#1059 Jeremiah 10 Scarecrows and Cucumbers

 

Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord:

“Learn not the way of the nations,

nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens

because the nations are dismayed at them,

3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity.

A tree from the forest is cut down

and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.

4 They decorate it with silver and gold;

they fasten it with hammer and nails

so that it cannot move.

5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,

and they cannot speak;

they have to be carried,

for they cannot walk.

Do not be afraid of them,

for they cannot do evil,

neither is it in them to do good.”

6 There is none like you, O Lord;

you are great, and your name is great in might.

7 Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?

For this is your due;

for among all the wise ones of the nations

and in all their kingdoms

there is none like you.

8 They are both stupid and foolish;

the instruction of idols is but wood!

9 Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,

and gold from Uphaz.

They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith;

their clothing is violet and purple;

they are all the work of skilled men.

10 But the Lord is the true God;

he is the living God and the everlasting King.

At his wrath the earth quakes,

and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

11 Thus shall you say to them: “The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”

12 It is he who made the earth by his power,

who established the world by his wisdom,

and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.

13 When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,

and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.

He makes lightning for the rain,

and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

14 Every man is stupid and without knowledge;

every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,

for his images are false,

and there is no breath in them.

15 They are worthless, a work of delusion;

at the time of their punishment they shall perish.

16 Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob,

for he is the one who formed all things,

and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;

the Lord of hosts is his name.

17 Gather up your bundle from the ground,

O you who dwell under siege!

18 For thus says the Lord:

“Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land

at this time,

and I will bring distress on them,

that they may feel it.”

19 Woe is me because of my hurt!

My wound is grievous.

But I said, “Truly this is an affliction,

and I must bear it.”

20 My tent is destroyed,

and all my cords are broken;

my children have gone from me,

and they are not;

there is no one to spread my tent again

and to set up my curtains.

21 For the shepherds are stupid

and do not inquire of the Lord;

therefore they have not prospered,

and all their flock is scattered.

22 A voice, a rumor! Behold, it comes!—

a great commotion out of the north country

to make the cities of Judah a desolation,

a lair of jackals.

23 I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself,

that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

24 Correct me, O Lord, but in justice;

not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.

25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not,

and on the peoples that call not on your name,

for they have devoured Jacob;

they have devoured him and consumed him,

and have laid waste his habitation. Jeremiah 10 ESV

Jeremiah 10 Yahweh vs. the way of the nations

1-5. Learn not the way of the nations - They were superstitious and worshiped things they made with their own -. hands, yes, we get that you think, worshipping idols is stupid. 

“Why did so easy a target as idolatry need so many attacks in the Old Testament? Jeremiah 10:9 suggests one reason: the appeal of the visually impressive; but perhaps verse 2 goes deeper, in pointing to the temptation to fall into step with the majority.” (Kidner)

Do not be dismayed at the signs of the heavens - Knowing the cycles of the moon, the seasons, these were not harmful things, but they had astrologers who made stories of the celestial spheres, moving people to fear. Now, if you alone or a handful of people are the only ones that can discern these things, then people have to listen. You can control people with fear, so when there is a solar eclipse they need you to tell them the meaning of the omen, and how they can avoid certain disaster. I remember an old woman seeing aurora borealis for the first time, and immediately declaring that the end of the world was here. Now, it was a rare sighting this close to the equator, but almost 40 years has passed since then. Israel shouldn't fall for these things for two main reasons, first, the Creator has made Himself known to them, and second, He is sovereign over His creation. For those with discernment, they are no longer called astrologers today, but they still love power and control.

6-11. For this is Your due - He refers to God as the King of the nations. There was a thing in history called a tidal king, and he had vassal kings beneath him that would pay him tribute from the lands they oversaw. Men hate to admit this, but above them and the greatest kingdoms or technology that they can make with the materials and intelligence God has given them, is God Who made all things. It is insane to deny God, to fear men and their displeasure over His.

