This week, we shall continue the study of the book of Jeremiah in the
Old Testament.
(1) Now that Johanan and his people were able to rescue the captives from Ishmael, why didn’t they stay in Mizpah or Jerusalem?
(2) Did they really have to enquire of the Lord as to what they should do next?
(3) Was Jeremiah pleased with their request? (v. 4) Why or why not?
(4) What kind of attitude did the people demonstrate in their inquiry of the Lord? How different was it from King Zedekiah’s? (vv. 5-6; see also 38:14ff)
(5) Why didn’t God answer them right away? Why did it take ten days? (v. 7)
(6) What might the people be discussing in terms of options and “pros and cons” during the ten days?
(7) What were the people afraid of after the killing of Gedaliah and the Babylonian guards at Mizpah even though the culprit, Ishmael had been driven away? (v. 11)
(8) What did God tell them to do? What promise did He give them? (v. 10)
(9) Why was God’s answer so different from the words of rebuke and punishment He gave before the destruction of Jerusalem? By what was God’s reply marked? (vv. 10-12)
(10) God pointed out that their true desire was to go to Egypt (v. 14). Why was this Egyptian option appealing to them? (v. 14)
(11) What was the warning God gave concerning this option? (vv. 15-17)
(12) What should they have learned from the destruction of Jerusalem? (v. 18)
(13) Why did Jeremiah say that it was a fatal mistake for them to send him to inquire of the Lord? (vv. 19-22)
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.” (Jer. 42:10)
It is true that these days, we seem to preach more of God’s love and compassion than His holiness and righteousness, and it has bred a generation of Christians who seem to rely on their belief in “eternal security” and live lives that at times are worse than non-believers. This is also why we often hear from those who refuse to listen to our gospel, rightfully accusing some Christians as hypocrites.
However, it does not alter the fact that God is truly a God of love and compassion who does not delight in punishing even the wicked. Even before He ultimately brought total destruction on the house of Israel and Jerusalem, He has made this clear: “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?” (Ezek. 33:11).
Now, with the destruction of Israel and Jerusalem being a reality, the Lord was quick to extend His love and mercy on the remnant who survived this punishment by encouraging them to stay in Jerusalem so that He might pour His love and compassion upon them. Listen to these words from the Lord to the remnant:
“'If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him', declares the LORD, 'for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land'.” (42:10-12)
Indeed, not only are these words marked by compassion, one can feel that these words are enveloped by love, God’s eternal love! (Jer. 31:3)
(1) Why didn't Johanan and his people want to stay in Jerusalem but wish to go to Egypt instead?
(2) Why did they accuse of Jeremiah of lying? (v. 2)
(3) Whom did they say was behind Jeremiah’s lie? (v. 3) Why?
(4) In what ways were these men “arrogant”? (v. 2)
(5) Why then did they inquire of the Lord in the first place and even call upon the Lord as the witness to their sincerity to obey? (42:5)
(6) In your opinion, were the remnant more wicked than Zedekiah and those who perished or were taken captive by the Babylonians? Why or why not?
(7) In their disobedience, what three groups of people did Johanan and his officers lead away to Egypt (vv. 4-7)
(8) Jeremiah was to bury (or hide) some large stones at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes: To what would these stones bear witness? (v. 10)
(9) What does the triplet in v. 11 point to?
(10) What would happen to the gods and temples of Egypt? (vv. 12-13)
(11) Why were these gods and their temples specifically mentioned in this prophecy?
(12) In what way(s) did Nebuchadnezzar serve as God’s servant? (v. 10)
(13) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, 'You are lying! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, "You must not go to Egypt to settle there" '.” (Jer. 43:2)
One has to admire the attitude of the remnant who appeared to have learned a lesson from the destruction of Jerusalem, and thus had decided to enquire of the Lord first about what their course of action should be. They also expressed their determination to do nothing except the will of God. What a breath of fresh air!
And
the Lord’s initial reply was also very encouraging in that not only the
substance of His response was one of mercy and love, but the tone of voice was
full of compassion: “for I am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted upon
you.” (42:10).
As it turned out, the remnant had learned nothing from their suffering, and they were only using God to affirm what they wanted to do, and that was fleeing to Egypt not out of faith in God, but out of trust in the power and protection of the Egyptians.
God saw through their phoniness and gave them some dire warnings (42:19-22). Oh, how much they had broken the heart of God.
May we learn to truly obey the will of God in our lives, and never try to use the will of God as pretence to have our way; and let’s not obey the will of God only when it is convenient to us or when His will happens to jive with ours.
