Jeremiah 45:4-5 – Don’t be myopic.

There is only one way to conclude from Baruch’s discouragement. He was being self-centered. Two things happen when a person is in such a situation. He first becomes inward looking, then he blames God for his doldrums.   These two things were clearly on display Baruch. First, he became inward-looking and introspective, so he complained, “Woe is me…I am weary with groaning…I  have no rest ” Then he blamed God, “The Lord has added to my pain….”

What would we counsel such a person? Take a break, take a “kit-kat”? What’s truly important in life is to identify what God is doing. When we can see where God is going with the situation, we become less consumed with ourselves.  

So in  Jeremiah 45:4-5, God reasoned with Baruch. He began by aligning Baruch’s focus.  God was telling him to take his eyes off himself and see what would soon be happening to those around him. He said to him, “Behold, what I have built I am about to tear down, and what I have planted I am about to uproot, that is, the whole land.” In short, God was telling Baruch to stop being myopic and start looking at the larger picture. His myopia was limiting the range of his sight. Isn’t this also true of us? When we are short-sighted, our perspective is very limited.   

God even asked a very disconcerting question. “Are you seeking great things for yourself?” God then added saying, “Do not seek them; for behold, I am going to bring disaster on all flesh….” God was virtually telling him to knock it off. How could he only think of himself when the future of the whole community hanged in a balance? This is what our short-sightedness will do to us. We only see our own little discomfort and fail to see the larger picture. Graciously, God then assured him that he would escape but, in that assurance, he was somewhat reprimanded.   

Life is about perspective. We must look at life and ministry from God's perspective and not from our limited scope. We need to stop complaining about having no branded shoes when some have no legs even to wear unbranded shoes. Learn to see the larger picture before complaining about our lack. 

Jeremiah 45:1-3 – Stay focused on God, not on self.

The backdrop to Jeremiah 45 can be found in Jeremiah 36:1-8 where Baruch was engaged to record the prophet’s 23 years of prophecies. Sometime after he had the prophecies dictated to him, Jeremiah had a message from the Lord to Baruch. This portion of the Scriptures tells us about the struggles of Baruch for being involved in recording the message of God, He was entertaining self-pity knowing that he would be in trouble because Jeremiah’s message was not accepted by many. God spoke to him to correct his attitude and orientate his mindset. Hence, this chapter is not about Jeremiah, it’s about Baruch.

By the way, the name Baruch means blessed. He was Jeremiah’s scribe. In Jeremiah 32 we understand that after the prophet had bought a piece of land from his cousin, he gave it to Baruch for safekeeping. And in Chapter 36, we are told that Jeremiah had Baruch recorded his prophecies. Since the prophet was barred from entering the temple, he sent Baruch to read what was written to those who would listen. After ascertaining what they have heard, some leaders became fearful and reported it to King Jehoiakim. The concerned leaders realizing the danger of both Jeremiah and Baruch then advised them to go into hiding. When what was read to the king, he had the scroll sliced up after each portion was read to him and had them fed to fuel the fire. We learned that Jeremiah had Baruch re-record the prophecies a second time.

We are not told at which juncture Jeremiah gave Baruch the message, but we know that the latter was complaining about his predicament. Given the hostile circumstances and Jeremiah’s tough message, it’s not difficult to see why he should feel the pressure and discomfort concerning his role in it. Rather than see the importance of his task, Verses 1-3 describe how Baruch griped and complained and engaged in self-pity.

On deeper reflection of what Baruch was saying, we cannot miss the fact that he was blaming the Lord for putting him in this predicament. His precise words in verse 3 were “Ah, woe is me! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning and have found no rest.” He was not only tired he was also discouraged. We cannot exclude his emotional anguish as he struggled with the opposition he had to encounter.  

What happened to Baruch can also be our experience. Hence, we need to have a proper orientation and appreciation of what God has called us to do. The world to which we are sent to minister is not always receptive and approving of the message we have for them. We must learn not to take offense. Most of all, not to take offense with God.

My prayer is that these words of Annie Johnson Flint would keep our hearts focused on God and our hands fulfilling the task He has assigned us:  

God hath not promised skies always blue,

Flower-strewn pathways all our life through;

God hath not promised sun without rain,

Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

 

God hath not promised we shall now know

Toil and temptation, trouble and woes;

He hath not promised we shall not bear

Many a burden, many a care,

 

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,

Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;

Never a mountain rocky and steep.

Never a river turbid and deep.

 

But God hath promised strength for the day,

Rest for the labor, light for the way,

Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, undying love. 

Jeremiah 44:24-30 - Our will or God’s will?

In Jeremiah 44:24-30, we see how stubborn those people who sought refuge in Egypt were. They insisted on continuing in their indulgence. So bound were they to their sin till they were totally blinded to the outcome of their decisions. Their minds were made up to see through their vow to worship and sacrifice to the Queen of Heaven. So Jeremiah dared them to continue with what they insisted to do but warned them of the consequence. Since they rejected God, He in return also rejected them. And they would never again be granted the privilege to call on His name.   

God’s promise to the people in Jeremiah 29:11, was that they would have a  good plan with a bright future. He promised them there that He would answer their prayers and allow them to experience His presence. But now by spurning His love, they would have to bear with the opposite. Instead of the r bright future, they would only experience destruction. God Himself would be watching over them to ensure their disastrous end. Then they would know whose words would stand - theirs or God’s!

To affirm what He had declared, God would give them a sign. He would be giving Pharaoh Hophra into the hand of His enemies who sought his life in the same way he had given King Zedekiah of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, his enemy who was seeking his life. God wanted them to know that both trusting in the Queen of Heaven and the King of Egypt would prove futile.  