…27then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out. 28And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” Job 28: 27-28

…27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.… Matthew 10: 27-29

…10So Pilate said to Him, “Do You refuse to speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You and authority to crucify You?” 11Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of greater sin.” 12From then on, Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is defying Caesar.”… John 19: 10-12

12-18. And by His understanding stretched out the heavens - There it is again, a marvel to think about, a universe that we assess to be so old, that the light from some of the stars we see is only because of how old they are, for space stretches billions of light years. Yet, the Creator, He claims to have done it all in one day, stretched out the heavens, trails of light and the perfect placement of matter to sustain life.

…7He commands the sun not to shine; He seals off the stars. 8He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. 9He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.… Job 9: 7-9

19-21. My tent is destroyed - Jerusalem, a great walled city, set on a hill, was before considered so permanent a dwelling place. Remember, 3 times they said, called out, chanted, the temple of the Lord. They thought themselves siege ready, and that God would bless them for the sake of a building that they dishonored by calling it the house of the Lord while not confronting sin, and having it rampant in their streets.

For the shepherds are stupid - Their kings, politicians, and prophets have all promised peace, plaid down God's Holiness, justice and wrath. They are blind guides, offered a way to see, they had the book of the law, but it was enough for them to have it on their coffee table, or as a paper weight on their desk, but it had not entered their heart. 

22-25. It is not in man who walks to direct his steps - We are proud about a lot of things, things we come to understand about the world, but we utilize tools and materials made by someone else. If ever we can come to know God, we can then see providence. If we come to love His word then we can walk aware of His good will and purpose.

“Man seems to control his own progress, but the fact is that man, vitiated by sin, is incapable of achieving his own true destiny. He desperately needs God, as the wise man realized.” (Cundall)

iii. “This was Jeremiah’s consolation, ‘I do not know what Nebuchadnezzer may do; but I do know that “the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” I know that, in God’s eternal purposes, every step of Judah’s way is mapped out, and he will make it all work for his own glory and the good of his chosen people in the end.’“ (Spurgeon)

…8Better a little with righteousness than great gain with injustice. 9A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. 10A divine verdict is on the lips of a king; his mouth must not betray justice.… Proverbs 16: 8-10

…10With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments. 11I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. 12Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes.… Psalm 119: 10-12

#1058 Jeremiah 9 Bottles For Oceans

Oh that my head were waters,

and my eyes a fountain of tears,

that I might weep day and night

for the slain of the daughter of my people!

2  Oh that I had in the desert

a travelers' lodging place,

that I might leave my people

and go away from them!

For they are all adulterers,

a company of treacherous men.

3 They bend their tongue like a bow;

falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land;

for they proceed from evil to evil,

and they do not know me, declares the Lord.

4 Let everyone beware of his neighbor,

and put no trust in any brother,

for every brother is a deceiver,

and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.

5 Everyone deceives his neighbor,

and no one speaks the truth;

they have taught their tongue to speak lies;

they weary themselves committing iniquity.

6 Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit,

they refuse to know me, declares the Lord.

7 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:

“Behold, I will refine them and test them,

for what else can I do, because of my people?

8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow;

it speaks deceitfully;

with his mouth each speaks peace to his neighbor,

but in his heart he plans an ambush for him.

9 Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord,

and shall I not avenge myself

on a nation such as this?

10 “I will take up weeping and wailing for the mountains,

and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness,

because they are laid waste so that no one passes through,

and the lowing of cattle is not heard;

both the birds of the air and the beasts

have fled and are gone.

11 I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,

a lair of jackals,

and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation,

without inhabitant.”

12 Who is the man so wise that he can understand this? To whom has the mouth of the Lord spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through? 13 And the Lord says: “Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it, 14 but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them poisonous water to drink. 16 I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.”

17 Thus says the Lord of hosts:

“Consider, and call for the mourning women to come;

send for the skillful women to come;

18 let them make haste and raise a wailing over us,

that our eyes may run down with tears

and our eyelids flow with water.

19 For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion:

‘How we are ruined!

We are utterly shamed,

because we have left the land,

because they have cast down our dwellings.’”

20 Hear, O women, the word of the Lord,

and let your ear receive the word of his mouth;

teach to your daughters a lament,

and each to her neighbor a dirge.

21 For death has come up into our windows;

it has entered our palaces,

cutting off the children from the streets

and the young men from the squares.

