Jeremiah 26 - The Remnant in Egypt - Jeremiah 43-45

[Music] Jeremiah chapter 43 and I suppose it's appropriate for me to sort of set the stage here we've been following the Book of Jeremiah all the way through and we're up to chapter 43 now and in the Book of Jeremiah what's happened at this point in the story is that after Jeremiah warning the people of God after Jeremiah prophesying it for so long Jerusalem is finally conquered Judah is destroyed the kingdom of Judah has been overwhelmed by the Babylonians and they've been taken away captive exiled all that are left behind in the land are the poorest and the most wretched of the land and and some guerrilla fighters who were able to escape the Babylonians and hid out now come back now that the Army is gone we saw last week that under this regime some of the people brutally murdered the Babylonian importa a pointed governor of the land a man named get Alya it brutally murdered him they massacred a bunch of other people and the whole land after the Babylonian conquest was plunged into the midst of chaos confusion and fear and in the midst of that some of the men who were officers in the Israeli army the Judean army they said you know Jeremiah we wants you to seek the Lord because we think we should go to Egypt and find refuge there would you help us we want to seek the Lord about it and we saw last week that Jeremiah told them no God does not want you to go to Egypt you stay here in the land and he'll protect you he'll bless you do not go to Egypt and well they weren't very sincere in their asking okay you got that background now chapter 43 now it happened when Jeremiah stopped speaking to all the people all the words at the lure of the Lord their God for which the Lord their God had sent them to him all these words that Azariah the son of hosh nia Hana and the son of Kara and all the proud men spoke saying to jeremiah you speak falsely the Lord of God has not sent you to say do not go to Egypt to dwell there but Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us to deliver us and in the hand of the Chaldeans that he may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon they asked Jeremiah for guidance pray Jeremiah bring us a word from the Lord but they didn't mean it they had already determined their direction to go to Egypt and all they wanted to do was in a superstitious in an insincere way they wanted God's stamp of approval upon what they had already determined to do so when Jeremiah told them the truth before God no God does not want you to go to Egypt stay here and he'll protect you look at their reaction they're almost violent they screaming at Jeremiah they say verse 2 you speak falsely the Lord our God has not sent you to say you know it's absolutely remarkable that these men who lived through the tragic accuracy of every word of Jeremiah would now doubt him they experienced it for 40 years Jeremiah sank Babylonians are coming they're gonna conquer Babylonians are coming gonna conquer me as well surrender the Babylonians babylons are coming they're gonna conquer over and over again haven't we been reading that for approximately I don't know 42 chapters in the Book of Jeremiah and it all happened exactly as Jeremiah said now as soon as jeremiah says something that they don't like oh no no you don't know how to hear from the Lord Jeremiah you don't know how to listen to him it's absolutely bizarre I like what Derek Kidner an excellent Old Testament commentator says along this he said all along had they but realized it they had regarded God as a power to enlist not as a Lord to obey and they still cannot believe that his will could be radically different than their own I mean can you believe that that just may be God's will is different than from what you or I want it's possible isn't it that's why Jeremiah said verse 2 do not go to Egypt rather they denied that that word was from the Lord matter of fact look at what they tried to explain it with verse 3 Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans well Jeremiah this isn't the Lord that spoke this to you it was your assistant your secretary ladies and gentlemen Jeremiah prophesied in the face of Kings do you think his secretary is gonna slay him one way or another it was a totally illogical complaint but these men just can't face the fact that God wanted what they did not want verse four so Johan and the son of kurai and all the captains of the forces and all the people would not obey the voice of the Lord to remain in the land of Judah but Johan and the son of Cariah and all the captains of the forces took all the remnant of Judah had returned to dwell in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been driven men women children the Kings daughters and every person who never corazon the captain of the guard had left with get Alya the son of a he come the son of shaphan and jeremiah the prophet and baroque the son of Neriah so they went to the land of Egypt for they did not obey the voice of the Lord and they went as far as Tov anis all my friends in a way in a book filled with tragedy and can we just say Jeremiah filled with tragedy in a book filled with tragedy those might be the most tragic verses in the whole book these were people who with their own eyes saw the truth of every word Jeremiah spoke now as soon as he speaks a word that they don't like they ignore it they said in a matter of fact they kidnap Jeremiah and take him to Egypt with them look at verse 4 all the people would not obey the voice of the Lord to remain in the land of Judah but by the way I'm fascinated by that verse all the people well they got unity at least you know one thing that's remarkable in the Bible is how often people are unified in their rebellion against God do not think for a moment just because a bunch of people agree that it's of God sometimes people agree in disobedience so they had this greater grip well let's do it nope we're not gonna listen to God let's go to