Jer 46:1-52:34, The spirit of Babylon is the spirit of rebellion against the rule of God st title

• Chapters 46 through 49 detailed God's judgment against the nations surrounding Israel: Egypt, Philistines, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, various Arab tribes, and Elam
• Chapters 50-51 concern Babylon herself and chapter 52 describes the lasts days of Judah and her kings


Jer 50:1-3 (NIV) This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians:


2 "Announce and proclaim among the nations,
lift up a banner and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
'Babylon will be captured;
Bel will be put to shame,
Marduk filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idols filled with terror.'
3 A nation from the north will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will live in it;
both men and animals will flee away.


• Who are the gods Bel and Marduk?
• Bel is the storm god, and equivalent to Baal
• Marduk is the creator god and chief deity
• Who is the nation from the north?
• This is an area of some disagreement.  Babylon is attacked by the Medes from the east and later the Greeks from the west.  The route may come from the north, as in Israel's case, but there are other parts of this prophecy that argue that this is not what God was referring to …
• What will become of the city?
• It will never be inhabited again.  This has never happened and yet it is constantly repeated throughout Jeremiah's prophecy
• Revelation shows us that Babylon represents the end time power that crushes the earth.  Putting together Revelation and Jeremiah's prophecies leads us to believe that these prophecies are still in the future


Jer 50:4-7 (NIV) "In those days, at that time,"
declares the Lord,
"the people of Israel and the people of Judah together
will go in tears to seek the Lord their God.
5 They will ask the way to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come and bind themselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant
that will not be forgotten.


6 "My people have been lost sheep;
their shepherds have led them astray
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill
and forgot their own resting place.
7 Whoever found them devoured them;
their enemies said, 'We are not guilty,
for they sinned against the Lord, their true pasture,
the Lord, the hope of their fathers.'


• The phrase "in those days" is often used for what?
• It is a reference to the end times, although it obviously could be used in the literal sense
• The problem is that verse 5 refers to something that has not happen yet
• The people have not yet, as a nation, bound themselves in an everlasting covenant.  The old covenant, the mosaic covenant, was temporary.  The unconditional covenants are God's promises to the people and to certain people.  The people have only bound themselves to the Mosaic covenant
• Verses 6 and 7 describe Israel/Judah's problem, what is it?
• They are lost sheep
• Isa 53:6 (NIV) We all, like sheep, have gone astray, // each of us has turned to his own way; // and the Lord has laid on him // the iniquity of us all.
• This week I read a comment by a Jew who tried to argue that the passage referred not to Jesus but to the nation because of verse 10
• Isa 53:10 (NIV) Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, // and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, // he will see his offspring and prolong his days, // and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
• He argued that since Jesus did not have offspring, he could not be the subject of the passage.  Interestingly, Paul, a trained Rabbi living at the time, saw offspring as spiritual as well as physical
• 1 Cor 4:14-15 (NIV) I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. 15 Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
• The spiritual leaders, the shepherds, have led them astray
• In Matt 12, it is the religious leaders, the shepherds who reject Jesus as the Messiah
• In the trial before Pilate, the people at the urging of the leaders again reject Jesus as the Messiah


Jer 50:18-20 (NIV) 18 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:


"I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
as I punished the king of Assyria.
19 But I will bring Israel back to his own pasture
and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
his appetite will be satisfied
on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.
20 In those days, at that time,"
declares the Lord,
"search will be made for Israel's guilt,
but there will be none,
and for the sins of Judah,
but none will be found,
for I will forgive the remnant I spare.


• This passage also appears messianic, why?
• Because their sins are no more, they are gone, can't be found
• Hebrews tells us that the sacrifices only cover the guilt of sin, only Jesus' blood can remove sin completely


Jer 50:29-32 (NIV) "Summon archers against Babylon,
all those who draw the bow.
Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.
Repay her for her deeds;
do to her as she has done.
For she has defied the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,"
 declares the Lord.
31 "See, I am against you, O arrogant one,"
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
"for your day has come,
the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant one will stumble and fall
and no one will help her up;
I will kindle a fire in her towns
that will consume all who are around her."


