The Lord Said: "I AM the One Doing This"

 Jeremiah 27:1 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. 2 Thus the Lord said to me: “Make yourself straps and yoke-bars, and put them on your neck. 3 Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the sons of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: 5 “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. 6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. 7 All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave...22 They shall be carried to Babylon and remain there until the day when I visit them, declares the Lord. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.”

The time had come.  After all the warnings and continued rejection, God announced that judgment on Judah and surrounding nations had come. He too would be the One to replace Babylon. He would bring back a remnant in His time and His way.  He is the God of History.

The Lord Said: "Don't Kill the Messenger!"

 Jeremiah 25:16 Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” 17 And certain of the elders of the land arose and spoke to all the assembled people, saying, 18 “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and said to all the people of Judah: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“‘Zion shall be plowed as a field;
    Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
    and the mountain of the house a wooded height.’
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death?'"

As we have seen, Jeremiah had a tough job: preaching repentance when he knew up front they would not repent. Because of his message of judgment, he faced much persecution and mistreatment - even the threat of death.  But God spared him - not because he himself pleaded for mercy, but some were able to see what was going on and spoke up on his behalf.  Do we stand up in defense of those who speak up for God?

The Lord Said: "It's Going to Be Crazy"

Jeremiah 25:15 Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them.” 17 So I took the cup from the Lord's hand, and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it:... 

30“‘The Lord will roar from on high,
    and from his holy habitation utter his voice;
he will roar mightily against his fold,
    and shout, like those who tread grapes,
    against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth,
    for the Lord has an indictment against the nations;
he is entering into judgment with all flesh,
    and the wicked he will put to the sword,
declares the Lord.’

In this prophecy God shows Jeremiah beyond the exile to judgment on all the nations of the world, including Babylon. The "sword" of war will fill the earth; it will consume all nations. God will show himself to be the true Lion who roars and brings about righteousness.

God Said: "Bad News for Bad Figs"

Jeremiah 24:8 “But thus says the Lord: Like the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat Zedekiah the king of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt. 9 I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a reproach, a byword, a taunt, and a curse in all the places where I shall drive them. 10 And I will send sword, famine, and pestilence upon them, until they shall be utterly destroyed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.”

The judgment against Jerusalem and Judah was irreversible. God had spoken and warned what was going to happen.  Some had accepted the fact and submitted to the Lord's will, willing to do whatever God saw fit, whether it be taken into exile, like some already had, or left among the ruins. As we saw yesterday, God held out hope and promises for their future after the exile; He would treat them as "good figs," who would bring delight to God wherever they were. But many-even most- resisted the plan of God. They either did everything possible to hold on to their power or tried to run away from God to Egypt. Neither plan would succeed, and these "bad figs" would bring no pleasure to God, themselves, or anyone else.  

The Lord Said: "Good News for Good Figs"

Jeremiah 24:4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. 6 I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. 7 I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

The Exile was inevitable. There were already people being taking into captivity. During that time they were to accept the chastisement of the Lord and continue to trust Him and live for Him. He would give them the security that they were His people no matter where they were, and some day He would return them home. They could and would have their confidence in their relationship with Him.  He would change them from the inside out. May He do so for us. 

The Lord Said: "About the Sabbath..."

Jeremiah 17:19 Thus said the Lord to me: “Go and stand in the People's Gate, by which the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, 20 and say: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21 Thus says the Lord: Take care for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem... 24 “‘But if you listen to me, declares the Lord, and bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it, 25 then there shall enter by the gates of this city kings and princes who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And this city shall be inhabited forever. ...27 But if you do not listen to me, to keep the Sabbath day holy, and not to bear a burden and enter by the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and shall not be quenched.’”

The disregard for the sabbath was one tell-tale sign of how far the leaders and people of Israel had strayed from the Lord.  The temple gates were a place one could sit and watch to determine how things were going: who was going in and who was not; whether it was worship or business as usual; were they going to survive and thrive or watch Jerusalem burn.  They chose the latter.  Which would we choose? 

The Lord Said: "Simply Put..."

Jeremiah 16:10 “And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, ‘Why has the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 then you shall say to them: ‘Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the Lord, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law, 12 and because you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me. 

Preceding this paragraph, we have Jeremiah's typical transitions: "The word of the Lord came to me..." and "Thus says the Lord...". God had told him to tell the people: "Don't get to comfortable here; you're not going to be here much longer," reminding them of the coming exile.  Their response is predictable: "Why?" God gives Jeremiah the response: "Simply put, you have turned your back on me for other gods, and you are the worst generation ever. Everyone wants to do what you want and is rebelling against Me." A long explanation is not warranted or needed. The evidence is obvious and blatant. Look all around you. Rebellion rules and righteousness has run away. Why should you expect the land of plenty and place of peace? Often, when we are prone to ask: "Why me?," we need to simply open our eyes and ears to Him.