Journey Through the Bible: Jeremiah - The Rejected Prophet

Journey Through The Bible
Jeremiah: the
Rejected Prophet
Bible Readings:
Jeremiah 38:1-26 (Page 567)
Matthew 21:33-46 (Page 698)
Tuesday, 14 October 2014

Jeremiah the Rejected Prophet
Jeremiah had to tell the
people that God was
going to destroy the
Temple and the city and
they were going to be
either killed or exiled.
At first the people laughed
at him. When it started to
come true they turned
against him and tried to
kill him.

Questions Raised By the Book of Jeremiah
What happens to God's plans when the
nation or an individual He has chosen to
play a key role refuses to co-operate with
God or even rebels against Him?
How can God punish people for their sins
and yet still keep His promise to save them?
If someone continues to rebel against God,
is there a point of no return beyond which
repentance becomes impossible?
Does God ever say to His faithful
intercessors, “Stop praying about this
because I've made up my mind.”?

God Calls Jeremiah
God called Jeremiah to be a prophet to
Jerusalem. God tells him that this is what He had
planned for Jeremiah even before he was born.
“Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you; I
appointed you a prophet to the
nations.” (Jeremiah 1:4–5, ESV)
Jeremiah thought he was too young and didn't
know how to speak in public.
“Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how
to speak; I am only a child.” But the Lord said to
me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go
to everyone I send you to and say whatever I
command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am
with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
(Jeremiah 1:6–8, NIV84)

Jeremiah Complained To The Lord
Jeremiah did not want to be a bad news
prophet and be sworn at.
“Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming
violence and destruction. So the word of the
Lord has brought me insult and reproach all
day long. But if I say, “I will not mention Him
or speak any more in His Name,” His word
is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my
bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I
cannot.” (Jeremiah 20:8–9, NIV84)
The word of the Lord was like a fire burning
inside him he could not shut his mouth and
not deliver the message. Jeremiah faithfully
proclaimed God's messages for more than
40 years.

Kings and Politics of Jeremiah’s Jerusalem
Hezekiah
Manasseh
Josiah
Jehoahaz
Jehoiakim
Zedekiah
Isaiah dies
Jeremiah
Begins to
prophesy
Jerusalem
falls
Temple restored

Jeremiah Foretold 70 Years of Exile
“And now the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
Because you have not listened to Me, I will
gather together all the armies of the north under
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have
appointed as My deputy. I will bring them all
against this land and its people and against the
surrounding nations. I will completely destroy
you and make you an object of horror and
contempt and a ruin for ever.” . . . “This entire
land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel
and her neighbouring lands will serve the king
of Babylon for seventy years. “Then, after the
seventy years of captivity are over, I will punish
the king of Babylon and his people for their
sins,” says the Lord. “I will make the country of
the Babylonians a wasteland for ever.”
(Jeremiah 25:11–12, NLT)

The Babylonians Crush Judah
Nebucadnezzer captured Jerusalem
and took many prominent citizens
back the Babylon, including Daniel.
Zedekiah was installed as king, but
rebelled against Babylon.
Jeremiah prophesies disaster for the
city and the death of the King.
Jeremiah is thrown into a well
because of his words. Zedekiah
protects him until the city falls.

The Babylonians Honour Jeremiah
“The captain of [Nebecadnezzer's army]
took Jeremiah and said to him, “The
Lord your God pronounced this disaster
against this place. The Lord has
brought it about, and has done as He
said. Because you sinned against the
Lord and did not obey His voice, this
thing has come upon you. Now, behold,
I release you today from the chains on
your hands. If it seems good to you to
come with me to Babylon, come, and I
will look after you well, but if it seems
wrong to you to come with me to
Babylon, do not come. See, the whole
land is before you; go wherever you
think it good and right to go.” (Jeremiah
40:1–4, ESV)

The Jerusalem Coup and Flight to Egypt
Nebucadnezzah appointed Gedaliah to rule
Jerusalem and the land.
Gedaliah was assassinated and the coup leaders
fled to Egypt.
God promised their safety if they remained in
Jerusalem. They refused to believe Jeremiah's
words and forced him to go with them to Egypt.
Jeremiah predicted that Nebucadnezzah would
defeat Pharaoh and occupy Egypt and kill them.
“then hear the word of the Lord, O remnant of
Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of
Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt
and you do go to settle there, then the sword you
fear will overtake you there, and the famine you
dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will
die.

The Covenant Relationship
God promised to protect and bless the people but
the people had to promise to be faithful and
obedient to God and to keep His commandments
given in the Law.
The Temple became a physical expression of the
Covenant between God and the people.
In Jeremiah's time the people focussed on the
promises of God's protection and forgot about their
obligations under the covenant to obey the Law.
“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the
God of Israel, says: “ ‘Even now, if you quit your
evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land. But
don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety
simply because the Lord’s Temple is here. They
chant, “The Lord’s Temple is here! The Lord’s
Temple is here!”” (Jeremiah 7:3–4, NLT)

The Preferred False Prophecy
The false prophets prophesied peace and
prosperity.
When invasion threatened, the people
listened to the false prophets and ignored
Jeremiah who proclaimed God’s cal to
repentance.
I have heard what the prophets have said
who prophesy lies in My Name, saying, ‘I
have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ How long
shall there be lies in the heart of the
prophets who prophesy lies, and who
prophesy the deceit of their own heart, who
think to make my people forget My Name by
their dreams that they tell one another, even as
their fathers forgot My Name for Baal?
(Jeremiah 23:25–27, ESV)

