Nehemiah 2:1-10 - Help from secular authorities

This happened in 444BC. Nehemiah was perhaps taking something of a risk to appear so downcast in the presence of the king. We see in this incident a number of important features. First, Nehemiah prayed. This is often referred to as an arrow prayer, ie one just shot out quickly. Prayer is an important feature of Nehemiah's life and was vital to his success. 

A second feature is the interaction with secular authorities. On the one hand he seeks and finds favour from the king, who, we must remember, was a pagan king. Nehemiah asked for what he needed and the king gladly supplied it. Nehemiah puts this down to the gracious hand of God on his life. We need to realise that the grace of God works in our lives to enable us to achieve His purposes. When we are committed to the will of God we will experience more grace. At the same time the years of faithful service no doubt played a role in the king being favourable towards Nehemiah.

Then we get the opposition of Sanballat. He was governor of Samaria (4:1,2) and probably saw his position being threatened. So Nehemiah experiences both favour and opposition from secular authority. There are often debates within the church about whether or not we should seek help from secular authorities (eg taking lottery money). There is no one answer to this. In the Bible we see times when godless rulers help God's people, and we see times when they oppose God's people. We also see times when supposedly godly men oppose God's people!

Nehemiah 1 - News from Jerusalem

The book was written by Nehemiah starting in 445 BC. One of his brothers had been to Jerusalem and had returned with news of how things were there.  There are records of a Hanani in the Elphantine papyri. The report was that the people were in great trouble and disgrace. The people were defenceless and the place was very much broken down. 

On hearing the news Nehemiah sat down and wept, and he also fasted prayed. Fasting increased during the exile period. When we are in times of distress it leads us to seek the Lord more earnestly. After this he gave the prayer reported here.

Notice the link between God's love and our love for Him. We do not earn God's love, but we do need to be aware that we are in a relationship with God, and love is two way. Our love for God matters. Moreover, love for God includes obedience to Him (John 14:5).

Nehemiah called on God to listen to his prayers. He also confessed his own sin, and the sin of the people. He knew that all the troubles had come because they had neglected the Law. Yet even in the Law Moses had foreseen the scattering among the nations, and had said that God would listen if they then turned to Him (Deut 30:1-5). 

Nehemiah knew what he was going to do and he sought the Lord's favour.

Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king, essentially tasting the wine to make sure the king was not being poisoned. So he was a man who had the confidence of the king.

Nehemiah - Introduction

This is the last of the history books in the Old Testament. We saw in Ezra that while Cyrus had issued a decree permitting peoples to return to their homelands (539 BC), only some 50,000 Jews had actually done so. Most had stayed behind and many were prospering in Persia. Nehemiah's family was one of these.

Nehemiah had an influential position, but when he heard of the state of things in Jerusalem his heart was touched and he wanted to return to Jerusalem to help change things.

When he arrived in Jerusalem he was faced with the problems. The state of the people themselves, and the opposition from outside. Ie similar to the problems every church leader encounters!

Nehemiah took practical and spiritual action in order to change the situation and the book is a record of how he went about this.

The book was written by Nehemiah himself.

Jeremiah 52 - The fall of Jerusalem

And so it all comes to an end. Jeremiah saw the fall of Jerusalem in his lifetime, but, of course, did not see the return from exile. The text in this chapter reads like stuff we see in 1 and 2 Kings and adds the historical context to the prophecy.

Zedekiah did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as had other kings. It was the disobedience of the rulers and the people that led to the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. We need to appreciate that the moral state of a nation determines the destiny of a nation.

The city was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar, and was so for about two years, during which time conditions became terrible. Food ran out and then the city wall was breached. The army, along with Zedekiah, tried to escape, but failed.

Zedekiah saw the death of his family, had his eyes gouged out, and was then held prisoner for the rest of his life.

The temple and many important buildings were burnt down. Much of the temple fittings were carried off to Babylon. 

4, 600 people were taken into exile in total, many more must have died. 

Unlike Zedekiah, Jehoiachin got off quite lightly and seems to have lived quite well. Maybe he was lucky to have reigned for only three months, not having time to do much wrong.

Jeremiah 51 - The end of Babylon

So how would this destruction on Babylon take place? The Lord would stir up a destroyer against her. So just as the Lord had stirred up Babylon against Jerusalem, so He would stir up a nation against Babylon. It is the Lord who is control of history.

The nation would be utterly devastated, and Israel and Judah had not been forgotten. They had been judged, not forgotten, and judgement was not the end of God's plans. 

