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!
Who to Trust (Jeremiah 17)
Though we may pray for our human leaders, who do we really trust, them or God? Let’s look at Jeremiah 17.
How ingrained is sin in the land? Does it eventually result in national disinheritance?
The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.
O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders. And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever. (Jer 17:1-4 KJV)
Do we trust in human political and religious leadership or God? How does this compare with a tree in the desert versus a tree by a stream?
Thus says Yahweh, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from Yahweh. And he will be like a juniper in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will dwell in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt which is not inhabited.
Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh And whose trust is Yahweh. And he will be like a tree planted by the water, That sends forth its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor refrain from yielding fruit. (Jer 17:5-8 LSB)
How deceitful is the human heart? Do we even trust ourselves? Have we made a fortune unjustly?
“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, To give to each person according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds. As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid, So is a person who makes a fortune, but unjustly; In the middle of his days it will abandon him, And in the end he will be a fool.” (Jer 17:9-11 NASB)
Who is the ultimate hope of any nation, a political leader on the left or right or God?
A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary. Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water. (Jer 17:12-13 NIV)
How did Jeremiah pray for himself and shame for his persecutors?
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise. Indeed they say to me, “Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now!” As for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You, Nor have I desired the woeful day; You know what came out of my lips; It was right there before You.
Do not be a terror to me; You are my hope in the day of doom. Let them be ashamed who persecute me, But do not let me be put to shame; Let them be dismayed, But do not let me be dismayed. Bring on them the day of doom, And destroy them with double destruction! (Jer 17:14-18 NKJV)
If Sabbath is not required anywhere in the New Testament, but Jesus invites us to come to Him for rest for our souls, what can we learn from the importance of Sabbath under the old covenant?
This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand in the gates of Jerusalem, first in the gate where the king goes in and out, and then in each of the other gates. Say to all the people, ‘Listen to this message from the Lord, you kings of Judah and all you people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says: Listen to my warning! Stop carrying on your trade at Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath day. Do not do your work on the Sabbath, but make it a holy day. I gave this command to your ancestors, but they did not listen or obey. They stubbornly refused to pay attention or accept my discipline. (Jer 17:19-23 NLT)
Do we add a burden onto faith in Jesus? Are we saved in Him by faith or by works? What are our spiritual sacrifices to God?
It will happen, if you diligently listen to me,” says Yahweh, “to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but to make the Sabbath day holy, to do no work therein; then there will enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on David’s throne, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city will remain forever.
They will come from the cities of Judah, and from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country, and from the South, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, meal offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to Yahweh’s house. But if you will not listen to me to make the Sabbath day holy, and not to bear a burden and enter in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem. It will not be quenched.”’” (Jer 17:24-27 WEB)
If Jesus nowhere commanded us to rest in a day, Saturday or Sunday, what kind of rest did He offer?
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mat 11:28-30 ESV)
If we no longer need to sacrifice animals, is there a sacrifice we are encouraged to make? Though we are not saved by good works, are we saved for good works?
Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God. (Rom 12:1 CEV)
Though we may pray for our human leaders, who do we really trust, them or God? You decide!
How ingrained is sin in the land? Does it eventually result in national disinheritance?
The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.
O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders. And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever. (Jer 17:1-4 KJV)
Do we trust in human political and religious leadership or God? How does this compare with a tree in the desert versus a tree by a stream?
Thus says Yahweh, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from Yahweh. And he will be like a juniper in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will dwell in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt which is not inhabited.
Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh And whose trust is Yahweh. And he will be like a tree planted by the water, That sends forth its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor refrain from yielding fruit. (Jer 17:5-8 LSB)
How deceitful is the human heart? Do we even trust ourselves? Have we made a fortune unjustly?
“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, To give to each person according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds. As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid, So is a person who makes a fortune, but unjustly; In the middle of his days it will abandon him, And in the end he will be a fool.” (Jer 17:9-11 NASB)
Who is the ultimate hope of any nation, a political leader on the left or right or God?
