Jeremiah 18 - How to Live in Exile - Jeremiah 28-29

[Music] Jeremiah chapter 28 I'm just gonna jump right in and explain as we make our way along verse 1 that happened in the same year at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah in the fourth year and in the fifth month that had an eye at the Sun of azure the prophet who was from Gibeon spoke to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and of all the people saying thus speaks the Lord of hosts the God of Israel saying I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon within 2 full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord's house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon and I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah with all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon says the Lord where I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon the kingdom of Judah was ruled by the house of David it was the descendants of King David who sat on the throne and some of them were very godly men but some of them were wicked men and because of wickedness of the kings and because especially of the wickedness of the people and their refusal to listen to God God had appointed that judgment would come upon the kingdom of Judah now whenever God sends judgment he gives lots of warnings aren't you happy about that God is a gracious god and he just doesn't judge or should I say he rarely judges I won't say that God never does certain things because he's God he can do what he wants to do but God it's normal pattern is to give warnings before he judges and he gave warnings repeatedly through the Prophet Jeremiah to the kingdom of Judah repent Jeremiah said you guys are on the wrong track change your mind change your life you guys better change because judgments coming eventually judgment came just as Jeremiah prophesied but it didn't come in one great blow it didn't come like with one mighty sledgehammer it came like with three blows of a smaller hammer the first one came when Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came and invaded Judah and overwhelmed the scene of Jerusalem and took away a bunch of captives then some years later Nebuchadnezzar came back and he invaded Judah again and he established some order and he kicked out a king and he took him back to Babylon and set up another King and then that went on for some time then about oh about eleven years after that he came back a final time Jeremiah writes this in between the second and the third invasions of the Babylonians Jude is in trouble but they're still hanging on by a thread and they haven't mended their ways now what God told Judah to do through the Prophet Jeremiah was surrender to the judgment it's too far gone I'm bringing the judgment don't fight it submit yourself to Nebuchadnezzar matter of fact there was a time in this period it's described in the previous chapter Jeremiah we took a look at it last week you could listen to the tape or nobody used this tape anymore you know what I mean it's a figure of speech you can listen to him last week and it explains you how simply there was a group of envoys of messengers from the neighboring kingdoms around Judah who had come to Jerusalem because it seemed that Nebuchadnezzar's power was weakening there was a revolt in this part of his Empire there was other trouble in this part of the Empire there was a whole thing of maybe Nebuchadnezzar is not on his game now's the time to revolt and you know what you reminded Jeremiah did something really remarkable he came and spoke to King Zedekiah and he came and spoke in the presence of all those other envoys wearing the yoke of an oxen can you picture that in your mind a man walking around wearing a yoke of an oxen and he said here's the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar put it on and wear it you're not going to break free from this and it was a lesson made with an illustration well friends this is what once you understand that this man named Hananiah the prophet that's described for us in verse one he was a false prophet who approached the message of Jeremiah matter of fact he flat-out contradicted it you see when Jeremiah said submit yourself to the king of Babylon submit yourself to your yolk hen and I didn't listen Hananiah said no god's message is just the opposite verse 2 i have broken the yoke of the king of babylon this is what hen and i said and he said it in the name of the lord he said thus saith the lord i have broken the yoke of the king of elam Nebuchadnezzar is going down now's your chance to revolt against him matter of fact hen and I had got even more specific if you take a look at verse 3 he says I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord's house now please understand hen and I is speaking in the voice of the Lord so when he says I will bring back he means the Lord will bring back all those gold and silver and precious articles that are used in the temple services that were taken away Babylon they're coming back that was the good news that Hannah and I have brought and then Hannah and ayah said verse 4 that King Jeconiah would return he was the one that was deposed and taken away to Babylon and look at verse 3 write to me verse 4 and all the captors of Judah who went to Babylon all of them good news