Jeremiah 5 Gods Judgement is Just

Adonai begins by asking Jeremiah to search Jerusalem to see if he can find 1 righteous man, after this He shows how justified His judgement is. Let us begin in Jer. 5

Jeremiah 5 TLV

Roam the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares! If you can find a person, if there is one who does justice, who seeks truth, then I will pardon the city. Though they say, “As Adonai lives!” surely they swear falsely. Adonai, do Your eyes not look for faithfulness? You struck them, but they did not grieve. You disciplined them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone. They refused to return. Then I said: These are only the poor. They are foolish. For they do not know the way of Adonai, the ordinance of their God. I will go to the distinguished and speak to them. Surely they know the way of Adonai, the ordinance of their God. But they too had broken the yoke and torn off the bonds. Therefore a lion from the forest will kill them. A desert wolf will ravage them. A leopard watches over their cities. Everyone who ventures out will be torn to pieces, For their rebellion is great, their backslidings frequent. “Why therefore should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by those who are not gods. Even though I fed them well, they committed adultery and thronged to the prostitute houses. They are well-fed, lustful stallions, each neighing for his neighbor’s wife. For such, should I not punish them?” It is a declaration of Adonai. “On such a nation as this should I not avenge Myself? Go up into her vines and ravage them, but do not completely destroy them. Strip away her branches for they are not Adonai’s. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to Me.” It is a declaration of Adonai. They have lied about Adonai saying: “Not He! No harm will come to us. Nor will we see sword or famine. The prophets are but wind and the word is not in them. Let what they say be done to them!” Therefore thus says Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot: “Because you speak this word, behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire and this people wood— and it will devour them. See, I am bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel.” It is a declaration of Adonai. “It is an enduring nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you neither know nor understand what they say. Their quiver is an open grave. They are all mighty warriors. They will devour your harvest and your food. They will devour your sons and your daughters. They will devour your flocks and your herds. They will devour your vines and your fig trees. They will demolish your fortified cities —the ones in which you trust— with the sword. “Yet even in those days,” declares Adonai, “I will not completely destroy you. So it will come to pass that when you ask, ‘Why has Adonai Eloheinu done all these things to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so will you serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’ “Declare this in the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah, saying: ‘Hear this you foolish people who have no understanding, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear. Do you not fear Me?’ says Adonai. ‘Do you not tremble in My presence?’ For I made the sand a boundary of the sea, an everlasting decree that cannot be broken. Though the waves roll, they cannot prevail. Though they roar, they cannot cross it. But this people have a stubborn and rebellious heart. They have turned aside and gone away. They do not say in their heart, ‘Let us now fear Adonai Eloheinu, who gives rain in its season —fall rain and spring rain— who reserves for us the appointed weeks of harvest.’ Your iniquities have turned these away, your sins have deprived you of bounty. For among My people are wicked men, watching like bait-layers lying in wait. They set a trap—they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. That is why they grew great and rich. They grew fat and sleek. They also overlooked evil deeds. They do not uphold a cause— the cause of an orphan to prosper— nor do they defend the right of the poor. Should I not punish them?” says Adonai. “On such a nation should I not avenge Myself? An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, the kohanim rule by their own authority, and My people love it this way! But what will you do in the end?”

One Righteous Person

Adonai begins with a direction, a command to Jeremiah, roam, look around, consider, search for one righteous person. Adonai is looking for a person who does justice and who seeks truth. While this may be hyperbole, we see a similar discussion with Abraham and Adonai in Gen. 18:20-21

Genesis 18:20–21 TLV

Then Adonai said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great indeed, and their sin is very grievous indeed. I want to go down now, and see if they deserve destruction, as its outcry has come to Me. And if not, I will know.”

Abraham then interceded with Adonai to spare Sodom and the surrounding towns. In the end Adonai agreed with Abraham: Gen 18:32

Genesis 18:32 TLV

Then he said, “Please, let not my Lord be angry, so I may speak once more. Perhaps ten will be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

Jeremiah Searches

So, Jeremiah goes and look, and what he finds is not encouraging. He finds that the commoners refuse correction even after the discipline of Adonai. They have made their faces harder than stone and they refuse to repent and return to God.

But, Jeremiah thinks that this is simply because the poor people are foolish and don’t know the word of God nor the way of Adonai. So he decides to go to the “great men” or distinguished peoples, because surely they will know better. Unfortunately The prominent people had also broken the yoke of Adonai off of their shoulders and had refused to serve the Lord.

