Sermon
#24 Through The Bible Series
Title: JEREMIAH
“Israel hath not
been forsaken of his God”
Text: Jeremiah 51:5
Subject: The Mystery of Divine Providence
Date: Tuesday
Evening—July 22, 2003
Tape # X71a
Readings: Larry Criss and Bobbie Estes
Introduction:
Suppose some preacher today stood in his pulpit week after week
and asserted relentlessly that God had set his face against the United States
of America, that he was raising up an army in a foreign land under the command
of of a barbaric dictator, to conquer this great nation and make us servants to
a massive empire. Suppose the preacher asseted boldly that our Constitution and
our nation were an abomination to God, that everything we value and uphold as a
society is offensive to him.
Then, suppose that preacher were to go
from place to place and publicly urge all Americans not to resist the will of
the enemy, but to renounce the homeland and willingly move into that foreign
land and bow as servants to that cruel tyrant! It would be surprising to none
to see that preacher publicly humiliated, ridculed, spit upon, and even
imprisoned.—Would it? But he is one of those crack-pots who just will not shut
up. While in prison, shut-up in the hole in solitary confinement, he not only
refuses to retract a word, but also manages to find a way to write his message
in a book and have the book read in every church in the land.
If you can imagine such a thing, you will
have a pretty good idea what the Book of Jeremiah is about. Only, Jeremiah was
no crack-pot preacher. He was the prophet of God in the land of Israel in his
day, the voice of God to the nation. He was, in my opinion, the boldest, most
courageous, most valiant for truth man in history. No preacher ever faced more
opposition and discouragement with less to give him encouragement than God’s
prophet Jeremiah.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah began preaching as a very young man, during the days of
Josiah. He was God’s spokesman, God’s prophet to the nation, through the reigns
of four more kings, until the Jews were carried away into Babylon, by the will
of God. He faithfully served the Lord our God and his generation by the will of
God for more than forty years; and he did so in the face of relentless and
almost universal opposition.
He wept much. His heart was in constant,
great heaviness because of the iniquity and relentless rebellion of his people
and because of the impending judment of God upon the nation he loved. Yet, he
never flinched from his duty. He never failed to declare the Word God put into
his mouth. Imprisoned repeatedly, put into stocks (20:2),
lowered by ropes into a miry dungeon (38:6) mocked, derided (20:7), a man of
strife and contention to the whole world (25:10), accused of treachery to his
country (38:4), opposed by false prophets (23, 28) confronted by angry mobs of
religious people (prophets and priests included) who clamored for his life
(26), carried against his will into Egypt (43:7), under all these circumstances
Jeremiah was relentless in obedience, seeking the glory of God, delivering the
Word of God, serving the people of God from the day of his calling until the
day of his death.
He faithfully exposed Israel’s sins, called them to repentance,
and warned them of judgment, asserting that the wrath coming upon them was
fully deserved. Yet, he never ceased declaring the goodness and mercy of God.
Even as he denounces Israel’s wickedness and prophesies the nation’s utter
destruction, he declares the immutable faithfulness of God to his people. He
even declares that the very judgment of God upon the nation is for the specific
purpose of saving his own elect within the nation (51:4-5; 50:33-34).
(Jeremiah
51:4-5) "Thus the slain shall fall
in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her
streets. {5} For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor
Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin
against the Holy One of Israel."
(Jeremiah
50:33-34) "Thus saith the LORD of
hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed
together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let
them go. {34} Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his
name: he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land,
and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon."
The
Times
We cannot appreciate the
labor or faithfulness of any man unless we understand the times in which that
man lived and served the Lord. Never was apostacy pursued more eagerly and
fully by men and women who professed to worship the Lord our God than in
Jeremiah’s day.
Manasseh, Josiah’s wicked
grandfather, led the nation into such vile idolatry that they never really
recovered from it. Josiah’s reforms were little more than a bandage covering a
deep cancer. They only touched the surface and were but for a brief time. After
Josiah’s death the nation sank back into the worst forms of idolatry and into
every kind of iniquity. The whole nation was on the downward spiral of
apostacy. Jeremiah’s mission was to call the people back to God. But judgment
was at hand.
God raised
up Nebuchadnezzar to execute his wrath upon Judah. He gave him universal
dominion. He even called him “My servant” (25:9; 27:6; 43:10). Nebuchadnezzar
was the unwitting servant of the sovereign Lord God in all that he did. It was
because God revealed this to Jeremiah that we find him advocating submission to
Nebuchadnezzar, and it was for this that his people accused him of treachery.
After the destruction of Jerusalem, Jeremiah was given his choice whether he
would go to Babylon or remain with the remnant that were left in the land. He
chose the latter. Days of darkness followed. Jeremiah exhorted his people to
obey the voice of the Lord and remain in the land, and not flee into Egypt. But
they refused to obey, and they carried Jeremiah with them into Egypt, where,
tradition says, he was stoned to death.
Jeremiah’s
Message
That is the story of this
Book; but what is its message? What does God the Holy Spirit intend for you an
me to learn from this Book, as we read it? How does this ancient word of
prophecy apply to us? Obviously, I cannot in one message declare to you
everything that Jeremiah prophesied in forty years. But there are some things
that are crystal clear.
