Did God warn three kings of Judah to uphold justice and not to mistreat the weak or face ruin? Do our national leaders? Let’s look at Jeremiah 22.
Was Jeremiah sent to the king of Judah with a message from God?
This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and tell him this: ‘Listen to this message from the Lord, king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David—you, your officials, and your people who enter these gates. This is what the Lord says: “Uphold justice and righteousness. Deliver from their oppressor those who have been robbed. Don’t mistreat or do violence to the alien, the orphan, or the widow, or shed the blood of innocent people in this place. Rather, carefully obey this message, and then kings sitting for David on his throne and riding in chariots and on horses will enter the gates of this house. The king will enter along with his officials and his people. But if you don’t listen to these words, I swear,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a ruin.”’” (Jer 22:1-5 ISV)
Was the king exalted like the beautiful mountains of Gilead? What would happen to him?
For thus saith the Lord unto the king's house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited. And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. (Jer 22:6-7 KJV)
What will foreign nations inquire about Judah, and how will they answer?
“Many nations will pass by this city; and they will say to one another, ‘Why has Yahweh done thus to this great city?’ Then they will say, ‘Because they forsook the covenant of Yahweh their God and worshiped other gods and served them.’” Do not weep for the dead or console him, But weep continually for the one who goes away, For he will never return Or see the land of his birth. (Jer 22:8-10 LSB)
What does God want Jeremiah to tell Shallum or Jehoahaz, king of Judah?
For this is what the Lord says regarding Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of his father Josiah, who went out from this place: “He will never return there; but in the place where they took him into exile, there he will die and he will not see this land again. (Jer 22:11-12 NASB)
What misuse of power does God warn a nation’s leader not to engage in?
“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his own people work for nothing, not paying them for their labor. He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace with spacious upper rooms.’ So he makes large windows in it, panels it with cedar and decorates it in red.” (Jer 22:13-14 NIV)
Does the accumulation of wealth for selfish purposes exalt a national leader or justice, righteousness, and caring for the poor and needy?
“Shall you reign because you enclose yourself in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then it was well. Was not this knowing Me?” says the Lord. “Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence.” (Jer 22:15-17 NKJV)
What did God say about Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and his greed?
Therefore, this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim, son of King Josiah: “The people will not mourn for him, crying to one another, ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ His subjects will not mourn for him, crying, ‘Alas, our master is dead! Alas, his splendor is gone!’ He will be buried like a dead donkey—dragged out of Jerusalem and dumped outside the gates! (Jer 22:18-19 NLT)
Was there hope for Judah in foreign allies, so-called lovers like Lebanon, Bashan and east of the Jordan in Abarim?
“Go up to Lebanon, and cry out. Lift up your voice in Bashan, and cry from Abarim; for all your lovers have been destroyed. I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, ‘I will not listen.’ This has been your way from your youth, that you didn’t obey my voice. The wind will feed all your shepherds, and your lovers will go into captivity. Surely then you will be ashamed and confounded for all your wickedness. Inhabitant of Lebanon, who makes your nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied you will be when pangs come on you, the pain as of a woman in travail! (Jer 22:20-23 WEB)
What did God say about Coniah (also called Jehoiachin or Jeconiah) king of Judah?
As surely as I live, declares the Lord, even if Coniah, King Jehoiakim’s son from Judah were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still remove you from there. I would hand you over to those who seek to kill you, those you dread, even Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar and his army. I will banish you and your mother who bore you to a land far from your native soil, and there the two of you will die. You will never return to the land you long to go back to. (Jer 22:24-27 CEB)
Why did God say Jehoiakin (Coniah) was unwanted, like a broken clay pot?
Jehoiachin, you are unwanted like a broken clay pot. So you and your children will be thrown into a country you know nothing about. Land of Judah, I am the Lord. Now listen to what I say! Erase the names of Jehoiachin's children from the royal records. He is a complete failure, and so none of them will ever be king. I, the Lord, have spoken. (Jer 22:28-30 CEV)
What did James confirm about pure religion that these kings of Judah missed?
