Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Jeremiah was warned by God that it would be better not to get married and not to have children. It wasn’t good to be alone (Genesis 2:18), but because of the coming judgment their lives would not be happy ones. Also, Jeremiah needed to stay focused on the Lord and SOMETIMES a family is a distraction from that (Luke 14:26). The Lord wanted to spare Jeremiah the pain of witnessing this. The great and the small would face death. All peace would be taken away. How could Jeremiah remain a faithful voice knowing he was declaring death for his family? The Israelites would be forgotten and unwanted – both the dead and the captives. There would be no feasting and there would be no mourning for them.

The Lord also told Jeremiah that when he proclaimed this, the people would ask why. What had they done? What was their great sin? This shows how deceived they were, because the Lord has been talking a LOT to His people and telling them EXACTLY what the problem was and EXACTLY what to do about reversing the situation. They would be removed for their sins and the sins of their forefathers (Manasseh, for example). But God would be merciful and would restore Israel. He would bring them back to His land. Even Gentiles would serve Him. [This was certainly fulfilled in Jesus’ day and a further fulfillment is still to come.]

But before the restoration, the sins they had written in iron would be punished. If ANYONE trusted in ANYONE or ANYTHING apart from God, they would quickly see the folly of it. Blessed are those who trust in God. Who rely on God. Who look to God as their Source for EVERYTHING. This was the point of the Sabbath. To learn this lesson. To plant themselves beside God and not move. So that their roots would grow deeply and keep them safe in all circumstances. So they would flourish in all circumstances. And so they could clearly be seen by everyone as flourishing and safe in all circumstances BECAUSE OF GOD. We as believers need to do the same. Jesus IS the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8) and we need to REST in Him just like the Jews under the Law rested on a day of the week.

Jeremiah prayed for deliverance. For a respite from judgment. For mercy. He was told to go and proclaim the keeping of the Sabbath in the gate of the city. Because THAT was how to be delivered: trusting in Him for everything. Relying on Him. He told Jeremiah to teach them the lessons of the Sabbath so that they could use them as a springboard to true repentance in heart, mind, word, and deed. If they would obey Him, they could continue as a nation. If they would put Him first (which you must do to keep the Sabbath properly), they would be spared. Sadly, they did not.

“But if you do not listen to me, to declare holy the day of the Sabbath, and to not carry a burden and enter through the gates of Jerusalem on the day of the Sabbath, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it will not be quenched.”’” (Jeremiah 17:27)

The Lord told Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house and watch him making a vessel. Jeremiah obeyed. Then the Lord spoke to Jeremiah saying that He was the potter and the nation of Judah was the vessel. Didn’t He have the right to do with it what He wanted? To make it or to discard it? To break it or to keep it? He wanted to do good to them. To cherish them. But if they would not obey, then He had no reason not to remove the good He wanted to bring. He told Jeremiah to tell the people He was fashioning a disaster and a plan AGAINST them. If they did not each one of them return to Him from their evil ways, making their ways and their deeds good, it would come upon them.

Jeremiah told the people and they called it hopeless. They said they would walk according to their own ideas and they would each obey the dictates of their own hearts!

The Lord spoke and said that the heathens had been more faithful to their demon idols than the Israelites had been to the Living and True God. They had forgotten the Lord and burnt incense to idols. They had stumbled off His path and chosen to let their land become desolate. He promised that because of these wilful choices, they would be scattered. They would NOT see His face when the promised day arrived.

The people plotted against Jeremiah. They wanted to eliminate him and stick with the false priests who were proclaiming salvation and peace. They chose to not heed ANY of his words and would instead spread lies about him so NO ONE would listen to him. Jeremiah called out to the Lord to be saved from this. Should his faithfulness be repaid with evil? He has been speaking only for the people’s good. Would the Lord let the recompense for this be evil? Jeremiah has been lamenting about the people, but in the face of these attacks he says FINE! Lord, bring your judgment upon them. He knew the Lord knew all their counsel. He asked that the Lord hold this against them as well. He had finally come to the point that the Lord told him to be at: not to intercede for the people, but to let them have what they had chosen.

Summary

Key Players: God, Jesus, Jeremiah

Key Verse(s): Jeremiah 16:1-7, 14-15; 17:1-4, 14-27; 18:1-10, 18-23