22 Speak: “Thus declares the Lord,

‘The dead bodies of men shall fall

like dung upon the open field,

like sheaves after the reaper,

and none shall gather them.’”

23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

25 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.” Jeremiah 9 ESV

Jeremiah 9 Tears of Jeremiah

1-6. Oh that my head were waters - The imagery is worth contemplating, and Jeremiah is the weeping prophet, but is that just a matter of personality? Certainly God makes us all different, from the stoic sarcasm of Elijah to the stern indifference of Jonah, but this prophet poetically describes a reservoir not deep enough to exhaust his grief. I may joke about Piper's weepy voice, or my mom's, but I know that she takes it before the throne of God on my behalf, that those tears are the realization of what I have failed to see. Jeremiah and Isaiah saw a just God, an unjust people, and the certainty of His wrath against the sins which they held onto with such a grip. We need more Jeremiahs, prayer warriors that tell the most difficult truths, yet love the ones they warn.

…24Yet no one stretches out his hand to a ruined man when he cries for help in his distress. 25 Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has my soul not grieved for the needy? 26But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness fell.… Job 30: 24-26

…31When the Jews who were in the house consoling Mary saw how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32 When Mary came to Jesus and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.…

…34“Where have you put him?” He asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they answered. 35 Jesus wept. 36Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”… John 11: 31-36

i. Because there was something tender and sympathetic about Jeremiah’s tears, they were good. “Such waters will be turned into wine, at the wedding-day of the Lamb; for which purpose also they are kept safe in God’s bottle (Psalm 56:8).” (Trapp)

O that I had in the desert - Being in the midst of the city, a witness to their deceit, depravity, open defiance of God, lying tongues of prophets and politicians, Jeremiah is overwhelmed. He does not have enough tears for these adulterers, and would rather be separated from them. Moses probably often preferred and missed the rural life, the time alone in the wilderness, tending goats and sheep. He threw down the tablets when he came down from the mountain to find the people had already broken God's laws. Jeremiah would like a quiet place, away from this sin, open to those who also sought peace, who wanted to be separated from this vileness. Maybe it would be easier to pray for them if I didn't have to see it every day. I would rather go fishing.

7-11. But in his heart he plans an ambush for him - They have developed a culture of deceit, quick to side with slanderers, and even faster at acting upon the lies. You smile at you neighbor, your brother, then you plot behind his back. They are hypocrites, devaluing what God has placed the utmost value upon, too stupid to realize that when you step on another human being, you are stepping on the image of God and have devalued your own humanity.

…13So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. 15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.… 1 John 3: 13-15

A lair of jackals - The livestock, the people, have all died or been taken. Judah's fields are burned down, and it is a place left to scavengers. Come on now, where is your heart? To know this about your home, your city, your country, have you dried up before your first tear, or are you like those who still believe that God will not judge? 

12-22. Because they have forsaken My law that I have set before them, and have not obeyed My voice or walked in accord with it - Why? The who is wise enough is sarcasm, even the most simple can see that they were warned in the law, that He has sent His prophets. When they see the devastation they can't say that God did anything but act upon His word, that He is holy, righteous and just, and they had been warned. 

Send for the skillful women to come - They were professional mourners, like an Italian funeral or wedding for that matter. The situation is so bad that they won't have to act though, and there will be so much to mourn over that they will need to teach their daughters. They should have been teaching them of repentance long before this, acting is not integrity. 

And none shall gather them - All your traditions, burial rites and days of mourning will be stripped away. There will be no time for condolences, funeral ceremonies, and the world will not pause for your consideration; the conquerors will not care about your nostalgia, just like you didn't care for your neighbor.

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16: 19-31

23-26. When I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh - It sounds like God is implying that He doesn't care for, nor is He fooled by outward show. Being related to Abraham won't save you, nor will circumcision, the temple, or living in Jerusalem. 

…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

#1057 Jeremiah 8 Grave Robbers

 

“At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be brought out of their tombs. 2 And they shall be spread before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served, which they have gone after, and which they have sought and worshiped. And they shall not be gathered or buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. 3 Death shall be preferred to life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family in all the places where I have driven them, declares the Lord of hosts.

Sin and Treachery

4 “You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord:

When men fall, do they not rise again?

