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!
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!
Weeping for the Nation (Jeremiah 8)
How foolish was it for ancient Judah to ignore God’s message? How foolish is it for us? Let’s look at Jeremiah 8.
Will even the bones of deceased leaders of Judah be dishonored because of their idolatry?
“At that time,” declares the Lord, “they will bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its leaders, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. They will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the heavenly lights, which they have loved, which they have served, which they have followed, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered nor buried; they will be like dung on the face of the ground. And death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the places to which I have driven them,” declares the Lord of armies. (Jer 8:1-3 NASB)
Why do people fall away from God? What do they cling to instead of repenting?
“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘When people fall down, do they not get up? When someone turns away, do they not return? Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord. (Jer 8:4-7 NIV)
Is covetous materialism a form of idolatry? Do they even know how to blush? Do the people proclaim peace when there is none?
“How can you say, ‘We are wise, And the law of the Lord is with us’? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood. The wise men are ashamed, They are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; So what wisdom do they have? Therefore I will give their wives to others, And their fields to those who will inherit them; Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is given to covetousness; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely.
For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed, Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; In the time of their punishment They shall be cast down,” says the Lord. (Jer 8:8-12 NKJV)
What happens to the blessings God gave to a people who became unfaithful?
I will surely consume them. There will be no more harvests of figs and grapes. Their fruit trees will all die. Whatever I gave them will soon be gone. I, the Lord, have spoken!’
“Then the people will say, ‘Why should we wait here to die? Come, let’s go to the fortified towns and die there. For the Lord our God has decreed our destruction and has given us a cup of poison to drink because we sinned against the Lord. We hoped for peace, but no peace came. We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.’ ” (Jer 8:13-15 NLT)
Do the people in the north begin to hear the snorting of enemy battle horses, an impending punishment of the Lord?
“The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan. The whole land trembles at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they have come, and have devoured the land and all that is in it, the city and those who dwell therein. For, behold, I will send serpents, adders among you, which will not be charmed; and they will bite you,” says Yahweh. (Jer 8:16-17 WEB)
Because of their sins, worshiping useless foreign idols, will healing come or only grief?
No healing, only grief; my heart is broken. Listen to the weeping of my people all across the land: “Isn’t the Lord in Zion? Is her king no longer there?” Why then did they anger me with their images, with pointless foreign gods? “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, yet we aren’t saved.” Because my people are crushed, I am crushed; darkness and despair overwhelm me. (Jer 8:18-21 CEB)
Do both God and His prophet mourn over the nation’s wound, and lack of a healing balm?
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? (Jer 8:22 ESV)
Is God’s message still spurned by moderns as it was in ancient Judah?
The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work. As God says in the Scriptures, “I will destroy the wisdom of all who claim to be wise. I will confuse those who think they know so much.” What happened to those wise people? What happened to those experts in the Scriptures? What happened to the ones who think they have all the answers? Didn't God show that the wisdom of this world is foolish? (1 Cor 1:18-20 CEV)
How foolish was it for ancient Judah to ignore God’s message? How foolish is it for us? You decide!
Will even the bones of deceased leaders of Judah be dishonored because of their idolatry?
“At that time,” declares the Lord, “they will bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its leaders, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. They will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the heavenly lights, which they have loved, which they have served, which they have followed, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered nor buried; they will be like dung on the face of the ground. And death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the places to which I have driven them,” declares the Lord of armies. (Jer 8:1-3 NASB)
Why do people fall away from God? What do they cling to instead of repenting?
“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘When people fall down, do they not get up? When someone turns away, do they not return? Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord. (Jer 8:4-7 NIV)
Is covetous materialism a form of idolatry? Do they even know how to blush? Do the people proclaim peace when there is none?
“How can you say, ‘We are wise, And the law of the Lord is with us’? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood. The wise men are ashamed, They are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; So what wisdom do they have? Therefore I will give their wives to others, And their fields to those who will inherit them; Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is given to covetousness; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely.
