These were tumultuous times on the world stage. The reigning empire of Assyria was in steep decline, and it was unclear who the next world power would be. Some thought that Egypt might regain the prominence it once held, and many in Judah clung to them in hope. But that would soon be revealed to be a mistake, as the Egyptians were defeated and faded. With the demise of the Assyrian Empire, however, came the formation of an independent state of Babylon which would soon claim the mantle as being the next world power.
Jeremiah’s call came right in the midst of this. Dickens’ opening line in The Tale of Two Cities was somewhat accurate of the timing of Jeremiah’s calling. That is, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” Positively, Josiah had led the people in spiritual reform and was even able to stop paying tribute to the Assyrians, perceiving they no longer had the power to make such demands. Negatively, Babylon would soon show itself to be a far greater threat to Judah than Assyria was, and Josiah’s reforms would show no lasting effect among a people who turned back to their sin quickly and with great ambition at the point of his death.
Thus, by the time Jeremiah actually begins his prophetic ministry to the people, they are deeply mired in sin. This is evident by the opening chapter of the book. In this first chapter, we read that God calls Jeremiah to be his prophet, assures him that he will speak the very words of God, that the word is certain, and then reveals to him the message that he must proclaim. We read this message in 1:15-16,
For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. [16] And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands.
That is, the Lord tells Jeremiah to proclaim judgment upon the people for the great evil they have committed in sinning against God. But the Lord knows that this will be a hard message. Therefore, God assures him that though the people will fight against him, he deliver Jeremiah and protect him. We see this in 1:17-19,
[17] But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. [18] And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. [19] They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.\"
But let’s pause for a second and gather ourselves here, reminding ourselves who these people are to whom Jeremiah is supposed to prophesy. These are the Lord’s people. They are those whom the Lord delivered out of Egypt, who knew that a generation of their fathers had died in the wilderness because of the Lord’s judgment against their sin, had been given the promised land in an amazing fashion, and had even seen the destruction of the northern tribes of Israel because of their sin against the Lord. If there’s ever a people who would be responsive to the Lord, you think it’d be this people—for two reasons.
On the one hand, they’ve seen the Lord’s gracious deliverance, care, and provision. The Lord even mentions this in 2:2-3, saying,
“I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. [3] Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it incurred guilt; disaster came upon them.”
And on the other hand, they’ve seen the Lord’s judgment against sin. If you watch someone run out into the street and get hit by a car, you usually don’t have to make an announcement to those watching not to repeat that action. To see the disaster of sin should have made them most eager to respond to God’s warnings and words. So, why does God tell Jeremiah that the people of Judah would fight against him?
The answer is that despite all the reasons which would lead us to think that Judah would have distanced themselves as far away from sin as possible, the reality is that they were immersed in it. In fact, these first twelve chapters serve to recount Israel’s sin and the judgment that is coming to them. The main point of these chapters is obvious – Judah has sinned and they will be judged. The first twelve chapters function as a literary unity in that they open with dialogue between the Lord and Jeremiah and end (in ch. 12) in the same manner, but the ten chapters between 1 and 12 read like a prosecuting attorney declaring the charges against a guilty defendant with a declaration of judgment thrown in. These chapters function largely, it seems, to show us just how bad things had gotten in Judah.
Their chief sin was that of idolatry. Whereas they had seen the one true God work miraculously among them, they had turned to serve false gods – idols – and had been like a prostitute turning from her faithful husband to seek out other lovers. The Lord asks the people to give an account for their outrageous actions, saying in 2:5-8,
“Thus says the Lord: ‘What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless? [6] They did not say, 'Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells?' [7] And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination. [8] The priests did not say, 'Where is the Lord?' Those who handle the law did not know me; the shepherds transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit.’”
Their turning from the Lord is so utterly amazing that the Lord notes that no other nation has turned from its gods, though their gods are really no gods at all.
“Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. [12] Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, [13] for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (2:11-13).
And it goes on like this chapter after chapter. In 10:3-7, we read of the foolishness of idolatry, for their gods are only the work of their hands:
“A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. . . . There is none like you, O LORD: you are great, and your name is great in might. Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? . . . There is none like you.”
Sadly, the answer is that God’s own people do not fear him. At one point the Lord even declares to them frankly, “The fear of me is not in you” (2:19). And this idolatry is spreading to the entire family. In 7:18, we see a nice picture of the family working together, much like a family might decorate a house for Christmas. But they’re working together in order to worship an idol. The text reads:
“The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to others gods, to provoke me to anger.”
