Figs

Introduction

Nations rise and nations fall, but God remains the same.

[Introduction] going to get political, I don’t do political very often...

but the Book of Jeremiah, at the time that it was written, was inherently a political book.

A lot of what Jeremiah is talking about revolves around kings, and nations, and foreign relations.

Transition

As we get in to chapter 24, what we’re going to see is a scene from AFTER the exile has already happened, setting the stage,

And then in chapters 25-29 we flash back in time and talk about what got us to this point.

Jeremiah 24

Jeremiah 24 NET 2nd ed.

The Lord showed me two baskets of figs sitting before his temple. This happened after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deported Jehoiakim’s son, King Jeconiah of Judah. He deported him and the leaders of Judah from Jerusalem, along with the craftsmen and metal workers, and took them to Babylon. One basket had very good-looking figs in it. They looked like those that had ripened early. The other basket had very bad-looking figs in it, so bad they could not be eaten. The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered, “I see figs. The good ones look very good. But the bad ones look very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.” The Lord’s message came to me, “I, the Lord, the God of Israel, say: ‘The exiles of Judah whom I sent away from here to the land of Babylon are like those good figs. I consider them to be good. I will look after their welfare and will restore them to this land. There I will build them up and will not tear them down. I will plant them firmly in the land and will not uproot them. I will give them the desire to acknowledge that I am the Lord. I will be their God and they will be my people. For they will wholeheartedly return to me.’ “I, the Lord, also solemnly assert: ‘King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the people who remain in Jerusalem or who have gone to live in Egypt are like those bad figs. I consider them to be just like those bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. I will bring such disaster on them that all the kingdoms of the earth will be horrified. I will make them an object of reproach, a proverbial example of disaster. I will make them an object of ridicule, an example to be used in curses. That is how they will be remembered wherever I banish them. I will bring war, starvation, and disease on them until they are completely destroyed from the land I gave them and their ancestors.’ ”

Roadmap

God tells jeremiah, that some of the people of Judah are good figs, and some are bad figs. The ones who went in to exile, they’re the good figs. God promises to restore them after the exile is over. He promises to bless them, and build them up.

But the Kings and his officials, and the ones who remain, they’re the bad figs.

There’s no promise, no blessing, no restoration for them.

And if we’re looking at this text, and we’re applying it to our nation , to our modern situation...

If we want to apply the principles of this book to us, we have to ask ourselves the question:

Generally, are we a nation of good figs or bad figs?

And that’s not something you’re going to find in Scripture. Because the Bible is not about our nation, the Bible never mentions our nation. Our nation isn’t in any prophecies, nothing. Our country didn’t exist when this was written.

You have to determine for yourself, whether you think we, as a nation, are more like the good figs, or the bad figs.

I’m not going to tell you what it is. You have to figure that out.

but what I can do, is walk through what scripture says about the good figs, and the bad figs.

Point

Statement

Good figs take heed of God’s word. Bad figs ignore it.

Explanation

As God was making this declaration to the people, and telling them

King Nebuchadnezzar is going to send his armies, he’s going to destroy the city, and carry all of the people in to exile

Back in chapter 21, God had told the people

Jeremiah 21:9 NET 2nd ed.

Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians who are besieging it will live. They will escape with their lives.

And yet there were those who didn’t take heed to that warning.

The good figs were the ones who realized, when God say’s he’s going to do something he means it.

And so they surrendered to King Nebuchadnezzar, they left their homes

They were exiled into Babylon.

And there were those who said, “yeah, I don’t think anything bad’s going to happen” Mostly the king and his officials, they said

Why dont’ we just stay here in Jerusalem, we’ll keep going on, business as usual.

Everything is going to be Fine

They were oblivious to God’s word.

Argumentation

And in Chapter 25, we get a flashback moment,

We flash back to BEFORE the exile happened, He says

Jeremiah 25:1–3 NET 2nd ed.

In the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah. (That was the same as the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon.) So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the people who were living in Jerusalem. “For the last twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was ruling in Judah until now, the Lord’s messages have come to me and I have told them to you over and over again. But you would not listen.

23 years, jeremiah has said.