By the time of this message, the “remnant” had already settled across Egypt which would denote quite a few years after their initial arrival in Tahpanhes. The occasion, as suggested by some commentators, appeared to be a festival to celebrate the “Queen of Heaven” where many Jews also joined in together with their wives:
44:2-6—The Message (Part I—Past Sin and Judgment)
(1) What had the remnant witnessed with their eyes, i.e. that which was beyond dispute? (vv. 2 and 6)
(2) What was the reason specifically given for the “great disaster” in v. 3?
(3) How did they add to their sin? (vv. 4-5)
44:7-10—The Message (Part II—Present Sin and Judgment)
(4) What had the remnant done to arouse God’s anger and stern warning to them? (vv. 7-8)
(5) What would be the result of their sin? (vv. 7-8)
(6) What was God’s verdict on them in both v. 9 and v. 10?
44:11-14—The Message (Part III—God’s Determined Judgment)
(7) What will the extent of His judgment be?
(8) How will they perish? Will there be any exception?
(9) What is this punishment likened to? (v. 13)
44:15-19—The Response of the People and Their Wives
(10) Why does the Bible point out that these men knew about what their wives were doing?
(11) This was a blatant acknowledgement and determination of idol worship, even though they knew Jeremiah spoke in the name of the Lord (v. 16):
a. What reason did they give for their blatant disobedience? (vv. 17-18)
b. Was what they said true or an excuse to sin? Why?
(12) Why would their wives also speak up? (v. 19) What did they mean?
(13) In your opinion, were the remnant more wicked than their fathers? Why?
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.” (Jer. 44:17)
I am totally amazed at how emboldened the remnant were in blatantly, openly and with absolute resolve rejecting the Lord and in worshipping the Queen of Heaven which scholars believe to be an Assyrian-Babylonian goddess, obviously very popular even in Egypt.
I am even more taken aback by the reason the remnant gave: They attributed their peace and prosperity to the worship of this goddess and blamed the Lord instead for their misfortune.
On the surface, their reasoning seemed to have merits in that, soon after the death of Josiah who had brought upon Judah an unusually long period of reform, disasters began to fall upon Judah. Perhaps, they even attributed the misfortune of Josiah as the result of his loyal worship of the Lord. The truth of the matter was, the people had at best gone along with the reform with their lips, but not their hearts, and we know that soon after Josiah’s death, under successive kings that followed, the people quickly reverted back to all kinds of idol worship, including the Queen of the Heaven in which basically the entire family participated with the children collecting the wood for fire, the mothers kneading the dough for the cakes which bore the image of the idol and even the fathers lighting the fire (Jer. 7:18). “The great disaster” that befell Judah and Jerusalem had been prophesied over and over by Jeremiah as God’s punishment for their sins (44:2-6) and that was really beyond dispute.
Frankly, no amount of punishment from the Lord could have turned their hearts away from idol-worship, because the bottom-line was that, in their own words, they “certainly” would not worship the Lord, meaning even if He is really the one true God.
You may wonder why? The reason really is an age-old one as Psalm 2:3 says of all who reject the Lord: “Let us break their (meaning the Lord’s and His Messiah’s) chains and throw off their shackles”. That means they consider being subject to the rule of the Lord as a loss of freedom, and His laws and decrees are too restrictive and perhaps even unreasonable.
Today people reject the Lord basically for the same reason, as some even consider submission to the God of the Bible as too demeaning and even a loss of human dignity. This is why, especially in North America, all other forms of religion and spirituality could be accepted in the public arena, except Christianity. They continue to attempt to throw off the chains and shackles of the teachings of the Scriptures. The world today is really no difference from the remnant of Israel.
44:20-28—Judgment Pronounced for Their Blatant Idol Worship
(1) How did the Lord refute their ridiculous claim in 44:17-18?
(2) What did the Lord call their deeds? (v. 22)
(3) In pronouncing His severe judgment on the remnant (vv. 24-28)
a. By whose name did He swear? (v. 26)
b. How did He call Himself? (v. 26)
c. What does it mean by “that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear”?
d. How would He harm them? (vv. 27-28)
(4) What will be the sign of His punishment according to v. 30?
(5) Would that be too late as a sign? Why or why not?
45:1-5—Message to Baruch—This harkens back to 36:1ff
(6) How did Baruch feel in being associated with Jeremiah, especially being both his secretary and his spokesman at times? (v. 3)
(7) Should we blame him for having such feelings? Why or why not?
(8) How then should he have dealt with them?
