The wickedness of the nation overwhelms Jeremiah. I pray our wickedness as a nation would overwhelm us, for we are not doing any better than they were at that point in history.

The original text did not include quotation marks, which makes it exceptionally hard to know where God’s declarations end and the prophet’s laments begin. In some ways–well, in every way–I think this was intentional. The words of the Lord should be part of the prophet’s being; and, the prophet should declare only the words of the Lord. Thus, when we read 9:1, how do we know if it is God lamenting or Jeremiah lamenting? Or, does it even matter? Should not their hearts be the same?

Something to think about.

As is 9:23 and 10:24.

 

Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have? (8:9)

This chapter is so full of poignant phrases and rebukes from the Lord. He does a fine job of taking the wrecking ball to Israel’s walls and facades, as well as our own. Yet in all these rebukes, this one hit me hardest.

To reject means, “to not accept something, to not use something, to turn down or pass on something.”

While I know this was written to the Israelites at a specific time in their history, I can’t help applying the lesson to myself today. How often do I hear the word of the Lord, but not accept it, not use it? How often do I know I should be in it, but I turn it down? How often do I know I should be practicing it, but I pass and opt for selfishness instead?

What kind of wisdom do I have when I don’t accept, embrace, and practice the word of the Lord? Dare I say none.

**See James 3 also**

Here’s something worth paying attention to. The Lord is speaking, and He states, “To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it. But I am full of the wrath of the Lord,and I cannot hold it in” (6:10-11).

Here’s another. “From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike,all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them,” (6:13-15).

Here’s another: “Hear, you earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law” (6:19).

All of this in chapter 6. Gloomy indeed.

In chapter 7:2-7, God gives the offer of repentance, of change, of reform. If they take it, He will reward them and allow them to stay in the land. If not, well…we should get the picture by now. God even warns Jeremiah at the end of the chapter as to what the result will be.

What a gut-wrenching and simultaneously comforting thought:

“Circumcise yourselves to the Lord;remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire,and burn with none to quench it,because of the evil of your deeds.”

Circumcision, as we know from Genesis and the rest of Torah, was a practice given by God to the Israelites. For one, it was a sign of the covenant between Abraham and God. God changes his name from Abram to Abraham, and He makes him fruitful, promising to make him the father of many nations.  For two, circumcision had great health benefits. Less disease and less infection is always a plus. For three, it would distinguish them from the surrounding nations. No other nations practiced circumcision in those days.

Now, here is God (thru Jeremiah), bringing to mind a common physical practice and applying it metaphorically to the people’s hearts. They need to repent and rid themselves of infection, disease, SIN. If they don’t there will be consequences. Think of how painful the physical act of circumcision is.

Then think of how much it hurts when you realize you have idols, sin, and disease in your heart.

Moving to chapter 5, verse 17: “They shall…they shall…they shall…” meaning it’s going to happen. And the other repeated phrase, this coming as God asks a rhetorical question,  “Shall I not punish them for these things? Shall I not avenge Myself on a nation such as this?” We know that these are heavy truths. The people will go into captivity. That is their punishment. It is the Lord’s way of avenging Himself.

How painful. How comforting.

Forgive me please. We are in the process of packing & moving, so the things I wanted to share about Jeremiah’s two visions are packed away in a box of books.

For now, let’s look at chapters 2-3. Here, the Lord has a lot to say to Israel, and it is not a positive message. It is a harsh rebuke. After the rebuke, an invitation.

For a summary statement see 2:19 and 2:28 and 2:35

I know I’m going to have to read much faster if I plan to stay on track with the one year reading plan. This chapter, however, sets the tone for the rest of the book.

Jeremiah grew up just three miles north of Jerusalem, as the son of a priest. He was actually the son of Hilkiah, the priest who found the book of the law during the reign of King Josiah. As a result of the founding, King Josiah called for drastic reforms. Jeremiah saw all of this, and was likely encouraged to follow in his father’s footsteps, dedicating his life to service in the temple. But in chapter 1, we learn the Lord has other plans for Jeremiah.

Jeremiah is called to service for the Lord, but it is of a much different sort than his priestly father. Jeremiah is called to be a prophet to the nations. A prophet is not loved by the people like a priest is. And a prophet must speak words that are not easy to to accept. God tells Jeremiah not to worry about his age, or what he will say, or where he will go, for all of that is in the Lord’s hands.

Then the Lord puts out His hand and touches Jeremiah’s mouth. How? I don’t know. But the text says God does this. And with that touch come these words, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

With that, two visions and a promise from the Lord, Jeremiah is commissioned to his prophetic ministry.

(More on the visions tomorrow.)

 

I’m in it for the long haul. Fifty-two chapters of goodness.

In all actuality, I have never really enjoyed the book. I enjoy studying the character, the person named Jeremiah. But the book itself is disjointed, difficult to read, and lengthy.

This time through I really want to grasp more lessons from the book of Jeremiah. I want to keep learning about the man, but I really want to understand the book. So here it goes…