So when this started to happen Israel and Judah should flee from Babylon. Babylon's strength would be broken in an instant. We should never be overawed by those who appear to be powerful in the world.

Verse 11 makes it clear that it is the Medes who will defeat Babylon, and this was given some seventy years before it happened.

Verses 15,16 remind the people that the Lord is the maker of heaven and earth.

Verses 17-19 contrast the Lord with idols. The blacksmiths were the ones who made the idols, and the nation gloried in them. Yet idols are worthless and can do nothing, the Lord is the living God. Likewise, we need to be aware that our society will glory in things that are ultimately useless.

Babylon had been an instrument in the Lord's hand, but now the Lord would be against Babylon. She would suffer judgement for all her wrongs.

Babylon was not the home for God's people, so they care called out of her.

So Jeremiah's words end with the destruction of Babylon.

Jeremiah 50 - Judgement on Babylon (1)

Babylon was the dominant nation, conquering nation after nation. Moreover, she was the instrument that the Lord was using to judge Judah. Yet her destiny was to be destroyed. She would be captured and her gods would be taken captive, just as she had done to other nations. Her land would be desolate.

All this would be combined with the salvation of Israel and Judah, with their repentance. They would seek the Lord and be found. For a time they had to live in exile in Babylon, but this was only for a season. We need to realise that there are times when God leads us to do something or to be in some place, but it is only for a limited time.

Those who pillaged Judah needed to realise that they were doing it only as an instrument of God's judgement, it did not reflect on their own strength. Nor should they delight in their role. Babylon would suffer for what she had done to others.

Assyria had been used as an instrument of judgement against Israel (and Judah to a lesser extent). Babylon had seen what had happened to Assyria, so she should learn the lesson. Instead she became proud and ruthless.

Earlier chapters described graphically the onslaught that would fall on Judah. Now similar language is used to describe what would happen to Babylon.

Israel and Judah were oppressed, but the Lord Almighty was their redeemer. There are times when we are weak, but we need to remember who our redeemer is, and He is not weak.

Jeremiah 49 - Five more nations for judgement

Five more nations are now in view. First up is Ammon. The Ammonites had humiliated Israel, taking possession of her territory after she was defeated by Assyria. Ammon thought she had gained nicely out of the events and that Israel was no more, but God declares that danger is coming. Moreover, Israel would drive Ammon out. Like Moab she boasted of her prowess, but terror would come upon her. Yet, like several of the nations, she would be restored.

Next up is Edom. Much of these verses bear a close resemblance to Obadiah. Edom was famous for her men of wisdom (see Job). Yet this wisdom would not save her. And the onslaught would be terrible and complete. Yet in the midst of this God would care for the widows and the fatherless (v11). Nations mocked Judah, not realising that if even Judah was going to suffer judgement, then there was no hope at all for other nations (v12).

Pride, as with so many other nations, was Edom's besetting sin. God had sent a call to the nations to come and attack. There is no promise of restoration for Edom.

Damascus too will suffer, and there is no restoration for her either.

Fourthly we have Kedar and Hazor, another land that was self-confident and seemed to live at peace. Nebuchadnezzar had been summoned to attack and the land would become desolate.

Finally in this chapter we have Elam. Elam had skilled archers, hence the reference in v35, but this would not save her. Elam is one of the nations that is promised restoration.

Jeremiah 47,48 - Philistines & Moab

This was given before Egypt attacked Gaza. Egypt may have seemed the most immediate threat, but Babylon was the real danger. This is the torrent from the North. This would bring a wave of terror on the nation. Things would become so bad that parent's normal concern for their children would go by the wayside. 

The time for the destruction of the Philistines had come.

Next is Moab. Moab had enjoyed a relatively peaceful existence and was prosperous, but she had trusted in her own strength and her riches. These would prove futile against the onslaught that would come, as indeed would her "god" Chemosh. She would become completely desolate.

Verse 10 stresses the certainty and intensity of the judgement that was to come. 

The allusions in v11-13 are to the fact that Moab had not been defeated much by other nations, and had not had the topsy-turvy history that many nations had had.

Moab was proud of herself, but she would come to nothing. The Lord is the only true King. Judgement would be complete, and all around her would observe it. 

Pride (v26) was her major sin.

Yet, even though the judgement would be devastating, Moab would not be destroyed for ever (v47). So judgement comes on all nations, salvation is also open to all nations.

Jeremiah 46 - Egypt

Right at the beginning the Lord had told Jeremiah that He was appointing him as a prophet to the nations, we now get a series of prophecies directed specifically at the nations. Egypt is the first nation to be addressed, finishing with Babylon. Egypt and Babylon were the two nations that at various times threatened Judah. 