Egypt and verse 5 says they took all the remnant of Judah men women and children and Jeremiah the Provident baru sure because I don't want to go to Egypt God says not to go there no you're going poor Jeremiah I don't know how to express it exactly as if this guy suffered enough and yet in God's plan he wouldn't even be allowed to finish out his days in the Promised Land do you remember we saw this last week where when the Babylonians captured Jerusalem when they were beginning to send out the captives and there's beginning to send out the exiles they came to Jeremiah and they say ok Jeremiah what do you want if you come back to Babylon with us we'll make it sweet for you do you want to come back but and Jeremiah thought about I pray to I go no no I'm gonna stay here I'm gonna stay here with the people and he said no you're not gonna stay here you're gonna go to the one place you do not want to go to you're gonna go to Egypt and he got dragged to Egypt he got taken there verse 7 says so they went to the land of Egypt they took Jeremiah and his associates so to speak hostage against God what do I mean by that well Jeremiah had said in the prophesies in the previous chapter Jeremiah had said if you guys go to Egypt God's gonna get you he goes oh yeah well we'll take you to Egypt and if God's gonna get us he's gonna get you too they're almost thinking that they can out smart God and take Jeremiah as a hostage against God but then if those verses are some of the most tragic in a book filled with tragic verses look at verse 8 and 9 then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah at tiffany's saying take large stones in your hand and hide them in the side of the men of Judah in the clay brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh's house and tough on these do you see how great that is in verse eight the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah intifadas Jeremiah was no longer in the promised land against his will and you could say against God's will although God had it all under his plan but but at least it against God's command they took him there to Egypt and lay siege on what happens the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Egypt you can't outrun the word of the Lord you can't do it what you're gonna go someplace where God's Word doesn't reply to you you gonna know I'm gonna get away from God's work no it's too much of God's Word no I don't like what God's Word says I got to get out of here you can't escape you can run but you can't hide doesn't matter what do you think that if you were to destroy every Bible that you own do you think if you were somehow to get ring you erase every Bible app that you have you get rid of it yet what is God's Word somehow now of no effect it stopped working listen you cannot escape this you can't it is the word of the Lord God who created heaven and earth and even if you deny God's Word even if you go to Egypt to try to escape it even if you do everything you get even if we take a prophet of God hostage against God God will still send his word and it'll get you somehow some way that's how relentless the Word of God is I imagine and if I was making a movie of this although what a terrible movie this would be but if I were making a movie of this when the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a small smile would come across his face but it works here - you're the God of the Old Earth I don't have to be in Judah to hear from you your word can come to me even though they take me to Egypt isn't that wonderful what did he tell them to do verse 9 take large stones in your hand and hide them God commanded Jeremiah to do the same kind of thing that he was commanded to do in Judah to do something that would illustrate and memorialize a prophetic word so what was the prophetic word take these large stones and hide them at the entrance to one of Pharaoh's houses that was there in that particular city verse ten and say to them this is the message of the stones that were hidden and say to them thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel behold I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon my servant and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden and he will spread his royal pavilion over them when he comes he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death those appointed to death and the captivity those appointed to captivity and to the sword those appointed for the sword I will Kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt and he shall burn them and carry them away captive and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd puts on his garment and he shall go out from there in peace he saw also break the sacred pillars of beth's Emes that are in the land of Egypt and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire you went to Egypt because you were afraid of Nebuchadnezzar well guess what I'm sending Nebuchadnezzar after you to Egypt how do you like those apples God says you see it would have taken faith I'm not trying to deny that and in a hard faith look I'll be straight with you I really like telling other people to take steps of faith I'm into that you know you know you should really take a great big reckless stay poppy come on brother you can do it as for me whoa whoa let's not get crazy here no it would have been a significant step of faith for them to say Lord I know the chaos that's in this land there are murdered bodies all around especially in light of the massacre at Mizpah that we saw last time Lord it would have taken faith because of the shadow of the Babylonians they would have had to radically trust God to stay there but if they would you and I know and Jeremiah knew that was the safest place for them to be the safest place for you and I to be is trusting God they went to Egypt because they thought they could be safer I got to protect myself you know what they probably did man I'm gonna step on some toes here they probably