Christ
Jeremiah’s message was not
gloom and doom, as most seem to think. His message was mercy and grace,
salvation by God through the sacrifice of his dear Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah himself was a type of Christ. This fact is so obvious
that some mistook Christ the Man of Sorrows for Jeremiah the weeping,
broken-hearted prophet (Matt. 16:14). He wept over his people as Christ wept
over them (9:1). His faithfulness brought him reproach, rejection, sorrow, and
suffering as it did our Lord. He compares himself to a lamb or an ox brought to
the slaughter (11:19). Throughout this Book we see glimpses of our Savior, the
Lord Jesus Christ…
·
as the Fountain of Living Waters (2:13),
·
as the Great Physician (8:22),
·
as the Good Shepherd (31:10, 23:4),
·
as the Righteous Branch (23:5),
·
as David the King (30:9),
·
as our Redeemer (50:34),
·
as the Lord our Righteousness (23:6).
At the very time that
David’s throne appeared to be on the brink of destruction, and justice and
equity were gone, the prophet announced the coming of a King of the House of
David, a righteous Branch, who should reign and prosper, and execute judgment
and justice in the earth. “In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel
shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” – Jehovah-tsidkenu. In this majestic name the Godhead of
our Savior is declared, and, as a descendant of David, his humanity.
In
chapter 31, the prophet of God even speaks of the incarnation of Christ
for the everlasting blessedness of his people (31:20-26).
(Jeremiah
31:20-26) "Is Ephraim my
dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do
earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will
surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD. {21} Set thee up waymarks,
make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which
thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy
cities. {22} How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter?
for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a
man. {23} Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they
shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I
shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice,
and mountain of holiness. {24} And there shall dwell in Judah
itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go
forth with flocks. {25} For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have
replenished every sorrowful soul. {26} Upon this I awaked, and beheld;
and my sleep was sweet unto me."
In
chapter 32 Jeremiah typified Christ as our Kinsman Redeemer, exercising
the right of redemption to buy back the field his uncle had lost, thereby
displaying his confidence that that which God had promised his people would not
and could not be lost, though the nation itself would be destroyed and carried
away to Babylon.
A
Prophet
Christ is the message of
Jeremiah. The prophet of God is declaring the absolute certainty of grace and
salvation to a chosen nation, the royal priesthood, the church of God’s elect,
through the Lord our Righteousness. And there is much to learn in this message.
In chapter 1 we see how a man becomes a prophet
and what a prophet is.
(Jeremiah
1:5-9) "Before I formed thee in the
belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified
thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. {6} Then
said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. {7} But
the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all
that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. {8} Be
not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the
LORD. {9} Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And
the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth."
(Jeremiah
1:17-19) "Thou therefore gird up
thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not
dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. {18} For,
behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and
brazen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the
princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the
land. {19} And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail
against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee."
Judgment
Chapters 2-25 show us the
cause of divine judgment. Judgment is never an aribitrary thing. It is always
the just response of God to man’s rebellion and sin.
·
Blame goes first to the people who rebel.
·
But they were led in rebellion by their kings.
·
And the people and the kings were taught to rebel by their pastors,
prophets, and priests.
Living
In Babylon
Here is how we are to live
in this world, in this generation under the wrath of God.
(Jeremiah
29:4-7) "Thus saith the LORD of
hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have
caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; {5} Build ye
houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
{6} Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your
sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and
daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. {7} And
seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away
captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have
peace."
Here is the hope God sets
before his elect remnant.
(Jeremiah
29:10-14) "For thus saith the LORD,
That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and
perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
{11} For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. {12} Then
shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken
unto you. {13} And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall
search for me with all your heart. {14} And I will be found of you,
saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from
all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the
LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be
carried away captive."
Providence
The mystery of God’s
providence is unfolded in chapters 30-33.
·
God has not forsaken his people. He is saving them.
(Jeremiah
30:16) "Therefore all they that
devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them,
shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all
that prey upon thee will I give for a prey."
·
He is fulfilling his covenant (chapters 31-33).
(Jeremiah
33:14-16) "Behold, the days come,
saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto
the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. {15} In those days, and
at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David;
and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. {16} In
those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is
the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness."
The
Nations
Chapters 34-49 describe the
Lord’s dealing with the nations that despise him, to consume them in his wrath.
Babylon
In chapters 50-52 we see the
mystery of Babylon unravelled wondrously.
(Jeremiah
9:23-24) "Thus saith the LORD, Let
not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory
in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: {24} But
let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that
I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and
righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the
LORD."
(Jeremiah
50:20) "In those days, and in that
time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there
shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I
will pardon them whom I reserve."
(Jeremiah
51:5) "For Israel hath not been
forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was
filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel."
(Jeremiah
31:17-20) "And there is hope in
thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own
border. {18} I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou
hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the
yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my
God. {19} Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after
that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea,
even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. {20} Is Ephraim
my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do
earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will
surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD."
(Jeremiah
52:31-34) "And it came to pass in
the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in
the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach
king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of
Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison, {32} And
spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were
with him in Babylon, {33} And changed his prison garments: and he
did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life. {34} And for
his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon,
every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life."