• Assuming then that Babylon is Revelation's Babylon, there are two aspects of her character described here, what are they?
• She defies God.  This is willful disobedience to God.  Even more so, it refuses to acknowledge God's right to rule, or to be worship
• She is arrogant.  She believes she is the best ruler of her destiny.  She does not need God and in fact, believes she is better than God
• Many today defy God and in their foolishness spout arrogant words.  It is a fact that God will judge their sin some day soon.  Everything in our society points to greater degrees of lawlessness.  Flash mobs (recent internet stories), men of this age pretending to be Baptist pastors to support abortion and homosexuality, ….  Why do people do these things?  Because people do not believe in absolutes.  We have become like animals


Jer 50:35-40 (NIV) "A sword against the Babylonians!"
declares the Lord —
"against those who live in Babylon
and against her officials and wise men!
36 A sword against her false prophets!
They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!
They will be filled with terror.
37 A sword against her horses and chariots
and all the foreigners in her ranks!
They will become women.
A sword against her treasures!
They will be plundered.
38 A drought on her waters!
They will dry up.
For it is a land of idols,
idols that will go mad with terror.


39 "So desert creatures and hyenas will live there,
and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation.
40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah
along with their neighboring towns,"
 declares the Lord,
"so no one will live there;
no man will dwell in it.


• This is the part that has not been fulfilled yet and why many believe this prophecy is future oriented
• Also, as evidenced by the influence of people like Daniel and the testimony of Nebuzaradan, Babylon at this time was more godly than Israel
• But Babylon and the ferocity of its destruction is the picture the scriptures use of the one world government of the antichrist that is coming


Jer 51:6-9 (NIV) "Flee from Babylon!
Run for your lives!
Do not be destroyed because of her sins.
It is time for the Lord's vengeance;
he will pay her what she deserves.
7 Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord's hand;
she made the whole earth drunk.
The nations drank her wine;
therefore they have now gone mad.
8 Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken.
Wail over her!
Get balm for her pain;
perhaps she can be healed.


9 "'We would have healed Babylon,
but she cannot be healed;
let us leave her and each go to his own land,
for her judgment reaches to the skies,
it rises as high as the clouds.'


• This passage is really a warning to us.  Babylon represents a lot of things, a world government, a world religion, but I think it mostly represents a philosophy
• It is a philosophy that exalts man as his own god and the determiner of his actions
• It is a philosophy that rejects God's wisdom as revealed in the bible
• It is a philosophy that rejects God's definition of sin
• It is a philosophy that rejects God's existence (atheistic)
• We have a warning …
• Run from it
• Don't be destroyed because you engaged in her sins
• Don't drink thewine (or the kool-aid depending on your metaphor)


Jer 51:44 (NIV) I will punish Bel in Babylon
and make him spew out what he has swallowed.
The nations will no longer stream to him.
And the wall of Babylon will fall.


• Bel is really Satan, much as every single deity is a rejection of God, so we agree with Satan
• Satan wants to take our affection off of God
• God wants those who worship in spirit and truth
• Satan will even use Christian religion to get people's eyes off of the real God.  I believe that after the rapture, there will be attendees of Christian churches wondering where most of the people are, and some churches will not see any noticeable difference in attendance 

Jer 40:1-45:5, Prepare and take action unless it contradicts God's word

Jer 40:1-5 (NIV) The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah. He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon. 2 When the commander of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, "The Lord your God decreed this disaster for this place. 3 And now the Lord has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned against the Lord and did not obey him. 4 But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don't come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please." 5 However, before Jeremiah turned to go, Nebuzaradan added, "Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please."


Then the commander gave him provisions and a present and let him go.


• This passage sets the stage for the final years of Jeremiah and the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem
• What is Jeremiah's situation at the time he is discovered?
• He is bound with other captives
• He is heading to Babylon
• Why does the commander seem so in tune with God's truth?
• Daniel! By this time, Daniel has made quite an impact in Babylon
• Jeremiah is given a choice on where to live. Why does he choose to stay in Jerusalem?
•  Unclear from the text
•  It is possible that Jeremiah takes Nebuzaradan's advice


Jer 40:7-12 (NIV) When all the army officers and their men who were still in the open country heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor over the land and had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were the poorest in the land and who had not been carried into exile to Babylon, 8 they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah — Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, and their men. 9 Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men. "Do not be afraid to serve the Babylonians," he said. "Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you. 10 I myself will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the wine, summer fruit and oil, and put them in your storage jars, and live in the towns you have taken over."


11 When all the Jews in Moab, Ammon, Edom and all the other countries heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them, 12 they all came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where they had been scattered. And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.