Like them, before us are also two options. We can either make up our minds and say to God, “Your will be done” or let God say to us, “your will be done”?  God's will ensures an abundant life but our will guarantees a life of self-destruction. The choice should be obvious but to some, it may not be so. So choose this day whom you will serve. Like Joshua of old, will you say, “As for me and my house, we will only serve the LORD”?       

Jeremiah 44:20-23 – To please God or our craven desire is a choice

The remnant of Judeans that sought refuge in Egypt was influenced by their forefathers and became illogical and senseless. So disillusioned were they to conclude that the Queen of Heaven was helping them. They claimed to be more peaceful, had food to eat, and were free from war when they were making sacrifices to her. They claimed that ever since they stopped their sacrificing to her, they had more trouble with war and famines. In context, they were pushing the blame on Josiah who outlawed the sacrifices to the goddess.

Being deceived, they failed to see that it was their indulgence with the Queen of Heaven that brought them their trouble. Jeremiah 44:20-23 show us that they were indeed blinded by their godless activities and that they could no longer differentiate between truth and falsehood. Hence, they could no longer recognize that it was their sin that had brought on all the judgment of God and failed to see that they were being judged.

Jeremiah explained that it was their idolatrous sin that brought their ruin. He truthfully told in verses 22 that “the Lord was no longer able to endure it, because of the evil of your deeds, because of the abominations which you have committed…” Hence their land has become a ruin, an object of horror and a curse, without an inhabitant, as it is this day?” Pointing them to the real cause of their calamity,  Jeremiah said it was “Because you have burned sacrifices and have sinned against the Lord and not obeyed the voice of the Lord or walked in His law, His statutes or His testimonies, therefore this calamity has befallen you, as it has this day.”

These people Jeremiah was addressing insisted that sacrificing to the Queen of Heaven worked for them. They did not care about the long-term effect. They failed to realize that in doing what they did, they were unwittingly incurring the displeasure of God. What is important in life is not doing what works for us but what is right and pleasing to God. Self-pandering always makes one feel good. It satisfies our ego, but corrodes our conscience and destroys our relationship with God. Many things appear alright on the surface but had hidden severe undertones. We must choose to please God rather than pandering to our abject craven desires.   

 

Jeremiah 44:15-19 – Being true to our true God

In Jeremiah 44:15-19 we see the response of the people to the message given by Jeremiah. A large throng of people comprising of the men who were aware of their wives’ idolatrous activities, all the women standing by, and the people living in Pathros in Egypt defiantly opposed and rejected the prophet’s message.  They had the audacity to tell right into Jeremiah’s face saying “As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we are not going to listen to you! 

So arrogant and rebellious were they that they insisted on continuing in their idolatry. Like their forefathers, they were going to persist in burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven, to pour out drink offerings to her. Pointing to the time when the kings and princes of Judah were in control, they argued that their forefathers were not worse off with such idolatrous activity. They neither experienced war nor famine. In fact, they had plenty of food, were well-fed, and had no such misfortune. This probably happened during the reign of King Manasseh in 2 Kings 21:3-5.

Insist on persisting in their idolatry, they gave a very lame excuse in verse 18. They said, “…since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine.” Failing to see their misfortune as God’s discipline for their waywardness, they attributed their misfortune to the fact that they had stopped sacrificing to the queen of heaven. The women chimed in adding inverses 19 that what they were doing was with the approval of their husbands.

Who is this queen of heaven? It is believed that she was the Assyrian goddess Ishtar opt the Babylonian goddess Astheroth or Astarte, the counterpart or wife of Baal. This fertility cult was believed to be the source of their peace and fortune. Today this goddess has morphed into different forms – goddess of peace, mercy, sex, glamor, and the like. They all advocate a hedonistic lifestyle that we should go for what is pleasurable and what would make one feel or look good.  For us Christians, there is only one true God. He came to us in His Son Jesus Christ. He alone deserves our total allegiance and worship.  

Jeremiah 44:11-14 – God is our only safe refuge.

Here in Jeremiah 44:11-14, G0d was announced to the eventual end of the remnant of Judah who chose to seek refuge in Egypt. Their obstinacy and insistence on finding security in Egypt have set them up against the Lord. God would set His face against them. God assured them that there was no place they could hide. Even in Egypt, the judgment would follow them there and they would face their end there. His exact words were “Behold, I am going to set My face against you for woe, even to cut off all Judah.” God was telling them with finality what kind of future awaited them.    

There was no escaping even if they stayed in Egypt. They would have to face His judgment there.  He assured them that if they did not die by the sword, they would die by famine.  God's words in verse 13 said, “I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence.” Most of them who migrated to Egypt would not survive, except for a very few. The last line of verse 14 reads “…none will return except a few refugees.” This suggests that even in such a moment, we see the grace of God providing an opportunity for those who would  earnestly seek Him in desperation. What grace!   

By going against the will of God, one would be going against God. This inevitable will bring God’s displeasure to bear. The more we insist on going on our own way, the more we will move in direct opposite to God’s way for us. Here is a call for us not to be so self-serving and insistent on one’s own way. It is wise to seek God and to do His bidding. We must seek to seize every opportunity and earnestly seek Him and His ways.    

Jeremiah 44:1-10 – Stay receptive and pliable to God.

