Jeremiah 8 Each Turns His Own Way

Review of Jeremiah

Last week we started into a new section of oracles that seems to have been given during the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah that Pharoah Necho installed as king. This section goes from Chapter 7 up until Chapter 26 and today’s passage looks at the backsliding of Judah, the refusal to repent, and then if followed by Jeremiah’s weeping over Jerusalem. Or is it Jeremiah?

Jeremiah 8:4–23 TLV

Moreover you will say to them, thus says Adonai: “Do men fall and not get up again? Does one turn away and not return? Why then has this people—Jerusalem— turned away in perpetual backsliding? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I listened attentively, but they have not spoken what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Each one turns in his own direction, like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed times, and the turtledove, swallow and crane observe the time of their migration, but My people do not know the judgments of Adonai. How can you say, ‘We are wise! The Torah of Adonai is with us’? In fact, it is the lying pen of the scribes that have made it a lie. The wise men will be put to shame— shattered, trapped. Look! They have rejected Adonai’s word, so what wisdom do they have? Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to new owners. For from the least to the greatest everyone is greedy for gain. From the prophet even to the kohen everyone practices deceit. They heal the fracture of the daughter of My people by treating it superficially— saying, ‘Shalom, shalom,’ when there is no shalom. Were they ashamed of the abomination they committed? No, not ashamed, not at all— they do not know how to blush! So they will fall among the fallen. At the time of their punishment they will be brought down.” It is a declaration of Adonai. “I will utterly consume them,” says Adonai. “There will be no grapes on the vine, and no figs on the fig tree, and even the leaf will wither, and what I gave them will pass away.” “Why are we sitting here? Assemble! Let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there! For Adonai Eloheinu has silenced us and given us poisoned water to drink. For we have sinned against Adonai. We hoped for shalom, but it is no good, for a time of healing —and suddenly, terror!” From Dan is heard the snorting of his horses. At the sound of his stallions neighing, the whole land quakes. For they come and devour the land and everything in it— the city and all who live there. “For I am about to send serpents on you, vipers for which there is no charm, and they will bite you.” It is a declaration of Adonai. My joy is overcome by grief, my heart is faint within me. Listen, the sound of the cry of the daughter of my people —a voice from a distant land— “Is Adonai no longer in Zion? Is her King no longer in her?” “Why have they provoked Me with their graven images, with foreign idols?” “Harvest is past, summer is over, yet we are not saved.” “Because of the brokenness of the daughter of my people, I am brokenhearted. I mourn—desolation grips me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Then why has no healing gone up for the daughter of my people? If only my head were water and my eyes a fountain of tears, then I would weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!

Backsliding

Jer. 8:4-5 “Do men fall and not get up again? Does one turn away and not return? Why then has this people—Jerusalem— turned away in perpetual backsliding?

The concept of backsliding, or falling away from God, is deeply founded in the writings of the prophets. Why have these people, who knew the ways of Adonai, decided to walk away? Why have they fallen and refused to stand back up? Solomon said in Prov. 24:16

Proverbs 24:16 TLV

For though the righteous one may fall seven times, he gets up again, but the wicked stumble in adversity.

This passage, along with the verse we read in Jeremiah, uses the natural to point to a spiritual meaning. When we physically fall over, it is completely natural to stand back up. God is asking, why do the people stay in sin, instead of immediately repenting?

Adonai was longing to hear the people repent, so that He could turn and forgive, but there was no repentance, and no one even asked, “What have I done wrong?”

Know the Times

Adonai then point to nature, and how the birds know when to migrate and when to return, but the people can not figure out that now is the time for repentance.

Yeshua said a similar thing in Matt. 16:1-4

Matthew 16:1–4 TLV

Now the Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Yeshua, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. But He replied to them, “When evening comes, you say, ‘Fair weather coming, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Stormy weather today, for the sky is red and gloomy.’ You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times! An evil and adulterous generation clamors for a sign, yet no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” And leaving them behind, He went away.

I remember hearing Reinhart Bonke speak about this passage. Here the Pharisees and Sadducees were demanding a sign, and yet THE SIGN, the Messiah of Israel, who had just fed 4000 men plus women and children, was standing right in front of them.

How is it, that we can figure out the weather by looking at the signs, but we can’t figure out that we are under God’s judgement by reading the news paper?

Lying Scribes

Adonai points to one of the causes as being the “Lying pen of the Scribes.” The scribes, primary role was to copy the Scriptures, word for word, and letter for letter. They were supposed to be completely faithful to the text of God’s word. But just like the Prophets mentioned in chapter 6, we see that people were trusting in the lies of those who were writing Scripture.

In response to this, we see that Verses 10 to 12 are almost an exact copy of Jer. 6:12-15.

