Jeremiah 19 - 21

LET’S NOT TURN TOO LATE!
In chapter 18, Jeremiah went down to the Potter’s house – we discussed the Potter (our Lord) and His work on the vessel of our lives. As we move into Chapter 19, we see another way that Jeremiah is to use the clay pot as an illustration to the people. “and now Jeremiah, as these men watch, smash the jar you brought with you and say to them, This the message to you from the Lord…as this jar lies shattered, so I will shatter the people of Jerusalem…as it cannot be mended, neither can they … and the rest of the story of what would happen to them. Last week we spoke of the procedure of the potter as he “cut away lumps (sin) in the vessel” and began to re-work it, how the potter always re-shapes rather than throw the vessel away. HOW DIFFERENT TO HAVE SIN CUT OUT OF OUR LIVES AND TO LOOK TO OUR POTTER FOR RE-SHAPING RATHER THAN SMASHED!
The prophet was to declare that Jerusalem’s disaster was the Lord’s disciplinary judgment on them for their blatant and continuous idolatry. After delivering the message, Jeremiah smashed the clay jar as a symbolic portrayal of the coming destruction. Then he returned to the temple courtyard and proclaimed the message of judgment to all the people there.
The end has come for Judah. In panic, the leaders of besieged Jerusalem turn—too late—to the prophet to seek the Lord’s assistance. God’s thundering reply through Jeremiah is chilling. The city will fall, its most productive citizens being deported to Babylon. Yet, sounding a more hopeful note, Jeremiah predicts their eventual return after 70 years, (hope for the future generations) when the remnant will come home to a new day of righteous leadership and their captors will be brought to ruin.
Parent and child are entering a tunnel—the first time the child has seen a tunnel. He is gripped with fear at the sudden eerie darkness. He has a choice: 1. Try to grab the wheel away from the parent and turn the car around 2. Trust the parent shortly to make the happy discovery that tunnels have openings at both ends.
Taking over the controls of our life as a clay vessel might jump off the wheel because he doesn’t like what the Potter is doing to him. Or a canvas might jump off the easel because he didn’t like what the Artist is painting.
Judah was suddenly plunged into a dark tunnel of exile from which there appeared to be no light of hope. But Jeremiah knew better. He foretold Judah’s return after the passing of seven decades. He announced the coming of a righteous Ruler to restore Judah in the glorious tradition of the great King David.
When circumstances are at their darkest, you need the confidence given by I John 1:5 “God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all.” God is not in the business of plunging His people into dark tunnels without also providing the Hope-giving light they need to see their way through. Are dark circumstances crowding in on you, causing you to want to panic and “grab the wheel”? Then let’s read Romans 8:18-25…God shows you the light at the end of YOUR tunnel.
A prophet MUST speak: 20:9 “If I say, I will not make mention of [the Lord] or speak any more in His name, there is in my mind and heart as if it were a burning fire shut up in my bones and I am weary with enduring and holding it in; I cannot contain it longer.”
The Lord loves His people and the Scripture affirms it over and over. He sent O.T. prophets to speak words of discipline and warnings of the future judgments. He has sent prophets in today’s world…are you listening and reading the words of the Lord which should be what a prophet speaks…or are you dependent upon the motivational words of those who stand in the pulpits of the world and call themselves preachers?
When we are selfish and disobedient, God lovingly disciplines His people in various ways to draw us back to a right fellowship with Him. Our relationship is firm and certain…our behavior and response determines the condition (fellowship) in the relationship.
What was the result of Jeremiah’s obedient proclamation? Don’t we always expect great results when we speak Truth or follow God’s direction? Jere was arrested and beaten. Jeremiah complained to the Lord about being constantly ridiculed and persecuted. . . Jere told them that they would witness family members being slaughtered by the Babylonian army and that the chief priest himself would die in captivitiy in Babylon.
Jere went quickly from being bold to having a “pity party”. Jeremiah was asked by King Zedekiah to pray for the nation and its king. Jere declared that the current Babylonian siege against Jerusalem was the Lord’ doing and the only hope for survival was surrender to the king. How would you like to tell a king that the Lord was against him?
Judah was unfaithful to the Lord through placing gods in their lives…multiple pagan deities … they looked just like the “others” that surrounded them. How do we build idols in our lives today?
Judah was unfaithful because they treated fellow citizens unjustly: INNOCENT BLOOD. Both were sins against God!!!
Idolatry is twofold: worship of a false god. There is no actual god behind a powerless idol. Only one God exists, and He is the Lord God. Idolatry promotes illicit, ungodly behavior on the part of those who worship an idol. Since an idol is a human creation, its adherents are engrossed in self-centered worship. We are worshiping ourselves when we worship idols! …selfish, destructive behavior.
It must have been important…Jeremiah keeps bring it up…“passing children through the fire”…abortion in America! Salt poisoning burns the unborn child. Are we giving our children up to the idol of convenience, to protecting our reputation and saving embarrassment and so forth?
21 SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS
Even when under the headship of a Babylonian king, God’s message through Jeremiah was to submit themselves. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was being used by the Lord as an instrument of disciplinary judgment against the people of Judah. The people stubbornly refused to admit their unfaithfulness and to repent. They only wanted the Lord to save them from military disaster. The modern man particularly wants to choose his overseer and decide based on the overseer’s merit if he will submit…just as these folks wanted to do. What is MY motive when I appeal to the Lord? Prayer for lost husband: “it would be so great to go to church together! Prayer for health: I am tired of hurting. What should be our motive as we appeal to the Lord? AND SO FORTH…
Even with their rebellion against the Lord, the people expected the Lord to rescue them when they decided He should. “Save me, Lord, the WAY I want you to do!” We most often give the Lord directions when we pray. King Zedekiah wanted Jere’s prayer support and God’s rescue.
The Lord cannot tolerate sin…His judgment against sin is inescapable.
SUBMISSION:
As God’s people today, we need to realize that the only safe and sane response to God’s chastening hand is SUBMISSION. “Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live? For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them, but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness. For the time being no discipline brings joy but seems grievous and painful, but afterwards it yields peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it—a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness, [that is, in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought and action, resulting in right living and right stand with God].
How should we first learn this process and method of the Lord in working in our lives and disciplining us when we need it?—At the hand of our parents. So many parents did not do it properly (Godly), but we do not have to repeat their unfortunate ways…we learn God’s way and do it.
Parents have the assignment of instructing and disciplining their children. The objective is to take the child to a giving up of his will to obedience. Discipline must accompany disobedience. Bring the child to a point of repentance.