(9) In God’s answer to him:
a. Why does He emphasize on what He has built and planted?
b. Why would the Lord say that his complaint amounts to seeking great things for himself? Was this accusation too harsh? Why or why not?
c. What does the Lord promise him?
d. If you were Baruch, would you take comfort with these words? Why or why not?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“'Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them. For I will bring disaster on all people', declares the LORD, 'but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life'.” (Jer. 45:5)
We know that Jeremiah dictated all the oracles of the Lord and Baruch, his secretary, wrote them onto the scrolls, and he also was asked at times to deliver the message as well (see chapter 36). His association with Jeremiah had naturally made him an object of ridicule and even persecution to the point he had to go into hiding (36:26), and he was eventually forced into exile with the remnant to Egypt (43:6).
However, we never get a sense that Baruch was seeking great things for himself, until the Lord rebuked him (45:5). One wonders what great things he was seeking!
Calvin mentions that some commentator
think that Baruch was aspiring to be a prophet like Jeremiah, but he has
refuted this speculation as “fiction” (Calvin, 565). Others think that because
Baruch “was an educated man, qualified as a secretary, whose brother (51:59)
was an officer of high rank under Zedekiah,” therefore, “He may have
entertained hopes of some distinction in the nation” (see NICOT, 684). Since the Bible has not given us a clear
answer, it is perhaps not necessary to speculate except to acknowledge that
even as faithful a servant like Baruch, he would loath sufferings, and in the
course of serving the Lord, entertain thoughts of greatness for himself.
Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the reply of the Lord in confronting our own tendency to avoid suffering for the Lord and our desire for greatness. Essentially God draws Baruch attention to two important things:
(1) God is in the course of judging the world—a world that is very dear to Him, a world that He has personally built with hope and planted with love. Now because of its sin, He has no choice but to overthrow and to uproot it; and it includes not just the people of Judah but peoples “throughout the earth” (45:4). In other words, people are going to die, even though they deserve the punishment, but God grieves even as He punishes.
(2) Baruch is chosen, just like Jeremiah is chosen, to be the messenger of this message of punishment, and if they listen, they would be spared.
Given the severity and universality of the punishment, and the fact that he is a partner with Jeremiah as the messengers of this life-and-death message, there is absolutely no room for any consideration for one’s safety or well-being, let alone desire for one’s recognition by the world in terms of fame, success, honor or greatness!
What a most fitting reminder to all servants of the Lord.
Chapters 46-51 consist entirely of oracles directed at the nations, beginning with Egypt. (See the quote in today’s Meditative Article to gain further understanding about biblical prophecies against the nations of the world.)
(1) Why does the Lord give oracles concerning even the nations of the world? Why should He care?
(2) To whom is the message directed: Israel or the nations?
(3) If it is the nations:
a. How would they learn about it?
b. Why should they care or listen to it, then and now?
46:2-12—Defeat of Egypt at Carchemish Foretold
(4) How does the Lord describe the outcome of the battle? (v. 5)
(5) Why then did He call them to prepare for battle? (vv. 3-4)
(6) How is the pride of Egypt portrayed in vv. 6-9?
(7) Who decides the outcome of the battle and why? (v. 10)
(8) What does the call to go to Gilead (famous for its healing balm in Israel) signify? (v. 11)
(9) Will it be of any use? Why?(v. 12)
46:13-26—Invasion of Nebuchadnezzar of Egypt Itself Foretold
(10) Egypt was a huge empire that had many vassals: What will these people who used to submit to and fight for Egypt say at the time of invasion by the Babylonians? (vv. 16-17)
(11) While Nebuchadnezzar is the invader, who is the true King behind it? (v. 18—Note that Tabor and Carmel are both towering mountains that overlook their respective surrounding regions.)
(12) In describing Egypt’s defeat:
a. What will happen to its capital city, Memphis? (v. 19)
b. As beautiful and strong as Egypt was, what would she become? (vv. 20, 21 and 22)
c. How does God describe her enemy? (vv. 20, 23)
(13) What is the implied reason for her punishment? (v. 25)
(14) On what note does this pronouncement of judgment for Egypt end? (v.26) Why? (see Isa. 19:24)
46:27-28—Appendix to the Message of Judgment of Egypt
(15) What is this appendix about?
(16) Why?
(17) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:” (Jer. 46:1)
“The authenticity of the material in this section has been debated at length. Nineteenth- and early twentieth-century critical scholars were prepared to reject much of it and place it considerably later than Jeremiah. Such a position is no longer possible with the discovery of a good deal of historical evidence about the late seventh and sixth centuries B.C. Each oracle has to be considered separately. It would be strange, in any case, if Jeremiah had remained silent about the nations. There is no good reason for not accepting many of the utterances as coming from Jeremiah himself. At the same time there may be sayings of anonymous origin which were preserved by those who collected Jeremiah’s words. Even so there seems little reason to date any of the material later than the couple of decades after the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.
