Main Idea: Fear of the Lord and fear of man are mutually exclusive.

A Look at the Text:

Jeremiah 41 opens with the tragic fulfillment of a warning. In the previous chapter, Gedaliah, the appointed governor of Judah under Babylonian rule, was warned of a commander who intended to kill him (Jer. 40:13-16).

Things were presently at peace in Judah. The remnant of the people had come together and had gathered a large harvest (Jer. 40:12). Yet the time of peace and prosperity wouldn’t last.

As predicted, Gedaliah was murdered (Jer. 41:2).

Ishmael, a former captain of Judean forces in the countryside, killed the new governor during a meal. Even more, he took much of the remnant captive (Jer. 41:2-10). In response, Johanan, another captain from the countryside and the same man who had warned Gedaliah, went to deliver the captives from Ishmael’s hand and succeeded (Jer. 41:11-14).

At this point, the greater problem was the peace that was suddenly shattered in Judah. It didn’t take long for rebellious hearts to bring about more disaster.

Johanan was certain that there would be consequences for the murder of the governor even though he wasn’t the guilty party. So, in fear of Babylon, the remnant determined to leave the land of Judah and head to Egypt (Jer. 41:17-18).

But first, they sought the prophet, Jeremiah. They wanted to know what to do (Jer. 42:3). In response, Jeremiah told them not to fear but to remain in the land of Judah (Jer. 42:10-12). God was done with disaster (Jer. 42:11). Instead, they would prosper there. Apparently, they wouldn’t be held guilty for the murderous work of Ishmael.

Additionally, the people were warned about going to Egypt. If they would flee the sword by trusting in Egypt, they would actually die by the sword (Jer. 42:14-16). The people said they wanted to hear the word of the Lord, but their actions would prove whether that was actually true.

Bringing it Home:

The fear of man and fear of God are mutually exclusive. For Johanan and the remnant in Judah, they were essentially given a test: would they fear the king of Babylon and flee to Egypt, or would they fear Yahweh and trust His word through His prophet?

The collapse of Judah was the direct result of ignoring God’s decrees. It was the consequence of refusing repentance no matter how many times the prophets pled with them. Ultimately, the words of the prophets came true when Jerusalem was reduced to rubble.

Shockingly, the people who lived through that entire time still struggled to trust that God was the Sovereign reigning on His heavenly throne. The fear of man was motivating their plans more than the fear of God.

This passage presents a great challenge to us even today: Whom do we really fear?

The fear of man will cause us to disobey God and His Word.

The fear of God will cause us, at times, to disobey men.

Where do we stand?

Challenge: Do I trust God when His Word conflicts with my wishes?

Main Idea: God upholds His threats and keeps His Word.

A Look at the Text:

Today, we see the costliness of King Zedekiah’s rebellion. Chronologically, we are returning to the siege from chapter 32 when Jeremiah bought the field. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged Jerusalem for about a year and a half, and then the city fell.

Eventually, a hole was created in the wall, and the city was taken. Zedekiah and his officials escaped only to be caught in the open plain. There, the last thing Zedekiah saw was the slaughter of his sons (Jer. 39:6). Then, the Babylonians put out his eyes and took him captive to the land of Babylon (Jer. 39:7).

Thankfully, for Jeremiah, God looked after him. Ironically, the Babylonians ended up treating him better than the people of Judah had (Jer. 39:11-14). He was even given free rein. He could go with the captives to Babylon, he could stay in the land of Judah, he could do as he pleased (Jer. 40:4-5).

Bringing it Home:

The time of the divided kingdom and the writing prophets in the Old Testament sends a consistent message: God keeps His word, all of it.

The prophets warned the people again and again, but they wouldn’t heed God’s message. Then, eventually, judgment day came.

As we saw in yesterday’s text, Jeremiah pled for Zedekiah and the people to surrender, but they wouldn’t listen. As such, Jerusalem was burned to the ground. Solomon’s temple in all of its grandeur was burned down. The walls of the city were demolished. The Promised Land became a distant hope rather than a present possession once again.

If it weren’t for the hard-heartedness of the people of Judah, they could have been spared much suffering. Even more, there would have been no need for Nehemiah to later rebuild the walls or for Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple.

If the people had simply submitted to God’s Word, they could have spared themselves a lot of grief.

Thus it is today as well. God’s Word is irrevocable. We can try and go our own way and find it doesn’t work, or we can simply submit to God and His ways.

Doing things our way will cost us and other people. The sad truth is that oftentimes our sins don’t just hurt us. They affect others, too. But if we listen to God’s Word and heed it, we can spare ourselves from a lot of unnecessary suffering.

Altogether, let us rest assured: if we refuse, God’s Word will not return void. He doesn’t make empty threats. He keeps His Word—all of it.

Challenge:

Do I take the warnings from God’s Word seriously?

Main Idea: God’s Word is settled and must be submitted to.

A Look at the Text:

Today’s text makes another chronological jump. We are fast-forwarding back to the time of Zedekiah once more, the last king of Judah. Chronologically, the first wave of captives had been taken to Babylon during the reign of Jehoiachin (Coniah). Now, Zedekiah was appointed to rule Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.

As we have seen previously, Jeremiah faithfully spoke the messages he received from the Lord, and the people never listened. The king, his officials, and the people of the land wouldn’t heed the prophet’s words (Jer. 37:1-2).

In spite of this, the king still requested that the prophet pray for him (Jer. 37:3). But God’s Word was fixed. Even though the Egyptians caused a temporary scare and the Babylonians withdrew, they would be coming back. They would destroy Jerusalem, no matter how weak or wounded they might be (Jer. 37:9-10).

