A F I E RY P R O P H E T

A N D A P E O P L E O F

W O O D

A Devotional Look at the Life and Ministry of the

Prophet Jeremiah

F. Wayne Mac Leod

Light To My Path Book Distribution

Revised November 2019

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Cambridge University Press

CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright
Preface
1 - The Widow's Mite
2 - Called Before Birth
3 - I Am Only a Child
4 - Two Signs
5 - Words of Fire Among a People of Wood
6 - The Temple of the Lord
7 - Reality Strikes
8- A Ruined Belt
9- Do Not Pray for this People
10 - The Lone Prophet
11- At the Potter's House
12 - A Broken Clay Jar
13 - Zedekiah and Jeremiah
14 - Careless Shepherds 
and Lying Prophets
15 - A Plot to Kill Jeremiah
16 - Conflicting Messages
17 - The House of Shaphan

- Seek the Peace of the City
-The Discipline 
of the Lord
- Practising What You Preach
- Returned Slaves
- The Rechabites
- The Burnt Scroll
- Fearing for His Life
- Returning to Egypt
- Sink to Rise No More
About The Author

PREFACE

Fiery Prophet, that is what Jeremiah was. He worked with “a people of

wood.” His messages often burnt them to a crisp! What a thankless job

he had. Nobody likes to get burnt. His listeners tried to kill him. They threw

him in prison and put him in stocks. He did not have many friends. He

never married and had no children to carry on his name. For forty years,

however, he faithfully proclaimed the word of the Lord to a people who

turned their backs and blocked their ears. He is an example of faithfulness

and perseverance. It is a hard example to follow.

In this study, we will examine the key events and messages of this great

man of God. I hope that those who read this book will not only come to a

new appreciation of the prophet but see how much we still need people like

him and his message in our day. May you be challenged as you read to

listen once again to the words of this great servant of God. May the words

of this fiery prophet consume the wood hay and stubble of our lives and

challenge us to new heights of faithful obedience.

F. Wayne Mac Leod

1 - THE WIDOW'S MITE

1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests

who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the

word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon,

king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also

in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and

until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah,

king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth

month. (Jeremiah 1)

eremiah 1:1-3 gives us insight into the life of the prophet Jeremiah.

Notice that he grew up in the home of a priest. His father Hilkiah was

a priest during the reign of Josiah, king of Judah. Josiah was one of

the rare kings who served the Lord with a whole heart. 2 Kings 23:25

describes the king’s commitment to the Lord in the following terms:

25 Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the

Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his

might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him

arise after him. (2 Kings 23)

The years preceding the reign of Josiah were challenging. The people of

God had abandoned the temple. Sin and evil were rampant in the land. In

the eighteenth year of his reign, however, Josiah ordered that the temple of

God be repaired (see 2 Kings 22:3-7). After years of abandonment, the

temple was in disrepair. While it was being restored, the high priest found

the book of the law. It had apparently not been consulted for years. After

examining its contents, he gave it to Shaphan the scribe to read to King

Josiah (2 Kings 22:8-10). This book touched the king profoundly. God used

it to stir up his heart about the evil in his land. In response to the words of

the book, King Josiah asked the High Priest to destroy all vessels found in

the temple of the Lord that had been consecrated to Baal (see 2 Kings 23.4).

This shows us that the temple was not only in disrepair but also defiled by

the worship of pagan gods. Under the leadership of King Josiah, the temple

was cleansed, and the pure worship of God restored.

Jeremiah began his ministry in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah

(Jeremiah 1:2). This was just five years before the priests found the book of

the law. These were exciting days in Judah for those who loved the Lord.

Jeremiah's father, Hilkiah, as a priest, may have had a significant role to

play in the religious revival that took place in those days.

Jeremiah's ministry spanned the reign of three kings. He served as a prophet

for a total of 40 years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah to the eleventh year

of Zedekiah. A look at the history of Judah during this period shows us that

while Jeremiah began his ministry under the revival of Josiah, he ended it

watching the people of Judah going into captivity for their disobedience to

the God he served.

Jeremiah watched Nebuchadnezzar capture the city of Jerusalem (2 Kings

23:10), taking its king into exile (2 Kings 23:11). He saw the Babylonians

strip the temple Josiah had repaired of all its treasures (2 Kings 23:12-13).

Jerusalem was left in ruins with all its skilled labourers forced to leave at

the point of a sword. Only the poor and unskilled remained in the city to

fend for themselves (2 Kings 23:14). He witnessed the enemy break down

the defensive wall that surrounded the city (2 Kings 25:10) and burn it to

the ground (2 Kings 25:9).

What would you like to see after forty years of service for the Lord? Would

you not at least want to know that your life and influence had an impact?

Would you not like to feel that you had made some contribution to the lives

of those you served? What did Jeremiah think as he watched the people of

God going into captivity? How did he feel about his contribution to their

spiritual well-being? What was it like to walk the burnt-out streets of a once

glorious city? What went through his mind as he approached the ground

where the once beautiful temple of God had stood? Was there a crushing

sense of failure in his heart? What had he accomplished after all these

years? Had he wasted his life?

To look back after years of service and only see brokenness must have been

devastating for the prophet. He is not alone, however. Pastors all over the

world look back, desperately seeking to find some evidence of a ministry

that made a difference. Missionaries serving in challenging countries return

home wondering if their efforts were in vain. Parents watch their children

choose paths of sin and rebellion and wonder if they failed in bringing them

up. Like Jeremiah, they walk the charred streets of Jerusalem, looking at

empty burnt-out buildings and wonder if their life and ministry have had

any impact at all.

We live in an age where the value of a ministry is measured by results. We

love statistics. Is this how God sees ministry? Is the goal of Christian

service to see results? It is easy to be faithful when everything is going well,

and we see the fruit for our labours. It is difficult, however, to persevere

when we are facing rejection and seeing no results.

God does not call us all to “successful” ministries. There are those who do

experience this kind of blessing. God also wants people who will be faithful

in the little things. People who will not make statistics and numbers their

god, but who will willingly and joyfully persevere in His purpose, even

when it means not seeing worldly success. When we stand before God to

give an account for our lives, He will not be concerned about numbers and

statistics but faithfulness. Jeremiah was faithful to the call of God. This

meant a lot of rejection and abuse, but he persevered in God’s purpose, and

for this, he would receive his reward.

On one occasion, Jesus watched as people placed their offering in the

temple offering box. He saw the rich coming in with their vast wealth and

give of their excess. When Jesus saw the poor widow offer her last two

coins, however, His heart was touched. According to Jesus, this widow

gave more than anyone else. When you come to the end of your service for

the Lord and enter the celestial temple of God, what will you drop into the

temple offering box?

Maybe our lives and ministries have been richly blessed. We come proudly

before the Lord to offer Him a portion of the blessings we have received.

When we look behind us, however, we see Jeremiah coming into the

temple. As he enters, he is worn and tired. He looks up into the face of His

Lord. With shame, he says: "Lord, I don't know what I can offer. I have not

seen many converts. People didn't listen when I preached. I have been

faithful though Lord; I have persevered for these last forty years. Could I

offer you my life of faithful service, it is all I have?"

As we listen to Jeremiah's words, we see the smile of approval on the face

of the Lord. Our gifts and offerings pale into insignificance compared to

Jeremiah’s. Here is a man who offered his "widow's mite." He endured

opposition and saw people turn their backs on him. He was rejected and

thrown in prison for preaching. People hated him and his message. He was

mocked, insulted and abused for his stand. He was not allowed to marry or

celebrate with his fellow citizens. When he died, there were no children to

carry on his name. We see his suffering for the cause of his Lord, and

somehow statistics and numbers don’t seem to matter so much anymore.

We offer our “successes,” but this man standing before us offered his life.

His offering seems so much more significant than ours. In an age of

glamorizing results, isn’t God only looking for faithfulness and obedience?

Jeremiah is an example for us in this.

For Consideration:

Describe the times at which Jeremiah ministered. Under what conditions

did he begin his ministry? What were the conditions in the nation in his

final years?

What is the difference between striving for success and striving for

obedience? What has been your focus?

Would you be content to be obedient even if it meant you did not see fruit in

your ministry?

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to assure you that you are walking in obedience to Him.

Ask the Spirit of God to convict you in any area of your life where you

have made success and statistics your god.

Take a moment to thank the Lord for the example of Jeremiah, a man who

gave his life to serving God even when that meant not seeing any results for

years of service.

2 - CALLED BEFORE

BIRTH

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Before I

formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a

prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1)

eremiah’s call to the prophetic ministry is probably one of the best-

known in the Bible. Notice that Jeremiah 1:5 speaks of this calling in

three stages. Jeremiah was "known," he was "consecrated," and

finally, he was "appointed." Let’s take a moment to examine these aspects

of the prophet's call.

Known By God

Notice first that God knew Jeremiah before He sent Him out as a prophet:

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

Any employer will take the time to get to know his or her workers before

sending them out to do a job. Good employers will match their employee's

skills with the job they require them to do.

Notice, however, when God knew Jeremiah. Jeremiah 1:5 tells us that God

knew Jeremiah before He formed him in his mother’s womb. Before

Jeremiah was conceived, God knew all about him. God’s knowledge of

Jeremiah is very different from that of an earthly employer. This knowledge

was like that of an artist standing before a blank sheet of paper. The painter

forms an idea of what he or she wants to create and with skilful strokes of

the brush, brings to life what was conceived in the mind. Like a potter

forming a clay vessel, the idea is born in the thoughts and heart of the

potter. He knows the size, shape, and purpose of the creation before he

shapes it. Like the pottery vessel and the painting, Jeremiah was born in the

mind of God before His Maker placed him in the womb.

God had a purpose for Jeremiah. He shaped and moulded him for a task.

Jeremiah was not a chance happening of his parent’s marriage. Before his

mother conceived him, God knew what He wanted to accomplish in this

young child’s life and personally formed him to fit the call. What an

encouragement it is to know that God shapes and forms us individually for

His purpose. What God did in the life of Jeremiah, He does for us as well.

The God who knew you before you were born formed you for a purpose.

Jeremiah Is Consecrated

Secondly, notice that Jeremiah was also consecrated.

5 …and before you were born I consecrated you; (Jeremiah 1)

To consecrate is to set apart or to dedicate. This was the second stage of

God's call on the life of Jeremiah. God created Jeremiah with a purpose in

mind. Then He set him apart in his mother's womb for this task. God placed

His protective and guiding hand on the life of this unborn child. Jeremiah

had God's stamp of approval. Even as he came out of his mother’s womb,

Jeremiah was protected by the sovereign hand of God, His Creator. Nothing

would hinder that sovereign will of God in his life. God would shield him

and protect him until Jeremiah became aware of his purpose.

Appointed By God

Finally, notice that Jeremiah was appointed.

5 … I appointed you a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1)

The word “appointed” in the King James Version of the Bible is translated

by the word “ordained.” The word is used to speak of a responsibility given

to another person, the passing on of instructions or the granting of

permission. In a sense, it is like a young driver receiving his or her driver’s

license. When the driver is of age, that piece of paper gives him or her

permission and authority to sit behind the wheel of a car and drive. This is

what God is doing for Jeremiah by appointing him. He is giving him

permission to go in His name and speak His word. God knew Jeremiah

before he was born and created him with a purpose. God consecrated him

by setting him apart and sovereignly protecting him for the task He had in

mind. Now that Jeremiah was old enough to understand that call, God

hands him his license as a prophet. He was to go to the nations and speak

the words of God.

Many times, we feel that our call came when God gave us our appointment.

God's call was on Jeremiah's life well before his actual appointment was

made known to him. This was also the case for Moses. He was set apart

from his birth for the specific task of delivering the people of God from

bondage. God protected him and shaped him through various situations in

life, preparing him for this responsibility. It was only at 80 years of age that

God gave him his appointment.

The apostle Paul's calling took place well before his appointment. Consider

what he told the Galatians:

15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and

who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to

me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did

not immediately consult with anyone; (Galatians 1)

According to Galatians 1:15, Paul was set apart as an apostle from his

mother's womb. His appointment did not take place until he came to know

the Lord Jesus. Before coming to an awareness of his calling, Paul sought to

destroy the work of God. Despite this, however, God's hand was on him. He

was shaped from birth by God for a very particular ministry.

God's servants are born, first, in the mind of God. They are then set apart

from their mother's womb and, at the moment, chosen by God, appointed to

the ministry to which they have been shaped all their lives. Jeremiah’s

calling had nothing to do with his natural ability or inclinations. It had

everything to do with the purpose of God before he was born. What is the

purpose of God for your life?

For Consideration:

God knew Jeremiah before birth as an artist knows in his or her mind what

he is going to paint, or a potter knows the purpose for which they fashion

the clay. What does this tell you about your life?

What do we learn here in the calling of Jeremiah about the way God

protected and kept him for the purpose He had for his life? Have you seen

evidence in your life of how God worked out circumstances to prepare you

for the task He had for your life?

Jeremiah was called not because of his natural ability, but because God had

a plan for him before he was born. In other words, God’s call is more about

His purpose than our ability. What does this teach us about the source of our

strength and wisdom?

What is the call of God on your life? Can you step into that calling,

knowing that God can use you not because of your ability but because of

His purpose?

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord that you were born not so much because of the relationship

of your parents but as one who was first known in the mind of God.

Ask that Lord to reveal His purpose to you. Thank Him that He has been

protecting and shaping you for that purpose.

Ask God to help you to rely not on your ability but His empowering. Thank

Him that He not only calls but equips all He calls to do what He has given

them to do.

3 - I AM ONLY A CHILD

6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to

speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me, “Do

not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you

shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do

not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares

the Lord.” 9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my

mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words

in your mouth. 10 See, I have set you this day over nations and

over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and

to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

n chapter 2, we examined the call of Jeremiah to the prophetic

ministry. Notice the response of the prophet to this calling:

6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to

speak, for I am only a youth.” (Jeremiah 1)

Jeremiah felt inadequate. His response is not uncommon. Moses did not

want to go to Egypt for the same reason.

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to

Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

(Exodus 3)

When God called Isaiah, he replied:

5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of

unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean

lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah

Listen to Paul’s sense of unworthiness for the call of God on his life:

8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9

For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an

apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1 Corinthians

15)

All these men experienced what Jeremiah experienced the day God called

him to be a prophet. None of them felt worthy or even capable of fulfilling

the purpose of God. I would dare to say that anyone who does feel worthy,

may not understand human nature.

God delights in taking the weak of this world and sending them out in His

strength. He equips those He calls. Notice God's response to Jeremiah’s

sense of unworthiness:

7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for

to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I

command you, you shall speak. (Jeremiah 1)

"Jeremiah," the Lord God said, "there are no excuses. You will go to those

to whom I send you. You will tell them what I tell you to say. You were

born for this. This is your purpose in life." I have met people who have not

stepped out into the call of God because they felt unworthy or incapable.

Unworthiness is not an excuse for disobedience, nor is our inability. We

must never be afraid of what looks impossible to us. All too many people

only do what they are humanly capable of doing and stop there. God is not

interested in our human ability. He places us in situations that are bigger

than us to show us His ability. How will we ever understand the power of

God if we only do what we know we can do in our strength. God was

calling Jeremiah to a task that was far bigger than himself. To calm

Jeremiah's insecurities, however, God reassures him of two vital facts.

Firstly, God told Jeremiah in verse 8:

8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,

declares the Lord.”

God promised to protect Jeremiah. There would be opposition to his

message, but Jeremiah would not be alone. God would be with him and

deliver him from the angry people who lashed out against him. God did not

promise that things would be easy for the prophet. People would not like

what Jeremiah told them. They would seek to harm him. God, however,

would not abandon him in those times. Jeremiah would be assured of God’s

protection when he was under attack.

How often did the people of God want to stone Moses? God delivered him

every time. David fled from those who rejected his kingship and sought his

life, but God protected him from their sword. The apostles Paul and Peter

were stoned and put in prison. If the Lord had work for them to do,

however, no one could keep them from that work. The Lord, who calls,

protects those He calls until they have accomplished His purpose. God told

Jeremiah:

20 And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze;

they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you,

for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the

Lord. 21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and

redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.”. (Jeremiah 15)

God promised to strengthen Jeremiah against all attacks of the enemy.

Those who heard him would fight against him, but God would surround the

prophet with a wall of bronze. The people who opposed him would not

prevail. God would deliver Jeremiah from their attacks. While life would

not be comfortable, the prophet was assured of God’s presence to protect

and keep him. He could step out with boldness to speak the word God gave

him.

Not only did Jeremiah have the promise of God’s protection but notice

another commitment God made to the prophet in verse 9:

9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And

the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your

mouth. (Jeremiah 1)

I can imagine that Jeremiah, as he reflected on the call of God to be a

prophet to the nations, would have wondered what he was to say. God told

Jeremiah, however, that this was not his concern. God promised to give him

the words He wanted him to speak. Jeremiah was simply to share what God

put in his mouth.

God did not deny that Jeremiah was only a youth. What the prophet said

was correct. Jeremiah was young at the time of his commissioning. He

lacked strength, wisdom and discernment. Even a child, however, can

accomplish much under God’s anointing. What confidence this must have

given Jeremiah. He could boldly go with the word the Lord God had given

him. He was assured that, as he went, the protective hands of God

surrounded him. God would lovingly shield him from the attacks of the

enemy. Yes, he was a child, but he was a child protected and equipped by

God, and that made all the difference. He would succeed where many wiser

and more experienced men failed because his confidence was not in his

ability but in God.

For Consideration:

What was the response of Jeremiah to the call of God? From a human point

of view, was Jeremiah equipped to fulfil the purpose of God?

Are any of us worthy of the call God has placed on our lives? Have you

ever disobeyed God because you felt unworthy or incapable of doing what

He asked you to do?

Should we fear being placed in a situation that is humanly too difficult for

us?

What was the two-fold promise of God to Jeremiah? Is that promise also for

all who are called by God today?

Can we fulfil our calling in our strength and wisdom? What was the source

of Jeremiah’s words? What is the source of our power, provision and

wisdom? Are you trusting God for what you need?

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord that He equips those He calls to do the work He has given

them.

Ask the Lord to give you confidence that not only will He give you all you

need, but He will also protect and keep you as you walk in obedience to His

call on your life.

Ask for the grace to trust God for your need. Ask Him to forgive you for the

times you have tried to exercise your calling in human strength and

wisdom.

