Is our righteousness like a rotting cloth and will our nation also be shattered like broken wine jars for our sins? Let’s look at Jeremiah 13.
What did the Lord ask Jeremiah to do with a linen loincloth?
This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it on, but do not wash it.” So I bought the loincloth as the Lord directed me, and I put it on. Then the Lord gave me another message: “Take the linen loincloth you are wearing, and go to the Euphrates River. Hide it there in a hole in the rocks.” So I went and hid it by the Euphrates as the Lord had instructed me.
A long time afterward the Lord said to me, “Go back to the Euphrates and get the loincloth I told you to hide there.” So I went to the Euphrates and dug it out of the hole where I had hidden it. But now it was rotting and falling apart. The loincloth was good for nothing. (Jer 13:1-7 NLT)
What did the rotting, good for nothing loincloth symbolize?
Then Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Yahweh says, ‘In this way I will ruin the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and have gone after other gods to serve them and to worship them, will even be as this belt, which is profitable for nothing. For as the belt clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to me,’ says Yahweh; ‘that they may be to me for a people, for a name, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.’ (Jer 13:8-11 WEB)
As with the rotting loincloth, what did the shattering of wine jugs symbolize?
So deliver this word to them: The Lord the God of Israel proclaims: Every wine jug should be filled with wine. And they will answer you, “Don’t we already know that? Obviously every wine jug should be filled with wine!” Then you should say to them: The Lord proclaims: I’m going to fill everyone who lives in this country with wine that makes them drunk, including the kings on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all those living in Jerusalem. And I will shatter every one of them, even parents and children, declares the Lord. I won’t take pity; I won’t have compassion; I will show no mercy when I destroy them. (Jer 13:12-14 CEB)
Are we too proud to listen to what the Lord has said, to confess our sins?
People of Judah, don't be too proud to listen to what the Lord has said. You hope for light, but God is sending darkness. Evening shadows already deepen in the hills. So return to God and confess your sins to him before you trip and fall. If you are too proud to listen, I will weep alone. Tears will stream from my eyes when the Lord's people are taken away as prisoners. (Jer 13:15-17 CEV)
Should those of high society in any age also learn humility, to take a lowly seat? Would Judah follow Israel into national captivity?
Say to the king and the queen mother: “Take a lowly seat, for your beautiful crown has come down from your head.” The cities of the Negeb are shut up, with none to open them; all Judah is taken into exile, wholly taken into exile. Lift up your eyes and see those who come from the north. Where is the flock that was given you, your beautiful flock? (Jer 13:18-20 ESV)
Can Judah repent after they have been punished for a lifetime training in evil?
What will you say when He appoints close friends as leaders over you, ones you yourself trained? Won’t labor pains seize you, as they do a woman in labor? And when you ask yourself, “Why have these things happened to me?” It is because of your great guilt that your skirts have been stripped off, your body exposed. Can the Cushite change his skin, or a leopard his spots? If so, you might be able to do what is good, you who are instructed in evil. (Jer 13:21-23 HCSB)
What would God do to a nation that commits sexual sins, engages in detestable behavior and worships false gods?
I’ll scatter them like chaff blown away by a desert wind. “This is your fate, the portion I’ve measured out for you,” declares the Lord, “because you have forgotten me and have trusted in false gods. I’ll also pull your skirt up over your face, so your shame will be seen, I’ve seen your detestable behavior: your adulteries, your passionate neighing, your lewd immorality on the hills in the field. How terrible it will be for you, Jerusalem! You are unclean. How much longer will this go on?” (Jer 13:24-27 ISV)
Are we really any better than ancient Israel and Judah? Do we too need to repent?
What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Rom 3:9-23 KJV)
Is our righteousness like a rotting cloth and will our nation also be shattered like broken wine jars for our sins? You decide!
Justice When (Jeremiah 12)
Why do the wicked often seem to prosper in the short term? Do we believe that God’s justice will come in His perfect time? Let’s look at Jeremiah 12.
What question did Jeremiah put to God regarding the wicked?