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27 ESV)
Did God warn three kings of Judah to uphold justice and not to mistreat the weak or face ruin? Do our national leaders? You decide!
Jerusalem Punished (Jeremiah 21)
Is Jerusalem a city that has received divine punishment several times? Do we see God’s hand throughout world history? Let’s begin in Jeremiah 21.
As the prophecies God gave Jeremiah begin to take shape do religious and political leaders implore Jeremiah to pray to God for mercy?
The Lord spoke through Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, to speak with him. They begged Jeremiah, “Please speak to the Lord for us and ask him to help us. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is attacking Judah. Perhaps the Lord will be gracious and do a mighty miracle as he has done in the past. Perhaps he will force Nebuchadnezzar to withdraw his armies.” (Jer 21:1-2 NLT)
Will God make Jerusalem’s weapons useless and send their king into Babylonian captivity?
Then Jeremiah said to them, “Tell Zedekiah: ‘Yahweh, the God of Israel says, “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; and I will gather them into the middle of this city. I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation.
I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and animal. They will die of a great pestilence. Afterward,” says Yahweh, “I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, and the people, even those who are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life. He will strike them with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them, have pity, or have mercy.”’ (Jer 21:3-7 WEB)
Does God tell the people of Jerusalem that they have a choice of two alternatives?
This is what you should tell this people: The Lord says: I’m setting before you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever stays in the city will die by the sword, famine, and disease. But whoever leaves the city and surrenders to the Babylonians will live; yes, their lives will be spared. I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord; it will be delivered to the king of Babylon, who will set it on fire. (Jer 21:8-10 CEB)
What duty to justice and those being robbed does God expect of a royal?
Pay attention, you that belong to the royal family. Each new day, make sure that justice is done, and rescue those who are being robbed. Or else my anger will flame up like a fire that never goes out. (Jer 21:11-12 CEV)
What does God say to corrupt citizens who believe they are safe from invasion?
“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, O rock of the plain, declares the Lord; you who say, ‘Who shall come down against us, or who shall enter our habitations?’ I will punish you according to the fruit of your deeds, declares the Lord; I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it shall devour all that is around her.” (Jer 21:13-14 ESV)
Did Jesus predict a similar punishment for the city of Jerusalem?
As He approached and saw the city, He wept over it, saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come on you when your enemies will build an embankment against you, surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you and your children within you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on another in you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44 HCSB)
Is Jerusalem a city that has received divine punishment several times? Do we see God’s hand throughout world history? You decide!
As the prophecies God gave Jeremiah begin to take shape do religious and political leaders implore Jeremiah to pray to God for mercy?
The Lord spoke through Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, to speak with him. They begged Jeremiah, “Please speak to the Lord for us and ask him to help us. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is attacking Judah. Perhaps the Lord will be gracious and do a mighty miracle as he has done in the past. Perhaps he will force Nebuchadnezzar to withdraw his armies.” (Jer 21:1-2 NLT)
Will God make Jerusalem’s weapons useless and send their king into Babylonian captivity?
Then Jeremiah said to them, “Tell Zedekiah: ‘Yahweh, the God of Israel says, “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; and I will gather them into the middle of this city. I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation.
I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and animal. They will die of a great pestilence. Afterward,” says Yahweh, “I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, and the people, even those who are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life. He will strike them with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them, have pity, or have mercy.”’ (Jer 21:3-7 WEB)
Does God tell the people of Jerusalem that they have a choice of two alternatives?
This is what you should tell this people: The Lord says: I’m setting before you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever stays in the city will die by the sword, famine, and disease. But whoever leaves the city and surrenders to the Babylonians will live; yes, their lives will be spared. I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord; it will be delivered to the king of Babylon, who will set it on fire. (Jer 21:8-10 CEB)
What duty to justice and those being robbed does God expect of a royal?
Pay attention, you that belong to the royal family. Each new day, make sure that justice is done, and rescue those who are being robbed. Or else my anger will flame up like a fire that never goes out. (Jer 21:11-12 CEV)
What does God say to corrupt citizens who believe they are safe from invasion?
