Jeremiah summarizes 23 years of ministry in a single sentence, and it is not an encouraging one: “I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened.”

He then summarizes the message of all the prophets in three verses (v.5-7): “‘Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’Yet you have not listened to me, declares the Lord, that you might provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.”

There’s Jeremiah and all of the prophets in a nutshell.

Then, in chapter 26, Jeremiah about finds himself in a nutshell. He proclaims the word of the Lord to all the people at the house of the Lord, a quick trial ensues with the city officials, and as they recall former prophets and times, they decide they should not kill him. Wild stuff.

 

“Execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed…”

“Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed…”

Same message in chapters 21 and 22. It is the same requirement of The Lord for His people, but they just can’t seem to do it rightly. So, in chapter 23, The Lord says, “…I will raise up for David a Righteous Branch, and He shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”

He will do it, since we can’t.

In the rest of 23, we see the difference between what the prophets are saying, what God is saying, and what would happen if the people spoke the oracles of God. If they spoke God’s words, the people would have turned from their evil ways.

Finally in chapter 24, we read about the vision of the good figs and the bad figs. God explains it quite clearly if you just read it yourself.

When I completed these chapters, a thought crossed my mind:

Why do we always think of God’s judgments as harsh? Why do we question His actions or say that these sections of Scripture are difficult to swallow?

God’s judgments are righteous and true altogether.

He chose a people. He set them apart for Himself. He gave them a land, an inheritance, promises and blessings. And rather than obey Him and express gratitude, they turned their backs on Him. They wouldn’t listen to Him or obey Him. They turned after other gods and served them instead.

That being the case, how are His judgments not just?

19:5- The people of Judah and Jerusalem had done some terrible things. They were offering their sons and daughters to be burnt in offerings to foreign gods. Wretched, heinous, awful. God didn’t command it, decree it, nor did it even come into His mind.

20:6- Can you imagine having your life summarized and predicted to end this way? And you’re a pastor of all things?

20:8-9- Sometimes I feel like Jeremiah does here. I cannot hold it in any longer. I have to write. I have to speak. I have to create. Even if it’s not the message everyone wants to hear.

When I read chapter 17, vs. 7-8, I was reminded of Psalm 1. Psalm 1 is one of my favorite Psalms, and over the years, it has become a part of me. I pray my life becomes a demonstration of that “blessed man.”

Lately, depravity has been on my mind as well. 17:9 shows us the depth of our depravity. Above everything else, above every other trait we may use to describe our hearts, the most fitting, the most true, is that our hearts are deceitful. Not only is it deceitful, but it is desperately sick (ESV). It wants to be good, but it just can’t be. And because this is the case, who can understand the heart? Who can make sense of right and wrong, good and evil. Only God, who searches the heart and tests the mind.

Verses 19-27 of chapter 17 sort of caught me off guard. These verses drive home the importance of Sabbath. But, I think the issue is deeper than just Sabbath. The issue is obedience.

Moving to chapter 18, we see a familiar passage about the potter and the clay. So often, we use it today with a positive connotation. But in this set of Scriptures, it obviously has a negative connotation. Hmm…are there other places where there might be similar illustrations with positive connotations? I’ll let you search it out.

To end this section, we read Jeremiah’s prayers against his adversaries. He prays for the Lord’s vengeance, for retribution. He prays what some call imprecatory prayers. In the truest sense, that is what they are.

Perhaps this is a special circumstance. Or maybe it’s a regular thing that we need to grow accustomed to. “God does whatever He pleases.”

See Jeremiah 14:11-12 for the case and point. “The Lord said to me: ‘Do not pray for the welfare of this people.Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.'”

Just a couple verses later, Jeremiah complains about the lying prophets. So God says, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.”

Doesn’t that just seem bizarre? Yet we have people doing similar things today. They speak on behalf of God despite not hearing from God. They speak lies because that’s what the masses want to hear. I pray, earnestly, that I am never guilty of this sin. I want to speak truth above all.

After reading 15, I believe this was Jeremiah’s heart as well. He wanted to speak truth, it was getting him into trouble, so he prayed and asked for deliverance. God answered Jeremiah’s prayer, though He wouldn’t answer the prayer of the masses.
Chapter 16 continues the refrain of judgment on the nation for sin. Exile is looming.

Jeremiah 11:20: “O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously,who tests the heart and the mind…”

What a line concerning the character of the Lord! We would be wise to remember this.

In 12:1-4, Jeremiah lays out a complaint before the Lord. He wants the wicked to be dealt their hand. God replies in a somewhat unexpected way, “If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you,how will you compete with horses?”

It’s as if God hears his complaint, and says, “Toughen up.” Or, “You think it’s bad now; just wait. It will be worse.”

God often replies to his saints in this way. Habakkuk and Job receive similar answers when they lay out their complaints to the Lord. See, some pastors tell you that you shouldn’t complain to God or have doubts in your prayers. But the Bible is very clear–God can handle it. He can handle it and will even respond most of the time. The problem is you may not like His response.

But He is sovereign, so how can you argue? We’re the clay. He’s the potter.