Ask the Lord to give you a more profound sense of His call on your life.

Ask for the courage to step out even when you feel unworthy and

inadequate.

4 - TWO SIGNS

11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah,

what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” 12

Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am

watching over my word to perform it.”

13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying,

“What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing

away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “Out of the

north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the

land. (Jeremiah 1)

efore sending Jeremiah out with His word, God gave him two

signs. These signs were intended to encourage and give him a

sense of urgency in the task to which he had been called. These

signs came to Jeremiah in the form of a vision.

The Almond Branch

The first of the two signs was an almond branch.

11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah,

what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” 12

Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am

watching over my word to perform it.” (Jeremiah 1)

What was so unique about the branch of an almond tree? What was the

Lord saying to Jeremiah through this picture? There are at least three

possible answers.

In Numbers 16, we read the story of Korah's rebellion. Korah and his

followers began to criticize Moses and Aaron for their leadership in the

nation of Israel. Even though God had chosen Moses and Aaron as leaders,

Korah and his supporters felt they also had the right to this position. The

Lord killed Korah for his rebellion, but his discontent succeeded in stirring

up confusion in the minds of the people against the leadership of Aaron.

Moses and Aaron sought the Lord to know what to do about this uneasiness

in the camp of Israel. The Lord told them to command each tribe to bring a

branch and place it before Him. The Lord would then reveal His chosen

priest through these branches. Aaron brought an almond branch. When

Moses returned the following day, he discovered that Aaron's branch had

budded and produced almonds:

8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and

behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted

and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe

almonds. (Numbers 17)

It was by this means that the Lord proved to His people that Aaron was His

chosen priest.

Hebrews 9.4 tells us that this almond branch was placed inside the Ark of

the Covenant as a permanent reminder to the people that the Lord had

chosen Aaron and his descendants to be His representatives. Was God, by

showing this almond branch to Jeremiah, reassuring him that he too was His

representative?

The second possible meaning of this sign is found in the Hebrew language.

God asked Jeremiah to tell Him what he saw in the vision. Jeremiah

responded by telling the Lord that he saw an almond branch. The Hebrew

word for almond is "saqed.” The Lord responded by saying: “I am

watching over my word to perform it (verse 12). The Hebrew word for

watching over is “saqad.”

Many commentators believe there is a play on words in this verse ("saqed"

(almond) and "saqad" (watch). When God gave His word, He watched over

it. All that He said would come to pass. Is it possible that God was giving a

new meaning to the symbol of the almond branch because it sounded so

much like the Hebrew word for ‘watching over”? Whenever Jeremiah saw

the almond, he would remember that God would not hesitate to perform all

that He said. He would often need this reminder in his ministry.

We must note, thirdly, that the almond tree was one of the first trees to bud

in the land of Israel. In many senses, it was a reminder that God would do

what He said without delay. Even as the almond was quick to bud, so God

would fulfil His word without delay.

Whatever the meaning of the almond branch, it is sure that it was meant to

give Jeremiah courage. He could go with the confidence that God called

him to speak a word that would not delay in coming to pass.

The Boiling Pot

The second sign the Lord gave Jeremiah was that of a boiling pot.

13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying,

“What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing

away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “Out of the

north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the

land. (Jeremiah 1)

Notice that this boiling pot was tilting from the north. When the boiling

contents rose, they would spill out to the south. What was in the pot? It was

the wrath of God against His people. A great enemy would come out of the

north to devour God’s people. At any moment, this anger could spill out

over the side and come pouring down over the people of God. This was a

powerful incentive for Jeremiah to go quickly with the word of God. The

picture of that boiling pot would have a tremendous influence on Jeremiah

and his message.

As God sent Jeremiah, He sent him with a vision burnt into his heart and

mind. Jeremiah was a chosen vessel to bring the word of God to His people.

God was watching over this word to perform it. This word was a word of

warning about a grave danger that awaited his people. Jeremiah needed to

go. The people needed to know. His words were of utmost importance. He

could not fail his people. He could not fail his God.

For Consideration:

Why do you suppose God gave Jeremiah two signs? What would these

signs have meant for the prophet? How would they encourage and direct

Jeremiah in his ministry?

What did the almond branch mean to Jeremiah? Why was it essential that

the prophet understand that God would not hesitate to fulfil His promises or

keep His word?

How confident are you in the promises of God? Have you ever wondered if

God will be faithful to His word?

The boiling pot confirmed to Jeremiah that the judgement of God was

coming for the nation of Israel. Is that judgement coming to our country or

members of your family? What challenges does this picture bring to you

personally?

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord for the confidence we can have in His Word. Thank Him

for the assurance that He will fulfil all that He promises.

Ask the Lord to forgive you for times you have doubted His word and

promises.

Do you have loved ones who are under the judgement of God? Ask the

Lord to show you how you can be an example to them and point them to the

forgiveness offered in Christ.

5 - WORDS OF FIRE

AMONG A PEOPLE OF

WOOD

14 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: “Because

you have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in

your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall

consume them. (Jeremiah 5)

ave you ever had a hard message to deliver to a friend? I am

talking about one of those messages that risks causing him or her

much hurt; one that you wished you could ignore. Jeremiah's

calling was difficult. God told the prophet that His words would be like fire

among people of wood. The result was obvious. His words would offend

and hurt.

Jeremiah would make many enemies because of what he preached. He

proclaimed a message of despair and doom. The words were harsh. The

prophet would not be well received.

What did Jeremiah tell the people that caused such objection? In chapters

one to six, we read that Jeremiah proclaimed a two-fold message. First, he

showed the people how God saw them. Second, he prophesied about what

God was going to do to them because of what He saw in them.

How God Saw His People

In Jeremiah 2:20, God compared His people to whores without moral

restraint:

20 “For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but

you said, ‘I will not serve.’ Yes, on every high hill and under

every green tree you bowed down like a whore. (Jeremiah 2)

Israel, however, was not like a common whore. God went on to compare

her to a wild donkey in heat. Those looking for her would not have any

problem finding her. She made herself available to all who wanted her:

24 a wild donkey used to the wilderness, in her heat sniffing the

wind! Who can restrain her lust? None who seek her need

weary themselves; in her month they will find her. (Jeremiah 2)

God saw His people as those who had broken His law and argued with Him

about His purpose:

29 “Why do you contend with me? You have all transgressed

against me, declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 2)

He compared Israel to an unfaithful wife who left her husband to seek other

lovers:

1 “If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and

becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her? Would not

that land be greatly polluted? You have played the whore with

many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the Lord.

(Jeremiah 3)

They were foolish and stupid children with no understanding:

22 “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are

stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—

in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.” (Jeremiah 4)

They had rebelled against God and turned from Him:

23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they

have turned aside and gone away. (Jeremiah 5)

God people grew fat by oppressing their fellow citizens. Their evil knew no

bounds. They would stop at nothing to enrich themselves, even at the

expense of the fatherless and needy:

28 they have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in

deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the

fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights

of the needy. (Jeremiah 5)

Prophets in Judah and Israel spoke falsehood, and the people delighted in

this falsehood. They preferred lies to the truth.

31 the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their

direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do

when the end comes? (Jeremiah 5)

God’s people wanted nothing to do with the truth of His Word. They treated

the word of the Lord as an “object of scorn:”

10 To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may

hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen

behold, the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn;

they take no pleasure in it. (Jeremiah 6)

They felt no shame for their evil deeds; they did not even know how to

blush:

15 Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No,

they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush.

Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I

punish them, they shall be overthrown,” says the Lord.

(Jeremiah 6).

What is your reaction when people criticize you? Even if we know that

what they say is correct, we often do not appreciate their criticism. When

these criticisms multiply, our response becomes more intense. Is it not easy

to see that those who heard Jeremiah would not be happy with his message?

His words did indeed burn.

What God Was Going To Do

The second part of God's message through Jeremiah related to what He was

going to do to His people. Chapters one to six are filled with descriptions of

what was to become of this rebellious nation. Let’s look briefly at two

passages that summarize the words of God through Jeremiah:

23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and

void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. 24 I looked on

the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, and all the hills

moved to and fro. 25 I looked, and behold, there was no man,

and all the birds of the air had fled. 26 I looked, and behold,

the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in

ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger. (Jeremiah 4)

In these verses, Jeremiah told his people what he saw in their future. He

saw a future of darkness. He saw the mountains quaking and the hills

moving with the force of that quake. He saw no man and a world in which

the birds fled. He described a desert with cities in ruins before the great

anger of the Lord. His prophecy was a picture of desolation. The land of

"milk and honey" had become an empty, dark and barren desert because of

the anger of the Lord.

Let us consider another example of what Jeremiah preached. Listen to his

words in Jeremiah 5:

15 Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O

house of Israel, declares the Lord. It is an enduring nation; it is

an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know,

nor can you understand what they say. 16 Their quiver is like

an open tomb; they are all mighty warriors. 17 They shall eat

up your harvest and your food; they shall eat up your sons and

your daughters; they shall eat up your flocks and your herds;

they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; your fortified

cities in which you trust they shall beat down with the sword.”

(Jeremiah 5)

Jeremiah prophesied about a nation coming from the north to devour the

lands of Israel and Judah. This army would ravage the fields and flocks,

killing their sons and daughters, and taking their cities.

God sent Jeremiah with words of fire to people of wood. These words were

not well received. He was called to preach a message that would gain him

many enemies. It was not an easy ministry. We can only admire a man who

was willing to make such a sacrifice for his Lord. Strengthened by the Lord,

however, Jeremiah would be faithful in preaching such messages for forty

years.

For Consideration:

Does God always call us to deliver comfortable messages to His people?

Are you able to speak the truth of God even when it hurts?

How easy is it to avoid the hard messages and speak only those messages

that will make us friends?

How do you think God sees your society? What do you think God would

say about your church? What are the hidden sins that lurk beneath the

surface?

Is there evidence of barrenness and the judgement of God on your society

or church? What is this evidence?

What does Jeremiah’s message teach us about a society or church that turns

from God and His Word? What hope is there for such a community or

church?

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to give you the grace to live for Him, even when doing so is

difficult and challenging.

Ask the Lord to search your heart to see if there is any offensive way in it.

Ask for strength to repent and turn from any sin He might reveal.

Do you know people who are rebelling against the Lord? Take a moment

now to ask God to forgive them and bring them into fellowship with

Himself.

Take a moment to pray against sin in your society. Ask God to break these

evils and bring His peace and health to your community again.

6 - THE TEMPLE OF THE

LORD

8 “Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you

steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to

Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and

then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by

my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all

these abominations? 11 Has this house, which is called by my

name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself

have seen it, declares the Lord. 12 Go now to my place that was

in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I

did to it because of the evil of my people Israel. (Jeremiah 7)

e often hear about the problems of other people but never

think that next time it could be us. We feel invulnerable.

Nothing could happen to us. When it does, however, it takes

us by surprise. This was how the people of God felt. They had a false sense

of security. Sure, they were sinners, but they were also the chosen people of

God. They could not imagine that God would ever abandon them. Surely in

their time of need, He would always be there to deliver them. How could

He ever let the enemy overcome them? We hear this message today. People

have become so secure in the love of God, that they fail to realize that He is

also their judge. "A God of love could never send us to hell," they say and

continue in their sins with no worry or concern for their future. God called

Jeremiah to speak out against this false notion.

Because of their belief, the people of God lived recklessly. Listen to the

words of the Lord to His people in Jeremiah 7:

9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make

offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not

known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house,

which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only

to go on doing all these abominations? (Jeremiah 7)

The Lord accused His people of many serious crimes in Jeremiah 7. They

murdered, committed adultery, made false declarations and worshipped

pagan gods. These were crimes punishable by death under the law of

Moses. Notice, however, that despite these terrible crimes, the people still

came to the temple feeling secure in their relationship with God. “We are

delivered!” they proclaimed. “God doesn’t hold our sins against us.” With

that, they would leave the temple to repeat the same crimes. There was no

grief over their sin. Their hearts were hard and rebellious. They made their

offerings to God but had no intention of changing their sinful actions.

Jeremiah warned his people against this attitude. He reminded them of the

town of Shiloh and what God did to it because of the evil of His people:

12 Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my

name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil

of my people Israel. (Jeremiah 7)

In Joshua 18:1, Israel set up the tabernacle of God in Shiloh. Samuel’s

parents worshipped at this tabernacle (1 Samuel 3:1). The Ark of the

Covenant was also located in Shiloh in those days (1 Samuel 4:3).

When the Philistines defeated Israel in 1 Samuel 4, the Israelites went to

Shiloh to get the Ark of the Covenant. They believed that having it with

them would assure victory over the Philistines. They understood that the

presence of the Lord was on the Ark.

With the Ark of the Covenant in their midst, the Israelites confidently faced

the Philistines in battle. What happened was not what they expected. Thirty

thousand Israelite foot soldiers died. The priests who had taken the Ark to

the Israelite camp lost their lives, and the Philistines captured the Ark.

Never had it entered the mind of the Israelites that God would so abandon

them. They felt secure in having the Ark in their midst, but they were

disappointed.

Jeremiah had a powerful message for the sinners of his day who regularly

worshipped at the temple. You are under the judgement of God, he told

them. Yes, you pray and bring your offerings to God, but your heart is not

right with Him. You, who stand before the altar, are murders, adulterers,

liars and worshippers of false gods. God sees your evil ways. He knows

your sinful thoughts. Do you think that you can offer a lamb, and all will be

right when your heart is not repentant? Do you believe that God will accept

your sacrifice when you have no intention of changing your ways?

Jeremiah rebuked the worshippers who came to the temple. He challenged

these “religious people,” reprimanding them for their hypocrisy. They

reacted strongly against Jeremiah’s message. He was a threat to their

lifestyle. He exposed their sin. They hated him for this.

Jeremiah told the people of his day that just as God allowed the defeat and

capture of Israel’s most sacred object—the Ark of the Covenant in Shiloh,

so He would not hesitate to send enemies against them and the temple in

Jerusalem. Their rebellious and hypocritical heart was an abomination to

God.

What an important message this was.God’s people felt secure in their evil

ways. They failed to understand the judgement of God. Jeremiah declared

that God’s wrath would soon fall on them. He made many enemies with this

word, but the truth needed to be told.

For Consideration:

The people of God trusted in the fact that they were the chosen people of

God who worshipped at the temple. They believed that if they sinned, all

they had to do was offer a sacrifice, and all would be well but had no

intention of changing their ways. Does this attitude exist in our day?

The people of Israel considered their temple and the Ark of the Covenant

sacred but lost them both because of their rebellion against God. What do

we consider sacred in your life? Could God close your church? Could he

take your business from you? Could He strip you of your health?

How would Jeremiah’s message, as recorded in this chapter, be received in

our day? Do we need people like Jeremiah, who are unafraid to challenge

the “religious” of our day?

For Prayer:

Ask God to give you a genuine faith that touches your thoughts, actions and

attitudes.

Ask the Lord to cleanse your church and expose anything in the hearts,

minds and actions of its members that does not bring glory to His name.

Ask Him to do the same for you.

Ask God for the boldness of Jeremiah to do what He calls you to do,

whether it makes you friends or enemies.

7 - REALITY STRIKES

19 But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not

know it was against me they devised schemes, saying, “Let us

destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of

the living, that his name be remembered no more.” 20 But, O

Lord of hosts, who judges righteously, who tests the heart and

the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have

I committed my cause. (Jeremiah 11)

eremiah proclaimed a harsh message to the religious people of his

day. He faithfully proclaimed the Word of God but made many

enemies. Maybe in the early stages of his preaching, the prophet

anticipated a better response and naively assumed that people would be

more accepting. He soon became aware, however, that this would not be the

case. As this idealism changed to reality, Jeremiah expressed his heart to

God:

19 But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not

know it was against me they devised schemes, (Jeremiah 11)

In Jeremiah 11:19, the prophet compared himself to a gentle lamb led to the

slaughter. This quiet lamb put up no fight because it was not aware of what

was coming. “I did not know it was against me they devised schemes,” he

told the Lord. “I entered the ministry thinking all would be well but came to

realize that the people I preached to, wanted to kill me.”

Listen to the attitude of the people toward Jeremiah in verse 19:

“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the

land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.”

(Jeremiah 11)

The people of his town wanted to cut Jeremiah down like a tree. They

wanted to rid the earth of every remembrance of his presence. Jeremiah

dared to challenge them and expose their hypocrisy. They hated him for this

—enough to kill him.

What do you do when the harsh reality of a difficult ministry strikes?

Notice the response of Jeremiah in verse 20:

20 But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously, who tests the

heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for

to you have I committed my cause. (Jeremiah 11)

In Jeremiah 11:20, the prophet confessed God as the Lord, “who judges

righteously.” His fellow-citizens wanted to take his life. They had people on

their side who could twist the truth in their favour. What chance did the

prophet have against a corrupt justice system and a people who hated him?

Jeremiah’s comfort in these days was in the fact that his God was Lord of

hosts. He was the all-powerful God to whom every nation on earth would

one day bow. His Lord was a Judge who would not be influenced by the lies

of evil people. He judged with fairness and truth. He knew Jeremiah’s

innocence and would defend him before the crowds that called for his

death. The prophet found great comfort in his Lord.

Second, Jeremiah understood that while the people of his day acted

deceitfully, the Lord God would not be deceived by their words and

arguments. Jeremiah’s God “tested the heart and mind.” In other words, the

God of Israel, who stood with Jeremiah, would see the evil thoughts and

intents of those who sought to destroy him. This same God knew the

sincerity of Jeremiah’s heart. He would not be fooled by the lies of those

who sought His life. He would judge in truth.

Finally, Jeremiah committed his cause to the Lord. He chose not to take

matters into his own hands. He gave his problems to the Lord and waited on

Him to see what He would do. When the harsh reality struck, Jeremiah

knew he could trust the Lord to care for him and do what was right.

We must note here that while the prophet responded with great faith in

God's righteous judgements in chapter 11, in chapter 12, we see his struggle

to understand God’s ways. After committing his cause to the Lord in

Jeremiah 11, he cried out in Jeremiah 12:

1 Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you; yet I

would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the

wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive? 2 You

plant them, and they take root; they grow and produce fruit;

you are near in their mouth and far from their heart. (Jeremiah

12:1)

In these verses, the prophet reminded God that those who rebelled against

Him planted their gardens and harvested an abundant crop. God was far

from their hearts, yet they thrived. Jeremiah could not make sense out of

this. Why did the wicked prosper while men like Jeremiah suffered for

doing what was right?

