Daily Bible Devotionals

“Your wealth, merchandise, and goods, your sailors and captains, those who repair your leaks, those who barter for your goods, and all the warriors within you, with all the other people on board, sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your downfall. The countryside shakes at the sound of your sailors’ cries. All those who handle an oar disembark from their ships. The sailors and all the captains of the sea stand on the shore. They raise their voices over you and cry out bitterly. They throw dust on their heads; they roll in ashes. They shave their heads because of you and wrap themselves in sackcloth. They weep over you with deep anguish and bitter mourning. In their wailing they lament for you, mourning over you: Who was like Tyre, silenced in the middle of the sea? When your merchandise was unloaded from the seas, you satisfied many peoples. You enriched the kings of the earth with your abundant wealth and goods. Now you are shattered by the sea in the depths of the waters; your goods and the people within you have gone down. All the inhabitants of the coasts and islands are appalled at you. Their kings shudder with fear; their faces are contorted. Those who trade among the peoples mock you; you have become an object of horror and will never exist again.”  Ezekiel 27:27-36 (HCSB)

Today’s passage is eerily repeated in Revelation 18 over a future kingdom (the kingdom of the Great Whore, Babylon) that will seduce the nations with her goods & wares. Lest we simply shake our heads in shame at ancient Tyre, perhaps we should look at how we have imitated her idolatry so that we might avoid her judgment!

“The kings of the earth who have committed sexual immorality and lived luxuriously with her will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off in fear of her torment, saying: Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in a single hour, your judgment has come. The merchants of the earth will also weep and mourn over her because no one buys their merchandise any longer - merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; fine fabrics of linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all kinds of fragrant wood products; objects of ivory; objects of expensive wood, brass, iron, and marble; cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine wheat flour, and grain; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves and human lives. The fruit you craved has left you. All your splendid and glamorous things are gone; they will never find them again. The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying: Woe, woe, the great city, dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls, for in a single hour such fabulous wealth was destroyed! And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out: “Who is like the great city?” They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning: Woe, woe, the great city, where all those who have ships on the sea became rich from her wealth, for in a single hour she, was destroyed. Rejoice over her, heaven, and you saints, apostles, and prophets, because God has executed your judgment on her!” Revelation 18:9-20 (HCSB)

“For thus says the Lord God: ‘When I make you (Tyre) a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you, then I will bring you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you may never be inhabited; and I shall establish glory in the land of the living. I will make you a terror, and you shall be no more; though you are sought for, you will never be found again,’ says the Lord God.”  Ezekiel 26:19-21 (NKJV)

Fraud and greed have become so commonplace in our culture that our conditioned response is typically a yawn instead of outrage. As long as there are financial sections of newspapers, their headlines will mostly read of scandal in the marketplace. Tyre was the commercial center of the ancient Middle East. In the following three chapters, she comes under the scrutiny of the divine Accountant and judge. The previous chapter dealt mainly with the violence of the nations to the east of Judah, and the following three chapters will focus largely on the commercial life of the nations to the northwest.

Tyre was the capital of Phoenicia, which included Gebal and Sidon. These were all Mediterranean ports, and (together with the Philistines) the Phoenicians were great merchant traders of the ancient Near East, hence, The gate of the nations. (26:2)

During the reigns of David & Solomon, Tyre established good relations with Israel; there is no record of any war between Israel and these Mediterranean coastal states.   In fact, they are mostly known for their cooperation: King Hiram 1st of Tyre provided wood and artisans for Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 5:1-18) and sailors for his commercial fleet (1 Kings 9:27). But there had been moments of tension over economic matters. Extra-biblical historical accounts reveal that the Phoenicians had taken advantage of Judah’s battle with the Babylonians by plundering them from the northwest and exploiting them with high trade tariffs and over-inflated prices on essential goods.

Tyre’s primary offense, though, was its arrogance. Their greatest idol was the one they saw looking back as they stared into the mirror! As the major shipping giant, Tyre was unstoppable at sea, and since they were strategically located partly on the mainland and partly on an adjacent island, they were virtually impenetrable. Of course, in the words of Ezekiel, one tsunami could cure the excessive pride of any island empire. Indeed, Tyre was about to face a tsunami in the likes of a Babylonian wave, which destroyed the inland portion of Tyre’s empire. A later “tsunami wave,” named Alexander the Great, would take the rubble of Babylon’s inland destruction and build a bridge with it. In that bridge of rubble, Alexander marched to the island and defeated Tyre once & for all.

So, how did Tyre’s self-worship display itself in such a way to anger God to the extent that He would have her virtually destroyed? 1. Tyre depended on her physical resources. (26:4, 7, 9-11) 2. Tyre put her trust in her leaders. (26:16) 3. Tyre was materialistic. (26:12) 4. Tyre was in love with the “good life.” (26:13) Sadly, these traits describe America perfectly. When you feel the urge to brace for impact, pray for Revival!

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Ezekiel 25. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.’ So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.” Ezekiel 24:15-18 (NKJV)

Covenant-breakers can expect the curses of the covenant upon them. That is what happened to God’s people in Ezekiel’s day. In a day of compromise by false ecumenism, secularism, and ritual formality, it is a lesson that today’s Church-at-large needs to hear. It is not a popular message and anyone who proclaims it will be as despised as any of the ancient prophets were. But we need to be as faithful as Ezekiel was. His testimony, his willingness to subject his most sensitive feelings in submission to the Lord’s overall purpose, is a singular mark of his discipleship.  

During the time of today’s chapter is an incident that is undoubtedly one of the saddest in Scripture. Ezekiel’s wife dies, and the Lord commands the prophet to use her death (by his response) as an illustration to the exiles of how they are to respond to what is going to take place in Jerusalem. Ezekiel was to hide his grief and show no mourning.

Many readers have considered Ezekiel weak or inhumane for not mourning. But on the contrary, Ezekiel’s strength allowed him to willingly comply with the Lord’s request. At no point does Ezekiel give way to his feelings, as Jeremiah does time and again. We can identify with Jeremiah’s sense of frustration, but because our present generation dislikes authority and absolutes, Ezekiel comes off as aloof and bland. Yet, the greatness of Ezekiel’s testimony lies in the fact that, for God’s Word to be magnified, Ezekiel himself must hide behind it entirely.

Our generation seems preoccupied with not offending people. In many Christian circles, the self-imposed prerequisite that we are sensitive to the feelings of others and “politically correct” completely neutralizes the restorative message of God’s Word. Ezekiel was commanded to divorce himself from emotions, even toward his beloved wife. And therein lies the real gravity of Chapter 24: God’s holiness is paramount, and His empathy toward His “bride” is completely in accordance with that holiness.

When we attach the 1st half of chapter 24 with the 2nd, we clearly see that God’s “burning-away” of the “dross” within His people must be accomplished without His personal or emotional attachment. Otherwise, judgment will be compromised, and what comes forth from the fire will be less than perfect gold.

Have you ever wondered why God allows difficult times to fall upon “good” people, even His own children? Perhaps it is because we only judge one another as “good” from a human perspective, while God, in His Mercy, shows us the “dross” in our lives by turning up the heat.

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, therefore you shall bear the penalty of your lewdness and your harlotry.’” Ezekiel 23:35 (NKJV)

In today’s chapter, God refers to Israel as “Ohoah” (tent) and Jerusalem as “Ohlivah” (My tent is in her). The image of the tent most likely refers to the Tent of Meeting, the Tabernacle. Long since abandoned in exchange for the Temple in Jerusalem, the Tabernacle was still symbolic of spiritual intimacy, which was supposed to distinguish Israel’s relationship to God from all the other nations’ relationships with their false gods.

Of course, we all know the intimate activities of a man & wife in their “tent,” and that is exactly the point God is making to Israel. They had a “marriage” relationship, and the worship relationship between God and His people should be the most significant and intimate thing on earth. Yet Israel had “whored” herself to the non-gods of the nations.

Let’s put this in somewhat graphic yet contemporary terms. Suppose a man & woman get married, and one day, the man comes home early and sees an unfamiliar car in his driveway. When he enters his home, the husband sees a strange gentleman sitting at his kitchen table. When the husband asks who the man is, the wife says he is just a friend.  

Several days go by, and every day, when the husband comes home, the stranger is there; he is eating at the husband’s table, playing with his children, and joking with his wife. Then, one day, the husband comes home to find the stranger abusing his wife. When the husband rushes in, yelling for the man to stop, the wife turns to the husband and says, “I would rather be abused by him than loved by you.”

I apologize for describing such a horrible scenario, and you may believe I have overstepped my bounds by publishing it, but that is precisely what we tell God when we choose to be abused by the World and give ourselves over to its “idols” allowing them to control and exploit us. In essence, we tell God, “We would rather be abused by the world, our flesh, and the devil than loved by You.”

I will continue to say that Ezekiel is a wake-up call for the Church, especially here in America. When will we return from our “lovers” to the Lord? And what will be the catalyst for true hope and real change? It’s when we return to a personal relationship with God through a saving relationship with Messiah Jesus and spending time with God in His Word.  

There will be no return to America’s prominence until there is a spiritual revival, which goes for any country. And there is no revival without a hardcore return to God’s Word, to the point where it saturates the souls of the individual believer so that they begin acting faithfully toward God, as a husband/wife relationship was created to operate.

