365 Reflections

The Lord executes terrible judgment on Israel in Jeremiah's day. Jeremiah was the mouthpiece through which the doom was decreed. But time and again, we are reminded in Jeremiah that the Lord who judges and punishes the wicked is also the Lord who restores and saves those whom He loves.  The last verses of Jeremiah 30 are this declaration of war from God: Jeremiah 30:23–24 (ESV) Behold the storm of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. 24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intentions of his mind. In the latter days you will understand this. And yet the first verses of Jeremiah 31 is an announcement of restoration! Jeremiah 31:1–3 (ESV) “At that time, declares the LORD, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.” 2 Thus says the LORD: “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, 3 the LORD

Let me ask you a question. Do you write things down that God has done or how scripture has spoken to you over the years? You should It's in the Bible. We must record God's actions in our lives. We must keep track of God's leading and guiding through the Word. Jeremiah wrote things down, just as Isaiah, Ezekiel, Ezra and Nehemiah did. Just as Moses did. Just as they were commanded to do.  Jeremiah 30:2–3 (ESV) “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. 3 For behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.” The people of Israel were doomed to exile. God wanted a record of His promised restoration written down so they might know He is reliable and faithful. He never gives up on His people. I think we all suffer from short-term memory concerning

When God disciplines you, keep moving forward and forget what is behind you.  Jeremiah 29:12–14 (ESV) Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. Some transition words in the Bible are huge. This "then" in verse 12 of Jeremiah 29 is one of them. A rebellious people are headed into exile in Babylon. Seventy years will go by, according to the word spoken by Jeremiah. And that same nation will come out of Babylon and will seek the Lord and find Him and be restored to the fortunes they lost.  How does a rebellious nation or person of God become a God-seeking person or nation? Through God's discipline. The Jews were to enter into di

The words we hold dear from Jeremiah come from a letter he wrote to his own people as they were dragged off into exile to the nation of Babylon.  Yes. God knows the plans He has for us. But sometimes, those plans lead through a dark valley.  Jeremiah 29:1–2 (ESV) These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. Let's first acknowledge that this is a letter from the prophet to the people. The Jews made a name for their existence and sustained their existence by doing something regularly - writing. The Bible is filled with letters from and to many people in the Bible and beyond. The largest portion of the New Testament is compo

Every hero has an anti-hero. In the case of Jeremiah, that person is named, Hananiah. He's a false prophet "ministering" at the same time and falsely prophesying that the exile to Babylon will only be two years. You can imagine the appeal of such a message. Two years is far better than the 70 Jeremiah predicted.  Hananiah represents the message people wanted at a time when Jeremiah offered the message people needed. Jeremiah's yoke illustration must have triggered something animus in Hananiah. Watch what he does. Jeremiah 28:1–4 (ESV) In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, 2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon . 3 Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the LOR

Preachers are often known for their physical props in sermons. Jeremiah, the prophet, was the king of them.  At the beginning of Zedekiah's reign, an immoral king, Jeremiah was commanded to fashion a yoke for teaming oxen and wear them as a sign to the people of God's sovereign rule over the nations.  Jeremiah 27:1–7 (ESV) In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD. 2 Thus the LORD said to me: “Make yourself straps and yoke-bars, and put them on your neck. 3 Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the sons of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: 5 “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the

Just when you think it's all over for Jeremiah, as the nation comes against him en masse, as the officials and priests want him to die, some really great things happen on his behalf. Some leaders come to his defense.  Jeremiah 26:16 (ESV) Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.” Just a few verses earlier the priests and "prophets" were calling for his execution. But verse 16 teaches us that there is always someone who will hear the Word even when we do not see it.  Not only do these officials hear the Word of the Lord, they know the history of the Word of the Lord. This is not the first time God prophesied disaster for the nation.  Jeremiah 26:17–19 (ESV) And certain of the elders of the land arose and spoke to all the assembled people, saying, 18 “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and said to a

Every generation needs a Jeremiah. That is, every generation needs a man of God who will stand up and declare His Word in a way that challenges even the appearance of wise leadership. An intriguing example of that happens in Jeremiah 26. Jeremiah 26:1–2 (ESV) In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the LORD: 2 “Thus says the LORD: Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the LORD all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word.   To understand this chapter, we have to know a few facts. Jehoiakim is the third-to-last king of Judah. In God's judgment, he will become a vassal to Babylon and die a violent death. At this time, he foolishly rebelled against Babylon and God sent raiding armies against him, undercutting his effort to free the nation from Babylon's stranglehold. Now, you have the picture. Here is Jehoiakim, the kin

