Deestruction is here
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In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.” Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him. And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, “I am banned from going to the house of the Lord, so you are to go, and on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the Lord’s house you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities. It may be that their plea for mercy will come before the Lord, and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.”
Q: What do we see?
God tells Jeremiah to write down the word that God spoke to him from the beginning of His ministy.
Baruch is the scribe
The idea is, maybe they will take a written message more seriously than one given like a speech off the top of your head.
From here a few things start happening
Leaders take this seriously and summon Baruch to read the entire account again for the King’s officials.
After reading for the Officials they told Baruch to hide himself and Jeremiah.
Someone else then read the statement a 3rd time for the King himself.
This is what happened.
It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him. As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments. Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.
Q: What do we see?
The King is arrogant.
The cutting up of the scroll and burning it
Affront to God’s messenger
Affront to God’s Holy Word
Affront to God himself
Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned.
Q: What do we learn from here?
God is committed to His word,
It is important for us to have His word avaiable to us.
People have tried thorughout the centuries to censor or ban God’s word.
From the Great Persecution in the 4th century to modern times where Bibles are banned in countries around the world.
Chapter 37
Chapter 37
In verse 12 to 15 we see
We see Jeremiah going to visit the land that he bought a few chapters ago.
Man named Irijah see’s him and brings him in for supposedly deserting (surrendering) to the Babylonians.
Now that he is in Jail the King will send for him.
When Jeremiah had come to the dungeon cells and remained there many days, King Zedekiah sent for him and received him. The king questioned him secretly in his house and said, “Is there any word from the Lord?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”
Q: What can we deduce from this?
Q: Why was the King meeting in seceret?
He does not want anyone else to know that He is talking to Jeremiah
Q: What does the first question tell us about the King?
The King seems to believe Jeremiah and wants to follow God but is too afraid of the opposition.
Q: What does Jeremiahs’s response signify?
He is not afraid of what
The king and Jeremiah ate exmaples of Jesus word
And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Jesus then explains
“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
The King is like the seed the fell among the thorns, the worries of life and losing his position and riches prevented him from embracing God’s commandments
Jeremiah is like the seed that fell on good soil.
The discussion between them
Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, “What wrong have I done to you or your servants or this people, that you have put me in prison? Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land’?
This echoes what is said in Timothy
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
How did the King respond to this?
Now hear, please, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there.” So King Zedekiah gave orders, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guard. And a loaf of bread was given him daily from the bakers’ street, until all the bread of the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
He still sent Jeremiah to jail.
Even in that circumstance God provided for him through the wicked King by sending bread.
Chapter 38
Chapter 38
We see two interesting accounts here
A group of men are angry at Jeremiah and want to kill him so they ask King Zedekiah if they can and he tells them that they can do whatever they want.
They take Jeremiah and lower him into a cistern by some ropes. No food no water, just stuck in the mud.
Another guy, an Etheopian overheard what the first group asked for and went the King and said that they did evil because Jeremiah would die there.
Asked to rescue Jeremiah and the same King allowed it.
Q: What does this tell us about he King?
King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the Lord. The king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you a question; hide nothing from me.” Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.” Then King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As the Lord lives, who made our souls, I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of these men who seek your life.” Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.” King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to them and they deal cruelly with me.”
The king swears that he will not kill Jeremiah or hand him over if he is honest with the King but in the same conversation later in verse 28 threatens to hand him over
A good King would put themselves in the way in oreer to save his people and his country but he did not.
There is a saying. A weak man is more dangerous than a strong man. A weak man will lie to your face and stab you in the back. A stron man will let you know how things stand.
Do not be a weak man, stand up for your convictions.
Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Jerusalem Falls
When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward the Arabah. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, at Riblah, in the land of Hamath; and he passed sentence on him. The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. The Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the house of the people, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried into exile to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the people who remained.
Does anyone else get a happy feeling reading this passage?
The warnings were numerous
God’s patience was extensive
He was gracious with them
He sent messengers
Seeing God’s promises go exaclty the way he said them is fufilling.
Chapter 40 and 41
Chapter 40 and 41
These two chapters are a side story with assassinations, battles and lots of murder.
Skip to Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Chapter 42
This is the remaining people after the exile that are still alive
and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.” Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the Lord your God sends you to us. Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”
This sound like exactly what they needed to do there is hope for the people. Looks like the promise of restoration is closer than first appeared.
Jeremiah prays to God and returns an answer:
Remian in this land and I will prosper you
Do not fear the King of babylon
I will have mercy on you
But if you flee and go to Egypt where there are not trumpet sounds of war or be hungry
The famie you are afraid of will follow you
You will die there by famine, the sword and pestilence
How do they respond?
Chapter 43
Chapter 43
43: 2b-3
English Standard Version Chapter 43
all the insolent men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie. The LORD our God did not send you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to live there,’ 3 but Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may kill us or take us into exile in Babylon.”
Q: They seemd so sincere, how did it go wrong?
They didnt trust God, they didnt trust Jeremiah.
Ironic that the people wanted to flee the land that their ancestors fled from being slaves. Also echos Israel’s complaining in the land to Moses and God to go back to Egypt where they had food.
The people the respond by leaving for Egypt. They also take Jeremiah with them. Many scholars believe they took him by force, but it begs the question why would they do that to someone who preaches constant destruction.
The end of the chapter God pronounces judgement on the individuals who left Judah to go to Egypt
Chapter 44
Chapter 44
The word of God comes once more to Jeremiah and God declares that the people will incure judgement by the sword, by famine. Jeremiah states this in a open area for all to hear
How do the people respond?
“As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you. But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”
Q: What do you see?
The people have already forgotte what they went through.
They believe their offering to false god’s protected them and offered them safety.
Q: Do we oftern give credit to the wrong things for blessing in our life?
Conclusion:
God