JEREMIAH: A RELUCTANT REFORMER
31 readings and meditations from the book of Jeremiah by Dr. David Feddes
Jeremiah 1:4-10
SET APART
“Before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
The Lord calls eighty-year-old Moses to confront the most ruthless ruler on earth and lead the most unruly people on earth. Moses responds, “O Lord, please send someone else.” Why choose an old fogy who stumbles over his tongue, when so many smooth talkers are available and still in their prime? But God tells Moses, “Now go; I will help you” (Exodus 3-4).
Centuries later, the Lord calls young Jeremiah, barely out of his teens, to upend a corrupt religious system and a misguided government. Like Moses, Jeremiah responds, “I do not know how to speak.” Unlike Moses, Jeremiah adds, “I’m just a kid.” Why choose a boy to do a man’s work? But God says, “No excuses, Jeremiah. Just go where I send you, say what I tell you, and remember who appointed you.”
What’s your excuse? Not good with words? Too old? Too young? Too shy? Too busy? Do you really think God didn’t know all these things when he decided to call you? Before your mother was pregnant with you, even before the creation of the world, God knew you and set you apart.
When God calls, he also equips. Peter, a fisherman with no formal schooling wrote, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). When God appoints, he also anoints. He floods us with his Holy Spirit, who is our competence and our courage. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power” (2 Timothy 1:7).
PRAYER–Lord God, your plan included Jeremiah, and it includes us. Overpower our excuses with the truth of your Word and the power of your Spirit, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Jeremiah 2:1-13
DIRT DRINKERS
“They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns….” Jeremiah 2:13
You’ve been outside for hours, working up quite a sweat, and now you need a drink. You’ve never been so thirsty in your life. You come to a cool spring, bubbling with fresh water, and what do you do? You spit in it. Then you go to a hole in the ground, scoop out some dirt, and start drinking it. Something is wrong with this picture. But it happens over and over again. God says that although his people have free access to the spring of living water, they try to quench their thirst by drinking sand and dirt. All sins come down to just two: forsaking the living God, and turning to a worthless substitute.
We forsake infinite Glory and settle for our own home-made religion. We forsake true love and settle for sex. We forsake true worth and settle for money. We forsake true peace and settle for booze and tranquilizers. We forsake inspired, biblical truth and settle for the hollow opinions of “experts.” We forsake the robe of Christ’s righteousness and settle for the filthy rags of our own “righteousness.” We follow worthless idols and become worthless ourselves.
Through Jeremiah God shows us our dirt drinking for what it is. Then he invites us back to the spring. Jesus calls out: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 7:37-38).
PRAYER–Lord, forgive our sin and stupidity. Help us to consider everything as rubbish compared to the wonder of knowing Christ. Fill us with the living water of your Spirit. Amen.
Jeremiah 5:1-9
NOT EVEN ONE?
“If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.” Jeremiah 5:1
It’s hard to find a decent person anywhere in the city. Liars and con artists abound. Drunks litter the streets. Violent crime is rampant. People are oversexed and undercommitted: there are more sexually-transmitted diseases than solid marriages. The people still use God-talk, but do they learn from the disastrous results of their sin? Do they change? Not at all.
But these are just the poor, the down-and-out, the losers. Let’s check out the better sections of town. Surely they’ll be different. But no. The bankers, lawyers, and merchants are as crooked as the con artists; they’re just better at hiding it. Leaders in politics and education ignore God and push society to do the same. They spin theories that morality is relative, and whatever you believe is true for you. They’ve got degrees and titles, but, says Jeremiah, they’ve got about as much discernment as a wild donkey in heat (2:24), as much moral restraint as a “lusty stallion” looking for a new mare (5:8).
Sounds like Jeremiah was preaching last weekend, not 2,600 years ago.
What’s wrong with our cities? What’s wrong with our world? I am. You are. We all are. If the Lord insists on finding one perfectly good, honest man before he is willing to forgive, then our only hope is for God himself to provide that man. And God has. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men” (1 Timothy 2:5).
PRAYER–Lord, there is no one righteous, not even one–and surely not I. Grant me forgiveness and new life through Jesus, the one man who makes many righteous. Amen.
Jeremiah 6:10-19
CONSUMER RELIGION
“All are greedy for gain… ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” Jeremiah 6:13,14
When a church needs a new pastor, the people often look for a talented professional who will “fit in” with them. (Don’t bother applying, Jeremiah. Nobody wants a troublemaker.) Once they find someone who seems to meet their expectations, they try to meet his expectations as well, offering salary, benefits, and housing to lure him to their church. It’s a simple transaction. The people get what they want. The preacher gets what he wants.
In consumer religion, the customer is king. We pay the preacher to perform baptisms, weddings, and funerals, so he’d better not refuse any request to perform these rituals, even if the people are far from God. We pay the preacher to uplift us, so he’d better not upset us. We want sermons that don’t exercise us but “feed” us–even if they’re feeding us a line.
The result? We get preachers who always have one eye on their income (6:13) and who say everything is fine, even when it’s not (6:14). Their basic theology is: “I’m okay; you’re okay. Now where’s my pay?” Their ministry is shaped more by the latest market research than by the ancient Word of God.
