glory in his presence" (1 Cor. 1:29). 9 God said of the Jews, "You only have I known of all the
The city, pillar, and wall: God will protect His servant (vv. 17–19). In order to be able to run or work easily, men in that day had to tie their loose robes together with a belt (1 Kings 18:46; 2 Kings 4:29), so "gird up your loins" (Jer. 1:17) meant "Get ready for action!" It might be paraphrased "Tighten your belt! Roll up your sleeves!" "Gird up the loins of your mind" (1 Peter 1:13) means "Pull your mind together and have the right mental attitude in view of our Lord's return."
God repeated the warning He gave earlier (Jer. 1:8) that Jeremiah must not be afraid of the people who would oppose him, because God would defend him. Surrounded by his enemies, the prophet would become a fortified city they couldn't subdue. Forced to stand alone, Jeremiah would become as strong as an iron pillar. Attacked on all sides by kings, princes, priests, and people, he would be as unyielding as a bronze wall. "I am with you to deliver you" was God's reliable promise (vv. 8, 19 nkjv), and in the battle for truth, one with God is a majority.
In spite of the demands of the task and the difficulties of the times, Jeremiah accepted God's call. He knew his own deficiencies, but he also knew that God was greater and would enable him to do the job. The message God gave him was indeed dangerous, but God was watching over His word to fulfill it and would protect His faithful servant.
Jeremiah made the right decision and as a result became one of the most unpopular prophets in Jewish history. Measured by human standards, his ministry was a failure, but measured by the will of God, he was a great success. It isn't easy to stand alone, to resist the crowd, and to be out of step with the philosophies and values of the times. Jeremiah, however, lived that kind of a life for over forty years.
In the final chapter of his book Walden, Henry
Jeremiah 2
compared to adultery and even prostitution (see Isa. 54:5; Hos. 2:16). At the beginning of this covenant relationship, the Jews were devoted4 to the Lord and loved Him, but once they conquered the Promised Land, their hearts lusted after the gods of the nations around them and they sank into idolatry (Judg. 1—3). Although God had taken them safely through their wilderness journey and given them a wonderful inheritance in Canaan, they abandoned Him for man-made gods. What kind of loyal love is that?
families of the earth" (Amos 3:2). Certainly God is acquainted with all the nations and knows what they do, but Israel is the only nation in history to have a special covenant relationship with the Lord God, and God chose them wholly by His grace (Deut. 4:32–37; 7:7–8). God said of Abraham, "For I know him" (Gen. 18:19), meaning, "I have chosen him." 10 The promise of His presence was given to Isaac (Gen. 26:1–3, 24); Jacob (Gen. 28:15; 31:3; 46:1–4); Moses (Ex. 3:12; 33:14); Joshua (Deut. 31:7–8; Josh. 1:5; 3:7; 6:27); Gideon (Judg. 6:15–16); Jeremiah (Jer. 1:8, 19; 20:11); and to the church (Matt. 28:19–20; Heb. 13:5–6). See also Isaiah 41:10; 43:5. 11 See Jeremiah 4:6; 6:1, 22; 10:22; 13:20; 15:12; 25:9; 47:2; 50:3, 9, 41; 51:48. The invading Babylonian army is compared to a boiling pot (1:13–14), a marauding lion (4:7), and a flooding river (47:2). 12 Henry David Thoreau, Walden (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1971), 326.
Broken cisterns (vv. 9–13). "Go from west to east," said the prophet, "and you will not find a nation that changed its gods." But Israel forsook the true God for false gods, which was like abandoning a spring of fresh flowing water for a cracked, muddy cistern that couldn't hold water. In the Holy Land, water is a valuable possession, and nobody would do a foolish thing like that. No wonder the Lord said, "Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror" (Jer. 2:12 niv). The second phrase literally means "Let your hair stand on end!"
CHAPTER TWO Jeremiah 2—6 THE PROPHET PREACHES
A plundered slave (vv. 14–19). God redeemed the Jews from Egypt and gave them freedom in Canaan, but now their nation had gone back into bondage because of its idolatry. By allying with its pagan neighbors—Egypt and Assyria—instead of trusting the Lord, Judah had become a vassal state and was being plundered and enslaved. Instead of drinking at the pure river that the Lord gave them, the Judahites drank the polluted waters of the Nile and the Euphrates. Memphis and Tahpanhes were Egyptian cities, and Shihor was a branch of the Nile River.5
Nations, like individuals, are subjected
to punishments and chastisements
in this world.
