Full of Sorrow; Glimmer of Hope
Expositing Jeremiah • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 16 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 eighth and final message, we see the final destruction of Jerusalem, utter destruction of the corrupt kings, and deportation of the Jews with little sign of restoration. But even in the midst of total defeat, God provides a glimmer of hope.
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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 - DONE
Chapters 11-20: Stories about Wrestling with People and with God - DONE
Chapters 21-29: Challenging Kings and Prophets - DONE
Chapters 30-33: Book of Comfort - DONE
Chapters 34-39: Case Studies in the Failure of Leadership - DONE
Chapters 40-45: After the Catastrophe - DONE
Chapters 46-51: Oracles about the Nations - DONE
Chapter 52: Fall of Jerusalem - TODAY
It’s Personal
It’s Personal
A brief review...
Chapter 1: Introduced to Jeremiah and hear his calling
Chapters 2-10: Pleading for Judah to return to God’s way
Chapters 11-20: Understanding our purpose as God’s creation and the penalty for not serving it
Chapters 21-29: The downfall of the civic and religious leaders in upholding the covenant
Chapters 30-33: God providing word of comfort in the midst of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem
Chapters 34-45: Destruction of Jerusalem
Chapters 46-51: The fate of the other nations
In Chapter 52, we have a postlude likely written by the ‘editor’ or possible Baruch.
The purpose of this section is to validate Jeremiah’s prophecies and give some ‘instant assurance’ to the Jews who are now in exile.
RECALL: Kings within Jeremiah’s writings...
Josiah - Great King
Jehoiahaz - Evil king for only 3 months, immediately deposed by Egypt
Jehoiakim - Evil king, rebelled against Babylon, harassed by Babylon, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites.
Jehoiachin - Evil king for only 3 months, sieged by Nebuchadnezzar, and surrendered… taken to captivity.
Zedekiah
Puppet king for Nebuchadnezzar
Jehoiachin’s uncle, Married to Jeremiah’s daughter
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 19 Zedekiah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 Because of the Lord’s anger, it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he finally banished them from his presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Wait, why are we in 2 Kings? Well, because if you look, 2 Kings 24 starts mirroring Jeremiah 52. Think of this as the book of Jeremiah having a built-in validation of what Jeremiah prophesied. What we’ll see is that what Jeremiah said would happen… happens.
6 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that the common people had no food. 7 Then the city was broken into, and all the warriors fled. They left the city at night by way of the city gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans surrounded the city. They made their way along the route to the Arabah. 8 The Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. Zedekiah’s entire army left him and scattered. 9 The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. 10 At Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, and he also slaughtered the Judean commanders. 11 Then he blinded Zedekiah and bound him with bronze chains. The king of Babylon brought Zedekiah to Babylon, where he kept him in custody until his dying day.
Now, take a moment and recall this...
8 “ ‘ “As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and does not place its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish by sword, famine, and plague—this is the Lord’s declaration—until through him I have destroyed it.
12 I spoke to King Zedekiah of Judah in the same way: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, serve him and his people, and live! 13 Why should you and your people die by the sword, famine, and plague as the Lord has threatened against any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are telling you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying a lie to you. 15 ‘I have not sent them’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘and they are prophesying falsely in my name; therefore, I will banish you, and you will perish—you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.’ ”
Destruction of the Kingship
Leaders had responsibility to covenant… used for selfish gain.
Given ample warning and told consequences; did their own thing anyway.
Jeremiah’s prophecies against the leaders of Jerusalem ended up exactly as Jeremiah said. They did not submit, so they were destroyed.
God Wills what He Wills. It is not a negotiation. No-doubt that many considered the worldly role of “king” as the embodiment of God’s covenant, but in sending Nebuchadnezzar to destroy the kingship, God asserted the boundlessness of His plan.
Do we “bound” God’s will in our institutions, today?
Read Jeremiah 27:8,12-15 and note the warnings Jeremiah has for then-King Zedekiah. Then read Jeremiah 52:6-11 which takes place after Zedekiah rebels against Nebuchadnezzar, violating what God commanded through Jeremiah.
1) Many in the Old Testament seemed to equate the king with God’s Will. Because God “can’t fail”, they assumed their kingship couldn’t fail. What worldly institutions or people do some Christians put their faith in today?
2) What warning can Christian “leaders” take from this? What about those of us serving, supporting, or following leaders?
When “Feel Good” Meets Reality
When “Feel Good” Meets Reality
Something the writer spends time noting is how the Temple was ransacked by Babylon. Why did he spend so much time focusing on stolen items?