In consumer religion, we get what we pay for, but we also pay for what we get. We pay for it with churches that have plenty of business savvy but little of God’s Spirit. We pay for it by becoming allergic to divine truth (6:10). We pay for it with a dead conscience (6:15). In the end, if nothing changes, we pay for it with our life (6:19).
PRAYER–Father, forgive us and put us on the ancient, scriptural path, the good way that leads to salvation. Give us churches where Christ is king, not the customer. Amen.
Jeremiah 7:1-15
ROBBERS ROOST
“‘Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you?'” Jeremiah 7:11
If God wants a holy city and a holy temple, he’s got to put up with unholy people. They mistreat immigrants, neglect fatherless children, oppress women without husbands, and brutalize anybody who gets in their way (7:6). They steal, kill, sleep around, abuse the court system, and embrace any religion that suits their fancy (7:9). They kill helpless babies (7:31). But they have the temple, so they’re safe, right? God won’t destroy his own temple, will he?
You bet he will, says Jeremiah. Just look at Shiloh. It was once the home of a shrine that housed the ark of the covenant. The priests of Shiloh and the people became utterly evil, and the prophet Samuel predicted judgment. The Israelites had the notion that the ark would make them invincible in battle. When the smoke cleared, however, Israel had suffered dreadful casualties, the priests were dead, and the ark was in the hands of the enemy (1 Samuel 4). Shiloh became nothing but a desolate ruin.
“Reform your ways and your actions,” says God, “and I will let you live in this place” (7:3). Otherwise, forget it. God destroyed Shiloh, he destroyed the temple of Jeremiah’s day, he destroyed the temple of Jesus’ day, and he has upended church hierarchies and empires that claimed his special favor but refused to reform. Today, too, the Lord would rather destroy an institution, even if it carries his Name, than let it remain a robbers roost.
PRAYER–Lord, keep us from treating any building or institution as a good luck charm. Reform us and help us worship you in Spirit and in truth, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Jeremiah 8:4-12
BE A BIRDBRAIN!
“[Birds] observe the time of their migration, but my people do not know the requirements of the Lord.” Jeremiah 8:7
It’s autumn in North America, and the birds are headed south. Depending on where you live, you may hear ducks quacking and geese honking, or see a variety of birds as they pass overhead. They need to move before winter. Migrating birds know by instinct God’s plan for them, and they follow it.
But people are another matter. All too often, we pay no attention to God’s plan. We ignore God’s Word for our lives. Nothing is more foolish. If Jeremiah called us birdbrains, he’d be insulting the birds!
Birds know enough to flee the coming winter, but many people don’t know enough to flee the coming wrath. All too often, we ignore the warnings and directions in God’s Word and instead listen to teachers who tell us what we want to hear. We like “experts” who twist the Bible to fit the latest ideas rather than God’s way (8:8). We like soothing pastors who say there’s nothing seriously wrong with us (8:11) and offer us new self-esteem rather than a new self in Christ. We become so pleased with ourselves that we lose our instinct for right and wrong, and we forget how to blush (8:12).
If I’m okay and you’re okay, then Jeremiah was a liar, and “Christ died for nothing” (Galatians 2:21). God’s Word tells us what we need to hear, not what we’d like to hear. The Word prompts you to leave your old ways and fly to safety and eternal life in Christ. So get going! God’s way is the only way to survive and flourish. Even the birds know that.
PRAYER–Father, we marvel at how your creatures follow the way you’ve laid out for them. Help us flee the dark winter of sin and migrate toward the warmth and light of your love. Amen.
Jeremiah 8:18-9:1
TEARS OF A PATRIOT
Since my people are crushed, I am crushed. I mourn, and horror grips me. Jeremiah 8:21
Many people hated Jeremiah. When he preached against his own nation, he sounded like a traitor. When he talked of sin and doom, he sounded cruel and insensitive. He preached with ferocious power and seemed not to care what others thought of him. Jeremiah seemed to have the hide of a rhinoceros, with skin so thick that criticism just bounced off. Wouldn’t you hate a man like that?
But behind the public prophet, there was the private person: shy, sensitive, loving, and deeply patriotic. Jeremiah didn’t enjoy speaking of fire and brimstone. He was crushed by the very thought of what was about to happen to his beloved people. Anybody can wave a flag and sing a national anthem. Only a true patriot warns his fellow citizens and weeps for them.
True preachers and true patriots can’t hold back warnings about judgment and hell, and at the same time, they can’t hold back the tears whenever their message is rejected. The great missionary Paul could talk as tough as anyone about God’s wrath against those who reject Christ, but at the same time he wrote, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart” (Romans 9:2).
This attitude of God’s messengers reveals the heart of God himself. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, and still he weeps over those who refuse him. Behind the grim face and the harsh words of an angry God, there lies a great and grieving heart of love.
PRAYER–Lord, in Jeremiah we see your wrath and your tears. Shake us by your anger, soften us by your tenderness, and save us through the wrath and tears of the cross. Amen.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
BRAGGING RIGHTS
“Let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me” Jeremiah 9:24
Some people are smart. They have high IQ’s. They get good grades in school. They know how to win arguments. They get excellent jobs. Their opinions are sought by others. Something to feel proud of? Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom.
