Jeremiah 29
Exile can’t be easy. Different landscapes, different languages and accents, different customs and food, and foreign sights and sounds can add to a sense of displacement and anxiety. Add to that the fact that the people of Judah were forcibly removed from their homeland and family and taken to the homeland of a brutal dictator, and you have a recipe for cultural and personal destruction.
Here in chapter 29 Jeremiah sends a letter to the exiles to give them God’s word for the near future. His address adds to the sense of devastation when he says, “to the surviving elders of the exile.” (vs. 1) The fundamental message of the letter is straightforward if not surprising to the community in exile. Keep in mind the message of the false prophets Jeremiah has been countering for years. Recently, in chapter 28, we heard Hananiah promise a short and relatively pain-free exile. Jeremiah predicted 70 years.
The message of the letter is that the exiles should settle in and sink roots in the area and the culture. They should build houses, plant gardens, eat their harvest, and marry off their children; they should live as God’s people in a foreign land. At the end of the chapter, Shemaiah writes back to the priest in charge of the Temple in Jerusalem and tells him he should do something about this troublemaker, Jeremiah. Shemaiah is bothered by the long exile message, and intends to get rid of the messenger.
But Jeremiah’s message is clear-God will be with His people while they are in exile, not by taking them out of exile. His plan for them is that they live as His people in a foreign and pagan culture.
Into this context comes possibly the best-known verse in Jeremiah.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (vs. 11)
Many people have memorized this verse for personal edification and comfort, and it is true that God does pay this kind of personal attention to us. But two things should be understood about what Jeremiah means with this verse. First, the application is primarily corporate. God’s promise for a future and a hope is for the whole nation 70 years from now. This means that there are exiles hearing this promise that will not live to see the day it comes to pass. But that does not leave them out of God’s pledge. If they build a godly culture in Babylon, then there will be a faithful and strong remnant that will return to rebuild the Judean culture and religion after they are gone.
Secondly, it is a promise to people who are in exile and who will be in exile for a while. It is not a promise of immediate removal from exile, but of God’s faithful presence with believers who turn their entire attention and being upon Him in the midst of it all. He tells them:
…you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you…(vss. 12-14)
God is with me even now. It matters not how deep my sorrow or confusion, and it matters not how vexing my situation. All I need to do is turn myself to Him and seek after Him with all my will, intellect, emotions, and desires-everything. Then, He will be found by me.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Reconciliation with God: Jeremiah 28
Jeremiah 28
More than once Jeremiah comes into conflict with false prophets. Most times they are anonymous, but here we meet one in particular who is unhappy with Jeremiah’s message in chapter 27. There Jeremiah wore an oxen yoke before the king and the region’s ambassadors to invite them to join him in submission to Nebuchadnezzar.
As chapter 28 opens, we should keep in mind that several weeks, if not months, have passed. Jeremiah is still wearing the yoke, and it gets to Hananiah. He meets Jeremiah in the Temple court and confronts him with his own message. In the course of two verses, 3 and 4, he contradicts all the major points in Jeremiah’s message from the last few chapters. Hananiah is tired of the bothersome prophet and he is tired of the yoke. Hananiah’s next move is to take the yoke from Jeremiah’s neck and smash it to pieces (vs. 10-11).
The first thing that strikes me about this confrontation is the difference between Hananiah and Jeremiah. If all we had of this book was the first two-thirds of this chapter, it would be hard to tell God’s true prophet from the false prophet. They both have prophetic names, they both sound alike in their proclamations, and they both make use of the yoke-the symbolic tool. The difference, though possibly elusive, is crucial and profound.
Part of Jeremiah’s response to him is a history and theology lesson wrapped up in a couple of short verses. Here is how the Message puts parts of verses 7-9:
But listen to me, listen closely. Listen to what I tell both you and all the people here today: The old prophets, the ones before our time, preached judgment against many countries and kingdoms, warning of war and disaster and plague. So any prophet who preaches that everything is just fine and there's nothing to worry about stands out like a sore thumb.
Jeremiah reminds him that the role of prophet is to warn people of their rebellious behavior, and that the prophet preaching only “peace and safety” is the odd man out. As a result of such behavior, we know that the prophet has at the core of their message a theme of turning away from sin and toward God.