You will be righteous, Lord, even if I bring a case against You. Yet, I wish to contend with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the treacherous live at ease? You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their conscience. (Jer 12:1-2 HCSB)
Did Jeremiah ask how long God would wait before giving justice to the wicked?
You know me, Lord. You see me and test my thoughts toward you. Pull the wicked out like sheep for slaughter; set them apart for the day of butchering. How long will the land mourn and the vegetation of every field dry up? Because of the wickedness of those who live in it, animals and birds are swept away. For they say, “He does not see our future.” (Jer 12:3-4 ISV)
Did God tell Jeremiah that his trials were only beginning, that he would soon run against horses, suffering worse persecution?
If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee. (Jer 12:5-6 KJV)
Is God like a husband delivering his beloved but unfaithful wife to her punishment?
“I have forsaken My house; I have abandoned My inheritance; I have given the beloved of My soul Into the hand of her enemies. My inheritance has become to Me Like a lion in the forest; She has given forth its voice against Me; Therefore I have come to hate her. Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me? Are the birds of prey against her on every side? Go, gather all the beasts of the field, Bring them to devour!” (Jer 12:7-9 LSB)
How have the country’s shepherds or leaders contributed to its downfall?
Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard, They have trampled down My field; They have made My pleasant field A desolate wilderness. It has been made a desolation; Desolate, it mourns before Me; The whole land has been made desolate, Because no one takes it to heart.
On all the bare heights in the wilderness Destroyers have come, For the sword of the Lord is devouring From one end of the land even to the other; There is no peace for anyone. They have sown wheat but have harvested thorns, They have strained themselves to no profit. So be ashamed of your produce Because of the fierce anger of the Lord.” (Jer 12:10-13 NASB)
What does God plan for His nation and those nations willing to obey Him?
This is what the Lord says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them from their lands and I will uproot the people of Judah from among them. But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among my people. But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it,” declares the Lord. (Jer 12:14-17 NIV)
Will Christians suffer hardship at times? Are Christians persecuted in some countries?
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Tim 2:3-4 NKJV)
Why do the wicked often seem to prosper in the short term? Do we believe that God’s justice will come in His perfect time? You decide!
What question did Jeremiah put to God regarding the wicked?
You will be righteous, Lord, even if I bring a case against You. Yet, I wish to contend with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the treacherous live at ease? You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their conscience. (Jer 12:1-2 HCSB)
Did Jeremiah ask how long God would wait before giving justice to the wicked?
You know me, Lord. You see me and test my thoughts toward you. Pull the wicked out like sheep for slaughter; set them apart for the day of butchering. How long will the land mourn and the vegetation of every field dry up? Because of the wickedness of those who live in it, animals and birds are swept away. For they say, “He does not see our future.” (Jer 12:3-4 ISV)
Did God tell Jeremiah that his trials were only beginning, that he would soon run against horses, suffering worse persecution?
If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee. (Jer 12:5-6 KJV)
Is God like a husband delivering his beloved but unfaithful wife to her punishment?
“I have forsaken My house; I have abandoned My inheritance; I have given the beloved of My soul Into the hand of her enemies. My inheritance has become to Me Like a lion in the forest; She has given forth its voice against Me; Therefore I have come to hate her. Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me? Are the birds of prey against her on every side? Go, gather all the beasts of the field, Bring them to devour!” (Jer 12:7-9 LSB)
How have the country’s shepherds or leaders contributed to its downfall?
Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard, They have trampled down My field; They have made My pleasant field A desolate wilderness. It has been made a desolation; Desolate, it mourns before Me; The whole land has been made desolate, Because no one takes it to heart.
On all the bare heights in the wilderness Destroyers have come, For the sword of the Lord is devouring From one end of the land even to the other; There is no peace for anyone. They have sown wheat but have harvested thorns, They have strained themselves to no profit. So be ashamed of your produce Because of the fierce anger of the Lord.” (Jer 12:10-13 NASB)
What does God plan for His nation and those nations willing to obey Him?
This is what the Lord says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them from their lands and I will uproot the people of Judah from among them. But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among my people. But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it,” declares the Lord. (Jer 12:14-17 NIV)
Will Christians suffer hardship at times? Are Christians persecuted in some countries?