everybody captivity is over the kings coming back that the things from the temple are coming back we're gonna win this is great and if you look at verse 3 there this is the most interesting he said it would happen within 2 full years Hanna and I did the thing that smart false prophets never do he put an expiration date on the prophecy smart false prophets and I am I supposed to use air quotes when I say smart smart so to speak false prophets no you don't put a time date on it because then people can objectively call you on it but he did he said within two years captivity is over exiles over we're all coming oh look I gotta scoot soon here's Jeremiah's message submit to Nebuchadnezzar we're not getting out of this God will bring us back in due time but not now you have Hanan ayahs message happy days are here again and Nebuchadnezzar is going down friends can we just agree on something they cannot both be speaking truly from the Lord do we agree on that now that it's possible that they're both wrong isn't that true it could be but there's no way that they can both be right and likely Jeremiah you're right or Hananiah you're right well house is gonna work out take a look here at verse 5 then the Prophet Jeremiah spoke to the Prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and the presence of all the people who stood in the house of the Lord and the Prophet Jeremiah said Amen the Lord do so the Lord perform your words which you prophesied to bring back the vessels of the Lord's house and all who are carried away captive from Babylon to this place first thing I want you notice Jeremiah challenged the false prophet of Hananiah I suppose he didn't have to Jeremiah could have just gone home but he didn't so that man is speaking falsely in the name of the Lord I'm gonna call him out and he called him out by the way we know that this was done publicly it was done there on the Temple Mount Hannah and I was making a public but well let's understand this Hananiah called out Jeremiah first and Jeremiah responded to what Hananiah did what Jeremiah did was no different than what Hannah and I did he's just simply responding to it but the second thing I want you to notice in this is that once you notice what he says he says in verse 6 Amen the Lord do so I wonder and I genuinely wonder this how sarcastic Jeremiah was being but because part of it I think wasn't sarcastic friends do you think Jeremiah liked preaching the message of judgment woohoo I get to tell everybody today that there's going to be death and destruction all over Judah Prince there was a big part of Jeremiah that genuinely wished a man like Hanna and I was right but listen if judgment really is coming all the false prophets in the world isn't gonna race that if judgment really is coming all the happy thoughts in the world aren't gonna take it away positive thinking isn't gonna turn away the judgment of God and I think there's a big part of Jeremiah that was being sincere I wish it was true Hananiah from your lips to God's ears but it's not gonna happen like that I know it he continues on verse 7 nevertheless by the way that's a big word there isn't nevertheless I wish you were right but you're not nevertheless here now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people the prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries and great kingdoms of war and disaster and pestilence that's where the prophets who prophesy zabi of prophesized peace when the word of the prophet comes to pass the prophet will be known as the one whom the Lord has truly sent the first thing that Jeremiah says because listen Hananiah that's a wonderful message while very positive you get the positive thinking award good for you let's be honest you're not really walking in the tradition of the previous prophets when I think of the prophets that preceded us men like Micah and Amos and Isiah and other people great prophets of God who came before the time of Jeremiah and Anne and ayah a lot of them not all of them but a lot of them had very stern messages of judgment since isn't this true many of the prophets we respect brought a message of judgment and so he also adds in verse 9 as for the Prophet who prophesize apiece when the word of the Prophet comes to pass then we'll believe it alright you say everything's going to be good within two years and and I have put up or shut up let's see how it's going to work out well Hananiah apparent didn't like this because look at verse 10 then Hananiah took the yoke off the Prophet Jeremiah's neck and broke it alright the first thing that just amazes me about this jeremiah was still wearing the yoke friends chapter 27 verse 1 tells us that this happened in the 4th month that he spoke to the the envoys from the other nations in the 4th month he put on the yoke on the 5th month he's still wearing it around the temple courts I hope God doesn't ask me to do anything like yes dear mind you know it'd be like go put on this suit of armor and walk up and down State Street you know as an example Jeremiah was wearing the yoke I don't know if everybody just got you saw there's Jeremiah yeah we're in the oak again I wonder if it became a fashion statement if other people started wearing yokes around the temple courts no I don't think so because Hannah and I was so mad that