A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary. Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water. (Jer 17:12-13 NIV)
How did Jeremiah pray for himself and shame for his persecutors?
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise. Indeed they say to me, “Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now!” As for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You, Nor have I desired the woeful day; You know what came out of my lips; It was right there before You.
Do not be a terror to me; You are my hope in the day of doom. Let them be ashamed who persecute me, But do not let me be put to shame; Let them be dismayed, But do not let me be dismayed. Bring on them the day of doom, And destroy them with double destruction! (Jer 17:14-18 NKJV)
If Sabbath is not required anywhere in the New Testament, but Jesus invites us to come to Him for rest for our souls, what can we learn from the importance of Sabbath under the old covenant?
This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand in the gates of Jerusalem, first in the gate where the king goes in and out, and then in each of the other gates. Say to all the people, ‘Listen to this message from the Lord, you kings of Judah and all you people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says: Listen to my warning! Stop carrying on your trade at Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath day. Do not do your work on the Sabbath, but make it a holy day. I gave this command to your ancestors, but they did not listen or obey. They stubbornly refused to pay attention or accept my discipline. (Jer 17:19-23 NLT)
Do we add a burden onto faith in Jesus? Are we saved in Him by faith or by works? What are our spiritual sacrifices to God?
It will happen, if you diligently listen to me,” says Yahweh, “to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but to make the Sabbath day holy, to do no work therein; then there will enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on David’s throne, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city will remain forever.
They will come from the cities of Judah, and from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country, and from the South, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, meal offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to Yahweh’s house. But if you will not listen to me to make the Sabbath day holy, and not to bear a burden and enter in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem. It will not be quenched.”’” (Jer 17:24-27 WEB)
If Jesus nowhere commanded us to rest in a day, Saturday or Sunday, what kind of rest did He offer?
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mat 11:28-30 ESV)
If we no longer need to sacrifice animals, is there a sacrifice we are encouraged to make? Though we are not saved by good works, are we saved for good works?
Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God. (Rom 12:1 CEV)
Though we may pray for our human leaders, who do we really trust, them or God? You decide!
Jeremiah's Hope (Jeremiah 16)
Even while God punishes a nation, does He do so in hope? Let’s look at Jeremiah 16.
Why did God tell Jeremiah not to marry and have children in that place?
The Lord gave me another message. He said, “Do not get married or have children in this place. For this is what the Lord says about the children born here in this city and about their mothers and fathers: They will die from terrible diseases. No one will mourn for them or bury them, and they will lie scattered on the ground like manure. They will die from war and famine, and their bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.” (Jer 16:1-4 NLT)
Would people die without burial or mourners attending their graves?
For Yahweh says, “Don’t enter into the house of mourning. Don’t go to lament. Don’t bemoan them, for I have taken away my peace from this people,” says Yahweh, “even loving kindness and tender mercies. Both great and small will die in this land. They will not be buried. Men won’t lament for them, cut themselves, or make themselves bald for them. Men won’t break bread for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead. Men won’t give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother. (Jer 16:5-7 WEB)
What did God tell Jeremiah about attending parties, feasting in the land? Would people ask what they had done wrong?
Don’t enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink. This is what the Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims: Before your very eyes and in your own lifetime, I will silence in this place the sounds of joy and gladness and the voices of the bridegroom and the bride. When you proclaim all these things to the people, and they ask you, “Why has the Lord pronounced such massive devastation against us? What have we done wrong? How have we sinned against the Lord our God?” (Jer 16:8-10 CEB)
How did God want Jeremiah to answer the people, when they asked why such massive devastation?
Then tell them I have said: People of Judah, your ancestors turned away from me; they rejected my laws and teachings and started worshiping other gods. And you have done even worse! You are stubborn, and instead of obeying me, you do whatever evil comes to your mind. So I will throw you into a land that you and your ancestors know nothing about, a place where you will have to worship other gods both day and night. And I won't feel the least bit sorry for you.