In the midst of the break in war, Jeremiah went to leave the city and was unjustly called a traitor.

As a result, he was beaten and imprisoned (Jer. 37:15). The king summoned him from the dungeons, and he remained a prisoner, but amongst the court of the guard (Jer. 37:21).

There, Jeremiah advocated that the people of Judah surrender (Jer. 38:1-3). Those who would surrender to Nebuchadnezzar would be spared, but those who refused would be conquered.

In response, once again the officials were furious because Jeremiah’s message from the Lord was discouraging the soldiers (Jer. 38:4). So the king turned Jeremiah over to the officials, who cast him into a muddy cistern (Jer. 38:6).

Jeremiah was later rescued and sought by the king for a message from the Lord. Once again, Jeremiah advocated for them to surrender (Jer. 38:17-18). God was with the Babylonians. If the forces of Jerusalem would simply surrender, then the city and the people would be spared as they were in the days of Jehoiachin and the first wave of captives.

But if they refused, the city would be destroyed.

Bringing it Home:

Knowing that God’s Word is irrevocable, we ought to submit to it.

Again and again people sought Jeremiah to hear what God was saying, but interestingly God’s message wasn’t changing. Whether Jeremiah was in the dungeon, the cistern, or amongst the king’s court, the message was the same. God had spoken. His decree was final. They could submit to Babylon and, as such, submit to God’s word through the prophet, or they could deny it, and it would cost them the city.

Thus it is even today. Because God is unchanging, His Word is unchanging. He doesn’t vacillate between different opinions. God’s Word is settled and sure. We can’t expect Him to update it to suit our fancy if we don’t like what He is saying.

It’s God’s way or the highway. There is no option C. We cannot make our own path and expect God to cater to us. Instead, we must humbly submit to His decrees, even if at times we don’t like what He says. Then, we must also faithfully represent Him as Jeremiah once did. People may change, but God does not.

Challenge:

Do I stand by God’s settled Word?

Main Idea: God’s Word must be humbly accepted and followed with obedience.

A Look at the Text:

In this portion of Jeremiah, the chronology bounces around a little bit. In essence, these chapters contain a collection of scenes from Jeremiah’s life as he ministers to the last kings of Judah. In today’s text, Jehoiakim, the third-to-last king of Judah, is on the throne.

First, we see the prophet Jeremiah given an unusual mission to invite the Rechabites to the temple to drink wine together (Jer. 35:3-4). While they accepted the invitation to the temple, they refused the invitation to wine (Jer. 35:6).

This was solely based upon a command they had been given by their father that wasn’t required by God’s Law.

As such, they became a mirror for the people of Judah who wouldn’t listen to God no matter how many prophets He sent to them (Jer. 35:14-15). They were more faithful to their family traditions than God’s people were to their Maker.

This is shown no more clearly than what happens in the next chapter.

There we see an example from the king’s own life. Jeremiah, by God’s command, has his scribe, Baruch, write the message that he received from the Lord upon a scroll (Jer. 36:1-3). God’s word was for the people to turn from their wicked ways and to receive mercy for their many sins (Jer. 36:3, 7).

Baruch read the message publicly and then again before the king’s officials, who responded in fear and sent word to the king (Jer. 36:16). But when the king later heard the scroll read, he didn’t rend his garments. Instead, he rent Jeremiah’s scroll and tossed the pieces one by one into the fire that was keeping his house warm (Jer. 36:23-24).

In response, the Lord tasked Jeremiah with writing another scroll. Most of it was the same, but this time judgment specifically targeting this calloused king was added to the writing (Jer. 36:28-32).

Bringing it Home:

God sent His word again and again to His people, and they seldom heard it. In this story, the king’s officials responded in fear, but the king burned the scroll of Jeremiah’s prophecy. He didn’t like the message God sent, so he got rid of it.

The king’s heart was calloused. He didn’t want to hear of coming destruction. He didn’t want to hear of his sin. As such, the scroll was burned.

But God’s Word is irrevocable. We cannot believe that by ignoring it or even by destroying it that we are actually accomplishing anything. You cannot cancel God. His Word will stand, even if the whole world burns.

Let us then always respond humbly to His revelation. If His Word afflicts us, we must respond by rending our garments, not our Bibles. We can try to deny His Word, we can try to escape it, but if it comes from the living God, it will come to pass. We might as well get on board.

Challenge:

How do I respond to conviction?

Main Idea: God’s covenant is surer than the continuation of the created order.

A Look at the Text:

During the siege and during his imprisonment, the Lord continued to give Jeremiah messages. Once again, the message was twofold: destruction was on the horizon, but there was yet hope for the future.

In short order, even kings’ houses would be torn down to build defenses against the Babylonian invasion, and yet in the end the remaining homes would be filled with corpses (Jer. 33:4-5). Jerusalem would be sacked, and King Zedekiah would be taken to Babylon (Jer. 34:1-5).

Yet, at the same time, there would be restoration coming afterwards.

The same god who brought destruction would also bring health, healing, prosperity, and security (Jer. 33:6). There would be future times of celebration and singing, recounting the steadfast love of the Lord (Jer. 33:11).

Their future hope was once again tied to a righteous Branch, a descendant of David that was to come (Jer. 33:15). God assured His people that His covenantal promises were surer than the coming of the day or the night (Jer. 33:20-21). Though this was awaited, He could be trusted.

Bringing it Home:

The Scripture presents on page after page that God is a covenant-keeping, faithful God. Here, we see that His promises are surer than the continuation of creation itself!

The coming of morning and night are things we take for granted every day. We’ve never doubted that morning would come when we go to rest. We don’t doubt as the day passes on that the darkness of night will arrive at sunset.

