Jeremiah 13 - Rotten Underwear and Smashed Wineskins

LINK: Jeremiah 13

BACKGROUND

The linen garment/waistband/waistcloth was a thigh-length undergarment worn next to the skin. It was the most intimate piece of clothing and like our modern-day underwear. God told Jeremiah to bury it near the Euphrates River or the village of Parah. The Euphrates was 700 miles away, but the village of Parah was three miles from Anathoth in Benjamin. The confusion lies in that they are both the Hebrew spelling, p^erāṯâh. My guess is it was the village of Parah.  Many days later, he was to dig it up. Now it was ruined and utterly useless. Judah was chosen by God for intimate fellowship with Him (just like your underwear is close to your skin) they had now become useless, and God would cast them away in judgment.

Wineskins can be either animal-skin bottles (1 Samuel 10:3; Luke 5:37) or earthen jars or pitchers (Jeremiah 48:12; Lamentation 4:2). Since they were to be smashed together, they were probably jars. The empty jars represented all the leaders and people who lived in the land. God would fill them with drunkenness (A symbol of judgment: Isaiah 49:26; 63:6; Jeremiah 25:15-25; 51:7, 39) and smash them like jars against one another. OUCH!

The king mentioned in 13:18 was probably Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) and the queen mother was Nehushta, the widow of King Jehoiakim (29:2; 2 Kings 24:8, 12, 15). Jeremiah strongly admonished them to humble themselves or they would be carried away into exile. Of course, they did not. 

This prophecy came true in 597 B.C. after a reign of just three months. Jehoiachin surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar's armies and was sent to Babylon and imprisoned (2 Kings 24:1-12). Sadly, not even the threat of captivity would cause the king and his people to repent. They were too accustomed to evil (13:23), had forgotten God (13:25), and trusted in false gods (13:25).

REFLECTION

I do not want to be so set in my ways that I lose my ability to grow and change. I am praying that God will reveal those areas to me and help me to change. We ALL have areas where we can grow if we are willing to ask God to reveal them to us.

Last night, I had a "put down" from someone I have not been around for quite some time. One of my biggest steps toward growth and change in my life has been to choose to be around people who edify and build up rather than tear down. I used to choose to be in fellowship where there were too many people relying on sarcasm to relate with people (probably out of deep insecurities). I call it "Christian kidding," and it used to devastate me (not only to receive it but to watch it happen to others) because the culture was filled with people like that. I cannot tell you how many times I would walk away from "fellowship" time absolutely devastated by the cutting remarks and "zingers" that came flying out of people's mouths toward each other. I felt like I was constantly dodging bullets that were flying across the room. I question whether it was even biblical fellowship because Hebrews 10:24, 25 says we are to "consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds."

Now, the bulk of my fellowship is with people who encourage and edify (thankfully, most of the people at this party were of that persuasion), but there were a couple of people (from my past fellowship) who continue to do that regularly. It shocked me because I just do not encounter it very much anymore (it still happens, but it is more the exception than the normal mode of relating).

My OLD way of dealing with it would have been to be very hurt and sinfully dwell on the jibes. Introspection can be a real TRAP, and I would often find myself trapped in it! I might have even lost some sleep over it.

Last night, I was able to see the sarcasm for what it really was (insecurity, attention, etc.), and God allowed me to just use it as an opportunity to pray and extend grace to them. I did not sinfully dwell and become introspective. I did not recall past offenses that they had done toward me and make a case for their condemnation. They did not become an "idol" in my life! I did not even cry or have a pity party. My sinful ego was not damaged by the cutting remarks! I was free to LOVE.

Maybe you cannot understand this, but this is real growth for me, and I am so happy that God has allowed me to not continue in my old sinful pattern of relating with challenging people. I could extend grace and even have a great time of love with those people.

APPLICATION

Pray for God to reveal any sinful behavior patterns and ask Him to change them!

Let's have a fun application today! (Can there really be a fun one in a book about so much gloom, doom, and judgment?)

Jeremiah uses several "audio-visual tools" to get his point across. As you read through Jeremiah, identify all ten of them!

1) 13:1-11

2) 13:12-14

3) 14:1-9

4) 16:1-9

5) 18:1-6

6) 19:1-13

7) 24:1-10

8) 27:1-11

9) 32:6-15

10) 43:8-13

An excellent prayer journey to identify sin patterns and ruts is to go through the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius. Here is a video explaining them and visit my website for more details at: https://bodyandsoulcompanion.com/services 

PRAYER

Lord, rescue us from our sinful ruts. Amen.