In Jeremiah 44, we see the last recorded words of the Prophet Jeremiah before a short prophecy to Baruch in chapter 45. The rest of the books from chapters 46-51 contain the prophecies Jeremiah had previously proclaimed. Then Jeremiah 51:64 ended by saying “Thus far are the words of Jeremiah” indicating to us that whatever he had proclaimed ended here. The last chapter is an appendix that was added.  

In these last recorded words in Jeremiah 44, the prophet sent a warning to the people as they settled down in Egypt. The people had not changed and were behaving like their fathers before them. As soon as they were more settled, they went back to idolatry and false idols and indulged in them as their ancestors did. Verses 1-10 began by reminding them of what happened to Judah, Jerusalem, and their forefathers  and the reason for their destruction.

Their ancestors were punished and sent into exile in Babylon because they engaged in the worship of the gods of Egypt, which neither they nor this present group of Jews Jeremiah was addressing knew. Despite the repeated warning of God’s prophets sent to them yet their ancestors would not listen or change, resulting in their calamitous experiences. Yet this present group of Jews who had escaped to Egypt did not learn from the experiences of their forefathers. While God had promised to preserve a remnant from those whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken captivity in Babylon, with this group in Egypt he guaranteed that none would escape His judgment.  

What was puzzling was why the people could be so blind. In verses 7-10, God asked them two very indicting questions that showed that they had not learned from the experience of their ancestors. Firstly, God asked, “Why are you doing great harm to yourselves, so as to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, from among Judah, leaving yourselves without remnant, provoking Me to anger with the works of your hands, burning sacrifices to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you are entering to reside so that you might be cut off and become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? Secondly, “Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? They knew the reason for their forefathers’ catastrophic experiences, yet they could not see.

We see here that some people just never learn. History tells us that man has not learned much from history. It is true that none could be so blind as one who refuses to see. The issue confronts us as we read a passage like this: Are we learning? It is foolish not to listen to God. His call to us today remains the same: Today, if you hear the voice of God, do not harden your heart.    

 

Jeremiah 43:8-13 – Defiance is wilful blindness.

Johanan and the remnant whom Nebuchadnezzar did not deport to Babylon forcefully took Jeremiah and Baruch to Egypt. There they lodged at Tahpanhes. While there Jeremiah 43:8 said that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. It was a warning to the people that even if they sought refuge in Egypt, it would still not thwart God’s plan. There was no way they could escape the Babylonians or the Chaldeans. To enhance His message to them, God instructed Jeremiah to bury some stones on the pavement in front of Pharoah’s palace in Tahpanhes.   

And on that very pavement, Jeremiah declared that the Babylonians would establish their throne over it. God said, “Behold, I am going to send and get Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I am going to set his throne right over these stones that I have hidden; and he will spread his canopy over them. He will also come and strike the land of Egypt.” God added that “Those who are meant for death will be given over to death, and those for captivity to captivity, and those for the sword to the sword.”

 

There was no escaping from the hand of God through the assault of the Chaldeans. God guaranteed that Babylon would overrun Egypt without any difficulty. This was how God put it: Nebuchadnezzar would wrap up Egypt much like how a shepherd would wrap up his garment. He would also destroy the temples of Egypt’s gods, as well as the obelisks and monuments erected over the land.  

 

There is only one way to see this event: not obeying God leads to a bad end.  This account reveals to us a people who thought they knew better than God. Though God’s will was evident and they knew deep within, they dodged it, choosing to walk into a web of their own making. Take heed, there are ways that may seem right to our eyes, the end thereof God said, is death. Know it or not, defiance is wilful blindness at its worst. 

Jeremiah 43:1-7 – When seeking God’s direction, don’t assume.

The same people who came to Jeremiah requesting him to pray for them and to seek God for guidance had already made up their minds to go to Egypt. They were not prepared to hear any other counsel. So as soon as Jeremiah revealed the plan of God for them, a plan that was totally different from what they wanted to hear, they went into a tirade. Jeremiah 43:1-7 tell us what happened after the prophet disclosed to them what God would have them to do.  

Led by Azariah and Johanan, the presumptuous and angry remnant totally rejected Jeremiah's words from the Lord. They started to accuse him of lying to them saying, “You are telling a lie! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You are not to enter Egypt to reside there.’” Continuing with their accusation, they even charged him for conspiring with Baruch to hand them over to the Babylonians to kill them or to take them into exile in Babylon.

 

Baruch as we know was Jeremiah’s trusted and loyal scribe whom the prophet counted on to record his prophecies. They turned on Baruch and charged him with being a spy for the Babylonians to influence Jeremiah. Refusing to listen to the voice of God, Johanan with the commanders of the forces and the remnant left behind by the Babylonians forcefully took Jeremiah and Baruch with them and left for Egypt. They went as far as Tahpanhes.

 

The key lesson: when we are seeking God for direction, we must come with a heart set to obey. Don’t come to God with a pre-conceived plan. If we come up with a set of pre-conceived plans, we will only be fooling ourselves. Accept that His thoughts are not always our thoughts, nor are His plans always like ours. God wisdom always far outweighs ours. What we have in mind very often doesn’t fit into God's agenda for our lives.  Don’t presume on God. His plans for us are recorded in the Bible. They are divine truths that cannot be found elsewhere. Don’t ignore it, but most importantly, obey it.    

Jeremiah 42:7-22 – Both obedience and disobedience have definite effects

Although those who had requested Jeremiah to pray to the Lord and seek His guidance on their  behalf were insincere, the prophet took their request seriously. He probably knew what God’s answer would be, yet he sincerely went to God on their behalf.  After ten days, he assembled them to give them the Lord’s response. Right from the onset, it was clear that they wanted to go to Egypt. Coming to Jeremiah was to get his concurrence with their intention. They were neither interested in hearing what God had to say nor His will for them.  Their minds were already made up.