Egypt had long sought to be a superpower in the region, but the defeat at Carchemish in 605BC put a decisive end to such pretensions. 

Verses 3-5 are mocking. They mockingly call on the army to prepare proudly for battle, knowing that the army is actually in bedraggled defeated state.

Egypt had made claims to great power, to rise like the Nile and flood the region. But the Lord had determined that judgement would come upon Egypt, so they were destined to lose the battle of Carchemish and be defeated by Babylon.

At one stage in the battle Nebuchadnezzar had returned home because of his father's death. Egypt had a chance to take advantage of this, but failed to do so. Hence the "do-nothing" taunt in verse 17. 

So Egypt would be defeated, and those who relied on Egypt would suffer along with her. 

However, as with Israel, the defeat would not be permanent. Egypt would be inhabited again (v26). God has a plan for all the nations, and the salvation for all nations is found only in Christ.

The final two verses are a repeat of 30:10,11. In the midst of the mayhem and turmoil the Lord would remember Israel and rescue her. When we find ourselves in the midst of difficult circumstances we need to remember that the Lord is still looking after us.

Jeremiah 45 - Baruch

This is an amazingly short chapter. Now, of course, chapters divisions were added many years after the original composition of the Bible, so this is an artificial feature. However, we do get a short section on Baruch.

Let's just review what we have been told about Baruch. He worked as a friend and secretary to Jeremiah. In Jer 32:12-16 he took charge of the deed Jeremiah had for the land he bought, making sure that the documents were sealed and kept safe.

In Jer 36 we read of him writing down on a scroll all the words that Jeremiah dictated to him (36:4). He then read the words out in the temple (36:8). He then later read it to the officials (36:13-16), who warned him and Jeremiah to go and hide (36:17-19). After the king had destroyed the original scroll, Baruch wrote it out again (36:32).

In Jer 43:3 Baruch seems to be blamed as the one who was manipulating Jeremiah.

Now in this chapter we see that Baruch is feeling rather sorry for himself, and understandably so. He also seems to have had a desire for personal greatness. He is warned by God not to seek great things for himself. We should simply obey the Lord. If this involves being elevated to great positions so be it, if it means living in obscurity, so be it. Jeremiah and Baruch had been dragged down to Egypt. Now all the words Jeremiah was getting seemed to involve destruction. God assures Baruch that he would always escape with his life.

Jeremiah 44 : How hard the heart of man is

The chapter begins with God reminding Jeremiah of why He has done the things He has done. The people had persistently disobeyed the Lord and worshipped other gods. Again we need to remind ourselves that "worshipping other gods" was not some quaint custom, but involved things like child sacrifice and sexual abuses, and led to all sorts of injustice and exploitation of the poor. God did not just warn them once, but repeatedly sent prophets to warn them. But they would not listen so judgement came.

Why does He remind Jeremiah here? Jeremiah is more than a mouthpiece. God wants him to understand deeply, to know the heart of God.

Now they had disobeyed God by fleeing to Egypt, and as if that wasn't enough they were worshipping idols there. This is a picture of the depths of sin in man. So all the people of Judah in Egypt would die. There is no escape from the wrath of God, only by repenting.

Instead of repenting the people's hearts were hardened and they became even more obstinate in their idol worship. So judgement would come. Even so they would be given a sign that this would happen, with Jeremiah prophesying the defeat of Egypt at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.

Sermon on Romans 6:1-14 - Sin & Grace

Sermon on sin and grace can be found here.

Jeremiah 43 - As sinful as ever

A common question among atheists and doubters is "what about those who do not hear the gospel". This really is a non-question. The problem with every man and woman on the earth is our sin. Hearing on its own does no good. Here the remnant had asked to hear the word of the Lord, wanting to know what to do. Jeremiah then gave them the word of the Lord telling them very clearly what to do, and setting out the consequences of obedience and disobedience. Yet the people then chose to disobey. They argued that Jeremiah was making it up, acting under pressure.

People say they will believe if they see a miracle. This is not true. Jesus did many miracles, yet the people still rejected Him. 

It is our heart that needs to change and we need the grace of God to work in our lives.

The people thought they would escape Nebuchadnezzar by going to Egypt, but the Lord had even told them (42:11) that they did not need to fear him if they stayed in Judah. But if they fled to Egypt they would find that Babylon would attack and defeat Egypt.

Obedience to the Lord is the only route to safety.

Jeremiah 42 - Don't go to Egypt

The remnant appeared to Jeremiah and asked him to pray to the Lord for them. They wanted to know what the Lord wanted them to do. The events had shown them that they needed to obey the Lord, it was the only hope for them.