A time will come when you will again worship me. But you will no longer call me the Living Lord who rescued Israel from Egypt. Instead, you will call me the Living Lord who rescued you from that country in the north and from the other countries where I had forced you to go. Someday I will bring you back to this land that I gave your ancestors. (Jer 16:11-15 CEV)
Was God fishing for people to punish because of their detestable wrong?
“Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks. For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes. But first I will doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations.” (Jer 16:16-18 ESV)
What was Jeremiah’s prayer about idols and lies, and what was God’s answer?
Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in a time of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our fathers inherited only lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all.” Can one make gods for himself? But they are not gods.
“Therefore, I am about to inform them, and this time I will make them know My power and My might; then they will know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jer 16:19-21 HCSB)
Did Jesus turn the metaphor of fishing for people to punish into fishing for people to give hope?
“Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fishers of people!” (Matthew 4:19 ISV)
Even while God punishes a nation, does He do so in hope? You decide!
Why did God tell Jeremiah not to marry and have children in that place?
The Lord gave me another message. He said, “Do not get married or have children in this place. For this is what the Lord says about the children born here in this city and about their mothers and fathers: They will die from terrible diseases. No one will mourn for them or bury them, and they will lie scattered on the ground like manure. They will die from war and famine, and their bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.” (Jer 16:1-4 NLT)
Would people die without burial or mourners attending their graves?
For Yahweh says, “Don’t enter into the house of mourning. Don’t go to lament. Don’t bemoan them, for I have taken away my peace from this people,” says Yahweh, “even loving kindness and tender mercies. Both great and small will die in this land. They will not be buried. Men won’t lament for them, cut themselves, or make themselves bald for them. Men won’t break bread for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead. Men won’t give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother. (Jer 16:5-7 WEB)
What did God tell Jeremiah about attending parties, feasting in the land? Would people ask what they had done wrong?
Don’t enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink. This is what the Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims: Before your very eyes and in your own lifetime, I will silence in this place the sounds of joy and gladness and the voices of the bridegroom and the bride. When you proclaim all these things to the people, and they ask you, “Why has the Lord pronounced such massive devastation against us? What have we done wrong? How have we sinned against the Lord our God?” (Jer 16:8-10 CEB)
How did God want Jeremiah to answer the people, when they asked why such massive devastation?
Then tell them I have said: People of Judah, your ancestors turned away from me; they rejected my laws and teachings and started worshiping other gods. And you have done even worse! You are stubborn, and instead of obeying me, you do whatever evil comes to your mind. So I will throw you into a land that you and your ancestors know nothing about, a place where you will have to worship other gods both day and night. And I won't feel the least bit sorry for you.
A time will come when you will again worship me. But you will no longer call me the Living Lord who rescued Israel from Egypt. Instead, you will call me the Living Lord who rescued you from that country in the north and from the other countries where I had forced you to go. Someday I will bring you back to this land that I gave your ancestors. (Jer 16:11-15 CEV)
Was God fishing for people to punish because of their detestable wrong?
“Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks. For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes. But first I will doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations.” (Jer 16:16-18 ESV)
What was Jeremiah’s prayer about idols and lies, and what was God’s answer?
Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in a time of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our fathers inherited only lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all.” Can one make gods for himself? But they are not gods.
“Therefore, I am about to inform them, and this time I will make them know My power and My might; then they will know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jer 16:19-21 HCSB)
Did Jesus turn the metaphor of fishing for people to punish into fishing for people to give hope?
“Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fishers of people!” (Matthew 4:19 ISV)
Even while God punishes a nation, does He do so in hope? You decide!
Weeping Prophet (Jeremiah 15)
Could we deal with similar suffering as Jeremiah, a man with an unpopular message from God? Let’s look at Jeremiah 15.
