God is Sovereign and His Discipline has a Purpose
The Book of Jeremiah • Sermon • Submitted
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· 2 viewsGod brings encouragement despite His discipline to those that willing surrendered to His judgement of Babylonian captivity and His judgement of those that did not.
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Focus Passage: Jeremiah 29:1-19
Focus Passage: Jeremiah 29:1-19
Opening Passage: Jeremiah 29:1-7
1 Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, 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 court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the smiths 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, saying, 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; and plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 ‘Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 7 ‘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 have welfare.’
Background to our text...
What we have before us in our text is a letter that Jeremiah sent under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to those who had been carried captive by the Babylonians (v.1). These were they who had been take from Jerusalem. He sent it to the elders (leadership) of the people.
This would have taken place after Jeconiah the king and his mother, the queen, Nehushta. According to 2 Ki. 24:8, 12-16, he was eighteen when this happened. If you cross referenced 2 Chro. 36:9-10 with this text, you see the claim he was eight when he took office. Why the difference? According to the LXX 2 Ki 24 is translated as 18 and this is supported by Babylonian historical records that show Jeconiah had five sons within three years of Babylonian captivity. The Masoretic Text says eight years old. This was probably a translation error on one of the scribes.
Not only do we see Jeconiah being mentioned as the king and his mother the queen, which only reigned three months before Nebuchadnezzar would make Jehoiachin’s uncle, Mattaniah, king over Judah and change his name to Zedekiah. He would be the last king of Judah and would do what is evil in the sight of the Lord for his eleven year reign (Jer 29:3; 2 Ch 36:11). We see this letter was sent by two mail carriers, Ela’sah and Gemari’ah (v.3).
A hope faced in the midst of discipline (v.4, 10)
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,
The irony of their situation is brought them hope. They were in the place they were because they rebelled against a God and Father who loved them. Who gave them ample warning to change. Yet they remained rebellious. As a result, God, a God who does not threaten but it faithful to His word, did as He said He would do if they refused to repent of their evil. The Lord, through Jeremiah’s letter states, I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Again, we will read, where I have sent you into exile (v.7).
Those playing a part in the exile to Babylon found hope in God’s sovereignty
God was sovereign to discipline
It was the same sovereign God that was disciplining them and caused them and carried them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, as He said he would.
25 and I will give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life, yes, into the hand of those whom you dread, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
1 After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me: behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord!
It was this same holy and sovereign God that was faithful to discipline that would be faithful to restore.
God would be sovereign to deliver
As we find written later in Jeremiah’s letter to those were in Babylonian captivity:
10 “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.
As we look at our text, we find that their captivity, their judgment, their discipline would be temporary. As David wrote:
5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
No child likes to disciplined. No adult likes to be disciplined or reprimanded. During that time of chiding is does not feel well and it is not enjoyable. However, we all have come to find out that it is temporary. God lets those who willingly went into captivity to know their discipline is temporary, For thus says the LORD, When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you.
Upon God’s presence being directed toward His people after they have suffered His judgement, He tells them, I will visit you and fulfill good word to you bring you back to this place.
A revelation that life does not stop in the midst of discipline (vv.5-7)
5 ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 ‘Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 7 ‘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 have welfare.’
God’s people are told to accept the punishment that God has given them and make the best of it. They were not to mope, but to continue to live life. They were not being disciplined to destroy them but to better them. They were still loved. They were still God’s people, they were just being disciplined. Through these passages, we find that God tells those in Babylonian captivity to:
Set-up homestead (v.5)
Grow your families (v.6)
Pray for your captives (v.7)
A call to stop following the lies of the enemy (vv.8-9, 16-19)
(v.8) God tells the exiles to stop believing in the false hopes of their false prophets and magicians and the false hopes of their own desires
(v.9) God tells the exiles that those whom they have been believing were not His man
(vv.16-19) God tells the exiles that because they rebelliously believe the lie of the false prophets, He would prove Jeremiah was His man
Just as Jeremiah prophesied:
8 “You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 “He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty. 10 “For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good,” declares the Lord. “It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire.” ’
Those who remained in Jerusalem and refused to willing become slaves and give their life a ransom to Nebuchadnezzar, they would die.
This would be repeated again within the work of the prophet:
2 “Thus says the Lord, ‘He who stays in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live and have his own life as booty and stay alive.’ 3 “Thus says the Lord, ‘This city will certainly be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and he will capture it.’ ”
Comfort found in the promise of a sovereign God (vv.11-14)
11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’
God knew His plans for His people (v.11)
We often hear v.11 at graduation ceremonies or bachelorettes. It is a good verse and does bring about a promise that God has for a His people. However, when we, and I include me in that, because I have done this in ignorance in the past, use this passage in that context, we’re actually using liberty and removing it from a completely different context.
As we look at the text before us, God has told His people I’m going to carry you into exile. I’m doing this. However, this is not without a plan and without an intention. The prophet Jeremiah writes in his letter to those in exile the following promise of God...
11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
God desired a relationship with His people (v.12)
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
This relationship would only come through repentance and a genuine seeking of God through a repentant heart.
God desired a repentant people that would be restored (v.13-14)
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
Conclusion
God is faithful. God is faithful to His people. God is faithful to love. God is faithful to His Word. God is faithful to Himself. Being that God is faithful to Himself, His Word, His people, and His love, he must also be faithful to discipline and chide. He must be faithful to judge sin and rebellion or He is not just and shows a break in His holy character. We know that this is not the case. We know that God disciplines those whom He loves...
5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
As it is with the Church today, it was with the people of God then. God disciplines because He loves. He disciplines as you and I are to discipline, with the aim of restoration and reconciliation. It is for our betterment not our harm. This is what God was telling those who were being discipline for their rebellion when he wrote, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. This is why we can rejoice as David did when when wrote:
5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.