A lying spirit in the Prophets, Priests and now Scribes is causing the people to believe that nothing is wrong. They are making the people feel better, but it is only superficial, they are saying, “Shalom, Shalom”, but there is no Shalom.

Therefore, the same judgement that was being applied to the Prophets and the Priests earlier, is now being applied to the Scribes, and Adonai declares that He will utterly consume them, the vine, the fig, and every leaf of the trees.

People’s Response

We see the people responding in verses 14 to 15. We need to remember what was going on at this time. In 612 B.C. The combined forces of the Babylonians, Medes and Scythians captured Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire. The Assyrians then moved their capital to Harran, but the Babylonian army then captured Harran in 609 B.C. King Josiah died in 609 B.C because he tried to stop Pharoah Necho II from assisting or attacking Assyria (depending on the historical source). Jehoahaz, Josiah’s son, is crowned king but only lasts for 3 months. Necho, on his way back to Egypt after loosing to Babylon, decides that he prefers Eliakim (who he renamed Jehoiakim), and installs him as king in Jerusalem.

It is just after Jehoiakim becomes king (around 608 B.C.) Adonai gives this series of oracles to Jer. 7-23.

It is in this context, as the combined armies under Babylon, are waging war and getting closer and closer, that the people cry out, “Why are we sitting here? Let’s go hide in the fortified cities!” As the people are running to hide, Adonai warns them that there is nowhere that they can run where the armies will not find them.

Jeremiah Weeps … Or is it Adonai?

The heart of Jeremiah is overcome with sorrow. His people will be carried off to Babylon and there is nothing that he can do about it. There is no healing, there is no physician, there is no hope for the people.

But the cry bounces back and forth between the words of Jeremiah and the words of Adonai. Why do we think that Adonai does not feel? Where does it say that the Lord God is stoic and unemotional?

It says, “My joy… my heart … my people.” And goes on to ask, “Why have they provoked Me with their graven images?”

Jer. 8:23 “If only my head were water and my eyes a fountain of tears, then I would weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!”

Application

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

Backsliding

Firstly, if we have walked away from God, then walk back! Today is the day of salvation, today is the day to get right with God! Come back into fellowship with the Lord. Yeshua tells his talmidim, Lk. 17:3-4

Luke 17:3–4 TLV

“Keep yourselves alert! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Even if he sins against you seven times a day, and seven times returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

How much more will your Father in Heaven forgive you if you sincerely ask Him?

What time is it?

Do we know the times? Paul tells Timothy, 2 Tim 3:1-5

2 Timothy 3:1–5 TLV

But understand this, that in the last days hard times will come— for people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, hardhearted, unforgiving, backbiting, without self-control, brutal, hating what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to an outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!

Does this sound like today? Well Paul tells us what to do: 2 Tim. 3:10-17

2 Timothy 3:10–17 TLV

You, however, closely followed my teaching, manner of life, purpose, faithfulness, patience, love, perseverance— as well as persecutions and sufferings that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! And the Lord rescued me from them all! Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted. But evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in what you have learned and what you have become convinced of. For you know from whom you have learned, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to make you wise, leading to salvation through trusting in Messiah Yeshua. All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for restoration, and for training in righteousness, so that the person belonging to God may be capable, fully equipped for every good deed.

Lying Scribes

How do we know that the English Translation we read is good? How do we know that the Scripture we are reading is what was originally written? Well there is good news with regards to this. Because the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Covenant were copied so many times, and we have so many copies we can verify the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts and ensure that what we have is the original.

For example, we are able to say with absolute certainty that the New Covenant is 99.5% exactly what was originally written and we know exactly where the 0.5% is and none of it touches on any doctrinal issues.

But what about English Translations? To cover that, I am going to play a video from Dr. Michael Brown:

https://askdrbrown.org/library/what-best-english-bible-translation

As you may all be aware I use the Tree of Life Version, but I know that many also like The Complete Jewish Bible. I just find the TLV easier to read and preach from.

Do we weep?

Finally I want to ask, “Do we weep over our city, and nation?” Do we mourn over the wickedness that we see? Ezekiel saw the following:

Ezekiel 9:3–4 TLV

Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cheruv, where it had been, to the threshold of the House. He called to the man clothed in linen, who had the scribe’s inkhorn at his side. Adonai said to him, “Go throughout the city, through the midst of Jerusalem. Make a mark on the foreheads of the people who sigh and moan over all the abominations that are committed in it.”

And Yeshua cried out, the week before he was killed: Matt. 23:37-39

Matthew 23:37–39 TLV

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate! For I tell you, you will never see Me again until you say, ‘Baruch ha-ba b’shem Adonai. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Do we cry out for our city and for our nation?