said oh no no we're doing it for our children we got to protect them if it was just us we'd be cool God says no no you trust me where I tell you to be trust me in obedience but they wouldn't and now God says I'm gonna send the Babylonians after you into Egypt they are gonna conquer over the Egyptians well that ends chapter 43 let's get into chapter 44 the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwelt in the land of Egypt who dwelt at Migdal at tiffany's at Knopf and in the country of Pathros saying thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel okay can you imagine Jeremiah preaching to this remnant who has escaped to Judah and tried to find protection in Egypt okay that's what he's doing he's preaching to them though it says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel you have seen all the calamity that I brought upon Jerusalem upon all the cities of Judah and behold this day they are a desolation and no one Wells in them because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger and that they went to burn incense and to serve other gods whom they did not know they nor you nor your father's however I have sent to you all my servants the prophets rising early and sending them excuse me saying do not do this abominate but they did not listen or incline their ear and turn from their wickedness to burn incense to other gods so my fury and my anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah in the streets of Jerusalem they are wasted and desolate as is this day you know what he's doing right here in verses 1 through 6 isn't this all a history lesson all right everybody let's remember how it went down in Judah and Jerusalem let's remember what happened when they disobeyed verse 2 you have seen all the calamity that I brought upon Jerusalem and upon the cities of Judah I am reminding you my people who have now gone to Egypt I'm reminding you of the judgment that came upon Judah and why it came upon them why he's right there in verse 2 because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger and what it was especially was their wickedness in idolatry before the Babylonian exile idolatry ran so deep in the national life of Judah and Israel that they were always running after the Canaanite gods ba or ashteroth or Molech or Chemosh or any of these other gods they couldn't escape them they were always attracted to them and God said I see that I am to be your God don't go to those other idols now thank heavens that today in the 21st century we don't have a problem with idolatry do you know I don't know are you bowing down before a little statue of Baal are you worshiping Ashtaroth well let let's reset that just a little bit do you know why an ancient Israelite worship Baal but all was the weather God in many ancient depictions he would be depicted as standing with a lightning bolt in his hand he was the god of the sky the god of the weather and in an agricultural society where they didn't have irrigation systems if you didn't have rain come down from the sky you starved if you had a lot of rain you were fruitful your crops multiplied your livestock multiplied and you became wealthy to serve but all was a way to ensure your financial success now what about a Shura this other Canaanite goddess well she was the goddess of fertility but you know connected to fertility I hope I'm not shocking anybody here not connected to fertility is sex and they would worship so to speak this goddess of fertility by worshipping sex in rituals with temple prostitutes a Shura was all about sex but all was all about money and success and a shrew was all about sex and praise the Lord today we don't have people who worship success and sex ladies and gentlemen the idolatrous heart of men and women has not changed we're more sophisticated in it now we know how to do it in ways that are acceptable to the society but that idolatrous instinct is still very deep within the heart of men and women and how does God feel about our idolatry look at the phrase in verse 4 oh do not do this abominable thing that I hate first of all God looks at our idolatry and you know what he calls it an abominable thing look honestly how many times I don't look at it that way I look at idolatry I go home man doesn't that look great woo Wow then look man that's worth living your life for what does God call it an abominable thing Charles Spurgeon had such a great line on this I got to read it to you he says oh says someone sin is a sweet thing no it is an abominable thing it is a delightful thing says another no it is an abominable thing oh but it's a fashionable thing you can see it in the courts of kings and princes and the great men of the earth love it even though they do it is an abominable thing though it should crawl up to a monarchs throne and spread its slime over crown jewels it would still be an abominable thing I wish I could write a line that good just once in my life but isn't it true it's abominable if God calls it that way it is but it's not just an abominable thing it's an abominable thing that God hates you know we think about the love of God a lot and we should but do you ever think about the hate of God how about this a prayer to pray can I give you an unusual prayer to pray Lord helped me to hate the things you hate what was the result look at verse five they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from the wickedness God sent his prophets to instruct him to warn his people but they did not listen therefore they were wasted and desolate from God's judgment now look verses 1 through 6 were about the past verses 7 through 10 are talking about the present remember Jeremiah's speaking to the remnant there in Egypt that came from Judah after the Babylonian conquest verse 7 now therefore thus says the Lord the God of hosts the God of Israel why do you commit this great evil against yourselves to cut off from man and woman child and infant out of Judah leaving none to remain in