365 Reflections

The fall of Judah is the last moment of the monarchy of Israel from which the nation would never recover. Zedekiah, the puppet king enthroned by Nebuchadnezzar, is the final link in a chain full of ever-devolving leaders who led Israel further and further away from the Lord. In the final analysis, we study the history of Israel to learn for our own time. Sin destroys nations.  Jeremiah 52:1–3 (ESV) Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the anger of the LORD it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. Now, some would fuss over this concept. How could sin destroy a nation? Well, sin is ultimately the serving of self's lust at the expense of everyone around you...

Jeremiah 51 is a long chapter describing the reason and manner by which the Lord will execute Judgment on ancient Babylon. It is a fierce declaration of total destruction. Their proud rulers will fall, their idols will be smashed, and the people who listen to the Lord will escape her and return home, for God will not abandon Israel.  Jeremiah 51:4–5 (ESV) They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans, and wounded in her streets. 5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the LORD of hosts, but the land of the Chaldeans is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel. The Lord recounts through Jeremiah the fact that Babylon was His tool in His hand all along. Jeremiah 51:7 (ESV) Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad. But now the Lord will fill this proud nation with foreigners who will destroy them from within, and He will surround them with the Medes who wil...

When you read Jeremiah or any prophet of scripture it is important to remember they are often talking about two events or eras in history. First, the are addressing the fulfillment of their words in the age they live and second, they are predicting the cosmic fulfillment of their words in the last days. There can be no doubt Jeremiah has the New Covenant promises in mind when he announces Babylon's destruction.  Listen to the words of prophecy in chapter 50: Jeremiah 50:18–20 (ESV) Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, as I punished the king of Assyria. 19 I will restore Israel to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and in Bashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead. 20 In those days and in that time, declares the LORD, iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for I will pardon those whom ...

The discipline of the Lord is not pleasant. Scripture affirms this in Hebrews 12.  Hebrews 12:11 (ESV) For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Yes, that "fruit of righteousness" is to come, but the admission is clear. Before the fruit, there's a lot of hurt.  The difference between the Lord's discipline and how life can shape us is simple: God is 100% in control of the agents of your discipline. And when the work is finished, the Lord will do with them or it as He pleases. This is what Jeremiah taught the exiles who suffered mass deportation under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.  Jeremiah 50 opens after a long list of proclamations of woe against Israel, Judah, and the nations surrounding her, each of which states clearly that their time of judgment had come at the hands of Babylon, and this was God's doing.  Now, it's Babylon...

Jeremiah 49 turns the prophet's attention to the other nation fathered by one of Lot's incestuous relations with his daughter - the Ammonites.  Jeremiah 49:1 (ESV) Concerning the Ammonites. Thus says the LORD: “Has Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why then has Milcom dispossessed Gad, and his people settled in its cities? There is a subtle taunt in this text. Lot had no sons; Abraham was the one called to father nations. Yet in their sin, the tables were turned for Israel, and the god of the Ammonites, Milcom, took the occupation of Gad, one of the 12 sons of Jacob. The point is that when those privileged by God act like the world, the world gets privileged.  Yet God would not abandon Israel.  Jeremiah 49:2 (ESV) Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will cause the battle cry to be heard against Rabbah of the Ammonites; it shall become a desolate mound, and its villages shall be burned with fire; then Israel shall dispossess those who dispossess...

A dire warning comes from Jeremiah to the nation of Moab in the 48th chapter. Jeremiah 48:10 (ESV) “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. Do you ever consider apathy a sin? It is. Moreover, Jeremiah says it is cursed to do God's work without firm conviction. Then Jeremiah describes a subtle problem Moab emulated to the ancient nations around them.  Jeremiah 48:11 (ESV) “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. The thought in this passage is simple. Moab never faced judgment. She was never as disciplined as she needed to be, and thus, she became complacent and lazy.  God's punishment may be unpleasant, but if left to our own devices, we become far less of what we were made for. Even worse, we become proud and full of a false sense of overcon...