The judgement having been executed on Judah, Jeremiah agrees to pray for them. 

The Lord speaks to them. Notice that it is a conversation, they didn't just want to be rescued, though no doubt they did want that, but they wanted to know what the Lord wanted. The Lord tells them that if they stay in the Land then He will build them there. He would build them up and plant them. The time of judgement was over. We all go through times of pruning, but the times of pruning do not last forever. 

Due to the judgement they now feared the king of Babylon, but God instructs them not to do so. When we go through trials things happen that we find difficult and even put fear in us. We need to learn not to fear these things. 

The people still had a choice and an obligation. If they chose to flee to Egypt then they would not have the Lord's protection. They might have been tempted to go there thinking they would be safe and have all that they need, but this would not be the case. For the very things they thought this would save them from would overtake them. We need to be careful of making wrong choices in stressful times. It is very easy to think that we are fleeing to safety when all we are doing is fleeing to danger.

Jeremiah does not seem to have much hope that people will be sensible enough to obey the Lord.

Jeremiah 40,41 - Mayhem continues

Jeremiah was initially going to be carried off with the rest of the exiles, bound in chains, but the commander of the guard found Jeremiah and he was set free. So we see that though it looked as though he was going to be carried off to Babylon, this did not in fact happen. In trusting God we need to realise that the direction things seem to be going in initially it not always how they end up. If the Lord has said He will do something, then He will indeed do that.

Note that Babylon had heard the words that Jeremiah had been preaching.

Jeremiah stayed among the people left behind in the land.

Gedaliah was put in charge of the land and he encouraged the remnant to serve the Babylonians without fear. So Jews in surrounding lands headed back to Judah and a degree of prosperity followed. 

There was a plot to kill Gedaliah and Johanan wanted to take direct action. However, Gedaliah did not believe the threat was real.

However, Ishmael did indeed assassinate Gedaliah. He also killed the men with Gedaliah, including Babylonian soldiers. Johanan tried to capture and kill Ishmael. 

Jeremiah 39 - Trust the Lord always

The main siege of Jerusalem began. This would lead to a gradual diminution of supplies, especially food and water, in the city, with conditions becoming increasingly desperate. Things got so bad that it led to people eating their own children. We should not underestimate how terrible things became.

After sometime the wall of the city was broken through. The Babylonians broke through and assumed control of the city, Zedekiah and his entourage escaped the city. 

Zedekiah's attempts to escape failed. He was captured and his sons slaughtered before his eyes. Then his eyes were taken out and he was taken to Babylon.

There was much destruction, and many people were carried off to Babylon. Only some poor people were left behind, and they were given vineyards and field. This could be seen as some justice being restored to the land.

Nebuchadnezzar had evidently heard of Jeremiah and he gave instructions for him to be looked after. So Jeremiah remained in the land. Ebed-Melek was also looked after by the Lord. Note that he was a Cushite. It is faith in God that counts.

Whatever the situation we find ourselves in, we should trust the Lord.

Jeremiah 38 - He lifted me out of the slimy pit, the mud and the mire

Things were about to get worse for Jeremiah. Given what he was preaching this is not surprising. He was telling people to abandon the city and surrender to the Babylonians. This is defeatist talk in normal circumstances and could be punishable by death. When we give the word of the Lord it may sometimes go completely against what is acceptable.

Verse 4 tells us why this is so. Jeremiah's words were claimed to be sowing discouragement among the soldiers who were left to defend the city. The reaction is entirely understandable, except that Jeremiah's words were the word of God. However, the final bit of verse 4, that he was seeking the ruin of the people, was not true. What Jeremiah said was indeed the only way that they could save their lives.

The officials reported Jeremiah to the king. The king was weak and was content to let the officials do whatever they wanted. We need to remember that the city would be in a desperate and chaotic state. So they lowered Jeremiah into a cistern where he sank into the mud and the mire (reminds one of Psalm 40:2, I wonder if he remembered this psalm). They presumably intended that he be left there to die.

A Cushite, however, heard about it and went to the king. The king evidently had not really wanted to hurt Jeremiah but had felt unable to do so. He had probably given up. So when someone else comes to him putting pressure on in a different direction he gives in to that pressure. So Jeremiah was lifted out of the cistern and returned to the courtyard. Presumably he could continue to preach. It is God who decides what happens.

Jeremiah 37 - The duplicity of man

Zedekiah was made king, but purely as a puppet ruler, installed by Nebuchadnezzar. No one paid any attention to the words of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah. So the rulers, the officials and the people in general were in rebellion against the Lord. Things are not that much different today.