This is a common error people of God would make and need to be watchful. When we seek God for guidance, don’t come with a mind made up on how God should answer us. People are often disappointed concluding that God had not answered their prayers simply because God didn’t respond as they had anticipated He should. When we come to God in prayer, don’t expect Him to always answer the way we want. Remember God has a wholistic revelation, whereas our revelation is only progressive. Unlike God, our scope and experience are at best limited. God knows the hearts of His people. The ten days before Jeremiah got back to them could well be God’s way of giving them the time and latitude to reflect and think through what they truly wanted and intended to do.

Through Jeremiah, God first assured them what would happen if they would obey and then tell them what would happen if they would not. God’s clearcut answer was for them to stay in their own homeland and submit to the Babylonians. They should not think of escaping to Egypt. God promised to take care of them, build them up, and plant them solidly where they were, and would avert the calamity that they would otherwise justly deserve. Verses 11-12, His assurance to them was “Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing; do not be afraid of him…for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand. I will also show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own soil.” How much clearer could God be?  Even a fool in his right sense could understand.

God knew His people’s propensity. That would be the reason that He added a warning. He told them that if they chose to disregard His counsel and go to Egypt thinking they would have been able to find peace there, they had sorely mistaken.  God strongly warned them saying in verses 15-17, “If you really set your mind to enter Egypt and go in to reside there, then the sword, which you are afraid of, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are anxious, will follow closely after you there in Egypt, and you will die there. So all the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence; and they will have no survivors or refugees from the calamity that I am going to bring on them.”

God warned the stubborn people that going to Egypt would be a fatal mistake. Simply put, if they choose to disobey His counsel, everything they had experienced in Jerusalem would follow them even if they had migrated to Egypt. Jeremiah rounded with a vehement call to them, sternly warning, “Do not go into Egypt!” He added, “You should clearly understand that today I have testified against you. For you have only deceived yourselves.”

In verse 20, he reminded them that it was they who came to him requesting that he prayed for them, promising to do whatever guidance God would give. Jeremiah and God had kept their sides of the bargain what about the remnant who came to him? The conclusion would be seen in  Jeremiah’s stern closing words to them:  “I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the Lord your God, even in whatever He has sent me to tell you. Therefore you should now clearly understand that you will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, in the place where you wish to go to reside.”

Following God is a faith venture. Obeying is our best option in life. We need to know the reality of the principle of cause and effect. Like obedience, disobedience also has a consequence. Things that may appeal to the eyes and seem harmless will have a definite effect. Living for God leads to the abundant life He has promised. Whereas self-gratification will always lead to spiritual death. 

Jeremiah 42:1-6 - Do not try to circumvent God's will

The remnant of people whom Johanan had rescued from the hand of Ishmael would have included Jeremiah. This was because the prophet was living in Mizpah then. Because of their fear of reprisal from the Babylonians for the murder of Gedaliah whom Nebuchadnezzar had installed as governor over those he did not deport to Babylon, Johanan and the people decided to go flee to Egypt for refuge. They then approached Jeremiah to ask him to help them pray to God and seek guidance on what they should do. Jeremiah 42:1-6 captured that conversation they had with the prophet.

Verses 2-3 said they approached Jeremiah saying, “Please let our petition come before you, and pray for us to the Lord your God, that is for all this remnant; because we are left but a few out of many, as your own eyes now see us, that the Lord  your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.”  They could tell that their number had dwindled. Many of them were deported to Babylon, and the remnant left behind were the poorest of the people and not too many of them. The right thing to do was for them to return to their homeland and submit to the rule of Babylon. Jeremiah had been preaching that they should submit to Babylon as it was Lord’s doing for their disobedience. They were hoping that he could seek the Lord and perhaps He would change His mind and agree with their decision to go to Egypt.

Jeremiah agreed to pray for them and promised to tell them whatever the message of God would be. He promised to tell them everything exactly and would not hide anything from them. They on their part promised that they would do everything God would say to them whether His message be a pleasant or an unpleasant one. They spoke as if they knew that the safest thing for them to do was to follow the direction of the Lord. We will leave to the next discussion on what God would say to them and how they would respond to the message of God from Jeremiah.

Seeking God was certainly the right decision they had made. And Jeremiah was certainly the right person to approach to seek an answer from God. For all along he had accurately shared the message of God truthfully with the people. He fearlessly declared the word of the Lord to them, whether pleasant or unpleasant, at great risk to the safety of his own life.  The truth is that if they had been listening to Jeremiah, they would have known what God would say to them regardless of how many times they sought Him. Their approach to Jeremiah this time had everything that seem sincere. The words they used sounded spiritual but deep inside their hearts, they very badly wanted to seek refuge in Egypt. It was another desperate attempt to get their own way.

From their approach to seeking a message from God, we learn how we should approach God. We learn with what attitude we should relate to God. The Lord wants us to discern His will and be true to what God has already revealed to us. We must not go from one advisor to another wishing to find one that will concur with our hidden agenda. If we already know what God wants us to do, do it and not prevaricate by seeking means to circumvent it.           

 

Jeremiah 41:4-18 – Learn not to take offense too easily.

Johanan was one of Gedaliah’s faithful men. He was the one who warned the governor of the Ishmael plot to assassinate him. Unfortunately, the governor would not believe him and had to pay dearly with his life. After murdering Gedaliah and also the seventy pilgrims, Ishmael took the remnant from Mizpah and the remaining ten pilgrims with him to seek to go Ammon.  