In a way, Hananiah’s message is actually accurate. All the things he says God will do, God eventually does. All Hananiah gets wrong is the timing and the process. He preaches a message of prosperity and blessing without outlay; a message of success without responsibility; a message of reconciliation without repentance.
On the other hand, Jeremiah’s message has been clear. God wanted a blessed and intense relationship with His people, but their behavior was driving a wedge between them. If they repented and turned to Him, He would forgive and bless. If they continued in their sin they would simply suffer the consequences.
Because of God’s great love and His initiation, we have a chance at that blessed and passionate relationship. And just as with our meaningful relationships with other people, we sometimes need to examine our behavior and turn ourselves toward that person to reconcile. Take advantage of what is available to you with God by laying aside all those empty and meaningless things that steal your soul and your relationship with Him all at the same time.
More than once Jeremiah comes into conflict with false prophets. Most times they are anonymous, but here we meet one in particular who is unhappy with Jeremiah’s message in chapter 27. There Jeremiah wore an oxen yoke before the king and the region’s ambassadors to invite them to join him in submission to Nebuchadnezzar.
As chapter 28 opens, we should keep in mind that several weeks, if not months, have passed. Jeremiah is still wearing the yoke, and it gets to Hananiah. He meets Jeremiah in the Temple court and confronts him with his own message. In the course of two verses, 3 and 4, he contradicts all the major points in Jeremiah’s message from the last few chapters. Hananiah is tired of the bothersome prophet and he is tired of the yoke. Hananiah’s next move is to take the yoke from Jeremiah’s neck and smash it to pieces (vs. 10-11).
The first thing that strikes me about this confrontation is the difference between Hananiah and Jeremiah. If all we had of this book was the first two-thirds of this chapter, it would be hard to tell God’s true prophet from the false prophet. They both have prophetic names, they both sound alike in their proclamations, and they both make use of the yoke-the symbolic tool. The difference, though possibly elusive, is crucial and profound.
Part of Jeremiah’s response to him is a history and theology lesson wrapped up in a couple of short verses. Here is how the Message puts parts of verses 7-9:
But listen to me, listen closely. Listen to what I tell both you and all the people here today: The old prophets, the ones before our time, preached judgment against many countries and kingdoms, warning of war and disaster and plague. So any prophet who preaches that everything is just fine and there's nothing to worry about stands out like a sore thumb.
Jeremiah reminds him that the role of prophet is to warn people of their rebellious behavior, and that the prophet preaching only “peace and safety” is the odd man out. As a result of such behavior, we know that the prophet has at the core of their message a theme of turning away from sin and toward God.
In a way, Hananiah’s message is actually accurate. All the things he says God will do, God eventually does. All Hananiah gets wrong is the timing and the process. He preaches a message of prosperity and blessing without outlay; a message of success without responsibility; a message of reconciliation without repentance.
On the other hand, Jeremiah’s message has been clear. God wanted a blessed and intense relationship with His people, but their behavior was driving a wedge between them. If they repented and turned to Him, He would forgive and bless. If they continued in their sin they would simply suffer the consequences.
Because of God’s great love and His initiation, we have a chance at that blessed and passionate relationship. And just as with our meaningful relationships with other people, we sometimes need to examine our behavior and turn ourselves toward that person to reconcile. Take advantage of what is available to you with God by laying aside all those empty and meaningless things that steal your soul and your relationship with Him all at the same time.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Bringing God's Kingdom to Bear: Jeremiah 26
Jeremiah 26
Jeremiah faced death. It wasn’t disease resulting from the Babylonian sieges, or threat to his life from the warfare that seemed to rage throughout his adult life; it was from the priests and false prophets of his day who took him to court in a capital case. In chapter 26, God has Jeremiah speak some pretty serious and devastating words over the Temple in Jerusalem:
Thus says the LORD: “If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened, then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.” (vs 4-6)
The allusion to Shiloh would have hit the priests right between the eyes. Shiloh was the first place the Arc of the Covenant was housed, and in a very real sense, the place where God was worshiped and where He dwelt. In standard fashion, however, the people rebelled against God, the Philistines attacked, Shiloh was destroyed, and the Arc was captured. (1 Samuel 1-4) The Temple was not safe because the Arc of the Covenant dwelt there.