Some people are strong and popular. Nobody wants to pick a fight with them or get on the wrong side of them. They are good-looking. They have aggressive, forceful personalities. They are star athletes. They are student body presidents and political leaders. Something to brag about? Let not the strong man boast of his strength.
Some people are rich. They have rich parents, they wear expensive clothes, and they drive hot cars. As adults everything they touch turns to gold. They have splendid homes, vacation condos, and everything money can buy. Should they boast about their net worth? Let not the rich man boast of his riches.
Those of us who aren’t so smart or strong or rich spend too much of our lives wishing that we were, or that our kids could be. But these things don’t count for much with God. He doesn’t approve only those with the brains of a professor, or the power of a president, or the wealth of a billionaire. He approves those who understand and know him as Lord. That’s what counts. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
PRAYER–Father, so often we emphasize things that don’t matter. Forgive us. Help us know you and take part in your kindness, justice, and righteousness, through Jesus. Amen.
Jeremiah 10:1-16
SCARECROWS OR GOD?
Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak…. But the Lord is the true God. Jeremiah 10:5,10
Charles Darwin was supposedly scientific and rational when he tried to explain creation while leaving the Creator out of the picture. But when “rational” Darwin got sick, he resorted to some very unscientific and bizarre “healing” methods, in hope of getting his health back.
When people don’t believe in the one true God, do they believe nothing? No, they believe anything. They consult horoscopes and fear what the stars might do to them. They go to fortune tellers and fear what a seance reveals. They fear black magic, voodoo, ouija boards, tarot cards, palm readings, tea leaves, aliens from outer space, and gods and goddesses of every sort. If you’re not confident that your life is in God’s hands, then you’re likely to be scared of almost any scarecrow of superstition.
Don’t be so silly, says God through Jeremiah. The skies and the stars don’t control your destiny (v. 2). God does. He’s the one who made the heavens and everything else (v. 12-13). Phony gods and superstitions have no power over you. “Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good” (v. 5). Believe in the Lord, not in scarecrows.
Give thanks that your destiny is in the hands of a great and gracious Father. Superstitious fear is overcome by grateful praise.
PRAYER–“No one is like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due.” Amen. (v. 7)
Jeremiah 12:1-17
CRIME PAYS
“Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” Jeremiah 12:1
Jeremiah is upset with God. If the Lord is so righteous, then why does crime seem to pay so well? Ruthless people come out on top, while nice guys finish last. And, adding insult to injury, some of these scoundrels specialize in God-talk, even as they hatch the most godless schemes. Jeremiah can’t take it. He shouts, “Hurry up, Lord, and destroy these rotten scum.”
God responds, “If you think this is bad, just wait! I’ll do something that’s even harder to figure out. I’ll punish your wicked fellow citizens, all right, but I’ll do it using people who are even more wicked. If you can’t handle seeing your corrupt neighbors prosper, how will you handle it when nations who are far worse take over everything? However, when that’s done, I’ll make sure those wicked nations also get what they’ve got coming.”
God doesn’t always repay when we want him to, but he does repay. His vaults contain the payoff for evil. “Have I not kept this in reserve and sealed it in my vaults?” says God. “It is mine to avenge; I will repay” (Deuteronomy 32:35). Crime pays, all right. The wages of sin is death.
But that’s not quite the whole story. “After I uproot them,” says God, “I will have compassion” (12:15). Only those who continue to reject God and refuse his kindness will be completely destroyed (12:17). The rest will live. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
PRAYER–Lord, your judgments are sometimes delayed but always just. We praise your justice, but we also thank you for your mercy in calling enemies like us to become your friends. Amen.
Jeremiah 15:15-21
IF YOU CAN’T JOIN ‘EM, BEAT ‘EM
“Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.” Jeremiah 15:19
Jeremiah loves the words of God, but hardly anyone else does. Jeremiah stays away from wild parties, but everyone else is a party animal. Jeremiah doesn’t fit in. And now he’s discouraged. Is there any point in listening to God, he wonders, if it only makes you miserable and makes other people hate you and say you’re weird? Why not just join the crowd? They seem to be having a great time. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
“Snap out of it, Jeremiah!” says God. “Repent of such worthless notions. Get back to my words. These people must turn to you, but whatever happens, don’t you dare turn to them. They’re headed for destruction. You can’t join ’em. So beat ’em. Keep coming after them with the power of my Word. I will make you strong against their attacks, and I will save you.”
Do you ever feel alone and discouraged? It’s not easy dancing to God’s tune instead of the world’s. You get sick of being mocked, you get tired of standing alone, and sometimes you wish God would either zap your enemies or else let you become one of them. But God doesn’t want to zap those people just yet; he wants to save them. God doesn’t want you to join them; he wants them to join you. So stick with God. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16).
PRAYER–Give us courage, Lord, to trust and obey you, even when it means standing alone. Guide us in your Way, dear Jesus, and use our witness to win others to you. Amen.