“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, O rock of the plain, declares the Lord; you who say, ‘Who shall come down against us, or who shall enter our habitations?’ I will punish you according to the fruit of your deeds, declares the Lord; I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it shall devour all that is around her.” (Jer 21:13-14 ESV)
Did Jesus predict a similar punishment for the city of Jerusalem?
As He approached and saw the city, He wept over it, saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come on you when your enemies will build an embankment against you, surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you and your children within you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on another in you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44 HCSB)
Is Jerusalem a city that has received divine punishment several times? Do we see God’s hand throughout world history? You decide!
Prophet's Complaint (Jeremiah 20)
Must those who faithfully preach God’s word be prepared for attacks and false accusations even from religious leaders? Let’s look at Jeremiah 20.
What did the priest do to Jeremiah? What did Jeremiah prophesy over him?
When the priest Pashhur, Immer’s son, who was the officer in charge of the Lord’s Temple heard Jeremiah prophesying these words, Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate of the Temple. The next day, Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, and Jeremiah told him, “The Lord has not named you Pashhur [prosperity all around], but rather Magor-missabib [terror all around]. (Jer 20:1-3 ISV)
Was Pashhur a lying priest, a false prophet, and did God plan a bad end for him?
For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword. Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the labours thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon. And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies. (Jer 20:4-6 KJV)
Like many who actually preach God’s word rather than popular lies, did Jeremiah reach a state of despair?
O Yahweh, You have enticed me, and I was enticed; You were stronger than I, and You prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I call out violence and devastation Because for me the word of Yahweh has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot prevail. (Jer 20:7-9 LSB)
Do people naturally want to denounce a preacher who is faithful to the truth, rather than soft empty-headed lies?
For I have heard the whispering of many, “Terror on every side! Denounce him; let’s denounce him!” All my trusted friends, Watching for my fall, say: “Perhaps he will be persuaded, so that we may prevail against him And take our revenge on him.” But the Lord is with me like a powerful champion; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be put to great shame because they have failed, An everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten. Yet, Lord of armies, who tests the righteous, Who sees the mind and the heart; Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You I have disclosed my cause. Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord! For He has saved the soul of the needy one From the hand of evildoers. (Jer 20:10-13 NASB)
Does a preacher, who is faithful to the truth, ever get discouraged enough to curse the day he was born?
Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed! Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, who made him very glad, saying, “A child is born to you—a son!” May that man be like the towns the Lord overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon. For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever. Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame? (Jer 20:14-18 NIV)
Did religious leaders also attack the apostles as they preached the Gospel?
Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. (Acts 5:17-18 NKJV)
Must those who faithfully preach God’s word be prepared for attacks and false accusations even from religious leaders? You decide!
What did the priest do to Jeremiah? What did Jeremiah prophesy over him?
When the priest Pashhur, Immer’s son, who was the officer in charge of the Lord’s Temple heard Jeremiah prophesying these words, Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate of the Temple. The next day, Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, and Jeremiah told him, “The Lord has not named you Pashhur [prosperity all around], but rather Magor-missabib [terror all around]. (Jer 20:1-3 ISV)
Was Pashhur a lying priest, a false prophet, and did God plan a bad end for him?
For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword. Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the labours thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon. And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies. (Jer 20:4-6 KJV)
Like many who actually preach God’s word rather than popular lies, did Jeremiah reach a state of despair?
O Yahweh, You have enticed me, and I was enticed; You were stronger than I, and You prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I call out violence and devastation Because for me the word of Yahweh has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot prevail. (Jer 20:7-9 LSB)
Do people naturally want to denounce a preacher who is faithful to the truth, rather than soft empty-headed lies?
For I have heard the whispering of many, “Terror on every side! Denounce him; let’s denounce him!” All my trusted friends, Watching for my fall, say: “Perhaps he will be persuaded, so that we may prevail against him And take our revenge on him.” But the Lord is with me like a powerful champion; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be put to great shame because they have failed, An everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten. Yet, Lord of armies, who tests the righteous, Who sees the mind and the heart; Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You I have disclosed my cause. Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord! For He has saved the soul of the needy one From the hand of evildoers. (Jer 20:10-13 NASB)
Does a preacher, who is faithful to the truth, ever get discouraged enough to curse the day he was born?
Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed! Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, who made him very glad, saying, “A child is born to you—a son!” May that man be like the towns the Lord overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon. For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever. Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame? (Jer 20:14-18 NIV)
Did religious leaders also attack the apostles as they preached the Gospel?
Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. (Acts 5:17-18 NKJV)
Must those who faithfully preach God’s word be prepared for attacks and false accusations even from religious leaders? You decide!
Broken Jar (Jeremiah 19)
Did God sometimes use a visual illustration in telling a prophecy? Would that be fine in a sermon today? Let’s look at Jeremiah 19.
What did God ask Jeremiah to do using a clay jar to illustrate a message?
This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a clay jar. Then ask some of the leaders of the people and of the priests to follow you. Go out through the Gate of Broken Pots to the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and give them this message. Say to them, ‘Listen to this message from the Lord, you kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will bring a terrible disaster on this place, and the ears of those who hear about it will ring! (Jer 19:1-3 NLT)
Does God repeat a warning from Jeremiah 7 about renaming the Valley of Hinnom on the south side of Jerusalem to the Valley of Slaughter?
Because they have forsaken me, and have defiled this place, and have burned incense in it to other gods that they didn’t know—they, their fathers, and the kings of Judah—and have filled this place with the blood of innocents, and have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I didn’t command, nor speak, which didn’t even enter into my mind. Therefore, behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that this place will no more be called ‘Topheth’ [a place of child sacrifice], nor ‘The Valley of the son of Hinnom’, but ‘The valley of Slaughter’. (Jer 19:4-6 WEB)
What punishment will God send to the nation for their idolatrous murder of little children in the valley of Hinnom?
I will foil the plans of Judah and Jerusalem in this place and will have them fall in battle before their enemies, before those who seek their lives. I will give their corpses as food to the birds and the wild animals. I will make this city something that sounds horrible; all who pass by it will be shocked at its pain. And when their enemies lay siege to the city, seeking their lives, they will resort in desperation to eating the flesh of their sons and daughters, and to devouring the flesh of their neighbors. (Jer 19:7-9 CEB)
What demonstration illustrating God’s message was Jeremiah to perform as he publicly prophesied?
Jeremiah, as soon as you have said this, smash the jar while the people are watching. Then tell them that I have also said: I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I warn you that I will shatter Judah and Jerusalem just like this jar that is broken beyond repair. You will bury your dead here in Topheth, but so many of you will die that there won't be enough room. I will make Jerusalem as unclean as Topheth, by filling the city with your dead bodies. I will do this because you and your kings have gone up to the roofs of your houses and burned incense to the stars in the sky, as though they were gods. And you have given sacrifices of wine to foreign gods. (Jer 19:10-13 CEV)
As Jeremiah moved from Topheth, where child sacrifice was made, to stand in the Temple court, what did he say?
Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the Lord's house and said to all the people: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear my words.” (Jer 19:14-15 ESV)
Were the ancient fires of the valley of Hinnom a metaphor for the fires of hell?
But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to hellfire [literally the fire of Gehenna, the valley Hinnom]. (Mat 5:22 HCSB)
Did God sometimes use a visual illustration in telling a prophecy? Would that be fine in a sermon today? You decide!
What did God ask Jeremiah to do using a clay jar to illustrate a message?
This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a clay jar. Then ask some of the leaders of the people and of the priests to follow you. Go out through the Gate of Broken Pots to the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and give them this message. Say to them, ‘Listen to this message from the Lord, you kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will bring a terrible disaster on this place, and the ears of those who hear about it will ring! (Jer 19:1-3 NLT)
Does God repeat a warning from Jeremiah 7 about renaming the Valley of Hinnom on the south side of Jerusalem to the Valley of Slaughter?