what he was so mad at the Prophet Jeremiah then he wrestled the yoke from moon I know how we broke it I don't think he could just break it over you like he'd probably just smashed it to the ground and he broke it as a way of saying no way Jeremiah matter of fact he meant something very plain by it look at it right here in verse 11 and Hannah and I has spoke in the presence of all the people saying thus says the Lord even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within the space of two full years the Prophet Jeremiah went his way I'll give you this that Hananiah he knew how to preach a sermon what great illustrations isn't it Hannah and I his whole message was that the yoke that Nebuchadnezzar put upon not only Judah but the surrounding nations that that yoke was over and Nebuchadnezzar was going down and they would be free you understand what the whole picture is of the yoke isn't it you're in servitude the ox that wears the yoke he's not exactly free to do what everyone to do he has to pull the plow of the owner and what he was saying is we're free God and the name of God God has broken the yoke isn't a powerful illustration and I bet everybody said oh wow the other thing I want you to see was not only was this a very dramatic and powerful message I the feeling and don't you and Hananiah really believed it don't you have the feel from this that this was a man sold out to his message I mean if you're gonna do this publicly you believe it I bet if you hooked him up to the lie detector I bet if you shine the bright light in his eyes hen and I do really believe that that God has broken the yoke of the king of Babylon absolutely I believe it I believe it with all my heart the friends none of that made it true and in fact it was not true so what did Jeremiah do verse 11 the prophet Jeremiah went his way I just want to get a feel for this by all estimation anybody who was watching this little exchange between Jeremiah and Hanna and I at the temple they would have thought that Hanna and I have won the day well we know who won that debate get out of here mr. broken yolk pick up your yolk and walk get out of here he's the winner he really bested you and this one you see Hananiah seemed to overpower Jeremiah he seemed to have the last word and Jeremiah walked away without a response but in this case appearances were not true and neither was Hananiah look at the response here coming up into verse 12 now the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after Hannah and I the Prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of the Prophet Jeremiah saying go and tell Hannah and I as saying thus says the Lord you have broken the yokes of wood but you have made in their place yokes of iron for thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of these nations that may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon they shall serve him I have given him the beasts of the field also did you see that in verse 13 Jeremiah you go tell Hananiah yeah you're pretty good at breaking wooden yokes what about the yokes of iron that you put on you have broken the yokes of wood but you have made in their place yokes of iron when he came back and confronted Hananiah again he broke the wood as a prophetic illustration but he could never break the yoke of iron that God would set upon those who opposed him and opposed Nebuchadnezzar it's a few things I want you understand about this number one the yokes of iron can be understood as God's stricter discipline upon his people what do I mean by that look what we as believers the friends I hope I don't say this with any harshness in my voice or in my heart but we as believers can slip into sin into spiritual decline it's possible and when that happens a loving God tries to get our attention why because he hates us because he's mad at us oh because he loves you because you are like a son or a daughter to him and he cares about you and if he needs to discipline you if according to the the pattern of child-raising if he needs to spank you to teach you he'll do it from time to time but here's the point if you ignore or break the yoke of wood that God puts upon you to teach you you know what you just made for yourself a yoke of iron friends may God give me the grace do you mind if I include you in that prayer as well may God give us the grace to respond to his correction and discipline early Lord if I got a wear yoke of discipline I'd much rather it be the yoke of wood than the yoke of iron that's one aspect of it there's another aspect this I'd like to consider the yokes of iron may also be expressed in sinful habits that we allow to enslave us in other words put it to you this way God gives us a yoke of wood and Friends yokes were made out of wood a yoke of iron is unnatural nobody would look at off a look he's pulling the yoke about he'll come on where's your waist good iron on that use wood it's more comfortable for the animal it's better it's just that's what we make yokes out of God has a yoke for every one of us to bear Jesus said my yoke is easy my burden is light Jesus wants to put on you a yoke that's perfectly fitted for you but sometimes we as his children we reject it who said well no I don't want to be I don't be hassled by this service to God you know so confining I'd much rather