How does the new covenant offer so much more grace than the old? Is this worth exploring more? Let’s begin in Jeremiah 31.
Does God still show Israel grace and will He still be their God?
“At the same time,” says the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.” Thus says the Lord: “The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness—Israel, when I went to give him rest.” (Jer 31:1-2 NKJV)
What kind of love does God show to Israel and how will He bless them?
Long ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. I will rebuild you, my virgin Israel. You will again be happy and dance merrily with your tambourines. Again you will plant your vineyards on the mountains of Samaria and eat from your own gardens there. The day will come when watchmen will shout from the hill country of Ephraim, ‘Come, let us go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord our God.’” (Jer 31:3-6 NLT)
Why will the people of Israel sing and shout with gladness?
For Yahweh says, “Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the chief of the nations. Publish, praise, and say, ‘Yahweh, save your people, the remnant of Israel!’ Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, along with the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who travails with child together. They will return as a great company. They will come with weeping. I will lead them with petitions. I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way in which they won’t stumble; for I am a father to Israel. Ephraim is my firstborn. (Jer 31:7-9 WEB)
Does God promise to rescue the people of Jacob and will they come shouting for joy?
Listen to the Lord’s word, you nations, and announce it to the distant islands: The one who scattered Israel will gather them and keep them safe, as a shepherd his flock. The Lord will rescue the people of Jacob and deliver them from the power of those stronger than they are. They will come shouting for joy on the hills of Zion, jubilant over the Lord’s gifts: grain, wine, oil, flocks, and herds. Their lives will be like a lush garden; they will grieve no more.
Then the young women will dance for joy; the young and old men will join in. I will turn their mourning into laughter and their sadness into joy; I will comfort them. I will lavish the priests with abundance and shower my people with my gifts, declares the Lord. (Jer 31:10-14 CEB)
How will God provide for the dead? How will they come home from the enemy’s land, unless God has something planned beyond this life?
In Ramah a voice is heard, crying and weeping loudly. Rachel mourns for her children and refuses to be comforted, because they are dead. But I, the Lord, say to dry your tears. Someday your children will come home from the enemy's land. Then all you have done for them will be greatly rewarded. So don't lose hope. I, the Lord, have spoken. (Jer 31:15-17 CEV)
Would we exhibit the same humble, teachable attitude that Ephraim had when disciplined by God?
I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the Lord my God. For after I had turned away, I relented, and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’ Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord. (Jer 31:18-20 ESV)
Is the way back to God clearly signposted? Will the land be so safe that a woman can stand guard?
Set up road markers for yourself; establish signposts! Keep the highway in mind, the way you have traveled. Return, Virgin Israel! Return to these cities of yours. How long will you turn here and there, faithless daughter? For the Lord creates something new in the land—a female will shelter a man. (Jer 31:21-22 HCSB)
Will God restore Judah and will they preach a message of comfort in the land?
This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: “They’ll again speak this message in the land of Judah and its towns when I restore their fortunes: ‘The Lord bless you, righteous dwelling, holy mountain.’ Judah and all its towns will live together in the land, along with farmers and those who follow the flock. I’ll provide abundance for those who are weary, and fill all who are faint.” Then I awoke and looked around, and I had had a pleasant sleep. (Jer 31:23-26 ISV)
Did people believe that God punishes people for the sins of their forefathers? Is the truth that God punishes people for their own sins?
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord. In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. (Jer 31:27-30 KJV)
How will the new covenant differ from the covenant on stone, the Ten Commandments?
“Behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I cut with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, but I was a husband to them,” declares Yahweh. “But this is the covenant which I will cut with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Yahweh: “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares Yahweh, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jer 31:31-34 LSB)
How impossible is it for a mere human being to measure all that God has created?
This is what the Lord says, He who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—The Lord of armies is His name: “If this fixed order departs From Me,” declares the Lord, “Then the descendants of Israel also will cease To be a nation before Me forever.” This is what the Lord says: “If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also reject all the descendants of Israel For everything that they have done,” declares the Lord. (Jer 31:35-37 NASB)
Did Jeremiah prophecy that there would be a rebuilt Jerusalem never again uprooted or demolished?
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.” (Jer 31:38-40 NIV)
What is a major difference between the old covenant, the Ten Commandments, and the new covenant?