However, Zedekiah still wanted Jeremiah to pray for the nation. This double mindedness is typical. They were not willing to respond to the word of God, which would indeed have brought salvation, yet they still wanted Jeremiah to pray for them. Today politicians are flatly rejecting God's words, yet will then pay lip-service to Christianity. God cannot be mocked, and this sort of attitude did Zedekiah no good, nor will it do our country or its rulers any good. 

At the time the Egyptian army had marched out, possibly in response to some request from Zedekiah. While Zedekiah was installed by Babylon, he was using devious means to try and save Jerusalem. As a result of the Egyptian army marching out the Babylonians withdrew. Zedekiah must have thought that his scheming was paying off, but God sends His word to assure Zedekiah that the relief was only temporary, it would not last. Israel's problem was not Babylon and the solution most definitely was not Egypt. Her problem was her sin against the Lord and the solution was repentance.

During the lull Jeremiah went to the territory of Benjamin to get his affairs sorted out. However, he was accused of deserting and was arrested. Later Zedekiah had him brought to him and asked if there was any word from God. The duplicity of this is amazing. If he was a man of God why did Zedekiah have him imprisoned? There had been numerous words from the Lord, all of them ignored. Men will act in totally illogical and hypocritical ways. Jeremiah simply repeated the word of the Lord. He also pointed out that all the false prophets who had said Babylon would not attack had been clearly proved wrong. Yet Zedekiah still would not listen. However, Jeremiah was confined to the courtyard, and given a daily provision of food.

Jeremiah 36 - Showing contempt for God's word

The Lord told Jeremiah to write down all the words that He had given to him. Given the writing tools of the day this must have been quite a task. Verse 3 is vital to understanding the heart of God. His desire was that the people would finally realise the seriousness of their sin and repent. This also has implications for our understanding of predestination. The verse clearly implies that God did not know what their response would be, or at least that there was a genuine chance that the people could repent.

Baruch acted as Jeremiah's scribe and then his mouthpiece, for he was confined and not allowed in to the temple. 

It seems as though there was some hope, for a time of fasting had been called. During this time Baruch read out the words. Various officials had Baruch come to them with the scroll and read it to them.  They the advised Baruch and Jeremiah to go and hide. It seems that the officials were realising the seriousness of the situation and truth of what Jeremiah was saying, but also knew how the king would react.

The scroll was then read to the king. He acted scornfully of the word, cutting bits off the scroll and throwing them into the fire. Today  people think they can ignore the word of God and show contempt for it. The officials urged the king not to do this, but to no avail. Instead he sought, but failed, to have Jeremiah and Baruch arrested.

The Lord told Jeremiah to rewrite the scroll. The king's contempt would not enable him to escape the coming judgement.

Jeremiah 35 - Rekabites

The Rekabites were a nomadic tribe who lived among the Israelites. The Lord told Jeremiah to invite them to the Temple and take them to side room. In the room was wine and Jeremiah invited them to drink the wine. Now the Rekabites had taken a vow never to drink wine. This had been a long standing tradition for the tribe and they believed that because of it they would live long and prosper. So they refused to drink the wine.

All this was set up by the Lord as a demonstration and a rebuke to Israel. Israel had received commands from God, along with the promise of blessing and prosperity, yet they had repeatedly ignored the command. In contrast the Rekabites had faithfully and assiduously followed their command. So disaster would come upon Jerusalem.

In the Bible Israel is God's special nation, yet they often portrayed as disobedient, indeed usually were disobedient. In contrast, people of other nations are often portrayed as faithful, as here and as with Ruth. In Jesus day similar things happened, Jesus finding more faith in a Roman centurion than He had ever found in Israel. The Bible is not a racist book in any way. We need to carefully understand the significance of Israel. They demonstrate vividly the plight of all mankind and God's working of salvation.

Jeremiah 34 - A heart of darkness

After a few chapters of future hope we return to the grim reality of the present.

Babylon was attacking Jerusalem and the outcome was obvious to all. God sends Jeremiah to Zedekiah to make it plain to him that defeat was inevitable. There was going to be no sudden intervention from the Lord. (In fact it was the Lord who was instigating the attack.) Yet while Zedekiah would go into exile, he would still die peacefully.

The Law said that Hebrew slaves should be freed every seventh year, yet this requirement had often be overlooked. Zedekiah seems to be making a desperate attempt to get right with God. So Hebrew slaves were all to be freed. One has to wonder what the freedom would be worth now given the terrible situation. However, even in these circumstances the heart of man is corrupt beyond measure. So while they set the free slaves free for a time, they then enslaved them again. 