These were a people who were supposed to teach the words of the Lord diligently to their children. They were to talk of them when they sat in their house, when they walked by the way, when they lay down, and when they rose (Deut. 6:6-7). And instead, they’re involving their own children in idol worship.
But the worst part is that the children’s involvement in idol worship didn’t stop at them gathering wood for an offering, the children themselves were sacrificed. We read in 7:31,
“And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind.”
And yet they do these things without blushing. In 6:15 and in 8:12, we read the exact same words, as the Lord declares,
“Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush.”
They even repeatedly claim that they are not unclean and are innocent (2:23-24, 34-35). Therefore, God is going to judge them. It is certain. The Lord declares in 11:11-13,
“Therefore, thus says the Lord, behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them. [12] Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. [13] For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, altars to make offerings to Baal.”
This is the message of Jeremiah 1-12. It is like a list of charges against a defendant, a pronouncement of guilt upon them for these evils, and a declaration of the punishment that will therefore come. But how do these chapters benefit us? What are we to learn from this?
Well, we know from the text we looked at a few weeks ago (1 Corinthians 10:1-13), that these things happened in Israel’s history as an example for us so that we might not desire evil as they did. We are to look at their sin and the judgment that followed and turn from sin ourselves.
So, let me ask us then this morning a few questions. Do we see our own sin as evil as it’s depicted in these chapters? Do we picture our sin to be like that of adultery, turning from a faithful husband to go prostitute ourselves for lesser joys? We do not sin because we desire great joy and deep pleasure. We sin because we’re willing to be content with lesser joys and passing pleasures. The Lord reminds Judah at one point that their sins have kept good from them (5:25). And it is the same for us. The Lord doesn’t command us because he wants to keep us from good but so that he might pour out his grace upon us. So, do we see the evil and foolish nature of our sin? And, do we recognize that God judges sinners?
If we are tempted to say, “But he will not judge me; I’ve been the recipient of such kindness and blessing from the Lord in my life,” we will find that we’re not saying something too different from those in these chapters. Specifically in chapter 7 Jeremiah warns them against thinking they would not be judged by the Lord because they had the temple. He tells them that ultimately the Lord will destroy the very temple itself in judgment against his people. And that indeed happened.
Now, consider their argument for a second. They were saying, “God will not judge us because he was gracious enough to allow the temple to house his presence in our midst.” Isn’t that greater reason for judgment actually? Shouldn’t they have said, “We have been given much, and God will therefore not overlook our evil?” So it is with us. Let us never find ourselves saying or even thinking that sin is acceptable in our lives and surely we will not be judged because God has been so gracious to us. Rather, let his grace serve to move us to walk in obedience before him. Isn’t this the goal of the Lord’s kindness? Paul asks in Romans 2:4, “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
So, the main lesson that we are to learn from these chapters, I believe, is that we should not desire sin but rather see it as evil and as that which ultimately brings about the Lord’s judgment. But I want to note a few other things in this text as well, for I think there are a number of points where the Lord reveals what exactly went wrong with Judah. That is, if we asks, “How did they get here?” and then see the answers, it will aid us in making sure that we do not travel the same path they did. So, with that said, let me note a few things these chapters teach us concerning how not to walk in sin as Judah did.
Jeremiah’s message begins with the Lord asking Judah, “What wrong did your fathers find in me?” (2:5). The answer is soon revealed, however. The problem was not one of finding fault with God but simply in forgetting him. We read in 2:32,
“Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
Again, in 3:21,
“A voice on the bare heights is heard, the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons because they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the Lord their God.”
It seems that though the Lord remembers Judah’s devotion as a youthful bride, they do not remember his redemption. And, as we’ve noted before, the importance of remembering in the Bible cannot be overstated. Again and again the Lord instructs his people to remember, and even in the New Covenant, we are given the meal of the Lord’s Supper so that we might eat it in remembrance of Christ. So, make sure you give yourself concentrated time and effort toward remembering the Lord’s gracious work in and for you.
Similar to that …
Several times throughout these chapters, we hear that these people do not even know the Lord. Ironically and tragically, they know well how to do evil, but they do not know the Lord. Why? One reason is because they do not know God’s Word. The people turned from God’s law, and therefore they did not know it. Simultaneously, the priests and prophets stopped proclaiming the Word but simply lied to the people, and they want to hear it. We hear both of the people’s ignorance and of the prophet’s false words in 8:7-9,
“Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the rules of the Lord. [8] \"How can you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us'? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie. [9] The wise men shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and taken; behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord, so what wisdom is in them?”