Jeremiah 47 begins the judgment decrees against the nations around Israel. The Lord is sovereign over all nations. He is not, as the ancients believed, a territorial god limited to the nation-state of His people. No, this ground-breaking truth was proclaimed by Jeremiah to an ancient people who imagined they could form their own gods after their own liking and do as they saw fit.  Jeremiah 47:1 (ESV) The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. Philistia, a maritime empire of the ancient world, was first on the list. Perhaps no other nation caused Israel so much grief after their entrance to the promised land and all through the lives of Samuel, Saul, and David. How will God judge them? On their own territory, with the very thing they feel themselves to be masters over - the waters of the sea.  Jeremiah 47:2 (ESV) “Thus says the LORD: Behold, waters are rising out of the north, and shall become an overflow...

Jeremiah 46:2 (ESV) About Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: The king of Egypt had killed Judah's last righteous king, Josiah. It may have seemed to Israel that this nation was once again dominant over the world's affairs. But how quickly things change in human history, particularly regarding the rise and fall of empires.  The faithful in Israel must have felt a particular sting from Josiah's death at the hands of Neco. After all, Egypt was their former captor and the supplier of much weaponry since the time of Solomon. But Josiah interfered in their affairs and wound up killed.  So when Neco's army fought against Babylon, it was the odds-on favorite. Yet it was resoundingly defeated.  Jeremiah 46:5 (ESV) Why have I seen it? They are dismayed and have turned backward. Their warriors are...

Jeremiah had an assistant named Baruch throughout his ministry. We don't know much about him other than he wrote down much of what Jeremiah proclaimed during the kingdom's downfall. Baruch delivered the message to the leaders of Israel, who then delivered it to the King. Baruch saw the king tear up the scrolls he had written down and throw them in the fire.  It must have been tough to serve with Jeremiah. Your boss is an outcast, and by association, so are you. Jeremiah was hunted by the king, and Baruch was too. So when Jeremiah 45 comes along, it's important to lean into what God has to say to this prophet's closest associate after serving with him for several seemingly fruitless decades.  Jeremiah 45:1–3 (ESV) The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 2 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch...

The human heart is impossible to understand. Jeremiah has dealt with that reality in his entire prophetic ministry. In Jeremiah 44, we see how twisted the heart can be. Even when the people of Judah fled to Egypt after the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar's army, they still refused to repent and turn to God. In fact, they consider their trouble the lack of idolatrous worship in their life since they were cut off from the land of Israel! Listen to their stubborn resistance to Jeremiah's warning: Jeremiah 44:16–18 (ESV) “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you. 17 But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. 18 But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven...

The last recorded message of Jeremiah is given to the exiles who fled to Egypt. Jeremiah had been taken with them under the control of the rebel leader, Johanan. By this time, he had been ministering for 46 years. Everything he wrote about concerning the nation of Judah and the rise of Babylon came true. Everything the popular opinion held to be true proved false. That's often how it is. The minority, in the name of the Lord, is scorned by the majority, which seeks the wisdom and help of men.  In this particular message, Jeremiah tells those who fled to Egypt that God is still in charge and through Nebuchadnezzar, he will reach His mighty hand even in this land they consider a safe harbor.  Jeremiah 43:10 (ESV) ... say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden, and he will spread his royal canopy over them. You must remem...

Remember Johanan from Jeremiah 41? The man who saved many others from the threats of the murderous coup? He seemed like a noble leader. But time reveals a lot.  Jeremiah 42:5–6 (ESV)  Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to us. 6 Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.” These are the words of the presumptive leaders of Israel in the land while the nation is in exile. The previous chapter saw a hero arise to protect a few remaining survivors. His name was Johanan. On the surface, he seems like a good man, seeking the will of the Lord in his leadership position. Jeremiah returns with directives from the Lord: Jeremiah 42:10 (ESV) If you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant y...

Murder is a common theme of the Bible's narrative. In Jeremiah 41, we find the vassal governor of the now deserted land of Judah is the target of an ambitious hired assassin named Ishmael, who wants his position. And though the governor, Gedeliah, is warned, he ignores the threat of his demise.  Jeremiah 41:1–2 (ESV) In the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, one of the chief officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. As they ate bread together there at Mizpah, 2 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men with him rose up and struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him, whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor in the land. What is intriguing about this man Ishmael is that though he was hired by the king of the Ammonites, he was also a descendent of King David (see 2 Samuel 5:16). Further, he was hired by the Ammonite king to kill Gedaliah perhap...