“‘So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,’ says the Lord God.” Ezekiel 22:30-31 (NKJV)

When I read Ezekiel, my heart breaks for the United States because I know what is in store if she does not repent. My heart also breaks for Israel because I read what happened to her when she did not repent. And when I read the Revelation, my heart breaks for those who refuse the gospel and remain in the World; I know what is in store for them because they will refuse to repent.

The 16th-century Scottish protestant preacher John Knox was known for advocating violent responses to Catholic atrocities of his day. He was eventually imprisoned, yet, in the final two days of his life, Knox informed his friends that he had spent the last two days “battling on behalf of the Church.”  He ended his days doing the work of an intercessor. Intercessory prayer has been practiced by all the best of God’s leaders.

Think of Abraham, the “father of the faithful,” praying for his son Ishmael: “If only Ishmael might live under Your blessing!” (Genesis 17:18) Abraham also pleaded for Sodom. (Genesis 18:16-33) Think of the many times Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the Lord, standing between God & Israel. Think about Paul pleading for Messiah followers, too, that they might be strengthened with power. (Ephesians 3:14-19)

In Ezekiel’s day, no intercessors could be found for Jerusalem. That was a shame because God indicates (in today’s passage) that Jerusalem’s ultimate fall came expressly because no intercessor was prepared to stand between the city’s sin and God’s wrath.  

Take a moment and ask yourself an honest question: In leu of our present cultural tensions, have you focused your prayers more on your personal escape than on God’s relenting from judging our nation as a whole? Have you sought how He might use you to stand in the gap for others? The reason I ask is that we must have intercessors’ hearts. Prayer works! And there have been times when the entire course of history has been changed by the prayers of God’s intercessors…or the lack thereof.

Some believers hold that God is unmovable, and our worship/prayer does not sway His plans in any way. It is, to them, as if God set history into motion, wound up a clock at the beginning of time, and He is patiently waiting for the buzzer to go off, signaling time’s end. I am sad for those people because nothing could be farther from the truth. Don’t take my word for it; take God’s! He searched for an intercessor for Jerusalem (as there had been in days past) but to no avail.

Let’s take today’s chapter as a challenge to recommit ourselves to the Lord, seek Him with all that is within us and pray on behalf of those who are yet to believe! Perhaps God will respond, as in the days of Judah’s King Josiah. (2 Chronicles 34:26-28)

“It will seem like false divination in the eyes of those who have sworn an oath to the Babylonians, but it will draw attention to their guilt so that they will be captured. Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your actions, since you have done this, you will be captured by them.” Ezekiel 21:23-24 (HCSB)

Pretending to be the King of Babylon, Ezekiel – standing at some imaginary crossroads – decides whether to take his army eastward and attack Rabbah of the Ammonites or go westward and attack Jerusalem. In his typical “performance art” manner, Ezekiel marked the two routes by drawing a simple map on the ground. Then, using an elaborate method of divination – something on which the Babylonians relied extensively – Ezekiel portrays the King of Babylon casting lots (dice), shooting arrows, and consulting idols to indicate the possible course of action. The lot falls upon Jerusalem.

Verse 22 outlines the battle plans, including “battering rams” to break down the city walls, a “ramp” to scale the city wall, and “siege works” – wooden or stone structures that the enemy would use to gain cover from attack. Those who remained in Judah simply would not believe Ezekiel’s message, partly because those left behind after the siege of 598 B.C. made an oath with King Nebuchadnezzar to be loyal to him. Interesting, God knows our rebellion before we do! And yet, He chooses to love us, not only despite the sin we have committed but also despite the sin we have yet to commit. And how has God chosen to love us?

“But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NIV)

Another reason Israel refused to believe Ezekiel’s message was that they simply chose to believe the lies of the false prophets instead of trusting in God’s Word. Whenever people follow a false prophet, it is always because they are void of an intimate knowledge of God’s Word. Had they known God’s Word, they would have been able to distinguish the false prophecies because of their inconsistencies with God’s Heart.

Lest we fall into the same delusion as apostate Judah and believe such a blatant ignorance of God’s Word (among His people) is only a thing of the past, perhaps we should be reminded of what is prophesied for the Church-at-large’s future:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.” 2 Timothy 4:3-6 (NKJV)

“’You will know that I am Yahweh, house of Israel, when I have dealt with you because of My Name rather than according to your evil ways and corrupt acts.’ This is the declaration of the Lord God.”  Ezekiel 20:44 (HCSB)

Salvation is by Grace through Faith: “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift - not from works so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 Lest we entertain the idea that salvation by Grace through Faith (and not through the works of the Law) is a New Testament idea, Ezekiel lets us know that this has ALWAYS been God’s standard. If we were weighed by our deeds, without the gracious leniency of the Lord, we could never enter into a saving relationship with Him, whereby He would consider us co-inheritors with the Messiah. To be clear, the Grace of God is not that He gives us the faith to believe. God’s Grace is that He considers our faith (the faith of imperfect and unrighteous people) as if it were righteousness. How can this be? We can be counted as righteous because the OBJECT of our faith (Messiah Jesus) is perfect and righteous. It is not our works of the Law, but rather His atoning work on our behalf that the Father accepts as righteousness.

Getting back to Ezekiel, religion in Israel had become so corrupt that idolatry was mixed with YHWH worship. Worship was polluted and became worthless in God’s eyes. Salvation (God’s favor) was not determined by simply being Jewish and “going through the religious motions.”  Just pursuing the culture of worship (while ignoring the ongoing pursuit of God’s Word) was dangerous because so many pagan ideologies & practices had been added, and they steered both the practice and philosophy of worship. So, God had to step in. He brought trauma to the kingdom and allowed the people who merely bore His Name in a national sense to be conquered and deported. Why would He do that? Because He is a just God. Also, He was separating the people who merely bore His Name NATIONALLY from those who would choose to bear His Name PERSONALLY. By God’s Grace, through the faith of the individual who chose to repent and follow Him as He prescribed, He (one by one) rebuilt His people, a Chosen People who had chosen Him.  Have you chosen to follow God, Who has chosen you to be saved through your faith in Messiah Jesus?

“‘I will bring you from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you were scattered, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath. I will lead you into the wilderness of the peoples and enter into judgment with you face to face. Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you.’ This is the declaration of the Lord God. ‘I will make you pass under the rod and will bring you into the bond of the covenant. And I will also purge you of those who rebel and transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land where they live as foreign residents, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am YHWH. As for you, house of Israel, this is what the Lord God says: Go and serve your idols, each of you. But afterward you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy Name with your gifts and idols.’”  Ezekiel 20:34-39 (HCSB)

“‘Your mother was like a vine in your bloodline, planted by the waters, fruitful and full of branches because of many waters. She had strong branches for scepters of rulers. She towered in stature above the thick branches, and was seen in her height amid the dense foliage. But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried her fruit. Her strong branches were broken and withered; the fire consumed them. And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. Fire has come out from a rod of her branches and devoured her fruit, so that she has no strong branch—a scepter for ruling.’” Ezekiel 19:10-14 (NKJV)

Today’s passage is the 2nd half of a lament. The first half used the imagery of a lioness and her cubs to depict the false hopes of Israel to raise up a leader to deliver her. Deliverance comes not from man’s efforts but God’s design. It is not Judah’s “lions” but the Lion of Judah who will deliver these people from their bondage.

Moving beyond the lion imagery, Ezekiel chooses a different image: that of a vine and its branches. We should note that the theme is altogether different from the allegory of chapter 17 and the transplanted vine.)  The mother of the last kings of Israel, Hamutal, was like a vine planted “by the water.”  Her family grew abundantly, sprawled out, and bore the fruit of success. Her branches represent twenty-two kings that appeared from David’s day to Zedekiah’s day. But this vine had been pulled up, left lying on the ground, its roots exposed and dried by the east wind, and burnt. She reminds me of a “lost dog” poster I once saw: Blind, three legs, no tail, goes by the name of “Lucky.”  

Apart from their fruit, grapevines aren’t useful for much more than fire fuel. Even Jesus alluded to Israel’s past as He warned of the consequences of apostasy.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” John 15:5-6 (HCSB)

What happened next to this vine seems impossible; it was planted in a dry and thirsty land. This is in Babylon. Even assuming that such a thing might be possible, any vestige of hope is removed at a stroke; the vine catches fire, consuming its fruit. Zedekiah’s rebellion against Babylon brought the collapse of Judah; the nation was defeated. Ezekiel gave a glimpse of what lay ahead of Judah in the not-too-distant future. Judah fell in a few short years, and this dirge was her song of lament.

At first glance, it appears cruel to tell these Judean exiles that Judah will be destroyed in a few short years. We tend to want to assure people that some hope remains, no matter how dark the circumstances might be. But Judah’s problem lay in the object of her hope: herself! What saves us from our sin is not ourselves or the combined resources of other sinners! Our “Yeshua” (Salvation) comes from the power of the Messiah alone!

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Ezekiel 18. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Thus says the Lord God: ‘I will take also one of the highest branches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain. On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell. And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it.’” Ezekiel 17:22-24 (NKJV)

In chapters 15-17, three allegories have been presented: a vine, a wayward woman, and two eagles. In all three, the rebellious nature of Judah has been portrayed, together with their consequent judgments by the Babylonians. What Ezekiel has presented here was less than five years away. The wrath of God was imminent. What was the cause of this? God’s people had “nullified” the covenant blessings and ran headlong into its curses.