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Tim 2:3-4 NKJV)
Why do the wicked often seem to prosper in the short term? Do we believe that God’s justice will come in His perfect time? You decide!
Broken Covenant (Jeremiah 11)
Who broke the old covenant with God? Are we thankful for the new covenant? Let’s look at Jeremiah 11.
What did God say to Jeremiah about His covenant with Israel?
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Cursed is the one who does not obey the words of this covenant which I commanded your forefathers on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Listen to My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your God,’ in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I replied, “Amen, Lord.” (Jer 11:1-5 NASB)
Did the people listen to God or follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts? How lonely was the life of a true prophet?
The Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them. From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.” But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.’” (Jer 11:6-8 NIV)
What conspiracy was there among the people of Judah? What sin had they returned to?
And the Lord said to me, “A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.”
Therefore thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them. Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble. For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal. (Jer 11:9-13 NKJV)
Will God listen to the prayers of idolaters, to people who refuse to repent?
Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress. What right do my beloved people have to come to my Temple, when they have done so many immoral things? Can their vows and sacrifices prevent their destruction? They actually rejoice in doing evil!
I, the Lord, once called them a thriving olive tree, beautiful to see and full of good fruit. But now I have sent the fury of their enemies to burn them with fire, leaving them charred and broken. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who planted this olive tree, have ordered it destroyed. For the people of Israel and Judah have done evil, arousing my anger by burning incense to Baal. (Jer 11:14-17 NLT)
What did Jeremiah pray when he found out about a plot against him? Did being like a lamb led to the slaughter echo Jesus’ suffering?
Yahweh gave me knowledge of it, and I knew it. Then you showed me their doings. But I was like a gentle lamb that is led to the slaughter. I didn’t know that they had devised plans against me, saying, “Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit, and let’s cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.” But, Yahweh of Armies, who judges righteously, who tests the heart and the mind, I will see your vengeance on them; for to you I have revealed my cause. (Jer 11:18-20 WEB)
Did God promise to punish those men, from Anathoth near Jerusalem, who plotted to kill Jeremiah?
This is what the Lord says concerning the men from Anathoth who seek your life and say, “Don’t prophesy in the Lord’s name or else you will die at our hands.” Therefore, the Lord of heavenly forces proclaims, I’m going to punish them. Their young men will die in war, and their sons and daughters will die by famine. No one will be left because I will bring disaster upon the men of Anathoth when their time comes. (Jer 11:21-23 CEB)
Who was at fault that the old covenant was broken? Did this pave the way for a new covenant?
For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. (Heb 8:7-9 ESV)
Who broke the old covenant with God? Are we thankful for the new covenant? You decide!
What did God say to Jeremiah about His covenant with Israel?
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Cursed is the one who does not obey the words of this covenant which I commanded your forefathers on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Listen to My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your God,’ in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I replied, “Amen, Lord.” (Jer 11:1-5 NASB)
Did the people listen to God or follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts? How lonely was the life of a true prophet?
The Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them. From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.” But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.’” (Jer 11:6-8 NIV)
What conspiracy was there among the people of Judah? What sin had they returned to?
And the Lord said to me, “A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.”
Therefore thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them. Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble. For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal. (Jer 11:9-13 NKJV)
Will God listen to the prayers of idolaters, to people who refuse to repent?
Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress. What right do my beloved people have to come to my Temple, when they have done so many immoral things? Can their vows and sacrifices prevent their destruction? They actually rejoice in doing evil!
I, the Lord, once called them a thriving olive tree, beautiful to see and full of good fruit. But now I have sent the fury of their enemies to burn them with fire, leaving them charred and broken. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who planted this olive tree, have ordered it destroyed. For the people of Israel and Judah have done evil, arousing my anger by burning incense to Baal. (Jer 11:14-17 NLT)
What did Jeremiah pray when he found out about a plot against him? Did being like a lamb led to the slaughter echo Jesus’ suffering?