Yet, these things are actually less reliable than God’s covenant promises. God would abandon His covenant with creation and its day and night order before He would abandon His covenant with David and His covenant with the Levitical priests (Jer. 33:17-22).

Now, all these things are bound up in Jesus Christ, the righteous Branch.

He is the descendant of David who will forever rule upon the throne. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. At the same time, He is also the great high priest who will never be succeeded by another. The One who forever lives to intercede for us. He is both King and Priest. All of the purposes of God are bound up in Him.

In the Branch we can hope. Christ will come again, His rule and reign will be established, and the execution of these things is more certain than the creation itself.

If you can trust that tomorrow morning will have light, if you can trust that the end of today will be dark, then you can trust to an even greater degree that God’s plans will be brought to fruition. He keeps His Word, and it will not be broken.

Challenge:

Do I trust that the supernatural God is more reliable than His natural creation?

Main Idea: There is nothing too hard for God; therefore, His people can hope even in hopeless situations.

A Look at the Text:

Today’s text opens with God giving another unusual illustration to the prophet Jeremiah to accompany his preaching. In the tenth year of King Zedekiah (the last king of Judah), two months into Nebuchadnezzar’s year-and-a-half-long siege, Jeremiah was told to buy a field from his relative (Jer. 32:6-8).

At that time, Jeremiah was imprisoned amongst the king’s court of the guard (Jer. 32:2) because Zedekiah didn’t like Jeremiah’s predictions of doom. Into this situation came Jeremiah’s cousin with a proposal for a real estate transaction.

This puzzled the prophet. So he inquired of God as to the purpose of it all.

He reverently declared God’s greatness and His past acts of faithfulness to Israel (Jer. 32:17-23). But then, he shared the reality of the situation. The Babylonian siege mounds were established (Jer. 32:24). It was only a matter of time until the city would fall. Why in the world would God have Jeremiah purchasing a field that would soon be owned by Babylon anyway?

To this, God replied, “Is anything too hard for me?” (Jer. 32:27).

Yes, the Babylonians would conquer (Jer. 32:28-29), but that’s not the end of the story. There would be a great return once again (Jer. 32:37). The same God who brought disaster would also bring good (Jer. 32:42). There was a day coming when houses, fields, and vineyards would be bought again (Jer. 32:15).

Bringing it Home:

The people of God should be people of hope. Not because of circumstance. Not because of personal ingenuity. Not because of anything on our end—but because of the everlasting faithfulness of our God.

He is the One who is behind history, orchestrating all things in accord with His sovereign will. He is at work amongst the nations, and He is also at work in our lives individually. He cares about the big things and the little things, and His plans will prevail. This is true, even if things seem utterly hopeless in the present.

Jeremiah’s purchase of a field while Babylonian siege mounds encompassed the city was an incredible display of faith.

Naturally speaking, it was the most senseless transaction that could take place. It was utterly pointless. But it was a sign of hope. Babylon wouldn’t have the last laugh—God would. Fields would be bought again in Jerusalem after the captivity was over.

This same God is the One who is still enthroned on high.

If we find ourselves discouraged and wondering what is going on in the world or even in our own lives, let us always remember the question that He posed to Jeremiah:

Challenge:

Is my focus on my circumstances, or my God?

Main Idea: The Lord’s everlasting love is beyond human ruin.

A Look at the Text:

After Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles in chapter 29, the future hope for Judah is still in view in today’s text. God speaks through His prophet that a great return would take place and Judah would go home (Jer. 30:3). The yoke of their oppressors would be broken (Jer. 30:8). While God would make a full end of Babylon, Israel would remain (Jer. 30:11).

Ultimately, this hope was tied not to the faithfulness of the people, but to the everlasting love of the Lord (Jer. 31:3).

The people could have hope not because of any national change or military might but because of the faithfulness of their God. Though He scattered them, He would bring them back (Jer. 31:10).

Even more, He would make a new covenant with them. The law wouldn’t merely be written outwardly, but it would be engraved into the tablets of human hearts (Jer. 31:33).

Bringing it Home:

God’s plans for Judah even during Babylonian captivity showcase His everlasting love like nothing else up to that point. Though His people had transgressed His covenant and cheated on Him with other lovers, He still loved them. He still had plans for them. The Promised Land was a promise once again. Even though their sin was grave, it wasn’t beyond redemption. A new hope was coming, and God did take them home a few decades later.

Then, as we turn the page to the New Testament, we find that this hope hinges ultimately on Jesus Christ. He is the inaugurator of a new and better covenant. A covenant between the same God and sinful people. A covenant with a God whose grace is inexhaustible. A God who put His love on full display on Golgotha’s hill two thousand years ago:

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:9-10).

The love of God is truly an everlasting love. It is beyond human ability to wreck or ruin, for it depends not on our performance but upon His nature. As the Gettys have sung so beautifully, “Our sins they are many, but His mercy is more.”

Challenge:

Do I believe that I could fall farther than the grace of God could pick me back up?

Main Idea: Circumstances aren’t the true north of God’s love.

A Look at the Text:

In Jeremiah’s time, false prophecies abounded. This was an issue leading up to the exile, and it was even still an issue during it.

In 597 B.C., King Jehoiachin had surrendered to the Babylonian forces. As such, Jerusalem was spared, but many of the people were taken as captives to the land of Babylon (see 2 Kings 24:10-17). It was during this period of time between the initial wave of captives and the final destruction that today’s text took place.

With this, some of the prophets believed that Babylon was a short-term trip.

Hananiah, a false prophet, claimed that in a mere two years the Babylonian yoke would be broken (Jer. 28:3). To this, Jeremiah put forth the truth: it would be seventy years (Jer. 29:10).