have the freedom friends when you reject God's authority over you and go your own way here's Justin does it make you more free or less free go around and ask the person who's lost in their addictions ask him how free they are that's the person who's addicted to whatever that's a person whose life has blown up as a person who used to have a lot of choices in their life but because of their sinful habits now they have very few choices and see what happens you can cast off the yoke that God graciously gives you and in return you're gonna wear a yoke of iron I like what Alexander McLaren said he said do you think we'll be easy to serve those baseborn parts of your nature when you've set them on the throne and tell them to govern you make sex your God go ahead put it on the throne of your life do you think it's a gracious master to you make money your God go ahead just do it put it on the throne of your life do you think money is gonna be a kind master to you that the praise of man is that gonna be a kind master on and on I could just keep going but you get the idea don't you I cold heart I would much rather be your slave than anything else don't give me the yoke of iron Lord verse 15 then the Prophet Jeremiah is said to Hananiah the Prophet here now Hananiah the Lord has not sent you but you make this people trust in a lie therefore says the Lord behold I will cast you from the face of the earth this year you shalt die because you have taught rebellion against the Lord so Hannah and I the Prophet died the same year in the seventh month verse fifteen here now Hannah and I of the Lord has not sent you but you make this people trust a lie you know when I read the story of Hananiah I tend to be fairly sympathetic to him I look at Hananiah and I generally see a well-intentioned man who got the message wrong he meant well he really thought he was helping the people of Judah he saw how people were encouraged by his message of hope and success you know he meant really well and all that that's kind of the generosity I want to give to Hannah and I I want you to notice God doesn't give him that generosity what does God say to him you're lying you're making my people trust in a lie and he says you have taught them rebellion against the Lord verse 16 all I can say is that God's message to Hananiah was not well you meant well so keep trying was you're a false prophet you're telling the people of God exactly what they do not need to hear and you'll suffer for it you're gonna die hen and I you know I think it's interesting how Hananiah to his credit was bold enough to put an expiration date on his prophecy God says you know what you're not even gonna make it to that expiration date it says there in verse 16 I believe that he died maybe it's 17 in the seventh month did you see when this prophecy began in the fifth month Hananiah said two years God said not two months and you're gone that's how it worked and Hannah and I was gone from the scene chapter 29 verse 1 now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the Prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive to the priests the prophets and all the people who never can either had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon this happened after Jack and I had the King the Queen Mother and the eunuchs the princes of Judah and Jerusalem the craftsmen and the Smith's had departed from Jerusalem the letter was sent by the hand of a lhasa the son of shaphan to Chimaera the son of Hilkiah who Zedekiah king of judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon saying and this is the beginning of the letter thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel to all who were carried away captive whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon Jeremiah chapter 29 contains a letter a letter that was written by God even though Jeremiah was the pennmen the letter was from God through the Prophet Jeremiah a letter from Jeremiah and God to the exiles who were already in Babylon I told you before that Babylon conquered Judah in waves in three successive attacks well in the first attack people got carried away and the second people attacked people got carried away these are people who got carried away in the first and the second attacks they're already in Babylon Jeremiah and the survivors are still in Jerusalem so everybody had that picture so he writes a picture to the right to picture he writes a letter to those who are already in exile now it's important for me to bring this up there are people today and I think there's something to this I think there's something for us to think about this in the Christian world there are people today who say that we as Christians in the Western world should start considering ourselves to be believers in exile in other words we thought that perhaps we could have a greatly beneficial influence on the society and that we could can everybody understand I'm gonna speak in metaphors here I just hope you'll catch it okay here's the metaphors we thought we were building Jerusalem the City of God but now we find ourselves in Babylon in exile the culture says we don't want you you're not in power you're out of power you can live among us as the Jews lived among the exiles and lived among the Babylonians you can live among us we're not gonna