Jeremiah 17:5-14
THE RIVER
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord… He will be like a tree planted by the water… Jeremiah 17:7-8
In foreign relations we seek military clout and economic alliances; human rights issues are secondary. In technology we seek power over our environment and our own bodies; ethical questions are ignored. In business we seek maximum profit; competitors, customers, and employees matter only to the degree that they affect the bottom line. We ignore God, we idolize our techniques for getting ahead, and our spirits shrivel in a wasteland of technolatry. The only way our shriveled spirits can live again is to drink deeply from the Spirit of life. God is our River, the only one who can give us life and make us flourish.
Another picture: Many of us want money for “our own little nest egg.” But if we get the money through crooked methods or idolatrous motives, we’re like a bird sitting on the wrong eggs (17:11). Either the eggs won’t hatch, or else, if they do hatch, they won’t be what we expected. We’ll end up hatching misery and hell. So make sure you’ve got the right eggs, and put them in the right basket. Store up treasure in heaven.
Returning to the original picture, make sure you sink your roots, not in a wasteland, but beside the River. “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb… Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:1,17).
PRAYER–“Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise” (17:14). Take us out of the wasteland and transplant us in you. Amen.
Jeremiah 18:1-12
POTTER AND CLAY
“Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.” Jeremiah 18:6
If you’re little, you probably like making things from clay. When you’re trying to make a pot or a toy animal or something else from the clay, and it doesn’t turn out the way you want, what do you do? You scrunch the clay back into a lump and try again.
Now imagine your clay can think and talk. You have a certain shape in mind, but the clay thinks it’s good enough the way it is. It doesn’t want to be changed. It tells you, “This is the way I am–like it or lump it!” What would you do? You’d lump it! Then you’d make the lump into something new.
That’s how God deals with people who aren’t turning out the way he intends. He scrunches them to nothingness and then starts over in making something worthwhile of them. The divine Potter takes humanity, crushes it into a lump in the death of Christ, and then raises it to new life and forms a splendid new vessel through Jesus’ resurrection. For every child of God, there is a dying and a rising, a crushing and a reshaping. It’s terrifying that God can reduce us to nothing, and thrilling that he can mold us into something far better.
Ornery, talkative clay had better give in to the potter. God won’t work on it forever. Before long the clay will harden, and then what? “This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired” (19:11).
PRAYER–Have thine own way, Lord, have thine own way. Thou art the potter. I am the clay. Mold me and make me after thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still. Amen.
Jeremiah 20:1-18
HEART AFLAME
“His word is in my heart like a fire… I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” Jeremiah 20:9
Does Jeremiah seem strange to you? One moment he’s thundering judgment against the wicked; the next he’s whimpering that the wicked are picking on him. One moment he’s refusing to preach; the next he’s preaching louder than ever. One moment he’s singing a hymn; the next he’s groaning a lament. “Praise the Lord! I wish I’d never been born!”
Why these mood swings? Is Jeremiah emotionally unstable? Psychiatrists might think so, but Jeremiah’s real problem is that he’s been in close contact with God. The prophet has a first-hand sense of God’s glory and also of God’s wrath. No joy can soar high enough to respond to God’s glory. And no despair can sink low enough to respond to God’s wrath. The alternating joy and despair are almost tearing Jeremiah apart.
In addition, Jeremiah’s faith tells him that God’s Word is absolutely right and powerful, while his experience at the hands of others tells him he’s absolutely wrong and helpless. No wonder the man has his ups and downs! No wonder some of the greatest preachers of judgment and salvation, such as Martin Luther and Charles Spurgeon, were prone to both ecstasy and depression.
But through all of this, one thing remains constant: the Word of the living God cannot be quenched. Once the Word catches flame in your heart, there will be times when the fire torments you, and times when it gives you warmth and light. But one thing it won’t do: it won’t stop burning.
PRAYER–Lord Jesus, through all our ups and downs, you call us to be the light of the world. Holy Spirit, light the flame of your Word in us, and enable us to shine for you. Amen.
Jeremiah 23:1-6
NEW LEADERSHIP
“This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.” Jeremiah 23:6
Bad parents devastate families. Bad professors destroy students. Bad pastors ruin congregations. Bad politicians wreck nations. Again and again, incompetent leaders produce confused and corrupt people. Jeremiah knows this all too well. The sheep are in big trouble, mostly because their shepherds–even kings from the line of David–have been acting like wolves.
But then Jeremiah has a vision of better days. The scattered sheep come together. The sick become healthy. The scared grow calm. The pitiful few become a prosperous multitude. The flock is flourishing, and it’s all because of a new Shepherd. The old leaders are out; the new Leader is in. He’s from the line of David–a man, and yet he’s called the Lord Our Righteousness.
What Jeremiah glimpsed through the mist of centuries, others saw face to face as they stood beside a lake watching a boat come ashore. Stepping from the boat was the rabbi from Nazareth, the one rumored to be the next king of the Jews. “When Jesus landed and saw the large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things” (Mark 6:34).
The confused lambs of Israel, weary of cruel tyrants and manipulative preachers, were at last face to face with a shepherd they could trust. “All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers,” said Jesus. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:8,11).
PRAYER–Lord, bless your people with faithful pastors and leaders. Thank you, Good Shepherd, for coming to set things right. You are indeed the Lord our Righteousness. Amen.
Jeremiah 23:16-32
BLABBERMOUTH, BEWARE!