As such, the people ought to get relatively comfortable in Babylon. They should build houses, plant gardens, and have families (Jer. 29:5-6). Even more, they ought to seek the welfare of Babylon, for in Babylon’s welfare, they would find their own welfare (Jer. 29:7).

Yet, they could rest assured, even though they were hundreds of miles away from the Promised Land and subjected to divine discipline, God had not forgotten them.^[1]

God had sovereignly assigned a seventy-year captivity, but in His timing they would return. For God was not done with them yet:

A time was coming when God would hear their prayers again. If they would seek Him, He would be found by them (Jer. 29:14). He would restore their fortunes. The exile wasn’t going to be the end of the story. One day, they would go home.

Bringing it Home:

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most quoted and beloved Bible verses, but it’s also very readily misunderstood. In the original context, it is found nestled in a letter Jeremiah sent specifically to the first wave of exiles in Babylon.

Nevertheless, even though it wasn’t written to us, it was written for us. This passage powerfully reveals truths about God’s nature. God is fundamentally kind and compassionate. He will not be angry forever. His disposition towards His people is good. Like a Father, He desires good for us to an even greater degree than our earthly parents do (Matt. 7:11).

Yet, at the same time, sometimes what is good for us doesn’t feel good at the time. God’s great love for us does not mean that we will always be healthy, happy, and prosperous. The Christian life isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. It’s often very hard, and all of the hardships of this life come either by God’s direct decree or His permission.

In the midst of these times, however, we cannot lose hope. The end of the story for those who are in Christ is good. It is filled with hope. God’s good plans of a new creation in which righteousness dwells will come to pass.

So if we feel forgotten because of hard times in the present, let us rest assured we serve a God who will not forget us. Even more, while our presently earthly sojourn might feel like exile at times, the end of the story is filled with hope because the end of the story is filled with God.

Challenge:

Do I ever struggle to believe God loves me when life is hard?

^[1] Hetty Lalleman, Jeremiah and Lamentations: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 21, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2013), 218.

Main Idea: Truth isn’t gauged by personal feelings, but by what God has actually said.

A Look at the Text:

The chronology in today’s text jumps around again as we look at two different scenarios involving two different kings. First, Jeremiah was prophesying during the reign of Jehoiakim, the third from the last king of Judah, in chapter 26. Then the focus shifts to King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, once again in chapter 27.

There was at least one thing these two kings had in common though: an irreverence for God’s word. This attitude was common amongst the prophets and priests as well.

Yahweh sent Jeremiah to His house to call the people to turn from their wicked ways so that He would turn from coming destruction (Jer. 26:4-6). But sadly, the initial response wasn’t repentance, but a death-threat against God’s prophet (Jer. 26:8-9).

Jeremiah’s only defense was that he simply shared what God told him to share (Jer. 26:12). In response, some of the officials and the people recalled Hezekiah’s response to the prophet Micah, and Jeremiah was spared (Jer. 26:18-19). Sadly, though, one of Jeremiah’s contemporaries didn’t fare as well. Uriah the prophet was hunted down in a distant land and killed by the king for his words against Jerusalem.

Then later on, Jeremiah would plead with Zedekiah, “Serve the king of Babylon and live” (Jer. 27:17). For it was God who put Nebuchadnezzar on the throne and subjected all lands to him (Jer. 27:5-6). Yet, history reveals that Zedekiah didn’t heed Jeremiah’s warnings, and as such, he brought destruction upon himself.

Bringing it Home:

It’s not easy to hear messages we don’t like. However, at the end of the day, what matters most is not our feelings, but whether a message is true or not.

The kings and people of Judah didn’t like hearing of their need to repent. They especially didn’t like news of coming judgment. But when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem, they found out their feelings weren’t relevant to matters of truth.

Unfortunately, the perennial problem of rejecting truth based upon feelings hasn’t changed. The apostle Paul once counseled his ministry protégé, Timothy, to preach the word (2 Tim. 4:2). Why? Because there was a time coming when false teaching would abound and the answer to falsehood is truth.

The apostle knew in advance that people would find teachers who told them what they wanted to hear, not what they needed to hear.

This is an incredibly common problem in the world today, especially in the age of the internet. You can ignore conviction and find someone who will tell you that your sin is not sinful. But on the day we stand before God, our feelings won’t be factored into the equation at all.

What matters is what God actually said and what is therefore actually true.

Challenge:

Do I welcome conviction or run from it?

Main Idea: God is sovereign in trials, and His discipline is never intended to bring a full end.

A Look at the Text:

While judgment was certain for Judah, it wasn’t going to wholly consume them. Once again, the Lord gave Jeremiah an illustration. This time it came through a vision with two baskets of figs. While those who remained in Jerusalem under the leadership of Zedekiah were likened to bad and inedible figs, those who were amongst the first wave of captives with King Jehoiachin were likened to good figs (Jer. 24:1-10).

The fundamental difference between the last two Judean kings, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah, was how they responded to what God was doing through the Babylonians.

Jehoiachin submitted to God’s discipline through Nebuchadnezzar and was taken peaceably to Babylon. Zedekiah rebelled and was blinded after seeing his sons struck down.

According to Jeremiah, it was not Babylon that was sovereign, but God. Nebuchadnezzar, though a king, was called God’s servant (Jer. 25:9). God had orchestrated seventy years of captivity for the sins of His people (Jer. 25:11). Then, He would punish the Babylonians for their sins, too (Jer. 25:12-14).

Even when things seemed entirely out of control, it was God who was at work behind the scenes.

It was God who was disciplining His people for their waywardness and refusal to listen to the prophets (Jer. 25:4-7).