wipe you out but let's make it clear you're not in power you don't dictate how things go here you're in Babylon now that there are people who suggest that this is the mentality that Christians should start adopting and we should learn how to live in exile let me say I don't know exactly what to think about that I think it's intriguing I'm thinking through it I think there's something there I don't know how much but let me just say if that is the case there's a lot for us to learn from this letter to exiles in Jeremiah chapter 29 there's a lot for us to learn so this happened after this people were taken away into captivity and God is speaking verse 4 to all who were carried away captive look at what he has to say starting at verse 5 build houses and dwell in them plant gardens and eat their fruit take wives and beget sons and daughters and take wives or your sons and give to your daughters husbands so that they may bear sons and daughters that you may be increased there and not diminished and seek the peace in the city where I've caused you to be carried away captive and pray to the Lord for it for its peace for in its peace you will have peace for thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you nor listen to your dreams which you have cause to be dreamed for they prophesy falsely to you in my name I have not sent them says the Lord do you see what God's message to the exiles was look at there at verse 5 the first thing he tells him is build houses and dwell in them hey exiles you thought that you might be there just a few months just what's the use of building a house if I'm only gonna be here a few months God's gonna take us back to Judah hey hey exhales there's prophets telling you Oh Nebuchadnezzar is going down his yoke is gonna be broken you've got to be set free whoo don't build a house don't start a business don't build a family you're going back to Judah this was God's message with the prophet of Jeremiah forget about that you're staying in Babylon a good long time later in the chapter he's going to give the figure to be 70 years now is 70 years a long time I don't anybody who's 70 years old 70 years is a long time it's not a short time but neither is it forever not by any means so Jeremiah says you're gonna be there long enough to where you should just settle in and make the best of what you have build houses dwell in them verse 6 that you may be increased there and not diminished marry multiply I want my people to expand I want them to grow together as a people just as the people of God increased when they were in Egypt so you can increase now in Babylon God wants that and then he says in verse 7 this is really interesting seek the peace of the city where I've caused you to be carried away captive God didn't tell them bring Nebuchadnezzar down from the inside start little you know resistance factions and look to see what you can do that was not God's message to these exiles he said listen pray for them seek peace for them be a good neighbor be a good citizen be kind to your Babylonian friends and neighbors ultimately God has caused you look at that in verse 7 where I have caused you to be carried away captive God caused them to be in Babylon and they should be a blessing in the place where they were set and then he says in verse 8 do not let your profits and diviners who are in your midst deceive you you see there were false prophets among the Jews in Jerusalem like Hananiah but there were also false prophets among the Jewish people in Babylon and the false prophets among the Jewish people in Babylon and exile said we're gonna be here just a few more months get ready to go start packing your bags God says no you're gonna be there 70 years verse 9 they prophesy falsely to you in my name I have not sent them now look here starting at verse 10 for thus says the Lord after seventy years are completed at Babylon I will visit you and perform my good word toward you and cause you to return to this place for I know the thoughts that I think toward you says the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you a future and a hope then then you will call upon me and go and pray to me and I will listen to you and you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart I will be found by you says the Lord and I will bring you back from your captivity I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I've driven you says the Lord and I will bring you to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive first thing verse 10 after 70 years again do you get the feel of 70 years it's a long time but it's not forever Jewish people in exile you will come back to the promised land but not for a while so settle in so everybody get the idea there are 70 years but by the way this is just parenthetical Daniel believed this promise of 70 years and when 70 years was about to approach Daniel started praying and say Lord fulfill your promise and it was fulfilled so they really believed this promise of 70 years and it was in fact fulfilled then he says in verse 11 for I know the thoughts that I think toward you says the Lord president that a beautiful thing for God to say to his people in exile God knew his own thoughts towards these exiled Jews in Babylon they did not know his thoughts or perhaps they did not remember his