But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. (2 Cor 3:7-9 NKJV)
What kind of cleansing does the new covenant offer compared to the old?
The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. (Heb 10:1 NLT)
How does the new covenant offer so much more grace than the old? Is this worth exploring more? You decide!
Book of Consolation (Jeremiah 30)
Does God’s consolation of Israel and Judah lay the foundation for a new covenant to be discussed next? Let’s begin in Jeremiah 30.
Is this prophecy something God wants to preserve in writing? Is it a significant turning point for both Israel and Judah?
Jeremiah received the Lord’s word: The Lord, the God of Israel, proclaims: Write down in a scroll all the words I have spoken to you. The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will bring back my people Israel and Judah from captivity, says the Lord. I will bring them home to the land that I gave to their ancestors, and they will possess it. (Jer 30:1-3 CEB)
Does God predict a time known prophetically as Jacob’s trouble before he is finally saved?
These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: “Thus says the Lord: We have heard a cry of panic, of terror, and no peace. Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale? Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob [Jacob’s trouble]; yet he shall be saved out of it.” (Jer 30:4-7 ESV)
Does God promise freedom from slavery? How can David be their king unless this is only partially fulfilled in this age? Is God’s discipline just? Can only God restore life after death?
“On that day”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—“I will break his yoke from your neck and tear off your chains so strangers will never again enslave him. They will serve the Lord their God and I will raise up David their king for them.”
As for you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid—this is the Lord’s declaration—and do not be dismayed, Israel, for without fail I will save you from far away, your descendants, from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return and have calm and quiet with no one to frighten him.
For I will be with you—this is the Lord’s declaration—to save you! I will bring destruction on all the nations where I have scattered you; however, I will not bring destruction on you. I will discipline you justly, and I will by no means leave you unpunished. (Jer 30:8-11 HCSB)
Though some complain that God’s punishment is unjust, who alone can restore life after a mortal injury? Should God tolerate sin for all eternity?
“For this is what the Lord says: ‘Your injury won’t heal; your wound is severe. There is no one to plead your cause. There is no medicine for your sore; no healing for you.
All your lovers have forgotten you; they don’t seek you. Indeed, I’ve struck you down with the blow of an enemy, with the punishment of a cruel foe because your wickedness is great, and your sins are numerous. Why do you cry out because of your injury? Your wound won’t heal. Because your wickedness is severe, and your sins are numerous, I’ve done all these things to you.
In addition, all who devour you will be devoured, and all your oppressors—all of them—will go into captivity. Those who plunder you will become plunder, and all who spoil you will become spoil. Indeed, I’ll bring you healing, and I’ll heal you of your wounds,’ declares the Lord, ‘because they have called you an outcast and have said, “It is Zion, no one cares for her!”’” (Jer 30:12-17 ISV)
Will Jacob again be released from slavery? Will they prosper again?
Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again [release] the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them. And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord. (Jer 30:18-21 KJV)
What is the bottom line? Will they be God’s people and will He be their God?
‘You shall be My people, And I will be your God.’” (Jer 30:22 LSB)
Are there mysteries that critics of God and the Bible miss? Will the latter days and the ministry of Jesus Christ begin to open those mysteries?
Behold, the tempest of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, A sweeping tempest; It will whirl upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back Until He has performed and accomplished The intent of His heart. In the latter days you will understand this. (Jer 30:23-24 NASB)
Who will be the descendant of David that God will give to reign forever?
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:32-33 NIV)
Does God’s consolation of Israel and Judah lay the foundation for a new covenant to be discussed next? You decide!
Is this prophecy something God wants to preserve in writing? Is it a significant turning point for both Israel and Judah?
Jeremiah received the Lord’s word: The Lord, the God of Israel, proclaims: Write down in a scroll all the words I have spoken to you. The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will bring back my people Israel and Judah from captivity, says the Lord. I will bring them home to the land that I gave to their ancestors, and they will possess it. (Jer 30:1-3 CEB)
Does God predict a time known prophetically as Jacob’s trouble before he is finally saved?