• So what is happening in this passage?
• The first group of returnees are guerilla fighters
• In the second group, refugees are returning
• These are the same people who left the country when times were bad
• Who is Gedaliah? Or, how might guerilla leaders see him?
• A traitor
• A symbol of the county that just conquered Judah


Jer 40:13-16 (NIV) Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and said to him, "Don't you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?" But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.


15 Then Johanan son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, "Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?"


16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Don't do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true."


• Why would some of the guerillas be working together with the Ammonites?
• Common foe
• Possibly Ammon has plans for taking over Judah
•  Why doesn't Gedaliah listen to Johanan?
• Doesn't mention God (therefore probably not a trusting God issue)
• Ishmael was a fellow country man
• Jeremiah had prophesied many times the need to submit to Babylon
• Gedaliah fails to take prudent action or take the issue to God


Jer 41:1-3 (NIV) In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king's officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, 2 Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land. 3 Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian soldiers who were there.


• So, what is happing here? Is this a personal thing against Gedaliah?
• This is political because all the Jews are killed as well as the Babylonian soldiers
• Also, Elishama is a potential heir (his ancestor, Elishama was one of David's sons)
•  So, what could have Gedaliah done differently?
• He could have listened to Johanan
• He could have taken some prudent actions short of Johanan's suggestions to kill him
• Application: Trusting God without specific instruction from God is foolishness. We need to take actions but then pray as if everything depended upon God


Jer 41:4-10 (NIV) The day after Gedaliah's assassination, before anyone knew about it, 5 eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, bringing grain offerings and incense with them to the house of the Lord. 6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he met them, he said, "Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam." 7 When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern. 8 But ten of them said to Ishmael, "Don't kill us! We have wheat and barley, oil and honey, hidden in a field." So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others. 9 Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa had made as part of his defense against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.


10 Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah — the king's daughters along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.


• What do we conclude about these 80 men from the northern cities?
• Probably trying to keep a Jewish festival or some other religious rite (bringing grain and incense to offer)
• They had mixed pagan religious ideas with worship of God (cutting of the body is specifically condemned by Mosaic law)
• Why does Ishmael kill them?
• No reason given in the text which suggests that Ishmael was a brutal murderer, further strengthening Johanan's original warning
• Seems to be on a vendetta against anyone who cooperated with the Babylonians
• He saves a few people in order to raid their food stores.  He disgraces the body by their burial.  He also captures fellow Jews to transport to Ammon


Jer 41:11-18 (NIV) When Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, 12 they took all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool in Gibeon. 13 When all the people Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad. 14 All the people Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.


16 Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led away all the survivors from Mizpah whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after he had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam: the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had brought from Gibeon. 17 And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt 18 to escape the Babylonians. They were afraid of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.


• So Johanan hears of Ishmael's crime and responds.  What does he accomplish and what does he fail to accomplish?
• He rescues the captives
• He fails to capture the guerillas, especially Ishmael
• What does Johanan and his party do and why?
• They decide to run to Egypt
• They fear for their life
• They had nothing to do with Gedaliah's death, why should they fear?  What are their prudent arguments?
• Ishmael was a Jew (so are they)
• Ishmael was not captured (will suggest complicity to the Babylonians)
• Gedaliah was appointed Governor by Babylon
• Babylon will have to make an example to establish their authority in the region, and they do not want to be the example
• Additionally, Babylonian soldiers were killed as well
• They knew Ishmael was a threat (former guerilla fighter) and did nothing to prevent his actions


Jer 42:1-7 (NIV) Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached 2 Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, "Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. 3 Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do."


4 "I have heard you," replied Jeremiah the prophet. "I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you."


5 Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. 6 Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God."


7 Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.


• They stop to discuss the situation with Jeremiah, why?
• They wanted God's wisdom
• Why wait ten days for an answer?
• They believed that God's word is waiting for an answer
• They promise to obey God's word (favorable or unfavorable)


Jer 42:8-22 (NlV) So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest. 9 He said to them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: 10 'If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted on you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. 12 I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.'


13 "However, if you say, 'We will not stay in this land,' and so disobey the Lord your God, 14 and if you say, 'No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,' 15 then hear the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, 16 then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die. 17 Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.' 18 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be an object of cursing and horror, of condemnation and reproach; you will never see this place again.'


19 "O remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, 'Do not go to Egypt.' Be sure of this: I warn you today 20 that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, 'Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.' 21 I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you. 22 So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle."