Why does the way of evil prosper in our day? Why do those who follow the

Lord suffer persecution and prejudice while unrighteousness is becoming

more accepted? Men and women, around the world, have lost their families,

possessions, jobs, and even their lives, because they sought to live in the

truth of the Word of God. Where is the justice of God in this? Jeremiah was

confused. Everything seemed backwards. Men were rewarded for evil and

punished for doing good.

Have you ever had times when you did not understand the ways of the

Lord? Jeremiah gives us a clear example to follow in these times. He

responds in faith by committing his way to the Lord. Jeremiah does not

have the answer, but he refuses to allow his confusion to keep him from

obeying God and trusting Him.

God did not leave Jeremiah without an answer. Notice that God rebuked

Jeremiah for his complaint:

5“If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied

you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land

you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the

Jordan? (Jeremiah 12)

God reminded the prophet, in these verses, that He had a more significant

ministry for him. The rejection he was experiencing here was mild

compared to what was ahead. Jeremiah was racing with men right now, but

God wanted him to compete with horses. Jeremiah was living in a

comfortable place right now, but God was going to take him into the

thickets of the Jordan. All this was preparing Jeremiah for a more

significant work the Lord had for him. We cannot compete with horses until

we have learned to run with men. We cannot be successful in a thicket until

we have been faithful in ease.

God went on to remind Jeremiah that while His justice was not evident at

the time, it would surely come:

7 “I have forsaken my house; I have abandoned my heritage; I

have given the beloved of my soul into the hands of her

enemies. (Jeremiah 12)

12 Upon all the bare heights in the desert destroyers have

come, for the sword of the Lord devours from one end of the

land to the other; no flesh has peace. (Jeremiah 12)

God reminded Jeremiah in these two verses that judgement had come. “I

have forsaken my house … destroyers have come,” He told the prophet.

God pronounced His sentence. Evil-doers were under a sentence of death.

Their destiny was determined. It is true that God allowed them a few years

of prosperity, but the day was fast approaching when His sentence would be

carried out. Already the enemies were gathering to attack those who sought

Jeremiah’s life.

God told Jeremiah that he had no cause to question His judgement. Those

who prospered in his day were already judged. How easy it is for us to

focus on material blessings and prosperity and fail to realize that those

living under these temporary blessings are under the curse of God.

As Jeremiah faced the rejection and hatred of the people of his day, while

he could not understand what God was doing, he committed his life into the

Lord’s hand. He trusted the Lord to judge in truth. God was not blind to the

threats of Jeremiah’s enemies. He would not only judge them but use what

they did to Jeremiah to strengthen and equip him for greater ministry.

For Consideration:

Jeremiah faced struggle and rejection in his ministry. Have you ever had

unrealistic expectations broken by reality?

Consider Jeremiah’s prayer in Jeremiah 11:20. What does it teach us about

how he faced persecution and rejection in his prophetic ministry?

How has God used trials to strengthen you in your ministry?

For Prayer:

Ask God to help you to have a clear sense of His purpose in the struggles

you face.

Thank the Lord that He uses whatever you go through to strengthen you for

what is ahead.

Ask God to give you the grace to commit your struggles to Him without

seeking vengeance or becoming angry. Ask for the faith to trust Him with

what you cannot understand.

8- A RUINED BELT

1 Thus says the Lord to me, “Go and buy a linen loincloth and

put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water.” 2 So I

bought a loincloth according to the word of the Lord and put it

around my waist. 3 And the word of the Lord came to me a

second time, 4 “Take the loincloth that you have bought, which

is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it

there in a cleft of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the

Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. 6 And after many days

the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from

there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then

I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the loincloth from

the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was

spoiled; it was good for nothing. 8 Then the word of the Lord

came to me: 9 “Thus says the Lord: Even so will I spoil the

pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 13)

s a prophet of God, Jeremiah spoke the word of the Lord, but

there were also times when the Lord called him to act out his

message. We have an example of this in Jeremiah 13:1. In this

verse, the Lord asked the prophet to buy a linen loincloth and wear it

around his waist. Notice in verse 1 that this loincloth was not to touch

water. In other words, Jeremiah was never to wash it.

Jeremiah purchased this loincloth and put it on. We are not told how long

Jeremiah wore this belt. As he wore it, however, the dust and dirt of his

daily life began to accumulate on it making it dirty. This dirty loincloth no

longer brought him delight. Instead of being an object that enhanced his

appearance, because of its dirt, it was only bringing him shame. It was then

that the word of the Lord came a second time to Jeremiah (verse 3).

In verse 4, the Lord commanded Jeremiah to go to the Euphrates River and

hide his loincloth in a crevice of a rock. The Euphrates was about 800

kilometres (500 miles) from Jerusalem. It is unclear where Jeremiah was at

the time of this revelation from the Lord, but it may have required a

significant amount of time and effort to travel to this region in obedience to

the Lord.

Many days passed before the Lord spoke again to Jeremiah about his

loincloth. When God did talk to the prophet about it, He asked Him to

return to the Euphrates and dig up the loincloth. Remember that Jeremiah

still did not understand why the Lord was asking him to do this. Obeying

the Lord, the prophet returned to find his loincloth. When he dug up the

garment, Jeremiah found that it was spoiled. He describes it as “good for

nothing” (verse 7).

Only after he retrieved the loincloth did the Lord reveal the reason for this

strange request. God told Jeremiah in verse 9 that even as this garment was

ruined, so He would destroy the pride of the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

God’s people were wicked. They refused to listen to His word. They

insisted on following the stubbornness of their hearts, instead. They

worshipped and served other gods. Like the linen belt, the people of God

were filthy and unclean before Him—they refused to come to Him for

cleansing.

Just as Jeremiah had bound this garment around his waist, so God had

bound His people to Himself. They enjoyed His blessing and rejoiced in

intimacy with Him. Despite this privilege, they rebelled against God and

became unclean through their actions.

Listen to God’s heart for His people, as recorded in verse 13:

[11] “I bound the whole house of Israel and the whole house of

Judah to me,” declares the LORD, “to be my people for my

renown and praise and honor.” (Jeremiah 13)

God entered a covenantal relationship with His people, binding them to

Himself. God was proud of His people. He delighted in them and wanted

them to be a people for His praise and honour. He demonstrated His

character and glory through them. They reflected His glory to the world

around them. He drew them close, and they experienced the richness of His

blessing.

God’s people, however, did not reflect this glory to the world. They were

tarnished with sin and rebellion. They became an object of shame and

dishonour. As a result, God stripped the belt off his waist and cast it from

His presence. He disciplined His people by exiling them to the region of the

Euphrates—where the Babylonians and Assyrians lived. By taking his belt

to the Euphrates, Jeremiah prophetically traced the steps the captured

people would walk as they were forced into exile.

While Jeremiah did not initially understand what the Lord was asking him

to do, he was obedient. Through his actions that day, Jeremiah revealed the

judgement of God on His people. He also showed them that their

uncleanness and rebellion made them “good for nothing.” Like Jeremiah’s

loincloth, God’s people had become shameful. The day was fast

approaching when they would retrace Jeremiah’s steps into exile beyond the

Euphrates.

It is a tremendous privilege to be bound to the Lord God in a relationship of

love and devotion. In that relationship, we experience intimacy with Him

and the fullness of His blessing in our lives. We are called to reflect the

glory of God in this world through this relationship with God. This glory,

however, can be tarnished by sin and rebellion. Not all believers reflect the

fullness of God. The name of the Lord is sometimes blasphemed because of

our actions.

Writing to the Romans, the apostle Paul said:

[23] You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the

law. [24] For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed

among the Gentiles because of you.” (Romans 2)

The apostle Peter would say something similar when he wrote:

[2:1] But false prophets also arose among the people, just as

there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring

in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought

them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. [2] And

many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way

of truth will be blasphemed. (1 Peter 2)

Paul told the Romans that their lifestyle was causing the unbeliever to curse

the name of God. Peter challenged believers of his day to abstain from

sensuality because the practice of this lifestyle among believers was

defaming the way of the truth. As those who have been drawn close to God,

we must live pure and holy lives, reflecting the character of God in all that

we do. We must resist any influence that would tarnish that relationship.

For Consideration:

What does Jeremiah’s example teach us about obedience to the Lord? Do

we have to understand what God is asking before being obedient? Have you

ever not obeyed because you did not understand why God was asking you

to do something?

Why do you suppose the Lord chose to illustrate His message to the people

through Jeremiah? Would this illustration speak to the people in a way

words could not communicate? Compare this to how the Lord used parables

about everyday life to teach His message to the people of His day.

What do we learn in this passage about how God leads us step by step?

Could it be that you do not have the answer you require from the Lord

because you have not yet been obedient to what He has already revealed?

How does the illustration of Jeremiah’s belt help us to understand God’s

relationship with us?

Take a moment to consider the clean and pure loincloth Jeremiah purchased

and wore proudly around his waist. Compare this to the loincloth he dug out

of the Euphrates. Which of these two pictures best resembles your life and

walk with the Lord?

For Prayer:

Ask God to help you to be obedient like Jeremiah, even when you do not

see the whole picture.

Thank God for the privilege we have of representing Him, His love, and His

power in this world. Ask Him to enable you to be clean before Him and a

faithful representative of His character in this world.

Do you know individuals whose testimony has been destroyed? Take a

moment to pray that the Lord would restore them.

9- DO NOT PRAY FOR

THIS PEOPLE

11 The Lord said to me: “Do not pray for the welfare of this

people. 12Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and

though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not

accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine,

and by pestilence.” (Jeremiah 14)

e are quite familiar with the passages of Scripture that speak

about the long-suffering patience of God. We rejoice in His

forgiveness. We understand that if we come to Him, He will

never cast us out (John 6.37). God will remove our sins from us as far as the

east is from the west (Psalm 103.12). We cherish stories of how God brings

unbelievers to Himself. We tell the story of Paul, who wanted to see the

destruction of the church of Jesus Christ but met the Lord Jesus on the road

to Damascus. By the grace of God, he became the greatest missionary of the

New Testament.

God's forgiveness and patience seem limitless, but then we read Jeremiah

7:16:

16 “As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or

prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not

hear you. (Jeremiah 7)

How could Jeremiah expect to have any impact on the lives of the people of

God if God would not listen to his prayers for them? God told Jeremiah that

even if the people were to humble themselves to the point of fasting, He

would not listen to their prayers. Listen to the prayer of the people in

Jeremiah 14:20-15.1.:

20 We acknowledge our wickedness, O Lord, and the iniquity of

our fathers, for we have sinned against you. 21 Do not spurn

us, for your name’s sake; do not dishonor your glorious throne;

remember and do not break your covenant with us. 22 Are there

any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or

can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O Lord our

God?

We set our hope on you, for you do all these things. (Jeremiah

14)

While there seems to be repentance in the heart of the people in this prayer,

notice the response of the Lord God in the very next verse:

1 Then the Lord said to me, “Though Moses and Samuel stood

before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send

them out of my sight and let them go! 2 And when they ask you,

‘Where shall we go?’ you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the

Lord: “‘Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those

who are for the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine,

to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity.’

(Jeremiah 15)

God made it clear to the people that even if Moses or Samuel pleaded for

them, He would not incline His heart or change His mind about them.

Moses often interceded with God for the lives of the people of Israel. The

Lord heard his petitions and forgave His people. It would be different this

time. God had made up His mind. He warned His people, but they refused

to listen. There was no amount of pleading now that would make a

difference for them. They were going to be punished. Justice was going to

be served. Their destiny was sealed.

There is a limit to the patience of God. There is a point where God will

cease calling and set His mind to judging. We cannot go on living as if God

will always give us another chance. Hebrews 3.15 tells us:

15 As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden

your hearts as in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3)

Why does the writer to the Hebrews tell his readers to listen to the voice of

God today? He says this because there may not be a tomorrow. Tomorrow

may see the end of God's pleading with you. Tomorrow you may hear the

voice of the Lord saying to you what He said to the rich man in Luke 12.20:

20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required

of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

(Luke 12)

If you can hear the voice of the Lord today, don’t ignore it. There will come

a time when your prayers of repentance will fall on deaf ears.

Consider the words of the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah to the people

of his day. Put yourself in the place of Jeremiah for a moment. It is the heart

of every sincere pastor that the people God has placed under his care

experience the fullness of God’s blessing. Where there is sin, that they

would repent. Where there is hurt, that they would be healed. What would

be your response to the Lord if He told you what He told Jeremiah that day?

How would you feel as a pastor if the Lord said to you that the sheep He

had given you to care for would perish and be judged by God and nothing

you could do or pray would change that?

There would be no great victories to report. There would only be defeat and

judgement. This was determined before Jeremiah began preaching.

Jeremiah would not see people repenting of their sin and turning to God.

Instead, the wrath of God was poured out. Jeremiah kept preaching the

word of God to show his people why this judgement had come. They would

go into exile with the truth of God ringing in their ears. Jeremiah’s words

would be the last they heard before leaving their nation at the point of the

sword. These words would continue to ring in their ears as they reflected on

their punishment in exile. God wanted a man to pastor His people as they

faced His judgement. It would not be an easy ministry, but it would be a

necessary one.

For Consideration:

What do we learn in this chapter about the limits to the patience of God?

Can we take His patience for granted?

There came the point in the history of Israel, where God refused to listen to

their prayers? What causes God to stop listening to your prayers today?

Consider the nature of Jeremiah’s ministry. Would you be willing to be a

pastor to a church that was being judged by God? Would you be willing to

accept the call of God to shepherd a people who would not change?

How vital was the ministry of Jeremiah at this point in the history of God’s

people? While he would not see repentance or spiritual blessing, what did

his service accomplish in the life of the people of Israel at that time? What

was God calling him to do in those days? Why was this necessary?

For Prayer:

Take a moment to thank the Lord for His patience. Ask Him, however, to

help you to not take that patience for granted. Ask Him to help you not to

put off walking in obedience today.

Do you know people who have refused to listen to the voice of God in their

life? Ask God to break their resistance.

Ask God to help you to see more clearly why He has placed you in the

ministry He had given you today? Ask Him to provide you with the grace to

be obedient even when you do not see results.

10 - THE LONE PROPHET

17 I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I

sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for you had filled

me with indignation. 18 Why is my pain unceasing, my wound

incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you be to me like a

deceitful brook, like waters that fail? (Jeremiah 15)

eremiah had a high price to pay as a servant of God. His message of

impending doom did not make him any friends. People did not

respond positively toward him or his message. Some of his fellow

citizens wanted to kill him. In Jeremiah 15 and 16, we catch a glimpse of

the emotional toll Jeremiah paid to be obedient to God's call.

Listen to his words in Jeremiah 15:15,17:

15 O Lord, you know; remember me and visit me, and take

vengeance for me on my persecutors.

In your forbearance take me not away; know that for your sake

I bear reproach. 17 I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor

did I rejoice; I sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for

you had filled me with indignation. (Jeremiah 15:17)

Notice what Jeremiah expresses here. He speaks in verse 15 of those who

persecuted him. He reminds God that he bore reproach for His sake. He was

shamed and belittled in his community because of the message he preached.

In verse 17, the prophet told the Lord that he sat alone. He did not join

those who mocked the name of the Lord. He had no one to sit with him in

his need. All this was because God gave him a message that the community

despised.

The prophet went on to express his grief to the Lord in Jeremiah 15:18:

18 Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to

be healed? Will you be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters

that fail? (Jeremiah 15)

Jeremiah felt that his pain was unceasing, and the wounds of rejection and

persecution were incurable. You can almost hear Jeremiah say: "Lord, this

is hard. I have no friends. I have no-one with whom I can share my pain.

You never told me how lonely it would be. I feel deceived. Where are you

in all this pain? You are like a brook that a thirsty man comes to, only to

find out that there is no water. As Jeremiah contemplates his lot, he cries

out:

10 Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and

contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I

borrowed, yet all of them curse me. (Jeremiah 15)

Jeremiah is saying something like this: “Why did my mother have to give

birth to a child like me. My life is filled with bitterness and trouble.

Everyone rejects me. I have done nothing wrong to any of them, but they

curse me because of the message I bring from the Lord.” This was not an

easy burden to bear.

What a blessing it is to be loved and respected by the people we serve. This

was not the case for Jeremiah. The people of his day hated and cursed him.

He had no one to comfort and encouragement him when he felt the sting of

rejection. The pain seemed too much for him to bear.

God forbade Jeremiah to marry or have children.

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “You shall not take a

wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place. 3 For

thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are

born in this place and concerning the mothers who bore them

and the fathers who fathered them in this land: 4 They shall die

of deadly diseases. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they

be buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground.

They shall perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead

bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of

the earth. (Jeremiah 16)

God told the prophet that if he were to marry, his wife and children would

die of deadly disease, famine and sword. Their bodies would lay on the

ground and be eaten by birds and beasts of the earth. To spare him this pain,

God forbade him to marry. Instead, he was to give himself to the prophetic

ministry. The fact that Jeremiah did not marry, in a culture that expected

him to marry, was a prophetic warning to the people of God. Jeremiah’s

singleness was a reminder of what God was going to do to His people.

God also told Jeremiah that he was never to go to a funeral service, nor was

he to show any compassion for those who died.

5 “For thus says the Lord: Do not enter the house of mourning,

or go to lament or grieve for them, for I have taken away my

peace from this people, my steadfast love, and mercy, declares

the Lord. (Jeremiah 16)

God’s people had rejected Him, so He would act toward them without

mercy and kindness. God would no longer show compassion to His people.

Jeremiah’s lack of empathy for those who mourned was a prophetic

statement to the people of God that God’s mercy had come to an end.

In Jeremiah 16:8-9, the Lord commanded the prophet to refrain from

attending the joyous celebrations of the nation.

8 You shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to

eat and drink. 9 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of

Israel: Behold, I will silence in this place, before your eyes and

in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the

voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. (Jeremiah

16)

As a prophet, Jeremiah was not to rejoice with his people. The day was

coming when God would strip away all gladness and joy from them.

Jeremiah’s refusal to celebrate was a prophetic sign of future events.