Will God say yes to prayers for a nation whose people who refuse to repent?
The Lord said to me: Even if Moses and Samuel were here, praying with you, I wouldn't change my mind. So send the people of Judah away. (Jer 15:1 CEV)
What four ways would the unrepentant people of Judah suffer?
And when they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: “‘Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who are for the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity.’
I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the Lord: the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. And I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem. (Jer 15:2-4 ESV)
Did Judah rebel against the only one who cared enough to protect them?
Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem? Who will show sympathy toward you? Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare? You have left Me. This is the Lord’s declaration. You have turned your back, so I have stretched out My hand against you and destroyed you. I am tired of showing compassion. I scattered them with a winnowing fork at the gates of the land. I made them childless; I destroyed My people. They would not turn from their ways.
I made their widows more numerous than the sand of the seas. I brought a destroyer at noon against the mother of young men. I suddenly released on her agitation and terrors. The mother of seven grew faint; she breathed her last breath. Her sun set while it was still day; she was ashamed and humiliated. The rest of them I will give over to the sword in the presence of their enemies.” This is the Lord’s declaration. (Jer 15:5-9 HCSB)
Did Jeremiah feel sorry that he was chosen as the bearer of this warning? Do modern preachers who do not avoid the necessity of repentance also have similar experience?
How terrible for me, my mother, that you gave birth to me, a man of strife and contention for the whole land! I’ve neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me. (Jer 15:10 ISV)
Despite being hated for sharing a divine warning, did God promise He would look after Jeremiah?
The Lord said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction. (Jer 15:11 KJV)
Would the northern armies come with a quality of iron in their weapons particularly valued at that time?
“Can anyone smash iron, Iron from the north, or bronze? Your wealth and your treasures I will give for plunder without cost, Even for all your sins And within all your borders. Then I will cause your enemies to pass it over Into a land you do not know, For a fire has been kindled in My anger; It will burn upon you.” (Jer 15:12-14 LSB)
What did Jeremiah pray to God regarding his willingness to suffer insults for God?
You know, Lord; Remember me, take notice of me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away; Know that for Your sake I endure reproach. Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, Lord God of armies.
I did not sit in a circle of revelers and celebrate. Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone, For You filled me with indignation. Why has my pain been endless And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable? (Jer 15:15-18 NASB)
Does God warn His prophet about further persecution, but also promise to deliver Jeremiah?
Therefore this is what the Lord says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you,” declares the Lord. “I will save you from the hands of the wicked and deliver you from the grasp of the cruel.” (Jer 15:19-21 NIV)
How did Jesus deal with persecution as Jeremiah suffered and leave us an example?
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; (1 Peter 2:21-23 NKJV)
Could we deal with similar suffering as Jeremiah, a man with an unpopular message from God? You decide!
Will God say yes to prayers for a nation whose people who refuse to repent?
The Lord said to me: Even if Moses and Samuel were here, praying with you, I wouldn't change my mind. So send the people of Judah away. (Jer 15:1 CEV)
What four ways would the unrepentant people of Judah suffer?
And when they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: “‘Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who are for the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity.’
I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the Lord: the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. And I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem. (Jer 15:2-4 ESV)
Did Judah rebel against the only one who cared enough to protect them?
Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem? Who will show sympathy toward you? Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare? You have left Me. This is the Lord’s declaration. You have turned your back, so I have stretched out My hand against you and destroyed you. I am tired of showing compassion. I scattered them with a winnowing fork at the gates of the land. I made them childless; I destroyed My people. They would not turn from their ways.
I made their widows more numerous than the sand of the seas. I brought a destroyer at noon against the mother of young men. I suddenly released on her agitation and terrors. The mother of seven grew faint; she breathed her last breath. Her sun set while it was still day; she was ashamed and humiliated. The rest of them I will give over to the sword in the presence of their enemies.” This is the Lord’s declaration. (Jer 15:5-9 HCSB)
Did Jeremiah feel sorry that he was chosen as the bearer of this warning? Do modern preachers who do not avoid the necessity of repentance also have similar experience?