Because they have forsaken me, and have defiled this place, and have burned incense in it to other gods that they didn’t know—they, their fathers, and the kings of Judah—and have filled this place with the blood of innocents, and have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I didn’t command, nor speak, which didn’t even enter into my mind. Therefore, behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that this place will no more be called ‘Topheth’ [a place of child sacrifice], nor ‘The Valley of the son of Hinnom’, but ‘The valley of Slaughter’. (Jer 19:4-6 WEB)
What punishment will God send to the nation for their idolatrous murder of little children in the valley of Hinnom?
I will foil the plans of Judah and Jerusalem in this place and will have them fall in battle before their enemies, before those who seek their lives. I will give their corpses as food to the birds and the wild animals. I will make this city something that sounds horrible; all who pass by it will be shocked at its pain. And when their enemies lay siege to the city, seeking their lives, they will resort in desperation to eating the flesh of their sons and daughters, and to devouring the flesh of their neighbors. (Jer 19:7-9 CEB)
What demonstration illustrating God’s message was Jeremiah to perform as he publicly prophesied?
Jeremiah, as soon as you have said this, smash the jar while the people are watching. Then tell them that I have also said: I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I warn you that I will shatter Judah and Jerusalem just like this jar that is broken beyond repair. You will bury your dead here in Topheth, but so many of you will die that there won't be enough room. I will make Jerusalem as unclean as Topheth, by filling the city with your dead bodies. I will do this because you and your kings have gone up to the roofs of your houses and burned incense to the stars in the sky, as though they were gods. And you have given sacrifices of wine to foreign gods. (Jer 19:10-13 CEV)
As Jeremiah moved from Topheth, where child sacrifice was made, to stand in the Temple court, what did he say?
Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the Lord's house and said to all the people: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear my words.” (Jer 19:14-15 ESV)
Were the ancient fires of the valley of Hinnom a metaphor for the fires of hell?
But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to hellfire [literally the fire of Gehenna, the valley Hinnom]. (Mat 5:22 HCSB)
Did God sometimes use a visual illustration in telling a prophecy? Would that be fine in a sermon today? You decide!
Potter & Clay (Jeremiah 18)
Does the analogy of the potter and the clay mean that we have no free will? Are really two decisions involved, ours and God’s? Let’s look at Jeremiah 18.
Is it the clay’s choice or the potter’s as to what kind of vessel the potter makes?
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. (Jer 18:1-4 ESV)
Does it sound like a lack of free will that a nation can choose evil or turn from its evil?
The word of the Lord came to me: “House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel. At one moment I might announce concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will uproot, tear down, and destroy it. However, if that nation I have made an announcement about turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the disaster I had planned to do to it. At another time I announce that I will build and plant a nation or a kingdom. However, if it does what is evil in My sight by not listening to My voice, I will relent concerning the good I had said I would do to it. (Jer 18:5-10 HCSB)
Does it sound like a lack of free will that Judah pursued their own evil desires?
“Now say to the people of Judah and to the residents of Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Look, I’m designing a disaster just for you, and I’m making plans against you. Each one of you must repent from his evil way. Make your ways and deeds right.”’ But they’ll say, ‘It’s useless! We will follow our plans and each of us will pursue his own evil desires.’ (Jer 18:11-12 ISV)
Do many nations forget their real origin and bow down to pure fiction?
“Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘Ask the nations. Who has ever heard of anything like this? You have done a most horrible thing, virgin Israel. Does the snow of Lebanon ever vanish from its rocky slopes? Or does the cold water from a foreign land ever cease to flow? Yet my people have forgotten me, and they burn incense to worthless idols that make them stumble in their journey on the ancient paths. They walk on trails, on a way that is not built up. (Jer 18:13-15 ISV)
Would God turn His back on the nation on their day of calamity?
To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity. (Jer 18:16-17 KJV)
Did the people plot against God’s prophet? Do churches ever plot against a faithful pastor?
