Your Redemption is Drawing Near - Jeremiah 46

“This is the Word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations: concerning Egypt: this is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: ‘Prepare your shields, both large and small, and march out for battle! Harness the horses, mount the steeds! Take your positions with helmets on! Polish your spears, put on your armor!” Jeremiah 46:1-4

The Lord now turns His attention from the people of Judea to the nations. In this chapter, He gives Egypt a word. Romans 3:29 asks, “Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.” Yes, God is the Creator and Sustainer of all people.

Jeremiah 46 compares with Revelation 15:4, “Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your Name? For You alone are holy. All nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been revealed.” The Egyptians should have looked to the God who did great miracles in their land during the days of Moses. They should have feared the universe’s Creator rather than talk to “gods” made by human hands. If the Egyptians had glorified God, they would have known His presence and power to save them.

In Jeremiah 1:5, the Lord revealed to Jeremiah that before he was even born, God had appointed him to prophesy to the nations. Now, the Lord gave him a word for Pharaoh’s army. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon was going to defeat Pharaoh Necho. The Lord revealed to Jeremiah the outcome of the battle before it began.

The Lord prodded the Egyptians to prepare for war. To grab their armor and weapons! Egypt had spent a lot of its income on helmets, shields, swords, spears, chariots and horses. All for nothing! Why? Because they relied on themselves instead of on the Lord.

“Why have I seen them dismayed and turned back? Their mighty one’s are beaten down; they have speedily fled, and did not look back, for fear was all around, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 46:5

The Lord revealed to Jeremiah Egypt’s defeat in a prophetic vision. He saw the mighty Egyptian army retreating. He saw them running from the battle as fast as they could. The mighty among them were beaten down (dead). Those who fled didn’t look back. They were filled with fear.

Revelation 6:15-17 speaks of a similar scenario in the end times. “The kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’” In this passage, the people realized that the disasters around them are due to God’s wrath upon them.

“Do not let the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they will stumble and fall toward the north, by the River Euphrates.” Jeremiah 46:6

Egypt’s swift horses and strong legs would not rescue them. Psalm 147:10-11, “He [the Lord] does not delight in the strength of the horse. He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.” They should have turned to the Lord in repentance and sought His forgiveness.

“Who is this coming up like a flood, whose waters move like the rivers? Egypt rises up like a flood, and its waters move like the rivers; and he says, ‘I will go up and cover the earth, I will destroy the city and its inhabitants.’” Jeremiah 46:7-8

The metaphor of an overflowing river is an appropriate word-picture for the Egyptians because their largest river, the Nile River tends to overflow its banks. Egypt’s proud army, swelling with arrogance, would overflow their nation’s borders towards the Babylonians, but like the Nile River, after swelling it retracts, so they too would retreat just as fast as they advanced.

In Revelation 12:15-17, the Lord uses a metaphor of a serpent spewing out a flood of water to destroy a woman. The woman represents those who keep God’s commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. God opens the earth’s mouth to swallow the flood. The flood represents an advancing army. The swallowing of the flood represents the army’s defeat. God saves those who trust in Him.

“Come up, O horses, and rage, O chariots! And let the mighty men come forth: the Ethiopians and the Libyans who handle the shield, and the Lydians who handle and bend the bow. For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that He may avenge Himself on His adversaries. The sword shall devour; it shall be satiated and made drunk with their blood; for the Lord God of hosts has a sacrifice in the north country by the River Euphrates.” Jeremiah 46:8-10

The Lord urges Egypt to bring her horses, chariots, and her mercenary troops from Africa including from Ethiopia, Libya and Lydia. Bring them all to the place of slaughter so the sword can drink their blood. They shall be defeated because God fights against them.

In Deuteronomy 32:42, the Lord uses a metaphor of weapons drinking blood. He said, “I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh.”

Then, Psalm 2:3-4 says that God sits in the heavens and laughs at the rebellion of nations. The increase of pride among them is like the increase of fat on cattle before the slaughter.

1 Peter 5:5 says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” The term for “resists” in the original text “αντιτάσσεται” comes from the word “antitassó” which is an old military term for arranging or drawing up soldiers in battle formation against an opponent. God sets up military against proud nations.

The Lord reveals to us via Bible prophecy that He uses proud nations to punish each other.

In Deuteronomy 28:26, Isaiah 56:9, Jeremiah 7:33, Ezekiel 39:17-20, and Revelation 19:17-21, the Lord reveals to us that the birds of the air are His cleanup crew after a great slaughter to consume the corpses from the battlefield.

“Go up to Gilead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt; in vain you will use many medicines; you shall not be cured.” Jeremiah 46:11

The balm of Gilead was known for curing wounds. “The irony is that during these days the Egyptians were world leaders in medicine. On the day of judgment, however, they would find themselves without medicine and without remedy, their wounds incurable.” [1] No vaccine to prevent defeat! The Lord tells the young people of Egypt, “You shall not be cured.” No salve or medicine can heal when God wounds. Egypt would never recover its former strength.

“The nations have heard of your shame, and your cry has filled the land; for the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty; they both have fallen together.” Jeremiah 46:12

The huge army they assembled shall be a liability and not an asset. Like a massive exodus of coastal people evacuating a coastline before a hurricane strikes, they will be unable to depart fast enough due to overcrowding on the escape route. They will fall over each other.

“The Word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would come and strike the land of Egypt. Declare in Egypt and proclaim in Migdol; proclaim in Noph and in Tahpanhes; say, ‘Stand fast and prepare yourselves, for the sword devours all around you. Why are your valiant men swept away? They did not stand because the Lord drove them away. He made many fall; yes, one fell upon another.’ And they said, ‘Arise! Let us go back to our own people and to the land of our nativity from the oppressing sword.’ They cried there, ‘Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is but a noise. He has passed by the appointed time!’” Jeremiah 46:13-17

“Declare” as if giving sentence from a tribunal. The Lord mentions Migdol (east), Noph (south) and Tahpanhes (north), but omits the west, because Nebuchadnezzar did not attack there.

“They said, ‘Let us go again to our own people.” The mercenary soldiers deserted Egypt. They returned to their respective homes to escape the bloodthirsty sword of Babylon. They said to one another, “Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is but a noise” meaning he threatens great things, but does nothing. His boasts of what he would do never happened. He did not show up.

“As I live, says the King, whose Name is the Lord of hosts, surely as Tabor is among the mountains and as Carmel by the sea, so he shall come.” Jeremiah 46:18

As mount Tabor and Carmel tower high above other hills, so Nebuchadnezzar will tower above Egypt. Babylon’s army will be easy to see because their mighty army is great like a mountain.

“O you daughter dwelling in Egypt, prepare yourself to go into captivity! For Noph shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant.” Jeremiah 46:19

The unprepared for battle, should prepare for captivity.

“Egypt is a very pretty heifer, but destruction comes, it comes from the north. Also her mercenaries are in her midst like fat bulls, for they also are turned back, they have fled away together. They did not stand, for the day of their calamity had come upon them, the time of their punishment.” Jeremiah 46:20-21

Egypt and her mercenaries are compared to a pretty heifer. Pretty heifers are unaccustomed to wearing work yokes. Some think a pretty heifer is an allusion to the calf idol Apis which the Egyptians worshipped. Remember the children of Israel made a golden calf idol after they left Egypt and arrived at Mount Sinai. The pretty heifer is about to be slaughtered.