This “breaking the yoke” and “tearing off the bonds” is an interesting point. It actually links us back to Psalm 2, where the psalmist is writing to the surrounding ungodly nations and warning them to humble themselves before the Messianic King, the Son of David. Ps. 2:1-6

Psalm 2:1–6 TLV

Why are the nations in an uproar, and the peoples mutter vanity? The kings of earth set themselves up and rulers conspire together against Adonai and against His Anointed One: “Let’s rip their chains apart, and throw their ropes off us!” He who sits in heaven laughs! Adonai mocks them. So He will speak to them in His anger, and terrify them in His fury: “I have set up My king upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

Now Adonai is now speaking to His own people in the same way. The people of Jerusalem have thrown off the yoke and bonds of Adonai, so instead they will get the chains and burden of a foreign nation.

Adonai’s Indictment

I remember being told when I was younger, that if you ever see the word “therefore”, you need to find out what it is there for. Adonai now goes into the judgement that is resulting because the people refuse to listen and obey His voice.

Adonai declares that wild beasts will now fill the land to tear them into pieces because their rebellion is great and their backslidings are frequent. This is a fulfillment of the covenant made with Beni Yisrael under Moses in Lev. 26:21-22. This is part of the curses for disobedience.

Leviticus 26:21–22 TLV

“if you keep walking contrary to Me and will not listen to Me, then I will multiply the plagues on you seven times like your sins. I will send the wild animals among you, which will rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you so few in number that your roads will become deserted.

Earlier in Jeremiah, Adonai told the people that He had struck them in discipline, Jer. 2:30

Jeremiah 2:30 TLV

“In vain I struck your children. They took no correction. Your sword devoured your prophets like a ravaging lion.”

Now Adonai is stating that lions will strike (attack) them violently.

Earlier we were told that Adonai would watch over his word to perform it: Jer. 1:12

Jeremiah 1:12 TLV

Then Adonai said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”

Now Adonai tells the people that leopards will “watch over” their cities to tear in pieces anyone who ventures out. This fulfills what Adonai said through Moses, that the roads would become deserted.

Why Should God Forgive?

Adonai then asks three pointed questions. The first is, “Why should I forgive you?” There is no doubt that Adonai is merciful and forgiving, but the people had a false assumption that there was no need to humbly repent in order to receive that forgiveness. Adonai had provided their every need and watched over them for protection, and yet the men had repaid God’s goodness by “thronging to the prostitution houses.”

In Jer. 2:23-25 Adonai had compared Israel to a female donkey in heat, now he compares the men to well-fed lustful stallions, each going after his neighbour’s wife. The people had been well-fed by the blessing of the Lord, and instead of honouring Him, the people of Judah had used God’s provision to satisfy their own lusts.

Father, forgive us.

So Adonai asks two more questions, Jer. 5:9 “For such, should I not punish them?” It is a declaration of Adonai. “On such a nation as this should I not avenge Myself?”

Wilful Denial

The people of Judah lived in a state of wilful denial. They had convinced themselves that Adonai would not bring judgement. “A God of love wouldn’t bring judgement, would He?” “Surely no harm will come to us, no famine or war.” “The preacher’s are all just hot air!”

But Adonai says to Jeremiah, “Your words will be like fire and the people will be like wood.” Regardless of the denial of the people of Jerusalem, judgement is coming in the form of war and famine, the two things that the people denied. The judgement will affect the food, the people, and the cities in which they trusted.

Mercy in the Midst of Judgement

Three times in this section, (Jer. 5:18, 4:27, 5:10) we see that Adonai promises, “Yet even in those days,” declares Adonai, “I will not completely destroy you.”

Why does Adonai promise judgement in the form of war, and then promise that the destruction will not be complete?

Michael Brown point out two reasons:

God remains mindful of his covenantal commitment to his people, still feeling tenderness even in the midst of stern rebuke. Second, there is an element of judgement in the promise as well. Because Israel is called to be a witness nation, testifying to the acts of the Lord, Israel under judgement also testifies, providing indisputable evidence that God deals with his people in what the rabbinic sages called “measure for measure” thereby declaring his righteous ways.

More Questions

Adonai now asks the people, Jer. 5:22 “‘Do you not fear Me?’ says Adonai. ‘Do you not tremble in My presence?’”

The people had eyes, but they could not see; ears, but they could not hear; a stubborn and rebellious heart that had turned aside and gone away. The people refused to give thanks to Adonai for His provision of rain and for the harvest.

And so, the wicked were allowed to prosper because sin was rampant throughout the land, and Adonai asks, Jer. 5:29 “Should I not punish them?” says Adonai. “On such a nation should I not avenge Myself?”