thoughts so God wanted to state those thoughts in writing so that they would know them wouldn't you love to know how God thought of you don't you wish he would put it in writing so you could know this is how God thinks of me wouldn't you know if God would just put it in writing for you so you would know how he thinks of you but like maybe he would say something like there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus isn't it beautiful that God says look I think a lot of things towards you and you don't know my thoughts because we don't know exactly what God thinks all the time doing most the time we don't know what God things but God says I'll write it down for them so that they will know exactly how I think these are my thoughts towards you but friends I just want to back up just for a minute and think about how wonderful it is that God thinks about us at all you know um sometimes I meet somebody who's you know well-known or something like that maybe a famous preacher or something and sometimes I'm struck by the thought as you probably are too I have listened to this person a lot and I've thought about them a lot they've never thought about me in a moment of their life they're you know some big important guy you know and I'm just me look at them look at them and they I think about them they never think about me you know isn't it strange to come back on the other side and to just simply say God thinks about us matter of fact God thinks about us all the time look at what it says here in Psalm 40 verse 5 David said your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to you in order if I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be numbered God thinks about you a lot and he thinks about you favorably do you see what it says there in Jeremiah he says your thoughts are toward you he thinks Georgia he's not thinking against you he's thinking toward you and then he says in verse 11 thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you a future and a hope friends please understand these exiled Jews lived in the experience of God's judgment these are people who were ripped away from their homes every bit of money or possession or valuable that they had was taken away from them they were by force taken thousands of miles away thrown into the ancient equivalent of a refugee camp and they said ok now make your way along wouldn't it be easy for you to think that God was mad at you wouldn't it be easy for you to think that God had given up on you what does God say no I have thoughts of peace toward you I thought Such shalom towards you not just peace but well-being lots of peace and not of evil to give you a future and hope my thoughts towards you are full of peace and in my heart and in my mind I have a future and a hope for you God said to them my friends let me make something very clear the context here of Jeremiah chapter 29 that this promise was made to ancient Jews under the Babylonian exile but they express the unchanging heart of God toward his people I have heard people talk about this verse let's face this famous verse isn't it you probably have it like on a plaque in your home or a refrigerator magnet now on and on you know oh you know everybody loved Jeremiah 29:11 uh some people really criticize that that verse wasn't given for you that verse was given for the exiles in Babylon you have no right to claim that verse take away the take down their refrigerator magnet look let me say something indeed these were God's thoughts and God's words to ancient Israeli exiles under the Old Covenant absolutely the case but will anybody dare to believe that God is less favorable to his people under the New Covenant are you gonna tell me that that in light of Jesus Christ and all he's done and all he is that somehow God is less favorably disposed to his people by the way I have no idea what's going on with this microphone I really apologize this is it's dreadful really is anybody gonna make that case that favor ibly towards ya let me just do that check check check is anybody really gonna tell me that God was this favorably disposed towards the exiles in Babylon but to the precious blood bought believers under the New Covenant that he has a sharper edge friends if his thoughts towards them were of peace and Shalom if he had a future and a hope for them what about the child of God under the New Covenant it could only be better it could only be more wonderful and so look I agree look we should know something of the context and kind of shame on us for quoting this verse without knowing anything to the context but this would I want to tell you when you know the context it's even more wonderful when you know the context is even more precious and you realize that God can have that grace and that goodness towards us God has a future and a hope for his people even when they suffer under Exile even when they're under deserved chastening maybe some of you feel like man I'm going under it I went astray I really back slid and man I'm really getting it from God he has a future in a hope for you you think he's forgotten about you you think that God so angry so sorted he's given up on you no way never it's impossible you are as child and even if you feel like you're in exile even if you feel like you're under the pressing hand of God his