Babylonian captivity wouldn’t be easy, but it was held in the hands of God.

Bringing it Home:

We can rest assured that no matter what trial we face in this life or the purpose of it, God is sovereign over it all. If we are facing divine discipline as children of God (see Heb. 12:5-11), we can rest assured that He will not make a full end of us. His justice is always mixed with mercy.

Captivity for Judah wasn’t endless, and it was given an expiration date from the outset. God raised up Babylon, and, in His time, He would put them down. Scripture reveals that even our spiritual adversary is subjected to the Lord and His plans for us (see Job 1:6-2:10; 2 Cor. 12:7-10).

So, then, let us take heart. No matter what we are going through, it has come to us by permission.

We may not understand God’s purpose, but we can always trust His hand. He is both sovereign and good. In the midst of all of life’s circumstances, He is at work for our good, and our good is ultimately becoming more like the Son, Jesus Christ (see Rom. 8:28-29).

Sometimes the process is painful, but ultimately it is for our good and God’s glory. As such, we can trust in Him.

Challenge:

Does hardship draw me closer to God or push me further away from Him?

Main Idea: While all human rulers will fail and disappoint, the Branch will not.

A Look at the Text:

Today’s text chronologically takes a step backwards but continues thematically along the same lines that we saw yesterday. Once again, the Lord was sending Jeremiah the prophet to confront the royalty of Jerusalem for their failures.

In one chapter alone, the Scripture recounts the words of the Lord through Jeremiah against the last three Judean kings prior to King Zedekiah: Shallum (Jehoahaz), Jehoiakim, and Coniah (Jehoiachin).

These kings are the chronological connection between the high point of Josiah’s reign and the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar under Zedekiah.

With these messages, we get a behind-the-scenes picture of what was going on in Judah at that time. The kings practiced injustice (Jer. 22:13-17). The prophets and priests shared their own messages and not Yahweh’s (Jer. 23:9-40). All in all, the leadership of God’s people utterly failed them.

Yet the people needn’t despair.

There would be one who was coming, a descendant of David known as the Branch (Jer. 23:5). He would not only reign as king, but He would reign in righteousness and execute justice:

Though exile was sure to come in short order, that wouldn’t be the end of the story.

A second exodus was to come.

Bringing it Home:

The Bible consistently reveals a truth we are already familiar with: people will disappoint us. This is especially true when it comes to those in leadership.

In Jeremiah’s day, both the religious leadership and the political leadership consistently failed the people of God. The prophets shared their own ideas, not God’s messages. Even more, those who were responsible for enforcing justice caused injustice to prevail.

Yet there was one coming in whom they could hope. One who would not disappoint. They heard of Him as the Branch; we know Him by name—Jesus Christ.

He alone is the only One who will never fail us. He is the Ruler whom the people of God needed. Truly, every ruler of the divided kingdom sent a consistent message that there was a need for another, a better one yet to come.

If we place our hope in Him, we can rest assured He will never fail us. He will never disappoint by falling into sin or abusing His position. Though the King of Glory, He is also the Good Shepherd who willingly laid down His life for the sheep.

The shepherds in Judah during Jeremiah’s time destroyed and scattered the sheep (Jer. 23:1), but this Shepherd willingly submitted Himself to destruction out of love for His sheep.

Though every human institution fails us, in this King we can hope.

Challenge:

Have I ever mistakenly attributed the faults of God’s leaders to God Himself?

Main Idea: The presence of the Author ought to give courage to the messenger.

A Look at the Text:

In today’s text, the persecution of Jeremiah the prophet comes to the forefront.

Throughout his ministry, Jeremiah was tasked with delivering messages that the people didn’t want to hear and it cost him. Jeremiah was beaten and placed in the prison stocks (Jer. 20:2). Even with this, the prophet remained steadfast to deliver the same message of coming destruction for Judah. He wouldn’t change his message and tell the people what they wanted to hear.

But it wasn’t easy.

Jeremiah got to the point where he determined he wouldn’t share God’s Word any more for it was too costly for him. Yet, he couldn’t help it. The word of the Lord was in him as a burning fire he couldn’t contain (Jer. 20:9). So he took heart the only way he could, with the presence of the One who authored his message:

Though it was costly, Jeremiah was faithful to speak the truth. Even in the final days of King Zedekiah, Jeremiah continued to predict coming destruction. For it was the Lord who was fighting against Jerusalem (Jer. 20:5) not merely the Babylonians.

Yet to those who fled the city and submitted to Nebuchadnezzar there was hope they would be spared. (Jer. 21:8-10).

Bringing it Home:

Jeremiah is one of the greatest examples of faithfulness in the Bible.

Though it was costly for him to speak the truth, he never changed his message. It brought him beating and imprisonment. It brought him ridicule, even from close friends (Jer. 20:10). Yet Jeremiah never refused to share God’s word because it burned within him.

When it seemed as if he was standing against everyone, he took heart with the truth that God was with him. In a similar fashion, the apostle Paul once encouraged the believers in Rome, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). The faithful presence of the Author should always encourage us to share His message unadulterated and unapologetically.

In a world where it is increasingly unpopular to even believe in absolute truth, let alone take a stand on biblical truth, will we do so?

Will we speak the truth in love, even if it gets us marginalized by those around us?

Will we be faithful with the message that God has entrusted to His Church, or will we capitulate and tell the world what they want to hear?

Let us hold fast in the truth that our God is with us, and even if it might be costly, we must stand with Him.

Challenge:

Is the worthiness of my Savior greater than the cost to following Him?

Main Idea: God is Sovereign over the nations and can do as He pleases, just as a potter shapes clay.

A Look at the Text:

Once again, in today’s text, God gives His prophet an illustration.