“Her noise shall go like a serpent, for they shall march with an army and come against her with axes, like those who chop wood. They shall cut down her forest, says the Lord, though it cannot be searched, because they are innumerable, and more numerous than grasshoppers.” Jeremiah 46:22-23

At first Egypt was like a noisy heifer, but when the Babylonians arrived, they hid themselves like snakes. They slithered around stealthily. The snake was an emblem of Egyptian pride but here is mocked as an emblem of her weakness. The Babylonians struck the trees with axes. Egypt’s defenses were like soft trees. Babylon’s weapons were metal battleaxes. Babylon’s troops were numerous like a great swarm of locusts. Consuming locusts symbolize God’s judgment.

Revelation 9:2-10 reveals a bottomless pit from which smoke comes forth and from that smoke appears creatures with tails like scorpions. These creatures sting people with their tails. Their sting enflames their victims’ bodies with pain. This plague lasts for five months. These creatures are likely metaphors for demon spirits that lead people to attack and destroy one another.

“The daughter of Egypt shall be ashamed. She shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north. The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: behold, I will bring punishment on Amon of No, and Pharaoh and Egypt, with their gods and their kings—Pharaoh and those who trust in him. And I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of his servants. Afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 46:24-26

“Amon of No” is the same as Thebes in Upper Egypt where Jupiter Ammon had his famous temple. Pharaoh and those that trusted in false gods shall be humbled. They shall be delivered into the hands of the northern nations (Babylon and her allies). They shall serve servants.

“But do not fear, O My servant Jacob, and do not be dismayed, O Israel! For behold, I will save you from afar, and your offspring from the land of their captivity; Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease; no one shall make him afraid. Do not fear, O Jacob My servant, says the Lord, for I am with you; for I will make a complete end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but I will not make a complete end of you. I will rightly correct you, for I will not leave you wholly unpunished.” Jeremiah 46:27-28

God closed out His prophecy to Egypt with a promise to His people. Some of God’s faithful people were living in Egypt. He told them not to fear or be dismayed. He would save them from the lands of their captivity. Yes, they would be in exile for a season, but afterwards, the Lord would bring them back to the Promised Land.

What should we do as we see a similar scenario as Jeremiah 46 taking place among our nations? We have proud nations that despise God-talk. They overflow their borders to harm their neighbors. They have become fat like a bull before a slaughter.

After our Lord Jesus revealed to His disciples some of the signs of His second coming, He said to them in Luke 21:28, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Attached is a link to a power point version of this article which I have recorded on my YouTube channel: 

https://youtu.be/zcPAC3MqbII


[1] Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary

Writing and Speaking for Jesus Christ - Jeremiah 45

“The Word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the instruction of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: you said, woe is me now! For the Lord has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest. Thus you shall say to him, thus says the Lord: behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land. And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh, says the Lord. But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.’” Jeremiah 45:1-5

After addressing the Judean people and kings, Jeremiah addresses his scribe Baruch. The Holy Spirit directed other writers of the Bible to mention their scribes in their books. For example, Paul and Peter at the end of their books! If placed in chronological order, Jeremiah chapter 45 would follow Jeremiah chapter 36, but since Jeremiah chapter 44 is the end of his prophecy to those in Judea, he makes his message to Baruch chapter 45.

In Jeremiah chapter 36, Baruch wrote down Jeremiah’s words and read them in the temple. Baruch did something wonderful for the Lord and for his people, but his king seized his writings and burned them in a fire. Friendly officials advised Baruch to go into hiding. Thus, he lamented that the Lord had added grief to his sorrow.

Perhaps, before Baruch read Jeremiah’s prophecy publicly, he envisioned gaining a good reputation for himself, but when he had to hide himself like a criminal, he felt restless.

How many of us have been tempted to stop witnessing for Christ due to poor treatment?

Philip Ryken wrote, “Baruch’s complaint yields two important insights about depression. The first is that every complaint is finally a complaint about God.” “God cut right to the heart of Baruch’s real problem. He was seeking something for himself.”

Phillip Ryken wrote about Baruch, saying, “Maybe he wanted a promotion. After all, he was well educated. He came from a prominent family. His grandfather Mahseiah had been the governor. His brother Seriah was a high-ranking official. But now he was stuck taking dictation.”

“Some Christians think the important thing is not God’s will get done, but that they get to do it.” “That is the way the sinful self is. It is unwilling to lie down and die. It will take every advantage of every opportunity to seek great things for itself.” “That is why the self must die. And the place that selves go to die is the cross of Jesus Christ.” [1]

George Orwell wrote, “The farther a nation gets from the truth the more it will hate those who speak it.” Those who hate the truth do not applaud those who speak it. Truth comes from Christ and only Christ supplies sufficient grace and love in our hearts to keep speaking it.

David wrote in Psalm 27:13, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:1, 16, “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not... but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

In Galatians 6:9, Paul wrote, “Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Hebrews 12:3-4 encourages us to think on Jesus: “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.”

In Jeremiah 12:1-5, Jeremiah grieved in a similar fashion as Baruch. Now, he has words from the Lord to encourage Baruch. The Lord turned his healed hurt into a salve which he could apply to the wound of his partner in ministry.

The Lord’s word to Baruch was, “I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.” The word prize in this verse refers to the spoils of war. Baruch received two outstanding blessings from the Lord. He was privileged to serve God during his life on earth. He had a promise from the Lord not to die in battle.

In Matthew 6:25-27, Jesus assured us of our Heavenly Father’s provision as we serve Him. He said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

In Matthew 6:32-33, Jesus assures us that our heavenly Father knows what we need. He urged us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (food, clothes, accommodations) shall be added to us.

Finally, in Jeremiah 9:23-24, the Lord says, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the Lord.”

Paul wrote in Philippians 1:20 that his earnest expectation and hope was that Christ would be magnified in his body, whether by life or by death.

In Colossians 3:17, Paul wrote, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

The Lord said to Baruch, “Do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them.” This is a very good word for all who serve the Lord to remember.

On October 13, 2012, I had the idea to write a book about the prophet Jeremiah. At first, I thought if I sensationalized him as a type of tough no-nonsense hero, I could increase the number of people who would want to read about him and learn from him.

Thankfully, the next morning, the first reading on my daily Bible reading schedule included Jeremiah 45:5. The Lord told Baruch not to seek great things for himself. I took God’s word to Baruch as His word to me. Do not sensationalize the Book of Jeremiah!

Since then, the Lord has helped me to notice when producers of Bible-based movies put more of their own ideas into the story than truth from the Bible. What did Jesus do?

During His ministry on earth, Jesus said in John 12:49-50, “I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.” Jesus set this example for us to follow.

John 1:18 says, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” The Greek word for “declared” in this text is “εξηγησατο.” The word “εξηγησατο” is from the Greek verb “ἐξηγέομαι” (exégeomai), which means to explain, interpret, or declare in detail. Jesus is the interpreter of God for us. He helps us to understand God.

Without a personal relationship with Christ, we will misrepresent God. Without seeking the glory of Him who sent His Son, we will misrepresent God. To be a reliable witness for God, we must submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and not set our personal agendas above Him.