The call of Jeremiah was a lonely one. He could not sit down with a wife

over the dinner table and share the hurts of his heart. He could not rejoice

with the people of God in a joyous feast. God took away his right to attend

the funeral services of the people he grew up with. He could not even show

compassion for them in their time of grief. Is there any wonder that he cried

out to God: "my pain is perpetual?"

As a servant of God, I how often seen the need for fellowship with other

believers. I have often appreciated being able to sit down over a coffee with

my wife and share my hurts. I have enjoyed the fellowship of other

believers and felt their encouragement and support. Jeremiah did not have

this privilege. Would you be willing to follow the Lord under these

conditions? Would you be ready to leave your friends and family and

abstain from marriage to obey God in a call that was destined to bring only

rejection and cursing from those who listened to you? What an example we

have in the life and ministry of the prophet Jeremiah. May God give us

more people with this commitment.

For Consideration:

How would Jeremiah’s ministry and lifestyle be viewed today?

What painful issues do you deal with in your ministry or walk with the

Lord? How is Jeremiah an example for you?

What role do other Christians or co-workers play in your ministry? How

have they been an encouragement and support for you?

Do you know servants of God who feel alone and lonely? Is there anything

you can do to minister to them or encourage them in their struggle?

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to give you a desire for obedience more than worldly success.

Thank the Lord for the people He has placed on your path to be a blessing

and encouragement to you.

Take a moment to pray for a brother or sister in ministry who is struggling

with the burden God has placed on their shoulders. Ask God to sustain them

and give them the courage to persevere.

11- AT THE POTTER'S

HOUSE

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and

go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my

words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he

was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of

clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into

another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. (Jeremiah

18)

he Lord often speaks to us through everyday events. On one

occasion, the Lord told Jeremiah to watch a local potter at work.

As he observed, the vessel on which the potter was working was

spoiled as it turned on the wheel. Jeremiah saw, to his amazement, how the

potter reshaped the flawed lump of clay and formed it into another vessel. It

was at this moment that the Lord spoke to the prophet:

6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has

done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s

hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. (Jeremiah 18)

Men and women make decisions from their sinful minds. Those decisions

are often contrary to the will of God. People have lost their lives through

wars originating in the wickedness of the human heart. Immorality and

injustice are destroying our society. From the time of Adam, human beings

have turned their backs on God’s purpose. Even in Jeremiah's day, people

hated the truth of God. They preferred the lies of the false prophets to the

truth of God. Like the clay on the potter's wheel, we have not always

cooperated with the heavenly Potter.

God wanted to show Jeremiah that while He had a good plan for His

people, their sin and defilements spoiled their chance of experiencing that

purpose. Instead, the direction of their life would take a different turn. The

people who could have experienced the richness of God’s blessing in their

homeland would now be forced to leave. Instead, they would be driven at

the point of a spear to a land that did not belong to them.

As Jeremiah watched the potter form that lump of clay, I am sure he

marvelled at the skill of his hands. In the last chapter, Jeremiah complained

to God about his lot in life. Here now, he watched the potter shape a vessel

as he pleased. He realized that it was the right of the potter to do what he

wanted with the clay. God reminded Jeremiah of this in verse 6 when he

said: “Can I not do with you as this potter has done?” God had the absolute

right to make Jeremiah the type of prophet He had called him to be.

Speaking to the people of his day, the apostle Paul would say:

20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what

is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”

21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the

same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for

dishonorable use? (Romans 9)

It is true that Jeremiah’s ministry was a difficult one, but the Lord God, as

His Creator, had every right to call Him to this task. A potter has the

authority to make a container to hold a priceless treasure but also the

freedom to create a dish to carry dirt. Both vessels are necessary. We can

only wonder if Jeremiah reflected on these things as he considered his

complaints in the previous chapters.

Beyond this personal application to Jeremiah was the application to the

people of God. God had been preparing His people to live in their land

under His blessing, but their sin hindered this from happening. Now they

would face a very different future under His judgement. Those who created

to live in the peace and blessing of Israel would instead be prepared for

exile in Babylon.

God, as a Master Potter, will work out His purposes in our lives and society.

How much will that cost, however? Adam and Eve could have lived in the

Garden of Eden but fell prey to sin, and paradise was lost. David's sin with

Bathsheba meant the loss of a child and a reign that was never again the

same. We can complain about our lot in life, or we can respect the right of

the Master Potter and submit to His hands.

As Jeremiah watched the potter at work, he could not help but recognize the

right of the potter to make whatever vessel he chose. He also had to realize

that, for the clay on that wheel, the only reasonable thing to do was to

submit to the hands of the potter. If he were to be what the Lord wanted him

to be, Jeremiah would have to give God the right to determine the purpose

of his life.

Our sin and rebellion will change the direction of our lives, but we can only

wonder how much more we could have been if we had surrendered and

offered no resistance to the Potter. We need to understand that even as

broken vessels on the potter’s wheel, however, the Lord can mend and heal.

He will take the cracked lump of clay and shape it into something useful for

His purpose. Will you trust Him with your life? Will you allow Him to form

you as He sees fit? Will you commit yourself to walk in the purpose He has

ordained for your life?

For Consideration:

How would the time at the potter’s shop have spoken to Jeremiah

personally?

What does this illustration teach us about the right of God to shape us with

His purpose in mind? Have you understood God’s purpose for your life?

Can our resistance to God, change the course of our life and ministry? Can

God still use us despite our faults and failures?

What keeps you from submitting fully to the Master Potter?

For Prayer:

Take a moment to confess that you have not always accepted the right of

God to use you as He pleases.

Thank the Lord that He does have a purpose for you and your life. Ask Him

to enable you to walk humbly and willingly in that purpose, even when it is

difficult.

Thank the Lord that when you fail, He can use our failure and shape it into

something beautiful.

12 - A BROKEN CLAY

JAR

1 Thus says the Lord, “Go, buy a potter’s earthenware flask,

and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders

of the priests, 2 and go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom

at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words

that I tell you. (Jeremiah 19)

n Jeremiah 19, the Lord asked the prophet to buy a clay jar. We are left

to wonder if he purchased this jar from the potter in chapter 18.

Jeremiah was then to gather the elders and priests and take them to the

Valley of the Son of Hinnom. There in that valley, at the Potsherd Gate, he

was to tell them the words the Lord give him to speak. Jeremiah needed to

take a step of faith here. He did not have the word of the Lord before he

went to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom. It was when he arrived that the

Lord gave him this word.

Why did God ask Jeremiah to go to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom? A

quick look at several passages will show us that Jeremiah may have been

called to this valley for a particular reason.

In 2 Chronicles 28:1-3, we read concerning Ahaz king of Judah:

1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he

reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was

right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done, 2

but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made

metal images for the Baals, 3 and he made offerings in the

Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering,

according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord

drove out before the people of Israel. (2 Chronicles 28)

Two generations later, we read about King Manasseh:

6 And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son

of Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery,

and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much

evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. (2

Chronicles 33)

When Josiah became king, in the days of Jeremiah, one of his reforms is

recorded for us in 2 Kings 23.10:

10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of

Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an

offering to Molech. (2 Kings 23)

When God asked Jeremiah to go to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, He

asked him to go to the centre of the most detestable of sins in Judah, the

practice of child sacrifice. There in that valley, fathers would burn their

children to death as offerings to the pagan gods. It was in this valley that the

prophet was to proclaim the message of the clay jar. What was that

message?

4 Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this

place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they

nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and

because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents,

5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in

the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or

decree, nor did it come into my mind— 6 therefore, behold,

days are coming, declares the Lord, when this place shall no

more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but

the Valley of Slaughter. 7 And in this place I will make void the

plans of Judah and Jerusalem and will cause their people to

fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those

who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies for food to the

birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth. 8 And I will make

this city a horror, a thing to be hissed at. Everyone who passes

by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its wounds. 9

And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their

daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in

the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those

who seek their life afflict them.’ (Jeremiah 19)

That day God spoke directly to the abominations that took place in the

Valley of the Son of Hinnom. He told the elders and priests that the valley

would become known as the Valley of Slaughter because God would bring

to it the sword of the enemy. The dead bodies that were slaughtered in that

valley would be food for wild animals. To emphasize this devastating

judgement, God told Jeremiah to break the clay jar in front of the leaders.

This would show them what God intended to do with the nation.

10 “Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who

go with you, 11 and shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of

hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a

potter’s vessel, so that it can never be mended. Men shall bury

in Topheth because there will be no place else to bury.

(Jeremiah 19)

What a powerful object lesson! God would break His people like a clay jar.

Notice the extent of this breaking— “so that it can never be mended”

(Jeremiah 19:11). This is not the type of message we like to hear. The day

was coming when the hammer of God's righteous wrath would come

crashing down on ungodly Judah, and it would be broken to pieces.

Among the priests assembled in the Valley of Hinnom was a man by the

name of Pashhur. Pashhur was angry when he heard Jeremiah’s message.

He had the prophet arrested, beaten, and put in stocks to publicly humiliate

him (Jeremiah 20:2).

Jeremiah’s message stirred the anger of the people. They hated him for what

he preached. This message took an emotional toll on Jeremiah. After this

incident, he cried to God:

7 O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are

stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a

laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. 8 For whenever

I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the

word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all

day long. (Jeremiah 20)

You can feel Jeremiah’s pain in these words. He knew what the people were

saying about him:

10 For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side!

“Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” say all my close

friends, watching for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived;

then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him.”

(Jeremiah 20:10)

Even those who used to be his close friends wanted to denounce him and

longed for his fall. His ministry was a lonely one. God's hand was on him,

however, and try as he might, he could not hold back the word the Lord

gave him to speak:

9 If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his

name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in

my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

(Jeremiah 20:9)

Jeremiah was compelled by the Spirit of God to preach the word God gave

him. He moved out in obedience to teach the message of the broken clay

pot to a people who did not want to hear it. The prophet suffered the

inevitable consequences of their rejection of that message. He paid an

emotional and physical cost to preach that message, but he was faithful.

Men such as this are rare.

For Consideration:

What took place in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom? Could we compare

the practice of abortion in our day to the sins that took place in this valley?

There were the pagan practices among the people of God in Jeremiah’s day.

What sins do we see in the church of our day?

Jeremiah paid an emotional and physical cost to preach the message of the

pottery jar in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom. Is there a cost to pay for

speaking what God puts on our hearts today? Are you willing to pay that

price?

Is it possible that our desire to be respected and loved by people is a

hindrance to the proclamation of the gospel?

For Prayer:

Ask God to give you more sensitivity to what He wants you to do and say.

Ask for boldness and courage to do what He calls you to do even if it means

rejection.

Take a moment to pray for those in leadership over you. Ask the Lord to

give them courage and faithfulness to Him, no matter the cost.

13 - ZEDEKIAH AND

JEREMIAH

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when

King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and

Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2 “Inquire

of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is

making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us

according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him

withdraw from us.” (Jeremiah 21)

t is hard to describe the relationship between King Zedekiah and

Jeremiah. God used Jeremiah to convict Zedekiah of his sins.

Zedekiah wanted to hear from the prophet but did not obey the word

spoken through him.

The first encounter between these two men is in Jeremiah 21.

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was attacking Jerusalem. Zedekiah

sent Pashhur the priest and Zephaniah to speak to Jeremiah. He wanted the

prophet to seek the Lord about this situation, and hoped that the Lord would

deliver them from the hands of their enemy:

2 “Inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of

Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal

with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him

withdraw from us.” (Jeremiah 21)

Jeremiah sought the Lord on behalf of the king, and the Lord answered him:

3 Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah,

4 ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn

back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which

you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the

Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. And I will

bring them together into the midst of this city. 5 I myself will

fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in

anger and in fury and in great wrath. 6 And I will strike down

the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die

of a great pestilence. (Jeremiah 21)

God told the king that He was angry with Jerusalem and would give the city

over to Nebuchadnezzar. This was not the word Zedekiah hoped to receive.

Later in Jeremiah 37, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal and Zephaniah to ask

Jeremiah to pray again about the invading Babylonians. This time Egypt

came to the aid of God’s people, and Babylon lifted their siege and fled

(Jeremiah 37:5).

After Babylonian lifted their siege of the city, Irijah, the captain of the

guard, accused Jeremiah of desertion to the enemy and arrested him

(Jeremiah 37:14). For this supposed crime, Jeremiah was beaten and put in

prison, where he remained for some time (Jeremiah 37.16). While in prison,

King Zedekiah sent for him.

16 When Jeremiah had come to the dungeon cells and remained

there many days, 17 King Zedekiah sent for him and received

him. The king questioned him secretly in his house and said, “Is

there any word from the Lord?” Jeremiah said, “There is.”

Then he said, “You shall be delivered into the hand of the king

of Babylon.” (Jeremiah 37)

Notice how King Zedekiah sent “secretly” for Jeremiah. Jeremiah was

accused of desertion to the enemy. King Zedekiah did not want to be seen

conversing with an “enemy of the nation,” but he also wanted to hear from

the Lord and Jeremiah was the man he felt confident would give him that

word.

As the conversation unfolded, Jeremiah told Zedekiah that the conditions in

his dungeon were so appalling that he was afraid he would die (Jeremiah

37.20). He pleaded with the king to not send him back. Zedekiah was

sympathetic to Jeremiah's request and sent him instead to the prison in the

palace courtyard. He also commanded that the prophet be given bread from

the bakery every day until the supplies were gone (Jeremiah 37:21). This

shows us that the king had respect for Jeremiah.

Later, when Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern and left to die, a man by the

name of Ebed-Melech came to King Zedekiah to plead for the prophet’s

life. The king commanded that 30 men to go with Ebed-Melech to lift him

out of the cistern before he died. (Jeremiah 38:10). Why would the king

send 30 men with Ebed-Melech? It would not take 30 men to lift Jeremiah

out of the cistern. It is likely that these men were sent to protect Ebed-

Melech and Jeremiah against a possible mob that might resist them. He was

protecting Jeremiah from those who wanted to kill him.

After Jeremiah’s rescue from the cistern, the king sent for him again to hear

the word of the Lord (Jeremiah 38.14). Jeremiah told the king that if he

surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar, his life would be spared (Jeremiah 38.17).

Zedekiah, admitted to the prophet, that he was afraid that if he submitted,

he would be handed over to the Judeans and treated cruelly (Jeremiah

38.19). It took a certain amount of courage for King Zedekiah to confess

this fear to Jeremiah. It is also an indication of the kind of relationship they

had –the King was able to confide in the prophet and confess his greatest

fear.

Before Jeremiah left the palace, the king asked him to keep their

conversation secret (Jeremiah 38.24). He was afraid of what the princes

might think should they discover he had been with Jeremiah. This was also

another fear the King experienced. He was scared of what people would

think of him or say about him.

When Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem, in Jeremiah 39, King Zedekiah fled.

What is significant about this flight of Zedekiah is what Jeremiah told him

just shortly before it happened:

19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans

who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to

them and they deal cruelly with me.” 20 Jeremiah said, “You

shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the Lord in

what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life

shall be spared. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is the

vision which the Lord has shown to me: 22 Behold, all the

women left in the house of the king of Judah were being led out

to the officials of the king of Babylon and were saying, “‘Your

trusted friends have deceived you and prevailed against you;

now that your feet are sunk in the mud, they turn away from

you.’ 23 All your wives and your sons shall be led out to the

Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand,

but shall be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be

burned with fire.” (Jeremiah 38)

Jeremiah told the king that if he surrendered willingly then all would go

well, but if he refused, he would be captured and led into captivity. This is

precisely what took place. Zedekiah wanted to hear from Jeremiah but did

not listen to what he said.

After his capture, as Jeremiah prophesied, the king was forced to watch his

sons die one by one at the hands of the enemy, then his eyes were plucked

out. King Zedekiah's life, however, was spared. According to Jeremiah

52:11, he was put in a Babylonian prison and kept there until his death.

Jeremiah influenced the life of King Zedekiah. The king, however, lacked

the courage to stand up for the truth. He did not want his people to know

that he was meeting with Jeremiah. He had a reputation to uphold. He was

easily swayed. There are many people like Zedekiah in our churches today.

They want to hear from the Lord. They want to know the Lord's plan for

their lives but do stand for Him or walk in obedience.

What was it like for Jeremiah to have these opportunities to speak to the

king? Here was a man who wanted to hear from Jeremiah but did not put

what he heard into practice. How frustrating it would have been for

Jeremiah to watch this man go into exile because he would not listen to

what he said.

For Consideration:

How would you describe King Zedekiah’s spiritual life? Do you know

people like him today?

What do we learn in this chapter about the suffering Jeremiah endured at

the time that Nebuchadnezzar was invading the land of Israel and Judah?

Have you ever been guilty, like Zedekiah, of listening to the word of God

but not putting it into practice?

How do you think Jeremiah felt as he watched King Zedekiah, with whom

he had had many personal and deep conversations, completely ignore his

words of warning?

For Prayer:

Do you know people like Zedekiah, who regularly listen to the word of God

but do not have the courage to obey? Take a moment to pray for them,

asking God to give them the ability to walk in obedience.

Thank the Lord for how, even in his imprisonment, Jeremiah had

opportunities to share the word of the Lord. Ask God to help you to make

use of the situation you are in to be a testimony for Him.

Thank the Lord for His protection in the life of Jeremiah. Thank Him that

you can also be assured of that protection as you walk in obedience to Him.

14 - CARELESS

SHEPHERDS

AND LYING PROPHETS

1 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of

my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord,

the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my

people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them

away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend

to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 23)

14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible

thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen

the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his evil; all of

them have become like Sodom to me, and its inhabitants like

Gomorrah.” 15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts

concerning the prophets: “Behold, I will feed them with bitter

food and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the

prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone out into all the

land.” (Jeremiah 23)

n the last chapter, we saw how God called Jeremiah to speak His word

to the king. He also called Jeremiah to talk to the priests and prophets

of the nation. God took Jeremiah to the top leaders of the land. While

these leaders did not accept or appreciate Jeremiah’s message, the prophet

still spoke to them. In chapter 23, we see what God had to say through

Jeremiah to the spiritual leadership of the nation. Remember that these

individuals saw themselves as the representatives of God. They would not

take kindly to any criticism of their role as spiritual leaders.

Jeremiah spoke first to the priests as pastors of the nation. Listen to his

words to them in Jeremiah 23:1-2:

1 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of

my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord,

the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my

people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them

away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend

to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 23)

Jeremiah told the priests that they were destroying and scattering the sheep

(verse 1). They had not attended to their needs (verse 2). Instead of caring

for the sheep, the priests were destroying them. Because they were not

being cared for, these sheep were wandering from God, looking for help

and comfort in other places.