that you provoked me to wrath with the works of your hands burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to dwell that you may cut yourselves off and be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers the wickedness of the kings of Judah the wickedness of their wives of your own wickedness and the wickedness of your wives that they have committed in the land of Judah in the streets of Jerusalem they have not been humbled to this day nor have they feared have they not walked in my law or in my statutes that I set before you and your father's oh look at that phrase in verse 7 friends why do you commit this great evil against yourselves and scizzin that sobering sin is against God do we get that I mean I think we often forget it but it's true sin is against God but it's not only against God it's also against yourself you are sinning against yourself you're hurting yourself you're destroying yourself Oh God free us from this blindness of mind that says this sin is something good that a mean God wants to keep from me that that's the game the devil likes to play in your head here's the truth sin is something that will destroy you that a loving God warns you to stay away from that's the truth of the matter but he says why do you commit this great evil against yourself to burn incense to other gods in the land of Egypt that you may cut yourselves off and be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth verse 9 have you forgotten the wickedness the answer that question is yes they forgot it all as if Jeremiah's crying his eyes out pulling his hair out saying listen you you are don't you remember why Jerusalem fell don't you remember why Judah fell don't you remember why God had to bring the Babylonians against us because we were idolaters because we were wicked because we didn't obey Him don't go down that same road again and here's the promise of judgment look at it here in verse 11 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel behold I will set my face against you for catastrophe and for cutting off all Judah and I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to go to the land of Egypt to dwell there and they shall all be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt there they shall be consumed by the sword and by famine they shall die from the least to the greatest by the sword and by famine and they shall be an oath and astonishment and a curse and a reproach for I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt if I punish Jerusalem by the sword by famine by pestilence so that none of the remnant Judah who have gone in the land of Egypt to dwell there shall escape or survive lest they return to the land of Judah to which I desire to return and dwell for none shall accept and shall return except those who escape first God gave him the history lesson then he gave them an exhortation why are you doing this then in those verses then he dropped a hammer I'm gonna bring a horrible judgment upon you if you stay here in Egypt go back to the promised land repent of your sin do what I told you to do obey me in this or terrible judgment will come first God tried to speak common sense to them he tried to speak warned and tried to give the history lesson at the NRO goes okay if you won't listen to that here's the judgment that's the calm do you got the picture now don't look at verse 15 hey don't look at it some of your eyes just went right down as soon as I said that you put your eyes down come on people don't look at verse 15 eyes up here right here what should worse 15 say how about this and there was a great wailing among the remnant who went to Egypt and they humbled their hearts and repented before the Lord and before Jeremiah and they said Jeremiah pray for us that we may be restored unto the Lord and tell us when and how to go back to the promised land and walk in the ways of Lord wouldn't it be a cool way for verse 15 ago does anybody here think that verse 15 let me tell you something with what we begin with that verse 15 is one of the most shocking Jeremiah's full of shocking stuff what we're gonna see next year shocking ready first 15 now you can look at verse 15 then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods with all the women who stood by a great multitude and all the people who dwell in the land of Egypt and Panthers answered Jeremiah saying as for the word that you've spoken to us in the name of the Lord we will not listen to you all right that's just the beginning it gets worse but Jeremiah delivered this message to a great multitude warning them with all their heart again I don't want to get to cinnamon here but don't you just pour Jeremiah they're still not listening to him they're still what what will it take what will it take but but then he delivers this great message and then they say in verse 16 we will not listen to you we know that you spoke to us in the name of the Lord we don't care we will not listen to you now I will say this I will say this I admire their straightforwardness sometimes I'd much rather have a guy say to me you know Pastor David I know what you tell I know what the Bible says I know it supposed to do as a Christian but I'm not gonna do it rather than give me the blah blah blah blah blah about this or that or the other thing at least they're being straight least they're laying it down we will not listen to you now look at verse 17 but we will certainly do whatever is gone out of our own mouth to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her as we have done and we and our fathers our kings and our princes and the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem for then we had plenty of food we're well off and saw no trouble but since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her we've lacked everything and we've been concerned by the sword and by famine what do you do with this verse 17 we will certainly do whatever comes out of her own mouth no I'm Jeremiah you got the