Jeremiah 41:11-18 described the bravery of Johanan, who went to the rescue of those taken by Ishmael. He should have been put off by Gedalaih, whom he respected for refusing to trust him and instead accused him of lying. Johanan refused to keep score of wrong done to him. When he and the commanders of the forces heard of Gedaliah’s assassination and that Ishmael had taken the people with him, they pursued him. He didn't say "served Gedaliah right fro refusing to believe me." Instead, he went out to rescue the people. With the commanders of the forces, he pursued Ishmael and found him and his captives at the pool of Gibeon. As soon as Ishmael’s captives saw Johanan, they were glad and turned around and went to him. However, Ishmael managed to escape with eight men and went to Ammon. Johanan and the people from, Mizpah whom he had rescued then decided to stay at Geruth Chimham, which was beside Bethlehem. Fearing that the Babylonians would retaliate because of what Ishmael had done, they thought it would be safer to seek refuge in Egypt than to return to Mizpah. This was another wrong decision.   

Whether the decision to seek refuge in Egypt was right or wrong, we applaud Johanan for his bravery. He could have taken offense at the way Gedaliah had slighted him. He could have just sat there nursing his emotional hurt and refused to pick up the mess left by the governor's refusal to believe him.  But he didn’t and was not one who would keep score, particularly at this juncture. He took it upon himself and with commanders of the keeping forces went and rescue the captives of Ishmael. Johanan was not one who was self-absorbed, he looked at the larger picture and hence was able to let go of the offense and not focus on the offensive words and his hurt. From Johanan, we must learn not to take offense easily. If we do, we will not become captives of wrong words and live needlessly to bemoan the hurt. Then we will be able to think more objectively and do and act more appropriately.  Learn to let go of offenses. It will do us a world of good. 

Jeremiah 41:4-10 – Be watchful of the depravity of sin

Killing Gedaliah was not enough for Ishmael. While the assassination of Gedaliah was still not known Jeremiah 41:4-5 tell us that 80 pilgrims from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria came to Jerusalem. These men came to Jerusalem to mourn the destruction of the temple. Hence, they were said to have their “beards shaved off and their clothes torn, and their bodies gashed, having grain offerings and incense in their hands to bring to the house of the Lord.” Although Ishmael knew that Gedaliah was dead because he had assassinated him, he pretended as if the latter was still alive. So he went deceptively with hypocritical tears to receive the pilgrims on Gedaliah’s behalf.

Wanting to prevent the news of the assassination of Gedaliah from leaking, he cruelly wanted to kill the 80 pilgrims as well. He managed to kill seventy of them and threw them into the cistern that King Asa had built in the past. Ishmael had filled that cistern with all those he had killed. Ten of the 80 managed to escape death by negotiating with him. To save themselves, they revealed to him that they had stores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey in the field. So they were spared when they told him where to find the supplies.

The cruelty of Ishmael was without bound. He was wicked and vicious and had no qualms about his senseless murder of the innocent. He killed the governor as well as the pilgrims and threw them into the cistern which he had filled with corpses that he slain. He was a man with no conscience and hence had no regard for the sanctity of lives.  To him nothing was sacred hence nothing was off-limit. That’s the extent and depravity of man’s unredeemed nature. Knowing that the news of the murder of Gedaliah and those pilgrims could not be contained for long. Jeremiah 41:10 said that Ishmael took the remnant and the whole population of Mizpah, including the princesses,  with him to Ammon. It looked like this was his last-ditch effort to suppress the evidence of his crime.  

If anything, these verses reveal, it is the utter depravity of the fallen sinful man. The clear manifestation of man’s sinful nature is deception, hypocrisy, and violence. We thank God for Christ Jesus. Through Him, we need no longer be dominated by depravity. For we are told that if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old had passed away and he has a new start to life. Hence, we must keep Romans 12:2 at the forefront of our walk. We must no longer be conformed to the pattern of this world but instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we may test and know not only the good and acceptable will of God but His perfect one.     

 

Jeremiah 40:13-41:3 – The need to cultivate better judgment of character

Gedaliah was the governor of Judah. He was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar to look after the people who were not deported to Babylon. The reputation of the governor preceded him. So Jews who would not yield to the rule of the Babylonians but deflect to nearby countries such as Edom, Ammon, and Moab returned to Judah when they heard that he was made the governor. We can see that Gedaliah was a trusting man, perhaps a tag too trusting. A careful examination of the text reveals that he was not a good judge of character. He would rather trust the intention of the would-be assassin than believe in the words of his own faithful aide and men.

Jeremiah 40:13 right through to Jeremiah 41:3 show us why we need to be a more astute reader of character so that we will not be taken in too easily by the outward appearances of people with ill-intention. In Jeremiah 40:13 Gedaliah was warned by his trusted aide Johanan and his men of a plot to kill him. It was pointed out to him that Ishmael, the would-be assassinator was hired by the king of Ammon to take him out. Sadly, Gedaliah took the serious news of his assassination too casually. Verse 14 said that he did not believe in them. What’s even sadder was that he did not believe his own people. This tells us that he was a poor judge of character. What is underscored for us here is the need for us to be more apt at reading character. And we cannot afford to be overly casual with reports of threats to take us down. When we are warned of a plot, wisdom dictates that we should be cautious, bring the matters to the Lord in prayer and stay alert.

Gedaliah’s good nature did him in. Jeremiah 41:1-3 narrate how he was assassinated. ^“In the seventh month Ishmael…along with ten men, came to Mizpah to Gedaliah …while they were eating bread together there in Mizpah, Ishmael…and the ten men who were with him arose and struck down Gedaliah… with the sword and put to death…Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there....” Had Gedaliah been a better judge of character, he would have stayed alert, and this tragedy would have been averted.