17 Now the Chaldeans broke into pieces the bronze pillars for the Lord’s temple and the water carts and the bronze basin that were in the Lord’s temple, and they carried all the bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, dishes, and all the bronze articles used in the temple service. 19 The captain of the guards took away the bowls, firepans, sprinkling basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and drink offering bowls —whatever was gold or silver. 20 As for the two pillars, the one basin, with the twelve bronze oxen under it, and the water carts that King Solomon had made for the Lord’s temple, the weight of the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. 21 One pillar was 27 feet tall, had a circumference of 18 feet, was hollow—four fingers thick—22 and had a bronze capital on top of it. One capital, encircled by bronze grating and pomegranates, stood 7½ feet high. The second pillar was the same, with pomegranates. 23 Each capital had ninety-six pomegranates all around it. All the pomegranates around the grating numbered one hundred.
FLASHBACK: Confrontation Between Jeremiah and false-prophet Hananiah...
Said that God “broke the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar
2 “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
Said that items would be returned to the temple
3 Within two years I will restore to this place all the articles of the Lord’s temple that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took from here and transported to Babylon.
Said that kings and people would be restored
4 And I will restore to this place Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”
Hananiah preached a “feel good Word” but it had no basis in reality. “What’s the harm?” God apparently didn’t care for it...
15 The prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord did not send you, but you have led these people to trust in a lie.
Warning against “Popular Theology”
Hananiah sought to comfort through asserting “what God wants”.… He was wrong.
No amount of “feel good” could save the people from Nebuchadnezzar
MODERN APPLICATION: Many preach ‘feel good’ today and it leaves people feeling empty and betrayed when the reality of truth “hits them”.
A message, a book, a sermon… shouldn’t leave you “feeling good”; it should leave you feeling closer to the truth which is sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes convicting, and sometimes comforting.
Read Jeremiah 52:17-23 and consider how the “feel good” prophecies of Hananiah (Jeremiah 28:2-4) might have “felt good” in a moment, but emboldened the Judeans to not listen to Jeremiah’s warnings.
1) How does “feel good teaching” mask truth that we sometimes need to hear?
2) How does listening to truth, rather than “motivational teachings”, ultimately lead to great peace and fulfillment?
3) How does this relate to the idea that “speaking truth” is a loving action?
A Glimmer of Hope
A Glimmer of Hope
As the conclusion of the book of Jeremiah, we focus on the 3-month “evil king” of Jehoiachin. Living in exile, seeing the total destruction of the kingdom he barely got to rule, God shows His goodness.
Recall Jeremiah’s statement about Nebuchadnezzar
6 So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of my servant Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. I have even given him the wild animals to serve him.
12 I spoke to King Zedekiah of Judah in the same way: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, serve him and his people, and live!
Jehoiachin's reaction to Nebuchadnezzar was surrender. So it is interesting that we then read this...
31 On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, King Evil-merodach of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison. 32 He spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and he dined regularly in the presence of the king of Babylon for the rest of his life. 34 As for his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, for the rest of his life.
Even in seemingly hopeless situations, God’s faithfulness to the covenant shines through.
10 As for you, my servant Jacob, do not be afraid—this is the Lord’s declaration— and do not be discouraged, Israel, for without fail I will save you out of a distant place, your descendants, from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return and have calm and quiet with no one to frighten him.
COVENANT: Jehoiachin preserves the ‘royal line’ leading to Christ and this is affirmed through his pardon and final blessings from God.
What we learn throughout Jeremiah is that God has dominion over all and uses all for His purposes.
When we try to live “spiritual” on our own terms, we are bound to fail… we are hopelessly flawed.
Sometimes God permits trials and obstacles to stand before us as a way to humble us and sometimes discipline us.
But even when God permits the night to get it’s darkest, that is often when we are forced to recognize God’s sovereignty over all.
CHALLENGE: Who are you in this story? Are you the good King Josiah trying to do what is right? Are you Jeremiah fighting the good fight to the point of exhaustion? Are you one of the priests and prophets trying to pursue “feel good” spirituality, hoping it’ll be enough to save you? Or maybe you are one of the evil kings doing what is right in your own eyes?
No matter who you are, what we see in the testimony of Judah is there is redemption bigger than ourselves.
Have faith and have hope, because no matter who we relate to in the story, God’s mercy and blessing have been poured out on us.
Let’s seek to live lives that reflect the joy, the peace, and the thanksgiving that reflects our knowledge of God’s sovereignty over our circumstances.