How terrible for me, my mother, that you gave birth to me, a man of strife and contention for the whole land! I’ve neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me. (Jer 15:10 ISV)
Despite being hated for sharing a divine warning, did God promise He would look after Jeremiah?
The Lord said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction. (Jer 15:11 KJV)
Would the northern armies come with a quality of iron in their weapons particularly valued at that time?
“Can anyone smash iron, Iron from the north, or bronze? Your wealth and your treasures I will give for plunder without cost, Even for all your sins And within all your borders. Then I will cause your enemies to pass it over Into a land you do not know, For a fire has been kindled in My anger; It will burn upon you.” (Jer 15:12-14 LSB)
What did Jeremiah pray to God regarding his willingness to suffer insults for God?
You know, Lord; Remember me, take notice of me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away; Know that for Your sake I endure reproach. Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, Lord God of armies.
I did not sit in a circle of revelers and celebrate. Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone, For You filled me with indignation. Why has my pain been endless And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable? (Jer 15:15-18 NASB)
Does God warn His prophet about further persecution, but also promise to deliver Jeremiah?
Therefore this is what the Lord says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you,” declares the Lord. “I will save you from the hands of the wicked and deliver you from the grasp of the cruel.” (Jer 15:19-21 NIV)
How did Jesus deal with persecution as Jeremiah suffered and leave us an example?
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; (1 Peter 2:21-23 NKJV)
Could we deal with similar suffering as Jeremiah, a man with an unpopular message from God? You decide!
False Teachers (Jeremiah 14)
Are there still false teachers spreading lies and indulging sin rather than calling for repentance? Let’s look at Jeremiah 14.
What did God have to say about a drought in the land of Judah and the lack of grass for wildlife?
That which came as the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah in regard to the drought: “Judah mourns, And her gates languish; They sit on the ground in mourning, And the outcry of Jerusalem has gone up. Their mighty ones have sent their underlings for water; They have come to the trenches and found no water. They have returned with their vessels empty; They have been put to shame and dishonored, And they cover their heads. Because the ground is dismayed, For there has been no rain on the land, The farmers have been put to shame; They have covered their heads. For even the doe in the field has given birth only to forsake her young Because there is no grass. The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights; They pant for air like jackals; Their eyes fail For there is no vegetation.” (Jer 14:1-6 LSB)
What was the prophet's prayer to God in the midst of this national calamity?
“Though our wrongdoings testify against us, Lord, act for the sake of Your name! Our apostasies have indeed been many, We have sinned against You. Hope of Israel, Its Savior in time of distress, Why are You like a stranger in the land, Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night? Why are You like a confused person, Like a warrior who cannot save? Yet You are in our midst, Lord, And we are called by Your name; Do not leave us!” (Jer 14:7-9 NASB)
Do religious rituals without a change of heart really impress God in the slightest?
This is what the Lord says about this people: “They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.” Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.” (Jer 14:10-12 NIV)
What did the false preachers teach, and was that deception similar to the flattering lies of health-wealth preaching today?
Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’ ” And the Lord said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not be in this land’—‘By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed! And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; they will have no one to bury them—them nor their wives, their sons nor their daughters—for I will pour their wickedness on them.’ (Jer 14:13-16 NKJV)
Did God shed many tears over the nation? Did those who should have been leading the people know what they were doing? Are world leaders today just as clueless?
Now, Jeremiah, say this to them: “Night and day my eyes overflow with tears. I cannot stop weeping, for my virgin daughter—my precious people—has been struck down and lies mortally wounded. If I go out into the fields, I see the bodies of people slaughtered by the enemy. If I walk the city streets, I see people who have died of starvation. The prophets and priests continue with their work, but they don’t know what they’re doing.” (Jer 14:17-18 NLT)
What was Jeremiah’s prayer for the nation? Was repentance and waiting on God part of that prayer?
