Flee for safety, O people of Benjamin,
from the midst of Jerusalem!
Blow the trumpet in Tekoa,
and raise a signal on Beth-haccherem,
for disaster looms out of the north,
and great destruction.
2 The lovely and delicately bred I will destroy,
the daughter of Zion.
3 Shepherds with their flocks shall come against her;
they shall pitch their tents around her;
they shall pasture, each in his place.
4 “Prepare war against her;
arise, and let us attack at noon!
Woe to us, for the day declines,
for the shadows of evening lengthen!
5 Arise, and let us attack by night
and destroy her palaces!”
6 For thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Cut down her trees;
cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem.
This is the city that must be punished;
there is nothing but oppression within her.
7 As a well keeps its water fresh,
so she keeps fresh her evil;
violence and destruction are heard within her;
sickness and wounds are ever before me.
8 Be warned, O Jerusalem,
lest I turn from you in disgust,
lest I make you a desolation,
an uninhabited land.”
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“They shall glean thoroughly as a vine
the remnant of Israel;
like a grape gatherer pass your hand again
over its branches.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning,
that they may hear?
Behold, their ears are uncircumcised,
they cannot listen;
behold, the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn;
they take no pleasure in it.
11 Therefore I am full of the wrath of the Lord;
I am weary of holding it in.
“Pour it out upon the children in the street,
and upon the gatherings of young men, also;
both husband and wife shall be taken,
the elderly and the very aged.
12 Their houses shall be turned over to others,
their fields and wives together,
for I will stretch out my hand
against the inhabitants of the land,”
declares the Lord.
13 “For from the least to the greatest of them,
everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
and from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
14 They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
when there is no peace.
15 Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
No, they were not at all ashamed;
they did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,”
says the Lord.
16 Thus says the Lord:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 I set watchmen over you, saying,
‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not pay attention.’
18 Therefore hear, O nations,
and know, O congregation, what will happen to them.
19 Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people,
the fruit of their devices,
because they have not paid attention to my words;
and as for my law, they have rejected it.
20 What use to me is frankincense that comes from Sheba,
or sweet cane from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,
nor your sacrifices pleasing to me.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord:
‘Behold, I will lay before this people
stumbling blocks against which they shall stumble;
fathers and sons together,
neighbor and friend shall perish.’”
22 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, a people is coming from the north country,
a great nation is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth.
23 They lay hold on bow and javelin;
they are cruel and have no mercy;
the sound of them is like the roaring sea;
they ride on horses,
set in array as a man for battle,
against you, O daughter of Zion!”
24 We have heard the report of it;
our hands fall helpless;
anguish has taken hold of us,
pain as of a woman in labor.
25 Go not out into the field,
nor walk on the road,
for the enemy has a sword;
terror is on every side.
26 O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth,
and roll in ashes;
make mourning as for an only son,
most bitter lamentation,
for suddenly the destroyer
will come upon us.
27 “I have made you a tester of metals among my people,
that you may know and test their ways.
28 They are all stubbornly rebellious,
going about with slanders;
they are bronze and iron;
all of them act corruptly.
29 The bellows blow fiercely;
the lead is consumed by the fire;
in vain the refining goes on,
for the wicked are not removed.
30 Rejected silver they are called,
for the Lord has rejected them.” Jeremiah 6 ESV
Jeremiah 6 Impending Disaster
1-8. Flee for safety, O people of Benjamin - When the kingdom was divided after Solomon's rule, Benjamin stayed loyal to Judah. Benjamin was the tribe of the firs king, Saul, and Judah was the tribe of David. Jeremiah was the son of a priest in Anahoth, which is in the territory of Benjamin.
Blow the trumpet in Tekoa - Tekoa was a town near Jerusalem, situated in such a way that it was an outpost of protection for Jerusalem. Beth-hacharrem was even closer to Jerusalem, and in those days, before the cell phone and even before the telegraph, it was common to blow the warning trumpet, then light the signal fire which would be seen from Tekoa to Bethlehem, then Beth-hacharrem and finally Jerusalem. Beth- hacharrem means a vineyard place.
The lovely and delicately bred I will destroy - Jerusalem prided herself on being refined and well educated. They were worldly wise and special in their estimation of themselves, but before this strong and cruel army, delicate and spoiled will not seem such great attributes.
Cut down her trees - This is the voice of God, directing Babylon against Jerusalem. Jeremiah is warning of the coming siege.
There is nothing but oppression within her - They had not understood the significance of the moral law. Men took advantage of their neighbor, robbed widows and were cruel to orphans. The city was filled with lying prophets and inward decay.
