Jeremiah: Part 1
Coming Judgment
Looking at our next major prophet, we come across the prophet of Jeremiah. Just like Isaiah, Jeremiah is told to warn Jerusalem and Judah to turn from their sin, or judgment would come. One of the most notable aspects of this book is the judgment that God brings. Babylon comes and takes over Jerusalem and does so in a horrible way. God’s people are enslaved, tortured, and taken advantage of while sin surrounds these people even still. As The Bible Project notes, “He predicted that the empire of Babylon would come to destroy Jerusalem and carry them into exile. And sadly, his words became reality. He lived through the siege and destruction of the city and witnessed the exile take place.” This book is made up of 52 chapters that show just how exactly God will judge His people and the response of His people amid suffering. If you read through our last series on the book of Isaiah, you know that along with Jeremiah, we will also be looking at the book of Lamentations. Lamentations isn’t just a separate prophetic book, it is a book that is also known as the Lamentations of Jeremiah. So as we break this book down, we won’t just be looking at Jeremiah, we will also be seeing how God’s people respond in the midst of this judgment. With this in mind, let’s dive in.
Using Evil
To start, let’s look at how God tells Jeremiah about the coming destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah 6:22 says, “This is what the LORD says: “Behold, there is a people coming from the northland, And a great nation will be stirred up from the remote parts of the earth.” This is clearly a warning of the coming nation of Babylon that God will use to destroy Jerusalem. Notice how this nation isn’t just happening to come across Jerusalem and destroy them, but rather, Babylon was ‘stirred up’. God’s hand was certainly over the land of Babylon, even though they were used in an unpleasant manner. Just further down in this chapter, look at what our Lord says about Babylon. Jeremiah 6:27 “I have made you an assayer and an examiner among My people, So that you may know and put their way to the test.” This is a very fascinating tactic used by God. As we mentioned in our last series, God did not choose a nation to judge Jerusalem that was in right standing with the Lord and lived righteously. In fact, it was quite the opposite. God picked a nation that was already drowning in their sin, living rebelliously, and only sought their own selfish desires. This is what makes this tactic by God so unique. God made Babylon an ‘examiner’ to use against Jerusalem. In other words, our Lord can use even the most evil of nations for His good in ways that no one has been able to before.
But with God’s use of such an evil nation, it begs the question, ‘Why not just change Jerusalem?’ If God can use an evil nation for good, why not just make the evil nations good? If this was your thought about this issue, you’re not alone. In fact, Jeremiah himself asked this question. Jeremiah 12:1-2 says, “Righteous are You, LORD, when I plead my case with You; Nevertheless I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease? You have planted them, they have also taken root;...” This is a very valid question from Jeremiah. If God is ultimately in control and can use evil for whatever purposes He wants, why can’t He just make a nation good? Lucky for us, God answers Jeremiah just a few verses later. Jeremiah 12:5-6 mentions “If you have run with infantrymen and they have tired you out, How can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the thicket by the Jordan? “For even your brothers and the household of your father, Even they have dealt treacherously with you, Even they have called aloud after you. Do not believe them, though they say nice things to you.”
God’s Response
God essentially responds to Jeremiah by telling him, ‘Life of service to the Lord isn’t an easy thing to do.’ Now how does this answer the question of God’s sovereignty? What the Lord is telling Jeremiah here, is that multiple questions on how the world functions and how God operates will arise in your life. If you’ve ever read the book of Job, this is a similar answer when Job asked God why so much suffering is allowed in this world. God is saying, ‘I’m God and you are not.’ It seems in this scenario though, God takes it a step further by telling Jeremiah that this life of prophetic service isn’t an easy one to live. This is proven to be the case when Jeremiah receives yet another harsh message to deliver in chapter 25. In this chapter, God tells Jeremiah just how long exactly, the people of Jerusalem will remain enslaved to the nation of Babylon. Jeremiah 25:11 says, “‘This entire land will be a place of ruins and an object of horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.” God has made it clear to Jeremiah and the land of Jerusalem that judgment is coming to this land and He will use whatever means necessary to accomplish this. So what can we practically take away from this? What does Jeremiah have to teach us today? I think the answer is simple. God will not let sin go unpunished. No matter whether or not you agree with God’s methods, the message here is that our Lord will fulfill His purposes with His people, whether they follow Him or not. But how does this prophetic book end? Join us later this week as we see how.
Sources
[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/
[2] BibleProject. (2024, August 8). Guide to the Book of Jeremiah. BibleProject. https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-jeremiah/
Comments