Practice Justice
Unit 2: Called to God's Work of Justice • Sermon • Submitted
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Key Verse
Key Verse
12 O house of David, thus saith the Lord; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Introduction
Introduction
The Prophet Jeremiah ministered from about 626 to 575 BC. That ministry was to a people the Judaeans who had disobeyed the Lord on a level far beyond the mundaneness of a late term paper. As a result, serious consequences loomed. God sent Prophet after Prophet to warn both King and commoners of pending destruction. But they didn't listen. They acted as though they had Gods favor no matter what; they view Jerusalem’s temple as a good luck charm.
4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.
The northern Kingdom, Israel, had been taken into captivity by the Assyrians in 722 BC
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
A century later, the survival of the southern Kingdom of Judah was by no means assured. The Assyrians were still the dominant military and political power in the ancient near East.
King As-shure-bah-nee-pahl of Assyria died in 627 BC. Although he had been a strong ruler, his death laid bare serious internal weaknesses in Assyria. Disorder and revolt erupted in every part of that empire. Nineveh, the capital city was destroyed in 612 BC the last vestiges of Assyrian might were wiped out at the battle of Carchemish in 605 BC.
Milestones
Prophet to All Nations
After centuries of dealing with rebellion, God appoints Jeremiah to prophesy judgment, salvation, and His coming Servant to Judah, the surrounding nations, and the world.
Israel Warned
Jeremiah speaks out against the idolatry, adultery and child sacrifices that run rampant in Jerusalem. Jews plot to kill him, but God keeps him safe.
Judgment, War, Exile
Finally, Judah faces the consequences of Israel's actions: war, famine, and exile by Babylon. Jerusalem and God’s Temple are destroyed. Jeremiah sees his prophecies fulfilled.
Babylon Brought Low
Though God uses Babylon to judge the nations, they too will be judged for their own wickedness. Prophecy comes to pass when Persia destroys Babylon.
Hope and a Future
Jerusalem is demolished, but David’s line is preserved: King Jehoiachin is allowed to eat with the Babylonian king. Hope shines for Israel in Babylon’s darkness.
Lesson Context Jeremiah 21
Lesson Context Jeremiah 21
Jeremiah 21 is a coherent unit. The opening verses set the scene. Pashur and Zephaniah was sent by Judah’s final King Zedekiah to Jeremiah. Pashur not the same Pashur as in Jeremiah 20 was a dogged opponent of Jeremiah, even trying to have him executed.
Zephaniah, a priest (and not to be confused with the Prophet of the same name), was not actively hostile to Jeremiah.
The two emissaries intended to enlist Jeremiah’s help in order to ensure God’s aid against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon .
1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying, 2 Inquire, I pray thee, of the Lord for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the Lord will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.
King Zedekiah apparently thought that he would be aided by the Egyptians if he rebelled against the Chaldean’s
Lets compare
21 Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.
The situation quickly became desperate when Jerusalem was besieged
Zedekiah and his messengers had some confidence in God's willingness to help them, based on his past work.
Since he had protected Jerusalem before couldn't He be counted on to do so again?
35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
As Jeremiah’s response shows, the request demonstrated a fundamental misunderstanding of Judah’s standing with God.
Jeremiah's response came in three parts.
1. Came words against King Zedekiah himself
3 Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah: 4 Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. 5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. 6 And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence. 7 And afterward, saith the Lord, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.
The Prophet was blunt: Jerusalem’s weapons will become a liability as the Lord himself fights against the city.
Today's text opens with the second section of Jeremiah’s response.
I. To the people (Jeremiah 21:8-10)
I. To the people (Jeremiah 21:8-10)
Choice to Make (v. 8)
Choice to Make (v. 8)
8 And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.
Here is the 2nd of Jeremiah’s three-part responses, the Prophet turns his attention from the King (without excluding him) to the people in general.
God sets before them a stark choice between life and death.
Similar expressions are common throughout the scriptures, but this one seems to especially recall the words of Moses
15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
Jeremiah’s words of judgment and doom come in the context of God's covenant with the people.
The Lord still requires obedience and loyalty.
The people's oft-repeated refusals to render to him their exclusive worship have brought them to this dire point.
The choice presented to God's people in the days of Jeremiah is also presented to us, collectively and individually, today.
Jesus speaks of the choice between life and death as a choice between a wide gate and a straight way
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Each of us is called to choose the path we take.
Though choosing life seems a no-brainer, many still choose death by trusting in their own wisdom
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
And lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him,
And he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes:
Fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
Only following Jesus leads to life
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Consequences to Consider (vv. 9,10)
Consequences to Consider (vv. 9,10)
9 He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.
The choice that Jeremiah has just presented abstractly in the previous verse he now paints in real life terms:
to stay in Jerusalem and try to hold out against the Chaldeans will mean certain death.
The three vehicle of death-by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence are all typical of the results of a long siege.
compare
12 A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.
Leaving the confines of the city and surrendering to the Chaldeans is the only path to continued life
12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:
This is not the advice the people hoped for in this situation.
They want to stay in this city and be delivered by God.
However, the ways of life and death that Jeremiah presents are the only options.
God has decided to punish his people, there will be no deliverance from the Chaldeans
compare
11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.