…35One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: 36“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?” 37Jesus declared, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’…
…38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”… Matthew 22: 35-40
So she keeps her evil fresh - There is no true repentance here. Though they may attend the temple, and though they may toss coins into the plate, yet they are heartless towards their neighbors. God hates empty ritual, praying just to hear the sound of my own voice, there is no actual brokenness over their sin that would lead them to separate themselves from such. No, they listen to false prophets and dirty priests, who will not rebuke their sin, and it is ever and openly being flaunted before a God Who hates it. Saying, "I'm sorry", a million times, means nothing, quantity is useless where there is no true intent of the heart. You say, "how dare you, you don't know my heart," and you are right, the fearful thing is that God does. He sees through you.
…7Then John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”… Luke 3: 7-9
18Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” 20And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”…
…21Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All of them belong to you, 23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.… 1 Corinthians 3: 18-23
9-21. To whom shall I speak and give warning - Maybe future generations, these people's ears are uncircumcised, they can't hear the things of God.
…28A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical. 29No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God. Romans 2: 28-29
…13And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.… 1 Corinthians 2: 13-15
They take no pleasure in it - They don't recognize the treasure that is God's word. Below is a verse from Psalm 119, but read the whole chapter, it honors God's word.
…15I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways. 16I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. 17Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word.… Psalm 119: 15-17
1Of David. I give You thanks with all my heart; before the gods I sing Your praises. 2I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your loving devotion and Your faithfulness; You have exalted Your name and Your word above all else. 3On the day I called, You answered me; You emboldened me and strengthened my soul.… Psalm 138: 1-3
…50Has not My hand made all these things?’ 51You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did. 52Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—… Acts 7: 50-52
Peace, peace, when there is no peace - We are told as Christians to put on the whole armor of God, it is a cry to battle, not against flesh and blood, but against disastrous ideologies, against false prophets and teachers, against sin in all it's forms.
“They may be saying peace, peace, when there is no peace, in many ways. They may do it, by silence, refusing to refer to evil practices. They may do it by speaking of evil as though it were only the under-side of good, and inevitable thing. They may even do it in denying that there is any such thing as evil.” (Morgan)
iii. In a sermon titled A Blast of the Trumpet Against False Peace, Charles Spurgeon suggested a few ways that many people receive a false peace.
· Some have peace because they live for entertainment and excitement, distracting them from higher things.
· Some have peace because they tell themselves there is no God and therefore no accountability before Him.
· Some have peace because they ignorant of the things of God and need to be told the truth of their responsibility.
· Some have peace because they intend to do better later in life and such future wishes are enough to make them right.
They did not know how to blush - Whether a thing upsets you or not is never a good measure. If God says it is sin, then blush at the hearing, there is no room for joking, or would you take lightly the words of the Lord? Would you take so lightly the cross of Jesus?
…28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”… Hebrews 10: 28-30
And ask for the ancient paths - It reminds me of that song, "give me that ole time religion". They need to go back, remember the patriarchs, look at the laws of Moses and walk in them. See from the scriptures where you have gone astray, have come off the tracks, and repent. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever.
…3For even Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written: “The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me.” 4For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. 5Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you harmony with one another in Christ Jesus,… Romans 15: 3-5
They have not paid attention to My words - Now comes disaster, they will reap the fruit of what they have sewn, sin leads to death.
What use to me is frankincense that comes from Sheba - Their sacrifices and burning of incense was as empty as their prayers. The sacrifice was to remind you that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. They so looked down on God, to the extent that they thought He could be impressed or bought off, with things that belonged to Him anyway.
…4because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me. 6In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.… Hebrews 10: 4-6
22-30. Put on sack cloth and roll in ashes - He still extends the command to repent, to hate the sin that has brought you here, to loathe it, to mourn over it.
In vein the refining goes on - The dross is still there, Jerusalem is full of impurities.
Fortress: “The word mibsar (EVV ‘fortress’) presents difficulties, but if vocalized as mebasser, with RSV, it could be rendered ‘assessor’, thus constituting a gloss on assayer.” (Harrison)
ii. The picture used at the end of Jeremiah 6 works something like this:
· Judah was like the metal, claiming to be precious (such as gold or silver).
· Like a precious metal, Judah was tested and refined with fire.
· Lead was put in to act as flux, to draw the impurities to itself.
· The Prophet Jeremiah was like the bellows, used to create an intense heat.
· Yet Israel – the supposed precious metal – was so hard and impure that the refining work was useless. - Enduring Word
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