word of the Lord I'm not gonna listen to that I'm gonna do whatever I desire listen let me tell you the greatest false religion that is present in the Western world I'm not gonna speak for the entire world I'll just speak for the Western world North America and Europe here's the number one idolatrous religion that leads people to hell it's the follow your heart religion now a lot of times to follow your heart religion can have a smattering of the Christian faith in it alright let's throw bit and it'll sprinkle it on top of there but is it real Christianity no the follow your heart religion it's not anchored in God's Word it's anchored in what I feel in what I like it's the S the kind of attitude that says this as in verse 17 I'll certainly do whatever's gone out of my own mouth ii-i'll treat religion I'll treat faith in God like a smorgasbord where I just go and take what I want to take it's like a salad bar if I don't want it I don't take it listen this is the great Idol of our present age and it's reflected tragically by these people and what are they saying verse 17 we're gonna keep on burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings here oh yeah remember the good old when we get together and make our offerings to the Queen of Heaven now for the babylonians the Queen of Heaven was a maternal deity connected with the moon with family and with fertility in different places in the ancient world the Queen of Heaven was known as Ishtar a Thark Artemis or Diana ladies and gentlemen I'm going to be straight with you it is a strange and shocking thing that the Roman Catholics give Mary the mother of Jesus this title the Queen of Heaven it is a strange and shocking thing nowhere connected with the Scriptures themselves we have no biblical permission or encouragement to have any connection with the Queen of Heaven it could also be observed that in the modern world the Queen of Heaven is worshiped under other names Mother Nature feminism glamour forget about those as idols ladies and gentlemen God wants us to serve Him and then they think about the good old days verse 17 you know when we used to worship the Queen of Heaven and burn all those incense those pagan idols we had plenty of food we were well off and saw no trouble you know what this is like is they're saying you know before God's judgement came things were pretty good looks like the guy jumps out of a tall building and say man it was great for a while what a rush but the inevitable result is judgment and that's what they wouldn't understand verse 19 the women also said and when we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven poured out drink offerings to her didn't we make cakes for her to worship her and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands permission but the women say oh yeah no listen we'd love to make her little cookies and cakes to the Queen of Heaven we'd put her little markings on them and a little family thing we're all gonna continue on a little idolatry get out a little easy-bake ovens and make the little Idol things to the Queen of Heaven it's going to be a wonderful time but we all did it with our husbands permission so it all good that's what they're saying I can only imagine the blank look on the face of Jeremiah as they say these things I bet you're a miser saying I can't I can't believe this how can you talk this way haven't you seen that the God who rules in heaven is real so um now let's go to verse 20 then Jeremiah spoke to all the people this isn't gonna be nice is it then Jeremiah spoke to all the people the men the women and the people had given him that answer saying the incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem you and your fathers your kings and your princes and the people and did not the Lord remember them and did it not come into his mind so the Lord could no longer bear it because of the evil of your doings and because the abominations which you have committed therefore your land is a desolation and astonishment a curse and is without inhabitant as it is this day because you have burned incense and because you have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord were walked in his law his statutes or in his testimonies therefore this calamity has happened to you as it is this day Jeremiah tried to reason with the people he tried to communicate to him in the very best way that he could but they were having none of it they pushed God until it says until the Lord could no longer bear it then he goes on continuing on into verse 24 moreover Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women hear the word of the Lord all Judah you who are in the land of Egypt thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel saying you and your wives have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands saying we will surely keep our vows that we've made to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her you will surely keep your vows and perform your vows therefore hear the word of the Lord all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt behold I have sworn by my great name says the Lord that my name shall no longer be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt saying the Lord God lives behold I will watch over them for adversity and not for good and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine until there is an end to them yet a small number who escaped the sword shall return to the land of Egypt from the land of Egypt I say to the land of Judah and all the remnant Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there shall know whose words will stand mine or theirs and this shall be a sign to you says the Lord that I will punish you in this place that you may know that my words will surely stand against you for adversity did you see that Jeremiah basically says okay you guys do your thing God will do his thing and let's see who's standing at the end do you really want that friends look it's not