These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: “Thus says the Lord: We have heard a cry of panic, of terror, and no peace. Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale? Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob [Jacob’s trouble]; yet he shall be saved out of it.” (Jer 30:4-7 ESV)
Does God promise freedom from slavery? How can David be their king unless this is only partially fulfilled in this age? Is God’s discipline just? Can only God restore life after death?
“On that day”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—“I will break his yoke from your neck and tear off your chains so strangers will never again enslave him. They will serve the Lord their God and I will raise up David their king for them.”
As for you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid—this is the Lord’s declaration—and do not be dismayed, Israel, for without fail I will save you from far away, your descendants, from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return and have calm and quiet with no one to frighten him.
For I will be with you—this is the Lord’s declaration—to save you! I will bring destruction on all the nations where I have scattered you; however, I will not bring destruction on you. I will discipline you justly, and I will by no means leave you unpunished. (Jer 30:8-11 HCSB)
Though some complain that God’s punishment is unjust, who alone can restore life after a mortal injury? Should God tolerate sin for all eternity?
“For this is what the Lord says: ‘Your injury won’t heal; your wound is severe. There is no one to plead your cause. There is no medicine for your sore; no healing for you.
All your lovers have forgotten you; they don’t seek you. Indeed, I’ve struck you down with the blow of an enemy, with the punishment of a cruel foe because your wickedness is great, and your sins are numerous. Why do you cry out because of your injury? Your wound won’t heal. Because your wickedness is severe, and your sins are numerous, I’ve done all these things to you.
In addition, all who devour you will be devoured, and all your oppressors—all of them—will go into captivity. Those who plunder you will become plunder, and all who spoil you will become spoil. Indeed, I’ll bring you healing, and I’ll heal you of your wounds,’ declares the Lord, ‘because they have called you an outcast and have said, “It is Zion, no one cares for her!”’” (Jer 30:12-17 ISV)
Will Jacob again be released from slavery? Will they prosper again?
Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again [release] the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them. And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord. (Jer 30:18-21 KJV)
What is the bottom line? Will they be God’s people and will He be their God?
‘You shall be My people, And I will be your God.’” (Jer 30:22 LSB)
Are there mysteries that critics of God and the Bible miss? Will the latter days and the ministry of Jesus Christ begin to open those mysteries?
Behold, the tempest of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, A sweeping tempest; It will whirl upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back Until He has performed and accomplished The intent of His heart. In the latter days you will understand this. (Jer 30:23-24 NASB)
Who will be the descendant of David that God will give to reign forever?
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:32-33 NIV)
Does God’s consolation of Israel and Judah lay the foundation for a new covenant to be discussed next? You decide!
Letter to Exiles (Jeremiah 29)
Do God’s plans sometimes test our faith in Him? Is trust in God important? Let’s look at Jeremiah 29.
Did Jeremiah send a letter to the exiles of Judah in Babylon?
This is the text of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exiles, the priests, the prophets, and all the people Nebuchadnezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon. This was after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the court officials, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalsmiths had left Jerusalem. The letter was sent by Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah whom Zedekiah king of Judah had sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The letter stated: (Jer 29:1-3 HCSB)
What did God have to tell the exiles in Babylon? Should they settle down, live normal lives and seek the welfare of the city?
“This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles who were taken from Jerusalem into exile to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and father sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so they may have sons and daughters. Increase in numbers there, don’t decrease. Seek the welfare of the city to which I’ve exiled you and pray to the Lord for it, for your welfare depends on its welfare.’ (Jer 29:4-7 ISV)
What did God say warning the exiled people about false prophets?
For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord. (Jer 29:8-9 KJV)
How long did God say that the exiles would have to live in Babylon? Is there a general principle here of God desiring to give loyal believers a future and a hope, or did this just apply to the specific situation?
“For thus says Yahweh, ‘When seventy years have been fulfilled for Babylon, I will visit you and establish My good word to you, to return you to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘plans for peace and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will return your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have banished you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will cause you to return to the place from where I sent you into exile.’ (Jer 29:10-14 LSB)
What did God say would happen to those who did not go into exile?
“Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon’— for this is what the Lord says concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who live in this city, your brothers who did not go with you into exile— this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the sword, famine, and plague; and I will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness. I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with plague; and I will make them an object of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse and an object of horror and hissing, and a disgrace among all the nations where I have driven them, because they have not listened to My words,’ declares the Lord, ‘which I sent to them again and again by My servants the prophets; but you did not listen,’ declares the Lord. ‘You, therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. (Jer 29:15-20 NASB)
What did God say would happen to the prophets Zedekiah and Ahab who preached lies?
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.’ For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know it and am a witness to it,” declares the Lord. (Jer 29:21-23 NIV)
What did Shemaiah do to attack and threaten Jeremiah for his prophecies?
You shall also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there should be officers in the house of the Lord over every man who is demented and considers himself a prophet, that you should put him in prison and in the stocks. Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who makes himself a prophet to you? For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘This captivity is long; build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’ ” (Jer 29:24-28 NKJV)
What consequences did God publicly announce would come upon Shemaiah?
But when Zephaniah the priest received Shemaiah’s letter, he took it to Jeremiah and read it to him. Then the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah: “Send an open letter to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Since he has prophesied to you when I did not send him and has tricked you into believing his lies, I will punish him and his family. None of his descendants will see the good things I will do for my people, for he has incited you to rebel against me. I, the Lord, have spoken!’” (Jer 29:29-32 NLT)
Is the situation of the exiles in Babylon, an example of trusting God to work things out for good for those who love Him?
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28 WEB)
Do God’s plans sometimes test our faith in Him? Is trust in God important? You decide!
Did Jeremiah send a letter to the exiles of Judah in Babylon?
This is the text of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exiles, the priests, the prophets, and all the people Nebuchadnezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon. This was after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the court officials, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalsmiths had left Jerusalem. The letter was sent by Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah whom Zedekiah king of Judah had sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The letter stated: (Jer 29:1-3 HCSB)
What did God have to tell the exiles in Babylon? Should they settle down, live normal lives and seek the welfare of the city?
“This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles who were taken from Jerusalem into exile to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and father sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so they may have sons and daughters. Increase in numbers there, don’t decrease. Seek the welfare of the city to which I’ve exiled you and pray to the Lord for it, for your welfare depends on its welfare.’ (Jer 29:4-7 ISV)
What did God say warning the exiled people about false prophets?
For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord. (Jer 29:8-9 KJV)
How long did God say that the exiles would have to live in Babylon? Is there a general principle here of God desiring to give loyal believers a future and a hope, or did this just apply to the specific situation?
“For thus says Yahweh, ‘When seventy years have been fulfilled for Babylon, I will visit you and establish My good word to you, to return you to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘plans for peace and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will return your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have banished you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will cause you to return to the place from where I sent you into exile.’ (Jer 29:10-14 LSB)
What did God say would happen to those who did not go into exile?
“Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon’— for this is what the Lord says concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who live in this city, your brothers who did not go with you into exile— this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the sword, famine, and plague; and I will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness. I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with plague; and I will make them an object of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse and an object of horror and hissing, and a disgrace among all the nations where I have driven them, because they have not listened to My words,’ declares the Lord, ‘which I sent to them again and again by My servants the prophets; but you did not listen,’ declares the Lord. ‘You, therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. (Jer 29:15-20 NASB)
What did God say would happen to the prophets Zedekiah and Ahab who preached lies?
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.’ For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know it and am a witness to it,” declares the Lord. (Jer 29:21-23 NIV)
What did Shemaiah do to attack and threaten Jeremiah for his prophecies?
You shall also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there should be officers in the house of the Lord over every man who is demented and considers himself a prophet, that you should put him in prison and in the stocks. Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who makes himself a prophet to you? For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘This captivity is long; build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’ ” (Jer 29:24-28 NKJV)
What consequences did God publicly announce would come upon Shemaiah?
But when Zephaniah the priest received Shemaiah’s letter, he took it to Jeremiah and read it to him. Then the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah: “Send an open letter to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Since he has prophesied to you when I did not send him and has tricked you into believing his lies, I will punish him and his family. None of his descendants will see the good things I will do for my people, for he has incited you to rebel against me. I, the Lord, have spoken!’” (Jer 29:29-32 NLT)
Is the situation of the exiles in Babylon, an example of trusting God to work things out for good for those who love Him?
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28 WEB)
Do God’s plans sometimes test our faith in Him? Is trust in God important? You decide!