How do we live in a world that seems so strange to how we live.  A picture is presented before us in Jeremiah 40. Here Jeremiah is given the option of staying with the exiles in Babylon or returning to the land to dwell among the impoverished children of Israel left behind.  Jeremiah 40:4–5 (ESV) Now, behold, I release you today from the chains on your hands. If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you well, but if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, do not come. See, the whole land is before you; go wherever you think it good and right to go. 5 If you remain, then return to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon appointed governor of the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people. Or go wherever you think it right to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a present, and let him go. Jeremiah makes his choice very simply. He stays behind with the poor of th...

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭39‬:‭4‬-‭8‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) “When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward the Arabah. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, at Riblah, in the land of Hamath; and he passed sentence on him. The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. The Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the house of the people, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.” Things do not end happy in Jeremiah’s day. Zedekiah refused to humble himself and listen to the still small voice of the Lord spoken through the prophet and it cost him everything he had, his kin...

As we continue to study Jeremiah, we see a true prophet who will not back down even when preaching the Word costs him. He has been bitterly treated and shamefully scorned by his contemporaries who at the same time have sought his guidance during these last dark days of the kingdom.  In Jeremiah 38, we see another facet of true prophetic work - speaking in such a way that people assume it’s harmful when it’s the exact opposite. As Babylon bears down on Jerusalem, Jeremiah continues his message.  ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭38‬:‭3‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) “Thus says the Lord: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.”” The people assume since Jeremiah is talking about something destructive to the city, he must be off base.  ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭38‬:‭4‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) “Then the officials said to the king, “Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words t...

How do you know if that preacher in the pulpit is worth listening to? There's a very important test we can observe in Jeremiah's life in Jeremiah 37 that may help us answer that question.  In Jeremiah 37, there's a new king but the same old story. He won't listen to the prophet sent to warn them of the impending exile to Babylon.  Jeremiah 37:1–2 (ESV) Zedekiah the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah, reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. 2 But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the LORD that he spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. Zedekiah should have had a heart to listen to the Lord. His father was Josiah, a godly king, but Zedekiah hardened himself like his brother before him against the Word God gave him through Jeremiah. But when the going got tough, Zedekiah appealed to Jeremiah for prayer on his behalf. Jeremiah refused to let Zedekiah feign religious piety and g...

Don't believe the news that God is out to get people. Nor believe the rumor that God in the Old Testament is nasty and mean. He is loving, patient, and constantly seeking to forgive. The problem is that the human heart resists Him at every turn.  Jeremiah 36:1–3 (ESV) In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the 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 that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.” Jeremiah does this and enlists Baruch, his assistant to deliver the document.  Jeremiah 36:5–6 (ESV)  And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, “I am banned from going to the house of the LORD, 6 so you are to go, and on a day of fasting...

Righteousness defines not just your personal life and witness but also affects your children's children and beyond. Case in point: The Rechabites in Jeremiah 35. This noble family stood apart from their godless contemporaries in Israel and walked closely with the Lord as the nation drew further apart from Him.  In Jeremiah 35, the Lord asks His prophet to make a spectacle of their devotion as an illustration to the nation. Jeremiah 35:1–3 (ESV) The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 2 “Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak with them and bring them to the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers; then offer them wine to drink.” 3 So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah and his brothers and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites. This seems like a weird challenge from God to the family serving Him, but a larger point must be made. The nation needed to know some were not in locks...

One of the greatest pains in my heart over the history of the church is the fact that many "Bible-believing" Christians used the Bible to promote, continue, and enable slavery in America's past. It may have happened elsewhere, but I'm an American, and I know it happened here. Then, some repeatedly make the claim because of a tiny amount of verses where God informs Israel on how to take slaves, it means the Bible is a pro-slavery document. How absurd. The overarching narrative of the Bible is that God sets the slaves free. The second book testifies to this part of God's character.  Getting to Jeremiah's day, one of the reasons Israel's nation was handed over to exile was because they enslaved each other. This attitude was so engrained into the culture of Israel that they had a hard time giving up slavery even in the face of national catastrophe.  In Jeremiah 34, the king is promised that he will die in Babylon, but he will die in peace. Jeremiah 34:3–5 (ESV...