The Lord gave His word to Jeremiah to rebuke them. The people had brought even more judgement upon themselves. 

Critics often site the Bible's "attitude" on slavery as evidence that the Bible is evil or even that God Himself is evil. This shows a complete misunderstanding of the situation. The Bible laws on slavery were remarkably liberal. The truth of the matter is, as illustrated here, that the heart of man is evil.

Jeremiah 33 - The certainty of restoration

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time with a promise of restoration. Remember he has just been told to buy a field at the most inopportune time. When God tells us to do something that is totally against all reasonable expectations He often provides multiple encouragements as well. Jeremiah is urged to ask of God, and is promised that he will be told deep and unsearchable things. A basic truth is that we cannot work out all that God will do, nor all that He is. This does not mean that we do not use our minds, but that we need to recognise the limits of our minds. 

Judah would indeed suffer great judgement, but then would come even greater restoration. Peace, prosperity and healing would come. They will also be cleansed of their sin. Moreover, the nations would see and be amazed. We live in a time when Christians are scorned by society, and increasingly so. We need to know that there will come a time when the world will look on in amazement at God's goodness.

Complete transformation would take place, and once again people would declare that the Lord is good. Fruitfulness and prosperity would return, and in the very place that was now desolate.

How would all this happen? The key would be "the Branch", a messianic term referring to Jesus. He would be righteous and would obey the Lord completely. There would be a uniting of the kingly rule and the priestly office. 

The section closes with the Lord making it absolutely clear that He is determined to make this happen, there is no doubt about it.

Jeremiah 32 - A great time to invest in property!

This was given at a time when the result was all but obvious. Babylon was besieging Jerusalem and defeat was inevitable. Jeremiah had warned Zedekiah of the futility of resisting the Babylonians. Note that the reason for this was not the strength of the Babylonians, but because the Lord was against Jerusalem. For this reason, Zedekiah had imprisoned Jeremiah.

God sent Jeremiah a word that he was to buy a field. Now this looked a foolish time to be investing in the property market! Baruch had to carry out the transaction for Jeremiah. The buying of a field was a sign that the Babylonian defeat was not the end of the matter, but only a stage along the way. God's plans would be fulfilled, and prosperity would one day return to Jerusalem. 

People thought Jeremiah was a traitor, but in reality he was the true patriot.

Even Jeremiah struggled to believe this, but God reminds him of the whole prophetic message. The key element is that it was Judah's sin that was determining events, not the strength of the Babylonian army. 

Our relationship with God is the most important aspect of our lives.

Jeremiah 31:27-40 - A New Covenant

Right at the start of Jeremiah's calling he had been told he would destroy and tear down, but also plant and build up. He has done lots of tearing down. Now the building up and planting comes.

We now come to the heart of the matter, the new covenant. The days of judgement would come to an end and no longer would children be suffering for the sins of their parents (v29). Note that the salvation affects not just people, but animals as well (v27), maybe you will see your pet dog in heaven :-) (please don't read too much theologically into this last bit!). 

How can this happen? Indeed, this is the whole problem of the Bible. The Bible is full of two totally contradictory themes. On the one hand there is the sin of all mankind, personified most clearly and vividly in the nation of Israel. On the other hand, there is the salvation and blessing, again personified most clearly and vividly in the nation of Israel. It is only in and through the cross that this paradox can be resolved.

God is going to make a new covenant (which we are now under). The old covenant basically said, if you obey me you will be blesses, if you don't you will be cursed. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 delineate this most clearly. In fact it always surprises me that some preachers are so keen to preach these chapters. Without the cross, these chapters leave us in a very bad place, for we have not fully obeyed the Lord and so we can expect only the curses. There is only One who has fully obeyed the Lord.

Under the new covenant the law would be written on our hearts and minds. We need a fundamental change in our nature, and that is what the Holy Spirit does.  It is also a fundamental point of the gospel. The cross is not about being "let off" our sins, being allowed to get away with it. Rather it is forgiveness of our sins so we can receive the Holy Spirit, so a work of transformation can begin. 

Under the new covenant we will know the Lord. We can still learn from each other, but we will have a personal relationship with God. Just think how amazing that is!

Our sins will be forgiven and remembered no more, but see that this comes with transformation. 

How can this be? Verses 35 and 36 then remind us who the Lord is. He is the One who created all things, who maintains all things. He has firmly settled in His mind that He will do this, and He is well able to do it. Hallelujah! 

