Warning and Pleading
Expositing Jeremiah • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 10 viewsThe life of Jeremiah is one which experienced good times under a good king, trials under bad kings, exile, and finally visions of redemption for God's people. His life and his writing show us a lot about the nature of God and his faithfulness to covenant. In this second message, we will look at Jeremiah's warnings. Who was Jeremiah warning and what is the relevance to us today who do not live within the same covenantal obligations as the people of Judah?
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NOTE: For this sermon, we are borrowing from the general structure of Jeremiah presented in the “Evangelical Commentary on the Bible”.
Chapters 2-10: Sermons Warning of Disaster
Chapters 11-20: Stories about Wrestling with People and with God
Chapters 21-29: Challenging Kings and Prophets
Chapters 30-33: Book of Comfort
Chapters 34-39: Case Studies in the Failure of Leadership
Chapters 40-45: After the Catastrophe
Chapters 46-51: Oracles about the Nations
Chapter 51: Fall of Jerusalem
The Marriage
The Marriage
1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Go and announce directly to Jerusalem that this is what the Lord says: I remember the loyalty of your youth, your love as a bride— how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. 3 Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it found themselves guilty; disaster came on them.” This is the Lord’s declaration. 4 Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob and all families of the house of Israel. 5 This is what the Lord says: What fault did your ancestors find in me that they went so far from me, followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves? 6 They stopped asking, “Where is the Lord who brought us from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, through a land of drought and darkness, a land no one traveled through and where no one lived?” 7 I brought you to a fertile land to eat its fruit and bounty, but after you entered, you defiled my land; you made my inheritance detestable. 8 The priests quit asking, “Where is the Lord?” The experts in the law no longer knew me, and the rulers rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and followed useless idols.
POPULAR ALLEGORY: Marriage
Israel as the Bride —>
The church is Christ’s Bride
Inference: What Jeremiah refers to in a ‘nation’; we should hear at the church (not the “USA”)
Quickly forgets what God did… turned on our groom!
SEED ORACLE: Verses 1-3 describe the honeymoon
Eventually turns to corruption for self-serving reason.
Highly relatable… how we would view a spouse who so quickly abandoned us after being married?
This culminates in the warning of the marriage turning to divorce in Chapter 3...
1 If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Wouldn’t such a land become totally defiled? But you! You have prostituted yourself with many partners— can you return to me? This is the Lord’s declaration.
God is clearly articulating that disobedience can’t simply be overlooked… what kind of glorious God would He be if He could be abandoned and disrespected without consequence?
The following verses begin speaking about the split kingdoms, Israel and Judah, and their different sins but the common theme of turning from God remains.
Read Jeremiah 2:1-8 and Jeremiah 3:1. Consider the metaphor of Israel and Judah as the bride to God, then consider how the disloyalty and neglect Israel and Judah showed God.
1) What type of feelings do we feel in such a situations? Imagine being married to the “perfect spouse” and so quickly turning against them. What would you advise a friend to do if they found themselves in this situation?
2) God did so much for His people, yet they seemed to quickly forget and begin worshipping other gods. Sometimes we do the same. How do some Christians experience God’s blessings/goodness and then quickly turn towards worshipping other “gods” in their lives?
Desire for Redemption
Desire for Redemption
Some suggest God is a monster, just wagging and finger and judging us. That’s not consistent with what we see in the prophets.
God regularly calls for those who are disobedient to turn back; to embrace the opportunity for redemption.
Separation is not God’s desire for any of His creation.
14 “ ‘Return, you faithless children—this is the Lord’s declaration—for I am your master, and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15 I will give you shepherds who are loyal to me, and they will shepherd you with knowledge and skill. 16 When you multiply and increase in the land, in those days—this is the Lord’s declaration—no one will say again, “The ark of the Lord’s covenant.” It will never come to mind, and no one will remember or miss it. Another one will not be made. 17 At that time Jerusalem will be called The Lord’s Throne, and all the nations will be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord in Jerusalem. They will cease to follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. 18 In those days the house of Judah will join with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land I have given your ancestors to inherit.’ ”
1 If you return, Israel— this is the Lord’s declaration— you will return to me, if you remove your abhorrent idols from my presence and do not waver, 2 then you can swear, “As the Lord lives,” in truth, justice, and righteousness, and then the nations will be blessed by him and will boast in him.
Yearning for Reconciliation
God doesn’t WANT this; He gives ample warning!
Less “punishment” and more “consequence”.…
Creation’s intent is to glorify God and to satisfy God’s “completeness” (constant “it is Good” references in Genesis 1)
Creation which no longer serves it’s intent doesn’t justifiably need to exist… LOGICAL (even if you don’t like it)
God calls for the people of Judah and Israel to return to God multiple times; God clearly does not want consequences to befall His people.