In Luke 24:27, Jesus expounded all things about Himself from Moses and the Prophets to His disciples. In Revelation 1:1-2, Jesus is the One who reveals the things which must shortly come to pass to God’s servants. Jesus speaks what is true and accurate about God.

In 1 Kings 22:14, the prophet Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.’” We should not change what God has said to please politicians, denominations, friends or ourselves. We should speak to please God.

To be a reliable witness for God, we must know Him and His Word accurately.

I find reading the Bible from cover to cover each year helpful. I have done this for many years via a discipline entitled, “No Bible no breakfast.” This means I don’t get to eat after I wake up from sleep until I have read the Bible first. 

When Martin Luther read the Bible, he compared what the Bible said in one place on a topic with what it says about the same topic in other places He used a simple phrase to explain this method, saying, “Scripture interprets Scripture.” If you don’t understand a Bible verse, find out how it relates to other teachings in the Bible by reading its cross-references.

The Protestant Reformation was an outcome of Luther’s meticulous study of God’s Word. He wrestled with God in prayer over passages that he did not understand until the Lord revealed to him the true meaning of those verses.

Luther translated the Bible from its original languages into the German language. His bold stand against false teaching in the Catholic Church was an outcome of his certainty about what the Bible said about salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. When asked by Catholic officials to recant his teachings, Luther said that he was “bound by the Scriptures” and his “conscience was captive to the Word of God.”

Before I began writing about the prophet Jeremiah, I read and took notes from Philip Graham Ryken’s book entitled, “Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope” and from Theodore Laetsch’s, “Commentary on Jeremiah.” They did extensive and helpful research on his prophecy.

Bible commentaries and theological books are helpful tools. I like the Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary because it provides the original Hebrew meaning of the English words.

I find making pictures of scenes from Jeremiah’s book helpful. Movie producers use storyboards to pre-visualize the entire film. The storyboards act as a visual roadmap that translates a script into images to plan camera angles, movements, composition, and pacing. This process ensures the creative vision is clearly communicated to everyone involved. After I recreate a scene, I compare my picture with the text. This helps me to see if I rightly envisioned the passage.

I don’t want to seek great things for myself. I want to be a reliable witness for Christ.

In Revelation 1:9, John the Apostle wrote that he “was on the island that is called Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” ” “Heavenly Father, please help us to always speak Your Word and testify for Jesus.”

Attached is a link to a power point version of this article which I have recorded on my YouTube channel: 

https://youtu.be/aJCFI1Ccyws

[1] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, pp. 638-639. See also Jeremiah 32:12, 51:59 and 2 Chronicles 34:8

God’s Peace Plan - Jeremiah 44

“I have sent to you all My servants the prophets... but they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from their wickedness.” God’s prophets are His gifts to the nations to guide them away from war, hunger and disease and toward peace, prosperity and well-being. Those nations that have access to Bibles and Bible teachers who rightly speak it, should give heed to them.

“The Word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: you have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they went to burn incense and to serve other gods whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers. However, I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, ‘O, do not do this abominable thing that I hate!’ But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods. So My fury and My anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as it is this day.’” Jeremiah 44:1-6

God’s prophets spoke of Jerusalem’s demise due to sin. Now, that some of Jerusalem’s survivor fled to Egypt for safety, the Lord’s Word to them was that Egypt too would be decimated. Moving to another country did not solve their problems. Repentance of sin and faith in God was what they needed to do.

So often people throw money at problems, and it only makes the situation worse. For example, 2024 global military spending reached a record $2.718 trillion. The $2.718 trillion represents a 9.4% increase from 2023 which is the largest jump since at least the end of the Cold War. [1] And what do we have now? More weapons to decimate our cities!

Much thought, time and treasure has been poured into creating and sustaining militaries. How much thought, time and treasure has been invested by people in God’s peace plan?

The Lord says in Jeremiah 18:7-10 that He will relent of destroying a nation if that nation takes heed to His warnings to repent of evil. The Lord said in Jeremiah 5:1 that if His prophet could find anyone in the city who executed judgment and sought the truth, He would pardon them. In Genesis 18:31, the Lord promised not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if there were at least ten righteous people there.

How many nations have approved defense spending against sin? Sin is the source of destruction. Sin brought the curse on humankind in the first place. God’s Word clearly tells us that sin destroys people.

Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.”

James 4:1-2 says, “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.”

The Word of the Lord to us in James 4:7-10 is, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be afflicted and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”

Imagine how much better off the nations would be if we all had hearts like Paul’s! In Philippians 3:8-9, he wrote, “What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

In Jeremiah 44, the Lord reproved the Jews for their idolatry in Egypt. God did not spare Judea from judgment when they abandoned Him. He would not spare those who abandoned Him in Egypt either. He announced judgments on Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph, and in the country of Pathros. Migdol was a city upon the borders of the Red Sea. Noph is now called Memphis. Pathros is now called Thebes. These were the four areas where Jews settled in Jeremiah 44.

In this prophecy, the Lord reminded His people of the calamities that He brought on the cities of Judah. Those cities were empty now. Their worship of other gods ignited His holy anger against them. Jeremiah warned them to turn back to God but they would not listen to him.

Let us pray 1 Samuel 3:9, “Speak Lord, Your servant is listening.”

“Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain, in that you provoke Me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to dwell, that you may cut yourselves off and be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?’” Jeremiah 44:7-9

God asked them why they were opposing themselves. Why kill themselves? Had they forgotten what idolatry did to their ancestors? God opposes idolatry.

In the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy 32:17, God called idolatry demon worship. “They sacrificed to devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.”

1 Corinthians 10:20-22 says, “The sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: you cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?”

In 1 Timothy 4:1, Paul wrote, “The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.”

The Lord had these words to say about His idol-worshipping people in Egypt...

“They have not been humbled, to this day, nor have they feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers.” Jeremiah 44:10

“He shows that we ought to keep in memory God’s plagues from the beginning, that considering them, we might live in His fear, and know if He did not spare our fathers, yea kings, princes, rulers and also whole countries and nations for their sins, that we vile worms cannot look to escape punishment for ours.” [2]

Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”

Proverbs 14:16 says, “A wise man fears, and shuns evil, but the fool is hot headed, and reckless.”

Proverbs 16:6 says, “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.”

Proverbs 28:14 says, “Happy is the man that fears always: but he that hardens his heart shall fall into mischief.”

Revelation 15:4 says, “Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your Name? For You only are holy: for all nations shall come and worship before You; for Your judgments are made manifest.”

“Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: behold, I will set My face against you for catastrophe and for cutting off all Judah. And I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to dwell there, and they shall all be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine. They shall die, from the least to the greatest, by the sword and by famine; and they shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach! For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone into the land of Egypt to dwell there shall escape or survive, lest they return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return and dwell. For none shall return except those who escape.” Jeremiah 44:11-14

Psalms 34:16 says, “The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.”

Jeremiah’s people had gone to Egypt thinking that it would be easier to return from there to Judea than from Babylon. The exact reverse happened. Those who went to Babylon rejected idolatry and were restored. Those who went to Egypt embraced idolatry and were destroyed.

“None shall return except those who escaped” – some among them were unwilling travelers to Egypt. Jeremiah and Baruch were such! Some of them left Egypt before Babylon attacked.

“Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, with all the women who stood by, a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying: ‘As for the Word that you have spoken to us in the Name of the Lord, we will not listen to you! But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and saw no trouble. But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.’” Jeremiah 44:15-18

“We will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth.” This is the same defiant attitude that they expressed when Jeremiah first told them not to go to Egypt.

They defied the Creator and Sustainer of all things and defended the Queen of Heaven. Rather than acknowledge and repent of their sins, they blamed their nation’s collapse on God.

“The women also said, ‘And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?’” Jeremiah 44:19

“The Queen of Heaven was not Egyptian. She was the fertility goddess of Canaan, Assyria and Babylonia. How ironic it was for the Jews, having fled from the Babylonians, to worship a Babylonian goddess!”

“The Queen of Heaven went by different names in different dialects – Anat, Astarte, Ashteroth, and Ishtar, which is the pagan origin of Easter. Her cult was worshiped with the burning of incense, the pouring of libations, and the sacrifice of animals. In the palace kitchen at Mari, archaeologists have uncovered some of the baking molds used to shape this goddess into sweet little cakes.”

“Goddess worship may sound old-fashioned to postmodern ears, but it is becoming increasingly fashionable. In every period of history, sin takes feminine as well as masculine forms.”

“Mary, the mother of Jesus, [is] venerated as the Madonna in the Roman Catholic Church. The pope calls her ‘the woman promised in Eden, the woman chosen from the eternity to be the Mother of the Word, the Mother of divine Wisdom, the Mother of the Son of God.”

“Roman Catholics pray, ‘We have no greater help, no greater hope than you, O most pure virgin.’ Or again, ‘Come to my aid, dearest Mother, for I recommend myself to thee. In thy hands I place my eternal salvation, and to thee I entrust my soul.’”

“Worshiping Mary is not a harmless addition to the Christian faith. It is rank pagan idolatry. It is as wicked as worshiping the Queen of Heaven. Indeed, ‘Queen of Heaven’ is one of the titles Catholics sometimes give to Mary.” [3]

“The remnant claimed that things were fine until they stopped worshiping the Queen of Heaven. Goddess worship brought them health and wealth, they claimed. All their subsequent troubles were to be blamed on the reformation under Josiah when goddess worship was outlawed. The fall of Jerusalem and the exile in Egypt did not take place until after they abandoned their Queen.”

“Greed works if you want to make money, but it is the enemy of contentment. Sexual sin destroys sexual intimacy. And so on. Sin destroys the soul. It destroys relationships with other people and fellowship with God. In the end, sin recoils to devour the sinner.” [4]

The women made crescent-shaped cakes to offer to the moon. The sun was worshipped as Baal. The moon was worshipped as Baal’s counterpart. They felt Jeremiah was unreasonable to speak to them as though they were insubordinate. Their husbands supported their idolatry.

“Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people—the men, the women, and all the people who had given him that answer—saying: ‘The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and did it not come into His mind? So the Lord could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed. Therefore, your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse, and without an inhabitant, as it is this day. Because you have burned incense and because you have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord or walked in His law, in His statutes or in His testimonies, therefore this calamity has happened to you, as at this day.’” Jeremiah 44:20-23

Jeremiah told his listeners, “The Lord could no longer bear it.” Revelation 16:19 speaks of Babylon’s misdeeds coming up in remembrance before God and stirring up His wrath. Revelation 18:5 says that her sins had reached unto heaven. Psalms 95:10 speaks of God being grieved for 40 years because of the erroneous ways of their hearts.

“Moreover, Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, ‘Hear the Word of the Lord, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt! Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: you and your wives have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying, ‘We will surely keep our vows that we have made, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.’ You will surely keep your vows and perform your vows! Therefore, hear the Word of the Lord, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: behold, I have sworn by My great Name, says the Lord, that My Name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, the Lord God lives. Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them. Yet a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose Words will stand, Mine or theirs. And this shall be a sign to you, says the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My Words will surely stand against you for adversity.’” Jeremiah 44:24-29

They felt obligated to fulfil their vows to their idols. Jeremiah affirmed that no one could accuse them of breaking their vows to idols, but what about to God? Faithfulness to God would have kept them from making vows to idols.

Jeremiah countered their claims on behalf of the Queen of Heaven by assuring them that none of them in the land of Egypt, would say, “The Lord God lives.” His Name would be taken from them. They felt safe in Egypt to blaspheme God, but that safe feeling was about to end.

God assured them that they would soon know whose words would stand, His or theirs. He said to them, “This shall be a sign to you… I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for adversity.”

God finished His message to the Jews in Egypt by saying...

“Thus says the Lord: behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.” Jeremiah 44:30

Jeremiah’s preaching venue changed, but his message did not. Those who reject God’s guidance to embrace gods of their own imaginations perish.

Praise God! He has a peace plan. Isaiah 2:4 says, “He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people. They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Revelation 21:4 says, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

The Lord shall vanquish sin, death and the devil. Then, there shall be peace and prosperity for everyone who believed in Him and who called upon His Name.

Attached is a link to a power point version of this article which I have recorded on my YouTube channel: 

https://youtu.be/FdNXpk4B4IA

[1] Google Sources

[2] Geneva Bible Notes

[3] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, pp. 623-627

[4] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, p. 630

Prevailing During Perilous Times - Jeremiah 43

“Now it happened, when Jeremiah had stopped speaking to all the people all the Words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, all these Words, that Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, ‘You speak falsely! The Lord our God has not sent you to say do not go to Egypt to dwell there. But Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon.” Jeremiah 43:1-3

The proud men accused Jeremiah of lying. They accused Jeremiah’s scribe, Baruch, of treason. Jeremiah 42:7 says that Jeremiah sought the Lord for 10 days. He waited patiently until he was sure he had heard from God. Then, he gave them God’s answer. All his previous prophecies had come to pass. Satan had poisoned their minds against God and against God’s servants.

Are we receiving and embracing God’s counsel to us? In 2 Timothy 3:1, Paul wrote to Timothy saying, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” We are in the last days.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “Pride is the mother hen under which all other sins are hatched.”

The people of Judah needed to humble themselves before the Lord.

Jeremiah experienced the humiliation that so many who speak for God experience. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:13, “Being defamed, we intreat.” Jeremiah was trying to help not hurt them.

“So Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces, and all the people would not obey the voice of the Lord, to remain in the land of Judah. But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces took all the remnant of Judah who had returned to dwell in the land of Judah, from all nations where they had been driven—men, women, children, the king’s daughters, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. So, they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And they went as far as Tahpanhes.” Jeremiah 43:4-7

The proud men led people to return to the land that formerly enslaved them. God had tried to stop them, but they would not submit to His guidance. They were their own worst enemies.

What about us? Whose road map are we following? Jeremiah 17:5, 7, say, “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.” “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.” The saying, “In God, we Trust,” is more than a nice sounding motto, it is the way to live.

After traveling 200 miles, they arrived in Tahpanhes. Tahpanhes was located on the frontier of Egypt nearest to Israel. While there, the Lord gave Jeremiah another message for them...

“Then the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, ‘Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes; and say to them, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them. When he comes, he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword.” Jeremiah 43:8-11

The Lord gave Jeremiah an object lesson to share with them. This time the objects were large stones in a brickyard near Pharoah’s house. Jeremiah used them to illustrate that Babylon’s king would eventually rule over Egypt. That which they feared would happen.