Israel had chosen worldly and selfish lifestyles. In doing so, they had turned their backs on God and would face the consequences. It is difficult for me to read these accounts and not compare where America is heading. Founded by Christians who desired a place to worship the Lord freely, America has become little more than a secular society, which seeks hard after its idolatry and denies the Lord whose guidance allowed its founders to establish such a nation. And if a similar scenario exists, an inevitable end is sure to follow. Just ask Ezekiel.

All is not lost, though. Throughout the impending judgments, Ezekiel has spoken of a remnant, according to God’s grace, who will be brought back to Jerusalem. Further into the future, still, Ezekiel sees the coming of Messiah Himself and the Kingdom of God flourishing as the result of His coming.  

And that is, perhaps, the important thing to remember: God is not concerned with building a secular city or nation. He is about the establishment of His Kingdom. It is a kingdom where, if people could be described as “birds,” it would contain every “kind” of bird. (Luke 13:18-19) The requirement of citizenship in His Kingdom has nothing to do with national or ethnic heritage or a certain quota of good deeds; it has everything to do with the kind of faith that would compel a person to turn from “idolatry” and commit to following the Messiah described by the Bible.

Suppose Ezekiel’s words can be taken as a warning for the apostate Messianic community (aka “the Church-at-large”). In that case, he also assures his listeners that the true Messianic community has a beautiful and secure future. The future is as bright as the promise of God to those who live according to His Word!

Let’s keep seeking that Word daily!

“For this is what the Lord God says: I will deal with you according to what you have done, since you have despised the oath by breaking the covenant. But I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant. I will establish My covenant with you, and you will know that I am Yahweh, so that when I make atonement for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth again because of your disgrace.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.” Ezekiel 16:59-63 (HCSB)

Today’s chapter makes use of blunt words to convey Israel’s spiritual prostitution. Charles Spurgeon, who preached in Victorian England, felt that Ezekiel 16 was so graphic that “A minister could scarcely read it in public.”

Though the chapter comprises a single unit, Ezekiel is actually speaking of Israel – referred to by its capital city, Jerusalem – in three dimensions: Past, present, and future. It is the future that I wanted to focus on in today’s passage.

The secret to a good marriage is good communication and the willingness to extend an unlimited amount of grace! But some kinds of behavior in a marriage cannot be overlooked. And such behavior goes against the very essence of a marriage relationship. Of course, I am speaking of infidelity, and that was precisely the case with the “marriage” of God and His people. Divorce courts are full of such relationships; one party chooses to be unfaithful, and the other simply cannot live in such conditions.  

But the rare couple is one where infidelity has taken place, some level of separation or divorce takes place, true repentance occurs on the part of the unfaithful spouse, and in response, the offended spouse agrees to re-enter the marriage covenant. Instead of focusing on the “true Hollywood stories” aspect of today’s chapter, I chose to spotlight the hope that unfaithful followers of God have once they repent.

The Church-at-large may become so corrupt that it no longer deserves to be called “Christian”; nevertheless, there will always be a group of believers to worship God as He prescribes. That is something to bear in mind as we read this chapter. Also, we can’t think of ourselves above the level of judgment that God levied on Jerusalem. Jesus said:

“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21 (NKJV)

Jesus did not say we are “saved” by keeping His commands. Instead, He was saying that those who are truly “saved” desire to obey Him.  What if believers disobey?

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will set My face against them. They will go out from one fire, but another fire shall devour them. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I set My face against them. Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have persisted in unfaithfulness,’ says the Lord God.” Ezekiel 15:6-8 (HCSB)

Every Bible teacher knows the value of a good illustration. The Bible uses several kinds of illustrations, including allegories – stories in which the meaning of something is symbolically portrayed. Between chapters 15-23, a variety of allegories are used. They begin with the grapevine, an image that will reappear in Jesus’ teaching.

A gigantic golden vine decorated the temple gates and had grape clusters over six feet long. It was a reminder that Israel was the vine God had taken out of Egypt and planted in a chosen land. Five Parables of Jesus relate to the figure of a vine: the fig tree in the vineyard (Luke 13:6-9); the laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16); New wine in old wineskins (Matthew 9:17); the two sons (Matthew 21:28-32); and the wicked tenants (Mathew 21:33-41; Mark 12:28-32; Luke 20:9-18).  

Of even greater significance is Jesus’ own allusion to Himself as the “true vine” in John 15:1-7. Despite the cultivation Israel had received as God’s chosen vine branch, they produced bitter fruit and were now fit, only to be cut down and burned. (John 15:6) Ezekiel puts it more bluntly. Instead of comparing Israel to the grapes themselves, he points out the vine's wood. Apart from producing fruit, the vine branch itself has no value except for firewood, and even then, its value is limited.

Following the devastation of the Assyrian invasion of Israel in 722 B.C. and the Babylonian invasions of Judah in 605 and 598 B.C., the Northern kingdom (aka “Israel”) was already a piece of charred wood. If the wood of a vine is too pliable even to make a peg to hang a pot on, half a part of the burnt vine had no use at all! Soon, the fire would rekindle, Babylon would siege a third time, and Jerusalem - the rest of the “wood” in Ezekiel’s allegory - would burn to the ground. (2 Chronicles 36:19)

“I am the vine; you are the branches” John 15:5 (NKJV)

Jesus’ words, set against the backdrop of Israel’s dubious past, would have been a message of hope and comfort for those who heard Him. A truth had now developed within the New Covenant: Messiah, together with His people (those who choose to confess He is Lord and believe in their hearts that God has raised Him from the dead), comprise the “vine” from which the fruit of the Holy Spirit should emerge – 9 attributes that distinguish followers of Messiah Jesus as “Messiah-like.” (Galatians 5:22)

But, lest the Church get haughty, we must remember the point of Ezekiel’s message: God will punish His own!! As my Messianic Jewish friend says to his Gentile Christian counterparts,  “If rebuke happened to us (Jews), it could happen to YOU (Christians)!”

“For thus says the Lord God: “How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it? Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord God.” Ezekiel 14:21-23 (NKJV)

Once again, Ezekiel receives a visit from some of the exiled elders in Babylon. We might assume that these elders would be in better shape than their counterparts in war-torn Jerusalem, but that would be a false assumption. They, too, worshipped their idols, even though it was in secret, “in their hearts.” No doubt, living in Babylon brought its own sources of temptation to idolatry. One thing is sure: Idolatry cannot be hidden from God. He sees into our hearts and reads us like the proverbial “open book.”

Idolatry is a covenant violation, and as such, it is cursed. Idolaters are guilty of separating themselves from God, the opposite of what it meant to be “covenanted.” Since the idolaters had cut themselves off from God (all the while attempting to have the “best of both worlds” by hiding their idolatry), God cut his covenant with them. He literally released them from the covenant to fend for themselves, now with God’s face against them.

What if a true prophet is enticed into accepting a bribe that the idolater offers? He, too, is cut off. The lure of money could entice even true prophets. Many Christian workers’ usefulness has been curtailed by the love of the “idol’s bribe.” No wonder Paul addressed Timothy:

“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV)

God purifies believers so that His true people might emerge bearing the covenant relationship of fellowship with Him: “They will be My people, and I will be their God.” Undoubtedly, this whole process must have deeply hurt Ezekiel personally because God concludes today’s chapter with a Word of encouragement - there will be a Remnant!

Even if Ezekiel’s listeners were initially skeptical about the fairness of God’s actions toward Judah, when the second wave of exiles came among them, they would see that God's punishments had been right for the prevailing ungodliness of these people. They would be consoled regarding the disaster, and they would testify to the rightness of God’s actions. Will the same be said of us whenever God is finished “sifting” America? More importantly, will Americans say that the Lord was right in allowing our country to suffer to expose our idolatry?

“The Word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the Word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing. Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. You did not go up to the gaps or restore the wall around the house of Israel so that it might stand in battle on the day of the Lord. They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim, ‘This is the Lord’s declaration,’ when the Lord did not send them, yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message.’” Ezekiel 13:1-6 (HCSB)

I have met my fair share of know-it-alls in my life, but I have met very few folks who actually know it all! Perhaps the worst kind of know-it-all is the person who claims to be an expert on the Bible and speaks on the authority of God yet puts forth (as truth) things the Bible clearly opposes. That is what the Bible calls a “false prophet.”

Before we dig deeper into today’s passage of Scripture, it is important to understand what Biblical prophecy is in our generation. The apostle Paul said we should desire prophecy above all spiritual gifts.

“Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1 (HCSB)

So, what is this prophecy Paul is saying we should pursue? First, it does not predict new future Biblical events, per se. It is also not the process of writing new books of the Bible. Modern-day prophecy for believers is simply the Spirit-enabled ability to read and understand God’s Word. Upon salvation, every new follower of Jesus is given the gift of the Holy Spirit. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to reveal the truth of God’s Word. Paul exhorted the Messianic community in Corinth to seek God’s revelation through His Word. This is precisely what Spirit-filled believers do when they read God’s Word, and He allows them to understand it, contextualize it within the times in which we live, apply it to our lives, and share that revelation with others.

