It wasn’t that long ago that I preached through the book of Jeremiah. I am revisiting the prophet for our devotions together due to the profound contemporary nature of Jeremiah’s prophecy. I am not going to be including the text reading, as some of them will be rather lengthy. I would encourage you to grab a Bible, read the text and then the devotional.
The book of Kings ends with the people of God being taken into exile in Babylon. Those books are what we call narrative, simply the stories of what happened. Jeremiah was one of the major prophets of this time period. Jeremiah was calling Israel back to the Lord in what would prove to be one of the darkest periods of her history.
You noticed when reading chapter one that Jeremiah’s ministry started when Josiah was king. Josiah, as you recall, was a wonderful king, whereas his great-grandfather Manasseh was the worst of all the kings of Judah. Josiah’s reforms led to a revival, although short lived.
After Josiah’s death, the kingdom fell apart quite rapidly. The other kings that are mentioned in the early verses, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah were the last of the monarchy before exile. There were two kings of Judah who are not mentioned at the beginning of Jeremiah due to their reigns being only months long.
So, we are going to look at what God says to a people under the impending justice of the Almighty. I confess to you that these chapters are heavy, they bear hard themes and darkness. But it is in the darkness that hope is made to shine, if we have eyes to see it and faith to grasp it.
Jeremiah is given a daunting task, look at the last verse of the chapter. “They, (that is speaking about God’s people, the covenant people, the church if you would.) They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you.”
Then look back at verse three. There are five words in Hebrew that bring verse 3 to an end. “…until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month…” And then at the end of the book in chapter 52, “…so Judah went into captivity, away from her land.” (27b)
So, at the beginning we are being told the end of the story…and so is Jeremiah. For Jeremiah this must have seemed like a very bad idea and the only one that might get irreparably injured was Jeremiah! In other words, go do this, but it won’t work, they won’t listen. You will not succeed as far as winning over those who speak with. But I will make sure your words come true, for thy are My words.
I have watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” so many times that I can’t count them. Every time I watch it, and every time Uncle Billy goes to the bank with the $8,000, I find myself hoping that this time, he won’t lose it and accidently give it to Mr. Potter. But every time he does and every time, Potter keeps it.
It can be like that reading Jeremiah. You hear his impassioned pleas, you see the mercy of God sitting right there…God ready and willing to shower them with grace and forgiveness…making it so clear that they have turned their back on Him…and you hope and hope that they are going to break down, weep and call on the name of the Lord in true repentance. And yet you know…you already know, that they are not going to do so…God has already told us that they will not.
I don’t know what to do with that feeling…that tension as I read it, but only this: Don’t be like that! How many times is the Lord going to warn…graciously show you where you are headed…what is going to happen…how many times are we going to nod our head at mercy, wink at grace but continue in our own way?
In your life and mine, the end is NOT written, at least it is not from our vantage point…So we must listen carefully…we must see ourselves clearly, embrace mercy, cling to repentance that we might avoid such a fate as we read about in these pages. And then, can you imagine being given a task, a job to do and at the very beginning of it, the Lord says that this is going to be miserable for you and no one will listen or get on board, but that is what I want…so off you go.
Jeremiah is going to obey and speak the Word of God without compromise, without qualification or watering-down a single sentence. He will not dicker or confer or try to negotiate. This is going to be a drink, straight up…and he does so knowing the result, the negative result from the beginning.
Some time ago I read some things that were written by Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham, regarding what the Bible says about homosexuality. Rev. Graham was clearly spoken, not harsh, not belligerent…nothing flashy; Just a simple, straightforward, true accounting of the Biblical material. I then read some of the comments. Wow! The hatred was only outmatched only by the utter ignorance. The culture has ordained certain views and stances and to speak against them in any way, even kindly, is to invite a societal excommunication and to be branded with terms and a reputation that will forever scar your existence.
It was that and far worse for Jeremiah. He was telling a group of people who at first, due to the faithfulness of Josiah, thought everything was just fine…what are you getting all heated about Jerry? And then when they were, only a short time later, reeling at the hands of the Babylonians and Jeremiah is telling them that they are doomed for their sin and he is not mincing words, why then he is just being mean.
If there had been a single ‘man-pleasing’ bone in Jeremiah’s body, he could not have done this. If there was an ounce of compromise or desire for comfort and ease coursing through his blood, he would be the wrong man! Don’t get me wrong. Jeremiah was a just a man, like you and me. And the text allows us to see what is going on inside of him, but this was an excruciating task!
So, the Lord speaks first and we find out what is at the heart of the Lord’s actions. And although Jeremiah is important and the historical details given in those first verses is important for the context, what is at the center of all of this, what the Lord is driving home is in verse 2: “…the word of the Lord.”
The emphasis is on “words” and “speaking” which come from the same word in Hebrew. The noun begins verses 1, 2, 4, 11, and 13, and is repeated in verse 17. In verse 9, God says, “I have put my words in your mouth” and in verse 12 God reassures Jeremiah, “I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”
The book of Jeremiah is fundamentally about the word of God and its impact, its impact on priests, kings and everyday people as well. The pillars of the political world, the religious world as well as the common folks, like us, are all under the sovereign word of God, no exceptions.
If folks say, well, I don’t believe God’s word. Ok, fine. But that changes nothing. God’s Word will accomplish the purpose for which God sends it, and there are no exceptions. Whether you believe it or not, embrace it or not, is, in this regard, irrelevant. The people in Jeremiah’s day will hear it from the mouth of the prophet and we hear it from faithful ministers and teachers, and in God’s mercy, as we read it. The Word of the Lord…will be fulfilled.
Prayer: Father, I pray that by Your word would have authority over all aspects of my life. Give me humble submission to all that You have said. Sanctify me by truth, Your word is truth. Regardless of where obedience takes me, I will praise You for your love and faithfulness made evident in the promises You have given me in Christ Jesus my Lord, Amen.
Hymn: How Firm a Foundation