August in Jeremiah

1. Jeremiah 7
2. Jeremiah 8 & 9
3. Jeremiah 10
4. Jeremiah 11 & 12
5. Jeremiah 13
6. Jeremiah 14
7.  Jeremiah 15
8. Jeremiah 16 & 17
9. Jeremiah 18 & 19
10. Jeremiah 20 & 21
11. Jeremiah 22
12. Jeremiah 23
13. Jeremiah 24 & 25
14. Jeremiah 26 & 27
15. Jeremiah 28 & 29
16. Jeremiah 30
17. Jeremiah 31
18. Jeremiah 32
19. Jeremiah 33
20.  Jeremiah 34
21. Jeremiah 35
22. Jeremiah 36
23.  Jeremiah 37
24. Jeremiah 38
25. Jeremiah 39
26. Jeremiah 40
27. Jeremiah 41
28. Jeremiah 42
29. Jeremiah 43
30. Jeremiah 44 & 45
31. Jeremiah 46 & 47

Jeremiah 7-9: Cries at the Temple Gates

LINK: Jeremiah 7-9 (Read over the next two days)

These chapters are not in chronological order. Here is the order and historical context:

2 Chronicles 36:2-5
Habakkuk 1-3 (we will cover this after Jeremiah)
8:4-9:15
9:22-10:16
26:1-24
7:1-8:3

BACKGROUND 

The people of Judah had the false notion that God would cause no harm to the temple or the people who lived near it. Jeremiah cleared up that misconception as he proclaimed God's message from the temple gates. 

The building would not save them! They needed to change their ways and not: 

1. Oppress the helpless (Deuteronomy 14:29; 16:11; 24:19; Psalm 94:6)
2. Shed innocent blood (Deuteronomy 19:10-13; 21:1-9)
3. Follow other gods (Exodus 20:3-6)

Idolatry and hypocrisy were rampant in society; practiced by people, prophets, and even priests! They followed religious worship rituals but lived sinful lives. They did not follow God's law (9:13).

This section concludes with the key verses of Jeremiah 9:23-24 that are worth meditating on and memorizing. Wisdom, might, riches, and even physical circumcision (9:25) were of no use. Their circumcision needed to be of the heart (4:4). 

The Scarlet Thread of Redemption

Jesus used the words from Jeremiah 7:11 when he cleared out the temple (Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46). Jesus applied them to evil in the temple just as Jeremiah did in his day. 

Jeremiah mentions Topheth in 7:30-34. This name means "altar" or "fireplace." Child sacrifices were offered to the pagan deity, Molech, there.  This practice had been outlawed by Josiah (2 Kings 23:10) and condemned by God (Jeremiah 7:31).  The Valley of Ben Hinnon would later become the city dump where a fire burned continuously to consume garbage.  

Jesus used the Greek word Gehenna to refer to "hell." Gehenna is of Hebrew origin with gay meaning "valley" and Hinnon being the very place referred to in the Jeremiah passage (Mark 9:47-48). 

Jeremiah 9:1-6 records Jeremiah's conflicting emotions over the message God had given him. He was angered by their sin, but he also had compassion for them much like Jesus did when he wept over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37).

REFLECTION 

It was my first time overseas, and I had been stripped of everything that I could possibly put my security in. I was a lowly nanny for a family, and I was getting depressed and lonely. I did not realize how much I had relied on worldly things to evaluate my worth as an individual.

I took a long walk up into the hills overlooking Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and God spoke to me out of Jeremiah 9:23-24:

Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23-24, NASB95)

I realized that He was the only thing I could cling to during that hard time, and all I needed to do was to seek to understand and know Him. I did not have anything else (including the internet) to distract me from seeking Him. So, I dove right in. I have made it my goal to just seek to understand and know (not just with my head but with my heart too) Him for the rest of my life and not rely on anything else. 

I look back on that difficult time with such thanksgiving for what I learned about Him through the pain and loneliness. 

2023 Update: Forty years later I walked from those very hills into the square of the Cathedral of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela. It was a healing journey for me since my time there was so traumatic and lonely. God gave me beauty for ashes on that trip surrounded in His presence and companions on the journey.

 I am forever grateful that He is a God who wants me to "understand and know Him," and that He is "not a God far off" (Jeremiah 23:23). 

Click on the picture to see it better. It was from our last day.

APPLICATION/PRAYER 

Meditate on Jeremiah 9:23, 24 and talk to God about what you boast or rely on.  It may be so subtle that you do not even realize that you are doing it. Listen to what He says. 