Yahweh gave me knowledge of it, and I knew it. Then you showed me their doings. But I was like a gentle lamb that is led to the slaughter. I didn’t know that they had devised plans against me, saying, “Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit, and let’s cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.” But, Yahweh of Armies, who judges righteously, who tests the heart and the mind, I will see your vengeance on them; for to you I have revealed my cause. (Jer 11:18-20 WEB)
Did God promise to punish those men, from Anathoth near Jerusalem, who plotted to kill Jeremiah?
This is what the Lord says concerning the men from Anathoth who seek your life and say, “Don’t prophesy in the Lord’s name or else you will die at our hands.” Therefore, the Lord of heavenly forces proclaims, I’m going to punish them. Their young men will die in war, and their sons and daughters will die by famine. No one will be left because I will bring disaster upon the men of Anathoth when their time comes. (Jer 11:21-23 CEB)
Who was at fault that the old covenant was broken? Did this pave the way for a new covenant?
For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. (Heb 8:7-9 ESV)
Who broke the old covenant with God? Are we thankful for the new covenant? You decide!
Idols (Jeremiah 10)
Are money, things, self, ego, status and ambition modern idols worshipped instead of God? Let’s look at Jeremiah 10.
Are these first few verses railing against a Christmas tree as some believe, or against idols carved from the wood of a tree?
Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel! This is what the Lord says: “Do not act like the other nations, who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them. Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.” (Jer 10:1-5 NLT)
Is there anyone like God among the nations to be feared?
There is no one like you, Yahweh. You are great, and your name is great in might. Who shouldn’t fear you, King of the nations? For it belongs to you. Because among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their royal estate, there is no one like you. (Jer 10:6-7 WEB)
Are idols foolish and silly? Are idols made from trees, mere wood made by artisans?
But they are both foolish and silly; they offer nothing because they are mere wood. Covered with silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, they are the work of a craftsman and the hands of a goldsmith. Clothed in blue and purple, all of them nothing more than the work of artisans. But the Lord is the true God! He’s the living God and the everlasting king! When he’s angry, the earth quakes; the nations can’t endure his rage. (Jer 10:8-10 CEB)
Did idols create the heavens and earth or was that the Lord?
You told me to say that idols did not create the heavens and the earth, and that you, the Lord, will destroy every idol. With your wisdom and power you created the earth and spread out the heavens. The waters in the heavens roar at your command. You make clouds appear—you send the winds from your storehouse and make lightning flash in the rain. (Jer 10:11-13 CEV)
Are men stupid and without knowledge when giving credit for the existence of the universe to anything other than God?
Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish. Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the Lord of hosts is his name. (Jer 10:14-16 ESV)
Will those who rely on man-made fake gods lose everything and be slung out in distress?
Gather up your belongings from the ground, you who live under siege. For this is what the Lord says: Look, I am slinging out the land’s residents at this time and bringing them such distress that they will feel it. (Jer 10:17-18 HCSB)
Thinking of the coming Babylonian invasion and stupid national leaders, is Jeremiah troubled?
Woe is me because of my injury. My wound is severe. I said, “Truly this is my sickness, and I must bear it. My tent is destroyed, and all my tent cords are broken. My sons have gone away from me, they no longer live. There is no one to pitch my tent again and set up my curtains.
Because the shepherds are stupid and don’t seek the Lord, therefore, they don’t prosper, and their flock is scattered. The sound of a report, it’s coming now! There is a great commotion from a land in the north to make the towns of Judah desolate, a refuge for jackals.” (Jer 10:19-22 ISV)
Does any man know how to solve humanity’s problems on this planet?
O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate. (Jer 10:23-25 KJV)
After mistaking God’s servants for pagan gods, what did Paul and Barnabas say to a crowd at Lystra about such vain things?
and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, proclaiming the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. (Acts 14:15 LSB)
Are money, things, self, ego, status and ambition modern idols worshipped instead of God? You decide!
Are these first few verses railing against a Christmas tree as some believe, or against idols carved from the wood of a tree?
Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel! This is what the Lord says: “Do not act like the other nations, who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them. Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.” (Jer 10:1-5 NLT)
Is there anyone like God among the nations to be feared?
There is no one like you, Yahweh. You are great, and your name is great in might. Who shouldn’t fear you, King of the nations? For it belongs to you. Because among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their royal estate, there is no one like you. (Jer 10:6-7 WEB)
Are idols foolish and silly? Are idols made from trees, mere wood made by artisans?