So, what is a false prophet? A false prophet is anyone who, apart from the Spirit’s revelation of God’s perfect Word, claims to speak on behalf of God. What is so dangerous about that? It gets well-meaning Believers to hope in things God never promised!

“Delayed hope makes the heart sick, but fulfilled desire is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 (HCSB)

The danger of false hope is that we genuinely believe the Lord has spoken through the (unbeknownst to us) false prophet. When the prophecy is not fulfilled, we blame God! Our trust in Him is strained. That is why WE must read the Word for ourselves, as the Holy Spirit, to reveal its truth and live according to its revelation.

“Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, look, the house of Israel is saying, “The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.” Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “None of My words will be postponed anymore, but the word which I speak will be done,” says the Lord God.’” Ezekiel 12:26-28 (NKJV)

Warnings about the future often go unheeded. At least, that’s what happens when I promise to discipline my kids if they don’t clean their rooms! For many years, we have become familiar with forecasts of doom for planet Earth unless mankind curbs its wastefulness. Al Gore once considered himself the World’s prophetic spokesman concerning global warming. In response to his message, millions of Americans decided to go “green,” trying to do their part to try and stave off a fiery climate-driven apocalypse. Yet, notice how many people would rather go “green” than humble themselves to receive salvation and escape the coming Day of the Lord.

Isaiah cried out, “Who has believed our message?” (Isaiah 53:1). Things were no different in Ezekiel’s day.

In the words of Charles Spurgeon, “Men display great ingenuity in making excuses for rejecting the message of God’s love. They display marvelous skill, not in seeking salvation, but in fashioning reasons for refusing it; they are dexterous in avoiding grace and in securing their own ruin. They hold up first the sword and then the shield to ward off the gracious arrows of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which are only meant to slay the deadly sins which lurk in their bosoms.” This was precisely Ezekiel’s experience.

One section of Ezekiel’s culture derided his message, while the other postponed acting on it urgently, passing its curses on to another generation. Perhaps the biggest lie of the enemy is not that there is no God or Heaven but that there is no urgency for people to choose to follow Jesus now. In short, the Devil’s biggest lie is that men have more time to determine whether they will follow God’s Word. This was the message of Jerusalem’s false prophets in today’s passage, those men who claimed to speak on God’s behalf. They said, “Ezekiel’s words are true, but not for our generation. The destruction he prophesies is far off.”

The same lie is alive and well in our culture. Sadly, similar destruction is awaiting those who refuse to trust in the Messiah Jesus. Some people reject the Gospel as foolishness, while others intend to follow Jesus at a more convenient time. I get it. I grew up around the Church and heard people saying, “Jesus is coming!” And I would answer, “When is He coming? Probably not today.” But, by God’s grace, I heard the gospel one night and felt my heart respond, “I believe!” And I have committed my life to follow Him and share the Gospel, repeating Ezekiel’s message: ‘Repent! For the Day of the Lord is coming…”

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Ezekiel 11. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.” Ezekiel 10:18-19 (NKJV)

At one time, I lived in a neighborhood where the homes were built in the 1950s, so I know that termites eventually make their way into every residence. One morning, on my way to a coffeehouse where I studied my Bible, I noticed a house in my neighborhood had been “tented” by an exterminating company. When termites are discovered, the worst-case scenario is that the owners must evacuate the structure for a weekend while exterminators cover the home with a tent and fill the house with potent gaseous pesticides. After the smoke clears (literally), the occupants may return home.

This is a good picture of what today’s chapter is communicating. Because of the nagging destructive presence of sin in His house, God is leaving home for a God-sized weekend while His “exterminators” get to work. What needs to be grasped is that this is worse than any of God’s judgments thus far. The presence of a God who judges, however terrible His rebuke, is indeed preferable to the absence of God and His mercy!!

God’s presence is His most treasured gift. It is at the heart of His promises, i.e., He “covenants” to His people. “You are with me,” David says in Psalm 23:4, and we get the sense that it was the truth that David cherished most. Other Bible writers echoed that thought: God is with us (Matthew 28:20), around us (Psalm 34:7; 139:5), in us (John 14:7), in the midst of us (Psalm 46:5), underneath us (Deuteronomy 33:27), near us (Psalm 148:14) and before us (John 10:4).  

Most importantly, He promises never to leave or forsake His faithful children:  

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

In essence, because God is everywhere, He can never really leave. Even so, some aspects of God’s presence may well be withdrawn, even from God’s people. He may remove all perception of visibility so that we may not feel it even though He is present. He may decide to withdraw His help – as Samson discovered with Delilah. But what happens here in Ezekiel 10 is of a different order. Here, God is withdrawing from His “Temple,” the place where the people went for comfort.

Today’s chapter gives us better insight as to the seriousness of God’s warnings in Revelation 3:12-17, where God threatens to fight against the Pergamum church because of their moral and spiritual deviances, and in Revelation 3:14-22, where He threatens to “spit” the Laodicean church out of His mouth. Not all who say, “Lord! Lord!” follow Him as He requires regarding salvation. (Matthew 7:21) God clearly distinguishes between His true Church and the “synagogues of Satan” (Revelation 2:9; 3:9). In such cases, where the congregation ceases to be “His” in their practices, Ichabod, God departs.

“So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?’ Then He said to me, ‘The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!’ And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.’ Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, ‘I have done as You commanded me.’” Ezekiel 9:8-11 (NKJV)

When a newspaper wrongly published in advance an obituary of Mark Twain, he wrote in the paper the next day, “News of my death had been greatly exaggerated.” In contrast, Judah’s obituary was no exaggeration. The fall of Israel in the 8th century B.C. and that of Judah in the sixth century B.C. are foretastes of the coming of another day, the Day of the Lord.  John saw this day and warned of it.

“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15 (NASB)

Ezekiel has been taken from the banks of the Kebar River in Babylon to the Temple in Jerusalem. There, he showed how far the Israelites had fallen from their true faith. Their worship had become thoroughly idolatrous. God’s patience had run out. Executioners had done their work. First to fall were the elders and then the city itself. The destroyers showed no pity. The Day of Judgment had arrived…and what a day it was. Ezekiel prophesied the death of Jerusalem. This had been Judah’s obituary – in advance!

Every follower of Jesus should have the burden of lost souls that Ezekiel had. The certainty of judgment should make us all fall on our knees and plead that souls be gathered into God’s Kingdom. Ezekiel laid hold, not of God’s reluctance, but His willingness and promise to save.

The return of the seventh angel, having accomplished what he had been asked to perform, indicates that the wrath is tempered with mercy. It is a further incentive for us to pray, knowing that, unlike the prayers of the unbeliever, God hears the prayers of His children.

“Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.” Ezekiel 8:18 (NKJV)

By “children,” of course, the Bible talks of those who follow the Lord, as He requires, through faith in the Messiah and obedience to His Word.

“Jesus answered, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.’” John 14:23 (HCSB)

“He asked me, ‘Human being, have you seen this? Does the house of Judah consider it a casual matter that they commit the disgusting practices they are committing here, thus filling the land with violence, provoking Me still more? Look! They are even putting the branch to their nose! Therefore, I will act in fury, My eye will not spare; I will have no pity. Even if they cry loudly right in My ears, I will not listen to them.’” Ezekiel 8:17-18 (CJB)

Show me a man who sees his wife in the arms of another man, and he doesn’t get jealous, and I’ll show you a man who doesn’t love his wife. God has found His “wife,” the Jewish people, in the arms of foreign gods. And He is extremely jealous!

God asks Ezekiel, “Does the house of Judah consider it a casual matter…?”  With God, there is no such thing as “casual sex,” so to speak. But to many in Israel, it seemed trivial to go after foreign gods—no big deal.

In our generation, the idea of Biblical idols/deities seems strange. But what if we substitute ancient idols with sports mascots, a flag, or an automobile insignia? On their own, these things may mean nothing. But, collectively, they represent a set of beliefs about life itself. Yes, we also ascribe power to inanimate objects, which belong solely to God. We are not far removed from Ezekiel’s vision.

Consider Darwinian evolution and how it is worshipped in most classrooms as the origin of all that exists; it is, in essence, worship of nature’s powers. “Evolution” differs very little from what the women wailed about beside the north gate of the temple in Jerusalem. Have you checked your horoscope lately? Astrology is nothing short of worship of the (supposed) powers of the stars. And, of course, secular humanism is the worship of the accomplishments of contemporary man.

Whatever the idol, God finds it “detestable.” Idols are a stench in His nose. Consequently, the Lord promises swift punishment. Though God’s people may cry out in prayer under their penalty, God declares that He will not hear them:

“Therefore, I will act in fury, My eye will not spare; I will have no pity. Even if they cry out loudly right in My ears, I will not listen to them.” Ezekiel 8:18 (CJB)

God has been provoked to anger; His jealousy aroused. God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Yet, He does not leave the guilty unpunished. (Exodus 34:6-7) God’s anger is not a fit of irrational temper, and His judgment is not ruthless and mechanical fate. Nevertheless, His anger & judgment are real, and to prove it, there comes the point where He says, “Enough!”  

There will come a day when God’s patience will run out with this world. The sad fact is that while salvation comes exclusively through Jesus and is offered to anyone who would accept it, many will refuse to repent and receive it. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, that He might lift you up and spare you from that terrible day.