So often, the bad things that the devil convinces people to think against God are the very bad things that he is planning for them. He is a deceiver. With fear he led Johanan and his proud men to flee from the Promised Land, but it was outside the Promised Land that their fears would come to pass.

The bricks in this passage allude to Israel’s slavery in Egypt. The Egyptians had “made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor.” Would such a nation save them?

Pharoah’s palace was being built or repaired with bricks at that time. Thus, bricks were laying around. Eventually, King Nebuchadnezzar would have the Pharoah making bricks for him.

The treasures of Egypt were destined to become King Nebuchadnezzar’s compensation for destroying Tyre.

In Ezekiel 29:18-20, God said, “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre... Yet he and his army got no reward from the campaign he led against Tyre. Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder the land as pay for his army. I have given him Egypt as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for Me, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

“I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment, and he shall go out from there in peace. He shall also break the sacred pillars of Beth Shemesh that are in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire.” Jeremiah 43:12-13

In Ezekiel 30:13, the Lord God said of Egypt, “ I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.”

Nebuchadnezzar burned Egypt’s temples to the ground and stole her idols. Egypt’s idols were made of precious woods, gold and other metals. Nebuchadnezzar would wear Egypt’s wealth. He would do so in peace means that this proud nation would be subdued by him.

Now, that Jeremiah was in Egypt what should he do? Should he tell refugees that the land they fled to for refuge would be destroyed? He did! It was the truth. He continued to warn them to repent because he loved them. He even used an object lesson to make his point.

Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:20-21, “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Jeremiah’s “prophecy was fulfilled in 568 BC when Nebuchadnezzar came to Egypt. According to Josephus... all the Jews living in Egypt were then deported to Babylon.” [1]

“Many people deny that the Bible is God’s Word. They have their own ideas about what God is like, and they judge the Bible according to their own standards. They read what it teaches about God’s wrath against sin, for example, and they say, ‘Oh, no, our God would never say something like that. Our God is a God of love; He would never punish sin.’” [2]

“In Heaven, many things that seemed risky at the time will turn out to be perfectly safe, whereas in Hell many things that seemed safe, will prove to have been fatal. Obeying the revealed will of Christ is always the safest thing to do.” [3]

So, what should we do? Let’s follow Jeremiah’s example! Follow the example of Jesus! Humble ourselves before the Lord. Say unto our Heavenly Father, “Not my will, but Your will be done.”

We are living in a time very much like Jeremiah’s. There are wars, famines, floods, earthquakes, and diseases. There are proud people who deny and defy God. Many are being destroyed.

What can we do?

Jude 1:20-23 say, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”

Attached is a link to a power point version of this article which I have recorded on my YouTube channel: 

https://youtu.be/HfnQ4Sdh4VQ

[1] Dr. Theo Laetsch, Bible Commentary Jeremiah, Concordia Paperback Edition, 1965, ©, pages 314-315

[2] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, p. 617-619

[3] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, p. 619-622

The Goodness of God - Jeremiah 42

“Now all the captains of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, came near and said to Jeremiah the prophet, ‘Please, let our petition be acceptable to you, and pray for us to the Lord your God, for all this remnant (since we are left but a few of many, as you can see), that the Lord your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing we should do.’” Jeremiah 42:1-3

“All the people from the least to the greatest” sought to speak with Jeremiah. This is the first time in the book that Jeremiah was so widely pursued. Usually, he had to do the pursuing. He had been traveling with them. Hence the expression, “came near.” They asked him to pray for them. They wanted God to confirm their plan.

They were literally at the crossroads! After the Mizpah massacre, they fled from their vineyards and fields to Chimham. Chimham was a lodging place for traveling caravans. It was close to Bethlehem. From Chimham they planned to travel 200 miles to Tahpanhes, Egypt. They would build a new life there.

They were fleeing the land in fear of King Nebuchadnezzar’s sword. One distant day in the future, Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus would make the same trip from Bethlehem to Tahpanhes to avoid the sword of King Herod.

“Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, ‘I have heard. Indeed, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your words, and it shall be, that whatever the Lord answers you, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.’” Jeremiah 42:4

Jeremiah was often ignored by others, but he assured this group of people that they were heard by him. He would seek the Lord on their behalf. He would share everything that the Lord gave to him with them. Jeremiah was like Samuel, Paul and Jesus in this regard.

In 1 Samuel 3:18, “Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him.”

In Acts 20:20, 27, Paul said, “I kept back nothing that was profitable to you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house.” “For I have not shunned to declare to you all the counsel of God.”

In John 17:8, Jesus said to the Father, “I have given them the words that You gave Me and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.”

“So, they said to Jeremiah, ‘Let the Lord be a true and faithful witness between us if we do not do according to everything which the Lord your God sends us by you. Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.’” Jeremiah 42:5-6

Their words seemed reassuring. Like when Peter told the Lord in Matthew 26:35, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” Wonderful words, but would they truly honor them?

“And it happened after ten days that the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, and said to them...” Jeremiah 42:7-8

Jeremiah prayed for 10 days. He waited upon the Lord. Finally, the Lord spoke to him.

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: if you will still remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him, says the Lord, for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. And I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.” Jeremiah 42:9-12

Ten days later, after he had heard from God, Jeremiah gathered the people. He gave them the good news first. The good news was that they did not need to travel 200 miles to Egypt. They did not need to fear retribution from Babylon. God promised to build and plant them here. There would be no more major disasters. He would be with them. He would compel King Nebuchadnezzar to have mercy on them. He would return their lands back to them.

Psalm 22:27-28 says, “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him. For dominion belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations.” The Lord is well able to compel kings to do His will. The Lord has moved authorities to help me in the past. Glory to God!

The Jews did not believe the good news. In Mark 1:15, Jesus told His listeners, “Repent and believe the good news.”

Deuteronomy 6:24 says, “The Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.”

The Lord speaks to us for our good.

Like Peter when he walked on water toward Jesus, the remnant took their eyes off God and focused on their fears. In Matthew 14:22-33, Peter saw Jesus walking on the water. He responded with words of faith, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” At Jesus’ command to come, Peter walked on the water until he took his eyes off Jesus. He began to sink. He cried for help. Jesus rescued him, but said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

For Jeremiah’s audience, the horrible experiences of their past determined for them what God would do for them in the future. A Jewish man had murdered Babel’s appointed governor over them. He killed Babylonian soldiers. Surely, King Nebuchadnezzar would pursue them. They saw themselves as homeless fugitives fleeing for their lives. They assumed God would not save them. They had to save themselves.

Jeremiah must have seen the doubt in their faces, so he gave them the bad news...

“But if you say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lord your God, saying, ‘No, but we will go to the land of Egypt where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread, and there we will dwell’—Then hear now the Word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah! Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: if you wholly set your faces to enter Egypt, and go to dwell there, then it shall be that the sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt. The famine of which you were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die. So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there. They shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. And none of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them.’” Jeremiah 42:13-17

The Lord had spared these poor people from Babylonian captivity so that they could take root and flourish in the land. Their existence had always been by His grace. God would surround them with favor as with a shield if they simply trusted in Him and followed His lead.