The Appendix for this handout has many modes of meditation:

Five Meditations for Cultivating the Abiding Life

Lord, Help us to boast only in You, Lord. Amen. 

Jeremiah 28 & 29 - Let His Presence Make a Difference Today

LINK: Jeremiah 28 & 29

BACKGROUND

Jeremiah 28 - Jeremiah versus Hananiah, Truth versus Lies

This chapter is very straightforward. Hananiah was a false prophet because his prophecies did not come true. In a symbolic gesture, he broke the yoke off of Jeremiah to prove that the yoke of Babylonian oppression would be broken, but Jeremiah prophesied that the wooden yoke would be replaced by an iron one of Babylonian oppression. Hananiah was removed from this earth for telling lies.

Jeremiah 29 - A Letter

Jeremiah inserted the text of a letter he had sent to the exiles from Jerusalem. The deportation he mentions occurred in 597 B.C. and is mentioned in 2 Kings 24:8-17; Jeremiah 13:18; 22:24-27, and Daniel 1:1-2. 

Jeremiah announced a long exile of 70 years for Judah. Consequently, life would go on as normal. They were to seek peace and prosperity for Babylon in prayer! The judgment would lead the exiles to seek God with their whole heart (Daniel 9:2-3; 15-19). Once they did this, God would gather them back (Deuteronomy 30:1-10).

Jeremiah condemns the false prophets and singles out Ahad and Zedekiah. They would be handed over to Nebuchadnezzar who would put them to death.

The chapter concludes with a second letter to the exiles. Things are a bit out of sequence. After Jeremiah's first letter to the exiles in 29:1-23, another prophet of Babylon, Shemaiah, wrote to the leaders and urged them to punish Jeremiah (29:25-28). The letter was read to Jeremiah (29:29) who then wrote a second letter to the exiles. He quoted the text of Shemaiah's letter (29:24-28) and gave a word of condemnation to Shemaiah for preaching rebellion against God (29:29-32).

REFLECTION/APPLICATION

Is your yoke on straight? Take a moment and read about it in Matthew 11:28-30. Compare it to Jeremiah's experience

Jeremiah's yoke was a heavy, wooden implement made of straps and crossbars, representing the harsh domination of Babylon. Jesus' yoke symbolizes His relationship with His disciples, a fellowship of joy and rest. Jeremiah's was a heavy, lonely burden; Jesus promised to share the burden with His followers.

Both yokes stand for submission: one to a foreign conqueror, the other to a Savior's love. Jeremiah spoke to a rebellious nation about the need to yield to the enemy in order to survive. Jesus also spoke of yielding, not to an enemy but to a friend -- one who provides all that is necessary for life and godliness.

As you go about your routine today, picture yourself yoked to Jesus Christ. Make a list of things you would do differently if you knew He was yoked beside you. What problems would you turn over to Him? What worries would you forsake? What attitudes would you change? Would you talk to Him more often? Let His presence make a difference in your life today. (Daily Walk, August 2008) 

TOOL TIME - Journaling

Another key verse in these chapters is Jeremiah 29:11:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, 

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 

plans to give you hope and a future.

This verse gets to the heart of God's love for His people. Here are some journaling prompts that will help you understand what you believe about God:

What is my picture of God? 

We live at the mercy of our ideas. This is never more true than with our ideas about God. Meaning well is not enough. Those who operate on the wrong information are likely never to know the reality of God’s presence in the decisions which shape their lives and will miss the constant divine companionship for which their souls were made.  (Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God, Dallas Willard, p. 12)

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” (The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer, p. 11)

Here are some journaling prompts:

• When and what was your first memory or experience of God? Put yourself back in that scene and ask him, “What do you want me to know from this picture?”
• Recall your overall childhood picture of God. Did any scripture influence your picture?  Write down those impressions and consider drawing a picture.
• What are three words to describe God? What might they teach you about your view of God?
• What is your concept of God as a loving Father? Where did it come from? 

More about journaling HERE.

PRAYER

Lord, we praise You that the yoke of Jesus is easy and the burden is light. Lord, help us to continue to remember to bring You into all of the challenging things that come our way today. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Jeremiah 2 - Condemnation of Judah

LINK: Jeremiah 2

BACKGROUND 

Right from the beginning, God gave Jeremiah a harsh message of judgment. Throughout the book, we will see him deliver messages that are "courageous, compassionate, and convicting" (Be Decisive by Warren Wiersbe, Jeremiah 2). 

