#1050 Jeremiah 4 Part 2 Sound the Alarm

 

“If you return, O Israel,

declares the Lord,

to me you should return.

If you remove your detestable things from my presence,

and do not waver,

2 and if you swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’

in truth, in justice, and in righteousness,

then nations shall bless themselves in him,

and in him shall they glory.”

3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:

“Break up your fallow ground,

and sow not among thorns.

4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord;

remove the foreskin of your hearts,

O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem;

lest my wrath go forth like fire,

and burn with none to quench it,

because of the evil of your deeds.”

Disaster from the North

5 Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,

“Blow the trumpet through the land;

cry aloud and say,

‘Assemble, and let us go

into the fortified cities!’

6 Raise a standard toward Zion,

flee for safety, stay not,

for I bring disaster from the north,

and great destruction.

7 A lion has gone up from his thicket,

a destroyer of nations has set out;

he has gone out from his place

to make your land a waste;

your cities will be ruins

without inhabitant.

8 For this put on sackcloth,

lament and wail,

for the fierce anger of the Lord

has not turned back from us.”

9 “In that day, declares the Lord, courage shall fail both king and officials. The priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded.” 10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God, surely you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,’ whereas the sword has reached their very life.”

11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A hot wind from the bare heights in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse, 12 a wind too full for this comes for me. Now it is I who speak in judgment upon them.”

13 Behold, he comes up like clouds;

his chariots like the whirlwind;

his horses are swifter than eagles—

woe to us, for we are ruined!

14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil,

that you may be saved.

How long shall your wicked thoughts

lodge within you?

15 For a voice declares from Dan

and proclaims trouble from Mount Ephraim.

16 Warn the nations that he is coming;

announce to Jerusalem,

“Besiegers come from a distant land;

they shout against the cities of Judah.

17 Like keepers of a field are they against her all around,

because she has rebelled against me,

declares the Lord.

18 Your ways and your deeds

have brought this upon you.

This is your doom, and it is bitter;

it has reached your very heart.”

Anguish over Judah's Desolation

19 My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain!

Oh the walls of my heart!

My heart is beating wildly;

I cannot keep silent,

for I hear the sound of the trumpet,

the alarm of war.

20 Crash follows hard on crash;

the whole land is laid waste.

Suddenly my tents are laid waste,

my curtains in a moment.

21 How long must I see the standard

and hear the sound of the trumpet?

22 “For my people are foolish;

they know me not;

they are stupid children;

they have no understanding.

They are ‘wise’—in doing evil!

But how to do good they know not.”

23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void;

and to the heavens, and they had no light.

24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking,

and all the hills moved to and fro.

25 I looked, and behold, there was no man,

and all the birds of the air had fled.

26 I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert,

and all its cities were laid in ruins

before the Lord, before his fierce anger.

27 For thus says the Lord, “The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end.

28 “For this the earth shall mourn,

and the heavens above be dark;

for I have spoken; I have purposed;

I have not relented, nor will I turn back.”

29 At the noise of horseman and archer

every city takes to flight;

they enter thickets; they climb among rocks;

all the cities are forsaken,

and no man dwells in them.

30 And you, O desolate one,

what do you mean that you dress in scarlet,

that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,

that you enlarge your eyes with paint?

In vain you beautify yourself.

Your lovers despise you;

they seek your life.

31 For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor,

anguish as of one giving birth to her first child,

the cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath,

stretching out her hands,

“Woe is me! I am fainting before murderers.” Jeremiah 4 ESV

Jeremiah 4: 5-31 Disaster from the North

…5Does a bird land in a snare where no bait has been set? Does a trap spring from the ground when it has nothing to catch? 6If a ram’s horn sounds in a city, do the people not tremble? If calamity comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it? 7Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.… Amos 3: 5-7

5-12. Blow the trumpet through the land - Prophets are the trumpets before the trumpet, but Jeremiah is saying this like an observer walking through the city, even though this has not yet come. The sound of the trumpet is like Paul Revere's ride, "Babylon is coming", and in cryptic fashion Jeremiah proclaims the vision. Raise a standard toward Zion, take refuge, the destroyer is coming. 

There is debate as to if the invasion so vividly described came from the Scythians, the Assyrians, or the Babylonians. The best choice seems to be the Babylonians. “The fact remains that God’s word through him not only made no mention of the Scythians, but decisively excluded them at certain points. It was Babylon, a generation later, which would bring all this to pass.” (Kidner)

The fierce anger of the Lord has not turned back from us - No wonder he is the "Weeping Prophet", preaching to a people that will not repent, these visions are certain. We can detest our earthly enemies all we want, but God is sovereign, and when He sends them they will prevail in doing His judgment.

The priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded - Other prophets went about saying what people wanted to here, looking at token outward reforms, they promised a much brighter future. People gaged them by their eloquence, show and bling. The auditorium is full, the speaker must be right. 