Then they said, “Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah. Surely the law is not going to perish from the priest, nor counsel to the wise man, nor the divine word to the prophet! Come on and let us strike at him with our tongue, and let us give no heed to any of his words.” (Jer 18:18 LSB)
Had Jeremiah once defended the nation? Did he now realize that they deserved the punishment God had planned for them?
Give Your attention to me, Lord, And listen to what my opponents are saying! Should good be repaid with evil? For they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before You To speak good in their behalf, So as to turn Your wrath away from them. Therefore, give their children over to famine And turn them over to the power of the sword; And let their wives become childless and widowed. Let their men also be slaughtered to death, Their young men struck and killed by the sword in battle. (Jer 18:19-21 NASB)
Did God allow the persecution that Jeremiah experienced to help him see why God was about to punish the nation?
Let a cry be heard from their houses when you suddenly bring invaders against them, for they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden snares for my feet. But you, Lord, know all their plots to kill me. Do not forgive their crimes or blot out their sins from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger. (Jer 18:22-23 NIV)
Does the potter decide if a lump of clay is suited for a fine vase or a rough pot?
But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? (Rom 9:20-21 NKJV)
Does the analogy of the potter and the clay mean that we have no free will? Are really two decisions involved, ours and God’s? You decide!
Is it the clay’s choice or the potter’s as to what kind of vessel the potter makes?
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. (Jer 18:1-4 ESV)
Does it sound like a lack of free will that a nation can choose evil or turn from its evil?
The word of the Lord came to me: “House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel. At one moment I might announce concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will uproot, tear down, and destroy it. However, if that nation I have made an announcement about turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the disaster I had planned to do to it. At another time I announce that I will build and plant a nation or a kingdom. However, if it does what is evil in My sight by not listening to My voice, I will relent concerning the good I had said I would do to it. (Jer 18:5-10 HCSB)
Does it sound like a lack of free will that Judah pursued their own evil desires?
“Now say to the people of Judah and to the residents of Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Look, I’m designing a disaster just for you, and I’m making plans against you. Each one of you must repent from his evil way. Make your ways and deeds right.”’ But they’ll say, ‘It’s useless! We will follow our plans and each of us will pursue his own evil desires.’ (Jer 18:11-12 ISV)
Do many nations forget their real origin and bow down to pure fiction?
“Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘Ask the nations. Who has ever heard of anything like this? You have done a most horrible thing, virgin Israel. Does the snow of Lebanon ever vanish from its rocky slopes? Or does the cold water from a foreign land ever cease to flow? Yet my people have forgotten me, and they burn incense to worthless idols that make them stumble in their journey on the ancient paths. They walk on trails, on a way that is not built up. (Jer 18:13-15 ISV)
Would God turn His back on the nation on their day of calamity?
To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity. (Jer 18:16-17 KJV)
Did the people plot against God’s prophet? Do churches ever plot against a faithful pastor?
Then they said, “Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah. Surely the law is not going to perish from the priest, nor counsel to the wise man, nor the divine word to the prophet! Come on and let us strike at him with our tongue, and let us give no heed to any of his words.” (Jer 18:18 LSB)
Had Jeremiah once defended the nation? Did he now realize that they deserved the punishment God had planned for them?
Give Your attention to me, Lord, And listen to what my opponents are saying! Should good be repaid with evil? For they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before You To speak good in their behalf, So as to turn Your wrath away from them. Therefore, give their children over to famine And turn them over to the power of the sword; And let their wives become childless and widowed. Let their men also be slaughtered to death, Their young men struck and killed by the sword in battle. (Jer 18:19-21 NASB)
Did God allow the persecution that Jeremiah experienced to help him see why God was about to punish the nation?
Let a cry be heard from their houses when you suddenly bring invaders against them, for they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden snares for my feet. But you, Lord, know all their plots to kill me. Do not forgive their crimes or blot out their sins from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger. (Jer 18:22-23 NIV)
Does the potter decide if a lump of clay is suited for a fine vase or a rough pot?
But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? (Rom 9:20-21 NKJV)
Does the analogy of the potter and the clay mean that we have no free will? Are really two decisions involved, ours and God’s? You decide!
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