God expresses truth through Jeremiah using pictorial language. There are ten pictures that expose Judah sin in this chapter:

1) Unfaithful Wife (2:1-8) - God entered into a covenant relationship with them on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19-20) that he compared to marriage. In the Old Testament, Israel's idolatry is likened to adultery and prostitution (Isaiah 54:5; Hosea 2:6). They were devoted at first, but they lusted after other gods when they entered Canaan (Judges 1-3). 

2) Broken Cisterns (2:9-13) - Forsaking the true God for false ones is like abandoning a spring of fresh flowing water for stagnant, brackish water from a cracked cisterns which was a large pit dug into rock to gather rain water.

3) Plundered Slave (2:14-19) - The Jews were slaves in Egypt, but God delivered them from bondage, yet they had gone back into the bondage of idolatry and allied themselves with pagan countries like Egypt and Assyria. 

4) Stubborn Animal (2:20) - This unruly animal would not wear the yoke! Stubbornness is a recurring theme in Jeremiah (3:17; 7:24; 9:14; 11:8; 13:10; 16:12; 18:12; 23;17). Stubbornness of people is often related to animals (Psalm 32:9; Prov. 7:21-23; Hosea 4:16).

5) Degenerate Vine (2:21) - Israel is referred to as a vine throughout the Old Testament (Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:8-16; Ezekiel 17:1-10; Hosea 10:1-2). His people were to produce fruit, but it produced nothing but a wild vine that looked like the pagan nations.

6) Defiled Body (2:22) - Good works and religiosity would not wash their unclean hearts.  Jeremiah talks quite a bit about the heart, using this word over sixty times!  Judah needed to give God their whole heart.

7) Wild Animal (2:23-25) - They were like camels and donkeys who search for a mate during mating season. They went unrestrained in their lust after other gods. 

8) Disgraced Thief (2:26-28) - They had been caught red-handed in their idolatry because they turned to God when their idols did not come through to help them. 

9) Undisciplined Children (2:29-35) - God's children needed a good spanking! Instead of repenting of their sin and remembering their Father, they brought charges against Him. They did not respond to the correction of the prophets. Even though they were struck, they refused correction (5:3; 7:28; 17:23; 32:33; 35:13).

10) Lousy Foreign Policymakers (2:36-37) - They had mad alliances with pagan nations, and it would not turn out well for them because of it.

The key verse for the whole book is in Jeremiah 2:

"Your own wickedness will correct you,

And your apostasies will reprove you;

Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter

For you to forsake the Lord your God,

And the dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord God of hosts.

Jeremiah 2:19

REFLECTION/APPLICATION 

The book Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back by Chuck Swindoll was so important for me while working in my first full-time job right out of college. I remember memorizing this key verse from one of the chapters during my lunch break on the University of Oregon campus in 1982: 

For My people have committed two evils:  They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:13)

I found a short devotional that summarizes the gist of the chapter from the book on Chuck Swindoll's Insight for Living Website:

"Cheap Substitutes"

I hope you enjoy it.

I also submit this quote from C.S. Lewis:

If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. 

(The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis, p. 1-2)

What are the "cheap substitutes" in your life? 

Do you want . . . 

Stagnant cistern water 

or 

Free-flowing, fresh, living water from a never ending spring? 

Do you want . . . 

Mud pies in a slum 

or a

Holiday at the sea?  

PRAYER

Lord, Judah's choices sadden me, but I know that I do not always choose what is best either. Lord, help us all to choose what is best. Amen. 

Jeremiah 1 - Call and Comission

LINK: Jeremiah 1

Please read the Introduction to the Prophetical Books if you have not already done so. 

BACKGROUND 

Introduction to Jeremiah

2 Chr. 34-35:  640-609 (2 Kings 21-23)

                       636-623: ZEPHANIAH 1-3

                       627-574: JEREMIAH 1-52

                       574-538: LAMENTATIONS 1-5

                       621-609: HABAKKUK 1-3

2 Chr. 36: 609-538 (2 Kings 24-25)

Jeremiah's ministry spanned from 627-574 B.C. He was believed to have been around 20 years old when He started out. His ministry spanned from good King Josiah through the four remaining bad kings (Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah) and into and past the Babylonian Captivity. His years of prophecy cover the events in 2 Kings 22-25 and 2 Chronicles 34-36. These are all events we have already covered. Zephaniah proceeded him and Habakkuk was his contemporary. 

Judah was on the verge of being taken captive by the great Babylon, but they were living lives of affluence and self-satisfaction, oblivious to the threat. Jeremiah was called by God to wake his countrymen up from their slumber of complacency to true repentance, but the nation continued to sleep. 