“I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.'” Jeremiah 23:31
Prosperity preacher, beware! You like telling people that God wants to make them rich and happy, and they like to hear it. You make them feel good about greed, but you don’t help them get ready for righteousness. When you don’t mention sin or judgment and just preach prosperity (v. 17), the people pay you well. But remember: God will also pay you.
Dreamer, beware! You’re fond of saying, “The Lord told me” or “I had a word of knowledge” or “I saw a vision.” You talk like your own personal, secret revelations take precedence over the ancient truths of Scripture. You impress gullible people who think you have a direct pipeline to heaven, but you don’t impress God. You say, “I had a dream! I had a dream!” But the Lord says, “Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let him who has my word speak it faithfully.” (v. 25-28)
Pseudo-scholar, beware! You think you’re on solid ground when you tell people that “all the top scholars agree on this.” But why quote the ideas of academic types or fellow preachers if those ideas are not from God? Why take their word instead of God’s Word? The Lord says, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me” (v. 30).
Blabbermouth, beware! Otherwise, says God, “I will bring upon you everlasting disgrace–everlasting shame that will never be forgotten” (23:40).
PRAYER–Father, help preachers to speak your Word and not their own thoughts and dreams. Give us discernment to hear your spokesmen and ignore unbiblical blabbermouths. Amen.
Jeremiah 26:7-19
BLAMING THE MESSENGER
“This man should be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city.” Jeremiah 26:11
“Our pastor is very well-liked. Most people have nothing but good to say about him.” Does this comment mean the pastor is wonderful–or worthless? There may be pastors and churches who are so in tune with God and each other that there’s little friction. But when a pastor is “well-liked,” it can also mean that the preacher is spineless and the church is self-satisfied. Jesus warns, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets” (Luke 6:26).
Look at history. Athanasius championed the truth of the Trinity, and was driven (more than once) from his own congregation. Martin Luther declared salvation in Christ alone, and was hunted and hounded and hated by church leaders. John Calvin, the great reformer of Geneva, was once driven away by his own people. Jonathan Edwards led America’s first Great Awakening, but his Massachusetts congregation eventually forced him to leave. Charles Spurgeon preached the gospel in London with astonishing power, but he was often denounced by other preachers and was eventually expelled from England’s All-Baptist Union. “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of man… For that is how their fathers treated the prophets” (Luke 6:22-23).
Most of us want the “well-liked” sort of preacher. When we meet a true prophet, we want to get rid of him. We may even want to crucify him.
PRAYER–Lord, thank you for heroic prophets and reformers and above all for your own Son. Help us not to be persecutors or cowards. Give us courage to suffer for your sake. Amen.
Jeremiah 28:1-17
THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING
“But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized … only if his prediction comes true.” Jeremiah 28:9
Before a football game, Alonzo Spellman “guaranteed” that his Bears would beat the Packers. The Bears lost 40-3. Alonzo was a positive thinker, but he was no prophet.
Hananiah was also a positive thinker. The king of Babylon had invaded Judah and taken a number of the people into exile, but the final blow had not yet fallen. Just then, history tells us, there was a brief political uprising in Babylonia. Being a preacher with one eye on the news, Hananiah saw this as a sign that the king of Babylon would soon fall and Judah would no longer face any threat.
So why put up with Jeremiah, staggering around with a wooden yoke on his shoulders, predicting 70 years of submission to Babylon? Hananiah grabbed the yoke, broke it, and said, “Think positive, everybody. The Lord says he’s going to break Babylon within two years, and just that quickly everything will go back to normal.” What a preacher Hananiah was! Up to date, upbeat, uplifting … and up to his ears in trouble.
Hananiah broke the wooden yoke, all right, but Jeremiah came back at him with an iron yoke and a message that God would remove him and his nice, positive lies from the face of the earth. Within a few months, the king of Babylon was more powerful than ever. And Hananiah was dead.
So much for the power of positive thinking.
PRAYER–Lord, keep us from false hope and cheap grace. Help us to base our outlook on your Word of Truth, not on present trends or wishful thinking. In Christ, Amen.
Jeremiah 29:4-14
HOPE AND A FUTURE
“I know the plans I have for you…plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
First the bad news: you won’t be going home any time soon. You’ll be spending 70 years in a place not your home. But now the good news: “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future….” You will go home to the promised land and enjoy fellowship with God. But not right away.
So how should you live in the meantime? Bloom where you’re planted. Be a blessing to those around you. Ignore false prophets who say you can have it all right now, instead of in the future that God provides. Live as a child of God during your time in old Babylon, and look forward to the new Jerusalem.
Seventy years–that’s about how much time the average person spends here in exile before going home to the new Jerusalem. As we live here in this fallen world, God calls us to make the most of it–and to live in the sure hope of something better.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade–kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).
PRAYER–Lord, bless our neighbors, our nation, and our world. Help us flourish here, and help us also to look in hope to your coming, when we shall be home at last, in Christ. Amen.
Jeremiah 31:3-14
MOURNING INTO GLADNESS
“I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.” Jeremiah 31:13
Go ahead, admit it. There have been times this month when you felt just about fed up with Jeremiah’s gloom and doom and cutting criticism. You wanted something that would give you a lift, but Jeremiah gave you one downer after another. But now admit something else. When Jeremiah finally does come with a message of joy and promise, it has a lot more impact than when some phony optimist offers the usual warm, fuzzy platitudes. A person’s “Yes” means a lot more if that person also knows how to say “No.”
