Chapter 32

A prophet must represent truth

      1.      The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD—in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 

      2.      For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house. 

 3.      For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, "Why do you prophesy and say, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; 

 4.      and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face, and see him eye to eye; 

 5.      then he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall be until I visit him," says the LORD; "though you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed" '?" 

 Jeremiah, God´s prophet, must stand on the side of truth against political expediency. It is always the way of God, in contrast to the compromising ways of men, who think that it is prudent that their ethics should adjust to the whims of the times. They take pride in their ability to be adjustable. Truth is unchangeable, as is the character of God, therefore His representative cannot sway to the right or the left, as he speaks to the people of his day.

 Kings demand loyalty and might accuse a prophet of treason. Jeremiah´s passion for truth has landed him in prison, King Zedekiah challenging his message that the Judean nation would fall to the enemy (3). The prophecy addressed the king personally and predicted that he would not escape capture, but that Nebuchadnezzar would foil his attempt to escape and would personally look him in the face (4). Zedekiah could have profited from this prediction, had he believed it and not tried to flee (2 K.25:5-7). His sons were killed before his eyes and that was the last scene that he observed, because his eyes were then removed and he was deported to Babylon (5).

 Jerusalem is already under a siege, which began a year earlier, the ninth year of Zedekiah, and a year later, the 11^th year of the king, the city was penetrated (Jer.29:1-2). Right in the middle of it, in the 10^th year, the Lord gives the message of this chapter to Jeremiah (1-2).      

The highway of return

      21.  "Set up signposts, Make landmarks; Set your heart toward the highway, The way in which you went. Turn back, O virgin of Israel, Turn back to these your cities. 

      22.  How long will you gad about, O you backsliding daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth—A woman shall encompass a man." 

    
23.  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "They shall again use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I bring back their captivity: 'The LORD bless you, O home of justice, and mountain of holiness!' 

 24.  And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all its cities together, farmers and those going out with flocks. 

 25.  For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul." 

       26.  After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me. 

From the old ways of rebellion and enmity with their God, Israel looks forward to new times and a new relationship with Him. It begins with a return from 70 years in Babylon, but that is an immediate and partial restoration. By a study of Ezra and Nehemiah, as well as some of the latter prophets, we can see that there was no full-heart repentance and newness of life at that time. The prophecies sometimes have dual fulfillment and the final and perfect completion will take place in the end of time.

 This chapter is about new beginnings in the Promised Land. The preparation for this time will begin in the heart of Israel… set your heart… where a longing to return from within will motivate them. God challenges them to remember the way by which they came to Babylon. It is not simply a geographical consideration, but a call to deeply examine the sins that brought them so far from their homeland and their God. They were to remember the signposts and the landmarks, as they were driven along this way; and they were to observe them, as they returned. Let two graces rise from within at every juncture: 1) Profound remorse for the rebellion that caused the loss and 2) extreme gratitude to the Lord, Who planned and supervised their return.

 God’s remedy gives total restoration and, as stated in the last article concerning verse 4, He gives back Israel’s virginity. That requires miraculous transformation. The sinner is returned to a state of perfect righteousness, his sins are tossed behind the Lord’s back (Is.38:17), and fall into the deepest sea (Mic.7:19). Israel can once again live in his former cities (1).

 With all these possibilities before her, He chides her for lingering in her present state… He Who saw her restored position as the virgin of Israel, sees her actual position as a backsliding daughter. Commentators have problems with the following statement: a woman shall encompass a men (22), about which the Lord said that He “has created a new thing on the earth”. Some simply saw a defenseless Israel, withstanding its stronger enemies. One tells me that the Jews see in it a promise of the coming Messiah. The church fathers, such as Augustine, almost unanimously understood that this statement referred to the Virgin Mary and the unprecedented miraculous conception, speaking of a new creation. 

God will restore Israel with everlasting love

      1.      "At the same time," says the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people." 

 2.      Thus says the LORD: "The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness Israel, when I went to give him rest." 

 3.      The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. 

 4.      Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again be adorned with your tambourines, And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. 