For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed, Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; In the time of their punishment They shall be cast down,” says the Lord. (Jer 8:8-12 NKJV)
What happens to the blessings God gave to a people who became unfaithful?
I will surely consume them. There will be no more harvests of figs and grapes. Their fruit trees will all die. Whatever I gave them will soon be gone. I, the Lord, have spoken!’
“Then the people will say, ‘Why should we wait here to die? Come, let’s go to the fortified towns and die there. For the Lord our God has decreed our destruction and has given us a cup of poison to drink because we sinned against the Lord. We hoped for peace, but no peace came. We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.’ ” (Jer 8:13-15 NLT)
Do the people in the north begin to hear the snorting of enemy battle horses, an impending punishment of the Lord?
“The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan. The whole land trembles at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they have come, and have devoured the land and all that is in it, the city and those who dwell therein. For, behold, I will send serpents, adders among you, which will not be charmed; and they will bite you,” says Yahweh. (Jer 8:16-17 WEB)
Because of their sins, worshiping useless foreign idols, will healing come or only grief?
No healing, only grief; my heart is broken. Listen to the weeping of my people all across the land: “Isn’t the Lord in Zion? Is her king no longer there?” Why then did they anger me with their images, with pointless foreign gods? “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, yet we aren’t saved.” Because my people are crushed, I am crushed; darkness and despair overwhelm me. (Jer 8:18-21 CEB)
Do both God and His prophet mourn over the nation’s wound, and lack of a healing balm?
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? (Jer 8:22 ESV)
Is God’s message still spurned by moderns as it was in ancient Judah?
The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work. As God says in the Scriptures, “I will destroy the wisdom of all who claim to be wise. I will confuse those who think they know so much.” What happened to those wise people? What happened to those experts in the Scriptures? What happened to the ones who think they have all the answers? Didn't God show that the wisdom of this world is foolish? (1 Cor 1:18-20 CEV)
How foolish was it for ancient Judah to ignore God’s message? How foolish is it for us? You decide!
Lying Religion (Jeremiah 7)
How many lies that are not found in the Bible do we believe? Let’s look at Jeremiah 7.
Was the worship of the Lord being misused to defend absolute lies?
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!’ ” Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.’ (Jer 7:1-4 NKJV)
What did God really want to see change in people’s thoughts and deeds?
But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice; only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever. (Jer 7:5-7 NLT)
Is any part of our personal beliefs based upon lies, things that neither Jesus nor the apostles taught?
Behold, you trust in lying words that can’t profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered,’ that you may do all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it,” says Yahweh. (Jer 7:8-11 WEB)
Did God tolerate sin and corruption among His people in the past?
Just go to my sanctuary in Shiloh, where I let my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel. And now, because you have done all these things, declares the Lord, because you haven’t listened when I spoke to you again and again or responded when I called you, I will do to this temple that bears my name and on which you rely, the place that I gave to you and your ancestors, just as I did to Shiloh. I will cast you out of my sight, just as I cast out the rest of your family, all the people of Ephraim. (Jer 7:12-15 CEB)
Specifically, did God tolerate the worship of foreign gods or was He angry?
Jeremiah, don't pray for these people! I, the Lord, would refuse to listen. Do you see what the people of Judah are doing in their towns and in the streets of Jerusalem? Children gather firewood, their fathers build fires, and their mothers mix dough to bake bread for the goddess they call the Queen of Heaven. They even offer wine sacrifices to other gods, just to insult me. But they are not only insulting me; they are also harming themselves by doing these shameful things.
And now, I, the Lord All-Powerful, will flood Judah with my fiery anger until nothing is left—no people or animals, no trees or crops. (Jer 7:16-20 CEV)
Had each successive generation only gotten worse in the nation? What would God say about our current generations?