Have you utterly rejected Judah? Has your soul loathed Zion? Why have you struck us, and there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, and behold, dismay! We acknowledge, Yahweh, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers; for we have sinned against you. Do not abhor us, for your name’s sake. Do not disgrace the throne of your glory. Remember, and don’t break your covenant with us. Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the sky give showers? Aren’t you he, Yahweh our God? Therefore we will wait for you; for you have made all these things. (Jer 14:19-22 WEB)
Is false prophets teaching lies still a valid concern today?
But false prophets also arose among the people. In the same way, false teachers will come among you. They will introduce destructive opinions and deny the master who bought them, bringing quick destruction on themselves. (2 Peter 2:1 CEB)
Are there still false teachers spreading lies and indulging sin rather than calling for repentance? You decide!
What did God have to say about a drought in the land of Judah and the lack of grass for wildlife?
That which came as the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah in regard to the drought: “Judah mourns, And her gates languish; They sit on the ground in mourning, And the outcry of Jerusalem has gone up. Their mighty ones have sent their underlings for water; They have come to the trenches and found no water. They have returned with their vessels empty; They have been put to shame and dishonored, And they cover their heads. Because the ground is dismayed, For there has been no rain on the land, The farmers have been put to shame; They have covered their heads. For even the doe in the field has given birth only to forsake her young Because there is no grass. The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights; They pant for air like jackals; Their eyes fail For there is no vegetation.” (Jer 14:1-6 LSB)
What was the prophet's prayer to God in the midst of this national calamity?
“Though our wrongdoings testify against us, Lord, act for the sake of Your name! Our apostasies have indeed been many, We have sinned against You. Hope of Israel, Its Savior in time of distress, Why are You like a stranger in the land, Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night? Why are You like a confused person, Like a warrior who cannot save? Yet You are in our midst, Lord, And we are called by Your name; Do not leave us!” (Jer 14:7-9 NASB)
Do religious rituals without a change of heart really impress God in the slightest?
This is what the Lord says about this people: “They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.” Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.” (Jer 14:10-12 NIV)
What did the false preachers teach, and was that deception similar to the flattering lies of health-wealth preaching today?
Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’ ” And the Lord said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not be in this land’—‘By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed! And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; they will have no one to bury them—them nor their wives, their sons nor their daughters—for I will pour their wickedness on them.’ (Jer 14:13-16 NKJV)
Did God shed many tears over the nation? Did those who should have been leading the people know what they were doing? Are world leaders today just as clueless?
Now, Jeremiah, say this to them: “Night and day my eyes overflow with tears. I cannot stop weeping, for my virgin daughter—my precious people—has been struck down and lies mortally wounded. If I go out into the fields, I see the bodies of people slaughtered by the enemy. If I walk the city streets, I see people who have died of starvation. The prophets and priests continue with their work, but they don’t know what they’re doing.” (Jer 14:17-18 NLT)
What was Jeremiah’s prayer for the nation? Was repentance and waiting on God part of that prayer?
Have you utterly rejected Judah? Has your soul loathed Zion? Why have you struck us, and there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, and behold, dismay! We acknowledge, Yahweh, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers; for we have sinned against you. Do not abhor us, for your name’s sake. Do not disgrace the throne of your glory. Remember, and don’t break your covenant with us. Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the sky give showers? Aren’t you he, Yahweh our God? Therefore we will wait for you; for you have made all these things. (Jer 14:19-22 WEB)
Is false prophets teaching lies still a valid concern today?
But false prophets also arose among the people. In the same way, false teachers will come among you. They will introduce destructive opinions and deny the master who bought them, bringing quick destruction on themselves. (2 Peter 2:1 CEB)
Are there still false teachers spreading lies and indulging sin rather than calling for repentance? You decide!
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