God placed the blame for the spiritual condition of the nation at the feet of

the shepherds. How easy it is to blame people for their wandering.

Remember, however, that God had chosen these priests to care for these

wandering sheep. If a sheep in the flock wandered from the fold, it was the

responsibility of the shepherd to go after it and restore it to the fold. The

sheep had a natural tendency to wander, so the shepherd had to be on guard.

There were many enemies for the sheep, so the priests had to be their

protector. God expected that the spiritual leadership of Israel care for the

flock.

God accused the shepherds of scattering the sheep. This scattering was not

intentional, but through a lack of care. They did not attend to the needs of

the flock. They did nothing when the sheep began to wander. They were

careless shepherds. God warned the priests that because they had not taken

their responsibility seriously, he would “attend to them because of their evil

deeds” (Jeremiah 23:2). They would have to answer to God for their lack of

spiritual care.

Jeremiah also spoke to the prophets of Judah. God had some harsh words to

say to these individuals. Jeremiah 23.11 describes both the prophet and the

priest as being ungodly. They even brought this ungodliness into the house

of God:

11“Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in my house I

have found their evil, declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 23)

The prophets, like the priests, were leading God’s people astray. They were

doing this by prophesying in the name of other gods. Notice what was

happening in Samaria, the capital of Israel:

13 In the prophets of Samaria I saw an unsavory thing: they

prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray. (Jeremiah

23)

The prophets of Israel were not declaring the word of the Lord. They were

consulting false gods instead.

The situation in the southern kingdom of Judah was not any better.

14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible

thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen

the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his evil; all of

them have become like Sodom to me, and its inhabitants like

Gomorrah.” (Jeremiah 23)

The prophets of Jerusalem were guilty of adultery, lies, and strengthening

the hands of evildoers (Jeremiah 23.14). God considered Jerusalem to be no

better than Sodom and Gomorrah, which he destroyed in the days of

Abraham (Jeremiah 23.14).

God placed the blame for the sickness of the nation on the prophets:

15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the

prophets: “Behold, I will feed them with bitter food and give

them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of

Jerusalem ungodliness has gone out into all the land.”

(Jeremiah 23)

Notice the phrase “for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone

out into all the land.” The evil of the nation was traced back to its corrupt

leadership. The prophets filled the people with false hopes and spoke

visions from their own hearts and not from the Lord (Jeremiah 23.16).

16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of

the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes.

They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of

the Lord. (Jeremiah 23)

The prophets of Jerusalem encouraged people to rebel against the word of

the Lord by offering false comfort:

17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the

Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who

stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall

come upon you.’ (Jeremiah 23)

God did not call these prophets, yet they went out in His name (Jeremiah

23.21). The result was a people who wandered far from God. God held

these prophets accountable for this sin.

Jeremiah paints an ugly picture of the priests and prophets of his day. He

reminded them that they were responsible for the spiritual decline of the

nation because of their carelessness and lies. Can you imagine the response

of the religious leaders of that day to these words? They were not easy

words to speak. These leaders, however, needed to be rebuked. By

wandering from God themselves, they were destroying the sheep and

causing the spiritual decline in the nation. When the judgement of God fell,

these leaders would have much to answer for.

For Consideration:

God accused the priests of destroying and scattering the sheep. This was

primarily the result of not doing anything to care for them. How important

is it for pastors to be actively reaching out to those who are wandering from

the truth?

God accused the leadership of being responsible for the spiritual condition

of the nations of Israel and Judah. How important is the role of the leader in

the church today?

Are we offering false comfort to those who are living in sin instead of

calling them to repentance?

How difficult do you think it would have been for Jeremiah to speak this

message to the priests and prophets in his day? How would his failure to

share this message make him guilty of the sin of the prophets in his day?

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to guide those who are in leadership in your church. Ask God

to give them the courage to speak His word and the compassion to care for

those who are hurting.

Ask God to give the leadership of your church a passion for the Word of

God. Ask God to give your pastors strength to preach what God gives them

even when it is difficult.

Ask God to renew the leadership of your church and give them the courage

and passion for the flock of God.

15 - A PLOT TO KILL

JEREMIAH

7 The priests and the prophets and all the people heard

Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8 And

when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had

commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and

the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You

shall die! (Jeremiah 26)

eremiah exposed the sins of his nation. He faithfully shared what God

gave him. His words warned of great judgment to come. While the

people ignored his message, God continued to send him back. In

chapter 26, the Lord sent Jeremiah to the temple to declare His word to

those who came to worship:

1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah,

king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 “Thus says the

Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all

the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the

Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not

hold back a word. 3 It may be they will listen, and every one

turn from his evil way, that I may relent of the disaster that I

intend to do to them because of their evil deeds. (Jeremiah 26)

Notice the words, “it may be that they will listen” (verse 3). Notice also that

God told the prophet that if the people did listen, He would “relent” of the

disaster He intended to do to them. While Jeremiah’s message declared

doom and judgement, there is also a cry for repentance and restoration. This

doom did not need to come. If they listened to the word of God, God would

pull back His wrath and forgive their sin. By sending Jeremiah to declare

His punishment, the Lord was also offering His forgiveness. We see this

clearly in Jeremiah 25:4-6 when God says:

4 You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear,

although the Lord persistently sent to you all his servants the

prophets, 5 saying, ‘Turn now, every one of you, from his evil

way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the Lord has

given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. 6 Do not

go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me

to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no

harm.’ (Jeremiah 25)

God made it clear that if the people listened to His words of warning and

repented, then He would do them no harm (Jeremiah 25:6). Instead, He

would extend His forgiveness to them as a nation.

The people who heard the message of Jeremiah could choose to turn from

their evil ways and dwell in the land the Lord had given them, or they could

continue in their evil ways and provoke the Lord to further anger. The

choice was up to them.

The priests and prophets of Jeremiah's day did not appreciate Jeremiah’s

call for repentance. To repent, you first need to accept that you have sinned.

This was not something these men were willing to do. After hearing

Jeremiah’s message, the officials of the city called a meeting to determine

his fate:

10 When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up

from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and took their

seat in the entry of the New Gate of the house of the Lord. 11

Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all

the people, “This man deserves the sentence of death, because

he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your

own ears.” (Jeremiah 26)

In the minds of these officials, Jeremiah’s words were so offensive that he

deserved to die.

Their threats did not silence Jeremiah. Standing before those who sought to

kill him, he said:

12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people,

saying, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and

this city all the words you have heard. 13 Now therefore mend

your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the Lord your

God, and the Lord will relent of the disaster that he has

pronounced against you. 14 But as for me, behold, I am in your

hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. 15 Only

know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring

innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its

inhabitants, for in truth the Lord sent me to you to speak all

these words in your ears.” (Jeremiah 26)

Jeremiah made it clear to those who sought his life that the Lord had sent

him (verse 12). He would not risk his life to declare such a message had the

Lord not sent him. Jeremiah does not back down. He told the people that if

they changed their ways and repented, the Lord would relent of the disaster

he pronounced against them (verse 13). They could do what they wanted to

him, but they would have to answer to God for killing an innocent man

(verses 14-15). Jeremiah spoke boldly. He risked his life but chose to be

faithful to what God has given him to say.

The words of Jeremiah and his boldness cause the officials to think. Some

begin to believe that Jeremiah could be right. They reminded the people of

two similar cases in their history. On one occasion, the prophet Micah

warned King Hezekiah to repent, and when he did, the Lord had

compassion on him and did not bring disaster on the land during his reign:

26 But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart,

both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of

the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah. (2

Chronicles 32:26)

The other case was during the reign of King Jehoiakim. The prophet Uriah

warned the king of coming destruction. Not only did Jehoiakim refuse to

repent but went as far as to send an assassin to Egypt to kill the prophet

Uriah. The people in Jeremiah's day did not need any explanation as to what

happened to King Jehoiakim. The Bible tells us in 2 Chronicles 36.5-7:

5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign,

and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil

in the sight of the Lord his God. 6 Against him came up

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and bound him in chains to

take him to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried part of the

vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon and put them in his

palace in Babylon. (2 Chronicles 36)

As the officials examined their history, they began to see examples of what

Jeremiah was speaking about. They saw how the actions of past leaders

changed the course of their nation. They saw how God was calling them to

repent, and their response to that call could very well be their salvation or

downfall as a nation.

Jeremiah’s life was spared that day. God caused the officials to reflect on

their history. This was one of those rare moments when Jeremiah would go

home and wonder if maybe his preaching was having an impact after all. He

would go home, rejoicing that God has spared his life.

For Consideration:

Was Jeremiah’s preaching only a declaration of doom and judgement? To

what extent was God giving His people an opportunity to repent through the

preaching of Jeremiah?

How do the decisions we make affect the course of our life?

We see in this chapter how Jeremiah was willing to lay down his life to

preach the message God gave him for the people. For what are you ready to

lay down your life?

God protected Jeremiah from the wrath of those who wanted to kill him.

Can we be assured of the protection of God as we walk in His calling?

For Prayer:

Thank God that He gives us the opportunity to repent and return to Him.

Ask the Lord to give you the grace to accept your guilt and make the

changes necessary to walk in His favour.

Take a moment to thank the Lord for times when He has protected you

physically, emotionally and spiritually from the attack of your enemies. Ask

Him to give you more courage to walk in obedience to His call on your life.

16 - CONFLICTING

MESSAGES

4 Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the Lord

of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your

masters: 5 “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched

arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on

the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. 6 Now

I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,

the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the

beasts of the field to serve him. (Jeremiah 27)

2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken

the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will bring

back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and

carried to Babylon. 4 I will also bring back to this place

Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles

from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will

break the yoke of the king of Babylon.” (Jeremiah 28)

ave you ever wondered why there are so many conflicting

messages in Christianity? In the church around the world, there

are many different denominations with different ideas and

practices. There are even those who call themselves Christians but deny the

essential doctrines of the faith. How are we to know the truth with so many

different ideas and interpretations? This problem existed in the days of

Jeremiah.

In Jeremiah 27, God told the prophet to make a yoke of wood and put it

around his neck.

1 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah,

king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. 2

Thus the Lord said to me: “Make yourself straps and yoke-

bars, and put them on your neck. (Jeremiah 27)

From the context of chapter 28, it seems that Jeremiah wore this yoke on his

neck for some time. It may be that he went about his daily routine with this

yoke around his neck as a prophetic reminder to the people.

What was the message God wanted to communicate through this yoke? The

answer is in Jeremiah 27:6-7:

6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have

given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. 7 All the

nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the

time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings

shall make him their slave. (Jeremiah 27)

Many countries would be subject to the yoke of Babylonian domination.

Jeremiah wore the yoke as a symbol of his submission to Babylon and the

will of the Lord. According to Jeremiah, the Lord wanted His people to

submit to this yoke.

There were other prophets in Judah who prophesied that while Babylon

would dominate for a time, God’s people would soon be free from that

control. One of these prophets was a man by the name of Hananiah.

Hananiah told the people that God would break the Babylonian yoke within

two years. The temple treasures, stolen by Babylon, would be restored, and

King Jeconiah, and all the captives who were exiled to Babylon, would

return to Jerusalem within that time frame:

2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken

the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will bring

back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and

carried to Babylon. 4 I will also bring back to this place

Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles

from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will

break the yoke of the king of Babylon.” (Jeremiah 28)

To show his disagreement with the words of Jeremiah, Hananiah removed

Jeremiah's yoke and broke it before the people. He told them that this is

what would happen to the yoke of Babylon. Within two years, everything

would be restored, and the Babylonian domination would cease.

10 Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke-bars from the neck

of Jeremiah the prophet and broke them. 11 And Hananiah

spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the

Lord: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of

Babylon from the neck of all the nations within two years.” But

Jeremiah the prophet went his way. (Jeremiah 28)

Jeremiah would have loved to believe Hananiah’s prophecy, but he knew he

was not speaking the word of the Lord. Listen to his initial response to

Hananiah:

6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so;

may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come

true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of

the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. 7 Yet hear now this

word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the

people. 8 The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient

times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many

countries and great kingdoms. (Jeremiah 28)

Jeremiah is saying something like this: "What you say, Hananiah would be

nice to believe, but it is not what the prophets tell us."

People often believe what they want. Nobody wants to hear of disaster,

trials, and suffering. The people of Jeremiah's day listened to the false

prophets because they told them what they wanted to hear. They preferred

to listen to the prophets who comforted them with soothing lies rather than

those who confronted them with the harsh truth.

People have not changed. Even in our day, people choose to believe only

the doctrines they like. Modern-day prophets have fallen prey to giving

people the word they want to hear and not the word of the Lord. Jeremiah

refused to fall into this trap. He chose to preach the word of the Lord no

matter how painful it was.

Notice also that Jeremiah told Hananiah that the true prophet would be

acknowledged when his prediction came true:

9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of

that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord

has truly sent the prophet.” (Jeremiah 28)

In the end, the Lord would reveal whether Hananiah was a true prophet or

not. Within two years, the truth or error of his words would be exposed.

Jeremiah committed Hananiah to the Lord and trusted Him to reveal this

falsehood to the people.

Sometime later, God told Jeremiah to go to Hananiah and speak to him:

12 Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke-

bars from off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of the

Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “Go, tell Hananiah, ‘Thus says the

Lord: You have broken wooden bars, but you have made in

their place bars of iron. (Jeremiah 28)

The Lord told Hananiah that while he had disrespectfully broken Jeremiah’s

wooden yoke, it would be replaced with “bars of iron,” which would not be

broken. God would send the people into exile and place them behind iron

bars from which they would not escape within two years. He would be

exposed as a false prophet.

Jeremiah had another message from the Lord for Hananiah that day:

15 And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah,

“Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have

made this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord:

‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year

you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the

Lord.’” (Jeremiah 28)

God was angry with Hananiah because of his lies. He had misled the

people. Within two months, Hananiah died (Jeremiah 28:17). God not only

showed the nation of Judah that Hananiah was a false prophet but also that

Jeremiah was preaching the truth.

The truth Jeremiah communicated was painful. The people he spoke with

did not want to listen. His message also conflicted with those who tried to

please the people with false hope. These false prophets were popular

because they spoke what people wanted to hear. Sometimes the truth is not

what we want to hear. Jeremiah, however, sets an example for us. He was a

man God could use to preach the truth. He spoke the word of the Lord even

when it hurt and brought him into conflict with fellow prophets. We need

more prophets like Jeremiah.

For Consideration:

What conflicting messages do we hear in the church today?

Are there preachers of our day offering false hope and preaching what

people want to hear?

How can our desire to be accepted and popular hinder us in preaching the

truth of God’s Word?

Does God still discipline His church? What does this discipline look like?

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to guide His people into the truth? Thank Him that this truth is

found in the Bible.

Ask God to set you free from the trap of popularity and wanting to be

accepted so that you can be a testimony for Him.

17 - THE HOUSE OF

SHAPHAN

1 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet

sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to

the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom

Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to

Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother,

the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the

craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem.

3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan

and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of

Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

(Jeremiah 29)

hile the prophet Jeremiah was often alone in the work to which

the Lord had called him, he did have a small group of friends

who supported him. We saw the relationship between

Jeremiah and King Zedekiah. While it is not possible to say that Zedekiah

was Jeremiah's friend, we can at least say that the king had respect for the

prophet and his calling. We have also briefly mentioned Ebed-Melech, the

man who saved Jeremiah's life by drawing him out of the cistern (see

Jeremiah 38). Jeremiah also had a special relationship with a scribe by the

name of Baruch. We will mention him briefly at a later point.

Beyond these individuals, however, we cannot fail to mention the family of

Shaphan. Throughout Jeremiah’s ministry, one or more members of this

household stood behind him. This family seems to be a prominent family in

Judah. In the book of Jeremiah, we meet five sons of Shaphan: Ahikam,

Elasah, Gemariah, Micaiah, and Gedaliah. All these men supported

Jeremiah in his ministry.

Shaphan, the father, was a scribe during the reign of Josiah. When Hilkiah

the priest found the book of the law, while cleaning the temple, he gave it to

Shaphan to bring to the king. Shaphan read the words of the scroll to King

Josiah (2 Chronicles 34:18). After hearing the words contained in the

manuscript, Josiah sent Shaphan, Ahikam (the son of Shaphan), and some

others to seek the Lord about what would become of the nation because of

their sin. Shaphan played an essential part in the revival that would break

out under the reign of King Josiah.

Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as we have already mentioned, was asked by

King Josiah to go with his father to seek the Lord about the nation’s

response to the discovery of the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:11-13). In

Jeremiah 26:24, we read how Ahikam came to the rescue of Jeremiah when

the people sought to kill him because of the word he preached:

24 But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with

Jeremiah so that he was not given over to the people to be put

to death. (Jeremiah 26)

In Jeremiah 29:1-3, we read that Jeremiah sent a letter to the people who

had gone into exile in Babylon. Notice that one of the men who delivered

the message was Elasah, the son of Shaphan.

1 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet

sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to

the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom

Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to

Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother,

the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the

craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem.

3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan

and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of

Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

(Jeremiah 29)

Elasah was quite willing to take this letter to the people in exile. He

believed in Jeremiah and his message.

In Jeremiah 36, God commanded Jeremiah to write the words He would

give him in a scroll. Jeremiah’s scribe Baruch recorded the words. Jeremiah

then asked him to take the manuscript and read it to the people in the house

of the Lord:

5 And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, “I am banned from

going to the house of the Lord, 6 so you are to go, and on a day

of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the Lord’s house

you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you

have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the

hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities. 7

It may be that their plea for mercy will come before the Lord,

and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the

anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this

people.” (Jeremiah 36).

Notice where Baruch went to read the scroll:

10 Then, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read the

words of Jeremiah from the scroll, in the house of the Lord, in

the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the secretary,

which was in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of

the Lord’s house. (Jeremiah 36)

Baruch read the words of the scroll from the chamber of Gemariah, the son

of Shaphan, who was the secretary.

When Gemariah's son Michaiah heard the word of the Lord as recorded in

Jeremiah's scroll, he went to the king's house to speak to the princes who

were assembled there (Jeremiah 36:12). They summoned Baruch to read the

words of Jeremiah to them (Jeremiah 36.14,15).

