THE TERRIFYING ANSWER TO MERCY

Do you remember the game of mercy? Perhaps you played it as a child in school? Your children or grandchildren have come home talking about playing a game called mercy during recess or lunch? I can remember while in elementary school in Cassopolis, Michigan and later in middle school at Edwardsburg, Michigan that several of my classmates would often challenge each other to a game of mercy across the table.

I remember the allure of the game never garnished much interest from my group of friends. We just didn’t see the appeal to such a game. For those who don’t know the game is played as such: Two players face each other and join hands, each player's left hand interlocking fingers and thumbs with the opposing player's right hand. But one of the most important rules is to not apply pressure on the middle finger and the ring finger. On the word "go", each player attempts to bend back the opponent's hand and inflict pain by straining their wrist. When a player can no longer stand the pain, they declare defeat by shouting popularly "Mercy, Mercy, Uncle Mercy" (commonly mistaken for "Mercy, Mercy, Uncle Percy"), "Mercy!" (or "Peanuts!", or "scorpion", or "Pinochle" or "Uncle", depending upon what they call the game). If a player on the verge of losing the match calls for "timeout", "break", or "re grip", that player will lose the match as though they have cried "mercy!" The winner is then referred to as “The Monster” or “The Champion.”

The game itself does not sound like anything I would consider to be a demonstration of mercy. If you have not gathered from this morning’s message title in your bulletin as well as the opening illustration, we are going to be talking about “mercy”. However, this morning as we resume our series through the book of Jeremiah we are going to be confronted with a very difficult challenge. This morning we are going to wrestle with the tough theology of God compassion, mercy, and wrath.

Let’s turn in our Bibles to Jeremiah chapter fourteen starting at verse seventeen. We are picking up in Jeremiah’s third petition in chapter fourteen for God to demonstrate mercy amid Judah’s sin. Jeremiah is wrestling with God, if you will, to stay off the coming destruction at the hands of Babylonians.

As we read our text this morning let us remind ourselves that we believe God’s Word to be inspired, inerrant, and authoritative.

Jeremiah 14:17–15:9 CSB

17 You are to speak this word to them: Let my eyes overflow with tears; day and night may they not stop, for the virgin daughter of my people has been destroyed by a crushing blow, an extremely severe wound. 18 If I go out to the field, look—those slain by the sword! If I enter the city, look—those ill from famine! For both prophet and priest travel to a land they do not know. 19 Have you completely rejected Judah? Do you detest Zion? Why do you strike us with no hope of healing for us? We hoped for peace, but there was nothing good; for a time of healing, but there was only terror. 20 We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord, the iniquity of our ancestors; indeed, we have sinned against you. 21 For your name’s sake, don’t despise us. Don’t disdain your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us; do not break it. 22 Can any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Or can the skies alone give showers? Are you not the Lord our God? We therefore put our hope in you, for you have done all these things. 1 Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before me, my compassions would not reach out to these people. Send them from my presence, and let them go. 2 If they ask you, ‘Where will we go?’ tell them: This is what the Lord says: Those destined for death, to death; those destined for the sword, to the sword. Those destined for famine, to famine; those destined for captivity, to captivity. 3 “I will ordain four kinds of judgment for them”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land to devour and destroy. 4 I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem. 5 Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem? Who will show sympathy toward you? Who will turn aside to ask about your well-being? 6 You have left me.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “You have turned your back, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you. I am tired of showing compassion. 7 I scattered them with a winnowing fork at the city gates of the land. I made them childless; I destroyed my people. They would not turn from their ways. 8 I made their widows more numerous than the sand of the seas. I brought a destroyer at noon against the mother of young men. I suddenly released on her agitation and terrors. 9 The mother of seven grew faint; she breathed her last breath. Her sun set while it was still day; she was ashamed and humiliated. The rest of them I will give over to the sword in the presence of their enemies.” This is the Lord’s declaration.

I. All are responsible… (14:17-18)

As Jeremiah opens his discourse, he assumes the role of communicating God’s position. The land was all ready groaning under the burden of the drought we saw back in chapter thirteen. The people were mourning because they had lost their comfort and pleasure not because they had lost the blessing of their God. Jeremiah is entering into the part of his ministry where he is starting to “contend with horses.”

So, it’s surprising despite all of this to see God lamenting over Judah’s ongoing destruction. The previous section concluding in verse sixteen carries the sentence that God is passing on Judah in which he will pour all their own evil back on them. God is demonstrating his justice against Judah by sending sword and famine. The coming destruction will be so severe that there will not be sufficient people left to bury the dead. In fact, historians such as Josephus record that the deportation and slaughter according to Jewish records during the Babylonian war was so bad that bodies were just heaped into piles and ditches.

