Sermon Tone Analysis

Review of Jeremiah

We are still within the 3 year gap between the defeat of Pharoah Necho and Babylon taking the first exiles from Jerusalem.

In today’s passage, Adonai focuses on the Covenant made at Sinai.

This chapter is one of two major sections that refer to the covenant.

Can anyone think of the other section?

Read Jeremiah 11

Jeremiah Quotes Devarim

From the words we just read, there are eight specific quotes from Deuteronomy.

Now I will summarise them here, and then go into several in detail.

(i) “The words of this covenant” (Jer 11:2, 3, 6) is also found in Deut 29:1 [MT 28:69], 9 [8] and 2 Kings 8:29.

(ii) “Cursed is …” (Jer 11:3) is found in Deut 27:26.

(iii) “From the iron furnace” (Jer 11:4) is found in Deut 4:20 and 1 Kgs 8:51.

(iv) “The oath which I swore to your fathers” (Jer 11:5) is found in Deut 7:8; 8:18; 9:5.

(v) “A land flowing with milk and honey” (Jer 11:5; 32:22) is found in Deut 6:3; 11:9; 26:9, 15; 27:3; 31:20; see also Exod 13:5; Josh 5:6.

(vi) “Amen, Lord” (Jer 11:5) is found in Deut 27:15.

(vii) “This covenant which I commanded them to do” (Jer 11:8) is found in Deut 4:13.

(viii) “To go after other gods” (Jer 11:10) is found in Deut 6:4; 8:19; 11:29; 13:2; 28:14.

Curses for Disobedience

The first passage that I want to look at is in Deut.

27.

However this section in Deut.

really starts in Deut.

26:16-19

This passage recounts the blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience.

When the Beni Yisrael first entered the land, Moses commanded them to have half the tribes stand on Mt.

Gerizim and half the tribes stand on Mount Ebal.

The Levites would then pronounce the blessings for obedience over the people, and the curses for disobedience.

All the people were to yell out, “So be it!”

or in Hebrew, “Amen!”

Jeremiah summarises this passage in two ways.

He lists the last of the curses which is found in Deut.

27:26, but he also responds the same way, by calling out, “Amen, Adonai.”

There are many sins that are listed from dishonesty, to murder, and from bestiality to incest, but what intrigued me, was the first sin in this list, mentioned in Deut.

27:15 “‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molten image—an abomination to Adonai, the work of a craftsman’s hands—and sets it up in secret.’

Then all the people are to answer and say, ‘Amen.’”

Jeremiah is quoting the last verse from a section, but expecting us to remember the entire passage.

This is show explicitly when, in verse 9, Adonai calls out the conspiracy to worship other gods and serve them.

From the Iron Furnace

The next statement of Jeremiah’s that I want to focus on is where he says, “out of the iron furnace”.

This passage is also found in Deuteronomy, but this time is in chapter 4, specifically Deut.

4:20

Again, just as with the previous passage, Jeremiah is expecting his audience to know the rest of the passage.

Chapter 4 of Deuteronomy is the beginning of Moses’ recounting of the Covenant that had been given at Sinai.

In fact in Deut. 5 we see him reiterating all of the 10 commands that had been given in the hearing of all the people.

But in Chapter 4 he warns the people against idolatry.

Deut.

4:15-19

So once again, Jeremiah is quoting from a section of the covenant, that specifically addresses idolatry.

Oath Sworn to Fathers

The same can be said for the statement, “The oath which I swore to your fathers.”

In Deut.

7 Adonai is reminding Israel why He choose them.

He starts out by warning them not to make a covenant with the peoples of the land, and not to intermarry with them because of idolatry.

In Deut.

7:7-11

This theme is repeated in Deuteronomy 8 and 9. Adonai is warning the Israelites that He keeps His promises and His covenants.

Adonai warns the people, that it is His power that prospers them, and it is His power that keeps them.

We see this in two passages, Deut.

8:17-19

and Deut.

9:4-6

All of these passages provide the context for Jeremiah’s declaration.

Adonai says through Jeremiah that He has warned them early and often.

There is no excuse for anyone.

Which makes the statement in Jer.

11:8 even more potent.

So what is Adonai supposed to do?

He has warned again and again, but no one listens.

He has fulfilled the blessings for obedience, and now he will fulfill the curses for the disobedience.

And now that the judgement has started, there is no turning back, there is no more opportunity for “repentance”.

Judgement has come.

Heart of Adonai

But what is the heart of Adonai in all of this?

Does Adonai enjoy bringing punishment?

Absolutely not!

As we read in Jer.

11:15-16, Adonai calls his people, “My Beloved”, and “a leafy olive tree, beautiful with well-formed fruit.”

These are terms of endearment, terms of love, but as it says in Jer.

11:17

Jeremiah Hated by his Own

In the last section of this chapter, we read about another conspiracy.

This time it is Jeremiah’s own town that hates what he is saying, and are plotting to kill him.

There are several verses that stand out to me.

The first is where Jeremiah speaks of himself as “a lamb led to the slaughter.”

This reminds me of the prophesy made by Isaiah 53:7

And just like Jeremiah, Yeshua also kept silent during the plot to kill him.

Matt.

26:62-64

Another statement that stood out to me was in the last verse, Jer.

11:23 “the year of their visitation.”

The people of Anathoth were about to experience judgement, because they had rejected the messenger, Jeremiah, and they had rejected the one who had sent the messenger, Adonai.

Yeshua makes a very similar statement, in Luke 19:41-44

This was the same time that Yeshua also said, Matt.

23:37-39

And in the same way that the people of Anathoth rejected him and attemted to murder him, so also the people of Nazareth rejected and attempted to murder Yeshua.

Luke 4:24-30

Application

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

Adonai keeps His Covenants

We see in this passage today, a recalling of the Covenant made at Sinai.

Adonai is declaring through Jeremiah, that the coming judgement is in direct fulfillment of the Covenant made with Beni Yisrael at Sinai.

But for us, there is another covenant spoken of in Jeremiah.

Years later, Jeremiah would declare, Jer.

31:30

This is the new covenant that Yeshua established.

Heb.

9:15

So just as Adonai was faithful to keep the covenant made at Sinai, how much more so will He keep the covenant made through the blood of Messiah?

And if Yeshua was faithful to lay down his life for us, how much more will He be faithful to “appear a second time” to us who are “eagerly awaiting Him for salvation”?

Oh how I long to see my Messiah, my Saviour, and my Lord!

Read the Next Verse

The next principle that we can gain by reading Jeremiah, is this: When we study the Scripture and we come across a passage that we do not understand, or a place where an author quotes another passage, we should read the next verse.