Basic theme: 

Repent and turn to God, or He will punish you.

Key verse: 

"Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your apostasies will reprove you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter
For you to forsake the Lord your God,
And the dread of Me is not in you,” 
declares the Lord God of hosts.  
 Jeremiah 2:19

His prophecies are not in chronological order so HERE is a sheet that shows how Jeremiah and other prophets align with the historical events recorded in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.

This may also be helpful:

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, p. 1126

He was "set apart/consecrated" (1:4) to proclaim God's Word to both Judah (Jeremiah 2-45) and Gentile nations (Jeremiah 46-51). 

Throughout the book, God would give pictures of who he would have to be in his ministry:

• destroyer and builder (1:9-10)
• pillar and wall (1:17-18)
• watchman (6:17)
• tester of metal (6:27-30)
• physician (8:11, 21-22)
• sacrificial lamb (11:19)
• long-distance runner (12:5)
• shepherd (13:17, 20-21; 17:16, 23)
• troublemaker (15:10, 15-17) (adapted from Be Decisive by Warren Wiersbe)

Jeremiah 1

Jeremiah was a tenderhearted son of a priest of Anathoth, three miles northeast of Jerusalem in the territory of Benjamin. His father, Hilkiah, was probably not the same Hilkiah of Josiah's time (2 Kings 22:2-14). 

He was born into the priestly line, but he was called to be a prophet in the 13th year of Josiah's reign (627 B.C.). He felt he was too young to be a prophet, but God said not to argue with His calling on His life and to just do what He told him to do and He would give Jeremiah the words. 

God gave Jeremiah two visions that confirmed this calling:

1. Almond tree branch - There is a play on words here. The almond trees bloomed as early as January and February. The Hebrew word for the tree is šāqēd which means "the waker" because it is the first indication that spring is coming.  The word for "watch" or "be awake" is šōqēd.  God will be watchful and punctual in carrying out His Word of judgment on Judah. 
2. Boiling Pot - God was preparing Babylon to the north to carry out His scalding judgment on Judah. The people would think Jeremiah was crazy because Babylon was not yet a world power. The leaders of Babylon really will set up thrones in the gates of Jerusalem (39:1-3).

God specifically points out that Judah's judgment was due to idolatry which God had commanded against in Exodus 20:3-6.

REFLECTION

God, at a very young age, gave me a message of truth-telling to give to those who were much older than me. I argued with God, just like Jeremiah, and He pretty much gave me the same answer: youth is no excuse for disobedience.

It can be a very intimidating thing to do, but if God gives us something to say, we need to obey! Our age, feelings of inadequacy, or a positive response from the recipients should not determine whether we do it or not. We can be assured of His presence with us knowing that all we need to accomplish is what He desires; no more, no less.

Jeremiah answered the call of God and obeyed even when people ignored, rejected, and persecuted him. He was not successful by human measurements, but He faithfully followed God. 

APPLICATION

Sit quietly, offer yourself to God, and listen to what He would have you do. 

Is He calling you to something? How will you respond?

PRAYER

Lord, we offer ourselves up to You. Accomplish Your purposes in our lives today. Amen. 

Read Katrina's Jeremiah 1 post in the first cycle of the Bible Book Club.

Jeremiah 46-48: Fall of Jerusalem's Neighbors

LINK: Jeremiah 46-48 (read over the next two days) 

BACKGROUND 

By Briangotts on en.wikipedia and Slashme on en.wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

Remember that Jeremiah's prophecies are topical and not chronological. Jeremiah 46:1-52:34 is God's judgment on foreign nations. These nations thought they would be free of God's judgment and punishment for their sin. Just like Jerusalem, these nations would also receive God's judgment.  

Jeremiah 46 - Egypt (west of this map) 

Pharaoh Necho ("the big noise") defeated Judah and killed King Josiah at Megiddo in 609 B.C. (2 Chronicles 35:20-27). Then Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians defeated the Egyptians at the battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C. making Babylon the dominating world power. Eventually, Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt in about 568-567 B.C., just as Jeremiah had prophesied (43:8-13; 44:13-26). God was stronger than all the Egyptian gods (46:25).

Egypt's army contained mercenary soldiers for Cush (southern Egypt, Sudan, and northern Ethiopia), Put (Libya), and Lydia (west coast of Asia Minor). It was strong, but the Lord was stronger. Egypt would be destroyed. 