Jeremiah gave good counsel to Johanan, just as Johanan once gave to Gedaliah. Would Johanan also reject good counsel? God told him not to go to Egypt. God knew the battle plans of Babylon. Babylon would conquer Egypt in 300 BC.

“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: as My anger and My fury have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will My fury be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. And you shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you shall see this place no more. The Lord has said concerning you, O remnant of Judah, do not go to Egypt! Know certainly that I have admonished you this day. For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and according to all that the Lord your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’ And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, or anything which He has sent you by me. Now therefore, know certainly that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell.” Jeremiah 42:18-22

The remnant was unhappy with Jeremiah’s answer. We will read of their response in the next chapter. They wanted Jeremiah to make God say what they wanted to hear.

In Matthew 26:39-44, while in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked His Father three times to take a cup of suffering from Him. He also, prayed three times, “Not My will. Your will be done.” Jesus did what the Father wanted Him to do.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, Paul prayed three times that a messenger from Satan would depart from him, but the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Having thus heard from the Lord, Paul accepted God’s will for him. He resolved, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” God gives grace to us as we walk with Him in His will for our lives.

In 2 Corinthians 5:7, Paul wrote, “We walk by faith, not by sight.”

In Luke 7:9, Jesus marveled at the faith of a Roman Centurion. The man truly trusted in Him. He believed Jesus could order miracles to happen as a commander orders a soldier to do a task. Jesus remarked to the Jews around him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”

In Luke 18:8, Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

God wants believing believers. How can we say that we trust in God to raise us from the dead and to grant us an eternity with Him when we don’t trust Him for small things?

In Luke 11:10-13, Jesus said, “Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

I like the message of the song by Bethel Music and Jenn Johnson, entitled, “The Goodness of God.” The first stanza says, “I love You, Lord. Oh, Your mercy never failed me. And all my days, I’ve been held in Your hands. From the moment that I wake up until I lay my head, oh, I will sing of the goodness of God. All my life You have been faithful. All my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able, oh, I will sing of the goodness of God.”

The survivors in Judea needed a prayer life. If they prayed to the Lord directly, He would have spoken to them directly. Instead, they asked someone to do their praying for them, but when he did, they did not have an inner witness that his words were from God.

1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

We must have the Holy Spirit to have His witness within us.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”

Those who know and love God are at peace with His guidance. Psalm 34:8 says, “They have tasted and seen that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”

Jeremiah was openminded toward God. God’s Spirit gave wind to his prayers and helped him to hear God’s voice.

In Numbers 11:29, Moses said to Joshua, “Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!”

If the remnant had ears to hear from God, they would have had peace to remain in Judea.

What about us today?

Between Revelation 2-3, Jesus urged people with ears to hear what His Spirit was saying to His churches.

Let us believe His good news and sing of His goodness.

Attached is a link to a power point version of this article which I have recorded on my YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/ydePUU7WevM

His Love Never Fails - Jeremiah 41

“Now it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family and of the officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. And there they ate bread together in Mizpah. Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, arose and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is, with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.” Jeremiah 41:1-3

In Jeremiah 40:13-16, Governor Gedaliah had been warned of Ishmael’s plot to assassinate him by Johanan and the captains of Judea’s forces. Gedaliah rejected their report as disinformation. Afterwards, Johanan came to Gedaliah privately and offered to hunt Ishmael down and kill him. Gedaliah rejected Johanan’s offer of help and invited the assassin to a meal with him.

Proverbs 22:3 says, “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.” Prudence urged Gedaliah to take a preventative action to avoid casualties.

The third day of Tishrei on the Hebrew calendar is the Fast of Gedaliah. It is a dawn to dark fast commemorating the assassination of Gedaliah. Gedaliah was considered a righteous man. His death brought an end to any hope of Jewish autonomy following the Babylonian conquest.

General George A. Custer lacked prudence when he ignored good counsel from his Native American scouts and subordinate officers before the Battle of the Little Bighorn. His band of 220 soldiers were surrounded and killed in less than an hour that day.

The staff of the RMS Titanic lacked prudence. A wireless operator did not pass iceberg warnings from other ships in the area onto the captain. The ship was traveling too fast to slow down quickly. The lookouts lacked binoculars. The ship lacked sufficient lifeboats for the passengers. The Titanic sunk within three hours after it hit an iceberg. 1,534 people died that night.

Lack of prudence contributed to the destruction of the twin towers. In January 2001, the Hart-Rudman Commission warned that Americans would likely die “on American soil, possibly in large numbers” from a terrorist attack. Prudence recommended the creation of a National Homeland Security Agency. Prudence was unheeded.

In July 2001, FBI agent Kenneth Williams expressed concern over a significant number of Middle Eastern men attending U.S. flight schools. No significant action was taken. The 9/11 Commission found that the intelligence community struggled with insufficient information sharing. A total of 2,976 died due to the terrorist attacks. [1]

Johanan prudently recommended a plan to preserve Gedaliah’s life. Gedaliah rejected the notion that Ishmael would kill him. He invited Ishmael to dine with him. Ishmael assassinated Gedaliah. He massacred many people in Mizpah. He kidnapped the survivors.

“And it happened on the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, when as yet no one knew it, that certain men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, 80 men with their beards shaved and their clothes torn, having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the Lord. Now Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went along; and it happened as he met them that he said to them, ‘Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!’ So it was, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah killed them and cast them into the midst of a pit, he and the men who were with him. But ten men were found among them who said to Ishmael, ‘Do not kill us, for we have treasures of wheat, barley, oil, and honey in the field.’ So, he desisted and did not kill them among their brethren.” Jeremiah 41:4-8

The saying, “Beware of crocodile tears” warns us to be cautious of someone faking grief for us. Crocodiles seem to weep while eating their prey, but the tears are for lubricating their eyes not emotion.

The carnage did not end in the governor’s banquet hall. Ishmael posed as a mourner. He gained the trust of 80 men who were grieving the loss of God’s house in Jerusalem. Ishmael asked them to come to Gedaliah. Once, they entered the city, he turned and killed 70 of them. He threw their bodies into a pit.

Ishmael spared 10 of the 80 mourners because they promised him food.

The governor should have given Johanan the order to eliminate Ishmael, now it was too late. His collusion with a criminal ended badly. Gedaliah fed Ishmael. Ishmael killed Gedaliah and many others.

“Now the pit into which Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had slain, because of Gedaliah, was the same one Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.” Jeremiah 41:9

In 1 Kings 15:22 and 2 Chronicles 16:6, King Baasha tried to fortify Ramah as an outpost of his kingdom. King Asa stopped him. Then, Asa used the materials that Baasha left behind to fortify Mizpah. The “pit” was likely a trench with a drawbridge over it, or a reservoir for water. [2]

“Then Ishmael carried away captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah, the king’s daughters and all the people who remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive and departed to go over to the Ammonites.” Jeremiah 41:10

Perhaps, Ishmael planned to sell his captives from Mizpah as slaves to the Ammonites.

“But when Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, they took all the men and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah; and they found him by the great pool that is in Gibeon. So it was, when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, that they were glad. Then all the people whom Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned around and came back and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the Ammonites.” Jeremiah 41:11-15

Ishmael escaped from Johanan, but his prisoners were recovered. Those captives might have complained in the past about minor inconveniences, but now, they were just happy to be alive.