Jeremiah was to go to the potter’s house and listen for God’s message to him. As he arrived, he saw the potter working, but the project was marred. So the potter destroyed his project, putting it back into a lump of clay, and he started over.

God showed Jeremiah through this that He was truly the potter and Israel was the clay. Just as the potter can do as he pleases with the clay, so God can do as He pleases with nations.

If the people of Judah would listen to God’s words, heed His warnings, and return to Him, they could be spared (Jer. 18:8). If they refused, then the Potter had every right to start over (Jer. 18:9-10).

God called through His prophet for the people to amend their ways, but they never listened. So destruction would come. God was going to bring ear-tingling tragedy upon Jerusalem (Jer. 19:3).

With this, Jeremiah was given another illustration. He was commanded to buy a potter’s vessel and smash it before the elders of the people at Topheth, just outside of Jerusalem (Jer. 19:1-11). This was the place formerly used for child-sacrifice to Molech—a perfect place for a decree of just judgment.

Now, Topheth would be renamed the “Valley of Slaughter” (Jer. 19:6). Judgment was decreed, and it was sure to come.

Bringing it Home:

The Scripture consistently presents that God can do as He pleases. As both the Creator of all and the One sovereignly ruling in the heavens, God doesn’t need anyone’s permission for anything He does.

Just as the clay is entirely subjected to the potter’s hands, so are the nations subjected to Him and His hand.

This in mind, we must always remember that He is the Creator; we are the creature. He is the Sovereign; we are His subjects. He makes the rules, and we are expected to follow them.

Some people may not like how God runs things, but God doesn’t run a democracy. He is the King, and therefore we must submit to Him and His decrees or face His judgment. There is no option C.

Challenge:

Do I take God’s Word seriously?

Main Idea: The source and answer to the human problem lies in the heart.

A Look at the Text:

As today’s text opens, the prophet Jeremiah was prohibited from getting married and having children (Jer. 16:1). With this, he would serve once more as a living illustration of the situation in Judah.

Jeremiah’s lack of children would exemplify the future barrenness of Judah post-judgment. This coming judgment was attributed again to the people’s faithlessness before God. For they worshipped other gods and forsook God’s law (Jer. 16:11). While there was a pleasant future way down the road (Jer. 16:15), the present would be fraught with hardship.

The issue at its core was the nature of the human heart (Jer. 17:9).

The Lord unveiled through Jeremiah that the people’s sin was etched into their stony hearts with a diamond-tipped pen. (Jer. 17:1). While there would be great blessing for those who would trust in the Lord (Jer. 17:7-8), those who put their trust in men would face the curse (Jer. 17:5).

God knows the truth and is always searching the hearts of people, to reward them according to their ways (Jer. 17:10). For those in Jeremiah’s day, this was an incredibly frightful thing.

Bringing it Home:

The perpetual problem of the human race is rooted in the heart:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jer. 17:9).

Yet, at the same time, the solution is rooted in the heart as well. Later, God would promise through this same prophet that He was going to make a new covenant:

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jer. 31:33-35).

In the new covenant, the transformation would begin internally. This is not mere behavior modification, but desire-transformation.

No longer would a stony heart be etched with sin, but a heart of flesh would be indwelt by God’s Spirit and would be made to know God’s law.

The answer to the human problem isn’t more legislation. It isn’t technological advancements. It isn’t a medical breakthrough. It’s spiritual rebirth and a new heart that delights in doing God’s will.

Challenge:

Is my hope anchored in God or people?

Main Idea: Judgment comes when mercy is exhausted.

A Look at the Text:

Today’s text opens with the historical setting of a drought in Judah (Jer. 14:1-6). The people were mourning for lack of water, and even animals neglected their young as a result. In response, it appears that Jeremiah led the people in a cry of repentance and a cry for help:

To this, God replied that they weren’t accepted (Jer. 14:10). Even more, God told Jeremiah not to pray for them any longer (Jer. 14:11-12). Though lying prophets said all was well (Jer. 14:13-16), the truth was that exile was sure to come. Pestilence, sword, famine, and captivity were on the horizon (Jer. 15:2).

God had given His people numerous chances for years. Finally, He was tired of relenting (Jer. 15:7). Judgment was sealed, and even if the great prophets Moses and Samuel stood before Him, He would not relent. Judah stood in the crosshairs, and that was not going to change.

Bringing it Home:

The Bible consistently presents a God who is patient. He is slow to anger. Yet this does not mean that He doesn’t get angry. Many people think that judgment delayed is judgment denied and therefore sin is okay (see Ecc. 8:11). Yet that can’t be further from the truth.

God most certainly abounds in mercy, but there comes a point when the opportunity for mercy is no more. At present, creation exists in this window of opportunity until Christ comes again. Then, on the grand Day of the Lord, the books will be opened. All will be judged according to what they have done (Rev. 20:11-12). As it was in the days of Noah, once the door of the ark is shut, it remains shut.

On that final day, our only hope can be found in the mercy that was offered at the cross. We have an intercessor greater than Moses and Samuel. He intercedes for us based upon His perfect righteousness and atoning blood, and He is able to save to the uttermost (Heb. 7:25).

We must be found in Him before it is too late. While we deserve eternal exile because of our many sins, God offers us mercy today, but only through His Son Jesus Christ.

Challenge:

How do the ceaseless prayers of the Son of God on my behalf change the way I respect God’s mercy?

Main Idea: God will cut down the proud in His timing.

A Look at the Text:

The prophet Jeremiah struggled with what was happening in Judah and especially with the threats against his life. In response to it all, Jeremiah essentially prayed, “Lord, I know you are righteous…so what’s going on right now?” (Jer. 12:1-4).