What lesson does a text like this has for us? It shows us that while having confidence in others is a good thing, learning to read character more aptly must be cultivated. People who harbor evil intentions against us will camouflage it with a look that will not betray their intent. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” We must stay sober and be alert and prayerful for our adversary, the devil prowls around seeking for an opportunity to devour us (1 Peter 5:8).    

 

 

Jeremiah 40:7-12 – Relating to governmental authority

Having conquered Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar deported many of Jews into exile in Babylon. There were men, women, and children and the poorest of the land whom he did not take to Babylon. Jeremiah 40:7 tells us that he appointed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, and put him in charge of those who were left behind. As governor of Judah, Gedaliah sought to put things in order. He began to restore peace to make the place more liveable.

Knowing that it was futile to resist the Babylonians, Gedaliah advised the people, both farmers and military men who came to him to settle down and not rebel. His counsel to them in verse 9 was, “Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you.”

Verse 10-12 tell us that he stayed in Mizpah to represent them before the Chaldeans and he urged them to get going to restore the damaged land and make those agricultural land productive again.  The remnants were encouraged to live peacefully under the rule of the Babylonians. When news that Nebuchadnezzar had left a remnant in Judah and made Gedaliah governor of the land, Jews who had deflected to the surrounding countries returned to Judah. Whether they returned from Edom, Ammon, and Moab Gedaliah welcomed them. Under his leadership, Judah experienced some semblance of peace and order and begin to be productive again.   

This passage offers us lessons on why and how we should respect the governmental authority God had set over us. Just like Gedaliah’s advice to the Jews to submit to the ruling power of their day, we too must submit to the governmental authority God has placed over us here in our nation. Here are some pointers for our consideration as we seek to live peaceful and godly lives under God. Firstly, recognize that the human government of nations is ordained by God. Leaders in government are the ministers of God, the ultimate authority. No power can be in place without His approval.  Secondly, in opposing any governmental authority allowed by God, we will be indirectly resisting God. Thirdly, governments are ordained by God to ensure peace and order, and we should have no fear if we do not break the laws. We must seek to take heed to the words of Romans 13:7, “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” There is much more that can be said, but we must keep a clear conscience and “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s to God what is God’s.” 

Jeremiah 40:1-6 – Don’t neglect God’s Word

In Jeremiah 39:11-12, King Nebuchadnezzar gave an order to his captain Nebuzaradan to take Jeremiah and look after him. He was to ensure that no harm would come to him and to give him the liberty to decide on what he wanted. So Jeremiah was taken from the guardhouse in the court and placed under the protection of Gedaliah. Although Nebuchadnezzar ordered the release of Jeremiah, chapter 40:1-6 show that in the confusion of gathering the captives to be sent to Babylon, Jeremiah was not recognized, and was huddled and put under chains like the rest captives. When they realized their mistake, the captain had Jeremiah released.

Amazingly, a message from God came to the prophet through the lips of the captain of the guard. The words recorded in verses 2-3 are, “The Lord your God promised this calamity against this place; and the Lord has brought it on and done just as He promised. Because you people sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you.” A careful examination of what he said shows that they were exactly what Jeremiah had been proclaiming. The problem was that the people were too dense up there to receive what God was saying. Here even an ungodly Babylonian could see that their experiences were the Lord’s doing. If God could speak and warn through a donkey during Balaam’s time, he certainly could use an ungodly Babylonian to affirm His message. Discerning God’s word is important in life. God is speaking all the time through people and circumstances. It behooves us to cultivate a sensitivity to identify what the Lord is doing and saying to us through those events and experiences. None can indeed be so blind as one who refuses to see.

Realizing their mistake for taking Jeremiah along with the captives, the captain in verse 4 offered Jeremiah the choice of going with them to Babylon or remaining in Judah. Jeremiah chose the latter, so he remained in the homeland. He was also given the liberty to return to Gedaliah who was made the governor or to anywhere of his choice.  The captain also gave him a ration of provision for his sustenance as well as a gift and sent him along. Jeremiah then went to Gedaliah in Mizpah and stayed with him and among the remnant that Nebuchadnezzar did not deport to Babylon.   

It is undeniable that our predicament in life is often for the same reason as that of the Judeans in Jeremiah’s time. Even an ungodly Babylonian could see. The reason is stated in verse 3 said, “Because you people sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you.” We are thankful to God for the Bible that He had given to guide us in our Christian journey. Our problem is often not in rejecting the Word but in neglecting the Word. Here’s a word of caution – neglect of the Word is just as perilous as rejecting it.           

Jeremiah 39:11-18 – God will protect and preserve His own

Included in God’s call to the Prophet Jeremiah were these words in Jeremiah 1:8 that said, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” God kept His word. Jeremiah 38:11-14 describe how God delivered and preserved the life of the prophet even as the Babylonians ravaged Jerusalem. Verse 11 said that Nebuchadnezzar ordered Nebuzaradan, a captain in his army to look for Jeremiah to ensure that no harm came to him. The king ordered that he be well-treated.

Why did Nebuchadnezzar show such compassion to this prophet? The obvious answer was that God was keeping His words to His servant. Since He was the One who had engineered the whole judgment on Judah. He included in His plan the rescue of Jeremiah.