Imagine what it would be like, showing up to church and having your preacher preach basically the same sermon

Every single week

52 weeks a year

for 23 years.

You would think, you would hope, that after 23 years, the people would have at least started to pay attention.

Jeremiah 25:4 NET 2nd ed.

Over and over again the Lord has sent his servants the prophets to you. But you have not listened or paid attention.

God tells them, look you’ve worshipped Idols, you haven’t turned from your sin, you haven’t listened to what God has said.

Jeremiah 25:9–12 NET 2nd ed.

So I, the Lord, affirm that I will send for all the peoples of the north and my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and all the nations that surround it. I will utterly destroy the land, its inhabitants, and all the surrounding nations and make them everlasting ruins. I will make them objects of horror and hissing scorn. I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness, to the glad celebration of brides and grooms in these lands. I will put an end to the sound of people grinding meal. I will put an end to lamps shining in their houses. This whole area will become a desolate wasteland. These nations will be subject to the king of Babylon for seventy years. “ ‘But when the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation for their sins. I will make the land of Babylon an everlasting ruin. I, the Lord, affirm it!

Illustration

This is important, because God has told them SPECIFICALLY what is going to happen to them.

And it’s not an IF, situation.

God’s not saying “I might” exile you in to babylon

He is decreeing, You WILL be invaded by the Babylonians, they WILL destroy the city, they WILL turn this entire land into a wasteland

For 70 years.

And the hope at the end, the promise at the end, is that the destruction is only temporary. And after 70 years, Babylon will be overthrown, and you will be restored and blessed and brought back in to your home to re-build.

Application

And again the question we ought to ask ourselves

If we’re wondering, what does this have to do with us, collectively?

What’s the moral of the story, how do we apply this principle to us

Is are we the Good figs are the bad figs?

Are we, as a nation, overall, are we more like the good figs, who heeded the warning, or are we like the bad figs, who paid no attention to what God has to say?

Are we blessed or cursed?

Transition

Our next point, Good figs and bad figs.

Point

Statement

Good figs are willing to speak the truth, even when it makes you seem crazy.

Explanation

In chapter 26 we get another flash back moment. Where it says

Jeremiah 26:1–6 NET 2nd ed.

The Lord spoke to Jeremiah at the beginning of the reign of Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah. The Lord said, “Go stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. Speak out to all the people who are coming from the towns of Judah to worship in the Lord’s temple. Tell them everything I command you to tell them. Do not leave out a single word. Maybe they will pay attention and each of them will stop living the evil way they do. If they do that, then I will forgo destroying them as I had intended to do because of the wicked things they have been doing. Tell them that the Lord says, ‘You must obey me; you must live according to the way I have instructed you in my laws. You must pay attention to the exhortations of my servants the prophets. I have sent them to you over and over again. But you have not paid any attention to them. If you do not obey me, then I will do to this temple what I did to Shiloh. And I will make this city an example to be used in curses by people from all the nations on the earth.’ ”

This is the same message that Jeremiah said he had been preaching for 23 years.

Jeremiah 26:7–9 NET 2nd ed.

The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah say these things in the Lord’s temple. Jeremiah had just barely finished saying all the Lord had commanded him to say to all the people when all at once some of the priests, the prophets, and the people grabbed him and shouted, “You deserve to die! How dare you claim the Lord’s authority to prophesy such things! How dare you claim his authority to prophesy that this temple will become like Shiloh and that this city will become an uninhabited ruin!” Then all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the Lord’s temple.

What Jeremiah had to say was NOT popular.

To the point where the Truth he was speaking was so unpopular that the religious leaders were trying to have him arrested and put to death.

Sound a lot like Jesus, doesn’t it.

Because they were living in an empire of lies.

It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about the Pharisees during the time of Jesus, or the religious leaders during the time of Jeremiah

They had built up their entire existence around an empire of lies.

To the point where speaking the truth was tantamount to insanity.

What kind of person would dare stand up against the leadership, the people who have the power over whether you live or die.

You would have to be crazy to speak truth to that kind of power.

In an empire of lies, only a crazy man would tell the truth.

Jeremiah was lucky. He makes his case to the people he says

Jeremiah 26:12–14 NET 2nd ed.