thoughts towards you are full of peace Shalom and a future and a hope matter of fact verse 12 you'll call upon me and go and pray to me and I'll listen to you you'll seek me verse 13 and you'll find me when you search for me with all your heart verse 14 I'll bring you back from your captivity but that was a future aspect of your of your future and hope listen those phony-baloney prophets were saying yet Nebuchadnezzar is going down you only be there a few months God says no you're gonna be there a long time but I'm gonna bring you back you're gonna be there seventy years but not longer than that I will bring you back don't think I've abandoned you I think it's a beautiful powerful and a precious word verse 15 because you have said the Lord has raised up profits for us in Babylon therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David concerning all the people who dwell in this city and concerning your brethren who have not gone out with you into captivity thus says the Lord of hosts behold I will send them on the sword the famine the pestilence and I will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten they're so bad and I will pursue them with the sword with famine with the pestilence I will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth to be a curse and astonishment a hissing and a reproach among all the nations where I've driven them because they have not heeded my word said the Lord which I have sent to them my servant the prophets rising up early and sending them neither would you heed says the Lord therefore hear the word of the Lord all you of the captivity who might have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon what's he saying here he's saying hey exiles I want you to think about the people who are back in Jerusalem those people who are back in Jerusalem they want to seem all spiritual you know God's really pleased with us because we haven't been taken away into captivity all those guys got taken away they're sinners God took them away God says no it's just the opposite by the way we saw this last week with the illustration of the two baskets of figs anyway you can look at it from last week what God was saying is no you were carried in captivity first you are my favorite ones these ones who remain they will face an incredible judgment matter of fact did you see what they were gonna experience the ones who were left behind they would become a curse and astonishment a hissing and a reproach among all the nations just as it says there in verse 15 why because excuse me verse 18 because they have not heeded my words says the Lord so they needed to listen to God's Word now verse 21 begins a little different section of the letter some people think it was a separate letter I don't know if it was one long letter and divided up into separate letters but this is a portion of a letter directed towards an individual look at it here verse 21 thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel concerning a have the son Kolya and Zedekiah the son of Messiah who prophesy a lie to you in my name behold I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon and he shall slay them before your eyes and because of them accursed shall be taken up by all the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon saying the Lord make you like Zedekiah and a hab whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire because they've done disgraceful things in Israel have committed adultery with their neighbors wives and has spoken lying words in my name which I have not commanded them indeed I know and am a witness says the Lord look this isn't complicated apparently there were two false prophets there in Babylon among the Jews of course one was named a hab and the other one was named Zedekiah by the way two infamous kings in Israel's history they were named after them that's a bad start already and these guys were no doubt the ones prophesy go peace oh the captive is in the last a couple months pack your bags we're going back to Jerusalem God says no mad fact you two guys a Habs etic ayah you're gonna be you saw it there you're gonna be roasted in the fire of the king of Babylon as it says in verse 22 that's going to be the curse people will say when they really want to give a terrible curse against them they're gonna say the Lord make you like a happens etic I'm going no no no no not that because God was going to judge them and they were going to be executed by the king of Babylon not only for their false prophecies also for their false lives because verse 22 says they've done disgraceful things in Israel and have committed adultery with their neighbors wives verse 24 here's a message to another guy again some people think this is another letter some people think it's all part of one letter either way it doesn't really matter verse 24 you shall also speak to shamaya the neljä might saying thus speaks the Lord of hosts the God of Israel saying you have sent letters in your name to all the people are at Jerusalem to Zephaniah the son of Messiah the priests and to all the priests saying the Lord has made you priests instead of Jedidiah the priests so that there should be officers in the house of the Lord over every man who is demented and considers himself a prophet that you should put him in prison and in the