The Benefits of Trusting the LORD

Introduction

Who is Jeremiah? Jeremiah was to say the least an interesting prophet. His career by today’s standard was what most would deem a failure, yet the first chapter tells us that he was ordained to do this from birth. His prophetic career like many others are delianeted by the kings that ruled during his prophecies. To take our pericope in context it will be vital to understnad what was going on the country as well as with the prophet. Most of the prophetic work of Jeremiah was spent telling Israel that their sin meant ruin. Actually one of the reason Jeremiah was marginallized was that advocate the Israel being ruled by Babylon was the will of God. This flew in the face of the prevailing Zionistic ideals of Israel. The idea that God’s chosen people would be ruled by infedels flew in the face of accepted theology. It made no sense and because of this, Israel improsoned the prophet. Even saught to kill the prophet.

What is God trying to tell you that does agree with the way most of friends believe?

Are some of the things that God tells you not easy to take because you think they are crazy?

Do you read the scriptures then make exceptions because this was written long before you got here? It could not possibly be right for you.

Interesting fact, Josiah was one the first Kings in office when Prophet Jeremiah was annointed to prophecy but NO prophecies came to him during the rule of Josiah. Josiah was a good king according the scriptures. So while there was a king that worshipped God, no prophecy. When you had a king that determinied to engage in idol worship, prophecies were “a plenty”. Prophets, (let me clarify), True Prophets were not welcomed most of the time in Israel because Israel thought themselves to be bad enough to do what they wanted. So God sends a prophet. Be careful of those prophets that keep promising you cars and husbands and houses and land but will not require you to be obedient to the will of God.

Point One: The sin of Judah

Jeremiah 17:1–4 KJV 1900

1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; 2 Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills. 3 O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders. 4 And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.

Jer 17

The Sin of Judah. In the next four verse, the prophet begins to delineate the offenses of Judah before a righteous God. According to Keil & Delitzsch, the sin of Judah is not their sinfulness or the propensity to sin, but their willingness to engage in the sin of Idolatry. Again, when Josiah was King, much was made about his reformation of the religious practices of Israel. He loved God and his love God meant nothing else could be worshiped while he was King. He tore down every Idolatrous statue, every Idol, every practice was done away with. He sought God and God alone.

We need to learn something from his example. Wherever we rule, only the true and living God ought to be worship. You cannot and will not make me bow to any other God. You may believe all gods are the same but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. In your house, you need take down all those Buddha's you call decorative. I know you like Eastern Art. Be careful you are not inviting other deities in your home unaware.

But the moment King Josiah died, Israel went right back to worshipping false gods. And to be truthful we do the same. Once God heals us we are willing to go right back to the foolishness that got us into that mess. God delivered you from a man that drinks when you were in pain. Now that you are healed, you are concerned with how cute he is and not his integrity. We tend t go back to the false God that got us into trouble in the first place.

The Idolatry was pervasive that their hearts were liken to tablets of stone. meaning hard things. Not made of flesh. Why is the prophet concerning himself with the heart of the people. The heart in scripture is often synonymous with one character.

Proverbs 23:7 KJV 1900

7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.

Psalm 119:11 KJV 1900

11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.

Mark 2:8 KJV 1900

8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

The heart is where you character resides, the place you don’t lie to yourself. How many times have you said a thing but your Heart was not in it.

Well here is the issue, the Prophet is saying that you have worshiped other gods to the Point that you heart changed. Have you checked your heart lately. Does any here know that God is concerned with you heart. Meaning, where does your compassion lie? Are yopu concerned with people? Do you care about your fellow religionist? The one you go to church with. Can we love each other. Can we get back to loving each other? God is concerned that your heart doesn’t change. Their worship changed them into something other than what God commanded. It was so pervasive that the mark of sin had to be written with utensils reserved for Hard Stones. Hard surfaces.

Prov 119:11

So the concern with their hearts was an inward manifestation of their sin. But that was not enough for Judah. They even had the audacity to bring into God’s House. According to the prophet, they had the nerve to bring it into the house of God. According to the scholars, what they found is that term used here the horns of the alter are telling. The horns of the alter were these four horns that came out of the alter at the four corners. The horns of the alter were used to accommodate the wood used for the burned offerings. They also were significant because the blood of the animal that would also drip onto the horns. It was the place were the convenant was ratified by the blood were on the horns of the alter. What Israel had the nerve to do was to write the names of their Idols on the horns of the alter. They had the nerve to bring that foul worship into God’s house. To defile the alter of the LORD by writing the Names of their false God right on the alter. They decided to sully the house of God with this strange worship. Beloved, you cannot worship other gods and expect God to bless you and surely cannot bring that foul mess into the house of God and expect.................

The wording of verse to according to some of the scholars was of particular note because of the hebrew construct. It would postulated that it could be read either, while their children remember the alter or while they remember their alter as if it were their children. In either case, the text is an indictment to all of Israel. Why? Glad you asked. If it were the first rendering, the probem would be the fact that Israel is not keeping the commandment of the LORD. Because the scriptures clearly tell them they should instruct the children in the ways of the LORD. They are to constantly keep God before the children day and night. The shammah was to read and rehearsed and taught to every Hebrew boy and girl. Yet, the children are remembering the idol worship.

In the second rendering, Israel has placed some much reverance into their false Gods it is as if when they think of these alters and false gods they place the same importance on them as the do their children.