"Prophecies against the nations were one aspect of the prophetic ministry. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Nahum, and Obadiah all have considerable sections devoted to the theme, while other prophets generally mention the nations. Such prophecies indicate Israel's view that Yahweh was not merely the God of Israel but was Lord over all the nations of the world, whose destiny lay in God's hands. The theme is important in the overall theology of the OT.”
(NICOT, 686-7)
K&D
also points out that Jeremiah’s prophecies against the nations are more
specific than those of Amos and other prophets in that they deal with the punishment
of these nations by Nebuchadnezzar as God’s servant, but it is significant to
note too the following:
- These prophecies begin with Egypt and end with Babylon, the two great powers of the world at the time.
- The prophecies against Egypt, Moab, Ammon and Elam all conclude with the promise of their restoration at the end of the days, i.e. "in the Messianic future”.
- At God’s appointed time, “Babylon shall succumb to the sentence of ruin passed on it; and for Israel, with the deliverance from Babylon, there will arise a state of prosperity in which all nations will afterward participate” (K&D, 367)—a most glorious hope that is already fulfilled in us, Gentile believers of Christ, and ultimately finds its consummation at the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
47:1-7—The Destruction of Philistines—Historical data are lacking in pinpointing the exact time of the attack by Pharaoh on Gaza referred to by Jeremiah:
(1) Why were the Philistines along the Palestinian coast included in Jeremiah’s prophecy? What was their historical relationship with Israel? (See Note 1 below)
(2) What metaphor does the Lord employ to describe the might of the army from the North, the Babylonians? (v. 2)
(3) How was the horror of their destruction depicted? (vv. 2-3)
(4) Tyre and Sidon were Phoenician cities to their north that were also destroyed by the Babylonians, and the message is that the Philistines should not even think of helping them as they themselves would be totally destroyed. What were three common signs of mourning mentioned in v. 5? (see 16:6; 41:5)
(5) Who was the one behind this destruction? (vv. 6-7)
48:1-25—Destruction of Moab (I)
(6) Why was Moab, which was to the east of the Dead Sea, included in Jeremiah’s prophecy? What was its historical relationship with Israel? (see Note 2 below)
(7) While the location of some of the names of the cities mentioned (in vv. 1-10) may not be known today, it appears that they are mentioned roughly from north to south to depict the unstoppable advance of Nebuchadnezzar:
a. What appeared to be the state of Moab before her destruction? (vv. 1-2)
b. How was the horror of its destruction depicted in vv. 3-6?
c. What were some of her sins mentioned in v. 7? (Chemosh was the god of the Moabites, likely related to astral deities.)
d. What will be the extent and degree of the destruction? (vv. 8-9; see Jdg. 9:45 about the meaning of putting on salt)
e. What does v. 10 seek to portray?
(8) The mourning for Moab (vv. 11-17)
a. How blessed was Moab before this destruction? (v. 11)
b. How will her fortune changed? (vv. 12, 17)
c. What was the one sin that was reiterated about her? (v. 13)
d. What will happen to their proud warriors? (v. 14)
e. How imminent is this destruction? (vv. 16)
f. Who is behind this destruction? (v. 15)
(9) No towns are spared (vv. 18-25): In a poetic way, some of the fortified cities are cited to depict the inevitable destruction.
a. What is said of Dibon, 13 miles east of the Dead Sea? (v. 18)
b. What is said of Aroer, southeast of Dibon? (v. 19)
c. What is said of the Arnon, south of Aroer? (v. 19)
d. What is emphasized concerning the destruction? (vv. 21-24)
e. What does it mean by her horn cut off, her arm broken? (see Note 2)
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note 1:
The Philistines were sea people who came into Palestine in the 12th and 11th centuries B.C. from Caphtor (or Crete), their original home (Amos 9:7). The Philistines had long been enemies of Israel even since the time of their settlement in the Promised Land. Some of the well-known conflicts between them include that of Samson in the time of the Judges (Jdg. 13-16) and David and Goliath (1 Sam. 17). Their five major cities often mentioned in the Bible were Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron (see Jos. 13:3 for example). The prophecy was fulfilled in 604/3 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar overran Ashkelon after a siege.