“Those who survive will escape and be on the mountains Like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, Each for his iniquity. Every hand will be feeble, and every knee will be as weak as water. They will also be girded with sackcloth; Horror will cover them; Shame will be on every face, Baldness on all their heads. ‘They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like refuse; Their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord; They will not satisfy their souls, Nor fill their stomachs, Because it became their stumbling block of iniquity.” Ezekiel 7:16-19 (NKJV)

Chapters 6 and 7 have focused principally on the reality and nature of God’s wrath. God is angry with Israel because of their sin, particularly their idolatry. There can be no truce between God and sin. When He sees lawlessness and Godlessness, He must react with holy anger. It is His very nature to honor holiness and punish sin. Were God to be without anger toward sin, the World would have no meaning.  

But all is not doomed in these chapters. God had an unavoidable purpose, which nothing can destroy – not even the unfaithfulness of Israel! What emerges from today’s chapter of judgment is a theology of Grace…and we must not lose sight of it.  

A remnant will be saved despite their spiritual adultery. So, what explains that God perseveres with the constant, unrelenting grumblers of Moses’ day or the thankless apostate people of the seventh and eighth century BC...or us for that matter? It can only be His promise of Grace! As I often say, two things confound a fool: How slow God is to judge sin and how quickly He shows up. Even up to the siege of Jerusalem, the people simply would not believe God would allow His people to fall.

How could this be so? Because the people had abandoned God’s Word and followed after idols. Sure, the Temple was still standing, and many of the forms of worship seemed to follow the methods prescribed by Moses, but they had abandoned their God. Whenever we depart from God’s Word, even the slightest, Satan gets his foot into the doorway of your theology. To not trust in God is only to trust in Satan. Step away from God’s Word, and even if you follow a God-themed religion, you have departed from the real thing.

We are wrong if we simply see the God of the Tanakh (Old Testament) as a God of judgment. His judgment is swift and decisive, but only after His gracious patience, kindness, and longsuffering. Even when every Israelite and Judean was worthy of destruction, God allowed a remnant to survive for the sake of His name and His merciful promise.

Though these chapters are tough and unrelenting, the message of Grace shines in the remnant. It is a remnant that God, and God alone, rescues. This is not just the story that Ezekiel tells; it is the gospel itself that threads its way from Genesis to Revelation.

“The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am YHWH. Yet I will leave a remnant when you are scattered among the nations, for throughout the countries there will be some of you who will escape the sword. Then your survivors will remember Me among the nations where they are taken captive, how I was crushed by their promiscuous hearts that turned away from Me and by their eyes that lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves because of the evil things they did, their detestable practices of every kind. And they will know that I am the Lord; I did not threaten to bring this disaster on them without a reason.” Ezekiel 6:7-10 (HCSB)

In recent years, there has been a movement among parenting circles not to spank children. I say “recent years” because when I was growing up, I remember getting spanked all the time, in public, whenever necessary. I remember people patting my parents on the back and applauding them for disciplining my siblings and me. But, if a parent were to spank a child in public these days, there is a high probability that someone would call the police, and the child would be taken into protective custody. An investigation would be conducted on whether they were fit to raise children.  

I am not advocating abusing children. It’s just that there are times when harsh discipline is necessary for the healthy long-term development of children so they transition into law-abiding adults. If you do not believe in the potential necessity of harsh discipline (with the ultimate goodwill of the one undergoing harsh discipline in mind), you will not understand what God is doing to Israel. And you will not understand how a massive reckoning is in store for our generation. Why would God allow Israel and Judah to be defeated and driven from their land? Because they had abandoned His Word. And not just the average Jew. From the pulpit, the whole community was corrupted as God’s Word had been compromised.

“For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is making profit dishonestly. From prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have treated My people’s brokenness superficially, claiming, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” Jeremiah 6:13-14 (HCSB)

The message of the false prophets was simple: God is only a God of GRACE and not of JUDGMENT. “Peace, peace!” had replaced God’s standard of personal holiness and His hatred of sin. They preached a false hope, assuming that God is a pushover Who is not concerned with the faithfulness of His people. Paul warned the early Messianic community about a coming day that would be just like the days of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. And we see that day quickly approaching!

“About the times and the seasons: Brothers, you do not need anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘Peace and security,’ then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains come on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 (HCSB)

“And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber’s razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair. You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them. You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment. Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From there, a fire will go out into all the houses of Israel. Thus says the Lord God: ‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her. She has rebelled against My judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes.’” Ezekiel 5:1-6 (HCSB)

Those of us who get weary of what God asks us to do should remember what He asked the prophets to do in His name. Then, we should consider closely the words of Paul:

“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1 (NKJV)

To imagine doing Ezekiel’s job for even a few days is difficult, but Ezekiel’s faithfulness shines in his willingness to do the same task every day for over a year! We might be called upon to perform many tasks that may be regarded as humdrum and others that might attract ridicule from an unbelieving world. But God calls us to be faithful, even if that means becoming fools on behalf of the Gospel.

“We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!” 1 Corinthians 4:10 (NKJV)

God hates sin. And how had His people sinned? They turned their backs on God and His covenant – a covenant in which the warnings that those who disobeyed it would incur its curses. (Deuteronomy 27, 28) Those who serve other gods are guilty of violating the purpose for which they were created. At the time of today’s chapter, Jerusalem’s destruction was only five years away, and it was the direct result of the people’s sin. In light of that harsh truth, we can appreciate God’s love for us and Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on our behalf.

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NIV)

As sure as the destruction of Jerusalem was prophesied and fulfilled with complete accuracy, so too will the prophecies of the Day of the Lord in the Book of Revelation come to pass. Will you choose to be a rebel or participate in the Remnant?

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Ezekiel 4. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

"Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days. Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, "You shall surely die," and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.'" Ezekiel 3:15-19 (NKJV)

They say everyone wants to be their own boss until they open their own small business! The same seems to be true of followers of God. We want to obey Him until He tells us to do something that makes us feel uncomfortable. Ezekiel knew what that felt like. In response to God's call on his life, Ezekiel nursed his anger for seven days.

And what was God's call on Ezekiel's life? To be the channel through which God's Word comes to a rebellious people. The expression, "the word of the Lord came to me," occurs fifty times in the book of Ezekiel. By this, we know that it is important to God that people walk with Him personally through His Word. As a matter of fact, Jesus was the personification of the Word of the Lord. (John 1) In essence, having a saving relationship with Jesus is a saving relationship with the Word-made flesh.  

Why so few professing followers of Jesus read the Bible is beyond me! If God's Word is so important, perhaps the question for our generation should be, "How intently do we seek the Word of the Lord?"  

There comes a time when we must stop thinking about how we feel and get on with doing what God wants us to do. God wanted Ezekiel to become a watchman. The duties of a watchman included standing on the city's ramparts, watching for the coming of invaders, and quickly blowing a trumpet to warn the entire city of the onset of danger. Ezekiel's commission contained a sign of God's continued favor for His covenant people. No matter how great their sin, He would not abandon them entirely. Even in Babylonian exile, God gave Israel a "town crier" to warn them of dangers and summon them to action.

As "watchman," Ezekiel's task lay in two directions: to the "wicked" and the "righteous." Under the ministry of the prophets, the people were called to true repentance and to return to God. The call to repentance focused on God's covenant with them. But the deeper message of Ezekiel's calling was not simply to return people to the covenant of God but to return them to the God of the covenant.

These daily devotionals exist primarily to return believers to an ongoing personal relationship with God through His Word. The hope is that people would discover what it means to really KNOW Him and that they would share Him with others.

"The children are obstinate and hard-hearted. I am sending you to them and you must say to them: 'This is what the Lord God says'. Whether they listen or refuse to listen – for they are a rebellious house – they will know that a prophet has been among them. But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words, though briars and thorns are beside you and you live among scorpions. Don't be afraid of their words or be discouraged by the look on their faces, for they are a rebellious house. But speak My words to them whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious." Ezekiel 2:4-7 (HCSB)

There is a trend spreading through the Church these days where there is a high concern that we do not offend non-believers with the "potentially offensive" aspects of the Gospel. The goal of such a congregation would be to stress only the positive aspects of salvation (love, acceptance, forgiveness), hence making Jesus more "attractive."

"Potentially offensive" aspects of the Gospel would include mankind's sinful hopelessness in our natural state, the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus alone, or the absolute authority of Scripture. And it would extend into social items like sexual sin and abortion. The articulated reason many professing believers stay away from such topics is that they do not want to offend people and thus hinder non-believers from entering into a saving relationship with Jesus. The lingering unasked question in such circles is: When we don't share the whole truth, are people actually entering into a saving relationship with Jesus, or are they simply choosing a convenient Jesus-themed option?

Ezekiel was commanded to share the whole truth and nothing but the truth and not worry about his audience's response. We would do well to heed God's directive to Ezekiel because God's character is unchanging; He might as well be talking directly to us. In that, we can hang our faith on the old saying: If we humiliate God's Word for fear of offending our fellow man, we have offended God. Put simply: Be more concerned with your responsibility to God than man's repose to you.

We are not judged by men's response to the Gospel, only by our faithfulness to preach it. To most people, Jesus is a "Rock of offense" (1 Peter 2:8, Romans 9:33), but He is also the Rock of salvation for many others…us included. You never know who will receive the Gospel or how much they will cling to it. We only know that we are commanded to share it. We should also remember that prophets were not popular men. Not only did they have an unpopular message, but they also had the added charge of speaking primarily to the religious establishment! Still, Paul placed "prophecy" as the most precious gift, one that we can and should seek out.

"Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy." 1 Corinthians 14:1 (HCSB)

As you read the Bible, pray that God will reveal His Word and give you the boldness to share it!

“In the thirteenth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, while I was among the exiles by the Chebar Canal, the heavens opened up and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month – it was the year of king Jehoiachin’s exile – the Word of the Lord came directly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar Canal. And the Lord’s hand was on him there.” Ezekiel 1:1-3 (HCSB)

Christianity is a religion of the Word. That is why I cannot trust any congregation or religious institution that does not esteem God’s Word and vigorously exhort its congregants to read it. That is why these Bible devotionals exist. In the Bible, God has revealed all that He requires of us to know concerning Himself, His plans, and purposes. Hundreds of thousands of words, written over 1,500 years by forty-some authors, underline that words are essential to our faith.  

But in literature, a stubborn truth persists in making itself known: most people remember pictures better than words. Remember the old saying, “A picture paints a thousand words”? It is true. That is why the Bible’s writers, guided by the Holy Spirit, seasoned their words with vivid word pictures to help communicate something of the thoughts of God to the feeble minds of men. Ezekiel is full of word pictures!

G. K. Chesterton once wrote in a children’s picture book:

Stand up, and keep your childishness,

Read all the pedant’s creeds and strictures

But don’t believe in anything

That can’t be told in colored pictures!

The opening verse of Ezekiel’s book relates how, along with the text of Revelation, this prophecy is packed with intricate word sketches: “I saw visions of God.”  Colored pictures abound throughout Ezekiel’s prophecy, but as we will soon see, the images are not Ezekiel’s but God’s. More importantly, these God-given pictures need interpreting. It is a message and not a picture that Ezekiel will be called to deliver to God’s people.  

Most followers of Jesus have never read Ezekiel, figuring experts should explain such Scriptures. I say it’s time to grow up, do some thinking, and ask the Lord what He is trying to communicate to you personally. Understand that God gave His Word to share with individuals, not just scholars. It is you with whom He wants an ongoing personal relationship, not an exclusive club of PhDs.  

A word of caution, though: Pictures, without correct Biblical interpretation, are dangerous vehicles for truth. People are prone to interpret them however they want. We must remember that the book of Ezekiel is essentially Messianic. While Ezekiel begins with words of unremitting judgments, he ends with restoration and blessing, a message America could use today!

“Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their iniquities. Servants rule over us; there is none to deliver us from their hand. We get our bread at the risk of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness. Our skin is hot as an oven, because of the fever of famine. They ravished the women in Zion, the maidens in the cities of Judah. Princes were hung up by their hands, and elders were not respected. Young men ground at the millstones; boys staggered under loads of wood. The elders have ceased gathering at the gate, and the young men from their music. The joy of our heart has ceased; our dance has turned into mourning. The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! Because of this our heart is faint; because of these things our eyes grow dim; because of Mount Zion which is desolate, with foxes walking about on it.” Lamentations 5:7-18 (NKJV)

The Biblical book we know as “Lamentations” is not titled as such in the Hebrew Bible. In Hebrew, it’s called “Eicha” meaning “How?” This title makes more sense than Lamentations because simply judging Jeremiah’s book as a lamentation sells short God’s intended message of hope to the dispersed Jews, staggering in chains as they are being carried off into captivity. This is not a time to simply be emotional. It is time for God’s “Chosen” to seriously contemplate their circumstances and learn! The Jewish people were to ask themselves (for 70 years – Jeremiah 29), “HOW did this happen?”  “HOW can we keep this from getting worse?” Most importantly, they were to ask, “HOW can we be forgiven by God, possibly be repaired to a right relationship with Him, and return to the Promised Land?”

“You, O Lord, remain forever; your throne from generation to generation. Why do You forget us forever, and forsake us for so long a time? Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored; renew our days as of old, unless You have utterly rejected us, and are very angry with us!” Lamentations 5:19-22 (NKJV)

Jeremiah is speaking on behalf of the people, not necessarily his personal opinion…a national confession, as it were. Chapter 5 begins with some blame-shifting. i.e., “Our fathers sinned, and we are suffering because of their poor choices…” While that may be true to some extent, eventually, they get around to their personal choices, “Woe to us, for we have sinned!” And that confession, the recognition that we have fallen short of God’s articulated standard (His Word), is always the trigger that leads to restoration.  

Every year, religious Jews read the book of Eicha aloud. It is read softly at first. The volume of the reader’s voice builds to the climax, which is sung aloud by the entire congregation: “Turn us to you, O Lord, and we will return. Renew our days as of old.” But God has already turned, not only to the Jewish community but also to any Gentile who seeks a right relationship with Him. His desire to restore comes through Messiah, Jesus our Lord & Savior! The ball is not on God’s side of the tennis court but on OURS! We must choose Jesus because He has already chosen to redeem us!

“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.’” Zechariah 1:3 (HCSB9)

“Daughter of Zion, your punishment is complete; He will not lengthen your exile. But He will punish your iniquity, daughter of Edom, and will expose your sins.” Lamentations 4:22 (HCSB)

Mercy. You never know how great Mercy is until you need it. To refresh our memories, Grace is a free gift. Grace is getting something you do not deserve. Mercy is NOT getting what you deserve. Mercy is when we receive punishment (to teach us our transgressions are offensive) but not to the full extent of the law (to teach us the Judge still holds us to a degree of esteem, although we have transgressed).

Before he wrote Lamentations, Jeremiah delivered God’s message of Mercy to the exiles of Jerusalem. As they walked out of town (because of God’s judgment), Jeremiah sent a message of encouragement: You will someday be restored.

“I will restore the fortunes of Judah and of Israel and will rebuild them as in former times. I will purify them from all the wrongs they have committed against Me. This city will bear on My behalf a name of joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, who will hear of all the good I will do for them. They will tremble because of all the good and all the peace I will bring about for them.” Jeremiah 33:7-9 (HCSB)

While in exile, the remnant of Jerusalem must have tended to focus on the harshness of God’s rebuke. God had Daniel remind them WHY they were in exile and how it was avoidable. Yet, they refused to accept His terms of reparation.

“Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not appeased the Lord our God by turning from our iniquities and paying attention to Your truth.”  Daniel 9:13 (HCSB)

It is not difficult for followers of Jesus in our generation to look at the iniquities of our increasingly Godless nation (even Godlessness within the walls of our places of worship) and wonder if the Lord is preparing a reckoning for us soon. And what if He is? Many years before the destruction of Jerusalem, there was a king, Josiah, who was bent on restoring the Temple in Jerusalem. During the Temple renovations, the priest found the Book of the Law. When they read God’s Word to the king, he tore his robe and sought a prophet to seek the Lord on behalf of the people.

“Go. Ask YHWH for me and for those remaining in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that was found. For great is the Lord’s wrath that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord in order to do everything written in this book.” 2 Chronicles 34:21 (HCSB)

In response to Josiah’s repentance, which included him ordering the people of his kingdom to repent, the Lord told the prophet to inform Josiah He would turn back his imminent judgment. Lord, let ours be a “Josiah Generation”! We need revival!

“Remember my affliction and my homelessness, the wormwood and the poison. I continually remember them and have become depressed. Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say: The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good to wait quietly for deliverance from the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young.” Lamentations 3:19-27 (HCSB)

Lamentations 3 is the most elaborate of the lamenting elegies. It surpasses its “sisters” in spiritual value because it contains this (above) supreme expression of faith. We cannot overlook the fact that Jeremiah is personifying the nation and personifying Messiah, as he uses vivid word pictures to describe the types of sufferings that were fully realized in Jesus.

For instance, Jeremiah was led around in darkness, and the Lord seemed to have forsaken him. He describes being crushed and broken, surrounded by grief and weariness, bound with heavy chains, and thrown in a dungeon. He is one who was on a journey and blocked by “hewn stones” (an image of the Jewish leaders) and turned aside to perplexing paths. He is hunted, arrows pierce his heart, is derided by his people, and is subject to mocking songs. He feasted on bitterness and was made to drink gall. He is even denied the peace that other sufferers may come to know. These, and several other images, all foreshadow the Messiah’s suffering.

All these accounts build a passionate plea for deliverance. Here, the Lord is presented not as an enemy but a Deliverer and Friend. It is noteworthy, even from a literary point of view, that this beautiful paragraph of confident trust and spiritual instruction is the central section of the central chapter of this lament. It towers above the dark valleys of grief and despair.

In this present generation, one in which we will soon see rebuke for our personal and national sin, we must remember this beautiful promise:

“Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ Therefore, we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’ Hebrews 13:5b-6 (HCSB)

Finally, we have an exhortation to seek the Lord while we are young, and to learn to humbly follow Him.  This is so we will not be thrown into anxiety when life’s troubles come upon us later in life. That is why it is essential to read His Word daily. When we fast-track Biblical literacy, we are fast-tracking faith! (Romans 10:17)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Lamentations 2. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“My transgressions have been formed into a yoke, fastened together by His hand; they have been placed upon my neck, and the Lord has broken my strength. He has handed me over to those I cannot withstand.” Lamentations 1:14 (HCSB)

In this opening elegy, two voices are heard; the first is that of the poet (verses 1-11), and the second is that of stricken Jerusalem (verses 12-22). To arouse sympathy, Jerusalem is personified. She is represented as a widow to indicate her loneliness. The city is alone, not because she is isolated among the hills, but because her streets are silent and houses empty; the “widow” has been robbed of her children. The “princess among the provinces” is now a maidservant.