Yet beginning in verse seventeen Jeremiah opens with a lament from the position of God. Though God does not enjoy the destruction of the wicked, see Ezekiel 18:23 and 33:11, his holy and just character demands punishment of sin. The emotional depth of the lament is revealed in the choice Judah being called a “virgin” contrasted to other places we have seen thus far with Judah being referred to as a “harlot.” Notice though in verses seventeen and eighteen that despite God’s lament for the coming destruction he is sending is presented there is a very important truth about this judgment.

Jeremiah had contended with God in our previous section that it was the fault of the prophets and priests who had led the people astray into idolatry by proclaiming false teaching. God did not discredit this assertion but rather promised judgment upon those false teachers. However, in verse eighteen of our text this morning notice that God lists three separate groups of people. He says through Jeremiah, “If I go out to the field, look-those slain by the sword! If I enter the city, look-those ill from famine! For both prophet and priest travel to a land they do not know.”

The Hebrew of this passage reveals three distinct and yet interwoven groups. In effect God is saying in response to Jeremiah’s earlier plea in the prior section that judgment is coming to all the rebellious even those who were led astray by false teaching. Those who have listened to the false prophets were victims, but they were not innocent. We bear a responsibility for the kind of teaching we decided to listen to and accept.

Today we have an educational system that is running farther and farther away from the notion of moral absolutes. It is producing a generation of young people who have no respect for authority, who are encouraged to develop a morality that is right for them in that time and situation. God answer to Jeremiah’s prayer, even though he grieves, is that each person bears the responsibility and consequence of the type of teaching they accept into their culture and lives. For our acceptance and silence, we bear just as much responsibility as the false teachers.

II. Lord be merciful! (Vs. 19-22)

Jeremiah once more enters the role of intercessor for the people of Judah. He is going to plead with God to show mercy and be lenient toward the people of Judah. He begins with the question in verse nineteen, “Have you completely rejected Judah? Do you detest Zion?” To Jeremiah it is unthinkable that God would completely reject his chosen people. Many Christians today consider it unthinkable that God would reject anyone in the faith. Jeremiah speaking for the people says they had hoped for healing but only found terror.

Why is it that the people were only able to find terror? Since there is no relief Jeremiah seeking to redeem his people confesses their sin verse twenty in a spirit like that of Ezra in Ezra 9:6-15. Additionally, Jeremiah makes a threefold appeal to God to show mercy. His appeal is not based on the people’s willingness to repent but rather on God’s holy and righteous character.

First in verse twenty-one, Jeremiah says, “For your name’s sake, don’t despise us.” Jeremiah is referencing God’s very nature. Because of whom God is he should not despise the people of Israel. The Hebrew word despise here is “nabal” meaning to treat as foolish or to esteem lightly. Jeremiah is pleading with God to save and spare Judah out of respect for nothing more than God’s own character. Yet throughout Scripture we see that God’s grace demonstrates his character just as much as God’s holiness and justice demonstrate his character.

Jeremiah’s second appeal is for God not to “disdain his glorious throne.” Throne here is generally understood as a reference to Jerusalem, specifically the Temple. The Temple was considered the abode of God among his people. Here in lies the answer to the question I asked earlier. “Why is it that the people were only able to find terror?” Answer, they were putting their faith in the Temple and practices not in God. They believed that since the Temple was the place where God dwelt and was enthroned no harm could come to them. The people failed to understand that God sought to dwell in their hearts not a building.

Sadly, many Christians today have developed a similar understanding of God. We consider the church building as the physical incarnation of the church. We believe it is here in which we meet God. Yet God is with us and in us through the Indwelling Holy Spirit. God has never desired a building but the heart. We are the Temple of God.

Finally, Jeremiah appeals to God’s covenant with Judah. This serves as an interesting appeal for mercy because when God entered covenant with the Jewish people, he gave them a series of blessings for obedience and a series of curses for disobedience. Perhaps what Jeremiah is doing is saying Lord I know that we have broken our end of the covenant please continue to honor your end of the covenant. Perhaps Jeremiah is pleading with mercy in the form of a remnant. The Preacher’s Commentary Series on Jeremiah and Lamentations says here, “The people of Judah had repeatedly broken the covenant but assumed that they could always count on God’s favor. They did not hesitate to emphasize God’s obligations to them but ignored their duties to him.”