“Then Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, took from Mizpah all the rest of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah after he had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam—the mighty men of war, the women, the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon. And they departed and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is near Bethlehem, as they went on their way to Egypt, because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had made governor in the land.” Jeremiah 41:16-18

Captain Johanan and his men brought the rescued captives to Gibeon.

The distance from Mizpah to Gibeon is more than a mile. The distance from Gibeon to Chimham is about 9 miles. So, the survivors of Mizpah have walked about 10 miles. Governor Gedaliah had advised them to settle down and enjoy the fruit of the land. Now, they were homeless. Chimham was lodging place for traveling caravans. It was close to Bethlehem.

The survivors were afraid because Ishmael had killed Chaldean soldiers. Ishmael was from the royal line of David so they assumed that the Chaldeans would punish them for being from the same race as Ishmael. Johanan’s plan to protect them from the Chaldeans was to flee to Egypt.

Can you imagine how traumatized these kidnapped Jews were? Jerusalem was decimated. Then, they were transferred to Mizpah. Things got better. Then, there was a horrific massacre. Then, they were kidnapped by a mass murderer, perhaps to be sold as slaves. Then, they were rescued, but now, perhaps they will be hunted and captured by the Chaldeans.

For sure the remnant of God’s people in Mizpah were in a vulnerable place before Governor Gedaliah rejected Johanan’s report about Ishmael. But Gedaliah’s decision to invite Ishmael to eat with him was incomprehensible. The negative impact of his bad decision impacted people for generations to come.

Have you ever made an ill-advised decision?

How many bad decisions by leaders have cost their followers dearly?

Leaders who love listen.

“His Love Never fails”

Once with a foreign mission to perform

A family at home experienced no norm

The missionary felt himself brave

The family felt second-rate

Mother wanted her young nurtured

Father wanted the world nurtured

Children wanted attention

Father served the mission

God saw it all…

His love never fails.

Danger magnified his mission

Danger increased their fears

What if he died – what would they do?

Our Heavenly Father knew...

His love never fails.

Many years later

That same father

No longer a crusader

Felt criminal

Prayed for his descendants

By God’s grace repentant

Filled with God’s love for his family

Gloried in God’s love triumphantly

God’s love had not failed.

After their hurts were revealed

He prayed for them to be healed

God much grace to him did give

With much love they did forgive

That which was missing was gained

By dependance on God sustained

What did they do?

Praised God!

His love never fails.

The world is full of people who impress others but seriously lacks people who love without recognition. They love, protect and enjoy being with their spouse and children.

Love never fails, but people do. Romans 3:23 says that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:10 says that there is none righteous no not one. This is why we need God to guide us and to provide for us His love.

Romans 5:6-8 says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

After God forgives us, He fills us with His Spirit of love. Romans 5:4 says, “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

What is love?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

Attached is a link to a power point version of this article which I have recorded on my YouTube channel: 

https://youtu.be/Q1x-izhv-Tw

[1] Google Sources

[2] Benson Commentary

One Nation Under God - Jeremiah 40

“The Word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all who were carried away captive from Jerusalem and Judah, who were carried away captive to Babylon.” Jeremiah 40:1

In Jeremiah 39:11-12, the King of Babylon ordered the captain of his guard to look after Jeremiah and to see that no harm came to him. In Jeremiah 39:13, that captain passed the king’s order to officials below him. In Jeremiah 39:14, those officials sent “someone” to take Jeremiah from prison to Babylon’s freshly appointed governor of Judea.

Now, in Jeremiah 40:1, we learn that he did not immediately go from prison to the governor’s house. Jeremiah ended up in chains in Ramah. Ramah was a holding place for the Jews who were about to be deported to Babylon.

“And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him: ‘The Lord your God has pronounced this doom on this place. Now the Lord has brought it and has done just as He said. Because you people have sinned against the Lord, and not obeyed His voice, therefore this thing has come upon you. And now look, I free you this day from the chains that were on your hand. If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you. But if it seems wrong for you to come with me to Babylon, remain here. See, all the land is before you; wherever it seems good and convenient for you to go, go there.” Jeremiah 40:2-4

Jeremiah was no longer in Jerusalem. He was in Ramah. He was about to be deported to Babylon with the rest of the captives, but then General Nebuzaradan spotted him. The General gave Jeremiah the option of being cared for by him or staying behind as a free man.

“Now while Jeremiah had not yet gone back, Nebuzaradan said, ‘Go back to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people. Or go wherever it seems convenient for you to go.’ So, the captain of the guard gave him rations and a gift and let him go. Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, to Mizpah, and dwelt with him among the people who were left in the land.” Jeremiah 40:5-6

The King of Babylon had appointed Jeremiah’s cousin Gedaliah as governor of Judea. Gedaliah was the great grandson of Jeremiah’s Uncle Azariah. Azariah was Jeremiah’s father’s brother. Gedaliah lived in Mizpah. Jeremiah’s journey from Ramah to Mizpah was about 5 miles.

Thankfully, Nebuzaradan sent Jeremiah on his way with rations and a gift. Both Ramah and Mizpah are significant places in Israel’s history because Samuel the prophet was born in Ramah and buried in Mizpah. Mizpah is where Samuel persuaded the Israelites to destroy their idols.

Proverbs 16:7 says, “When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

“And when all the captains of the armies who were in the fields, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed to him men, women, children, and the poorest of the land who had not been carried away captive to Babylon, then they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.” Jeremiah 40:7-8

Judah’s army captains and their men scattered to escape capture. Now, they rallied together in Mizpah with Governor Gedaliah and with the poor people under his care. What did they expect from the governor, perhaps to build a resistance government against Babylon. No, he urged them to serve the Babylonians as he was doing, and to settle down.

“And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath before them and their men, saying, ‘Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. As for me, I will indeed dwell at Mizpah and serve the Chaldeans who come to us. But you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.’” Jeremiah 40:9-10

Essentially, Gedaliah wanted the men of war to obey Isaiah 2:4 which says, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.” To feed not kill people! He urged the men to, “Gather wine, summer fruit and oil.” “Dwell in your cities!”

“Likewise, when all the Jews who were in Moab, among the Ammonites, in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, then all the Jews returned out of all places where they had been driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in abundance.” Jeremiah 40:11-12

Things were going well. People were coming to Gedaliah from all directions. The land was producing abundant grapes for food and for wine, as well as other summer fruits. 1 Timothy 6:8 says, “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.”

“Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and said to him, ‘Do you certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to murder you?’ But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.” Jeremiah 40:13-14

All was not well. Johanan and his companions warned Gedaliah that Ishmael was coming to kill him. Ishmael was a descendant of David, a royal officer, according to Jeremiah 41:1. It is likely that Ishmael wanted to be the governor over the remnant of Judeans in the land but was rejected by the Babylonians to do so. Gedaliah rejected Captain Johanan’s report.

What was it with Judah’s leaders? They were incredibly inapt to listen to wise counsel.

Proverbs 28:26 says, “He that trusts in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walks wisely, he shall be delivered.”

Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.”

Governor Gedaliah should have regarded the army’s report.

“Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, ‘Let me go, please, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he murder you, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?’ But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, ‘You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely concerning Ishmael.’” Jeremiah 40:15-16

Whether a king, a governor, an army captain or a parent with small children, we should be open-minded to good advice. Proverbs 13:10 says, “By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom.”