After listening to the words, the princes decided to take the scroll to the

king and read it to him. When three or four pages were read, the king took

the scroll, cut it up with his knife and threw it into the fire (Jeremiah 36:23).

It is important to note, however, that Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, along

with his friends, pleaded with the king not to burn the scroll, but the king

refused:

25 Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the

king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.

(Jeremiah 36)

Both Gemariah and Micaiah, sons of Shaphan, played a vital role in sharing

the words of this scroll containing the words of the Lord given to Jeremiah.

The next son of Shaphan we read about was the son of Ahikam. His name

was Gedaliah. When Nebuchadnezzar took the city of Jerusalem, he chose

Gedaliah to be governor over the land (2 Kings 25:22). According to

Jeremiah 39:14, Nebuchadnezzar’s commander brought Jeremiah out of

prison and committed him into the care of Gedaliah:

13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the

Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the chief

officers of the king of Babylon 14 sent and took Jeremiah from

the court of the guard. They entrusted him to Gedaliah the son

of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So

he lived among the people. (Jeremiah 39)

Jeremiah would live with Gedaliah in Jerusalem (Jeremiah 40:6).

Babylon destroyed the city of Jerusalem and took its citizens captive,

leaving behind only the poor and unskilled governed by Gedaliah. Listen to

the first recorded words of Governor Gedaliah to the people who remained

in the city of Jerusalem:

24 And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not

be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land

and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” (2

Kings 25)

Was this not the message of Jeremiah? Compare the words of Gedaliah here

to the words of Jeremiah as recorded in Jeremiah 27:

16 Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying,

“Thus says the Lord: Do not listen to the words of your

prophets who are prophesying to you, saying, ‘Behold, the

vessels of the Lord’s house will now shortly be brought back

from Babylon,’ for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you.

17 Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live.

Why should this city become a desolation? (Jeremiah 27)

It seems evident that Gedaliah was influenced by the preaching of Jeremiah.

He believed the prophecy of Jeremiah and chose to govern accordingly.

Jeremiah was not entirely alone in his ministry. How much it must have

meant to the prophet to have the household of Shaphan stand behind him.

His task was a lonely one. How deeply he must have appreciated this

family. They were an encouragement to him. The Lord's workers need

people like the household of Shaphan. Maybe the Lord would call you to

offer your support and assistance to one of His servants.

For Consideration:

What are some of the discouragement faced by those in ministry?

The Lord supplied Jeremiah with the support he needed in the family of

Shaphan. Who has the Lord given you to encourage and strengthen you in

your struggles?

How can you be an encouragement and support to those around you who

struggle personally or in their service for the Lord?

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord that He brings people into your life when you are in need.

Thank Him that he supplies your needs through His servants.

Ask the Lord to show you how you can be a blessing and encouragement to

His servants in need.

Do you know of someone who is struggling? Take a moment to ask that

Lord to bless them. Ask Him to send the right person to them at this hour of

need to encourage and meet their needs.

18 - SEEK THE PEACE OF

THE CITY

4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the

exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5

Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their

produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives

for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they

may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not

decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent

you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its

welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29)

hen the Babylonians took the citizens of Jerusalem captive,

they brought them to Babylon, leaving only the poor and

unskilled to care for the land. Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem

with Gedaliah, the son of Shaphan, the governor. His ministry to those who

had gone into captivity did not end when they left their homeland. In the

last chapter, we mentioned that Elasah, the son of Shaphan, brought a letter

from Jeremiah to the captives in Babylon.

Let’s take a moment to consider the content of that letter. Notice in

Jeremiah 29:4 that the prophet reminded the captives that it was God who

sent them into exile:

4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the

exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:

(Jeremiah 29)

Notice the phrase: to “to the exiles whom I have sent into exile.” It was the

Lord who sent His people into captivity. This was in direct fulfilment of the

prophecy of Jeremiah. God took their land from them. They had not

expected this to happen, but it did. As they sat in exile, they had cause to

consider what had happened and why. It was their rebellion against God

that put them in this situation. Jeremiah wanted the people to understand

that it was God who was disciplining them for their sin and disobedience.

It is not always easy to see God in our struggles. It is even more challenging

to understand that He has a purpose in our suffering. One of the significant

responsibilities of a Christian leader is to help people to see the hand of

God in whatever circumstance they find themselves. This is not an easy

lesson for us to learn. We can accept a God who gives us what we want and

makes us comfortable. It is not so easy, however, to surrender to a God who

strips us of all we treasure. There could be no victory for the people of God,

however, until they recognized God’s hand in their circumstances and

surrendered to His purpose.

Notice that Jeremiah encouraged the people to build houses, settle down,

plant gardens, marry and have sons and daughters:

5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their

produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives

for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they

may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not

decrease. (Jeremiah 29)

Remember that Hananiah, the prophet told the people that their exile would

only last two years:

1 In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah

king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, Hananiah

the son of Azzur, the prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the

house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the

people, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of

Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within

two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the

Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took

away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 I will also bring

back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,

and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the

Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”

(Jeremiah 28)

Jeremiah was telling them something different. He was telling them to build

houses and marry their daughters. The implication was that they were going

to be in exile for a long time. It was the purpose of God that they remain

there. Nothing was going to shorten the time God had determined for them

there. No prayers or pleading with God would make Him change His mind.

Jeremiah was telling the exiles that this is where they would die. They

would never again see the land God promised their fathers. They were to

accept this and learn to live in their new circumstances, for this was the will

of God for them.

There were two options for the people of God. Either they could become

bitter and refuse to accept the inevitable, or they could trust God and make

the most of their circumstances. Jeremiah challenged them to get on with

life, build their houses, have children and enjoy the good things God would

provide in this less than ideal environment.

Jeremiah also encouraged the exiles to seek the prosperity of the city to

which they were exiled:

7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into

exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you

will find your welfare.

If God’s people were going to prosper, they would have to do so in a

foreign land. They would have to forgive those who had taken them into

captivity. More than this, however, they needed to seek the prosperity of

their enemies. They were to become ideal citizens of Babylon, adding to its

economy and blessing its people. God commanded the Jewish exiles to pray

for the prosperity of their enemies and tied their blessing to the welfare of

Babylon—they would only be blessed as their enemies were blessed.

The Jewish exiles could live in poverty, refusing to do anything that might

bless those who had taken them from their homeland. They could spend the

rest of their lives mourning the loss of their properties. They could live in

rebellion and be crushed by their Babylonian rulers. They could hold on to

an attitude of bitterness towards their captives and make life miserable for

everyone.

On the other hand, these exiles could put aside hatred and bitterness and

plant their fields, build their houses and see their children's children. They

could become good citizens of Babylon and gain the admiration of their

enemies. They could accept the fact that God had sent them into exile and

learn to rejoice in His mercy, even in exile.

The blessing and prosperity of God’s people were tied to the land of their

captivity. They would have to put aside bitterness and pride and submit to

God. This was the great lesson God wanted to teach them. They were in

captivity because they had failed to surrender to God. They refused to be

broken by God. The pathway to victory in exile would be through

brokenness and submission.

Was this the message the exiles wanted to hear in their exile? Many lesser

prophets would have offered false hope and comfort. Jeremiah’s letter was

hard. It was a message that provided hope and support only by surrendering

to their trial. It was a message that rebuked the bitterness, pride and

stubbornness of their hearts. Jeremiah offered them no hope of returning to

their homeland in their lifetime. He told them that they could only be

blessed by blessing and forgiving their enemies.

There are many people today who need to hear this message. There is

bitterness in their hearts that has lingered there for years. They have refused

to forgive. They have failed to see that while the enemy meant to harm

them, God can use what happened for good. These individuals have been

unable to experience the fullness of God’s blessing because their pride and

lack of forgiveness has kept those blessings from them. Jeremiah’s letter to

the exiles, though difficult to accept, is still the pathway to victory.

For Consideration:

Does God allow hard things to happen to His children?

Have you found it difficult to forgive those who have offended you? Why

would it have been hard for the exiles to forgive their enemies?

How easy is it to offer false comfort rather than speaking the hard truth?

Have you ever found yourself in this situation?

To what extent is our blessing tied to our willingness to be a blessing to

others?

God challenged His people to be good citizens in the land where they lived.

What impact have believers had for good on your community?

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to give you the grace to submit to Him and His purpose even

when it is difficult.

Do you have a hard time forgiving people? Ask God to give you the grace

to offer that forgiveness.

Ask God to help you to be a blessing to those who have offended you.

Ask God to help the believers in your community be good citizens giving

testimony to the goodness of their God.

Take a moment to pray for your city. Ask God to break through the areas of

sin and evil. Ask Him to restore His blessing.

19 -THE DISCIPLINE

OF THE LORD

27 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will

sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of

man and the seed of beast. 28 And it shall come to pass that as

I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to

overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them

to build and to plant, declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31)

robably the most encouraging section of the book of Jeremiah is

chapters 30 to 33. In these chapters, Jeremiah speaks about the

coming restoration of God’s people to their homeland. He also

gives us insight into the discipline of God and its purpose in the life of His

people. Let’s consider this for a moment.

Because God’s people refused to listen to Him, He allowed their enemies to

overpower them and take them into exile. At this time, all human support

was stripped away. Even their allies forgot them in their time of trouble:

14 All your lovers have forgotten you; they care nothing for

you; for I have dealt you the blow of an enemy, the punishment

of a merciless foe, because your guilt is great, because your

sins are flagrant. (Jeremiah 30)

Jeremiah reminded his people, however, that God was not blind to those

who devoured them:

16 Therefore all who devour you shall be devoured, and all

your foes, every one of them, shall go into captivity; those who

plunder you shall be plundered, and all who prey on you I will

make a prey. 17 For I will restore health to you, and your

wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called

you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’ (Jeremiah

30)

God allowed the enemies of His people to overpower them but would hold

them accountable for doing so. This may seem strange to us but understand

that it was only natural that Judah’s enemies attack her. Human nature is

greedy and envious of what others have. We can be sure that Satan was

doing all he could to destroy the people of God. What kept him from doing

so? It was the restraining hand of God. God had been holding back Judah's

enemy for many years. They were secure because God kept them.

How little we understand of this restraining influence of God. We are living

in a sinful world. We are facing a horrible enemy in the person of Satan. He

will do anything to destroy, not only the work of God but God's people as

well.

In the story of Job, we catch a glimpse of the desire of Satan to destroy

God’s servant. In Job 1, we read about an encounter between Satan and

God:

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present

themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan

answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the

earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord

said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there

is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man,

who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan

answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no

reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house

and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of

his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11

But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will

curse you to your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan,

“Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do

not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the

presence of the Lord. (Job 1)

Notice how Satan was “going to and fro on the earth” (verse 7). The reason

for this is quite apparent. He wanted to find someone to tempt and destroy.

Notice also the reason Satan could not tempt Job was because God had put

a “hedge around him and his house” (verse 10). God needed to lift this

hedge if Satan were to penetrate it –something God would ultimately do to

accomplish something good in the life of Job.

Jeremiah experienced this protection of God in his life and ministry. Very

early in his ministry, God promised that the enemy would not be able to

penetrate the wall that he would set up to protect him.

20 And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze;

they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you,

for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the

Lord. (Jeremiah 15)

How often Jeremiah’s foes wanted to kill him but could not penetrate the

bronze wall God has set up around him. In the same way, God surrounded

His people with His care and protection from their enemies. When God's

people refused to obey Him, He loosened His restraint, and the enemy

penetrated.

God did not need to tell Babylon to attack the nation of Judah. They did

what was natural to them. They did what their sinful nature dictated. God

loosened His restraint, and the enemy lashed out in cruelty and greed. God

did not author their sin. He merely stopped holding them back. They chose

to obey the sinful impulses of their hearts and would suffer the

consequences of their evil actions.

God’s restraining hand is an act of mercy and love. He is not obliged to

hold back the enemy but does so because He loves His people. If God were

not holding back the enemy, where would we be today? We cannot take this

for granted.

There are times when God pulls back His protective hand. The result is

often confusing and terrifying. In the case of Job, he lost his family and

personal health. In the case of God’s people in Jeremiah’s day, the enemy

swept in and took their land. Jeremiah told his people, however, that even

when God pulls back His hand, He does not surrender control.

Jeremiah prophesied that the day would come when God would restore His

people. Notice when this would happen:

24 The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has

executed and accomplished the intentions of his mind. In the

latter days you will understand this. (Jeremiah 30)

God would restore His people when He had “accomplished the intentions of

his mind.” In other words, God did not remove His hand or surrender

control. He allowed the enemy to be an instrument through which He would

accomplish His purpose for His people. Only when the intents of God’s

heart were achieved, would He restore them.

Listen to what Jeremiah prophesied about Ephraim:

18 I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me,

and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back

that I may be restored, for you are the Lord my God. 19 For

after I had turned away, I relented, and after I was instructed, I

struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded,

because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’ (Jeremiah 31)

Under the discipline of God, Ephraim would come to recognize his sin. He

would understand that God disciplined him to bring him to repentance so

that his fellowship and blessing could be restored. It was God’s deepest

desire to have mercy on His child. It was His purpose to discipline Ephraim

until He learned his lesson and was restored to fellowship. Though God

punished Ephraim, He did not cease to love him. Listen to the words He

spoke through Jeremiah:

20 Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as

often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore

my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him,

declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31)

God had to speak harshly to Ephraim. It broke His heart that He had to

discipline him so severely. Ephraim was dear to the heart of God, however,

and God yearned to fellowship with him. God jealously guarded His

relationship with them. He disciplined them to purge anything that would

keep them from perfect communion and fellowship. For a moment in time,

God lifted his restraining hand, but He did not give up on His people. He

would discipline them, but when that discipline had accomplished its

purpose, He would restore them:

28 And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them

to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring

harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares

the Lord. (Jeremiah 31)

When His people had learned to submit and were transformed by His

discipline, God would restore them. He would open His arms to receive

them. There in His arms, they would be shielded once again from their

enemy. There they would know the abundant blessing of fellowship. There

they would enjoy perfect peace.

Jeremiah reminded his people that while the Lord had lifted His protection

for a time, He would use this to shape and transform them. When His

discipline had accomplished its purpose, He would restore them. God had

not abandoned His people. While their exile would not be comfortable, it

was God’s way of transforming and humbling them so that they could be

restored to greater fellowship and blessing.

For Consideration:

What do we learn in this chapter about the restraining hand of God? Where

would we be if God were not restraining the evil intended for us?

Does God have the right to lift His protection from us?

What is the purpose of the discipline of God? Does God forget those He

disciplines?

Does God delight in discipline? What evidence do we have that God prefers

to bless than punish?

Have you ever been disciplined by the Lord? What did that discipline

accomplish in your life?

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord for the many times, unknown to yourself, that He has

restrained the hand of evil intended for you.

Thank the Lord that when He disciplines us, He does so for our good.

Ask the Lord to help you to submit to His discipline in your life so that you

can learn what He wants to teach you.

20 - PRACTISING WHAT

YOU PREACH

6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Behold,

Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you and

say, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of

redemption by purchase is yours.’ 8 Then Hanamel my cousin

came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the

word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Buy my field that is at

Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession

and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that

this was the word of the Lord. 9 “And I bought the field at

Anathoth from Hanamel my cousin, and weighed out the money

to him, seventeen shekels of silver. 10 I signed the deed, sealed

it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. (Jeremiah

32)

ver the course of this study, we have seen how God asked the

prophet, Jeremiah, to speak challenging words. It was not easy to

preach to people who would not listen or accept what he was

saying. In the last chapter, we examined the letter Jeremiah wrote to the

exiles telling them that their deportation would be a long one, but the day

was coming when God would restore them to the land of their fathers.

While it was often difficult for Jeremiah to speak the words of the Lord, it

was another matter to stand behind those words personally. Many preach

but do not practice what they tell others. In Jeremiah 32, the Lord puts

Jeremiah to the test to see if he genuinely believed what He was asking him

to preach.

6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Behold,

Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you and

say, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of

redemption by purchase is yours.’ (Jeremiah 32)

The Lord told Jeremiah that his cousin would be coming to see him.

Jeremiah’s cousin wanted to sell him a piece of land in Anathoth, his

hometown. While this type of transaction was typical, what was strange

about this situation was the circumstance under which the property was

being sold. Jeremiah 32:2-3 give us the context:

2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging

Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court

of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah. 3 For

Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying, “Why do

you prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am giving

this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall

capture it; (Jeremiah 32)

Jeremiah was in prison. He had been sent there by the king for prophesying

against his nation. There was no telling if he could ever leave his cell to

enjoy the property he was being offered. What good was land to Jeremiah if

he was going to spend the rest of his days in prison?

Notice also what was happening in the nation at that time. “The king of

Babylon was besieging Jerusalem.” The Babylonians had camped on the

doorstep and were ready to take the whole land. This was not the time to

purchase a piece of property. Would you buy property if your country was

at war and the enemy was threatening to take it from you?

When Jeremiah's cousin arrived at the prison and offered Jeremiah the

property, there may have been a few questions in the mind of the prophet.

Should he buy the property or not? Was buying the property a wise

investment? Human wisdom told him it was foolish, but what had he been

preaching in recent months? Had he not prophesied that the exiles would

return to the land God had given to their fathers. By buying this land, he

would show the world that he believed what he was preaching.

Jeremiah decided to obey the Lord and purchase the property. He paid the

money to his cousin and had a deed made up. He called Baruch the scribe

and asked him to take the documents and place them in a clay jar for

safekeeping, telling him that the day was coming when houses and

vineyards would once again be bought in the land:

15 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses

and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.’

(Jeremiah 32:15)

Through Jeremiah obeyed the Lord in this matter, he did not understand

what God was doing. Listen to his prayer in verses 24-25:

24 Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it,

and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is

given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against

it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it. 25

Yet you, O Lord God, have said to me, “Buy the field for money

and get witnesses”—though the city is given into the hands of

the Chaldeans.’” (Jeremiah 32)

Jeremiah struggled with what he had just done. He chose to obey the Lord

and trust His leading, but he had many questions. God understood the

confusion Jeremiah was experiencing and comforted him in his struggle:

27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too

hard for me? (Jeremiah 32)

God reminded Jeremiah that nothing was too hard for Him. He would go on

to tell the prophet:

42 “For thus says the Lord: Just as I have brought all this great

disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good

that I promise them. 43 Fields shall be bought in this land of

which you are saying, ‘It is a desolation, without man or beast;

it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ 44 Fields shall be

bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and

witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about

Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill

country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the

Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.”