The scene in chapter 26 turns into a courtroom drama. The priests and prophets bring a case of blasphemy against Jeremiah before the town judges. There are witnesses invoked and Jeremiah provides his own defense. His defense, by the way, is exactly the right one for this circumstance: “not guilty by reason of obedience.”
But most compelling to me is the precedent that is cited, and how it comes to the fore. The city officials recount the story of Micah the prophet and Hezekiah the king, and even quote Micah 3:12. In the story, God’s prophet speaks to Hezekiah what Jeremiah spoke to Jehoiakim. In Hezekiah’s case, he repents and God spares his people. The conclusion the officials draw is that the wise course of action would be to listen to Jeremiah and not put him to death.
I absolutely love what just happened. Jeremiah’s life was spared because the “people in the pews” knew their Scripture, were able to comprehend and apply it, and were even able to quote it. It wasn’t the priests or prophets who applied God’s word, it was the commoner, the individuals who were not professional theologians or spiritual leaders, but who had grown wise in their knowledge and application of Scripture who brought God’s kingdom to bear in a life-threatening situation.
In this context I think it is useful to ask a question. What do you need from God to know what He wants from you? Do you need a cloud-parting, thunder-clapping, audible voice 5 out of 7 days of the week? I know it would be nice, but it won’t happen.
The people we watch do God’s will in Jeremiah 26 knew God’s word, and thus, knew what God wanted them to do on that day. Rightly comprehending the Word of God is in a very real and deep sense rightly comprehending God’s will.
Jeremiah faced death. It wasn’t disease resulting from the Babylonian sieges, or threat to his life from the warfare that seemed to rage throughout his adult life; it was from the priests and false prophets of his day who took him to court in a capital case. In chapter 26, God has Jeremiah speak some pretty serious and devastating words over the Temple in Jerusalem:
Thus says the LORD: “If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened, then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.” (vs 4-6)
The allusion to Shiloh would have hit the priests right between the eyes. Shiloh was the first place the Arc of the Covenant was housed, and in a very real sense, the place where God was worshiped and where He dwelt. In standard fashion, however, the people rebelled against God, the Philistines attacked, Shiloh was destroyed, and the Arc was captured. (1 Samuel 1-4) The Temple was not safe because the Arc of the Covenant dwelt there.
The scene in chapter 26 turns into a courtroom drama. The priests and prophets bring a case of blasphemy against Jeremiah before the town judges. There are witnesses invoked and Jeremiah provides his own defense. His defense, by the way, is exactly the right one for this circumstance: “not guilty by reason of obedience.”
But most compelling to me is the precedent that is cited, and how it comes to the fore. The city officials recount the story of Micah the prophet and Hezekiah the king, and even quote Micah 3:12. In the story, God’s prophet speaks to Hezekiah what Jeremiah spoke to Jehoiakim. In Hezekiah’s case, he repents and God spares his people. The conclusion the officials draw is that the wise course of action would be to listen to Jeremiah and not put him to death.
I absolutely love what just happened. Jeremiah’s life was spared because the “people in the pews” knew their Scripture, were able to comprehend and apply it, and were even able to quote it. It wasn’t the priests or prophets who applied God’s word, it was the commoner, the individuals who were not professional theologians or spiritual leaders, but who had grown wise in their knowledge and application of Scripture who brought God’s kingdom to bear in a life-threatening situation.
In this context I think it is useful to ask a question. What do you need from God to know what He wants from you? Do you need a cloud-parting, thunder-clapping, audible voice 5 out of 7 days of the week? I know it would be nice, but it won’t happen.
The people we watch do God’s will in Jeremiah 26 knew God’s word, and thus, knew what God wanted them to do on that day. Rightly comprehending the Word of God is in a very real and deep sense rightly comprehending God’s will.
Monday, May 08, 2006
The Yoke of Christ: Jeremiah 27
Jeremiah 27
This chapter gives us another “illustrated prophecy” of Jeremiah’s to the rulers of his day. In this case, it involves not only the king of Judah, but the ambassadors of several small surrounding nations as well. And Jeremiah’s prop of choice this time is a piece of farm equipment-he enters the king’s chambers wearing a yoke meant for two large oxen. God never said being a prophet would be easy…or cool.