Note 2:
Moab was traditionally an enemy of Israel and hostility between the two nations went back to the days of the Exodus. The end of Moab as an independent nation seems to have come in 582 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar, no doubt because of a rebellion, marched against Moab and Ammon (see NICOT, 701). It is worth-noting that Ruth, the wife of Boaz, the forefather of David and our Lord Jesus Christ (in His earthly genealogy) was a Moabite (Matt. 1:5; Ruth 1).
“‘Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest? Return to your sheath; cease and be still'. But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it, when He has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?” (Jer. 47:6-7)
The nations that are the targets of Jeremiah’s prophecies are nations that have been constant enemies of Israel during most of the history of the nation. Many have treated Israel cruelly and unjustly, and in so doing, they also relied on their own gods and treated not only Israel but the God of Israel with contempt. The Philistines is one of these nations.
The conflict between Israel and the Philistines can be traced back to the time of the conquest led by Joshua as he led God’s people into the Promised Land, followed by constant conflicts between the two in the time of the Judges, the most famous of which was the one with Samson (Jdg. 13-16). The Philistines continued to attack Israel in the time of the Kings, and met with a great defeat in the hands of the young David who slaughtered their champion, Goliath (1 Sam. 17). The Philistines continued to harass both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms and many of these conflicts are mentioned in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.
John
Calvin insightfully points out that there is no doubt that these prophecies
against the enemies of Israel are
“intended to testify…His love towards the Israelites, for He undertook their cause and avenged the wrongs done to them. We hence perceive why God had predicted the ruins of the Philistines, even that the Israelites might know His paternal love toward them, as He set Himself against their enemies; and thus He gave them a reason for patience, because it behoved them to wait until God fulfilled this prophecy” (Calvin 609).
48:26-47—Destruction of Moab (II)
(1) Avenging Moab’s sin against Israel (vv. 26-30)
a. How did Moab treat Israel in her misfortune? (v. 27; see also Zeph. 2:8)
b. What will be her punishment? (v. 26)
c. What imagery is used of her devastation? (v. 28)
d. What other sins are exposed of Moab? (vv. 29-30; see also Isa. 16:6; Amos 2:1)
e. How might this also depict the sins of the world today?
(2) Lament over Moab (vv. 31-39)
a. Who is the one who wails over Moab? (vv. 31-32; see Isa. 15:5; 16:11)
b. Why? Did they not deserve the punishment?
c. What will happen to their prosperity? (vv. 32-34)
d. What will happen to their religion? (v. 35)
e. How will the Moabites mourn for themselves? (vv. 37-38)
f. How does the Lord describe His mourning for Moab? (v. 36)
g. How does the Lord sum up their mourning in v. 39?
(3) In Wrath there is mercy (vv. 40-47)—The punishment of Moab is now described even in a more horrific way.
a. What does the imagery of an eagle depict? (v. 40)
b. What does the imagery of a woman in labor depict? (v. 41)
c. Why does the Lord accuse them of defiling Him? (v. 42)
d. How do vv. 43-45 depict the inescapability of the disaster? (Note: v. 44 elaborates what is said in v. 43)
e. How does v. 46 fulfill the curse by Balaam on Moab because the Moabites once seduced the men of Israel to sexual immorality? (Num. 24:17)
(4) What will be the final fate of Moab which is modern-day Jordan? (v. 47)
(5) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves, that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her?” (Jer. 48:27)
Of the nations who are the subjects of Jeremiah’s prophecies of destruction in the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, Moab was a nation whose sins included the mocking and ridiculing of God’s people when they were punished by God (48:27). As a result, they would also face the same mocking and become “an object of ridicule” as well (48:26).
Indeed God has set apart those who belong to Him for Himself (Ps. 4:3). Because we belong to Him, even though we are going through His chastisement because of our sins, we remain the apple of His eye and He would not let anyone touch us (Ps. 17:8; Zech. 2:8). That is how precious we are to Him, our Heavenly Father. Allow me then to share with you the prayer of John Calvin as he reflects upon these prophecies against the enemies of God’s people:
“Grant, Almighty God, that as Thou hast testified that Thou wilt be a Father to us, and hast given us a pledge of Thy adoption, Thine only-begotten Son. O grant, that we, trusting in thy promise, may never doubt, even when Thou severely chastisest us, but that Thou wilt at length be merciful to us, and that we may thus never cease to flee to Thy mercy, and thus submit to Thee, and suffer ourselves to be corrected; and may, in the meantime, this hope sustain us, and alleviate all our sorrows, that in all our miseries we shall yet ever glorify Thy name, through the same, Thy Son our Lord, Amen.”
(Calvin, 607)