Despite the constant betrayals… HE STILL DESIRES US.
Begs the question: While some like to argue “How could God do this to us”, what this reveals is the far more appropriate question “Why would God ever bother to take us back?”. The answer… because He is greater and grace proved it to us.
Read Jeremiah 3:14-18 and Jeremiah 4:1-2. Listen to the yearning in God’s heart to reunite with His people. Consider that God “hasn’t gone anywhere”… He is just waiting for His people to return to Him.
1) Think of all the things God did for the Hebrew people from Abraham through Moses, the judges, David, Solomon, and the kings. List some of them out in your group. What else could God have done to prove that He loved His people?
3) Looking at the big picture, what does God look like? A vindictive judge, an angry master, or a hurt father/groom? How does this differ from how many talk about God in the Old Testament? How does this make Him look more consistent with the nature we see in Christ?
Desire to Know Him; Not Perform for Him
Desire to Know Him; Not Perform for Him
Interestingly, it appears that many of the rituals still occurred at the temple.
PROBLEM: They also gave to other gods which shows their observance of Yahweh was not sincere (since Yahweh is THE God).
Jeremiah 7 opens with a “temple sermon” (vs 1-15) that talks about the hypocrisy of those practicing their faith, given their honor given to other gods.
21 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices, and eat the meat yourselves, 22 for when I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak with them or command them concerning burnt offering and sacrifice. 23 However, I did give them this command: ‘Obey me, and then I will be your God, and you will be my people. Follow every way I command you so that it may go well with you.’ 24 Yet they didn’t listen or pay attention but followed their own advice and their own stubborn, evil heart. They went backward and not forward. 25 Since the day your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until today, I have sent all my servants the prophets to you time and time again. 26 However, my people wouldn’t listen to me or pay attention but became obstinate; they did more evil than their ancestors.
God’s desire for knowing rather than doing.
v23, ‘Obey me, and I will be their God and they will be my people’. <— Hearts over actions
God implicates the heart once again
MODERN CONNECTION: Many “doing Christianity” but without heart… they also worship “other gods”.
v24, ‘but followed their own advice’ <— Observe God, but follow their own path
Highlights that He reaches out through servants and prophets; judgment doesn’t happen because “God didn’t try”.
Some like to accuse God of being unjust or cruel because He calls for “one way” or “the narrow path” to know Him. There is no universal path that allows people to do what they want!
What we see here is that God does EVERYTHING possible to let us know Him. At some point, if God continued to FORCE people to know Him who would willingly ignore so many attempts at reconciliation, He’d be a monster. His permissible will to allow people to turn away is actually a demonstration of His love, not His cruelty.
Read Jeremiah 7:21-26 and reflect on God’s desire for our hearts over mere religious practice (like sacrifices).
1) Have you had moments where you were just going through religious motions and not noticing that God was calling you to something or for something?
2) What are all the different ways God attempts to give us truth and grace today?
3) Some say, “Well if God only did ‘this’, then more people would believe and follow!” Do you think that’s true? Or do you think that no matter what God would do, people would believe and do what they want? What are examples of our world today where you can see people look at something obvious and willingly choose to ignore it?
God’s Love Through Judgment
God’s Love Through Judgment
We see two interesting things at the end of this Jeremiah 2-10 section.
7 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies says: I am about to refine them and test them, for what else can I do because of my dear people? 8 Their tongues are deadly arrows— they speak deception. With his mouth one speaks peaceably with his friend, but inwardly he sets up an ambush. 9 Should I not punish them for these things? This is the Lord’s declaration. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this? 10 I will raise weeping and a lament over the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness grazing land, for they have been so scorched that no one passes through. The sound of cattle is no longer heard. From the birds of the sky to the animals, everything has fled—they have gone away. 11 I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a jackals’ den. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, an uninhabited place.
The word “I” —> GOD is the one weeping and lamenting. This is GOD’S broken heart.
The response is refinement —> God’s permissible will leads to refinement, and ultimately reconciliation. —> So even in what an observer may see as trials, tribulations, judgment, and wrath… God is working it for redemption, grace, and love.
What we see in this section of Jeremiah is God’s judgment rooted in abundant patience and love… it’s less reactionary anger, and more a response to a broken heart.
God desires us so much that He blesses, He guides, He instructs, He corrects, but if we reject it all He allows consequences.
BUT… even after consequences is grace. That is the heart of a God that would do anything for you… even sending Himself to die on a cross so that you could be reconciled to Him.
If you’ve been seeing God as a bully or a judge, maybe stop and look at your own life and ask yourself this: Look at all God has given you… what more would you have Him do to prove His desire for you? He already gave everything… isn’t that enough?