When God’s judgment closed in on the people of Jerusalem, the preachers of platitudes couldn’t help anybody. Their wishful thinking crumbled under the weight of reality. At that point, only one person had the credibility to inspire hope in the people–Jeremiah, the man who never bypassed the dark side, who spoke honestly of their evil, who cried with them in their defeat and despair. When this grim realist suddenly smiled and brought a message of hope and happiness, it had to be true. For all who believed, it was a ray of light piercing their darkness–the only ray.
This glad message isn’t based on human potential or on a vague optimism that sidesteps sin or suffering. It comes from the changeless Lord who says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (31:3). God is love, so those who trust him can look forward to joy even when joy seems impossible. Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
PRAYER–God of love, when guilt smothers us, when dreams become nightmares and hope is gone, then shine into our darkness and turn our mourning into gladness through Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Jeremiah 31:27-37
THE NEW DEAL
“The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant.” Jeremiah 31:31
God rescued Israel from Egypt and made a deal with them at Mount Sinai. But they didn’t keep their end of the deal. They broke God’s law and violated the Ten Commandments. The Lord said, “Cursed is the man who does not obey the terms of this covenant–the terms I commanded your forefathers when I brought them out of Egypt” (Jeremiah 11:4). The old covenant means doom–not because God’s law is evil, but because people are evil (Romans 7:14). We need a new deal, and God knows it. “For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another” (Hebrews 8:7).
Under the new deal, the relationship between God and his people depends not on our performance but on God’s promise. Under the new deal, God doesn’t keep track of sin and then unleash his curse. “For,” he says, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (31:34). “Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance–now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant” (Hebrews 9:15).
Under the new deal, God doesn’t just stand outside us and insist on the letter of the law. He puts his Spirit inside us, helping us to know God and empowering us to love and obey him. It is “a new covenant–not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
PRAYER–Thank you, Father, for the new covenant. Thank you, Jesus, for saving us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, and for sending your Spirit to make us new. Amen.
Jeremiah 34:8-17
LET FREEDOM RING!
You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom for your fellow countrymen. Jeremiah 34:17
It was a foxhole conversion. Surrounded by Babylonian troops, the people of Jerusalem suddenly decided Jeremiah was right and oppression was wrong. They held a solemn ceremony and freed their slaves. And just that quickly the danger disappeared: the enemy army suddenly withdrew to deal with an army advancing from Egypt. So what did the people of Jerusalem do? Did they take that as encouragement to keep doing right? No, the moment the threat passed, they forgot all about their emancipation proclamation and enslaved their fellow citizens all over again.
Big mistake! God was furious. Did these people really think they could get away with this? Could they just forget a solemn promise to God, as soon as the danger passed? Could they treat others as property and not as persons? “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker” (Proverbs 14:31), and God won’t put up with it.
Have you ever made a promise to God when you were in trouble, only to go back on it the moment the trouble passed? Do you ever take part in ceremonies on a Sunday, only to go out on Monday and show contempt for God by mistreating other people? If so, God won’t let you get away with it. The day of worship is a day to celebrate the freedom of the children of God: freedom to obey God and to extend freedom to others (Isaiah 58). Forget that, and your only freedom is freedom to perish (Jeremiah 34:17).
PRAYER–Lord, we make promises in times of crisis, and we act pious in places of worship, but our hearts remain cold and cruel. Free us from sin, that we may bring freedom to others. Amen.
Jeremiah 36:15-32
FLAME-RESISTANT TRUTH
“Take another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll….” Jeremiah 36:28
Times were tough, so what did King Jehoiakim do? He built himself an extravagant new palace, using forced labor and expensive materials. Jeremiah denounced him for indulging himself without caring for the poor, and predicted that Jehoiakim would “have the burial of a donkey” (Jeremiah 22:13-19).
The king was not amused, but he wasn’t worried, either. He had killed one prophet already (26:23), and though he couldn’t get at Jeremiah to destroy him, he could still destroy his message. Sitting at the fireside in the winter wing of his new palace, Jehoiakim took the written transcript of Jeremiah’s preaching, sliced it up and burned it, one section at a time.
However, the Word of the Lord doesn’t burn as easily as the paper it’s printed on. God’s Spirit inspired Jeremiah to speak the very same message all over again, and his friend Baruch wrote it all down. “Heaven and earth will pass away,” says Jesus, “but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Whenever a tyrant tries to destroy the Bible, the Bible survives. The tyrant doesn’t. Jehoiakim’s life ended suddenly at age 36.
It’s tempting to slice the Bible in pieces and burn the parts we don’t like. But if we try to cut God’s Word down, God’s Word will cut us down. It’s true of Jeremiah’s scroll, and it’s true of every other biblical writing: “if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life” (Revelation 22:18-19).
PRAYER–“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart … for you have exalted above all things your name and your word” (Psalm 138:2). Help me honor your name and obey your Word. Amen.