12 I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
9 He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.
The phrase his life shall be unto him for pray is a military figure of speech.
examples
2 Thus saith the Lord, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.
10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
Jeremiah's address to the people closes with a sobering restatement of the truth as God has determined.
The Hebrew phrase set my face is an idiom for single minded determination
compare
11 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.
and
51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
Doubtless the idea that God will work evil against his own people is a shock
compare
26 Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the Lord, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord God liveth. 27 Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.
and
4 And though they go into captivity before their enemies,
Thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them:
And I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.
Evil here should not be understood as morally detestable or in some way satanic.
The concept is closely related to cursing, especially in contrast to doing good as a blessing.
God’s harm is not intended only as retribution it is intended also to correct his wayward children
compare
3 O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.
Furthermore, we should understand that sometimes multiple layers are the nature of God's wrath.
Sometimes it's purely retributive in nature.
In those cases, God's wrath has no redemptive element at all it's punishment simply because the one who receives the punishment deserves it.
example
5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
The nation of Judah, represented by its capital city of Jerusalem, certainly deserves God's wrath and in a retributive sense;
if the Pagan nations deserve punishment for their idolatry, how much more Judah!
And the Judaeans preference to believe that God will punish only the enemies of the Jews and thereby always deliver Judah shows how badly they misunderstand what it means For God to be faithful.
His wrathful judgment results from the actions of a people and their rulers who have received God's word as no other nation has.
They are without excuse in their repeated rejection of him.
What is happening to Judah now is the promised result of those actions.
see
25 When thou shalt beget children, and children’s children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger: 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. 27 And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you. 28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
Even so God's wrath in this instant is also corrective in nature.
All of this is a reminder of the absolute sovereignty of God.
Zedekiah, in seeking to inquire of God
2 Inquire, I pray thee, of the Lord for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the Lord will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.
He seems to assume that the Lord is on call to perform miracles whenever the people desire.
But God cannot be manipulated.
The destruction of Jerusalem at the hand of the king of Babylon will happen because God has determined that it should.
Nebuchadnezzar will indeed burn the city!
8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: 9 And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire.
II. To the Kings house Jeremiah 21:11-14
II. To the Kings house Jeremiah 21:11-14
Judgment
Judgment
11 And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the Lord;
The focus of Jeremiah’s message shifts again as he begins the third of his three sections of address.
In speaking to the House of the King of Judah the reference seems to be to all members of the Royal Court, those who live in the Palace and assist in carrying out the affairs of state.
They are not exempt from the indictment against King and commoner.
compared
18 Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
12 O house of David, thus saith the Lord; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
In two words Jeremiah sets forth God's vision for kingship and for the responsibilities of the ruling elites toward the people.
Those two words are execute judgment.
This is to be the foundational role of the ruling elites toward the people.
The judgment (justice) spoken of here can be understood in a legal sense.
That includes adhering to the law of Moses with regard to how people are to be treated especially those who are most vulnerable
22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
17 Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the Lord your God.
12 O house of David, thus saith the Lord; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
The phrase in the morning is a Hebrew idiom that implies daily or regularly
3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
16 But I will sing of thy power;
Yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning:
For thou hast been my defence
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
It is customary for cases to be educated at the city gates in the morning.
Starting each day with right judgments will help ensure that the people act in ways pleasing to the Lord.
12 O house of David, thus saith the Lord; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
All this certainly includes the Royals and officials of the House of David thwarting the evil schemes of the oppressor.
Such people seek to take what is not theirs.
If human judges refused to end their injustice, God's fury will be like fire, and will burn as result.
Fire is not typically literal in context such as this
see
5 How long, Lord? wilt thou be angry for ever?
Shall thy jealousy burn like fire?
but sometimes it is literal.
10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
The latter will be the case here we Nebuchadrezzar, as an instrument of God's wrath, burns Jerusalem.
Punishment
Punishment
13 Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the Lord; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?
The Lord addresses Jerusalem by way of its geographical characteristics.
Both the Valley and the plain make the inhabitants feel secure in the face of military advances.
Jerusalem is bounded on three sides by deep valleys.
Thus the city itself sits above its potential enemies on a defensive stronghold
compare
4 Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys,
Thy flowing valley, O backsliding daughter?
That trusted in her treasures, saying, Who shall come unto me?
The people of the city are overconfident in this situation.
compare
6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. 7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.
13 Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the Lord; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?
The question who shall come down against us?
Indicates just how little they understand about their vulnerability.
This attitude is especially astounding given that it's not a foreign army that's the primary threat, but the Lord God himself.
Can there be any worse words to hear from the Lord then I am against the?
14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the Lord: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.
A reading of Joshua 5:13 through 6:27 should convince everyone that their walls offer no security against the Lord's wrath.
When the Lord desires to pass judgment according to the fruit of their doings, He cannot be thwarted
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,
And be filled with their own devices.
10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him:
For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him:
For the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The end of the line
The end of the line
Today's lesson brings us to one of the most somber moments in the history of God's dealings with his covenant people. Jerusalem was beyond the point of repentance. The people's trust in their own wisdom meant death. Whether or not we are immunized against such a mindset depends on whether we are willing to learn from history. And we realize that the grace of God may come to us in the mere fact that we avoided the worst possible outcome of a bad decision or a bad pattern of living.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
May we unlike the people of Jerusalem’s day repent while there is time.