always easy to serve God there are sacrifices to be made there are deaths to die this is why the Bible talks about following Jesus Christ as being as if it were dying to self we're not trying to sugarcoat this in the slightest but there's only one thing worse than the sacrifices you have to make in obedience to God and following him you know what though it is it's the price of disobedience it's even greater and Jeremiah says let's see matter of fact I'm kind of haunted by this phrase in verse 27 he says I will watch over them for adversity and not for good you know I'm do you find comfort in the thought of God watching over you isn't that a beautiful thought oh God watching over it's watching over us and it is a beautiful thought I want to think that God's watching over me don't you want to thank God's watching over you but you better hope that God's watching over for you good and not for adversity now um how can you know that God will watch over you for good let me ask you a question think about Jesus did God the Father watch over Jesus for good or for adversity oh good a little bit of good or a lot of good a lot of good so here's the key get us close to Jesus as you can and he'll watch over you for good outside of Jesus we may very well experience God watching over us for adversity and not for good now it's fascinating here because this very severe judgment that came upon the Judean community that went to Egypt we have no biblical and no historical record of it being fulfilled it's possible that it happened and we just don't have the record I mean look not everything's recorded in history so it's very possible that it happened we just don't have the record but you know what another possibility is is that they repented it's possible that they repented there was later a strong and vital Jewish community in Egypt so much so that hundreds of years later who fled to Egypt in a time of crisis Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus it could be again we don't know for sure that they heard these words and it shook them up and they repented and God relented from this severe judgment I'd like to think hopefully that that's what happened but we don't have a record of that happen verse 30 thus says the Lord behold I will give Pharaoh ha for a king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies in the hand of those who seek his life just as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon his enemy who sought his life end of chapter 44 the judgment of God will extend to Egypt as well now as far as the history of Jeremiah goes chronologically that's the end of it what we have now to the end of the book are a sections of post scripts chapter 45 which we're gonna look at don't despair look at chapter 45 just a few verses we can do this tonight chapter 45 is a little PostScript about Jeremiah's assistant Baruch chapters 46 through 51 are a section known as the judgment of the nations where God's going to judge the Egyptians the Moabites the the arab people the philistines the ammonites and then finally in two dramatic chapters 51 and 51 the Babylonians and then the final chapter chapter 52 that's a postscript back to the fall of Jerusalem again this is the end of the chronology of Jeremiah with Jeremiah in Egypt and we don't know what happened to him there maybe he died in Egypt maybe he found his way back to the promised land we just don't know now let's take a look at this very short chapter chapter 45 there's a sweetness to this chapter verse 1 the word that Jeremiah the Prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah when he had written these words in a book at the instruction of Jeremiah in the fourth year jaha came the senators ayah king of Judah saying look if you would arrange the Book of Jeremiah chronologically which it is not arranged chronologically it's a jumble this chapter would go after chapter 38 in a more chronological arrangement so this is the word that Jeremiah the Prophet spoke to Baruch now verse 2 thus says the Lord the God of Israel to you Oh baroque you said woe is me now for the Lord has added grief to my sorrow I fainted in my sighing and I find no rest um do you ever prayed the little prayer of Baruch there look at verse 3 well with me now for the Lord has added grief to my sorrow life is terrible things are bad and look I don't want to make fun of Baruch how would you like to be Jeremiah's assistant you you don't even get the glory so to speak of being Jeremiah you're just his assistant man that that would be a tough job and Brooke no doubt was a man of ability he was a man of character he was a man of spirituality yet he was stuck in this very difficult place he said woe is me now the Lord has added aggrieved to my sorrow I fainted in my sighing and I find no rest it makes sense when we think of what Baruch and Jeremiah had to live through the world was falling apart around them and even though he had been protected to their lives they still suffered greatly the golden age hadn't come yet and they seemed to have nothing to build on the future looked dark it did not look bright and the present looked pretty bad too now what does the Lord say look at verse 4 thus you shall say to him says the Lord behold what I have built I will break down and what I have planted I will pick up that is this whole land here's the first word from God through Jeremiah - Baruch I'm not done with my work listen Berg I know you're bummed out it makes a lot of sense but you gotta understand my work is not yet finished what I built I'll break down what I planted ugh I got more judgement to do upon Jerusalem and Judah there's more to come until it's complete so fasten your seat belt but then verse 5 look at this and do you seek great things for yourself do not seek them for behold I will bring adversity on all flesh says the Lord but I will give your life to you as a prize in all places wherever you go apparently some of burr Oaks frustration and discouragement was