Jerusalem weeps bitter tears in the night. Her “lovers,” her former allies among the nations and their pagan gods, have proven faithless and become her enemies. Jerusalem is a sad metaphor for what happens to all who depart from God’s Word and set out on their own, seeking to establish for themselves that which only God can provide.

So precisely instructive are the lessons of “Lamentations” that every chapter has 22 lines, corresponding with the 22-letter Hebrew alphabet. Chances are, even your own Bible has the Hebrew letters above every stanza. The idea is that when Jewish children were learning to spell, as part of their curriculum, they would memorize the Book of Lamentations. Every Hebrew letter, then, became a reminder of the consequences of sin. We learn: “A” is for “Apple.”  They would learn: “Alef” is for “How she sits alone, the city once crowded with people! She, who was great among the nations, has become like a widow. The princess among the provinces has become a slave.”

In today’s passage, it is with THAT knowledge that EVERY Hebrew learned to read by the primer of Lamentations so that we can better understand the gravity that Jesus’ words would have had upon the hearers of His day. They would have known the book of Lamentations by memory; thus, they were completely aware of what Jesus meant when He said:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)

As with Israel’s need for restoration, the United States (and the entire world, for that matter) is in disrepair and in dire need to be repaired to God through Messiah Jesus. True to Chapter 5, Messiah came to establish restoration. Are you suffering under the heavy hand of God’s rebuke of your sin? Do not rebel against Him! (Hebrews 3:8-19) It didn’t work the first time, and it will never work out well, in the end, for those who depart from His instruction. Surrender your will to Him and let Him lead you to that place of rest.

“On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, Evil-Merodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign, pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from the prison. He spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and he dined regularly in the presence of the king of Babylon for the rest of his life. As for his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, for the rest of his life.” Jeremiah 52:31-34 (HCSB)

They say a story’s not a legend ‘till it ends. The last chapter of Jeremiah’s prophecy is in the form of a historical re-telling. It is a short story because its substance has already been relayed. (Jeremiah 39, 2 Kings 24:18 – 25:30)  It is a sad story because it concerns the fall of Jerusalem and the tragic suffering of its rulers and people. It is an important story, as it is used here (to close the prophecies), for the very center of the predictions has been the destruction of the sacred city. Now, the fulfillment of prophecy justifies and vindicates the prophet whose stern words have been spoken. It is also significant that it ends with a gleam of comfort and hope.

In recording the capture of the city, special mention is made of the savage treatment given to the king. It’s true that Zedekiah was wicked and proved a treacherous servant of Nebuchadnezzar. However, it is difficult not to feel sorry for his suffering soul as he watches his sons slaughtered and then is blinded & carried in chains to Babylon to spend the rest of his years in torture and darkness. The destruction of the city, the burning of its famous Temple, the ruin of its palaces, and the dismantling of its wall form a sense of horror, while the deportation of the people leaves the impression of a desolated and ravished land.

The spoils carried away by the Chaldean commander included as its chief feature the precious furnishings of brass and gold and silver, which had been the very glory of the Temple. The final notes of cruelty depict the merciless execution by Nebuchadnezzar of the priests, nobles, and surviving defenders of the fallen city. Such atrocities were well within the characters of the Assyrian and Chaldean rulers. The small number of remaining captives carried away to Babylon indicates what havoc must have been wrought among the Jews by slaughter, famine, and pestilence during the long, hopeless months of the Babylonian siege. As Jeremiah predicted, only a “remnant” of the nation remained.

Yet through the remnant, the nation was to be preserved, renewed, and restored. Of this restoration, at least a dim hope can be found in the fate of Israel’s King, Jehoiachin.

After 37 years of captivity, he was brought out of prison, given royal honors, and seated at the table with the ruler of Babylon. Likewise, after years of discipline and suffering, the people of God were to be delivered, restored, and given the high privilege of becoming the nation in which the Savior of the World, Jesus, was to appear.

“Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and those thrust through in her streets. For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, by his God, the Lord of hosts, though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.”  Jeremiah 51:4-5 (NKJV)

In the Divided Kingdom era of the Hebrew people, both the Northern Kingdom (aka Israel) and The Southern Kingdom (aka Judah) were conquered and sent into exile. So, had God un-chosen His “Chosen People”? By no means! The rebuke of God does not mean the rejection of God for believers, although it may seem like it at times!

Today’s chapter focuses on the judgment of the mother of all idolaters: Babylon. God is telling His people to leave Babylon because He is about to destroy her and her idolatrous, spiritually fornicating ways. He likens Babylon to a whore who entices men by getting them drunk.

“Flee from the midst of Babylon, and every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, for this is the time for the Lord’s vengeance; He shall recompense her. Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations are deranged. Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed. Wail for her!”  Jeremiah 51:6-8a (NKJV)

Babylon is mentioned as a “golden cup in the Lord’s hand,” but that does not mean God endorsed her ways. He simply allowed those who refused to turn to Him to turn to Babylon’s idolatry. Even in this, we see God’s grace in that He allows us to pursue our sins so that we can come to the end of ourselves. Consider our nation’s present moral compromise. Perhaps, when we reach rock bottom, we will turn from our sin and receive His forgiveness through Messiah Jesus. In the light of Jeremiah’s prophecy, consider John’s words about Babylon in the Revelation:

“After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. He cried in a mighty voice: It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a dwelling for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, and a haunt for every unclean and despicable beast. For all the nations have drunk the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath. The kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from her excessive luxury. Then I heard another voice from heaven: Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues. For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Pay her back the way she also paid, and double it according to her works. In the cup in which she mixed, mix a double portion for her. As much as she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, give her that much torment and grief, for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen; I am not a widow, and I will never see grief.’ For this reason her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine. She will be burned up with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.” Revelation 18:1-8 (HCSB)

“Call together the archers against Babylon. All you who bend the bow, encamp against it all around; let none of them escape. Repay her according to her work; according to all she has done, do to her; for she has been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel. Therefore her young men shall fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day,” says the Lord. “Behold, I am against you, O most haughty one!” says the Lord God of hosts; “For your day has come, the time that I will punish you. The most proud shall stumble and fall, and no one will raise him up; I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it will devour all around him.” Jeremiah 50:29-32 (NKJV)

The Lord allowed the damage that the culture of Babylon had inflicted on the people of Israel (through seductive idolatry – aka spiritual adultery) to physically manifest itself on the Jewish people by their being conquered by the kingdom of Babylon. If Judah were to forsake God for Babylonian idols, then the Lord would withdraw His protection and allow them to live under Babylonian pagan taskmasters! While the kingdom of Babylon was destroyed thousands of years ago, its idolatrous enticements are still seducing God’s people today. Just as Babylon was judged in the Bible, so the lingering “whore” who entices mankind away from following the Lord (Mystery of Babylon) awaits judgment in the last days.

“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.’ So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.  The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.” Revelation 17:1-6 (NKJV)

But a remnant of the “Chosen” people will again choose God! (Jerimiah 50:4-5; Rev 7:4)

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘The children of Israel were oppressed, along with the children of Judah; all who took them captive have held them fast; they have refused to let them go. Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is His name. He will thoroughly plead their case, that He may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.’” Jeremiah 50:33-34 (NKJV)

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1 (NKJV)

“Against the Ammonites. Thus, says the Lord: ‘Has Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why then does Milcom (Molech) inherit Gad, and his people dwell in its cities? Therefore behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will cause to be heard an alarm of war in Rabbah of the Ammonites; it shall be a desolate mound, and her villages shall be burned with fire. Then Israel shall take possession of his inheritance,’ says the Lord.” Jeremiah 49:1-2 (NKJV)

Every kid loves a "snow day." For you people living in Hawaii or Los Angeles who may not know, a snow day is when children don’t have to go to school because the icy roads are deemed too dangerous for school buses. One year, when I was in Jr High, my friend Jeff and I were making the most of our snow day by throwing snowballs at cars driving by.   Most people would laugh, honk and wave when we hit their cars, but one guy got very angry! He got out of his car and chased us through the neighborhood. When Jeff and I decided to split up, the psycho driver chose to chase me! Like any scared kid, I ran home. I figured I would be safe if I could lock myself in my house. I made it home, hopped the fence, and shot straight for my back door, but it was locked! Then the psycho driver hopped my fence! No bueno!

Just when I thought all was lost, my mom looked out the window and saw an angry stranger about to attack her son. Immediately, the pursuer was being pursued by a butcher’s knife-wielding mom!! When my father got home, he already knew the whole story. Apparently, my snowball had struck one of his company cars. The psycho driver was one of my dad’s co-workers. I got a spanking for disrespecting other people’s (aka company) property. And my dad was right. I deserved it.

If you can understand that story, perhaps you can understand how God was justified in His punishment of Israel’s idolatry, as well as in His punishing Ammon, whom He used to punish Israel’s idolatry. It was the people of Ammon who had enticed Israel to sin with their false idol worship of Molech in the first place. And worship of Molech was particularly evil.