Jeremiah 38:1-13
A FRIEND IN NEED
Ebed-Melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah 38:12
Ebed-Melech isn’t a native Israelite. He’s a black man from Africa. “Ebed-Melech” is hardly even a name. It just means “king’s slave.” Maybe people yelled “Hey, slave!” so often when he was young that nobody knows him by any other name. But what he lacks in clout, he makes up for in character.
King Zedekiah is so scared of his own officials that he tells Jeremiah’s enemies, “Do what you want. I can’t stop you.” So they throw Jeremiah into an empty cistern. He’ll starve if the mud doesn’t smother him first. When Ebed-Melech finds out, he could easily say, “That’s too bad, but orders are orders. I can’t help Jeremiah, and if I try, I’ll just get myself in trouble.” But that’s not Ebed-Melech’s way. He stands for what’s right, no matter what. Though a mere underling, he goes straight to the king. And the spineless king is so struck by his slave’s integrity that he tells Ebed-Melech to round up some friends and rescue Jeremiah.
At that point, Ebed-Melech could simply lower some ropes and yank Jeremiah out. But he’s a man of kindness as well as courage, as gentle as he is strong. He goes to the extra trouble of getting some rags to serve as padding for the ropes, sparing Jeremiah from painful bruises and rope burns.
No, Ebed-Melech isn’t famous or powerful. He’s just a man who trusts God and does the right thing. And God notices. He tells Ebed-Melech, “I will save you … because you trust in me, declares the Lord'” (39:18).
PRAYER–Lord, help us trust you and serve you. We often feel insignificant, but give us courage to stand against injustice, and compassion to help the weak. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Jeremiah 38:14-28
AFRAID TO SURRENDER
King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid…” Jeremiah replied, “Obey the Lord….” Jeremiah 38:19,20
Jeremiah urges the king to surrender. It will be better for everyone involved. Zedekiah will not be harmed, his women and children will be treated well, and the city will not be burned. All he has to do is surrender voluntarily to God’s judgment. But if Zedekiah rejects this plea bargain and chooses to fight God’s verdict, the sentence will be dreadfully harsh.
The king has been wanting to hear Jeremiah’s advice, but having heard it, he doesn’t want to follow it. It’s too scary. How can he surrender? What if the Babylonians are cruel to him? What if they hand him over to Jews who can’t stand him, who have already gone over to the Babylonians? The king is afraid to resist God, but he’s even more afraid to submit to him. He’s afraid of the Lord, but he’s even more afraid of people.
The call to surrender is frightening. How can you just admit your guilt and put yourself in God’s hands, to do with as he pleases? What will you be forced to give up? What will change? How will other people react to you? You know what God wants you to do, but you’re afraid to do it.
If you find yourself debating whether to surrender to God, listen to Jeremiah: “Obey the Lord… Then it will go well with you” (38:20). And listen to Jesus: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
PRAYER–Father in heaven, thy will be done. Take my sinful, broken life and do as you please with me. I put myself in your hands, trusting your mercy and love in Christ. Amen.
Jeremiah 52:3-16
JUDGMENT DAY
It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened… he thrust them from his presence. Jeremiah 52:3
King Zedekiah thought that obeying God was too dangerous. But it was far more dangerous not to obey. God’s agents of wrath, the soldiers of Babylon, destroyed the city walls, demolished the temple, and burned everything they could. The last thing Zedekiah saw before his eyes were gouged out was the sight of his children being slaughtered.
Centuries later, after Jerusalem rejected Jesus himself, it happened all over again. In 70 A.D. Roman soldiers burned the city, slaughtered the people, and destroyed the temple, as Jesus himself had foretold.
It is fatal to trifle with God. Each time we read how a biblical prophecy of judgment and fire became reality, we get a preview of the final judgment and the eternal fire that awaits those who reject God and his Word. If God’s wrath swallowed up those who refused the message of Jeremiah, what about those of us who have the whole Bible and the full gospel of Jesus and yet turn away? “How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:29-31).
What horror for Zedekiah and Jerusalem to feel God’s anger and be thrust from his presence! Imagine, then, the horror of hearing Christ say, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41).
PRAYER–Lord, we’re “terrified by your indignation… Who knows the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you” (Psalm 90). Have mercy, Lord. Amen.
Lamentations 3:19-33
GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed… great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
Everything has changed. The city has no palace, no temple, no walls, no stores, no children singing or playing games. The air smells of smoke. Ashes and bloodstains mark every building and street. All is silent, except for the groaning of survivors and the tramping of enemy troops. Nothing can ever be the same.
Everything has changed–except one. The Lord has not changed. When everything else is gone, God remains. And because God remains, hope remains. “My soul is downcast within me,” moans Jeremiah. “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him'” (v. 20-24).
When everything around us changes, God is still the same. His love never changes. His compassion never fails. His faithfulness endures forever. At just the point when everything collapses, and we have no strength or virtue of our own to fall back on, we discover at last the one hope that was really our only hope all along: the changeless character of God. “For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men” (Lam. 3:32-33).
PRAYER–Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father. There is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not. As thou has been, thou forever wilt be. Amen.