Hananiah (Jeremiah 28)
What does Jeremiah’s experience with Hananiah teach us about the lies and fate of false prophets? Let’s begin in Jeremiah 28.
What false prophesy did Hananiah make about the exiles from Judah in Babylon?
In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people: “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’” (Jer 28:1-4 NIV)
What did Jeremiah say to the false prophet Hananiah about how to tell who is a true prophet?
Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who stood in the house of the Lord, and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! The Lord do so; the Lord perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house and all who were carried away captive, from Babylon to this place. Nevertheless hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries and great kingdoms—of war and disaster and pestilence. As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.” (Jer 28:5-9 NKJV)
Did Hananiah repent or repeat his false prophecy using an illustration? Have false teachers today ever truly repented?
Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke off Jeremiah’s neck and broke it in pieces. And Hananiah said again to the crowd that had gathered, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Just as this yoke has been broken, within two years I will break the yoke of oppression from all the nations now subject to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.’” With that, Jeremiah left the Temple area. (Jer 28:10-11 NLT)
How did God ask Jeremiah to undo the false prophecy by Hananiah?
Then Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the bar from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Go, and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘Yahweh says, “You have broken the bars of wood, but you have made in their place bars of iron.” For Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says, “I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they will serve him. I have also given him the animals of the field.”’” (Jer 28:12-14 WEB)
What consequences did Hananiah face from the Lord for his false preaching?
Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah: “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord hasn’t sent you. All you are doing is persuading these people to believe a lie. Therefore, the Lord proclaims: I’m going to send you somewhere—right off the face of the earth! Before the year ends, you will die since you have incited rebellion against the Lord.” The prophet Hananiah died in the seventh month of that year. (Jer 28:15-17 CEB)
What did Jesus predict about false prophets in our day?
Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. (Mat 24:11 CEV)
What was Peter’s experience and prediction regarding false prophets?
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1 ESV)
What does Jeremiah’s experience with Hananiah teach us about the lies and fate of false prophets? You decide!
What false prophesy did Hananiah make about the exiles from Judah in Babylon?
In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people: “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’” (Jer 28:1-4 NIV)
What did Jeremiah say to the false prophet Hananiah about how to tell who is a true prophet?
Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who stood in the house of the Lord, and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! The Lord do so; the Lord perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house and all who were carried away captive, from Babylon to this place. Nevertheless hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries and great kingdoms—of war and disaster and pestilence. As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.” (Jer 28:5-9 NKJV)
Did Hananiah repent or repeat his false prophecy using an illustration? Have false teachers today ever truly repented?
Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke off Jeremiah’s neck and broke it in pieces. And Hananiah said again to the crowd that had gathered, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Just as this yoke has been broken, within two years I will break the yoke of oppression from all the nations now subject to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.’” With that, Jeremiah left the Temple area. (Jer 28:10-11 NLT)
How did God ask Jeremiah to undo the false prophecy by Hananiah?
Then Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the bar from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Go, and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘Yahweh says, “You have broken the bars of wood, but you have made in their place bars of iron.” For Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says, “I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they will serve him. I have also given him the animals of the field.”’” (Jer 28:12-14 WEB)
What consequences did Hananiah face from the Lord for his false preaching?
Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah: “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord hasn’t sent you. All you are doing is persuading these people to believe a lie. Therefore, the Lord proclaims: I’m going to send you somewhere—right off the face of the earth! Before the year ends, you will die since you have incited rebellion against the Lord.” The prophet Hananiah died in the seventh month of that year. (Jer 28:15-17 CEB)
What did Jesus predict about false prophets in our day?
Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. (Mat 24:11 CEV)
What was Peter’s experience and prediction regarding false prophets?
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1 ESV)
What does Jeremiah’s experience with Hananiah teach us about the lies and fate of false prophets? You decide!
Yoked (Jeremiah 27)
As Judah was taken captive to ancient Babylon, are we also yoked as slaves to this world? Is there a light yoke that will give us a true Sabbath rest for our souls? Let’s begin in Jeremiah 27.
Would the nations surrounding Judah come under the yoke of slavery to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon? Would Babylon then also become a slave?