Then Jeremiah made his defense before all the officials and all the people. “The Lord sent me to prophesy everything you have heard me say against this temple and against this city. But correct the way you have been living and do what is right. Obey the Lord your God. If you do, the Lord will forgo destroying you as he threatened he would. As to my case, I am in your power. Do to me what you deem fair and proper.

hes says look, I don’t care what you do with me, I will speak the truth. And the Truth is, if you don’t turn back, God will destroy this city.

Luckily, Jeremiah was able to convince them.

And a few verses down, another prophet, Uriah, was preaching the exact same message as jeremiah,

And they had him put to death.

In Chapter 27, God has Jeremiah make a yoke, out of wood and leather

to tie around his neck

to symbolize that God was going to place not just judah, but all the surrounding nations, under the yoke of subjegation to the empire of Babylon.

Jeremiah 27:7 NET 2nd ed.

All nations must serve him and his son and grandson until the time comes for his own nation to fall. Then many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate Babylon.

Again, remember, we’re getting the same message that Jeremiah has been preaching for 23 years

Babylon is coming, they’re going to destroy Jerusalem.

Anyone who resists will die

Anyone who surrenders will go live in exile in babylon for exactly 70 years.

And then God promises that he will overthrow babylon, and return the exiles back to Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 27:22 NET 2nd ed.

He has said, ‘They will be carried off to Babylon. They will remain there until it is time for me to show consideration for them again. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’ I, the Lord, affirm this!”

In chapter 28, though, a false prophet comes along, and he says this

Jeremiah 28:1–4 NET 2nd ed.

The following events occurred in that same year, early in the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah. To be more precise, it was the fifth month of the fourth year of his reign. The prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, spoke to Jeremiah in the Lord’s temple in the presence of the priests and all the people: “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘I will break the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon. Before two years are over, I will bring back to this place everything that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took from it and carried away to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jehoiakim’s son King Jeconiah of Judah and all the exiles who were taken to Babylon.’ Indeed, the Lord affirms, ‘I will break the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon.’ ”

In other words, hannaniah comes along and says

Ok, ok, so we’re definitely going to get sent to babylon,

But don’t worry, it’s only going to be a couple of years, just a quick little trip, you won’t even notice being gone that long.

Yet another addition to the empire of lies.

Jeremiah 28:6 NET 2nd ed.

The prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do all this! May the Lord make your prophecy come true! May he bring back to this place from Babylon all the valuable articles taken from the Lord’s temple and the people who were carried into exile.

Jeremiah is basically saying to hannaniah. you know what, I really hope you’re right.

I really hope that you’re right, and it is only 2 years. I would love that.

But deep down you and I both know it’s just a lie.

Deep down, we both know that you’re a bad fig.

Application

Good figs are willing to tell the truth, no matter the cost

Bad figs build up empires of lies

And I bring us back to the question: What are we?

Are we good figs, or bad figs?

Transition

I believe that the way you answer that question, about us, about our nation , about our culture

The way you answer that question determines the way you view politics.

Conclusion

Maybe you think, you know what, we’re not a perfect country , but I think by in large, we’re good figs.

We’re a Christian nation. We don’t get things right all the time, but I think we’re generally a nation of good figs.

Generally, we’re a country that listens to God’s word. Generally, we’re a country that speaks the truth.

If that’s your outlook, then you’re generally going to have the “do nothing” approach. You’re generally going to have a “stay the course” approach.

You’re going to say, it’s alright, we’re just going through a rough patch, but ultimately, I know that we’re a nation of Good figs, and in the end I think we’re going to be alright.

And I’m not sure that’s the best approach. I think that might give us a little false hope.

But on the other side, if you believe that we’re primarily a nation of Bad figs. you’re going to have a reform approach. You’re going to focus all of your energy on: “look we’re a nation of bad figs, but if we could Just get some good figs in office, maybe we could turn things around.

If we could just convince people to be good figs, and to vote for good figs, and to turn around, then we’ll be ok.

And you know, I’m not sure I agree with that view either.

There’s a third option. One that I haven’t shared with you yet. And it’s probably not a very popular one.

