Coming as a strong contrast with the revelation of God’s character (doing and delighting in loyal love, justice and righteousness), chapter 10 opens with an extended admonition (and rebuke) of Israel for revering and following (“learning the ways”—1) of the gods of the surrounding nations.
The chapter segments into three parts: Contrast between false God and the Living God (1-16), warning and lament of the coming invasion and devastation (17-22), and Jeremiah’s prayer of confession and petition for himself and the nation (23-25).
The tie between the first and second sections would seem to be the idea that the coming destruction is the direct result of the nation’s spiritual defection. Because they followed worthless idols, God is judging them through the Babylonian invasion.
Jeremiah’s prayer is a humble, heart-felt response to the coming judgment: He confesses his (and Israel’s) dependence on God and asks for a measured correction that doesn’t result in complete annihilation as well as a retributive response to the nations that have taken part in Israel’s demise. Yet he also petitions God to “pour out . . . wrath on the nations” that had completely devoured and destroyed Israel’s homeland (25).
The largest section of the chapter (verses 1-16) contrasts the futility and foolishness of idols with the greatness and power of God. The Lord “trash talks” (actually “truth talks”) the gods of the nations: they are “worthless” (3, 8, 15), helpless (“must be carried”—5), lifeless (“they have no breath in them”—14) and impotent (“can do no harm nor can they do any good”—5). Ultimately, they will perish (11, 15), as will those who trust in them.
By contrast, the Lord is the “true God, the living God, the eternal King” (10). He is “the maker of all things” (16), the One who “made the earth by his power . . . and stretched out the heavens by his understanding” (12). But far from being a distant, deistic god, the Lord actively intervenes in creation (“He sends lightning with the rain…”—13) and in history (“the nations cannot endure his wrath”—10). On top of this, He is the “Portion of Jacob” (16); the Hebrew word is used to speak of lots of land portioned out, a share of the sacrifice given to priests or part of the war booty given to warriors. In other words, Israel is in the amazing place of having the true, living, powerful king of creation and history as “their” spiritual portion, their lot in life, their God!
This highlights the tragic and suicidal choice the people made to exchange their Portion for that paltry portion of the surrounding cultures; this kind of spiritual exchange was unheard of among the nations (2:11).
The result of this foolish defection would prove deadly: the Lord would bring invaders from the north and hurl (literally “sling” – used of slinging a stone) His people from their land (17).
Jeremiah seems to speak for the nation (personification) as he laments his devastation: “Woe to me because of my injury! My wound is incurable!” (19). In verse 20, he speaks of his tent (city) being destroyed (by the northern armies), and his sons (biological? or more likely the young men of Israel) being “gone” (killed, deported). The nation’s leaders (shepherds) are “senseless” as they do not “inquire of the Lord” (21). As a result of their failure to turn to the Lord, they “do not prosper and all their flock is scattered” (deported or displaced). Here we see the danger of leaders (spiritual and political) who do not actively rely upon the Lord: the people suffer for it.
Jeremiah has a candid, humble admission inverse 23: He knows (from experience) that “a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” A more literal translation would be “not to the man his way, not to a man the walking and the establishing his steps.” We can’t successfully get to where we need to be on our own. We turn inwards when left to ourselves (see Why We Can’t Walk a Straight Line on http://vimeo.com/17083789). We can’t find the way or arrive at the desired destination without God’s help. So the nation of Israel wandered from God, time and time again. This is why we need the gift of God’s Spirit inside (New Covenant), so we can “walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:26).
One of the questions that arises in my heart as I read this chapter is this: How is God’s justice different than his anger (10, 24)? God exercises and delights in justice (9:24). Because God is perfect, His justice is perfectly fair, wise and proportionate. Yet in 10:24 Jeremiah seems to see a difference in God’s justice and anger. He pleads for God to correct him (perhaps speaking on behalf of the nation—a personification) “but only with justice—not in your anger.” Then he calls on God to pour out his “wrath on the nations” that do not acknowledge Him and have destroyed Israel. So is there a difference and distinction between God’s justice and anger and wrath?
The Hebrew word for “Correct” has the semantic range of rebuke, correct, instruct, chastise; it’s used for both God’s correction and human instruction or correction and rebuke. Jeremiah invites God’s correction but asks that it be given “with justice” and not “in anger.” Justice translates the Hebrew word misphat, a word that refers to human or divine judgment and justice (what it fair, fitting and right). Anger translates the Hebrew word for “nose or face.” It’s commonly used for human anger; more commonly for divine anger (flaring of the nostrils). Jeremiah asks for God’s “corrective judgment” rather than his “punishment judgment” (NAC), his fatherly discipline rather than his fury (vs. 25—“pour our your wrath on the nations”). The difference between justice and wrath seems to be that the latter is a more severe response of God, one that destroys rather than simply disciples, removes rather than refines. Both are just responses of God—in character, not out of control.
This chapter contains one of the “greatest hits” passages in the book (22-24). However, it’s a passage that I’ve not really seen it in the context of chapter 9.
God wants His people to know and understand that He is the LORD who exercises (literally: makes) loving kindness (Hebrew word: hesed) justice and righteousness on earth. These three terms are crucial to understanding God’s character and His ways. He does loyal, covenantal love; He does justice and righteousness. What’s more, He delights (finds pleasure and satisfaction) in doing all three—simultaneously, continually.