By איתן פרמן - Own work, CC BY 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2863193

There would not be a "balm from Gilead." This was a healing resin from the storax tree (picture on the left) that was grown in Gilead, east of the Jordan River (Genesis 37:25; Jeremiah 8:22; 51:8; Ezekiel 27:17). 

Despite Egypt's defeat, God did promise that they would be restored (46:26).

Note in 46:27-28 that God tells Israel to not fear or be dismayed because they would return from exile, enjoying peace and security (31:1-6).






Jeremiah 47 - Philistia (grey on the map) 

The Philistine people are believed to have come from Crete (Caphtor, 46:4; Amos 9:7; Zephaniah 2:5). They had been warring with Israel for a long time. They were a wealthy nation because of their sea trade and their allies were Tyre and Sidon (47:4; Ezekiel 27-28), but they would not be able to help these places when judgment came.

Being caught in the struggle between Babylon and Egypt, Gaza was attacked by the Egyptians (Jeremiah 47:1), and Ashkelon was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in November-December 604 B.C. (Jeremiah 36:9).

Jeremiah 48 - Moab (yellow-green, east of the Dead Sea, north of Zered River, and south of the Arnon River) 

Like the Ammonites, the Moabites were descendants of Lot through an incestuous relationship with one of his daughters (Genesis 19:30-38). They led Israel into idolatry (Numbers 25:1-3). Chemosh was their national god (48:7; Numbers 21:29 1 Kings 11:7), and child sacrifice was a part of their worship (2 Kings 3:26, 27). 

Salt was a symbolic way of showing the total destruction of a city (48:9; Judges 9:45). Moab had enjoyed peace throughout their history (48:11). So, they were arrogant and prideful (48:29). 

Despite the destruction, God promised that some of these neighboring countries would be restored: Egypt (46:26), Moab (48:47); Ammon (49:6); and Elam (49:39). Many commentators believe this is through the restoration of Jesus Christ. "Gospel blessings, temporal and spiritual, to the Gentiles in the last days, are intended" (A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments, Je 48:47).

REFLECTION 

In this chapter (Jeremiah 46), we gain several insights about God and his plan for this world: 

(1) Although God chose Israel for a special purpose, he loves all people and wants all to come to him. 

(2) God is holy and will not tolerate sin. 

(3) God's judgments are not based on prejudice and a desire for revenge but on fairness and justice. 

(4) God does not delight in judgment but in salvation. 

(5) God is impartial - he judges everyone by the same standard.  (From The Life Application Bible, 46:1, page 1363)

This is the drum I have been tapping since the beginning of the Bible Book Club. God wants to bless ALL nations (Genesis 12:1-4). He wants to be their God. 

APPLICATION

The countries mentioned today are all in the Arab world, and they are going through tremendous changes. Pray for Egypt as they forge a new nation, post-Mubarak. Also, pray for peace between Arabs and Israelis in Palestine. Pray for the people of Gaza (former Philistine area) too. 

PRAYER

Lord, while You had judgment for nations who defied You, You also have compassion for all those who sincerely seek You. We pray for the countries of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya, and Palestine. We pray the peoples would seek You. We ask for leaders who fear You and can lead their nations into peace. It is in Your name we pray. Amen. 

Jeremiah 24 & 25 - Figs and a Cup

LINK: Jeremiah 24-25

BACKGROUND  

Jeremiah 24 - The Vision of the Two Baskets of Figs

The background for the exile of King Jehoiachin and the skilled artisans and craftsman is told in 2 Kings 24-25 & 2 Chron. 36 - Babylonian Conquest and Exile. Jeremiah foretold the event of the exile of King Jehoiachin in Jeremiah 22:24-28. This prophecy can be dated to the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah in 597 B.C. 

The good figs represented those who were exiled to Babylon. They would ripen early (Isaiah 28:4; Hosea 9:10; Micah 7:1) and be given a new heart that would respond to God and return to Him wholeheartedly. They would be refined by their exile and preserved to return to the land.

The bad figs represented King Zedekiah and the people who stayed in Israel or fled to Egypt (43:4-7). They would be abandoned by God and sent to His instruments of judgment until they were destroyed. 

Jeremiah 25 - The Cup of the Win of God's Wrath. 

There were 13 messages of judgment from Jeremiah 2-25, and this is the last. It puts an exclamation point on all the other messages. It was given before the message in Jeremiah 24. Apparently, Jeremiah's messages are arranged topically rather than chronologically. 