It appeared that things were going well for the wicked. God’s name was near in their mouths but far from their hearts. Yet, seemingly, God had established them (Jer. 12:2).

But things weren’t as they seemed. Just as Jeremiah lamented, so did God.^[1] Yahweh described Israel as “my heritage” and “the beloved of my soul” (Jer. 12:7-9). God cared about Judah, but He was heartbroken by their rebellion.

While they were effectively a wasteland already (Jer. 12:11, NLT), they would soon be truly laid waste and plucked up from their own land (Jer. 12:14).

God gave Jeremiah a living illustration of this when He tasked him with hiding a loincloth near the river Euphrates (Jer. 13:1-11). After many days, the loincloth was ruined. It would offer no benefit to a wearer. In the same way, though Israel was called to cling close to God, they were no longer good for anything (Jer. 13:10-11).

All of this was due to the persistent rebellion that was rooted in their proud hearts. They served idols, and as such, their pride would be cut down. Crowns would topple off their rulers’ heads (Jer. 13:18). Exile was certain to come (Jer. 13:19).

Bringing it Home:

It can be very hard for believers to understand what God is doing when His ways occasionally seem inconsistent with His nature. If God is the just Judge who rules righteously, why is He letting the wicked prosper? Does He not care at all?

Jeremiah had people who were threatening his life! Yet things were apparently going fine for them. The prophet who was obeying God had bigger problems than the ones who were trying to get rid of him! It didn’t seem fair.

Yet God has never promised to be fair, but to be just. Though the wicked prosper in the present, that is not the end of the story. Exile was sure to come for all of those who continued in their rebellion. God’s judgment was delayed out of mercy, but there was coming a day when His justice would be executed. So it is now (see 2 Pet. 3:9).

If we know these things to be true, we ought to trust Him in the in-between. We should humbly accept His ways, even if they confound us.

Challenge:

Do I ever charge God with malpractice as God?

^[1] Hetty Lalleman, Jeremiah and Lamentations: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 21, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2013), 142.

Main Idea: In contrast to dead idols, Yahweh is the living God who sovereignly oversees nations and enters into covenant with human beings.

A Look at the Text:

After God calls the wise and mighty to boast in Him (Jer. 9:23-24), He next showcases His incomparability (Jer. 10:1-16). The living God makes a mockery of idols that are merely the byproduct of men’s hands (Jer. 10:3-4). In contrast, Yahweh is the true God, the living God, the everlasting King (Jer. 10:10).

Unlike the idols that cannot do either good or evil (Jer. 10:5), He acts in accordance with His sovereign purpose. He brings evil [calamity] upon the rebellious (Jer. 10:17-22). He brings good through covenant (Jer. 11:1-6). A covenant that was sadly broken by His people again and again (Jer. 11:7-8).

In utter folly, His people went after idols. As such, God warned that during the coming siege he would not help them; the people could pray to their idols for deliverance instead (Jer. 11:11-13). They would see that the same God who planted them in the Promised Land could uproot them, and that He was bringing disaster (Jer. 11:17).

Bringing it Home:

The story of the Bible is the story of a God who is both sovereign and good. He created all things and presently governs the world by providence. Yet He also invites human beings into a relationship with Himself.

This God is worthy of our worship. As Jeremiah extolled:

Sadly, the people of Judah rejected God’s covenant in favor of idols that wouldn’t satisfy. Idols that supposedly made promises and never kept them. They went after their own hearts and walked in their own ways, rather than submitting to the King.

If we have the privilege to know the living God, why would we allow ourselves to be devoted to lesser things? If we can know the Creator and have the hope of a new creation, why would we give worship to that which is created?

In a world that is increasingly distracted by things of this earth, let us set our minds on things that are above (Col. 3:2). Firstly, on the altogether worthy, transcendent God, and then secondly, that we would be devoted to what He has us here to do—that we might obey.

Challenge:

How does the contrast between the Creator and the created help to show where value ought to lie in my life’s affections?

Main Idea: God acts upon His love, justice, and righteousness.

A Look at the Text:

The prediction of judgment that we have seen thus far in Jeremiah is unpacked in vivid detail in today’s text. There would be desecration of tombs, even of the royalty (Jer. 8:1-3). This disaster would be the result of Judah’s unwavering pursuit of rebellion.

Normally, when people fall, they get back up. Or when they miss a turn, they get back on course. But Judah remained steadfast in their error, unwilling to return to Yahweh (Jer. 8:4-5).

This was partially due to the sin of the religious leaders, with scribes misrepresenting God and with the continual cries of “peace, peace” that didn’t come from Him (Jer. 8:8-11).

The coming desolation was the result of their own waywardness, for they followed their hearts rather than God’s law (Jer. 9:12-14). Sadly, the people were perplexed. They even cried out, wondering where God was:

When God was charged with absence, He simply replied with the root issue—their idolatry (Jer. 8:19).

Certainly, it didn’t delight God to bring judgment upon His people.

Scholars debate whether it was Jeremiah, God, or both that responded with great sorrow and weeping (Jer. 8:21-9:3).^[1] What is clear is that God acts in love, justice, and righteousness, and in light of this, all boasting must be in Him (Jer. 9:23-24).

Bringing it Home:

The Scripture presents on page after page a God with a multifaceted nature who acts in accordance with His nature. He is both loving and He is just. As such, His discipline of His people was an outworking of both love and justice.

Many people struggle with the concept of God punishing sin, and the idea of a wrathful God is understood as an antiquated view that is inferior to the God who is love. Yet, we see in Jeremiah a God who faithfully disciplines His wayward people but does not delight in doing so.