Jeremiah’s message is simple: surrender to the coming Babylonian army or suffer the consequences of a loosing battle. Notice that with this message, the illustration of the yoke is not one of impending doom and destruction-it is an invitation. The yoke is intended for two oxen, so there is one free opening in the yoke and Jeremiah invites the king and ambassadors to join him in willing submission to Nebuchadnezzar. In verse 8 he says:
But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, declares the LORD, until I have consumed it by his hand.
God has given the region to the Babylonians and there is nothing Zedekiah or the other nations can do to change that. They, however, feel differently. We know from the Babylonian’s own records that at this time they are facing battle on their eastern border, battle with the Syrian army, and an internal insurrection all at the same time. So it is not surprising that Zedekiah and the others feel confident of their chances to throw of the Babylonian yoke. Throw in the mixture the false prophets who are telling Zedekiah what he wants to hear, and he is sure there is a third way out of this situation.
But Jeremiah is persistent about his two options. Either Zedekiah goes with God and remains in his own land, or he takes his fate into his own hands and suffers the fortune of the looser in battle. (2 Kings 25 details Zedekiah’s rebellious choice and his fate worse than death.) Both choices are yokes, but one leads him to safety and the other to doom.
Paul has something similar to say about the choices before all of us in Romans 6:16-18.
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
Like Zedekiah we want to be in charge of our own destinies, to be absolutely autonomous. But also like Zedekiah we have only two choices set before us. Either we enslave ourselves to our own shortcomings, passions and sins, or we willingly take on the yoke of Christ and open ourselves to abundance, grace, forgiveness, and life eternal. The autonomous choice is blindness and death; taking on the yoke of Christ is life more abundantly. Christ spoke to his disciples saying this,
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:29-30
This chapter gives us another “illustrated prophecy” of Jeremiah’s to the rulers of his day. In this case, it involves not only the king of Judah, but the ambassadors of several small surrounding nations as well. And Jeremiah’s prop of choice this time is a piece of farm equipment-he enters the king’s chambers wearing a yoke meant for two large oxen. God never said being a prophet would be easy…or cool.
Jeremiah’s message is simple: surrender to the coming Babylonian army or suffer the consequences of a loosing battle. Notice that with this message, the illustration of the yoke is not one of impending doom and destruction-it is an invitation. The yoke is intended for two oxen, so there is one free opening in the yoke and Jeremiah invites the king and ambassadors to join him in willing submission to Nebuchadnezzar. In verse 8 he says:
But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, declares the LORD, until I have consumed it by his hand.
God has given the region to the Babylonians and there is nothing Zedekiah or the other nations can do to change that. They, however, feel differently. We know from the Babylonian’s own records that at this time they are facing battle on their eastern border, battle with the Syrian army, and an internal insurrection all at the same time. So it is not surprising that Zedekiah and the others feel confident of their chances to throw of the Babylonian yoke. Throw in the mixture the false prophets who are telling Zedekiah what he wants to hear, and he is sure there is a third way out of this situation.
But Jeremiah is persistent about his two options. Either Zedekiah goes with God and remains in his own land, or he takes his fate into his own hands and suffers the fortune of the looser in battle. (2 Kings 25 details Zedekiah’s rebellious choice and his fate worse than death.) Both choices are yokes, but one leads him to safety and the other to doom.
Paul has something similar to say about the choices before all of us in Romans 6:16-18.
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
Like Zedekiah we want to be in charge of our own destinies, to be absolutely autonomous. But also like Zedekiah we have only two choices set before us. Either we enslave ourselves to our own shortcomings, passions and sins, or we willingly take on the yoke of Christ and open ourselves to abundance, grace, forgiveness, and life eternal. The autonomous choice is blindness and death; taking on the yoke of Christ is life more abundantly. Christ spoke to his disciples saying this,
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:29-30
Friday, May 05, 2006
Cup of Wrath Cup of Grace: Jeremiah 25
“Cup of Wrath, Cup of Grace”
Jeremiah 25:15-38
In this passage we observe a kind of parade of nations as God prophecies through Jeremiah the judgment that will come upon not only Judah, but on all the surrounding nations and finally Babylon itself.