I want to be clear here, this is my opinion. So you’re welcome to take it or leave it.

I think we’re not like the good figs or the bad figs.

If we’re looking at this account, our country has a lot less in common with any of the people and leaders of Israel, and alot more in common with Babylon.

In Daniel Chapter 2, king nebuchadnezar—the very same nebuchadnezzar who takes these people in to exile, he has a dream. of a giant statue. The head is made of Gold, the chest is made of silver, the stomach is made of bronze, the legs are made of iron, and the feet are made of iron and clay mixed together.

And so from top to bottom the statue is made of increasingly weaker material.

And in the dream, a giant stone cut from a mountain comes and demolishes the entire thing.

And daniel says to nebuchadnezzar. You’re like the gold portion.

And after you is going to come another empire like silver, justa little bit inferior to yours

And that one is going to rise and fall, and another wone is going to coem along, like bronze

And then another one like iron

and then another one like clay

Daniel 2:44–45 NET 2nd ed.

In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But it will stand forever. You saw that a stone was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands; it smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to the king what will occur in the future. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is reliable.”

And a lot of people like to get really into the history, and try to line up, which empire lines up with which part of the statue.

And indeed, if You look at it, it lines up perfectly with Jesus.

But the point, before we get too caught up in the conspiracies, and trying to read secret code into any of it

Is that every single empire at taht time seemed like it was too big to fail...until it did.

Because empires rise and empires fall but God remains the same.

And our country is no different.

We’re not the good figs, we’re not the bad figs.

We’re Babylon. We’re a temporary nation that God has allowed to exist, to use for his purposes.

And look, I love america. I think it’s the greatest human nation that has existed. I serve in the military, I love american history.

But at the end of the day I recognize that it’s just that. A temporary human nation.

America’s not the good figs. Blessed by God, with covenant promises of blessings.

You. Teh church, the faithful in Christ, you’re the good figs, and you’re living in exile, waiting for the day that God overturns everything, and makes all things new

where we can live for eternity in a kingdom where there are no tears, no pain, no sorrow, no suffering.

So what do we do in the mean time?

If we’re the good figs, living in babylon, how do we act? what should our attitude toward governement and politics be?

Jeremiah 29

Jeremiah 29:1–14 NET 2nd ed.

The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon. It was addressed to the elders who were left among the exiles, to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the other people who were exiled in Babylon. He sent it after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the palace officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had been exiled from Jerusalem. He sent it with Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah. King Zedekiah of Judah had sent these men to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The letter said: “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all those he sent into exile to Babylon from Jerusalem, ‘Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and allow your daughters to get married so that they too can have sons and daughters. Grow in number; do not dwindle away. Work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to the Lord for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.’ “For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Do not let the prophets among you or those who claim to be able to predict the future by divination deceive you. And do not pay any attention to the dreams that you are encouraging them to dream. They are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. But I did not send them. I, the Lord, affirm it!’ “For the Lord says, ‘Only when the seventy years of Babylonian rule are over will I again take up consideration for you. Then I will fulfill my gracious promise to you and restore you to your homeland. For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers. When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, I will make myself available to you,’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will reverse your plight and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you,’ says the Lord. ‘I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.’

Jeremiaht tells the exiles. Settle in. Because you’re going to be there a while.

Build houses, get married, plant gardens.

Have kids, have grand kids.

Work to make Babylon better.

Not because it’s special. Not because Babylon is going to last forever.

Because remember, God promised a chapter ago that Babylon was going to be destroyed, just the same as Israel was.

But he says, work to make it a better place, because you live there.

Work to make sure that the city I sent you has peace and prosperity, because as it prospers, you will too.

Vote. pay your taxes, participate in community events, work for the prosperity of your country.

But it’s not your permanent home.

Every empire that has ever existed has either fallen, or is about to fall.

Babylon. Persia. The greeks, the romans, the franks, the turks, the ottomans, the mongoleans, napolean in france, King George and the mighty brittish empire, where the sun never sets.

The united states, is just one more empire in a long line of empires, and there will probably be a long line of them after ours falls.

But the church. The faithful in Christ. God’s kingdom lasts forever.