One scholar has helpfully concluded:

God’s wrath toward sin is usually emphasized, but his suffering is equally intense. It is like that of the parent watching a wayward child destroy his or her life by wrong choices. Nothing will deter us from sin quite so effectively as the awareness of how much God suffers when we sin.^[2]

In a similar vein, the apostle Paul once charged:

Yes, God does have a settled, holy wrath towards sin. Yet, we cannot lose sight of the fact that this same God is grieved by our sin. His heart breaks for people who continually reject Him and choose their own way, not knowing that their way ends in death (Pro. 14:12).

God extends mercy to those who will turn from their rebellion and bow their knee at the foot of the cross. It was at the cross, John Stott once argued, that divine love and divine justice met. In Christ, the justice of God has been borne. Yet, at the same time, His love is poured out on every hopeless sinner who turns to Him for mercy.

Challenge:

Do I see the beauty of the cross as my only hope and the source of boasting? (see Gal. 6:14).

^[1] Hetty Lalleman, Jeremiah and Lamentations: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 21, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2013), 118.

^[2] F. B. Huey, Jeremiah, Lamentations, vol. 16, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 117.

Main Idea: Genuine repentance is proven through genuine change.

A Look at the Text:

God, through His prophet, offered Judah a condition: amend your ways, and you can stay (Jer. 7:1-7). If they wanted to continue in the blessedness of the Promised Land, they must show allegiance to the Promiser.

But sadly, the people’s trust wasn’t in God, but in His temple (Jer. 7:4). They believed that based upon sanctuary worship, their lives outside of the sanctuary were of little consequence. They would commit all manner of atrocities and then come to the temple to offer “worship” (Jer. 7:9-10).

To this, the prophet pointed them to Shiloh, the town where the tabernacle of Moses was first permanently set up (Josh. 18:1). There, because of the consistent sins of the priestly class, God turned the city over to its captors. It is understood that after the Philistines defeated the Israelites in 1 Samuel 4, they went on to destroy the city of Shiloh.^[1]

God was willing to sacrifice the dignity of His house rather than to put up with phony worship.

The people could find forgiveness if they would amend their ways, but they had to stop pretending that a little worship sprinkled on top of an utterly godless life would be sufficient to please the One who was supposed to be their King.

Sadly, because they refused to return, the Jerusalem temple in all of its glory would be destroyed just as the sanctuary at Shiloh was many generations before (Jer. 7:13-15).

Bringing it Home

Worship doesn’t smooth over a life of disobedience. As the prophet Samuel once confronted King Saul many years before Jeremiah’s time, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22).

It’s not enough to worship God in word if we don’t also worship Him in deed. If we claim that He has our heart, then He should also have our hands and feet to obey.

If we find ourselves distant, we only need to amend our ways and come back to Him. True repentance begins with a change of mind and heart that ultimately results in a change of life. Our internal disposition manifests through outward action.

This doesn’t mean we will live perfectly, but it also means that if we’re really sorry, we’ll really show it. To try and smooth over a lawless life through worship is actually an insult to God and shows a complete disdain for both God’s mercy and God’s holiness.

Challenge:

Is my outer worship truly a manifestation of an inward change?

^[1] F. B. Huey, Jeremiah, Lamentations, vol. 16, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 107.

Main Idea: We cannot be indifferent to God’s Word but must take what He says seriously.

A Look at the Text:

The spiritual condition of Judah was bleak.

God invited them to run through the streets of Jerusalem to see if but one righteous person could be found (Jer. 5:1). Generations earlier, the patriarch Abraham had interceded for the city of Sodom based upon God finding just fifty righteous persons in the city, eventually taking the number down to ten (see Gen. 18:22-33). The Lord agreed that for the sake of ten, he would spare the city, but not enough were found.

Fast forward to Jeremiah’s day: the situation was so dire that they were looking for even just one person who did justice and sought truth! The city where God Himself chose to put His name was utterly vacant of people who truly served Him.

They might have given Him lip-service (Jer. 5:2), but none gave Him life-service. The people utterly refused to repent (Jer. 5:3).

The reason? Essentially, they didn’t take God at His Word. They didn’t believe God was going to do anything about their wickedness (Jer. 5:12). The people didn’t fear God (Jer. 5:22). Both prophet and priest promised “Peace, peace” (Jer. 6:14) when God had not spoken. They believed that everything was okay when judgment loomed on the horizon.

They had refused to pay attention to Yahweh’s words and had disdained His law (Jer. 6:19). As such, destruction would come.

If they sought the ancient paths and obeyed God’s Word (Jer. 6:16), things could turn out differently. But they weren’t interested in hearing the truth.

Bringing it Home:

For some reason, Judah refused to learn from Israel’s failings. Though seeing Samaria as a heap of ashes, they thought they were the exception to God’s righteous wrath. In short order, they would find out that God takes sin seriously and that His warnings were to be heeded.

In the modern age, people disdain the idea of absolute truth. The concept that God has spoken is laughed at. People scoff at the claim that God puts on their lives. But a time will come when scoffing will be no more.

The transcendent, almighty God who told the sea where to stop (Jer. 5:22) also gives instructions to us. We learn in His Word how we can find forgiveness for our sins before it is too late and how we must live before Him. While creation itself obeys His voice, very frequently the creature does not.

The sea doesn’t trespass His command, but people do every day. Let us rest assured that His Word doesn’t return void (Isa. 55:11). God never fails to uphold His promise. As such, we should take His Word seriously. We should look for the ancient paths, the narrow gate (Matt. 7:13-14) through which believers have come for millennia.

Challenge:

When I open God’s Word or hear it preached, do I want to hear God speak? Or do I simply want to hear what I want to hear?