But they are both foolish and silly; they offer nothing because they are mere wood. Covered with silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, they are the work of a craftsman and the hands of a goldsmith. Clothed in blue and purple, all of them nothing more than the work of artisans. But the Lord is the true God! He’s the living God and the everlasting king! When he’s angry, the earth quakes; the nations can’t endure his rage. (Jer 10:8-10 CEB)
Did idols create the heavens and earth or was that the Lord?
You told me to say that idols did not create the heavens and the earth, and that you, the Lord, will destroy every idol. With your wisdom and power you created the earth and spread out the heavens. The waters in the heavens roar at your command. You make clouds appear—you send the winds from your storehouse and make lightning flash in the rain. (Jer 10:11-13 CEV)
Are men stupid and without knowledge when giving credit for the existence of the universe to anything other than God?
Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish. Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the Lord of hosts is his name. (Jer 10:14-16 ESV)
Will those who rely on man-made fake gods lose everything and be slung out in distress?
Gather up your belongings from the ground, you who live under siege. For this is what the Lord says: Look, I am slinging out the land’s residents at this time and bringing them such distress that they will feel it. (Jer 10:17-18 HCSB)
Thinking of the coming Babylonian invasion and stupid national leaders, is Jeremiah troubled?
Woe is me because of my injury. My wound is severe. I said, “Truly this is my sickness, and I must bear it. My tent is destroyed, and all my tent cords are broken. My sons have gone away from me, they no longer live. There is no one to pitch my tent again and set up my curtains.
Because the shepherds are stupid and don’t seek the Lord, therefore, they don’t prosper, and their flock is scattered. The sound of a report, it’s coming now! There is a great commotion from a land in the north to make the towns of Judah desolate, a refuge for jackals.” (Jer 10:19-22 ISV)
Does any man know how to solve humanity’s problems on this planet?
O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate. (Jer 10:23-25 KJV)
After mistaking God’s servants for pagan gods, what did Paul and Barnabas say to a crowd at Lystra about such vain things?
and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, proclaiming the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. (Acts 14:15 LSB)
Are money, things, self, ego, status and ambition modern idols worshipped instead of God? You decide!
Circumcised of Heart (Jeremiah 9)
Is a great difference between the covenants exemplified by circumcision of the heart? Is lying all too common today? Let’s look at Jeremiah 9.
Did Jeremiah want to weep for his people? Were they treacherous lying adulterers?
Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! Oh that I had in the desert a travelers' lodging place, that I might leave my people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, a company of treacherous men. They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the Lord. (Jer 9:1-3 ESV)
Could anybody trust anyone else to tell the truth? Is deception far too prevalent in our land?
Everyone has to be on guard against his friend. Don’t trust any brother, for every brother will certainly deceive, and every friend spread slander. Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to speak lies; they wear themselves out doing wrong. You live in a world of deception. In their deception they refuse to know Me. This is the Lord’s declaration. (Jer 9:4-6 HCSB)
Should God test and punish a nation that lies and sets traps for each other?
Therefore, this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: “Look, I’m about to refine and test them. Because they’re my people, what else can I do? Their tongue is a deadly arrow that speaks deceit. With his mouth a person says, ‘Peace,’ to his friend, but inwardly he sets a trap for him. Should I not punish them for these things?” asks the Lord, “and should I not avenge myself on a nation like this?” (Jer 9:7-9 ISV)
What kind of punishment will God send to a nation filled with lies and deception?
For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone. And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. (Jer 9:10-11 KJV)
Had the nation also ignored God’s voice and engaged in idol worship?
Who is the wise man that may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of Yahweh has spoken, that he may declare it? Why has the land perished, turned into ruin like a desert, so that no one passes through? Yahweh said, “Because they have forsaken My law, which I set before them, and have not listened to My voice nor walked according to it, but have walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them,” therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink. I will scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them.” (Jer 9:12-16 LSB)
Was the nation put to great shame? Would corpses of people fall like dung?