Yet again I wonder how many today live in a similar fashion. They have entered a covenant relationship with Yahweh and yet do not attempt to hold up their end of the relationship all the while expecting God to always demonstrate his favor upon them even amid their rebellion. Jeremiah’s fully understands there is no grounds within the conduct of the people to seek mercy. The only possible mercy can only come from a result of God’s character. God save us for your name’s sake. God save us for your sovereignty. God save us for your covenant.

III. The Terrifying Response (15:1-7)

Jeremiah has made his appeal before Yahweh confessing the sins of the people and seeking mercy based upon God’s character. Now the Lord offers his response. Look to verse one of chapter fifteen. God responds with, “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before me, my compassions would not reach out to these people.”

I can say I am not sure how I would respond to such a statement. However, Jeremiah as a priest would have been fully aware of the numerous times that Moses interceded for the people of Israel in the wilderness. He would have known the stories of Samuel praying for Israel during the period of the Judges and early kings. Even men such as these whose prayers were answered repeatedly with mercy granted could not change the coming punishment.

There is a limit to God’s mercy and patience. Neither of these great intercessors would be heard now. God could no longer tolerate the stubbornness of the people. Consider for a moment what the Apostle Peter writes,

2 Peter 3:1–14 CSB

1 Dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you; in both letters, I want to stir up your sincere understanding by way of reminder, 2 so that you recall the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles. 3 Above all, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days scoffing and following their own evil desires, 4 saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” 5 They deliberately overlook this: By the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water. 6 Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded. 7 By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. 11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness 12 as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming. Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat. 13 But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found without spot or blemish in his sight, at peace.

Though God is patient toward us eventually as in the case of Judah the clock will run out. Time is of the essence. There will be a day when the mercy of Yahweh reaches a limit, and he will pass judgment. For those of us who are in Christ and following him there is no fear. Yet for those outside of the blood of Christ and those who though having received Christ continue to live in rebellion time if fleeting.

In verse two God gives the command, “Send them away.” It is the same verb “salah” found in Exodus 5:1 where it is translated “Let my people go.” It seem an intentional play on the Exodus language but here does not carry the hope of deliverance but the terror of being handed over. The Lord had redeemed the people from Egypt, yet they continued to rebel and now they are being delivered over to Babylon for destruction.

Verses three through seven depict the severity of the coming judgment. Interestingly God says in verse four, “I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.” The severity of Judah’s punishment is a result of the long fifty-five-year idolatrous reign of Manasseh.

Manasseh’s father Hezekiah had instituted sweeping religious reforms in Judah destroying the high places and attempting to wipe out idolatry. However, Hezekiah failed to disciple his own son. As such Manasseh rebuilt the high places, set up altars for Baal and Asherah, engaged in child sacrifice, witchcraft, and even set up an Asherah pole in the temple of Yahweh. Manasseh’s evil was so great that even the reforms of his grandson Josiah were not enough to counter act the depravity of Manasseh.

Josiah’s revival was simply too late. The damage had already been done. Surely God would not punish the people of Judah for the sins of the King. Great care must be given in how we interpret this passage. The simple truth is that while Manasseh encouraged, promoted, and even ordained the idolatrous worship practices of the people by his example, they willing followed him. Therefore, judgment would come on them, not because of Manasseh’s sin but because of their own. We may be affected by the sins of others but each one is held individually responsible for his own actions.

Ezekiel 18:2–4 CSB

2 “What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel: ‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3 As I live”—this is the declaration of the Lord God—“you will no longer use this proverb in Israel. 4 Look, every life belongs to me. The life of the father is like the life of the son—both belong to me. The person who sins is the one who will die.

Conclusion

Jeremiah pleaded with God for mercy, but God responded with no. There was no one for the people of Judah to blame. Yes, the sin of the leaders was great but so to be the sin of God’s chosen people. There is a very real danger facing the church today. Without question our society and governmental leaders are full of immorality and idolatry. In the coming years the church will be faced with the difficult decision of standing against the crowd or going with the flow.

If we concede and go with the flow, then we will have no one to blame when we stand before the Throne of God. We cannot plead on behalf of people for God to offer mercy on the Day of Judgement because of His name’s sake or His sovereignty. God has already offered mercy, grace, forgiveness, and salvation in Jesus Christ to all people for his name’s sake and because of his sovereignty. But those who hear the Word of God and reject it there is a terrifying response to the prophet’s plea for mercy.