Abraham Lincoln1 I
n my library is a notebook containing the outlines of messages that I preached when I began my ministry back in 1950. Whenever I read those outlines, I feel very embarrassed and contrite in heart and I marvel that anybody ever listened to those sermons or came back to hear more. A seasoned preacher once said, "When you're young in the ministry, you can't understand why more people don't come to hear you. But when you get older, you're amazed that anybody comes to hear you." I agree.
A basic principle is enunciated in verse 19: God punishes us by allowing our own sins to bring pain and discipline to our lives. "Your own conduct and actions have brought this upon you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is!" (4:18 niv). "Your wrongdoings have kept these [rains] away; your sins have deprived you of good" (5:25 niv). The greatest judgment God can send to disobedient people is to let them have their own way and reap the sad, painful consequences of their sins.
II. Jeremiah's messages to his people Judah (2—33) A.During the time of Josiah's rule—2–13 1. The sins of the nation—2—6
Young Jeremiah, however, started his ministry with messages that were courageous, compassionate, and convicting.2 Boldly he confronted the people with their sins and pled with them to repent and return to the Lord. Four major themes combine in these messages: rebellion, repentance, righteousness, and retribution.
The word backsliding literally means to "turn away" and describes the nation's repeated apostasy.6 The book of Judges records at least seven occasions when Israel turned from the Lord and had to be chastened, and there were numerous other times during the period of the monarchy when the Israelites deliberately turned from the Lord. The word backslide is not used in the New Testament, but the experience is described in other ways: falling from grace (Gal. 5:4), leaving your first love (Rev. 2:4), loving the world (1 John 2:15–17; 2 Tim. 4:10), and walking in darkness (1 John 1:5–10).
Rebellion: God Sees His People's Sins (vv. 1–37) Jeremiah had a gift for expressing theological truth in pictorial language. In fact, much of his preaching can be read as poetry.3 In this chapter, he paints ten pictures that expose the sins of the people.
An unfaithful wife (vv. 1–8). When the Lord gave the Israelites His covenant at Mount Sinai (Ex. 19— 20), He entered into a loving relationship with them that He compared to marriage. "They broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them" (Jer. 31:32 niv; see 3:14). In the Old Testament, Israel's idolatry is
A stubborn animal (v. 20). Jeremiah often used animals to picture the behavior of people, and here he compared the Jews to an unruly animal that won't wear the yoke.7 One of his recurring phrases is the stubbornness of their evil hearts (3:17; 7:24; 9:14; 11:8; 13:10; 16:12; 18:12; 23:17 niv).8 When people, made in the
Jeremiah 2—3
image of God, refuse to obey God, they become like animals (see Ps. 32:9; Prov. 7:21–23; Hos. 4:16).
complained and brought charges against Him! None of His discipline seemed to do any good. "You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction" (5:3 niv; see 7:28; 17:23; 32:33; 35:13). God reminded the people how richly He had blessed them. Yet they rebelled against Him (2:29), forgot Him (v. 32), and lied to Him (vv. 33–35), claiming to be innocent. One of the major themes of the book of Deuteronomy is that the nation should remember the Lord and what He had done for them. Yet the people took their blessings for granted and gave their allegiance to dumb idols. They were so skilled at their harlotry, worshipping false gods, that even the most wicked prostitute could learn new things from them! They exploited the poor and were stained by their blood, and yet they pleaded innocence (see Amos 2:6–8; 5:10–12). Because the nation at that time was enjoying a measure of political and economic prosperity, they concluded that God's blessing was proof of their innocence! They didn't realize that God can bless the wicked (Ps. 37; 73; Matt. 5:45) and that the goodness of God should instead lead them to repentance (Luke 15:17–18; Rom. 2:4–5). Prisoners of war (vv. 36–37). In its attempt to keep peace with its neighbors, Judah had flitted between Egypt and Assyria (Jer. 2:14–19), both of whom would ultimately disappoint Judah. The description in verse 37 is that of prisoners of war, their hands tied above their heads, being led away captive. Any decisions we make that are contrary to God's plan will lead to bondage, because only the truth can set us free (John 8:32). The Babylonian army would eventually overrun the land, take Jerusalem and destroy it, and lead the people away into captivity.