This is what the Lord of armies says: “Consider and call for the mourning women, that they may come; And send for the skillful women, that they may come! Have them hurry and take up a wailing for us, So that our eyes may shed tears, And our eyelids flow with water. For a voice of wailing is heard from Zion: ‘How devastated we are! We are put to great shame, For we have abandoned the land Because they have torn down our homes.’”
Now hear the word of the Lord, you women, And let your ears receive the word of His mouth; Teach your daughters wailing, And have every woman teach her neighbor a song of mourning. For death has come up through our windows; It has entered our palaces To eliminate the children from the streets, The young men from the public squares. Speak, “This is what the Lord says: ‘The corpses of people will fall like dung on the open field, And like the sheaf after the reaper, But no one will gather them.’” (Jer 9:17-22 NASB)
What does the Lord say about national boasting, kindness, justice and righteousness?
This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. (Jer 9:23-24 NIV)
What does God say about circumcision of the flesh without circumcision of the heart? Is this also emphasized in the new covenant?
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh—Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places. For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.” (Jer 9:25-26 NIV)
What does Paul say about being a Jew inwardly and circumcision of the heart?
but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. (Rom 2:29 NKJV)
Is a great difference between the covenants exemplified by circumcision of the heart? Is lying all too common today? You decide!
Did Jeremiah want to weep for his people? Were they treacherous lying adulterers?
Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! Oh that I had in the desert a travelers' lodging place, that I might leave my people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, a company of treacherous men. They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the Lord. (Jer 9:1-3 ESV)
Could anybody trust anyone else to tell the truth? Is deception far too prevalent in our land?
Everyone has to be on guard against his friend. Don’t trust any brother, for every brother will certainly deceive, and every friend spread slander. Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to speak lies; they wear themselves out doing wrong. You live in a world of deception. In their deception they refuse to know Me. This is the Lord’s declaration. (Jer 9:4-6 HCSB)
Should God test and punish a nation that lies and sets traps for each other?
Therefore, this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: “Look, I’m about to refine and test them. Because they’re my people, what else can I do? Their tongue is a deadly arrow that speaks deceit. With his mouth a person says, ‘Peace,’ to his friend, but inwardly he sets a trap for him. Should I not punish them for these things?” asks the Lord, “and should I not avenge myself on a nation like this?” (Jer 9:7-9 ISV)
What kind of punishment will God send to a nation filled with lies and deception?
For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone. And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. (Jer 9:10-11 KJV)
Had the nation also ignored God’s voice and engaged in idol worship?
Who is the wise man that may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of Yahweh has spoken, that he may declare it? Why has the land perished, turned into ruin like a desert, so that no one passes through? Yahweh said, “Because they have forsaken My law, which I set before them, and have not listened to My voice nor walked according to it, but have walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them,” therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink. I will scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them.” (Jer 9:12-16 LSB)
Was the nation put to great shame? Would corpses of people fall like dung?
This is what the Lord of armies says: “Consider and call for the mourning women, that they may come; And send for the skillful women, that they may come! Have them hurry and take up a wailing for us, So that our eyes may shed tears, And our eyelids flow with water. For a voice of wailing is heard from Zion: ‘How devastated we are! We are put to great shame, For we have abandoned the land Because they have torn down our homes.’”
Now hear the word of the Lord, you women, And let your ears receive the word of His mouth; Teach your daughters wailing, And have every woman teach her neighbor a song of mourning. For death has come up through our windows; It has entered our palaces To eliminate the children from the streets, The young men from the public squares. Speak, “This is what the Lord says: ‘The corpses of people will fall like dung on the open field, And like the sheaf after the reaper, But no one will gather them.’” (Jer 9:17-22 NASB)
What does the Lord say about national boasting, kindness, justice and righteousness?
This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. (Jer 9:23-24 NIV)
What does God say about circumcision of the flesh without circumcision of the heart? Is this also emphasized in the new covenant?
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh—Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places. For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.” (Jer 9:25-26 NIV)
What does Paul say about being a Jew inwardly and circumcision of the heart?
but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. (Rom 2:29 NKJV)
Is a great difference between the covenants exemplified by circumcision of the heart? Is lying all too common today? You decide!
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