 5.      You shall yet plant vines on the mountains of Samaria; The planters shall plant and eat them as ordinary food. 

 God continues to speak from the previous chapter, which ended with a ferocious threat to the wicked, and which He will be faithful to fulfill in fury. Verses 23 and 24 tell of the latter day outpouring of His seven bowls of wrath.  Now He declares that, at the same time, He will restore all the tribes to His gracious favor. In Jeremiah’s day, the northern tribes have been taken captive by Assyria.

 Some, who were left in the land, however, were called to the Passover under King Hezekiah: Ephraim Manasseh, Zebulun, Asher and Issachar are mentioned (2 Chr.30:10, 11).  King Josiah held the greatest Passover since the time of Samuel with priests and Levites, all Judah and Israel present (2 Chr.35:18). Benjamin stood with Judah in the southern kingdom, the tribe of Simeon had possessions in Judah and, of course, the Levites, lived throughout the land. In the New Testament, Paul is a Benjamite, Anna, the prophetess, is of the tribe of Asher, and there are many Levites, along with those of Judah.

 At the same time… in the latter days, God will reclaim all the tribes as His people, both Judah and Israel (1). These are the people that He knew in the wilderness. Through the prophet Hosea, God refers to His wilderness people, as well: “I knew you in the wilderness, in the land of great drought” (Ho.13:5) and gives them the same assurance, as He did through Jeremiah: “You are destroyed, but your help is from Me… I will be your King… I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him…  Ephraim shall say, ‘What have I to do anymore with idols’” (Ho.13:9, 10, 14:4, 8).

The whirlwind of the Lord... vs. 23

Divine principle… first comes fear, then restoration

 1.      The word that came to Jeremiah from the   LORD, saying, 

 2.      "Thus speaks the LORD God of Israel, saying: 'Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. 

 3.      For behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,' says the LORD. 'And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.' " 

 4.      Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. 

 5.      "For thus says the LORD: 'We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace. 

 The oft-repeated and true phrase throughout the Old Testament, “The word that came… from the Lord,” is the proof that it is the inspired word of God. Chapter after chapter makes the same claim, throughout the books of Moses. After Moses' death, the Lord speaks to his successor, Joshua. All the prophets hear directly from the Lord and Job, Solomon, David and other Psalmists declare His wisdom in their writings. Opponents of the divine inspiration of the Bible have to conclude that all these men are lying about hearing directly from God, so that this treasured Scripture is a book of lies in their opinion.

 In the New Testament, “the Word was made flesh” (Jn.1:14) and “God… has… in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (He.1:1,2). The eternal Son of God, equal with the Father, came to earth and spoke directly. Paul and other apostles formed their doctrines from His word and delivered them to the church. Yes, the Bible, including the word that we study today from the prophet Jeremiah, is the inspired word of God. We will take it, believe it, and apply its principles to our lives. We will form our concepts, concerning the person of God, from its revelations.

 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (1) and instructed him to write in a book (2). The Lord was in the process of preparing 66 books to form an authoritative canon for all the world to study, and by which they could live. God is writing first for the benefit of His chosen people, the Jews, and it concerns their return from captivity to repossess their Promised Land (3). The apostle Paul clearly claims the principle, especially in the letter to the Romans in the New Testament, that the word comes first to the Jews (Ro.1:16; 2:9-10). He shows to the Gentiles in Ephesus “that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph.2:12).    

 At Christianity Today´s suggestion, I am only giving a few sentences from an article by Dr. Thomas H. McCall, professor of theology at Asbury Univeristy in Kentucky. I am offering their link, in order that anyone can read the entire article. In the meantime, I am requesting the author's permission to reprint. His opening words are:

We’re Witnessing a ‘Surprising Work of God’

 Why I’m hopeful about the revival breaking out in our chapel and its implications for the campus and beyond.  

Most Wednesday mornings at Asbury University are like any other. A few minutes before 10, students begin to gather in Hughes Auditorium for chapel. Students are required to attend a certain number of chapels each semester, so they tend to show up as a matter of routine.

But this past Wednesday was different. After the benediction, the gospel choir began to sing a final chorus—and then something began to happen that defies easy description. Students did not leave. They were struck by what seemed to be a quiet but powerful sense of transcendence, and they did not want to go. They stayed and continued to worship. They are still there.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/february-web-only/asbury-revival-1970-2023-methodist-christian-holy-spirit.html