(Jeremiah 32)

The Lord reminded Jeremiah that He would restore His people to their land.

The day was coming when fields would be again purchased. Jeremiah was

not a wealthy man. It could be that everything he had was invested in the

piece of property that was going to be taken by the Babylonians. God was

asking Jeremiah not only to preach the Word but demonstrate His

confidence in that Word by investing in the land God promised would one

day be restored to him.

Jeremiah took a step of faith that day. God asked him if he believed what he

was preaching. He put him to the test and called him to invest in what he

was teaching others. Jeremiah struggled with the decision but was

determined to obey. Would we pass this test today?

For Consideration:

Did Jeremiah’s purchase make sense from a logical and human perspective?

Explain.

Should we ever do something when we do not understand what we are

doing?

Should human logic and understanding be the basis for our decisions? Can

human reasoning and intelligence keep us from obedience?

What do we see in this chapter about the importance of consistency in word

and lifestyle? Do you practice what you preach?

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to help you to trust His Word and His leading more than your

human wisdom and understanding. Ask Him for the grace to obey even

when you do not fully understand what He is asking you to do.

Ask God to forgive you for times when you have strayed from the truth of

His Word because it did not make sense to you.

Ask the Lord to show you if there are any inconsistencies in what you say

and do. Ask God to give you the grace to invest in the truth He has revealed

to you about Himself and His purpose for your life.

21 - RETURNED SLAVES

8 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King

Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem

to make a proclamation of liberty to them, 9 that everyone

should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no

one should enslave a Jew, his brother. 10 And they obeyed, all

the officials and all the people who had entered into the

covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female,

so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set

them free. 11 But afterward they turned around and took back

the male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them

into subjection as slaves. (Jeremiah 34)

ommitments are easy to make but much harder to maintain.

Maybe your commitment to the Lord has been eroded by trials

and temptations. Personal weaknesses have compromised your

testimony for Him. Friends, society, jobs, and other interests have crept in

and weakened your once steadfast commitment to the Saviour. God’s

people in the days of Jeremiah were experiencing this erosion of faith.

In Jeremiah 34, the Lord addresses a particular sin in the life of the nation—

the practice of keeping Hebrew slaves.

8 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King

Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem

to make a proclamation of liberty to them, 9 that everyone

should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no

one should enslave a Jew, his brother.

Though they had been slaves in Egypt, God’s people were subjecting their

brothers and sisters to this same evil. God was not pleased with this.

We do not know what part Jeremiah played in this release of slaves, but he

had been preaching that God’s people needed to be restored to Him and His

purpose. The practice of slavery was only one of the many sins Jeremiah

had to address. Jeremiah 34: 8 tells us that Zedekiah made a covenant with

the people to release all Jewish slaves. Notice the response of the people to

this decree:

10 And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had

entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave,

male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They

obeyed and set them free. (Jeremiah 34)

The practice of taking Hebrew slaves was abolished in the land. What a

great day that must have been for the prophet Jeremiah. He must have been

encouraged to see the Lord do such a mighty work in the lives of His people

by releasing these slaves.

The commitment the people made to the abolition of slavery, however, was

short-lived. We read in Jeremiah 34:11:

11 But afterward they turned around and took back the male

and female slaves they had set free, and brought them into

subjection as slaves. (Jeremiah 34)

The people changed their minds and took back their slaves. We do not know

what brought about this change. Was it because of the difficulties they

encountered without the slaves? Life became harder for these former slave

owners who had no one to do the work for them. They may have needed to

hire people to do the jobs that had, under slavery, been done freely. This

was hard on their pocketbooks.

While we do not know why they changed their minds, the factors

mentioned above were likely part of their decision to bring back slavery.

Their commitment to God weakened when it brought hardship for them.

They were willing to obey when obedience was convenient, but they were

not willing to suffer.

The Lord was displeased with their decision to go back on their

commitment. God sent Jeremiah to express His displeasure.

15 You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by

proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a

covenant before me in the house that is called by my name, 16

but then you turned around and profaned my name when each

of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set

free according to their desire, and you brought them into

subjection to be your slaves. 17 “Therefore, thus says the Lord:

You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his

brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to

the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. I will

make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. (Jeremiah

34)

God’s wrath would be poured out on those who broke their covenant. They

would perish by sword, pestilence and famine. Only recently, Jeremiah had

been rejoicing in the work of God in these lives. Now he proclaimed the

judgement of God on these same people.

Jeremiah experienced short-lived joys in ministry. He saw the shallowness

of God’s people. He watched his “successes” turn to ashes. He saw his

people turn their backs on God when things got complicated. He

experienced deep disappointments. Success for Jeremiah would not be

measured in results but in faithfulness to preach the message God gave him.

For Consideration:

Have you been faithful to your commitments? Take a moment to examine

the promises you have made.

Have you been willing to suffer hardship to be true to your word and the

commitments you have made?

What temptations do you face to go back on your word?

Are results the measure of success? How do you think Jeremiah felt

watching the people of his day go back on their promise? Have you ever

felt what he must have felt that day?

For Prayer:

Ask God to give you the grace to be faithful to the godly commitments you

have made in life. Ask Him to give you the strength you need when this

obligation becomes a burden.

Ask God to give you victory over the things that keep you from being

faithful to your promises. Ask Him to show you what you need to do about

these hindrances.

Thank the Lord that He is not focused on results but obedience and

faithfulness. Ask Him to give you the grace you need when you feel

discouraged in ministry and life. Ask Him to help you to be faithful,

especially in trying times.

22 - THE RECHABITES

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of

Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 2 “Go to the house

of the Rechabites and speak with them and bring them to the

house of the Lord, into one of the chambers; then offer them

wine to drink.” (Jeremiah 35)

n Jeremiah 35, we meet a group of people known as the Rechabites.

As the descendants of Rechab, they were a peculiar people. They

refused to drink wine, never built houses, sowed seeds or planted

vineyards. They lived in tents as nomads, wandering in search of food. This

lifestyle was based on a command given them by their forefather Jonadab,

the son of Rechab:

6 But they answered, “We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the

son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, ‘You shall not drink

wine, neither you nor your sons forever. 7 You shall not build a

house; you shall not sow seed; you shall not plant or have a

vineyard; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may

live many days in the land where you sojourn.’ (Jeremiah 35)

For many years these Rechabites had been faithful to their forefather's

desire for them as a family.

The Lord asked Jeremiah to invite the Rechabites to the house of the Lord

(Jeremiah 35.2). When they arrived, Jeremiah was to set out wine for them

to drink. Jeremiah did as the Lord commanded. He brought the Rechabites

to the house of the Lord and set out pots of wine before them (Jeremiah

35:5).

The Rechabites graciously explained to Jeremiah that they would not drink

wine because of the command their forefather Jonadab had given them. As

a family, they had chosen to respect his wishes and refused to drink the

wine Jeremiah offered:

8 We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our

father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our

days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, 9 and

not to build houses to dwell in. We have no vineyard or field or

seed, 10 but we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done

all that Jonadab our father commanded us. (Jeremiah 35)

It was only after the Rechabites refused Jeremiah’s wine, that the word of

the Lord came to the prophet:

13 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say

to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will

you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the

Lord. 14 The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to

his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none

to this day, for they have obeyed their father’s command. I have

spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me.

(Jeremiah 35)

God used this encounter as an object lesson for His people. He pointed out

how the Rechabites rejected Jeremiah’s wine because it was their purpose in

life to follow the wishes of their father. Jonadab, as a mere man,

commanded his family to abstain from wine, and for years they respected

his desire. God, however, spoke to His people repeatedly, but they would

not obey or respect His wishes. The Rechabites had more respect for their

forefathers than the people of Judah had for their God.

16 The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the

command that their father gave them, but this people has not

obeyed me. (Jeremiah 35)

The Lord was angry with His people for their refusal to walk in His

purpose. Through Jeremiah He told them that He would bring disaster

because of their disobedience:

17 Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of

Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Judah and all the

inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced

against them, because I have spoken to them and they have not

listened, I have called to them and they have not answered.”

(Jeremiah 35)

God, however, chose to bless the Rechabites for their obedience to Jonadab:

18 But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, “Thus

says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have

obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and kept all his

precepts and done all that he commanded you, 19 therefore thus

says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of

Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me.” (Jeremiah

35)

Have you ever been struck by the long hours an employee will spend at

work to make a few more dollars? How does their enthusiasm for these

worldly matters compare to our zeal for the King of kings? Is there not

something wrong when our society finds greater pleasure in the things of

this world than we experience in our God? Were we not created for God?

Doesn’t our greatest satisfaction and joy come from knowing Him and His

presence?

The Rechabites wandered as nomads. They had no home, no property, and

only what they could carry from one place to another. They did not enjoy

the comforts of those who lived in towns and houses. They were willing,

however, to make these sacrifices to be obedient to their father, Jonadab.

Obedience to their father became their distinguishing trait. It was their

desire and purpose in life.

What distinguishes us as believers today? Is it a heartfelt passion to please

our heavenly Father? Is this what defines our lives? Are we willing to

sacrifice the comforts and privileges of life to please our Father? Will we,

like the Rechabites, resist all temptations that would call us away from this

commitment? Why do evildoers openly boast of their sinful and immoral

lifestyles, yet God’s people struggle to be known as those who live to please

their heavenly Father? Jeremiah’s words and the example of the Rechabites

continue to challenge us in our day.

For Consideration:

Who were the Rechabites, and what distinguished them from other people

in the region?

What things do people in your society get excited about? To what worldly

principles are they devoted?

Have you been excited about your relationship with God? Do you find great

joy in obedience to Him? What keeps us from experiencing this joy and

devotion?

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to remove anything that would keep you from experiencing

joy and gratitude in Him. Ask Him to give you a faithful heart.

Ask the Lord to stir up His people to greater love and devotion to Him.

Take a moment to pray this for your church or fellowship group.

Pray that your community would see the devotion and delight your church

has in pleasing its heavenly Father. Pray that they would be attracted not to

us but to the God who brings such delight to our hearts.

23 - THE BURNT SCROLL

32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the

scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the dictation of

Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of

Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were

added to them. (Jeremiah 36)

own through the ages, men and women have tried to disclaim the

truth of Scripture. Some have shredded and burned copies of the

Bible in their distaste for it. The Bible has been banned in

countries. Soldiers have been ordered to seek out and destroy any copies

they found. Historically, those who translated the Bible were burned at the

stake. Those who distributed it were thrown in prison.

Not only has the Word of God been physically attacked— but it has also

suffered intellectual attacks. We may not fear the possibility of soldiers

breaking into our home and taking away our Bibles, but we do experience

the attacks of those who seek to discredit the Bible. We see an increasing

number of scholars casting doubt on the truth of this Word. For many, the

Bible is no longer an authoritative guide for life and doctrine. They feel it is

outdated and no longer relevant to our present society. Misinterpretation

and distortions of the truth it contains are issues in our day. More and more,

the Bible is being placed on the shelf and replaced by popular opinion. “If

the majority thinks something is right, it cannot be wrong,” is the modern

philosophy.

Ever since the beginning of time, it has been the tactic of Satan to discredit

the Word of God. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent sought to cast doubt on

the Word of God when he said:

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the

field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did

God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

(Genesis 3)

Satan’s tactic has not changed. His great desire is to turn people away from

the truth of God and His purpose for their lives.

In Jeremiah 36, the Lord asked the prophet to record His words on a scroll.

By recording it in written form, he was preserving the words for future

generations and making them accessible to more people. God told Jeremiah

to write down all the words He had given him to speak against Israel and

Judah. I imagine that this would have taken some time.

1 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of

Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Take a

scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you

against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I

spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. 3 It may be

that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to

do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and

that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.” (Jeremiah 36)

Notice in Jeremiah 36:3 that the Lord desired that when the people heard

these words read to them, they would repent and return to Him for

forgiveness.

After completing the scroll, Jeremiah asked his friend Baruch to read it in

the house of the Lord. Jeremiah, by this time, was forbidden access to the

temple. The only way the prophet could communicate the truth God had

given him was to have Baruch read the words written in the scroll.

5 And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, “I am banned from

going to the house of the Lord, 6 so you are to go, and on a day

of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the Lord’s house

you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you

have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the

hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities.

(Jeremiah 36)

Baruch did as Jeremiah requested and read the words of the scroll to those

who had gathered in the house of the Lord.

When Michaiah, the grandson of Shaphan, heard them, he told the officials

what he heard. The officials asked Baruch to read the words of Jeremiah to

them personally? The prophecy so struck them that they felt it necessary to

take the scroll to the king.

16 When they heard all the words, they turned one to another in

fear. And they said to Baruch, “We must report all these words

to the king.” (Jeremiah 36)

Before going to the king, however, the officials asked Baruch to identify the

author. He informed them that they had come from Jeremiah. The officials

knew that Jeremiah was not only banned from the house of the Lord, but

many wanted to kill him. Even though these words came from Jeremiah, the

officials felt they were important enough to bring to the king. Before

seeking his audience, however, they told Baruch to find Jeremiah and hide.

They suspected that the king would not be happy with what he heard.

19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go and hide, you and

Jeremiah, and let no one know where you are.” (Jeremiah 36)

The officials brought the scroll to King Jehoiakim and began to read its

contents. As they read, the king took his knife and cut each section of the

prophecy from the manuscript and throw it in the fire. He did this even

though Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah urged him not to do so (Jeremiah

36:25). By destroying the words of Jeremiah, the king was showing his

contempt for the word of God. Remember that this scroll was written by

hand, and there were likely no other copies available.

After burning the scroll, King Jehoiakim ordered that both Baruch and

Jeremiah be seized and thrown into prison. They escaped, however, by

listening to the counsel of the officials who told them to hide.

All Jeremiah’s hard work had now been burned up. Many hours of labour

for the Lord was now a pile of ashes. We can imagine that this would have

been very discouraging. Behind this, of course, was the efforts of the enemy

to destroy the word of God.

What is remarkable about this story, however, is the fact that God preserved

His word despite the king's efforts to destroy it. God kept it by safeguarding

His servants through whom His word came. After the king burned the

scroll, the word of the Lord came again to Jeremiah.

27 Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that

Baruch wrote at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the Lord

came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take another scroll and write on it all

the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim

the king of Judah has burned. (Jeremiah 36)

God asked Jeremiah to take another scroll and rewrite all the words that

were in the first scroll. Listen to what Jeremiah 36:32 has to say was the

result:

32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the

scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the dictation of

Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of

Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were

added to them. (Jeremiah 36)

Verse 32 tells us that Jeremiah wrote “all the words of the scroll that

Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire.” The small word “all” is

significant. It implies that everything that was in the first scroll was in the

second scroll. Nothing was missing. Beyond this, however, many similar

words were added. In other words, God gave Jeremiah even more than he

had in the first scroll. God preserved the prophecy of Jeremiah even through

the king destroyed the original copy in the fire. We have Jeremiah’s word

today because God would not let it be destroyed.

Since Jeremiah's day, others have sought to stamp out the word of God, but

God has preserved it. Not only did God protect this word, but it spread in

written form throughout the world. It was passed down from generation to

generation so that today, we read it and continue to be challenged by its

content. The God who gave Jeremiah the words to speak, also assured that

they reached those who needed to hear them. He preserved what He called

Jeremiah to preach and anointed it for His purpose around the world.

Jeremiah could never have imagined when news came that the first scroll

had been destroyed, just how far God would take the words He gave him a

second time.

We see from this that we have a God who is bigger than what the enemy

does to us. The enemy will strike with his arrows. He will cause us pain and

suffering, but above all, this is a God who loves and cares for us. He will

overrule what the enemy does and expand His kingdom in our lives and

around the world.

For Consideration:

What attacks have you seen on the Word of God in your day?

Why are the Bible and the truth it contains so essential? Where would we

be today without this truth?

Have you ever been discouraged when you saw your work in ashes before

you? How did God work out the details of that seeming loss for Jeremiah?

What encouragement do you find in the fact that God preserved the work

He called Jeremiah to do until it had accomplished what He intended? What

implication does this have for your life personally?

For Prayer:

Take a moment to thank the Lord for how He has preserved the truth of His

Word down through the years.

Ask the Lord to give you a deeper appreciation of the truth we have in the

pages of His inspired Word.

Thank the Lord that when He calls, He also equips and preserves the efforts

He calls us to make for His glory.

Ask God to enable you to trust Him even when things do not turn out as

you expected.

24 - FEARING FOR HIS

LIFE

11 Now when the Chaldean army had withdrawn from

Jerusalem at the approach of Pharaoh’s army, 12 Jeremiah set

out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive his

portion there among the people. 13 When he was at the

Benjamin Gate, a sentry there named Irijah the son of

Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, seized Jeremiah the prophet,

saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans.” 14 And Jeremiah

said, “It is a lie; I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But

Irijah would not listen to him, and seized Jeremiah and brought

him to the officials. (Jeremiah 37)

he city of Jerusalem was under siege. The Babylonians surrounded

it, cutting off supplies. They withdrew, however, when they

discovered that Egypt was approaching. This gave the citizens of

Jerusalem some needed relief. It was at this time that Jeremiah decided to

leave the city and travel to Benjamin where he had purchased a piece of

property from his cousin (see Jeremiah 32).

When Jeremiah arrived at the Benjamin Gate, he was met by Irijah, a guard.

Irijah knew Jeremiah had been preaching about surrendering to the

Babylonians. Seeing Jeremiah at the entrance made Irijah suspicious.

Irijah's imagination began to work, and he drew some false conclusions:

13 When he was at the Benjamin Gate, a sentry there named

Irijah the son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, seized Jeremiah

the prophet, saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans.”

(Jeremiah 37)

Irijah accused the prophet of deserting to the enemy. Jeremiah sought to

defend himself against Irijah’s accusation. Irijah, however, would not listen.

Instead, he arrested the prophet and brought him to the city officials.

This false accusation made things very difficult for Jeremiah. The officials

beat him and threw him in prison where he would remain for many days.

15 And the officials were enraged at Jeremiah, and they beat

him and imprisoned him in the house of Jonathan the secretary,

for it had been made a prison. 16 When Jeremiah had come to

the dungeon cells and remained there many days … (Jeremiah

37)

We catch a glimpse of the painful conditions in that prison when King

Zedekiah came secretly to visit him. After speaking with the king, Jeremiah

made a personal request:

20 Now hear, please, O my lord the king: let my humble plea

come before you and do not send me back to the house of

Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there.” (Jeremiah 37)

Jeremiah pleaded with the king not to send him back to the prison at the

house of Jonathan because he feared he would die there (Jeremiah 37.20).