Jeremiah 25:15–16 (ESV) Thus the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them.” Jeremiah is called on to communicate to the nations God's coming judgment. As much as we don't like to talk about this subject, it is all over the Bible and particularly emphasized in Revelation. So we do well to pay attention earlier in the Biblical canon.  God's wrath is symbolized by wine. Have you ever thought about why? It is a picture of how God brings judgment. People think it's a lightning bolt from heaven. It is not. It is handing a nation over to their own stupidity. Sin, when left unrestrained, intoxicates a person or nation and makes them self-destructive. God usually brings His wrath by simply letting us go on our own self-determined demise.  After the nations are told to drink the cup of

Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. The reason is simple: His ministry seemed to have no impact on the generation in which he ministered. Imagine preaching for 23 years and seeing no one respond.  Jeremiah 25:1–3 (ESV) The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), 2 which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 3 “For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened. Jeremiah has preached "again and again" the same word to the same people and they haven't budged. There are few clearer presentations of human hard-heartedness in the Bible. And to think the name Jeremiah is heralded now. His ministry is honored. His contrib

In Jeremiah 24 the exile into Babylon has begun. The first wave of exiles has been taken. And God speaks to Jeremiah again. Jeremiah 24:1–3 (ESV) After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile from Jerusalem Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, together with the officials of Judah, the craftsmen, and the metal workers, and had brought them to Babylon, the LORD showed me this vision: behold, two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the LORD. 2 One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, but the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten. 3 And the LORD said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.” These figs are a picture for Jeremiah that God is going to distinguish between those who are good and those who are evil in Israel even through this judgment.  Jeremiah 24:5–7 (ESV) “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Like these goo

To be a preacher of the Word is to be wounded in spirit by those who misuse it. That is the heart of Jeremiah 23. Jeremiah 23:9 (ESV) Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, like a man overcome by wine, because of the LORD and because of his holy words. Jeremiah ministered at a time when many false prophets led most of the nation astray. Jeremiah 23:10–11 (ESV) For the land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the land mourns, and the pastures of the wilderness are dried up. Their course is evil, and their might is not right. 11 “Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in my house I have found their evil, declares the LORD. Jeremiah throws down the gauntlet later in the discourse: Jeremiah 23:13–14 (ESV)  In the prophets of Samaria I saw an unsavory thing: they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray. 14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; t

James tells us not many of us should be teachers for we will be judged more strictly. Jeremiah 23 makes that very clear. God speaks to the shepherds who have abandoned their responsibilities to the sheep.  Jeremiah 23:1–2 (ESV) “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the LORD. The shepherds were scattering when they should have been gathering and protecting. Now who would these people be? Well, in the Old Testament, God uses the term Shepherd to refer to kings. He also uses that term in the New Testament to refer to spiritual leaders such as pastors. Pastors and civil leaders are really two sides of the leadership coin. One bears the sword to punish the evildoer and maintain peace, the oth

What is the role of a leader? To look after God's people. Sadly, Judah's kings after righteous Josiah missed the mark on this very badly. Josiah had four sons rule after him, none of them were righteous. And the end of the kingdom was undisputed as a result. In Jeremiah 22, God sends Jeremiah to the house of the King: Jeremiah 22:1–2 (ESV) Thus says the LORD: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and speak there this word, 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. What is his message to these monarchs? Jeremiah 22:3–5 (ESV) Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the

Jeremiah 21:1–2 (ESV) This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2 “Inquire of the LORD for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.” Despite all the hatred Jeremiah faced from his contemporary culture when the trouble started, they looked to him. Nebuchadnezzar was marching in; it would be trouble for generations. The Lord's prescription of judgment was coming. What does the king do? He summons Jeremiah for a friendly word from God. They think there may still be some great miraculous salvation in His back pocket. But they were misled. The judgment was to begin.  Jeremiah minces no words in this regard: Jeremiah 21:4–6 (ESV) ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands

What Christian hasn't been there? You live with those nagging doubts that perhaps you misheard God, perhaps you didn't follow the plan He wanted, perhaps you messed up at some juncture in the past and the pain you presently feel is a sign you're off target.  If you've been there, you're in good company. Jeremiah was there in Jeremiah 20.  Jeremiah 20:7 (ESV)  O LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. The first thing we do when our ministry or lives don't go as planned when we have set out to serve God is to question whether or not God actually spoke or even if we misheard him. Jeremiah takes it a step further, he claims God deceived him. What does it mean to be deceived by someone but to consider that your actions were the result of someone deliberately leading you down the wrong path. Jeremiah feels overpowered by God's Word.  Perhaps Jerem

Paul, the Apostle, informs Timothy that all who wish to walk with Jesus will be persecuted.  2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV) Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, Jeremiah was of course, no exception.  Jeremiah 20:1–2 (ESV) Now Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2 Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the LORD. For telling God's people what God wanted them to know, Jeremiah was beaten and imprisoned by the very people who claimed to work for God. Notice it was "Passhur the priest" who instigated this attack on Jeremiah.  Jeremiah responds by changing Pashur's name.  Jeremiah 20:3–4 (ESV) The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The LORD does not call your name Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side. 4 For thus says the LORD: B