Jeremiah 31:15-26 - Sweet dreams are made of this

Verse 15 is quoted in Matthew 2:18 in the context of Herod's killing of the infants. The immediate context seems to be more the sorrow for the many Israelites who died as a result of the Babylonians or were taken into exile. The time of suffering will come to an end. The ones who went off into exile will return. 

Verses 18-20 stress the importance of repentance and the need to learn from discipline, to be restored by the Lord. This is fundamental, and if you listen to today's false teachers, and even those with "dodgy" views, you will find that often they do not accept the reality of our sin and sinfulness, nor the justice of God in judging our sin and sinfulness. It is only when we face up to this reality that we can receive and appreciate the mercy and goodness of God.

Verse 19 says that it is only when we repent that we have true understanding. In verse 20 we get the heart of God. He recognises our sin and speaks against it, yet it is done with a heart of compassion, with a heart that wants to forgive and restore.

Although they were being carted off into exile they should set up markers for the way back (v21). The exile was temporary. 

The restoration would be to a time of peace and prosperity, living in fellowship with the Lord. 

Evidently (v26) this had all been a dream, God had communicated to Jeremiah these words in a dream. 

Jeremiah 31:1-14 - Joy and Gladness

"I will be their God and they will be my people" is the oft repeated refrain in the Bible and sums up the purposes of God.

The remnant would find favour in the wilderness. We need to understand that when we go through tough times it is in the tough times that we will find the favour of God. We so want to just get out of the situation, but often God has a deeper work to do in our lives. 

The tough times are tiring, wearing us out, but God will come to give us rest. 

We can feel that all joy has gone out of our lives, we can feel desperate and despondent, but we can also be sure that joy will return again. There is a joy that is deep that enable us to get through difficulties, but there is also a joy that is exuberant, as described here. The Lord will eventually lead us to a spacious place, a place of exuberant joy.

Verse 7 commands them to declare this salvation before it happens. It is the Lord Himself who will lead the people back. We need to expect the Lord to personally intervene in our lives.

The nations mocked Israel, but they needed to understand that Israel belonged to the Lord. 

Verse 13 and 14 speak of transformation, mourning into gladness, comfort and joy instead of sorrow. We do go through difficult times, sometimes horrendously difficult, that test our faith, that seem beyond redemption, but salvation is the goal. Joy and gladness are our destination.

Jeremiah 30 - Restoration

Jeremiah was hated and derided by most of the leaders, religious and civic, and by most of the people as well. Why was this? It was because he preached the truth, the truth about their sin and the true state of the nation, and of how they stood with God, ie destined for judgement. However, his message was actually a message of salvation, a message of life, but because the people failed to repent all they got was a destiny of death. It is the same with the gospel. Society is quickly rejecting and deriding anything to do with the Bible, but the only path to life is the one mapped out in the gospel.

Having told the exiles how to live in captivity, he now gives a message of restoration. A time is coming when God will bring them back to their land, back to where they should be.

But first there is judgement. The coming days would be terrible, the siege of Jerusalem by Babylon would involve horrendous suffering, but eventually salvation would come. A salvation that would break the yoke of slavery. Verse 9 is a clear prophecy of the coming of Christ and His role. Note that we must serve someone, either we serve the enemy or we serve the Lord. One brings enslavement, the other freedom.

Judah would be disciplined, but there is an enormous difference between discipline and punishment. Note also that the salvation would not be easy. It would be a time of great turmoil. 

The easy prophets of Jerusalem were saying there was no real problem. The truth was that, by human methods, their wound was incurable. There is nothing we can do in our own strength about our sin. Yet they would be cured, their enemies would be defeated but it would be done by the Lord and on His terms. This would involve restoration for Israel.

The restoration would be complete, a restoration of fruitfulness, of honour. But first must come the deluge.

Jeremiah 29:24-32 - False Prophets

Having warned the exiles against being misled by false prophets and teaching them how they should react attention is now turned specifically to some of the false prophets. False prophecy and false teaching is not just a matter of someone getting it wrong or having a different view. Rather, it is dangerous. It harms peoples lives, so it needs to be taken seriously. Of course, at the same time there needs to be a balance. We don't want the situation where no one is allowed to disagree on anything or to question anything.

Shemaiah is the false prophet who is singled out. He had deliberately set himself up against Jeremiah, and had taken positive steps to have Jeremiah stopped. Note that he did not seek to challenge the validity of Jeremiah's teaching. Instead he flattered the puppet king and urged him to have Jeremiah put in the stocks. Shemaiah was apparently based in Babylon, so there were false prophets among the exiles. 