The message is dated 605 B.C. The Lord had been provoked to anger because they had not listened and obeyed His words. Nebuchadnezzar would be God's servant (or "chosen instrument") in the Lord's judgment.  They would be taken into captivity in Babylon for 70 years. Then Babylon would be punished for their sin. 

Jeremiah 25:15-29 speaks of "the cup of the wine of God's wrath." He begins his list with Jerusalem and Judah (Ezekiel 9:6; 1 Peter 4:17), but his main focus is the Gentile nations (Lamentations 4:21; Ezekiel 23:31-33; Revelation 16:19; 18:6). He uses different metaphors related to His judgment: roaring lion, winepress, lawsuit, storm, refuse, broken pottery, and a slaughtered flock. God wanted these nations to submit to Him. If they did not drink the cup of submission, they would drink the cup of judgment. 

I will go into more detail about the historical judgments of some of these nations when we get to Jeremiah 49, but this map gives you an idea of where the nations mentioned were located:

From the Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, p. 1124

A note on literary style: 

Jeremiah 1-25 is a mixture of poetical and prose discourse with some narrative thrown in.  

Jeremiah 26-29 is a mixture of prose discourse and narrative. 

REFLECTION/APPLICATION 

The people who remained in Israel thought they were blessed, but Jeremiah's prophecy proves otherwise. The exiles would be blessed because they would be refined by their adversity:

We may assume we are blessed when life goes well and cursed when it does not. But trouble is a blessing when it makes us stronger, and prosperity is a curse if it entices us away from God. If you are facing trouble, ask God to help you grow stronger for him. If things are going your way, ask God to help you use your prosperity for him. (The Life Application Bible, p. 1332)

PRAYER

Lord, it is our desire to drink the cup of submission rather than wrath. Teach us to learn the lesson You desire for us through our adversities. Help us to ask, "What are you trying to teach me?" rather than "Why are you doing this to me?" in all our adversity. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 

Jeremiah 11 & 12 - Consequences of a Broken Covenant

LINK: Jeremiah 11 & 12

BACKGROUND

Jeremiah 11-13 deals with the broken covenant. If you have been with us since the beginning of the Bible Book Club, you are familiar with the covenant that we studied more closely in the posts for  Deuteronomy 27 and Deuteronomy 28-29.

The covenant stipulated that His covenant people would be blessed if they obeyed and cursed if they disobeyed. One of the promises was a land flowing with milk and honey, but they were about to be exiled from that land because they had disobeyed the covenant.

Jeremiah was to run through the streets, "Listen to the terms of the covenant and follow them" (11:6), but they would not listen and returned to the sins of their ancestors by serving false gods that could not save them in the time of disaster.

For the second time, God said "Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition" (11:14; see also 7:16; 14:11; 1 John 5:26). This was hard for me to hear, but there comes a time for God to execute His judgment after many warnings, and not even the people getting rid of Jeremiah could stop that from coming to fruition! 

As Shakespeare expressed in Henry V and Antony and Cleopatra, "Don't shoot the messenger" just because you do not like the message! Jeremiah was not the problem, they were!

Beginning in Jeremiah 12, we see the prophet questioning why, if God was going to destroy them because He was angry with their sin, He was allowing the wicked to prosper materially (Job 21:7; Psalms 73:3-5, 12; 94:3; Habakkuk 1; Malachi 2:17; 3:15). Jeremiah was not only asking for himself but for the innocent people that were suffering (due to drought with subsequent vegetation and animals dying). Jeremiah wanted God to vindicate His righteousness and drag the wicked away like they were planning on doing to Jeremiah!

God's reply was surprising and can be summed up like this: "If you think it is bad now, how are you going to survive when the going gets really tough?" 

God's timing of judgment was part of the maturing process for Jeremiah! He would learn endurance through his trials (James 1:2-4). So Jeremiah needed to continue to hold on and trust in God's plan (and timing) for Jeremiah and His wayward people. As my mentors would always say, "God's trains are always on time, and they never miss their connections."

REFLECTION

This speaks perfectly about the issue of God telling Jeremiah to not pray for the people in 11:14:

Moses, the servant of God, and Samuel, the first prophet in Israel. What do these two great men of the Old Testament have in common? The answer may surprise you. God declared that their combined prayers would not be sufficient to avert the disaster soon to come upon rebellious Judah (15:1).

There is a time to pray, to repent, to come to God on your knees. But a day is coming when it will be too late to pray.

Today you have freedom to seek God or to avoid Him, to acknowledge your need or to sidestep the issue. Today many people may be praying for you: your spouse, children, parents, friends, minister. You may choose to scoff at those prayers, but the alternative to getting right with God is getting left -- waking up to a day in which even Moses and Samuel could not move God in prayer on your behalf.