"God, surely you have deceived this people" - They were told it would be well with them, like Elijah versus the 400 prophets of Baal, or the prophet that Ahab didn't like, and why? They all started out with, "thus saith the Lord", they claimed to speak on behalf of God. 

…6So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” “Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.” 7But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can inquire?” 8The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.… 1 Kings 22: 6-8

…13“Ah, Lord GOD!” I replied, “Look, the prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ” 14“The prophets are prophesying lies in My name,” replied the LORD. “I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, a worthless divination, the futility and delusion of their own minds. 15Therefore this is what the LORD says about the prophets who prophesy in My name: I did not send them, yet they say, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ By sword and famine these very prophets will meet their end!… Jeremiah 14: 13-15

13-21. Wash your heart from evil - Their instincts seem to always point them toward cleaning the outside of the cup, or looking at present conditions and saying "this isn't that bad yet, Jeremiah is crazy, I am looking in the same direction as him and don't see dust kicking up from the Babylonian chariots." Or they know hundreds of more successful prophets, priests and politicians that say everything is going to be alright, "just toss another shekel in the bucket." If you look, history repeats itself, and once it gets to this point, once you have thousands of false professors, prosperity teachers, then God picks a man, and that one confronts a thousand, he speaks the truth that no one wants to hear. Speak to the corruption of their hearts, the command is, "repent and be saved." If only they could see that God looks at the heart, and if only they could see that it was wicked, and if only they could see that they can't fix it, but it has to fixed.

…9Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. 10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.… Psalm 51: 9-11

Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you - He is walking it, lamenting what he sees, many of the prophets were broken over the terror of their visions, but he also sees the cause, it was their sin. If God did not judge then He would not be just, but that is no antidote for the pain of what he sees. These are his people, his homeland, think of the words of Paul:

…2I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my own flesh and blood, 4the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises.… Romans 9: 2-4

Now that's a shepherd's song, I will go to his church and allow my kids to sit under his teaching. He tells me the truth whether I like it or not, even if it makes us both uncomfortable, but at night he tosses in his sleep, anguishing over my lost condition. He tells me the truth because the lie will do me no good, and while I may like him for the lie, then he has denied the Savior, and that He will not do.

22-31. They know Me not - Whenever a pastor tells you that doctrine is not important, ask him, "who is God?" Whenever someone tells you, "Theology is not important, just believe", ask them, "who is Jesus?" Whenever someone tells you, "your a good person", ask them, "what is the gospel, what does the Bible say?" We can run around saying names, like, God, Jesus, Christian, but we can say it all in vain. 

…22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’ 24Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.… Matthew 7: 22-24

…14Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given you through the prophecy spoken over you at the laying on of the hands of the elders. 15Be diligent in these matters and absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16Pay close attention to your life and to your teaching. Persevere in these things, for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.… 1 Timothy 4: 14-16

12For this reason, even though I suffer as I do, I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day. 13Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching you have heard from me, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14Guard the treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.… 2 Timothy 1: 12-14

They are 'wise' in doing evil - This they are good at, and they are about to receive their wages for such. They are good at evil and probably proud of it. We have street smarts, know how to get the better end of a deal, how to take advantage and not be taken advantaged of. We are cheaters, liars, hypocrites in clean clothes and with fresh smiles. 

I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void - This has to be the scariest sentence yet, it is back to the point of creation, before man was made. This is a rather apocalyptic view of the coming destruction. Like Isaiah, he may be viewing Judah's destruction but also looking further to the Day of the Lord.

“It was as if the earth had been ‘uncreated’ and reverted back to its erstwhile primeval chaos. Order seemed to return to confusion.” (Thompson)

…11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness 12as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with God’s promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.… 2 Peter 3: 11-13

Yet I will not make a full end - God is true to the word of His covenant, and He will not completely erase this people.

“After this, and after the vision of a deserted landscape in Jeremiah 4:23-26, the saving clause in verse 27, ‘yet I will not make a full end’, shines very brightly.” (Kidner)

For this the earth shall mourn - 

…20For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time.… Romans 8: 20-22

That you enlarge your eyes with paint - They dress up to fit in or be found attractive to their plunderers. Put on make up, play the whore, but this is what they have come to judge, these are the ways that brought you here. Some did it for show, like a hog nose snake flaring up for dramatic effect, but without the fangs and venom to back it up. 

30Now when Jehu arrived in Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. So she painted her eyes, adorned her head, and looked down from a window. 31And as Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, O Zimri, murderer of your master?”…

…32He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three eunuchs looked down at him. 33“Throw her down!” yelled Jehu. So they threw her down, and her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses as they trampled her underfoot. 34Then Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of this cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was the daughter of a king.”…

…35But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing but her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands. 36So they went back and told Jehu, who replied, “This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke through His servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel the dogs will devour the flesh of Jezebel. 37And Jezebel’s body will lie like dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel, so that no one can say: This is Jezebel.’ ”… 2 Kings 9: 30-37

It was just eye shadow.