The Lord spoke to Jeremiah again, and a further word was sent to the exiles warning them that Shemiah was a false prophet and would be judged.

Jeremiah 29:10-23 - I know the plans I have for you

The Babylonian captivity was certain to happen, but equally certain was the eventual return from exile, which would happen in seventy years time.

We then get to one the most oft-quoted verses, "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future". However, it is usually quoted totally in isolation with little or no regard for the context. So let's just remind ourselves of what is going on. Judah is receiving judgement from God, suffering judgement from God. She was going to have to spend seventy years in Babylon. Moreover, as the succeeding verses make clear, there would also be a change of heart within Judah. They would become a people who would seek the Lord with all their heart. This is no nice comforting verse, but one rooted in true and deep salvation. It is one which confronts the realities of the situation they were in, the realities of sin, and the realities of salvation. 

The Lord's plan is always to bring us back to Himself.

Jerusalem had not yet fallen, Zedekiah was a puppet leader. Yet there were false prophets, both in Jerusalem and Babylon, telling the people they would be rescued from Babylon. No such rescue would come, only sword and destruction. The people must not pay heed to the false prophets. This is why Jeremiah sent this letter to the exiles.

There would be no escaping the reality of sin. Time and time again we try to escape this reality, but it is futile to do so.

Jeremiah 29:1-9 - Pray for your enemies

We have here the text of a letter that Jeremiah sent to the exiles in Babylon. We need to remember the context of this letter. Some defeat had already taken place, much worse would soon follow. Meanwhile, Zedekiah was trying various manoeuvrings to try and avoid defeat by Babylon.

Note in verse 4 that it says "I carried .." In human terms it was the Babylonians who had carried them off, and it was because of their sin that they had been carried off, but ultimately it was the Lord who had carried them off. It was part of His judgement upon the nation. 

These people are in a place they do not want to be, among a people, and subject to a people, they do not want to be among and certainly do not want to be subject to. So what are they to do?

They are to settle down and seek to live full lives there. There will come a time to leave, but until that time they should get on with life. In the same way, while we wait for Christ's return with eager anticipation, we must still live full lives here and now. 

Moreover, they are to pray for the city and seek its prosperity. Remember that this was a city that had already defeated Jerusalem and was about to inflict worse. The people are not to listen to the false prophets. False prophecy is a very dangerous thing and can have very destructive effects.

Jeremiah 28 - The end of a false prophet

Having warned against the false prophecies one of the false prophets, Hananiah confronts Jeremiah. He uses language directly to counter Jeremiah's prophecy, referring to breaking the yoke. He even repeats one of the false prophecies that Jeremiah had specifically warned against, namely the return of the articles previously taken by Nebuchadnezzar. 

Verses 6 and 7 could have been said sarcastically by Jeremiah, or he could have been saying he wishes this could be true. However, the truth of the pudding would be in the eating. The events would show whether or not Hananiah was indeed a prophet.

Hananiah then indulges in some theatrics. No doubt this added to the drama of the situation, but it did not add to the truth of the matter.

The word of the Lord had not changed and it is repeated to Hananiah. Jeremiah even prophesied Hananiah's death, and this did in fact take place a short time later.

Jeremiah 27 - True prophecy and rubbish prophecy

The false prophets were preaching that Babylon would be defeated and Jerusalem saved. This would not be the case. We need to be careful in our churches today, just because a prophecy sounds good does not mean that it is good.

Zedekiah was making various political attempts to get out of the mess, avoid being defeated by Babylon. The envoys from Edom etc may have been in Jerusalem as part of that diplomatic effort. However, as well as getting a message from Zedekiah they would be given a message from the Lord as well. The message was that God is the creator of all the earth and that it is He who determines the outcome of events. All their nations were about to be given into the hands of Babylon. In time, Babylon herself would then be subjugated. 

The nations, including Judah, needed to submit to this yoke. Failure to do so would just result in more bloodshed. So all the false prophets and diviners should be ignored. Notice that here the word of God says Babylon will triumph, a calm military assessment of the situation would have said the same thing. 

The message is re-emphasised to Zedekiah. We should not believe every prophet. Note that at the same time they should have believed the true prophet, Jeremiah. We need discernment. 

The false prophecies spoke of the things that Babylon had already taken being restored. A very nice word, but complete rubbish. It is the Lord alone who would enable the restoration.

So what is the key to discerning true prophecy from rubbish prophecy? In this case the key was that the nation was living, and had been living for many years, in complete rebellion against the Lord, worshipping idols, ignoring justice, exploiting people. No nice prophecy would overcome that.