The word “boast” (used repeatedly in 23-24) is the Hithpael of הָלַל (as in hallelujah). Westerman has a lengthy and helpful article on the verb (Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament) where he draws out many implications based on the usage of the word. For example, he points out this verb is most frequently linked to God—we praise Him. The imperative shows that praising the Lord is foundational and essential to our lives, especially the community life (since the verb is mostly in the plural and linked to worship contexts). The grouping of the verb with verb stems related to joy, singing, gladness show that praise is to be joyful for us. Since the command to praise is given to all creatures, praise is not simply a rational, cognitive response to God. It’s a whole-being response to the One True God.
This chapter begins with a paragraph that finishes the thought of the final section of chapter 7 (8:1-3). The remainder of the chapter has the feel of a lament. The Lord laments, with great consternation, the bewildering (4-5), continual (5), widespread (6, 10), foolish (8), brazen (12) defection of His people (4-12). Jeremiah laments the tragic, devastated condition of his people (8:18-19a, 20 – 9:2). Mixed with the lament are God’s words of judgment (10, 13, 17) and Jeremiah’s wish to distance himself from his people (9:2).
Verses 1-3 complete the grim pronouncement of punishment begun in 7:30-34. The coming desecration of the people’s tombs is the repeated emphasis. Instead of a proper, honorable burial, the bones of the people (kings, officials, prophets, priests and people) will be exposed “like refuse lying on the ground” (2). Why? Because they “loved, served, followed, consulted and worshiped” false gods (2). Those five words capture what God wanted them to do towards him: love, serve, follow, consult and worship.
Verse 20 could be the words of the Jews or (more likely) of Jeremiah. It’s a sad lament: “The harvest is past, the summer has ended and we are not saved.” The window of opportunity (harvest, summer) has come and gone. But salvation (root word is yashag– which gives us the names Joshua and Jesus) has not.
I wanted to alert you to a brand new podcast that is being produced by the Heritage Partner Church Resource Centre.
The Centre recently launched a podcast that is focused on the important topic of church revitalization. Keith Edwards asked me to be interviewed for the first episode. He asked questions about the revitalization lessons I had learned as a pastor of an established church. It was a joy to talk about church revitalization–a theme that has been a key part of God’s calling on my life as a pastor.
The heading for this chapter in the NIV Bible read, “False Religion Worthless.” That’s an apt description for the focus of this section of the book. The Lord instructs Jeremiah to deliver a sermon at the “gate of the Lord’s house” (7:1). Standing at the entrance of the Temple in Jerusalem, Jeremiah issues a scathing and severe indictment of the “false religion” of the people and the false hope it brings them.
Jesus later used the language of Jeremiah 7:11 when referring to the people of His day. In Matthew 21:12-13 we read how Jesus drives out the people making the Temple courts a commercial marketplace. He quotes from Isaiah 56:7, saying God’s intention was that His house be a “house of prayer”; He indicts the people for turning it into a “den of robbers.” Here the analogy may include the idea of a place where loot is stored by people who are thieves.
God is looking for true change. Jeremiah uses the word “good” in both verses 3 and 4. Reform your ways = “make good your ways.” “If you really change your ways” = “Making good to make good your ways.” The emphasis is on the genuineness of the change or reformation. There needs to be goodness where there has been hypocrisy and evil. No more posing or pretending to “come through these gates to worship” (2). God is looking for change that is truly for the good.
Chapter 6 describes the preacher’s (and the Lord’s) dilemma. The Word of the Lord is clear, but the people are unwilling to hear: “Their ears are closed (literally, “uncircumcised”) so they cannot hear” (10, see also 19). Jeremiah can sense and even see the disaster that is coming (prophets were called “seers”). He is frantically trying to convey God’s message of warning, but is not taken seriously. Other voices (priests and prophets) are giving a far more comforting message: “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace” (14).
Once again, God gives the warning of impending “disaster out of the north” (1); once again the Lord forewarns them of a military attack (6, 22-23) that will devastate the land (specifically the trees—6), the cities (especially Jerusalem, the Daughter of Zion—2, 8, 24) and the people (children, young men, older people, husbands and wives—11).
The Lord compares Jeremiah’s role as His spokesman to “a tester of metals” (27-30). The word of the Lord is the fire, the people are the ore, and Jeremiah is to “observe and test their ways.” He is to see if the fiery message of warning and rebuke has a purifying effect on the people, burning away the “lead with fire” and purging out the wicked. But tragically, as God reports and Jeremiah observes, the people of Israel are “hardened rebels.” Though the “bellows blow fiercely”—a reference to God’s fiery words—the people do not change. They continue to sin with their words (“slander”) and “they all act corruptly.” The result is that after testing the people, God and Jeremiah have to pronounce them as “rejected silver.”
The way to peace and protection is presented in the middle of this chapter: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it’”(16). The picture God gives is that of a traveler trying to find his way through life. He comes to a crossroads, a point of decision. Two roads diverge and he must choose one. God counsels him to “ask for the ancient paths” which reveal the “good way.” God’s Word maps out the ancient paths for us. We don’t need something trendy but something time-tested. We follow in the footsteps of those who’ve walked with God by keeping to His ways. This is the way to peace—to rest for our souls. This is the way, walk in it (Isaiah 30:21).
On Tuesday, I flew to Dallas to teach at the Global Proclamation Academy. Twenty-six young pastors from twenty-six countries were gathered at Dallas Seminary for three weeks of training. I had the privilege of teaching them all day Wednesday.
God has graciously sustained and strengthened us through this full and fruitful season of service. In the coming weeks, we are looking forward to taking some time away to rest and refuel!