Matthew 23:29-39
JEREMIAH AND US
“If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them….” Matthew 23:30
After listening to Jeremiah’s preaching, I’m on his side. I daresay you are, too. Or at least that’s what we’d like to think. That’s one of the dangers of reading a great prophet or reformer. We too quickly identify ourselves with the hero and not with his hearers. As we read what happened long ago, hindsight helps us recognize the good guys and the bad guys. We cheer for the good guys and tell ourselves we would never have done what the bad guys did. “If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.” Meanwhile …
We’re up to our eyeballs in consumer religion. We complain that the “ancient ways” of Scripture are outdated or boring. We won’t stand up for a kid at school who is being picked on. We refuse to fight for unpopular ideas. And when we do get into a dispute, we tend to think it’s because we’re heroic like Jeremiah, when often it’s just because we’re abrasive, incompetent, or just plain wrong. Then we try to destroy those who oppose us. So yes, we should want to be like Jeremiah (and like Jesus), but let’s not jump to the conclusion that we’ve already arrived.
Most of us love a dead prophet. And most of us hate a live one. In Jesus’ time, people swore that if they had lived in the old days, they would never have opposed the prophets. Then they crucified the chief Prophet who had sent all the others. You and I would have done the same.
PRAYER–“Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon Thee? Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee! ‘Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee. I crucified Thee.” Amen.
Romans 11:11-24
NO GLOATING ALLOWED
Do not be arrogant, but be afraid… Consider the kindness and sternness of God. Romans 11:20,22
As a preacher, I sometimes have to speak of God’s judgment. But I’m uneasy when people say they enjoyed the sermon. I suspect they like hard-hitting sermons (and meditations on Jeremiah) for much the same reason they relish talk radio shows that bash political opponents. It’s delicious to think, “I’m right, and they’re wrong. God approves me and condemns them.”
As the gospel of Christ spread, many Gentiles believed in Jesus, while most Jews refused their own Messiah. Does this mean Gentiles are better than Jews? Has God suddenly decided to love Gentiles and hate Jews? Some Gentile Christians, especially those who dislike Jewish people, have been tempted to think this way. After all, God scattered the Jews in Jeremiah’s day and again in Jesus’ day. So, “They’re out, we’re in.”
Wise up! says God in Romans 11. The Lord still brings many Jews to faith, and he still saves people from other groups you might tend to despise. Even if God leaves some in unbelief for reasons of his own, that doesn’t give you any right to gloat. You might say, “God got rid of them and made room for me.” But watch out! If God could be so stern with his chosen and beloved people of Israel, he can be stern with you. What’s more, he can welcome them back into his kindness the moment they let go of their unbelief. You are saved by faith in Christ, not by your superiority. So don’t despise those who still lack faith. And don’t you dare gloat about God’s wrath.
PRAYER–Lord, crush our pride and cruelty with your sternness. Then save us and teach us to love through your kindness. We stand only by faith in Christ our Savior. Amen.
Luke 18:9-14
TEARING DOWN, BUILDING UP
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:14
God appointed Jeremiah “to uproot and destroy, to build and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:10). That’s been the mandate of every prophet and reformer in the history of God’s people: to tear down self-righteousness and build faith in God’s righteousness, to uproot complacency and plant Christ.
Some of us keep missing the point. We strut into church, feeling pretty good about ourselves. We thank God that we’re such fine people–unlike the single mothers and welfare bums and druggies and jailbirds and other riffraff! We’re in church every week, and we always pay our share of the budget–unlike some folks we know! We treat church as a club for righteous, respectable saints, not a haven for wretched, rotten sinners. But then Jesus demolishes our smugness and says God does not accept us that way.
“Is not my word like a fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29). The Word blazes out against our sin with the fire of God’s holiness. It smashes our self-confidence. At that point, all we can do is cry out, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
And then–amazing grace!–we go home justified by God and exalted in Christ. The promise is fulfilled: “I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart” (Jeremiah 24:6-7).
PRAYER–“God, be merciful to me. On your grace I rest my plea. Wash me, make me pure within. Cleanse, O cleanse me from my sin,” through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Luke 6:37-49
ROCK SOLID
“He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock.” Luke 6:48
To have true reformation, you need to dig through the clutter of old habits, the litter of new fads, the sand of shifting opinions, and the mud of secret sins, until you get down to Rock. Only then can you start to build anything of permanent value. “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).
We’ve been studying Jeremiah, the reluctant reformer. Jeremiah did a lot of excavating. He helped people get rid of worthless rubble so that they’d have a solid foundation when the storm of trouble and judgment came. Jeremiah didn’t have new ideas or clever gimmicks. He called people back to “the ancient paths” (Jeremiah 6:16). He called them to believe the timeless truth of God and base their hope and life on “the Lord our Righteousness.”
The Protestant Reformation, which God began through Martin Luther on this date in 1517, insisted on grounding everything on Christ alone and on his Word in Scripture. The Reformers didn’t claim to have new ideas. They called people back to faith in the eternal truths of the Bible, the eternal grace of God, and eternal life in the Lord Jesus Christ.
That is the only foundation that insures stability and peace through the storms of life and the ultimate storm of judgment. “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal” (Isaiah 26:3-4).
PRAYER–Lord Jesus, help me trust you and live by your Word. “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeem ” (Psalm 19:14). Amen.