The Root of the Problem

Adonai now reveals to Jeremiah the root of the problem. Jer. 5:30-31 “An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, the kohanim rule by their own authority, and My people love it this way! But what will you do in the end?””

The reason why sin was so rampant, the reason why there was no repentance, the reason why the judgement was coming, is because those who should have been telling the truth and declaring God’s Word, the prophets, were lying and telling the people only what the people wanted to hear. And from those lies, the kohanim, the ministers were ruling. And the people liked it that way....

Application

So how do we apply this passage to our lives today?

Be the Righteous Remnant

Yeshua called us to be Salt and Light. In Matt. 5:13-16

Matthew 5:13–16 TLV

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt should lose its flavor, how shall it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on a lampstand so it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

We are called to be a light to our world around us. Salt has been used as a preservative and an antiseptic for thousands of years. We are called to point out sin and bring cleansing to the dying world around us. We are not supposed to hide our light such that the culture can not see it, but we are supposed to act like Yeshua acted. Yeshua was gracious with the humble and contrite, and he was direct with the proud and unrepentant. He was loved by people who knew they were sinners, and he was hated by people who thought they were good. This is the natural result of following Yeshua, we will become like Him. Acts 4:13

Acts 4:13 TLV

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and figured out they were laymen without training, they were amazed. They began to realize that these men had been with Yeshua.

In Everything, Give Thanks

Regardless of what the situation is, we need to be reminded to be thankful. Rav. Sha’ul (the Apostle Paul) says this to the congregation in Ephesus: Eph. 5: 15-20

Ephesians 5:15–20 TLV

So pay close attention to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise. Make the most of your time because the days are evil. For this reason do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. And do not get drunk on wine, for that is recklessness. Instead, be filled with the Ruach, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your heart to the Lord— always giving thanks for everything to God the Father, in the name of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

I want to point out that we are told to give thanks to God the Father for everything in spite of the days being evil. We need to remember that He has still provided all of our needs according to His riches in glory. We are called to rejoice in the Lord, in spite of the circumstances. This can get extremely hard at times. But I remember the story of Betsie Ten Boom (Corrie’s sister) thanking God for the fleas. Corrie could not bring herself to do that, but years later she discovered that the reason the German guards left them alone to study the Bible, was because of the fleas.

Wear the Yoke

We must remember that, as humans we either serve God or we serve sin. Rom. 6:19-23

Romans 6:19–23 TLV

I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you yielded your body parts as slaves to uncleanness and lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness, so now yield your body parts as slaves to righteousness, resulting in holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness. So then, what outcome did you have that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death. But now, having been set free from sin and having become enslaved to God, you have your fruit resulting in holiness. And the outcome is eternal life. For sin’s payment is death, but God’s gracious gift is eternal life in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.

Some people believe that God’s yoke and burden, meaning His teachings and way of living, it too difficult. Even though Yeshua stated firmly, Matt. 11:30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

But we forget that all the other options (serving man, serving money, serving other gods, etc.) all lead to death. We were all enslaved to these lifestyles before we humbled ourselves and came to Yeshua. We have now been made free, and we are now slaves of righteousness and slaves of God. We are now here to do His bidding, and to follow His direction. And this is wonderful news, because the goal or outcome is eternal life!! This is God’s gracious gift!!

The Root of the Problem

Finally, I want to point out that the root of the problem in Jeremiah’s day is the same as it is in ours. For Jeremiah, the prophets were lying, or not telling the whole truth, and this led to the Cohenim also following that authority. In our time there are many leaders of churches and even denominations, that are rejecting the plain simply meaning of Scripture. Many denominations have split over the question of whether or not homosexuality is a sin, and whether or not to ordain a minister who is openly homosexual. 20 years ago, when I was watching this happen in the USA, I said to myself, “I always thought that the great apostasy would come about because of a doctrinal issue, not a sin issue.” I was referring to this very issue.

I know that there is forgiveness for any and all lifestyles, and I know that God can change, even the desires of our heart, and give us a new heart that desires after him, but He does not do that by saying that good is evil and evil is good. God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and calls us to follow His way and to seek after things that please Him.

Humble repentance can not come unless there is first conviction of sin. We now live in a time where some preachers and teachers, priests and pastors are not saying, “Come as you are”, but they are saying, “Stay as you are.”

Yeshua calls us out of all sinful lifestyles and out of all previous desires and temptations, and invites us to walk a holy life, following after Him. And I will close with this Scripture, 1 Cor. 6:9-11

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 TLV

Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don’t be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, those who practice homosexuality, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, slanderers, swindlers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. That is what some of you were—but you were washed, you were made holy, you were set right in the name of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and by the Ruach of our God.