Forsaking Common Sense

Introduction

God has been warning Judah over and over again. He has called His people to repentance repeatedly. He has told them that He is the potter and they are clay. That He can do what He wishes, when He wishes to do, no matter what they will or won’t. They have no options but to face what He decides. However, in this pronouncement, He has called them to repentance and given them a chance to repent once again. He has pleaded with His people. It is with this please that Jeremiah goes to his people once again and declares, Repent before it is too late. He runs in hopes they will obey. How will they respond?

Focus Passage

Jeremiah 18:12–17 (AV)12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. 13 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing. 14 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken? 15 Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up; 16 To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. 17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

Outline

Hard Hearted (v.12)

Jeremiah 18:12 (AV)12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

As read this text, I see a familiar spirit in many within the church today. Jeremiah has come to bring a message of hope in the response of repentance. We found in our last message the following call of God to the people of Judah, Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good (Jeremiah 18:11). One would think that they would acknowledge the truth that God can do what He wants to them, as revealed to Jeremiah, when he saw the visual illustration at the Potter’s House, The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it (Jeremiah 18:1-7). So how did Judah respond? They responded like many are responding within the church today.

The response of a hard heart

A hard heart does not deny the issue

A hard heart does not deny the warning - ‘That is hopeless’

A hard heart follows its own intent - ‘walk according to our own plans’

A hard heart follows its own deception - ‘every one obeys the dictates of his evil heart’

As we here the people of Judah state, every one obeys the dictates of his evil heart, we should be reminded of what Jeremiah had already warned the people of Judah about the heart.

Jeremiah 17:9 (AV)9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Just as they did not heed Jeremiah’s warning about the heart then, they do not heed the warning that God has planned judgment to fall on Judah and yet once again, gives them an opportunity to repent. Yet, they once again say, “No!”

What is God’s response to their hard hearts? What does He pronounce about the judgment to come? How does God describe the response of His people?

Forsaking common sense (vv.13-14)

Jeremiah 18:13–14 (AV)13 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing. 14 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

I have often asked my children, when they decided to get smart with me, “Have you lost your mind?” This is not only a question I have asked my children, but a question, if not audibly, have asked internally about people in general. There are times that I see people make decisions, and I just think to myself, “There is no way that he/she can truly think this is good.” I truly feel they have lost their mind and forsook all common sense. This is what God says of His people for following their heart rather than his plea.

Two ways in which Judah has forsaken common sense

Those who do not know God had better logic than to follow down the path they chose - ‘Ask now among the Gentiles, Who has heard such things’

Judah’s actions were obviously wrong to everyone but herself - ‘The virgin Israel has done a horrible thing…Everyone who passes by it will be astonished and shake his head’

God shows the stupidity of Judah’s actions by bring about a blatant illustration of ignorance and stupidity. He states that Judah chose to abandon a sure source of vitality and refreshing, the snow water of Lebanon, which comes from the rock of the field, and went after a source that was not proven to be anything. The reality of it was that this other source of water would be bring sickness and death, but it was unknown, Will the cold flowing waters be forsaken for strange waters.

God’s response to a hard heart (vv.15-17)

Jeremiah 18:15–17 (AV)15 Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up; 16 To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. 17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

The people of Judah had truly chose to forget God in their lives and decisions, Because my people hath forgotten Me. As I read this verse, I’m reminded of Paul’s letter to Rome. Remember what he writes in chapter 1, Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things (Romans 1:21-23). It is the same within our own lives. When we forsake God, we begin to become enslaved by other false ideas and idols, They have burned incense to vanity.

The results of this rebellion and allowing one’s self to follow after the world and false doctrines and our false heart is obvious.

When following our own way we...

Lose our way - ‘And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways, From the ancient paths, To walk in pathways and not on a highway’

Become humiliated - ‘To make their land desolate and a perpetual hissing’

Reap God’s judgment - ‘I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the back and not the face In the day of their calamity’

Conclusion

You and I stand in the same place that Judah stood. We have heard the message. God can do with us what He will. If God pronounces judgment, it will take place. If God pronounces blessing, it will take place. God has given us an opportunity to repent. He has given us an opportunity to respond. He has even went as far as warning us that our hearts are evil, don’t follow them. What will be our response? Will repent, embrace God’s way, and follow after it? Or will we do as Judah did?

Acknowledge the problem. Acknowledge God will judge us. In the acknowledgement of our rebellion, and God’s promised judgment, still choose to follow our way, our hearts and deny Him. In that knowing that it will be obvious to everyone around us that we are doing our way rather than God’s way. Even the lost realize that we are being bluntly stupid and daring God to judge. In the end, God will judge and we will not be able to avoid it. It will not be because of anyone else, but will be due to our rebellion.