In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. Thus the Lord said to me: “Make yourself straps and yoke-bars, and put them on your neck. Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the sons of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave. (Jer 27:1-7 ESV)
Should the people of Judah submit to the king of Babylon or rebel? What was God’s declaration?
“As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and does not place its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish by sword, famine, and plague”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“until through him I have destroyed it. But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, diviners, dreamers, fortune-tellers, or sorcerers who say to you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon!’ for they prophesy a lie to you so that you will be removed from your land. I will banish you, and you will perish. But as for the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, and that nation will cultivate it and reside in it.” This is the Lord’s declaration. (Jer 27:8-11 HCSB)
What did Jeremiah report to Zedekiah, king of Judah, about false prophets and the consequences of rebelling against Babylon?
I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah using words like these: “Bring your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon. Serve him and his people, and you will live! Why should you and your people die by the sword, by famine, and by plague as the Lord has decreed about the nation that does not serve the king of Babylon? Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, ‘You won’t serve the king of Babylon.’ Indeed, they’re prophesying a lie to you. For I didn’t send them,” declares the Lord, “and they’re falsely prophesying in my name, so I will drive both you and the prophets who prophesy to you out of the land.” (Jer 27:12-15 ISV)
Should the people listen to false prophets? Should we?
Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste? But if they be prophets, and if the word of the Lord be with them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon. (Jer 27:16-18 KJV)
Would God eventually cause people to bring back the vessels of the temple sanctuary to Jerusalem?
For thus says Yahweh of hosts concerning the pillars, concerning the sea, concerning the stands, and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried away into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. Indeed, thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of Yahweh and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem, ‘They will be brought to Babylon, and they will be there until the day I visit them,’ declares Yahweh. ‘Then I will bring them up and return them to this place.’” (Jer 27:19-22 LSB)
What did Jesus say about the yoke of worldly ways imposed upon people, and His own yoke of true rest for our souls?
“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.” (Mat 11:28-30 NASB)
As Judah was taken captive to ancient Babylon, are we also yoked as slaves to this world? Is there a light yoke that will give us a true Sabbath rest for our souls? You decide!
Would the nations surrounding Judah come under the yoke of slavery to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon? Would Babylon then also become a slave?
In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. Thus the Lord said to me: “Make yourself straps and yoke-bars, and put them on your neck. Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the sons of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave. (Jer 27:1-7 ESV)
Should the people of Judah submit to the king of Babylon or rebel? What was God’s declaration?
“As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and does not place its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish by sword, famine, and plague”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“until through him I have destroyed it. But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, diviners, dreamers, fortune-tellers, or sorcerers who say to you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon!’ for they prophesy a lie to you so that you will be removed from your land. I will banish you, and you will perish. But as for the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, and that nation will cultivate it and reside in it.” This is the Lord’s declaration. (Jer 27:8-11 HCSB)
What did Jeremiah report to Zedekiah, king of Judah, about false prophets and the consequences of rebelling against Babylon?
I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah using words like these: “Bring your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon. Serve him and his people, and you will live! Why should you and your people die by the sword, by famine, and by plague as the Lord has decreed about the nation that does not serve the king of Babylon? Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, ‘You won’t serve the king of Babylon.’ Indeed, they’re prophesying a lie to you. For I didn’t send them,” declares the Lord, “and they’re falsely prophesying in my name, so I will drive both you and the prophets who prophesy to you out of the land.” (Jer 27:12-15 ISV)
Should the people listen to false prophets? Should we?
Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste? But if they be prophets, and if the word of the Lord be with them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon. (Jer 27:16-18 KJV)
Would God eventually cause people to bring back the vessels of the temple sanctuary to Jerusalem?
For thus says Yahweh of hosts concerning the pillars, concerning the sea, concerning the stands, and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried away into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. Indeed, thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of Yahweh and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem, ‘They will be brought to Babylon, and they will be there until the day I visit them,’ declares Yahweh. ‘Then I will bring them up and return them to this place.’” (Jer 27:19-22 LSB)
What did Jesus say about the yoke of worldly ways imposed upon people, and His own yoke of true rest for our souls?
“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.” (Mat 11:28-30 NASB)
As Judah was taken captive to ancient Babylon, are we also yoked as slaves to this world? Is there a light yoke that will give us a true Sabbath rest for our souls? You decide!
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