If one turns away, does he not return?

5 Why then has this people turned away

in perpetual backsliding?

They hold fast to deceit;

they refuse to return.

6 I have paid attention and listened,

but they have not spoken rightly;

no man relents of his evil,

saying, ‘What have I done?’

Everyone turns to his own course,

like a horse plunging headlong into battle.

7 Even the stork in the heavens

knows her times,

and the turtledove, swallow, and crane

keep the time of their coming,

but my people know not

the rules of the Lord.

8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise,

and the law of the Lord is with us’?

But behold, the lying pen of the scribes

has made it into a lie.

9 The wise men shall be put to shame;

they shall be dismayed and taken;

behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord,

so what wisdom is in them?

10 Therefore I will give their wives to others

and their fields to conquerors,

because from the least to the greatest

everyone is greedy for unjust gain;

from prophet to priest,

everyone deals falsely.

11 They have healed the wound of my people lightly,

saying, ‘Peace, peace,’

when there is no peace.

12 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 the fallen;

when I punish them, they shall be overthrown,

says the Lord.

13 When I would gather them, declares the Lord,

there are no grapes on the vine,

nor figs on the fig tree;

even the leaves are withered,

and what I gave them has passed away from them.”

14 Why do we sit still?

Gather together; let us go into the fortified cities

and perish there,

for the Lord our God has doomed us to perish

and has given us poisoned water to drink,

because we have sinned against the Lord.

15 We looked for peace, but no good came;

for a time of healing, but behold, terror.

16 “The snorting of their horses is heard from Dan;

at the sound of the neighing of their stallions

the whole land quakes.

They come and devour the land and all that fills it,

the city and those who dwell in it.

17 For behold, I am sending among you serpents,

adders that cannot be charmed,

and they shall bite you,”

declares the Lord.

Jeremiah Grieves for His People

18 My joy is gone; grief is upon me;

my heart is sick within me.

19 Behold, the cry of the daughter of my people

from the length and breadth of the land:

“Is the Lord not in Zion?

Is her King not in her?”

“Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images

and with their foreign idols?”

20 “The harvest is past, the summer is ended,

and we are not saved.”

21 For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded;

I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me.

22 Is there no balm in Gilead?

Is there no physician there?

Why then has the health of the daughter of my people

not been restored? Jeremiah 8 ESV

Jeremiah 8 Sin and Treachery

1-3. Shall be brought out of their tombs - However they were buried, whatever noble things were said about them at their funeral, now all will be brought out into the light of the sun and moon, the celestial bodies they worshiped. How different they appear now, and take note, for in their time they lived in comfort, but what of life after death, and why is it that all their progeny now wish for death?

“This custom of raising the bodies of the dead, and scattering their bones about, seems to have been general. It was the highest expression of hatred and contempt. [The Greek poet] Horace refers to it.” (Clarke)

4-7. In perpetual backsliding - They had a surface religion, regardless of whatever token comforts or feelings it gave them, it meant nothing to God. I remember growing up, being taught about carnal Christians and back sliders, but at church they never taught about confronting such things. There were people who called themselves Christians, but were known to be actively pursuing sin, some even flaunting it in church, daring anyone to say anything about it. I was one of those people, who continued to show up, people knew my life style, but even knowing that I was back sliding they would still ask me to teach. I had no inclination or intention towards repentance, but a part of me wanted to hold some form of godliness, keep some tie to the church. When God is calling us back, He is not calling us back to a pew, but to obedience, holiness. The expectation is that though Judah has slipped that she will not remain in this state, that she will realize her falleness, get up, dust herself off and come back broken before the Lord. 

1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. 2And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from your fellowship the man who did this? 3Although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.…

…4When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of the Lord Jesus, 5hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord. 6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough?… 1 Corinthians 5: 1-6

They hold fast to deceit - They don't speak of their sin rightly, most will not even see it as sin, much less so great an offence to God that they should mourn. We have voices for ourselves, much more appealing to us than God, for these resonate with our passions, our perversions, our lust, greed, violence, all that pride demands for us. 

17Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. 18For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.… Romans 16: 17-19

Keep the time of their coming - Even birds know when winter is approaching, and they respond in like. For this they are smarter than these people, for what comes upon those who continue is such things? You know, for you have read, but you choose not to heed. 

…26If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries. 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.” 31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.… Hebrews 10: 26-31

8-13. But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie - They have taken the law of God, read it, twisted it and then taught it. People get up in pulpits all the time, in the name of the Lord even, ordained by a school of divinity, and even author books. Some are subtle, some don't have to be because their audience doesn't care, they have no discernment yet consider themselves wise. These men and women open the Bible, and the obvious ones take a verse out of context, "you have not because you ask not," which turns into a sermon about high paying jobs, Rolls Royces, and their love life. "Judge not lest ye be judged", which turns into a sermon about not questioning them or others about sin, ultimately judging people who they think should be judged for being judgmental but not calling it that because that would make them seem judgmental but they assure you that is not the case.

…2You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures. 4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.… James 4: 2-4

…4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? 5You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 6Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.… Matthew 7: 4-6

My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.… James 5: 19-20

…19Do not entertain an accusation against an elder, except on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 20But those who persist in sin should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will stand in fear of sin. 21I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality.… 1 Timothy 5: 19-21

So what wisdom is in them - Well, if they rejected God's words then nothing of eternal value. 

From the least to the greatest - It's like socialism, it doesn't solve the problem of greed, but of that it is itself born. These ear tickling ministers are the same, saying what people want for more money which brings more power which brings more money. Rich or poor, it doesn't matter, they all share the same heart of envy, greed and pride. They keep saying, "peace, peace, peace," but there is none. 

Were they ashamed when they committed abomination - No, I can unfortunately say this from experience, and I grew up in the time of wild personal testimonies, where we heard of people's checkered pasts. They made that time, the time before their "conversion", sound so exciting, and they joked about the things, that when I think about it now, were the things God poured out His wrath on Christ for, obliterated Sodom for. I have all my life made fun of the serious, but maybe some of them are sober minded for a reason, maybe they have come to detest the things that Jesus died for, maybe they are wise.

1This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be? 2Has not My hand made all these things? And so they came into being,” declares the LORD. “This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.… Isaiah 66: 1-2

14-17. But no good came - The false prophets promised good times and prosperity, even without repentance, or with some legalistic jargon, practices that would in their mind be found acceptable, but instead they are about to drink from the cup of God's wrath.

Serpents that cannot be charmed - They have sent out negotiators in the past, paid other armies, prayed to other deities that are not, followed the token sacrifices and remedies as prescribed by the false prophets and priests, but to no avail. Babylon is here at God's beckon, your prophets lied to you, God still hates sin, the temple won't protect you. "But I am safe, I bought an indulgence from the priest, and he was able to cut a deal for the rest of my family too." 

…19“Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.… Acts 8: 19-21

18-22. My heart is sick within me - He sees the terror, Jeremiah finds it overwhelming, and probably frustrating, because he continues to talk to a people that don't believe him.

…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

Is the Lord not in Zion - Jeremiah reaches out for an answer, how can this be, are these not God's people, is this not His city? God answers, the people provoked Him with their idolatry.

Is there no balm in Gilead - Surely they are sick, whether they knew it or not, but their prophets and priests said they were well. Name it and claim it, but what went wrong? It seems Jeremiah wishes he was wrong, what a horrible sight, to see his people under siege and then taken captive.

“Gilead was the land just east of the Jordan River. It was known for its healing balsams… Scholars have been unable to determine how the balm of Gilead was made, but it seems to have been a soothing, aromatic resin made from a tree or a plant. It might be compared to aloe vera.” (Ryken)

…15While Jesus was dining at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Him and His disciples—for there were many who followed Him. 16When the scribes who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with these people, they asked His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”… Mark 2: 15-17

#1056 Jeremiah 7 Part 3 Just Eat It

 

21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. 22 For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ 24 But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. 25 From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. 26 Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.

27 “So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. 28 And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.

29 “‘Cut off your hair and cast it away;

raise a lamentation on the bare heights,

for the Lord has rejected and forsaken

the generation of his wrath.’