The Covenant Broken
They obeyed the provisions of the Law
when it did not cost them any effort.
The rich and powerful mercilessly
exploited to poor. They traded on the
Sabbath and sold those in debt into
slavery. They bribed judges and corrupted
justice. They broke God’s covenant.
“ ‘Will you steal and murder, commit
adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal
and follow other gods you have not known,
and then come and stand before Me in this
house, which bears My Name, and say,
“We are safe”—safe to do all these
detestable things?”
(Jeremiah 7:9–10, NIV

Outward Obedience: Inner Rebellion
The people’s hypocrisy so angered the
Lord that He commanded Jeremiah to
stop praying and interceding for them.
“Therefore do not pray for this people,
nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor
make intercession to Me; for I will not
hear you.” (Jeremiah 7:16, NKJV)
By believing and accepting only half of
the covenant they could no longer be
convicted of their sins and so put
themselves beyond the reach of God's
forgiveness. All that remained for them
was judgement.

The Point of No Return
Can this happen to Christians?
Listen to what Paul says to Timothy:
“For a time is coming when people
will no longer listen to sound and
wholesome teaching. They will
follow their own desires and will look
for teachers who will tell them
whatever their itching ears want to
hear. They will reject the truth and
chase after myths.”
(2 Timothy 4:3–4, NLT)

Jesus Warns Us
Jesus solemnly warns us at the end of the
sermon on the mount:
““Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one
who does the will of My Father Who is in
heaven. On that day many will say to Me,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
Name, and cast out demons in Your Name,
and do many mighty works in Your Name?’
And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew
you; depart from Me, you workers of
lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21–23, ESV)
When Jesus says “I never knew you.” He
meant that there was no personal
relationship between Himself and the one
who did things in His Name.

Love Jesus: Obey Jesus
In John 14 Jesus says, “Whoever has My
commands and obeys them, he is the one
who loves Me. He who loves Me will be
loved by My Father, and I too will love him
and show myself to him.”” (John 14:21,
NIV84)
Our love for Jesus is shown by our
willingness to obey Him in every part of our
lives. If we say we love Jesus but don't obey
Him we are little better than the people of
Jeremiah's day who went to the temple on
the Sabbath but did whatever evil they
wanted during the week.
Jeremiah challenges us to look carefully at
our own lives and profession of faith in the
promises of the Lord.

Judgement and Mercy
In the book of Jeremiah there are four
chapters, 30 through 33, which are
known as the Book of Consolation.
“The word that came to Jeremiah from
the Lord, saying, “Thus speaks the
Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a
book for yourself all the words that I
have spoken to you. For behold, the
days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I
will bring back from captivity My people
Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘And I
will cause them to return to the land
that I gave to their fathers, and they
shall possess it.’ ”” (Jeremiah 30:1–3,
NKJV)

Judgement and Mercy
After He has punished the Lord will restore.
This is like a resurrection. The nation had
died in its sins yet the Lord will bring the
nation back from death and will restore it.
““Hear the word of the Lord, you nations;
proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He Who
scattered Israel will gather them and will
watch over His flock like a shepherd.’ For
the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem
them from the hand of those stronger than
they. They will come and shout for joy on
the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the
bounty of the Lord— the grain, the new
wine and the olive oil, the young of the
flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered
garden, and they will sorrow no
more.” (Jeremiah 31:10–12, TNIV)

Judgement and Mercy
The Lord will restore the nation by making a
new covenant with them,
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant with the
house of Israel and with the house of
Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31, NKJV)
“For this is the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel after those days, declares
the Lord: I will put My Law within them, and I
will write it on their hearts. And I will be their
God, and they shall be My people. And no
longer shall each one teach his neighbour and
each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for
they shall all know Me, from the least of them
to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will
forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their
sin no more.”” (Jeremiah 31:33–34, ESV)

Prophetic Sign and Promise
God commands Jeremiah to buy land
when the city is surrounded by the
Babylonian army.
“In their presence I gave Baruch these
instructions: ‘This is what the Lord
Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take
these documents, both the sealed and
unsealed copies of the deed of
purchase, and put them in a clay jar
so they will last a long time. For this is
what the Lord Almighty, the God of
Israel, says: Houses, fields and
vineyards will again be bought in this
land.’” (Jeremiah 32:13–15, NIV84)

Invest in Hope In The Dark Times
We invest in a hope even in the darkest
times because our hope is guaranteed
by the Lord.
“That is why we never give up. Though
our bodies are dying, our spirits are
being renewed every day. For our
present troubles are small and won’t last
very long. Yet they produce for us a glory
that vastly outweighs them and will last
for ever! So we don’t look at the troubles
we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze
on things that cannot be seen. For the
things we see now will soon be gone, but
the things we cannot see will last for
ever.” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18, NLT)

Invest in Hope In The Dark Times
“That is why we never give up.
Though our bodies are dying, our
spirits are being renewed every day.
For our present troubles are small
and won’t last very long. Yet they
produce for us a glory that vastly
outweighs them and will last for
ever!
So we don’t look at the troubles we
can see now; rather, we fix our eyes
on things that cannot be seen. For
the things we see now will soon be
gone, but the things we cannot see
will last for ever.” AMEN

Journey Through the Bible: Jeremiah - The Rejected Prophet

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