 Humanly speaking Jeremiah also had people who respected him. Prophet Daniel was one of them. He was a boy when Jeremiah was ministering in Jerusalem and would have heard the prophet’s messages. In the first siege of Jerusalem, Daniel was one of the youths that was deported by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon. We were told in his book that he and some of his friends were being groomed for the king’s service. By the time of the fall of Jerusalem, Daniel would have had ample opportunities to tell the king about Jeremiah. We are told in Daniel 9:1-3, that his prayer for Judah was motivated by reading Jeremiah’s writing. So Daniel could be instrumental in why Nebuchadnezzar took notice of Jeremiah. we are told in verse 14 that the prophet was preserved and placed under the care of Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, who was a friend of Jeremiah. Ahikam was the man who had earlier protected the prophet (Jeremiah 26:24). Staying in Gedaliah’s home and among the people, Jeremiah was well protected.

Another person God remembered was Ebed-melech, the Cushite eunuch. He was the one who rescued Jeremiah from the cistern. Verses 15-18 describe how God remembered and delivered him. Jeremiah was sent to assure him. God's message for him was, “‘I will deliver you on that day… and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you dread. For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own life as booty, because you have trusted in Me,’ declares the LORD.” Ebed-melech’s life was preserved.

Lesson: we can trust God with our life and reputation. When we take care of His kingdom, He will take care of our life and reputation. Matthew 10:30 Jesus assured us that every hair on our heads is numbered. It is His assurance that when we do HIs work, He will take care of us. In Matthew 10:31, He also said, “Do not fear, you(we) are more precious than many sparrows.”

 

Jeremiah 39:1-10 – Be serious and don't trifle with God

Jeremiah 39 described the fall of Jerusalem. A simple calculation from the facts given in verses 1-2, shows that it took the Babylonians 18 months to break into Jerusalem and captured it. And in those days when a city had been conquered, the generals of the conquering army would normally seize it and take their seats at the city gate.  This was how the general claimed victory over the city in which they had been defeated. So verse 4 says that “all the officials of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon.” These Babylonian names show that they were people that spoke another language. These verses clearly indicate the fulfillment of what God had declared in Jeremiah 5:15 years ago.  He said, saying: “Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel…It is an enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say.”

Verses 4-6 tell us how Zedekiah and his officials tried to escape. They ran out of the city by night through the gates located at the king’s garden. But they were pursued and overtaken by the Babylonians and captured at the plain of Jericho and brought before Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah. Although Zedekiah was not killed, he and his family were severely treated. His sons and nobles were executed before him before he was blinded and bound in chains and brought to exile in Babylon where he died. How true  Ezekiel 12:13 was. It was said that he would be brought to Babylon, but his eyes shall not see it. The Babylonians also torched the palace and the houses of the people and had Jerusalem razed with fire. The rest of the people were also taken into captivity in Babylon. Only the poorer pleasant  were left behind in Judah and given vineyards to look after.

The fall of Jerusalem clearly proves that God says what He meant and meant what He says. He delivered the disaster as promised. Judah was punished for their disobedience, and refusal to listen to God’s warnings. What they had experienced is a reminder to us that disobedience always exacts a heavy price. We don’t need a disaster to wise up. This passage was recorded for our learning. Know that God meant every word He says.  So be wise up, take God seriously, listen to His Word, and be careful to obey. 

Jeremiah 38:24-28 – Stay truthful in God

We know that Zedekiah was an indecisive man and one that lived on the opinions of others. He had a meeting with Jeremiah to ask him what the future of Jerusalem would be. Yet at the same time, he did not want the people to know what really transpired in his meeting with Jeremiah. So before they parted ways, Zedekiah warned Jeremiah saying, “Let no man know about these words and you will not die.” Jeremiah 38:24-28 capture that warning he gave and how Jeremiah responded.   

He knew his officials who knew about his meeting with Jeremiah would want to know from the latter what he had said to the prophet. So he literally wanted Jeremiah to lie. The prophet was to tell the officials who would enquire of him that he came to petition and plea with the king not to make him return to the house of Jonathan to die there. As Zedekiah had anticipated, the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him. And Jeremiah literally did as the king had instructed. He lied. To get them off his back he did as he was told. So they left him alone in the guardhouse until the day Jerusalem was captured.

This account shows the imperfection of the prophet. His life had shown that he was passionate, patient and had a deep love for God as well as for His people. His prophecies show how fearless he was even in the fact of death. However, admit it or not, the prophet was far from perfect. He was still human after all and had trepidation like anyone else. At this juncture, he had allowed his faith to be overcome by fear. This is not an excuse for a man we respect and have learned much from. He was true to God in so many ways but for this one time, he chose to go along with the lie of Zedekiah. What do these verses teach us?  

Like Jeremiah, we too will face moments in life where we need to take a stand for God.  In those cross-road moments, will we remain firm and not fear for our personal reputation? Can we trust God to see us through the hardship? Will we allow fear to take the better of our faith in God? These are real questions we need to confront at some point in life. This is where we need to be circumspect and stay faithful to God. This is where we need to practice Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 5:15-17. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” 

 

Jeremiah 38:17-23 – Be discerning.

Having had Zedekiah’s assurance he would be spared, Jeremiah then proceeded to give the king the message God had for him. Jeremiah 38:17-23 capture the message that was told the king. The message to him remained the same as he had already declared. Verses 17-18 were what Jeremiah said to the king. “Thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘If you will indeed go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will survive. But if you will not go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given over to the hand of the Chaldeans; and they will burn it with fire, and you yourself will not escape from their hand.’” The word Jeremiah told the king were just as discouraging. Here’s where Jeremiah showed his consistency. He did not mince his words.