stocks now therefore why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of anninaw who makes himself a prophet to you for you sent us into Babylon saying the captivity is long build houses and dwell in them and plant gardens and eat their fruit I don't know how it happened I don't know if it was through natural means or supernatural means but Jeremiah had been reading somebody else's mail well now I'm gonna take it back because this was read publicly that's how he knew it we know this from verse 29 but there was a guy in Babylon his name was shamaya he wrote a letter back to the priest in Jerusalem and he told him stop Jeremiah get that man to shut up look at what he says he tells him stop everyone verse 25 there's 26 I mean every man who's demented and considers himself a prophet cha-ching Jeremiah the guy walking around with a joke on his neck all the time for a month at a time yeah him shut him up he likes to wear a yoke put him in the stocks he likes to wear things around a neck put an iron collar around his neck that's the whole thought there shut this man up verse 29 now Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the Prophet that's how he knew about it then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah saying send to all those in captivity saying thus says the Lord concerning shamaya the neljä might because shamaya has prophesied to you and i have not sent him and he has caused you to trust in a lie therefore thus says the Lord behold I will punish shamaya the nanomite and his family he shall not have anyone to dwell among his people nor shall he see the good that I will do for my people says the Lord because he has taught rebellion against the Lord friends I got to say these two chapters we've looked at tonight 28 and 29 and please don't take me wrong in this I'm not I hope you'll I hope you won't think I'm saying something I'm not trying to say when they oppose Jeremiah God killed him isn't it crazy Hananiah dead in two months a hab and Zedekiah roast in a fire and then this fella shamaya gone look in no way in no way and I'm very serious about this in no way should a pastor or a leader among God's people ever ever imply such a thing because actually I've heard some guys do it and it's wrong never it's never right to do such a thing but I will say this what it assures us is that God knows how to take care of erring people he does Jeremiah didn't have to take care of any of these guys God knew how to take him now Jeremiah wasn't passive Jeremiah spoke boldly in the name of the Lord but what I'm just trying to say is Jeremiah didn't have to carry out any violence against these guys whatsoever it was like Lord if it comes to that you're gonna have to do it I'm not gonna do it and God did he did it a Hananiah in chapter 28 he did it to Ahab and Zedekiah and now he does it to shamaya and the worst part of it look at it there verse 32 it says there he says that he will nor will he see the good that I will do for my people that's a powerful thing for him to say in verse 32 nor will he see the good that I will do for my people friends look I want to be around long enough to see the good that God's gonna do for his people I want to remain faithful there are some people who say and believe me I want you to honestly sometimes I think a lot of this is exaggerated but there are a lot of people really wringing their hands about the state of the church and Christianity in the state of things in the Western world on and on some of this I think is merited some of this I think is exaggerated but whatever but let me tell you this I want to stay faithful to God long enough to see him do good to his people once again and I believe that God has another great outpouring of his spirit to perform I do I want to walk with the Lord and be faithful to him long enough to see that come to pass and to seem to and what a loss it would be what a loss it would be for somebody to turn their back on the Lord to drift away from him so much that God did send something glorious and you weren't able to enjoy it because you didn't walk with Him may it never ever be so with us Father in Heaven we are amazed that your thoughts towards us are so good that they're not for evil but they're for peace and Shalom we're so grateful Lord that you give us a future a hope so Lord God would you please would you please rebuke whatever voice within us tells us otherwise rebuke whatever voice within us tells us that we're under condemnation that we're not in your favour lord I pray that you'd do that among your people and Lord I pray that if there's any who hear it tonight in this room or here at Lord eventually through some other medium Lord they're not right with you they haven't surrendered their life to Jesus Christ they haven't come to you on the terms of the New Covenant the god you would draw them by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ to make those things right so that they could walk in the good of your favor and know what it means to have your thoughts toward them for good and not evil we pray this Lord in Jesus name [Music]

Channel: David Guzik

Views: 2,595

Rating: 5 out of 5

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Id: -4TfPI4gUoA

Length: 50min 43sec (3043 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 30 2019