• God's answer to the people is what?
• They are to stay in Jerusalem (opposite of the their decision of prudence)
• If they go to Egypt, they will die by the sword, famine, and plague (opposite of what the current environment seem to show true)
• God's answer is the opposite of the best judgment the leaders could develop on their own.  Why is this situation different from the previous situation when Gedaliah did not act on good prudent argument?
• In this case, God's word was clearly known
• In the previous case, there was no clear direction from God and so prudent action was the best choice


Jer 43:1-7 (NIV) When Jeremiah finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God — everything the Lord had sent him to tell them —  2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, "You are lying! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, 'You must not go to Egypt to settle there.' 3 But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians, so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon."


4 So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people disobeyed the Lord's command to stay in the land of Judah. 5 Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered. 6 They also led away all the men, women and children and the king's daughters whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah. 7 So they entered Egypt in disobedience to the Lord and went as far as Tahpanhes.


• Unfortunately, the people disobeyed the revealed word of God.  Why?
• One, Jeremiah is lying
• Two, Jeremiah no longer speaks for God
• Three, it goes against what they really wanted to do
• Be careful of saying you will obey a decision if you do not mean it in your heart
• Be careful of not obeying the revealed will of God for your life
• Note that the decision contrasted with their feelings of what is right
• Feelings are poor indicators of God's truth
• Most cults start with someone who has a feeling of what God's "word to them" is

Jer 34:1-39:18, When you say "yes," follow through on the commitment

Jer 34:6-16 (NIV) Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, 7 while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out — Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities left in Judah.


8 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves. 9 Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Jew in bondage. 10 So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. 11 But afterward they changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.


12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your forefathers when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I said, 14 'Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrew who has sold himself to you. After he has served you six years, you must let him go free.' Your fathers, however, did not listen to me or pay attention to me. 15 Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to his countrymen. You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name. 16 But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.


• Prior to this recommitment to Jewish law, what is happening?
• The king of Babylon is attacking with great success
• The seventh year, the sabbatical year, was the year for canceling debts (Deut 15:12).  It was not seven years from the agreement but rather a fixed year
• Why do the people (and possibly the king) renege on their agreement?
• Possibly, things have improved and they have forgotten their promise
• Jer 34:22 (NIV) I am going to give the order, declares the Lord, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, take it and burn it down. And I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there."
• APPLICATION: We make promises to God when times are hard, and then we forget them when times are good.  God calls that "profaning His name"


Jer 34:18-20 (NIV) The men who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces. 19 The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, 20 I will hand over to their enemies who seek their lives. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.


• This is the imagery of a covenant deal between two parties, much like the story of the Abrahamic covenant, except in that case only God walked between the dead animals.  The picture is that, "I will be like these dead animals if I do not keep up my part of the agreement"
• APPLICATION:
• James 5:12 (NIV) Above all, my brothers, do not swear — not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.
• When we say "yes," we should mean "yes."  And if we need to say "no," we should say "no." Many people today use "maybe" to communicate "no, but I don't want to say it"


Jer 35:1-16(NIV) This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: 2 "Go to the Recabite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the house of the Lord and give them wine to drink."


3 So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons — the whole family of the Recabites. 4 I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper. 5 Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the men of the Recabite family and said to them, "Drink some wine."


6 But they replied, "We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jonadab son of Recab gave us this command: 'Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine. 7 Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.' 8 We have obeyed everything our forefather Jonadab son of Recab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine 9 or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops. 10 We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jonadab commanded us. 11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded this land, we said, 'Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape the Babylonian and Aramean armies.' So we have remained in Jerusalem."


• This is during Jehoiakim's reign, after Babylon had started attacking (scholars suggest 601-602BC)
• The Recabites are descendants of the Kenite clan that descended from Jethro, Moses father-in-law
• What is the point of the exercise?
• The issue is not alcohol but obedience to a command
• Is it wrong to drink alchohol?
• God tells Jeremiah to bring them into the house of the Lord
• Even the instruction "drink some wine" suggests that there is nothing wrong with what is being proposed


Jer 35:12-16 (NIV) Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 13 "This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem, 'Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?' declares the Lord. 14 'Jonadab son of Recab ordered his sons not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather's command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me. 15 Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, "Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your fathers." But you have not paid attention or listened to me. 16 The descendants of Jonadab son of Recab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.'