Verse 19 shows that Zedekiah had one concern, he dreaded just thinking about how the people of Judah who had surrendered to Babylon would react to him. We can tell that besides being afraid of being shamefully treated by the Babylonians, he also dreaded the thought of how those Judeans would abuse him. So he voiced his concern to Jeremiah. In verse 20, Jeremiah then told him that even then he should just surrender to the Babylonians. For even if he would not act accordingly, he would still be scorned by those Judeans, as well as the Babylonians. Jeremiah further told him that if he would not obey and surrender to Babylon, the women that were in the place of Judah would become victims of the soldier and officials and be ill-treated and even raped by them. And in their quandary, those victims would blame Zedekiah for putting them in their plights. They would bitterly blame him for believing the deceptive words of his counselors who were supposed to be his friends.

Zedekiah probably knew deep in his heart that Jeremiah would not lie to him. Yet his counselors had shared messages that were different and even contradictory to that of Jeremiah. Who should he believe? This is where having discernment would make the difference. Like Zedekiah, we also need discernment in our seeking to nurture godly living. Often time we are thrown into circumstances where we will need to discern the will of God. We live in an over-communicative world. Social media is full of messages from people claiming to be speaking for God. If we are undiscerning, we may be persuaded and hoodwinked. We need to know that spiritual truths are spiritually discerned. We not only need to know the Scriptures well, but we need also to have a quickened heart that will be able to identify God’s voice and respond to the leading of the Spirit of God. We all need to strengthen ourselves with God’s Word. Hebrews 5:14 tells us that “solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

  

 

Jeremiah 38:14-16 – We must obey God at all costs.

In both chapters 37 and 38 of Jeremiah, the prophet talked about his own  arrest and imprisonment. This led some to believe that both chapters were talking about the one and same incidence. However, a closer examination of the details will tell us that they are two separate incidences. Jeremiah 38 describes the second incidence. This time Zedekiah had allowed Jeremiah to be thrown into a dried cistern by his officials. But in Jeremiah 38:14, when Ebed-melech told him about what they were doing to the prophet, he then ordered him to have the prophet rescued.

After Jeremiah was rescued from the cistern, the king sent for him. And at the third entrance of the temple, they met. In Jeremiah 38:15-18, he then sought to find out from Jeremiah the future of Jerusalem.  He wanted to hear the truth from the prophet. At first, Jeremiah was reluctant to tell him for fear of his own life. But only told the king after the king had sworn secretly to spare the prophet and not deliver him into the hands of those who sought his life.         

From both accounts of Jeremiah’s arrests, we catch a glimpse of Zedekiah and the kind of man that he was. Jeremiah was an indecisive man. He vacillated often and didn’t seem able to make up his mind. The decisions he made were the result of pressures and opinions piled on him by others. This was clearly seen in the way he dealt with Jeremiah. In chapter 37:16, he sent the prophet to a dungeon then in verse 21 he took him out and place him under house arrest. While he refused to listen to Jeremiah, he would show interest in what the latter had to say. Here in chapter 38, we again see that he only had Jeremiah rescued from the cistern after being told by Ebed-melech of the situation.  

Zedekiah must have hoped that Jeremiah would tell him something different after having gone through some suffering. From Jeremiah's words to him, we learn that God’s plan will always come to pass. We must accept His will, repent from our wrongs, obey His word, and change and align our lives accordingly. No amount of denial or manipulation will ever change the situation. God had allowed. Obedience is a key factor if we are to progress with God. Ours is to obey, the outcome is God’s. We must obey Him at all costs much like the attitude of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Light Brigade: Theirs not to make reply…Theirs not to reason why…Theirs but to do and die.”

     

 

  

Jeremiah 38:7-13 – God qualifies our calling

Jeremiah was thrown into a muddy cistern, a dry unused well, and left to die. But God delivered him. For at the onset of his call, God in Jeremiah 1:8 had promised him saying,  “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you declares the Lord.” So while he left to die in a mud-filled cistern, God sent a man to initiate a move to secure his release. God will never fail in His promise.  His deliverance can come in the most unusual way and from people whom we often least expect. Jeremiah 38:7-13  narrate how Jeremiah was unusually rescued.

The man God used to initiate Jeremiah’s deliverance was a certain Ebed-melech. Verse 7 said that he was an Ethiopian, and a Gentile eunuch serving in Zedekiah’s court. His name “Ebed-melech” simply means “servant of the king.” What sort of name is that? In the Jewish context, his existence would count for nothing. He has no identity of his own and was only defined by his relationship with the king. But we have an indication  from verse 9 that he was a compassionate man. He could have ignored when he overheard what the officials had done to Jeremiah, but he didn’t. He made it his business to do something for the prophet.

Verse 8-9 said that he went out to the king who was seated at the Gate of Benjamin. There he openly told the king, “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the cistern; and he will die right where he is because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.” In a sense, he forced the hand of Zedekiah to do something. So he ordered him to take thirty men with him to rescue Jeremiah from the cistern.

Verses 11-13 described how Jeremiah was rescued. “Ebed-melech took the men under his authority and went into the king’s palace to a place beneath the storeroom and took from there worn-out clothes and worn-out rags and let them down by ropes into the cistern to Jeremiah.” He then to Jeremiah, “Now put these worn-out clothes and rags under your armpits under the ropes”; and Jeremiah did so. “ So they pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern, and Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guardhouse.

The lesson God will always come to the rescue of His true servant. He could use instruments we least expect. God does not need a person of significance. All it requires of us to be used by God is a willing and compassionate heart, one who dares to take the initiative. In God’s service, He qualifies the call.