due to the fact that he had frustrated longings of greatness Lord don't you have something greater for me than being the assistant to the crying Asst prophet ever don't you have something greater for me than being an assistant - come on Lord Jeremiah why couldn't I be Isaiah's assistant well why couldn't I be my own prophet my owner Jeremiah really Lord I could have been somebody I could have done something this is the ache that gnaws away at his heart and that's why God says do you seek great things for yourself and friends the disappointment of great things that are sought and not fulfilled weigh very heavily upon a man or a woman careful now don't nod your head you don't want anybody know you're agreeing with me right now could be that though right at one time in your life you thought oh man there's it's out there I'm gonna do something man people are gonna know my name and now you look at Facebook and you keep count and people just keep seem to unfriend in you you put up that killer post and think you're gonna get a bunch of likes and and it's in the single digits I'm nothing I'm nothing you think I sought great things from myself and what's happened to them listen at God's exhortation here in verse 5 maybe he's speaking to a Baruch here this evening do not seek them God turned Baruch away from the path of self exaltation God wanted Baruch to have the right mindset not obsessed with not overly concerned about his own advancement or his own perceived success do you seek great things for yourself don't seek them stop seeking after your own exaltation God used this word - Baruch to speak to many throughout the centuries you ever heard of a guy named J Oswald Sanders he coveted a certain job in a Christian organization and he almost lobbied some influential friends for it but he was walking through downtown Auckland New Zealand when these words came to him with authority seekest thou great things for yourself do not seek them consequently he didn't seek the position but later on it opened to him in God's own timing when Charles Spurgeon was 18 he applied to Regents Park college and an interview was set and Spurgeon got up early and set out for the interview but through a misunderstanding he missed his appointment and he was not admitted to the College he was absolutely bitterly disappointed Charles Spurgeon walked through the countryside trying to calm down his heart was beating so greatly because of the disappointment suddenly Jeremiah 45:5 came to his mind seekest thou great things for thyself seek them not Spurgeon never made it to college but he went on to become the most effective preacher the English language has ever known please Prince don't don't take me wrong God isn't saying here put away all ambition in life don't ever want anything more God isn't saying that but there there is a spirit especially when it comes to spiritual things there's a spirit of self-promotion and self advancement and manipulation and the pulling of levers that God says to his servants listen do you see great things or so seek them not let me take care of it whether or not you're going to be exalted or advanced many of the choicest most precious servants of God serve with very little attention in whatever it is they do they're not known maybe they get up in front of people and speak but it's not very many and they don't trend in social media and they don't get invitations to speak places but God sees God knows and God counts them as jewels of his work of grace I think of how tragic it is when such a jewel says man I got to be lifted up so that people can see me there are people that for whatever reason and sometimes it makes no sense whatsoever to the logical mind there are people for some reason God lifts them up to some place of prominence in ministry and they should simply regard it as a gift a stewardship from God that they should use for his glory but they should never set their hearts on it or never think that there's somehow worthy of it God says in verse 5 I'll bring adversity on all flesh God reminded Baruch that one day he would bring judgment on all flesh worldly popularity power prestige it'll all be swept away and that should make us less concerned with great things such as Fame and popularity you and I we have eternity to deal with you know what the best place to be famous is in heaven now to seek a place for yourself to seek a place of importance and distinction among men it's to look for the wrong thing in the wrong place to seek social media greatness or internet notoriety when it comes to spiritual things it shows a lack of appreciation of the God who will bring adversity upon all flesh but he says at the end of verse five I'll give you your life as a prize in all places wherever you go hey Brooke here's the good news you're not gonna die I'll protect you until your days are done I've got my hand on you I haven't forgotten you your hand will be given as a prize and you know what check it out don't you think there are a lot of shining lights and Baruch stay you know popular guys oh man I wish I could be like that guy man that guy gets invited to things I don't get invited to man people know this guy they don't know me are we talking about those guys tonight do you realize 2,500 years later we're talking about Beru I imagine Brooke in heaven right now monitoring every time people talk about him on earth and saying I was so concerned about making a name for myself on earth that I realized God had something way beyond that my name and my faithfulness is going to be recorded in his eternal word Oh Lord you know you know one last thought do you know what the name Baruch means blessed [Music] you [Music]

Channel: David Guzik

Views: 3,211

Rating: 4.826087 out of 5

Keywords: jeremiah, prophet jeremiah, david guzik, guzik, enduring word, jeremiah 43, jeremiah 44, jeremiah 45, jeremiah in Egypt

Id: 1vu4Z3vNaXY

Length: 50min 9sec (3009 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 30 2019