The Valley of Slaughter

30 “For the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, declares the Lord. They have set their detestable things in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. 31 And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. 32 Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. 33 And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the beasts of the earth, and none will frighten them away. 34 And I will silence in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall become a waste. Jeremiah 7: 21-34 ESV

Jeremiah 7: 21-34

21-26. Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices - Leviticus 1 gives a great outline of the burnt offering, how it would be carried out. I encourage you to read the link above for a more in depth look at the burnt offering, but in the context here, understand, this is not an offering with apportionment to the priest and the people did not eat this meat either. It was to be totally consumed in the fire, an offering unto the Lord, atonement. But now God is saying, "it doesn't matter, you might as well eat the burnt offering too, because you do it all for show." God didn't institute these sacrifices as a legalistic system that overrides the call to genuine faith and repentance. The Creator is not an idol made by their hands and imaginations so He is not going to accept their empty gestures. 

Obey My voice and I will be your God - Do this and you shall live. They had agreed to these terms long before the picture provided in the sacrifices. Read this in Exodus 24. This people knew what God desired, obedience, mercy and truth. The sacrifice taught both physical and spiritual realities.

…21In the same way, he sprinkled with blood the tabernacle and all the vessels used in worship. 22According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23So it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.…Hebrews 9: 21-23

…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.…

…7Then I said, ‘Here I am, it is written about Me in the scroll: I have come to do Your will, O God.’ ” 8In the passage above He says, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor did You delight in them” (although they are offered according to the law). 9Then He adds, “Here I am, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second.… Hebrews 10: 4-9

27-29. Truth has perished - The heart is wicked and deceitful above all things, and they chose to follow the feelings and desires that came from such a place, to the extent that they would no longer recognize the truth. Jeremiah's ministry didn't hold a lot of selling points. God tells him, you are going to talk, but they aren't going to listen, you will call, but no one will answer you. This is a horribly dark place, and one can watch these things start in quarters on a small scale, but eventually it becomes city wide, and then at some point the darkness is global. "Peace, peace, peace, a time of healing,' cries the propaganda machine, 'the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, bring your sacrifices, everything is going to be okay." Watch, the truth becomes a hated, detestable thing, and the ones that speak it, well just look back at Isaiah, look forward to John the Baptist, people cannot stand being confronted about their sin. Remember, these people see themselves as righteous in this too, because they are religious and have hundreds of prophets that agree with them, plus culture, so who is this Jeremiah? 

Cut off your hair - They were unclean.

“The charge stems from the fact that the Nazirite’s hair was the mark of his separation to God (Numbers 6:5). When he was ceremonially defiled, he had to shave his head. So Jerusalem because of her corruption must do likewise.” (Feinberg)

30-34. They have set their detestable things in the house that is called by my name - King Ahaz had a replica altar built to match that of the Assyrians. He swore his allegiance to the Assyrian king, and even moved the Judean king's Sabbath walkway to go around the house of the Lord, to further vest his loyalty to the dark side.

They have built the high places of Topheth - High does not always infer a mountain top, since these were also found in this valley, so probably just a raised building, a shrine. These were not places of worship that God condoned.

“Topheth probably derives from the Hebrew word for ‘fire-place’ (cf. Isaiah 30:33).” (Cundall) Kidner also points out that the name Topheth rhymes with bosheth, the Hebrew word for “shame.” 

In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done, 3 but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering,[a] according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree. 2 Kings 16: 1-4

To burn their sons and daughters - People haven't evolved over the years, but technology has, and so we offer our children upon the altar of self, inside the womb. We think we have come so far, but we do it for the same reasons, lack of truth, love of pleasure, selfishness, but we have the audacity to say, my truth, compassion, and a sacrifice against over population. 

…2In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for bread to eat—for He gives sleep to His beloved. 3Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. 4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth.… Psalm 127: 2-4

The voice of mirth - The gage that they go by, celebration, fun, happiness at any cost, if we are laughing then it is good and right, but He will take all that away. Their smugness will be gone, those that boast how they would rather be in hell with their friends then in heaven with God, well they will get what they asked for, but the reality will not be mirth. Pride never leads to good, for it is disconnected from reality. 

…9For three and a half days all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb. 10And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them. 11But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw them.… Revelation 11: 9-11