Except for a couple of points of interest, this passage reads like a typical judgment chapter in the Old Testament prophets, so it is tempting to pass on its significance. First of all, it goes to great lengths to describe not only God’s heavy judgment, but the depth of sin as well. We learn, through the weight of the judgment how weighty sin is: the punishment fits the crime, so to speak. It is a lesson throughout the book of Jeremiah that judgment is neither arbitrary nor pleasant for God. It is always the just response to rebellion after God has pleaded with His people over and over to repent.
Secondly, Jeremiah uses the image of a cup of wrath. A fairly common image for the Old Testament prophets, it is designed to give us an image of a goblet filled to the brim and overflowing with wine. Jeremiah is vivid in his description of this cup. He says:
16 They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them.
and…
27 Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of the sword I am sending among you.
These are images, not of someone who has had “one too many,” but of something akin to alcohol poisoning. The rebellious decisions made by these people have destroyed them.
This, however, is not all there is to be said about this cup or wrath. Isaiah 51:17-23 also describes this time in history for Judah with the same image. But near the end something drastic and unexpected is recorded.
22 Thus says you Lord, the Lord, your God who pleads the cause of his people: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more…”
How is it the cup is simply taken away from sinful and rebellious people? The answer lies in a prayer spoken by Jesus moments before his trial and crucifixion. In Matthew 26:39 He prays, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” You see, Jesus saw this cup of wrath, being poured out on Him, and shook. Pastor Philip G. Ryken says of this moment, “But were we to watch and pray, to kneel beside our Savior in the grass, to hear his cries of anguish, and to see the bloody sweat upon his brow, then we would see the fearfulness of God’s wrath. And then we would know the sinfulness of our sin.”
Jesus has not only taken away this cup of wrath, He has provided a cup of a new relationship, the one provided by his blood shed on the cross. This is a cup of forgiveness and grace, of relationship with the God of the universe Himself. The English poet George Herbert saw this truth and wrote in his “The Agony”:
Love is that liquor sweet and most divine
Which my God feels as blood; but I, as wine.
Jeremiah 25:15-38
In this passage we observe a kind of parade of nations as God prophecies through Jeremiah the judgment that will come upon not only Judah, but on all the surrounding nations and finally Babylon itself.
Except for a couple of points of interest, this passage reads like a typical judgment chapter in the Old Testament prophets, so it is tempting to pass on its significance. First of all, it goes to great lengths to describe not only God’s heavy judgment, but the depth of sin as well. We learn, through the weight of the judgment how weighty sin is: the punishment fits the crime, so to speak. It is a lesson throughout the book of Jeremiah that judgment is neither arbitrary nor pleasant for God. It is always the just response to rebellion after God has pleaded with His people over and over to repent.
Secondly, Jeremiah uses the image of a cup of wrath. A fairly common image for the Old Testament prophets, it is designed to give us an image of a goblet filled to the brim and overflowing with wine. Jeremiah is vivid in his description of this cup. He says:
16 They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them.
and…
27 Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of the sword I am sending among you.
These are images, not of someone who has had “one too many,” but of something akin to alcohol poisoning. The rebellious decisions made by these people have destroyed them.
This, however, is not all there is to be said about this cup or wrath. Isaiah 51:17-23 also describes this time in history for Judah with the same image. But near the end something drastic and unexpected is recorded.
22 Thus says you Lord, the Lord, your God who pleads the cause of his people: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more…”
How is it the cup is simply taken away from sinful and rebellious people? The answer lies in a prayer spoken by Jesus moments before his trial and crucifixion. In Matthew 26:39 He prays, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” You see, Jesus saw this cup of wrath, being poured out on Him, and shook. Pastor Philip G. Ryken says of this moment, “But were we to watch and pray, to kneel beside our Savior in the grass, to hear his cries of anguish, and to see the bloody sweat upon his brow, then we would see the fearfulness of God’s wrath. And then we would know the sinfulness of our sin.”
Jesus has not only taken away this cup of wrath, He has provided a cup of a new relationship, the one provided by his blood shed on the cross. This is a cup of forgiveness and grace, of relationship with the God of the universe Himself. The English poet George Herbert saw this truth and wrote in his “The Agony”:
Love is that liquor sweet and most divine
Which my God feels as blood; but I, as wine.
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