• Who gave the order not to drink wine?
• Jonadab son of Recab -- not God
• If God had given it, then the emphasis would be on God's word and not what Jonadab said.  Also, Jonadab seems to be at odds with the rest of the people (in behavior)
• Jonadab helped King Jehu purge Israel of Baal worship, 2 Ki 10:15-27 (Constable, 2010)
• What is God's point?
• The Recabites obeyed the forefather's rule (nearly 200 years)
• God was not endorsing legalism
• God was comparing Israel to the Recabites
• Comparison points (Constable, 2010)
1. The Recabites obeyed a fallible leader; Judah's leader was the eternal God
2. Jonadab gave his commands to the Recabites only once; God repeatedly sent his messages to his people
3. The restrictions that bound the Recabites did not deal with eternal issues; God's messages to his people had eternal as well as temporal implications
• APPLICATON:  A commitment to not drink or whatever the decision is neither right or wrong, but failing to follow through on a promise to God or a command from God is a serious issue.  What is God telling me to do that I have still not obeyed him concerning?


Jer 36:1-3 (NIV) In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 "Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now. 3 Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, each of them will turn from his wicked way; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin."


• So this is still before God has declared "no turning back."  There is still time to repent.  The "broken pottery prophecy" has still not occurred
• A few weeks back I may have misspoke on another prophecy and the timing of it in relation to the "no turning back" point
• God specifically has the words written down and read out loud -- why?
• Lesson for later in history
• Elevates the importance of the message
• It is another medium for God to communicate
• Jeremiah had been restricted from the temple (36:5)
• APPLICATION: God uses many means to speak to us.  What are some of the ways you have  seen?
• The word (historically)
• The Holy Spirit (in our heart); peace or lack of peace
• Other's counsel
• Circumstances


Jer 36:20-26 (NIV)  After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him. 21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king and all the officials standing beside him. 22 It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment, with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. 23 Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe's knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire. 24 The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes. 25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden them.


• Why burn the scroll?  In fact, why even listen to it, if you are going to burn it anyway?
• Burning suggests worthlessness, not worth saving, meaningless
• Listening suggest there might be truth and it is good to know what it says
• Notice the contrast to his father, Josiah when he scroll of the law read to him.  Josiah tore his clothes in remorse (2 Kings 22:11-20)
• APPLICATION: We can ignore God's word, hide from his word, even try to destroy his word.  But truth remains truth, and no action on our part is required to validate, nor can any action invalidate it.  It is real simple.  How do we respond to God's truth?  Will we obey or not?  Will we rebel?  Will we stand up in defiance?  Or will we humble ourselves, admit we are wrong, and obey God's word in our life?
• APPLICATION: This is also a picture of the Atheist today.  They want to destroy God's word.  But deep within them is the worry that what is said is really from God and is truth.  But to believe that would require a change of lifestyle, so in defiance, they choose to exercise faith that there is no God

Class Notes, Jer 30:1-33:26, God promises an even greater restoration in the future millennial kingdom

Jer 31:3-6 (NIV) The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:


"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
4 I will build you up again
and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel.
Again you will take up your tambourines
and go out to dance with the joyful.
5 Again you will plant vineyards
on the hills of Samaria;
the farmers will plant them
and enjoy their fruit.
6 There will be a day when watchmen cry out
on the hills of Ephraim,
'Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.'"


• God reminds Judah that his love is everlasting, why then does he punish Judah?
• Because they broke the covenant
• Because he loves them and discipline is for their good
• Because he wants them to draw them back to himself
• APPLICATION: God sees a relationship with him as far better than experience the creature comforts that this life has to offer.  If we fall in love with this world, God may have to take it away from us in order for us to seek him again


Deut 27:9-13 (NIV) Then Moses and the priests, who are Levites, said to all Israel, "Be silent, O Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God. 10 Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today."


11 On the same day Moses commanded the people:


12 When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. 13 And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.


• Two mountains (hills) are very famous in Israel, Mt Gerizim and Mt Ebal.  Shechem is located between them.  Six tribes stood on Mt Gerizim and six tribes on Mt Ebal and shouted curses and blessings back and forth. 
• Later in Israel's history, I believe, this act is repeated
• What is the purpose of such an event or why does God have the Israelites do this?
• Events can etch memories
• Events are like signposts to remind us of key happenings
• What events do we use to remind ourselves of God's work in our lives?
• I will use Time Alone with God (TAG) as a way of putting down markers.  A TAG event is where I will spend a half day or so in prayer and in the word.  I will read and sing and pray and memorize and write down thoughts in a journal.  The journal entry becomes a sort of EBENEZER, a stone reminding me of what God is doing / has done in my life