So many of us know about Jeremiah's first visit the the Potter's house in Jeremiah 18. It's a picture of God's ability to restart and renew our lives. Although in context the image spelled disaster for the nation and after that, they would be renewed. But Jeremiah 19 also contains a visit to the potter's house. This time Jeremiah is a customer and he shares a very strong message with those he brings along.  Jeremiah 19:1–2 (ESV) Thus says the LORD, “Go, buy a potter’s earthenware flask, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests, 2 and go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. The location of this moment is important. The Valley of the Son of Hinnom was the trash heap of ancient Israel. This will become the place Jesus refers to as Gehenna in the New Testament. It contained trash residing in a smoldering fire that never went out.   Matthew 18:9 (ESV)

Sometimes you share the Word of God and live the life He calls you to and you get nothing but vicious attacks from the mouths of those you are sent to help. This was Jeremiah's reality and it helps us handle the pushback we get from modern culture which seems intent on destroying itself.  After declaring God's warnings through the image of the potter, the people respond: Jeremiah 18:18 (ESV) Then they said, “Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words.” The NLT is helpful here: Jeremiah 18:18 (NLT) Then the people said, “Come on, let’s plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don’t need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let’s spread rumors about him and ignore what he says.” The people were confident of their roster of pr

God has the unilateral right to do with His creation as He sees fit. In Jeremiah 18 we are introduced to a vivid illustration of that truth.  Jeremiah 18:1–4 (ESV) The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. First, let's discuss something important. God uses illustrations to speak to us. "Go down to the potter's house and THERE I will let you hear my words". What truth! I sometimes hear Pastors criticized for using illustrations or props in their sermons. As if the teaching should be a theoretical lecture only. God can profoundly reveal His truth through all of creation.  When Jeremiah shows up he sees a spoiled vessel. The word for "spoiled" c

Jeremiah 17:19–21 (ESV) Thus said the LORD to me: “Go and stand in the People’s Gate, by which the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, 20 and say: ‘Hear the word of the LORD, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21 Thus says the LORD: Take care for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. Sabbath rest is of supreme importance in the economy of God. Here Jeremiah calls on the leaders to practice the Sabbath "for the sake of (their) lives." It's very clear, Sabbath rest is a life and death issue. When leaders do not practice rest, the people are overburdened and the nation suffers.  But what else is this calling for in our lives?  The Sabbath is modeled by God in creation.  Genesis 2:2 (ESV) And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his

Through Israel, we are given a clear picture of the human condition. Here was a nation blessed, prosperous, and protected but all they did was wander. They are all of us on display in the Biblical text to help us understand how deep our struggle is with sin.  Jeremiah 17:1 (ESV) “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars, The law was written on stone tablets but Israel's sin was written on the tablet of their heart and even in their religious fixtures in the Temple.  God wanted the law written on their hearts.  Deuteronomy 6:6 (ESV) And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. Instead, they participated in sin and engraved their habits in the depth of their being.  Secondly, they put their trust in political alliances and made other nations their trust. Many of Judah's leaders (including righteous Hezekiah) turned to Babylon as an ally instead of trus

Jeremiah pronounces the final judgment over Judah because of their unrepentant sins. Jeremiah 16:13 (ESV) Therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’ They are bound for exile. And in exile, they are bound to backslide spiritually. So they are gone forever? Is it the end? Have they finally gone too far for God to save? No. Next verse: Jeremiah 16:14–15 (ESV) “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers. God will change their story. Their story was  the Lord brought them out of the land of Egypt. But that na

God's call on a prophet is to see sin the way God sees it. It destroys and ultimately makes creation utterly useless, chaotic and empty. This is why the Lord speaks to Jeremiah in such seemingly cold-hearted tones in Jeremiah 16.  Jeremiah 16:1–2 (ESV) The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place. Jeremiah is not to have a family. There's a very rational argument for this. The land is utterly corrupt and destined for destruction. The nation was sacrificing their children to Molech. The king was leading the way. It was not a good time for the prophet of God to produce offspring in such a heinous context. Judgment was coming.  Jeremiah 16:4 (ESV) They shall die of deadly diseases. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts o

Jeremiah begins to lament once more in chapter 15.  Jeremiah 15:15 (ESV) O LORD, you know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance take me not away; know that for your sake I bear reproach. His first words here are so important. He acknowledges that the Lord knows his struggles. And that's true. The Lord really does know the struggles of those who serve Him. He knows what we do for Him and how we work for Him.  Jeremiah 15:16 (ESV) Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts. The preacher loves the Word of God. The idea of "finding" them speaks to the truths revealed as one meditates over them again and again. You never run out of insights to "find" in the Word of God.  Jeremiah 15:17 (ESV) I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for you h