Call to Commitment

 Chapter 8

1.      "At that time," says the LORD, "they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves. 

 2.      They shall spread them before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served and after which they have walked, which they have sought and which they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered nor buried; they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth.

 3.      Then death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of those who remain of this evil family, who remain in all the places where I have driven them," says the LORD of hosts. 

4.      "Moreover you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD: "Will they fall and not rise? Will one turn away and not return? 

 5.      Why has this people slidden back, Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return. 

 6.      I listened and heard, But they do not speak aright. No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, 'What have I done?' Everyone turned to his own course, As the horse rushes into the battle. 

 

Unnatural reactions

 The first verse of this chapter connects it to chapter 7 and we must go back, in order to see the time, of which the writer is speaking. It is the time of the desolation of Jerusalem, when gladness and joy will cease. Everything that is held sacred will be purposely desecrated by the Babylonians. The Lord will lift His protecting hand from the holy temple and it will be destroyed. In these verses, we see that the graves of the nobility of Judah will be ransacked and the bones exposed to the elements (1).

 The Lord proclaims justice in their exposure, openly under the sky, because, in life, these people worshiped the sun, moon and stars. I heard a certain atheistic scientist reason that the universe must be eternal, although he claimed that the eternal God did not exist. He rejoiced in being part of the universe, showing that in the heart of man, the host of heaven is still loved, served and observed for guidance above the Creator. Fallen man will worship anything, but God, proving over and over the truth of the Bible concerning his hatred for his Lord (2). There is ample evidence of the evil nature of the human heart and faith in its goodness is a great deception. We must learn, against all humanistic tendencies, that all the wickedness upon earth stems from the roots of mankind’s rebellion and mutiny against his infinitely benign Sovereign. For that reason, above all others, he is evil.

 Chapter 7

             False doctrines by false prophets

 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!” Jesus said (Lk.13:34). This is the third message that we have in the book, preached at the beginning of Jehoiakim’s reign and it is connected with chapter 26, which we will study later. Jehoiakim is good King Josiah’s son, who was placed on Judah’s throne by the king of Egypt. Jeremiah risks his life in giving this message, but he must speak, while there is any chance that his message will be received (Ch.26:3). The Lord has sent Jeremiah from his home town of Anathoth to Jerusalem for his prophetic ministry and, as the chapter begins, the Lord commands him to stand in the gate of the city’s temple at the time of a religious festival. He addresses the religious masses, who come from the country roundabout, faithfully attending the house of the Lord, but continuing oppressive practices (2). The God of all hope and mercy again offers a way of escape through repentance (3).

 Old Testament and New show clearly that salvation begins with repentance. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus and the gospel by preaching repentance and Jesus started His ministry in Galilee “preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk.1:15).  On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached the first apostolic message in the book of Acts. The Jews cut to the heart, convicted by the Holy Spirit, seeing that they had crucified their Christ, asked. “What shall we do? Peter’s first word, in answering their question was, “Repent” (Ac.2:37-38).

 A true prophetic ministry does not compromise its message and it cannot shun public places, where the masses congregate. It is imperative that the people be warned; God has sent him and is supporting him. False prophets are popular among the people, so the man of God must faithfully be the voice of truth among them. We want to see the damage done by men, false prophets, who have popular aspirations. 

I will ask you to please open your Bible to Jeremiah 6, so you can follow the text with my expository comments. Thank you!

 

 Chapter 6

 

An imminent threat – its cause and its certainty

 Jeremiah lived among the Benjamites in Anathoth, therefore it is probable that he counsels that tribe, concerning a way of escape. It's another warning about the approaching threat of the Babylonian army.   The first king of divided Israel in Jerusalem, you remember, was Rehoboam and he built Tekoa, 12 miles south of Jerusalem on the edge of the Judean desert. It was also the birthplace of the prophet, Amos. Apparently, Judah lit bonfires in high places, in this case in Beth Haccerem (vineyard-house), to signal the place, to which the Benjamites, according to his counsel, are to join as a company, and flee. Beth Haccerem, was near to Tekoa.

 The city-people, especially in biblical times, tended to live a more comfortable and delicate lifestyle and the Bible, therefore, sometimes terms the Jerusalem citizens the daughter or daughters of Zion. They will not be spared in the coming invasion (2). Another analogy is used, calling the invading army shepherds with their flocks, and the text describes a siege, enemy soldiers consuming all the food and water to be found around Jerusalem (3).  The army is anxious to attack and was due to attack earlier, but a little more time was given before judgment fell (4-5).

 They will use the trees around Jerusalem to build their siege mounds against the walls of the city. God is moving the enemy to do its worst, because of the oppression within, the strong against the weak. Unfortunately, it has been too common for those who bear the name of Christ to oppose one another, when there is a common enemy without, waiting to destroy all. This practice must and will be punished, says the Lord (6).