So, two things came about as a result of the people not knowing God’s Word and hearing the Word proclaimed falsely. First, they grew to love that which was false. We read in 5:30-31,
“An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so.”
Second, they grew to hate the true proclamation of God’s Word which rebuked their sin. We read in 6:10
“To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it.”
Therefore, I want to charge us this morning to make sure that the Word is always proclaimed faithfully from this pulpit and to make sure that we are here to hear it proclaimed. I have not found one example where individuals kept themselves from the proclamation of the Word of God and it did not lead to more and more sin in their lives. This is why Paul tells Timothy to preach the Word in season and out of season and why the author of Hebrews tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.
In addition to remembering God’s gracious work and hearing the proclamation of the Word of God, let me also encourage us to …
These chapters reveal a people who no longer held shame, who no longer recognized what they were doing was sinful, and who ultimately were going to face God’s fierce judgment. But they did not get here without ignoring God’s gracious discipline, meant to lead them to repent.
We read repeatedly that God’s people did not respond to his correction and discipline:
“In vain have I struck your children; they took no correction; your own sword devoured your prophets like a ravening lion” (2:30). “O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent” (5:3). “And you shall say to them, 'This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips’” (7:28).
It is a dangerous thing not to respond to the discipline of the Lord. As the Lord disciplines you and you refuse to repent, it has a hardening effect on your heart. We may look and say, “How did Judah end up here?” and a large part of the answer is that they refused to repent when the Lord was correcting and disciplining them. So, let me say to any of us today who are refusing to respond to the Lord’s discipline in repentance, it may very well be that you are deciding today that you will be cast into hell on that final day. And I say that because God’s children are not those who never sin, but we are those who are willing to respond to God’s discipline and repent when we do.
But why is there hope for us if we repent? After all, we read throughout these chapters that the Lord’s judgment is certain on sinners, and we have all sinned. In fact, in 5:7-9 the Lord asks how he can do anything other than punish his people. He asks,
“How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods? When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor’s wife. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?”
Such a question is a challenging one because we are like this, aren’t we? We have been fed by the Lord only to use our strength to chase after sin. We have prostituted ourselves with gods that we may not have made with our hands but with several other idols that we have placed above God, several gods that we have placed above him.
And God is indeed just. In fact, this unit in Jeremiah ends with Jeremiah asking God if he will reveal his justice in punishing Babylon as well. That is, Jeremiah wants to know that Babylon will not get off free even though they will be used by God to punish his people. And the Lord answers in 12:17 that any nation that will not obey him will be destroyed.
Yet at the same time, we hear God’s heart to forgive. Chapter 12 ends with the Lord saying that he will have compassion once more on his people (12:15). But one of the most amazing declarations in these chapters is found in Jeremiah 3:12-13. There, we read the Lord’s declaration to his people,
“Return, faithless Israel, declares the Lord. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the Lord; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the Lord your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have no obeyed my voice, declares the Lord.”
Therefore, I want to say something to you this morning as you’ve walked into this room, have placed yourself under the proclamation of the Word, and perhaps have ached because of your sin. Maybe it’s even sin that you just committed last night or have walked in this week or maybe even sin that you’ve walked in so long you cannot remember life before it. What I want to say to you is that if you will simply acknowledge your guilt, confess your sin, and repent of it, the Lord forgives you and will gladly lavish his grace upon you. And he’ll do this not because he doesn’t think your sin is bad or worthy of punishment. He’ll forgive those of you who have faith in the crucified and risen Christ because God sent his Son into the world to pay the penalty for our sin, taking on the cross the punishment that we deserved from God. Then, he raised him from the dead so that he might justly punish sin and yet declare as righteous anyone who will have faith in Christ. That is, God made him who knew no sin to bear sin and its punishment for us so that we might be credited with his perfect righteousness. And if this sounds too good to be true, then I simply respond that this is why the gospel is good news.
Therefore, let us this morning turn from our sin so that we might not desire evil as Judah did. Let us remember God’s gracious work, hear the proclamation of his Word, and respond to his discipline in repentance. And let us do this, knowing that forgiveness and cleansing is ourselves because Christ lived, died, and was raised from us – something we’ll remember together now as we come to the table. Amen.