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers. (Jer 7:21-26 ESV)
Will our current generation listen to a preacher of God’s word any better than that generation?
When you speak all these things to them, they will not listen to you. When you call to them, they will not answer you. You must therefore declare to them: This is the nation that would not listen to the voice of the Lord their God and would not accept discipline. Truth has perished—it has disappeared from their mouths. Cut off the hair of your sacred vow and throw it away. Raise up a dirge on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned the generation under His wrath. (Jer 7:27-29 HCSB)
What had Judah done in the house of God, the Temple in Jerusalem? What abominable things were they doing with their own children?
“For the people of Judah have done evil in my eyes,” declares the Lord. “They have put their detestable idols in the house that is called by my name in order to defile it. They have built high places at Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire. I didn’t command this, and it never entered my mind! (Jer 7:30-31 ISV)
What punishment will God bring to Jerusalem because they sacrificed their children to pagan gods?
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate. (Jer 7:32-34 KJV)
Did Jesus also speak against another later misuse of the Temple in Jerusalem?
And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robbers’ den.” (Mark 11:17 LSB)
How many lies that are not found in the Bible do we believe? You decide!
Was the worship of the Lord being misused to defend absolute lies?
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!’ ” Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.’ (Jer 7:1-4 NKJV)
What did God really want to see change in people’s thoughts and deeds?
But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice; only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever. (Jer 7:5-7 NLT)
Is any part of our personal beliefs based upon lies, things that neither Jesus nor the apostles taught?
Behold, you trust in lying words that can’t profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered,’ that you may do all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it,” says Yahweh. (Jer 7:8-11 WEB)
Did God tolerate sin and corruption among His people in the past?
Just go to my sanctuary in Shiloh, where I let my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel. And now, because you have done all these things, declares the Lord, because you haven’t listened when I spoke to you again and again or responded when I called you, I will do to this temple that bears my name and on which you rely, the place that I gave to you and your ancestors, just as I did to Shiloh. I will cast you out of my sight, just as I cast out the rest of your family, all the people of Ephraim. (Jer 7:12-15 CEB)
Specifically, did God tolerate the worship of foreign gods or was He angry?
Jeremiah, don't pray for these people! I, the Lord, would refuse to listen. Do you see what the people of Judah are doing in their towns and in the streets of Jerusalem? Children gather firewood, their fathers build fires, and their mothers mix dough to bake bread for the goddess they call the Queen of Heaven. They even offer wine sacrifices to other gods, just to insult me. But they are not only insulting me; they are also harming themselves by doing these shameful things.
And now, I, the Lord All-Powerful, will flood Judah with my fiery anger until nothing is left—no people or animals, no trees or crops. (Jer 7:16-20 CEV)
Had each successive generation only gotten worse in the nation? What would God say about our current generations?
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers. (Jer 7:21-26 ESV)
Will our current generation listen to a preacher of God’s word any better than that generation?
When you speak all these things to them, they will not listen to you. When you call to them, they will not answer you. You must therefore declare to them: This is the nation that would not listen to the voice of the Lord their God and would not accept discipline. Truth has perished—it has disappeared from their mouths. Cut off the hair of your sacred vow and throw it away. Raise up a dirge on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned the generation under His wrath. (Jer 7:27-29 HCSB)
What had Judah done in the house of God, the Temple in Jerusalem? What abominable things were they doing with their own children?
“For the people of Judah have done evil in my eyes,” declares the Lord. “They have put their detestable idols in the house that is called by my name in order to defile it. They have built high places at Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire. I didn’t command this, and it never entered my mind! (Jer 7:30-31 ISV)
What punishment will God bring to Jerusalem because they sacrificed their children to pagan gods?
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate. (Jer 7:32-34 KJV)
Did Jesus also speak against another later misuse of the Temple in Jerusalem?
And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robbers’ den.” (Mark 11:17 LSB)
How many lies that are not found in the Bible do we believe? You decide!
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