This was not the only time Jeremiah had cause to fear for his life. In

Jeremiah 38, he was preaching about surrendering to the Chaldeans (see

Jeremiah 38:2-3). He told those who were listening that the person who

stayed in the city would die by the sword, famine and pestilence. On the

other hand, if they went with the Babylonians into exile, they would live:

2 “Thus says the Lord: He who stays in this city shall die by the

sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the

Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war,

and live. 3 Thus says the Lord: This city shall surely be given

into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.”

(Jeremiah 38)

When Shephatiah, Gedaliah, Jucal and Pashhur heard the words of

Jeremiah, they felt his influence was weakening the resolve of the soldiers

to fight their enemy.

4 Then the officials said to the king, “Let this man be put to

death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left

in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such

words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this

people, but their harm.” (Jeremiah 38)

After hearing Jeremiah’s message, these officials approached King

Zedekiah for permission to kill the prophet. Zedekiah granted permission.

The officials then threw Jeremiah into an empty cistern full of mud. When

they let Jeremiah down with ropes, he sunk deep into this mud, where he

was left to die.

6 So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of

Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard,

letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the

cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud. (Jeremiah

38)

When an Ethiopian eunuch named Ebed-Melech, who knew Jeremiah,

heard what had happened, he approached the king on Jeremiah’s behalf.

Listen to his words to the king that day:

9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they

did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and

he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.”

(Jeremiah 38)

Ebed-Melech understood that unless he did something for Jeremiah, he

would die abandoned in that cistern. King Zedekiah gave permission to

Ebed-Melech to take thirty men to rescue Jeremiah. Jeremiah returned to

prison, but his life was spared.

The message the Lord called Jeremiah to preach was a dangerous message.

He risked his life teaching the Word of God. Jeremiah understood how risky

it was to share the words of the Lord in those days and often feared for his

life.

After Jeremiah’s rescue from the cistern, King Zedekiah came to see him.

The king wanted to hear from the Lord. Listen to the conversation that took

place that day:

14 King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received

him at the third entrance of the temple of the Lord. The king

said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you a question; hide nothing from

me.” 15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not

surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not

listen to me.” 16 Then King Zedekiah swore secretly to

Jeremiah, “As the Lord lives, who made our souls, I will not put

you to death or deliver you into the hand of these men who seek

your life.” 17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the

Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender

to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be

spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and

your house shall live. (Jeremiah 38)

When King Zedekiah asked Jeremiah to seek the Lord’s will, the prophet

expressed his concern that if he spoke the word God had given him, he

would put him to death. King Zedekiah promised that he would neither put

him to death or hand him over to those who sought to kill him. With this

assurance, Jeremiah held nothing back. He spoke clearly the words of God,

telling Zedekiah that if he wanted to live, he needed to surrender to the

enemy.

Jeremiah lived with tension in his heart. He wanted to live, but he also

needed to be obedient to the Lord and preach the message God gave him. It

was a lonely and challenging ministry, but God did not abandon the prophet

in these times. He used King Zedekiah to rescue him from the prison he

feared would be his end. He used Ebed-Melech to save him from certain

death in an abandoned cistern. The God who called Jeremiah to this

ministry, stood faithfully by his side as he walked in obedience and

preached the truth.

For Consideration:

Have you ever been falsely accused? How powerful are the lies of the

enemy?

What was it like for Jeremiah in prison in the house of Jonathan? What was

it like for him in the cistern? Does God promise that our lives will be free of

struggles? What have been your struggles in ministry and personal life?

How was the protection of God evident in the life of Jeremiah?

How easy is it for us to focus on the problems we face and not see the

presence of God in those problems?

Consider how God gave Jeremiah the strength to do what he needed to do.

Is this strength available to us today? Is there something God would have

you do that you have resisted because you did not feel that you had the

strength and courage necessary?

For Prayer:

Ask God to protect you from the false accusations of the enemy. Thank the

Lord that He understands what it is like to be falsely accused.

Ask the Lord for the courage to obey even when that obedience makes life

difficult for you.

Are you facing a trial right now? Ask the Lord to help you to see evidence

of His presence in your struggle. Take a moment to thank Him for that

presence.

Ask God to give you the courage to step out into the calling He has for your

life, knowing that He who called is faithful to provide you with strength,

skill and boldness to fulfil that calling.

25 - RETURNING TO

EGYPT

19 The Lord has said to you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to

Egypt.’ Know for a certainty that I have warned you this day 20

that you have gone astray at the cost of your lives. For you sent

me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lord our

God, and whatever the Lord our God says, declare to us and we

will do it.’ 21 And I have this day declared it to you, but you

have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God in anything that

he sent me to tell you. 22 Now therefore know for a certainty

that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in

the place where you desire to go to live.” (Jeremiah 42)

eremiah 39-46 is one of the saddest parts of the entire book. In these

eight chapters, God pours out His wrath not once, but twice on His

rebellious people.

Jeremiah 39 recounts the story of the fall of Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar

attacked the city after cutting off its supplies. In its weakened condition, he

had no problem capturing the city. King Zedekiah tried to flee but was

captured and brought before Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar killed

Zedekiah’s sons as he watched, and then plucked out his eyes before

binding him and taking him to Babylon (Jeremiah 39.4-7).

The enemy proceeded to break down the walls of Jerusalem, leaving it

defenceless. Babylon burned the king’s palace and many of the significant

houses in the city (Jeremiah 39:8). They led Jerusalem’s inhabitants away to

Babylon. The only people remaining in the land were the poor and destitute

—those Babylon did not need. Nebuchadnezzar chose Gedaliah, the

grandson of Shaphan, as governor over this small remnant (Jeremiah 40:5).

Jeremiah remained with the people among the ruins of Jerusalem.

The people who remained rallied around Gedaliah. The Jews, from

neighbouring regions, came to Jerusalem to live under the leadership of this

new governor (Jeremiah 40:11-12). The Lord blessed them under Gedaliah's

leadership. We see evidence of this in Jeremiah 40:12.

12 then all the Judeans returned from all the places to which

they had been driven and came to the land of Judah, to

Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they gathered wine and summer fruits

in great abundance. (Jeremiah 40)

Those who remained “gathered wine and summer fruit in great abundance.”

Despite what had happened, the blessing of God was evident in the lives of

these people.

Things seemed to be going well until a conspiracy against Gedaliah was

uncovered.

13 Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the leaders of the

forces in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and

said to him, “Do you know that Baalis the king of the

Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your

life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam would not believe them.

(Jeremiah 40)

For some reason, when Gedaliah was told of this conspiracy, he refused to

accept it. Sometime later, however, the plot against the governor took place:

1 In the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of

Elishama, of the royal family, one of the chief officers of the

king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at

Mizpah. As they ate bread together there at Mizpah, 2 Ishmael

the son of Nethaniah and the ten men with him rose up and

struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with

the sword, and killed him, whom the king of Babylon had

appointed governor in the land. 3 Ishmael also struck down all

the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the

Chaldean soldiers who happened to be there. (Jeremiah 41)

Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, came to Gedaliah and, as they ate together, rose

up and killed the governor, the Judeans who were with him, along with

some Babylonian soldiers present that day.

The assassination of their governor sent shock waves through the city.

Fearing what Babylon would do when it heard of this event, the people

approached Jeremiah, asking him to seek the will of the Lord for them in

this situation. Jeremiah prayed and ten days later received a word from the

Lord for the people.

9 and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to

whom you sent me to present your plea for mercy before him:

10 If you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and

not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I

relent of the disaster that I did to you. 11 Do not fear the king of

Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not fear him, declares the

Lord, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his

hand. 12 I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you

and let you remain in your own land. 13 But if you say, ‘We will

not remain in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lord your

God 14 and saying, ‘No, we will go to the land of Egypt, where

we shall not see war or hear the sound of the trumpet or be

hungry for bread, and we will dwell there,’ 15 then hear the

word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of

hosts, the God of Israel: If you set your faces to enter Egypt

and go to live there, 16 then the sword that you fear shall

overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine of which

you are afraid shall follow close after you to Egypt, and there

you shall die. (Jeremiah 42)

It was the will of the Lord that people remain in Judah. He promised to

deliver them from the hand of Babylon. They were not to go to Egypt,

seeking its protection. If they did, they would perish in Egypt. The sword

they feared would follow them to Egypt.

The people did not like Jeremiah’s message. Some accused him of lying:

1 When Jeremiah finished speaking to all the people all these

words of the Lord their God, with which the Lord their God had

sent him to them, 2 Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan

the son of Kareah and all the insolent men said to Jeremiah,

“You are telling a lie. The Lord our God did not send you to

say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to live there,’ (Jeremiah 43)

Despite the warning of Jeremiah, under the leadership of Johanan, the

people packed their bags and left for Egypt to seek its protection. That day

they left the land God had given their forefathers and return to Egypt from

which they had been delivered many years before.

In Egypt, the people of God lived in rebellion against the Lord. They began

to worship the gods of Egypt and forgot the God of their fathers. Jeremiah

warned them about this, but they would not listen to his words:

15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had made

offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a

great assembly, all the people who lived in Pathros in the land

of Egypt, answered Jeremiah: 16 “As for the word that you

have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to

you. 17 But we will do everything that we have vowed, make

offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to

her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our

officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.

For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no

disaster. (Jeremiah 44)

The Jews living in Egypt openly rejected the words of the Lord through His

servant Jeremiah— “we will not listen to you,” they said. The children of

Israel turned from God to serve the gods of Egypt. They did not learn their

lesson when Babylon captured Jerusalem, as Jeremiah had prophesied.

Their hearts were hardened. They would no longer listen to His voice.

God told Jeremiah in Jeremiah 43:8-13 to take some large stones and bury

them in mortar at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace. Jeremiah prophesied

that the king of Babylon would invade Egypt and burn the temple of the

gods. He would set his throne upon the stones Jeremiah had buried. God’s

rebellious children would either perish there in Egypt or be taken into

captivity. Egypt would not save them.

Many years before these events, God had, through His servant Moses,

delivered His people from the bondage of Egypt. He gave them a land of

their own, blessed them as a people and made them great. Now in their

disobedience, they had returned to Egypt where they would perish without a

home and without hope.

What would it have been like for Jeremiah to see Judah emptied of its

citizens? What would it have been like for him to see them abandon their

God? This is how Jeremiah’s ministry would end. He would walk down

empty and charred streets in Jerusalem and realize that after preaching for

forty years, this was what it came to. He would preach to those who

willingly gave up everything God had promised to live in the land of their

former captivity. He would watch them reject his message. We are not all

called to “success,” but like Jeremiah, we are called to obedience.

For Consideration:

What happened to Jerusalem under the judgement of God? Should we ever

assume that God will not judge us for our actions?

What evidence was there of the blessing of God on the people who

remained in Jerusalem?

The people of God chose to rely on Egypt more than their God. What are

we tempted to trust more than God in our day?

What was the response of the people of God living in Egypt to the message

of Jeremiah?

What do we learn about the spiritual condition of the people of God in

Egypt?

How does Jeremiah end his prophetic career? Would you be willing to obey

God if you knew that your ministry would end like Jeremiah’s? How

important is success to you compared to obedience?

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord that He does judge sin and rebellion. Pray that you would

live your life in the reality of this judgement to come.

Ask God to forgive you for times when you have trusted in other things

more than in Him.

The people of God turned from the blessings and promises of God and

abandoned the city of Jerusalem for Egypt. Ask God to give you grace not

to surrender to the temptations and fears that come your way.

Ask God to help you to be obedient no matter the results. Ask Him to help

you to be more focused on obedience than on “success.”

26 - SINK TO RISE NO

60 Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come

upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning

Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you come to

Babylon, see that you read all these words, 62 and say, ‘O

Lord, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it

off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and

it shall be desolate forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this

book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates,

64 and say, ‘Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because

of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall

become exhausted.’” (Jeremiah 51)

s the book of Jeremiah ends, the prophet speaks the word of God

about various nations. We have already heard the message he

gave to Egypt about the coming of Babylon to destroy (Jeremiah

46). He spoke similar words to the Philistines (chapter 47), the Moabites

(chapter 48), the Ammonites, Edomites, as well as the inhabitants of

Damascus, Kedar, Hazor and Elam (chapter 49). All these nations were held

accountable to God for their sins. Jeremiah’s ministry was an international

one expanding far beyond the borders of Israel and Judah.

While these nations did not have the opportunity to hear the word of the

Lord as Judah did, they were still accountable to God. They would perish,

though their citizens, for the most part, were ignorant of the God of

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jeremiah’s words remind us that everyone is

accountable to God and those who do not know Him are not excused

because of ignorance.

Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord God shows us His missionary

heart. His concern is not just for His people but also for people of all

nations. God reaches out to these nations through Jeremiah to show them

that they are accountable to Him.

Many people in the world do not have the opportunity to hear the word of

the Lord? What will happen to these nations and people? Will they be

spared from the wrath of God because they have never heard? What we see

in Jeremiah indicates that they will have to answer to God. All nations are

under the curse of sin, whether they understand it or not. All countries need

to hear the call of God and the salvation that the God of Israel alone can

provide. What a challenge this is to the church today! Men and women are

perishing in ignorance of God's purpose. We must reach them with His

word. Consider what the apostle Paul told the Romans:

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not

believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they

have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone

preaching? (Romans 10)

In Jeremiah 50, the prophet has a word for the nation of Babylon. This

nation could not claim ignorance of God. Babylon was the nation God used

to execute His judgement against His people. Babylon, however, never did

turn to the Lord. She used the strength and glory God had given for her

personal goals. She did not recognize the God of Israel for His work among

them. The Bible tells us that she became arrogant and proud. God spoke to

this attitude in Jeremiah 50 when He said:

31“Behold, I am against you, O proud one, declares the Lord

God of hosts, for your day has come, the time when I will

punish you. 32 The proud one shall stumble and fall, with none

to raise him up, and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it will

devour all that is around him. (Jeremiah 50)

Even as Jeremiah spoke this prophecy, the Lord was raising up an alliance

of nations to attack and destroy Babylon:

9 For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon a

gathering of great nations, from the north country. And they

shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be

taken. Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not

return empty-handed. (Jeremiah 50)

God would take vengeance on Babylon for what she had done to His people

and His temple:

28 “A voice! They flee and escape from the land of Babylon, to

declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance

for his temple. 29 “Summon archers against Babylon, all those

who bend the bow. Encamp around her; let no one escape.

Repay her according to her deeds; do to her according to all

that she has done. For she has proudly defied the Lord, the

Holy One of Israel. (Jeremiah 50)

According to Jeremiah, Babylon’s destruction would be so complete the

beasts of the desert would dwell in her land, and she would be devoid of

inhabitants:

39“Therefore wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon,

and ostriches shall dwell in her. She shall never again have

people, nor be inhabited for all generations. 40 As when God

overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities,

declares the Lord, so no man shall dwell there, and no son of

man shall sojourn in her. (Jeremiah 50)

To symbolize what would take place to Babylon, Jeremiah wrote his

prophecy on a scroll and sent it to Babylon. It was brought to Babylon by

Seraiah who read its content to the Babylonians. When he finished reading

the words of the scroll, Seraiah tied a stone to the manuscript and cast it

into the Euphrates River saying:

Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the

disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become

exhausted” (Jeremiah 51:64).

Even as this stone took the scroll to the bottom of the river and kept it there,

so the nation of Babylon would be dragged to the bottom and never rise

again. God would avenge His people.

Everyone is accountable to God and in need of His forgiveness and

salvation. People from every nation and religion must stand before the

Judge and give an account to Him. Ignorance of His word is not an excuse.

You can be guilty and not know it. Jeremiah announces to the pagan nation

of Babylon that the day was coming when she would stand before her

Creator. He proclaimed the same truth to the Philistines, the Edomites, the

Moabites and the inhabitants of many different nations. God held every

country accountable to live for Him as their Creator.

Jeremiah began his ministry as a timid youth, who told God that he did not

know how to speak (Jeremiah 1:6). He ended his career challenging kings

and nations to walk in the truth of God’s word. The hand of God was on

Jeremiah to protect and keep him. God did not permit him to take a wife or

have a family. He suffered because of what he preached. He endured great

hardship and ended his ministry with all who heard him rejecting his

message. He may not have had crowds of people repenting and turning to

God, but he was faithful even when things were difficult. His was a life

lived in total devotion to the God who had called him. Though he left this

world with little fruit to show for his forty years of service, I believe his

reward will be great for what he did not have in fruit for his labours, he had

in faithful obedience.

For Consideration:

Are those who do not know God, accountable to Him?

Why is it essential that we communicate the message of the gospel to all

people?

Babylon lived in great wealth and prosperity for a time but would have to

answer to God for its actions? How do success and ease give us a false

sense of security?

What is the difference between seeing results for our labour and being

faithful? Can we be faithful and see little results?

For Prayer:

Take a moment to pray for those who share the good news of the gospel

with foreign nations. Ask God to bless their efforts.

Ask God to help you to make obedience to Him your top priority in life.

Ask God to give you the faithfulness of Jeremiah even when you do not see

fruit for your labours.

Ask God to show you how you can be His instrument to communicate His

salvation to those who do not know.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Light To My Path Book Distribution

Light To My Path Book Distribution (LTMP) is a

book writing and distribution ministry reaching

out to needy Christian workers in Asia, Latin

America, and Africa. Many Christian workers in

developing countries do not have the resources

necessary to obtain Bible training or purchase

Bible study materials for their ministries and

personal encouragement.

F. Wayne Mac Leod is a member of Action

International Ministries and has been writing

these books with a goal to distribute them freely or at cost price to needy

pastors and Christian workers around the world. These books are being

used in preaching, teaching, evangelism and encouragement of local

believers in over sixty countries. Books have now been translated into

several languages. The goal is to make them available to as many believers

as possible.

The ministry of LTMP is a faith-based ministry, and we trust the Lord for

the resources necessary to distribute the books for the encouragement and

strengthening of believers around the world. Would you pray that the Lord

would open doors for the translation and further distribution of these books?

For more information about Light To My Path Book Distribution visit our

website at www.lighttomypath.ca