Governor Gedaliah advised the fighting men to settle down and enjoy the fruit of the land.

The fighting men remained vigilant and advised him to allow them to protect him from harm.

They should have stopped and prayed together. God would have imparted to them the humility that was needed to do what was best for everyone involved.

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul advised a church leader named Timothy to get his people to pray for kings and for all who are in authority.

In John 17:20-21, Jesus prayed to the Father to make those who would believe in Him one people in God. In John 17:20-21, Jesus prayed to the Father to make those who would believe in Him one people in God.

Jesus rightly said, “A house divided will not stand.”

Apart from Christ’s humility, we all tend to be headstrong and contentious. All the more reason to pray for ourselves and for our leaders to be one humble people under God.

Attached is a link to a power point version of this article which I have recorded on my YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/56K3jTcKhgI

Righteousness Being Restored - Jeremiah 39

Revelation 19:1-2 says, “After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are His judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of His servants.”

Yes, those in heaven worship God when He eliminates that which is defiled and deadly. The great prostitute in Revelation 19:2 symbolized a corrupt political and religious regime that sought to destroy any image-bearers of the true God.

Psalm 103:8 says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”

The Lord was long-suffering with the last four kings of Judah. They were evil. For example, King Jehoiakim threw God’s Word into the flames. He slew the prophet Urijah. King Zedekiah allowed those under his authority, including his princely sons, to imprison and hurt Jeremiah the prophet. Only God’s intervention kept them from executing him.

Now, the day of judgment has arrived for Zedekiah, his sons, and his government officials.

“In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was penetrated.” Jeremiah 39:1-2

Zedekiah was in his ninth year of being king over Judah when the Babylonian army began its siege against Jerusalem. To put this in perspective, Zedekiah had been reigning a little longer than a two-term American president when the Babylon invasion began.

“Then all the princes of the king of Babylon came in and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-Saris, Nergal-Sarezer, Rab-Mag, with the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.” Jeremiah 39:3

“This is how ancient generals claimed victory over a defeated city. The victors would take their seats in the city gates. In triumph they would claim the place of rule and governance.” In Jeremiah 1:15, “God said kings would ‘come and set up their thrones in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem.” [1]

“The names Nergal-Sharezer and Samgar-Nebo are proper Babylonian names formed from the names of Nergal and Nebo their idols. Rab-saris means, “chief of the eunuchs.” Rab-mag means chief of the magi. Rab-Mag had astrological skill. Mag is a Persian word, meaning “great.” The magi were priests of the Zoroastrian religion among the Medes.” [2]

It has been said, “Give the devil an inch and he will become a ruler.” The Judeans had given idols a foothold in their nation, now the servants of idols were ruling over them.

“So it was, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled and went out of the city by night, by way of the king’s garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went out by way of the plain. But the Chaldean army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had captured him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him.” Jeremiah 39:4-5

Zedekiah and his soldiers ran but did not outrun justice. They were captured and condemned. Zedekiah was a covenant breaker. See Ezekiel 17:13-19 and 2 Chronicles 36:13 for more details.

“Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes in Riblah; the king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah. Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon.” Jeremiah 39:6-7

Zedekiah’s princely sons who had wanted Jeremiah executed, were slaughtered before their father’s eyes. He should have taught them to respect the servant of God’s Word not hate him. His officials were executed as well.

The torturers removed Zedekiah’s eyes. The words, “put out” literally mean, “dug out.” Assyrian sculptures depict the delight with which the kings struck out, often with their own hands, the eyes of captive royalty. This passage reconciles Jeremiah 32:4, “his eyes shall behold his eyes” with Ezekiel 12:13, “he shall not see Babylon, though he shall die there.” [3]

They bound him with bronze shackles. He once re-enslaved freed slaves. Now, he was a slave.

“And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people with fire and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.” Jeremiah 39:8

The Babylonians burned down government and residential structures. Judah’s idolators had burned fires and made offerings to idols on their rooftops. Now, their beautiful homes were reduced to ashes. Lies do not preserve people, they destroy them.

“Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive to Babylon the remnant of the people who remained in the city and those who defected to him, with the rest of the people who remained. But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah the poor people, who had nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.” Jeremiah 39:9-10

Captain Nebuzaradan took from the rich and gave to the poor. Free vineyards and fields for the poor!

“Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, ‘Take him and look after him, and do him no harm; but do to him just as he says to you.’ So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon’s chief officers; then they sent someone to take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So, he dwelt among the people.” Jeremiah 39:11-14

Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” God directed His Babylonian sword of judgment not to strike Jeremiah.

Captain Nebuzaradan took Jeremiah from prison to a place of provision. He placed him with his cousin Gedaliah. Gedaliah lived in Mizpah. He was the great grandson of Jeremiah’s Uncle Azariah. Azariah was Jeremiah’s father’s brother. Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah to be governor of Judea according to Jeremiah 40:5.

“Meanwhile, the Word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, ‘Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: behold, I will bring My Words upon this city for adversity and not for good, and they shall be performed in that day before you. But I will deliver you in that day, says the Lord, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 39:15-18

The Hebrew word that is translated ‘life’ in this verse is the word for ‘booty’ referring to goods taken from a defeated army. Though Ebedmelech served in the king’s court, the Lord allowed him to take from the battle his life as a prize. [4]

“Ebedmelech had given more than a cup of water to the prophet, and in keeping with His promises the Lord was with him also in his hour of need.” [5]

Psalms 146:3-6 says, “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth. In that very day, his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps truth forever.”

“The contrast between Zedekiah and Jeremiah illustrates the teaching of Jesus Christ: ‘Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it.’” [6]

God made a distinction between Jeremiah and the false prophets and priests of his home town by preserving his life from harm on the day of judgment. God also made a distinction between Ebedmelech and his fellow-servants because he trusted in the Lord.

When asked about end time events, Jesus spoke of a Shepherd separating His sheep from goats. He distinguishes the sheep from the goats by the way they treated Him. To the people on His right hand (the sheep), He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” To the people on His left hand (the goats), He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” He concluded this parable by saying, “And these [the goats] will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous [the sheep] into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

Two of the last verses of the Bible say, in Revelation 22:14-15, “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.”

Both the book of Jeremiah and the book of Revelation make a strong case for remaining with God. Don’t compromise with evildoers! Treasure your faith in Christ! Serve the Lord!

Jerusalem will eventually be built back better than before. After the final tribulation, it will be perfected.

In Revelation 21:2-4, John wrote, “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’”

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Faith in God’s grace in Christ Jesus is the only way to avoid divine judgment for sin and to receive help to live a Christ-like now here on earth.

Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed to us a worse death and a better resurrection than the Prophet Jeremiah did. Thus, let us gladly embrace His Words for the salvation of our souls!

Attached is a link to a power point version of this article which I have recorded on my YouTube channel: 

https://youtu.be/oPBHS0kRDcs



[1] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, p. 592-593

[2] Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary. See also 2 Kings 17:29-30; Isaiah 46:1

[3] Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary

[4] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, p. 592-598. See also Luke 9:24.

[5] Dr. Theo Laetsch, Bible Commentary Jeremiah, Concordia Paperback Edition, 1965, ©, pages 300-301. See also Mark 9:41; Psalm 37:40; 41:2; 97:10

[6] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, p. 592-598