Deut 28:1-2 (NIV) If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:


Deut 28:15 (NIV) However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:


• Deuteronomy 28 is a significant chapter in the covenant contract.  It lists in great detail the blessings and curses attached to obedience and disobedience for Israel
• There are 14 verses describing the blessings
• There are 54 verses describing the curses
• In the New Covenant we are no longer under this particular blessing-curses dichotomy
• Gal 3:13-14 (NIV) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."  14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
• Why? Jesus has taken the curse of the law away
• Heb 12:7-11 (NIV) Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
• What do we experience under the New Covenant? Discipline, like a father to a son


Jer 31:7-9, 12-15, 19 (NIV) This is what the Lord says:


"Sing with joy for Jacob;
shout for the foremost of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
'O Lord, save your people,
the remnant of Israel.'
8 See, I will bring them from the land of the north
and gather them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind and the lame,
expectant mothers and women in labor;
a great throng will return.
9 They will come with weeping;
they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead them beside streams of water
on a level path where they will not stumble,
because I am Israel's father,
and Ephraim is my firstborn son.
. . .
12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;
they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord —
the grain, the new wine and the oil,
the young of the flocks and herds.
They will be like a well-watered garden,
and they will sorrow no more.
13 Then maidens will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance,
and my people will be filled with my bounty,"
 declares the Lord.


15 This is what the Lord says:


"A voice is heard in Ramah,
mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because her children are no more."
. . .
19 After I strayed,
I repented;
after I came to understand,
I beat my breast.
I was ashamed and humiliated
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.'


• In context, this chapter has eschatological references.  The reference of returning, verses 7-9 probably refer to a future regathering  near the time of the millennial kindgom than the time 70 years after Babylon attacks Israel
• Verses 12-14 sounds like the wedding banquet and not like the return from Babylon that Ezra, Nehemiah, and some of the other prophets describe
• Verse 15 is used by Matthew to describe Herod's killing of the young children.  It is a town, not far from Jerusalem where the people probably stopped on the way to exile in Babylon, and cried at Rachel's tomb.  Rachel has a grave but never a home in the promised land.  Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin and represents the extent of a mother's love for her children, dying so that they could have life
• Verse 19 suggests real repentance, the type that might be more representative of the New Covenant


Jer 31:31-34 (NIV) "The time is coming," declares the Lord,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,"
 declares the Lord.
33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time," declares the Lord.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,"
 declares the Lord.
"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."


• What do we see about the New Covenant that is different (or the same) from the Old Covenant?
• The NC is not like the OC. It is DIFFERENT!
• The "newness" suggests a replacing of the previous covenant, otherwise it would be a modification or change and not a new covenant
• The NC will also include Israel (and Judah)
• The law will be in their minds and on their hearts. Deut 6:6-8 says something similar, but the OC was primarily external and the NC is internal
• They would know the Lord.  David and others knew the Lord, but not everyone seemed to have the same personal relationship.  Therefore, there is something different.  It will be the Holy Spirit residing in their hearts
• Their sin will be forgiven and forgotten.  Technically, the OC only covered their sin.  It required a mediator, the Levitical priesthood.  In the NC, all of that is replaced
• The New Covenant is an outgrowth of the Abrahamic Covenant, which like the Davidic and Palestinian Covenants, are unconditional
• There are three views regarding the NC (Constable, 2010)
• God made the covenant with Israel alone when he renews it in the Millennium (Romans 11)
• God made it with the church alone.  The church replaces Israel in God's plan (covenant theologians advocate this view)
• God made it with Israel at the cross, and the church enters into its blessings until the time of Israel's restoration.  This agrees even more strongly with Paul's argument in Romans 11


Jer 33:14-18 (NIV) "'The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.


15 "'In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
The Lord Our Righteousness.'


17 For this is what the Lord says: 'David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.'"


• This brings in both the Davidic covenant and the New Covenant
• It is interesting that the Davidic line continues forever but it does have a break, starting from the end of Zedekiah to when Christ returns
• Actually Jer 30:9 suggests that David himself will reign over Israel
• Jer 30:9 Instead, they will serve the Lord their God // and David their king, // whom I will raise up for them.
• In which case Jesus would rule over all, and others would rule over the nations
• This passage is also a clear reference to the divinity of the Messiah
• He is a righteous branch
• He will sprout from David's line
• Judah and Jerusalem will be saved (probably at the second coming of Christ)
• He is called "the Lord Our Righteousness"