Isaiah 55:6 states, "Seek the LORD while he may be found." And when you obey that command, you'll find a wonderful promise waiting for you in Hebrews 11:6.

"Procrastination is both the thief of time and the grave of opportunity."  (The Daily Walk, August 2008, p. 9)

APPLICATION

Well, the application is obvious: Seek the LORD today, and don't delay! 

 Here is the promise of Hebrews 11:6:

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, 
for he who comes to God must believe that He is 
and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

PRAYER

Lord, we seek You today. We long for You more than our necessary food. Create in us a thirst for Your righteousness, and help us not to delay! We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Ezekiel 17 - Eagles, a Vine, and a Tender Sprig

LINK: Ezekiel 17

Here is where Ezekiel 17 fits in chronologically with the history and the prophecies of Jeremiah:

2 Kings 24:18-20

2 Chronicles 36:11-14

Jeremiah 49:34-51:64

Jeremiah 11:18-12:6

Jeremiah 23:9-40

Jeremiah 27:1-28:17

Ezekiel 1-23

Jeremiah 21:1-14

Ezekiel 24-25

Jeremiah 37-38

Ezekiel 29-31

Jeremiah 32-34

2 Kings 25

2 Chronicles 36:15-21

If you want to see how all the later prophets fit in chronological with the 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles accounts, see HERE.

As I have said before, I chose not to do a strict chronology because we would be jumping back and forth between books. I think it is easier to read each book as a whole and fit them together semi-chronologically. As you can see Ezekiel is much more chronological than Jeremiah! 

BACKGROUND

The first eagle in this allegory symbolized King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (17:12) who went to "Lebanon" (Jerusalem) and clipped off the top (King Jehoiachin, 2 Kings 24:8-16) of a cedar tree (Davidic dynasty) and replanted that top bough in a city of traders (Babylon). This occurred in 597 B.C.

The eagle (Nebuchadnezzar) took some of the seed of the land and planted it by abundant water and it grew into a spreading vine. After King Jehoiachin died in captivity, Nebuchadnezzar "planted" King Zedekiah as a vassal king in Jerusalem. This meant he was in a treaty with Nebuchadnezzar and under oath. He and Jerusalem would grow and prosper as long as Zedekiah kept his side of the bargain.

We know from the accounts in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles that he did not. The vine (Zedekiah) stretched out toward a new eagle (Pharaoh of Egypt) to receive water (protection) and forgot the oath of allegiance made to the first eagle (Nebuchadnezzar) and rebelled against it. When Ezekiel prophesied this in captivity (sometime between 592 and 591 B.C.), this final revolt had not yet happened in Jerusalem (588 B.C.). Jeremiah prophesied the same thing in Judah (Jeremiah 2:36, 37; 38). Isaiah had preached it over a century before (Isaiah 31:1; 36:9).

The result of this rebellion was a disaster. The vine would not thrive. Zedekiah was not only rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar but also against God (17:19-21). Nebuchadnezzar captured Zedekiah, killed his sons, blinded him, and took him captive to Babylon, where he died in captivity (Ezekiel 17:16; 2 Kings 24:17-25:7; Jeremiah 52:1-11).

The Scarlet Thread of Redemption

Ezekiel's prophecy does end in a ray of hope. God said he would take a sprig (Jesus) from the very top of the cedar (Davidic dynasty) and plant it on the mountain heights of Israel. It would prosper and provide shelter for all who come to it (17:22-24). 

Jesus came from the stem of Jesse and will one day establish His kingdom on earth (Isaiah 11:1-10; Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:15-17; Zechariah 6:12-13) and all other kingdoms will fall.

REFLECTION

How often do we in our human wisdom try to trade the abundant, life-giving water of the Lord for "foreign" water that can do nothing to quench our thirst? The treaty with Babylon was God's protection for Judah, but they didn't drink.

Where is your water source?

APPLICATION

Meditate on (and maybe illustrate) Psalm 1 and talk to God about where you are getting your water these days. 

Then, ponder this quote by Bernard of Clairvaux: 

“If then you are wise, you will show yourself rather as a reservoir than as a canal. A canal spreads abroad water as it receives it, and a reservoir waits until it is filled before overflowing, and thus without loss to itself communicates its superabundant water. In the Church at the present day we have many canals but few reservoirs.” 

PRAYER

Lord, help us to drink deeply from Your abundant, living water. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.