“You are not to make any of your children pass through the fire to Molech. Do not profane the name of your God; I am YHWH.”  Leviticus 18:21 (HCSB)

Israel had chosen to turn away from God and His Word, choosing to affiliate with worldly Ammon, to the point where they were sacrificing their children to Ammon’s false god, Molech, by burning them! Lest we get self-righteous, consider who many followers of Jesus seek to justify abortion in our generation.  

But was God done with Israel? No! He sought to punish them by the same people they idolized, but He also sought justice on their behalf. And that is the difference between God’s rebuke of His children and His punishment of unbelievers: Mercy. God loves His own, even though He does not condone all their behavior. Choose Him today! His grace is offered to all who, by faith in Jesus, would believe.

“The one who does the Lord’s business deceitfully is cursed, and the one who withholds his sword from bloodshed is cursed. Moab has been left quiet since his youth, settled like wine on its dregs. He hasn’t been poured from one container to another or gone into exile. So his taste has remained the same, and his aroma hasn’t changed. Therefore look, the days are coming— this is the Lord’s declaration when I will send those to him, who will pour him out. They will empty his containers and smash his jars. Moab will be put to shame because of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was put to shame because of Bethel that they trusted in.” Jeremiah 48:10-13 (HCSB)

There is always a war going on somewhere. Even if you are not a member of the armed forces, you have to recognize at least you are a citizen of a country that is pretty much always at war with someone all of the time. I’m not a professional “warrior,” but I know that soldiers amid battle do not take their jobs lightly. And those who do have a higher probability of becoming casualties. No, warfare demands the blood of the enemy before they spill yours.

Today’s passage begins with a reminder that we are in the midst of spiritual warfare. That is, we must realize that Satan is our mortal enemy, and sin is his weapon. He will never cease his efforts to kill us. So, why do we keep trying to negotiate peace with our sins, searching for a compromise that will allow us to retain “pet” sins, taking the Lord’s business carelessly?  

You see, the Lord, alone, is holy. His “business” is making His holiness known, and He will not stand for anyone (or anything) to steal the worship that is rightfully His. By tempting us to sin, Satan seeks to steal worship from God, separating us from the Lord. If we are truly to be about the Lord’s business, then our business should be comprised of 1) directing worship towards Him, and 2) doing away with sin in our lives.  

The sin that Moab, Israel, and the nations were judged for was idolatry. Moab had abundant money, power, and resources, and they attributed their success to their “non-god” Chemosh. Each nation had their “homegrown” gods, and Israel worshiped pagan gods (both foreign and of their own design) at Bethel.

God’s indictment was that they had all taken His business carelessly and withheld His Word (the sword) from its rightful task, which is intended to drive sin out of our lives...killing it, as it were.

So, how seriously are you taking the Lord’s business in your life? Are you seeking His Word daily? Do you allow it to embolden you to trust God and put away your idols, those things you ascribe power and worship to, instead of God?

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Jeremiah 47. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“But you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid, and do not be discouraged, Israel, for without fail I will save you from far away and your descendants, from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return and have calm and quiet with no one to frighten him. And you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid—this is the Lord’s declaration—for I will be with you. I will bring destruction on all the nations where I have banished you, but I will not bring destruction on you. I will discipline you with justice, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.” Jeremiah 46:27-28 (HCSB)

Let’s refresh our memories on the Jewish people's history after King Solomon's reign. Solomon was succeeded by his son, Rehoboam. After his coronation, the elders of the kingdom assembled to ask Rehoboam if he would be hard on them or if he would ease their labor. Instead of heeding Solomon's former advisors' advice (to lighten the people’s burdens), Rehoboam sought advice from his young, who encouraged Rehoboam to increase their burdens.

At that time, a leader named Jeroboam arose and convinced ten of Israel’s twelve tribes to follow him. To entice the people, he built two golden calves for them to worship instead of worshipping at the temple in Jerusalem. This entered the era in Jewish history called the “Divided Kingdom.”  Henceforth, in Scripture, the Jewish people were split into Northern and Southern kingdoms. The Northern Kingdom (aka Israel) was comprised of ten tribes. The Southern Kingdom (aka Judah) was comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, plus a small number of people from the other ten tribes who defected to Judah to worship God in Jerusalem.

Because the Northern kingdom of Israel departed straightway into idolatry, their eventual demise came swifter than the Southern kingdom of Judah’s demise. Assyria defeated Israel, deporting its inhabitants to other nations while filling the Northern land with foreigners from other nations Assyria had defeated. At that time, God allowed Assyria to destroy and defeat only as far as Jerusalem in the kingdom of Judah. He spared Judah because of the faithful prayers of its king, Hezekiah. After Hezekiah’s death, the bulk of Judah’s kings led the people deeper into idolatry. So, God eventually judged Judah as he judged Israel. God will not be mocked!  

Judah’s idolatry was more sophisticated. It developed as worldliness crept into Torah-observant YHWH worship. Eventually, God judged Judah as He had judged Israel through Assyrian defeat. But this time, His tool of rebuke was Babylon.

Today’s chapter begins with God’s stern declaration to the inhabitants of Judah that because they sought refuge from Babylon in an Egyptian alliance, instead of repenting and seeking God, they would be destroyed by Babylon in Egypt! But the chapter ends with a kind word to the exiled Northern Kingdom of Israel: Their time of exile would soon end. They would someday be restored to the land! God rebukes His children, and sometimes very sternly. But His mercy to His children is that His rebuke does not last forever! God, judge our nation, but in Your mercy.

“This is the word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch son of Neriah when he wrote these words on a scroll at Jeremiah’s dictation in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Joash, king of Judah: This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says to you, Baruch: You have said, ‘Woe is me because the Lord had added misery to my pain. I am worn out with groaning and have found no rest.’” Jeremiah 45:1-3 (HCSB)

Biblical authors do not always report God’s Word in chronological order. Often, they skip around as the Lord leads, much like a teenager tells a story. Today’s chapter can best be understood through the lens of chapter 36, which puts today’s chapter in its proper timeline.

“In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations from the time I first spoke to you during Josiah’s reign until today.’…  So Jeremiah summoned Baruch, son of Neriah. At Jeremiah’s dictation, Baruch wrote on a scroll all the words the Lord had spoken to Jeremiah. Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, ‘I am restricted; I cannot enter the temple of the Lord, so you must go and read from the scroll which you wrote at my dictation – the words of the Lord in the hearing of the people at the temple of the Lord on a day of fasting.’” Jeremiah 36:1-2, 4-6a (HCSB)

Enemies of God’s Word are always out to silence it. At this time, Jeremiah was held captive and barred from entering the Temple. Jeremiah was banned from the Temple because he was prophesying God’s Word to the people, and Judah’s King and his officials would not accept it. Of course, nothing can silence God, so Baruch was summoned to be Jeremiah’s (i.e., God’s) mouthpiece. Lesson: Kill the prophet, and God will raise up another. That’s a great idea, as long as your name is not Baruch!

Baruch had the opportunity and responsibility of carrying God’s Word, unsupervised, to the Temple. This posed an opportunity for the young Baruch to compromise to “save face” with his colleagues at the Temple. This was such a temptation for Baruch that the Lord decided it was necessary to give him a warning at the onset of his calling.  

“This is what you are to say to him: This is what the Lord says: ‘What I have built, I am about to demolish, and what I have planted I am about to uproot – the whole land! But as for you, do you seek great things for yourself? Stop seeking! For I am about to bring disaster on every living creature’ – this is the Lord’s declaration – ‘but I will grant you your life like the spoils of war wherever you go.’” Jeremiah 45:4-5 (HCSB)

So, what is our takeaway? It is of utmost importance to God that we receive His Word and deliver it to people without compromising. We should not be concerned with whether people are offended by our gospel message. We should be concerned with offending God by watering down what He has called us to share!

“But Jeremiah responded to all the people – the men, women, and all the people who were answering him – saying, ‘As for the incense you burned in Judah’s cities and in Jerusalem’s streets – you, your fathers, your kings, your officials, and the people of the land – did the Lord not remember them? He brought this to mind. The Lord can no longer bear your evil deeds and the detestable acts you have committed, so your land has become a waste, a desolation, and an object of cursing, without inhabitant, as you see today.’” Jeremiah 44:22-23 (HCSB)

Today’s dialogue between Jeremiah and the evil, idolatrous remnant of Judah is similar to the apostle Peter’s exhortation to the dispersed Jews (and young-in-the-faith believers) of his time. For instance, Jeremiah preached that God’s patience should not be misconstrued as approval of their idolatry. Furthermore, Peter exhorts that God’s slowness does not mean He will not keep His promises. Both Jeremiah and Peter send a clear and relevant message to us: Know & obey the Word of the Lord!

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

“‘This will be a sign to you’ – the Lord’s declaration – ‘that I am about to punish you in this place, so you may know that My words of disaster concerning you will certainly come to pass. This is what the Lord says, ‘I am about to hand over Pharaoh Hophra, Egypt’s king, to his enemies, to those who want to take his life, just as I handed over Judah’s King Zedekiah to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, who was his enemy, the one who wanted to take his life.’” Jeremiah 44:29-30 (HCSB)

“But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for and earnestly desire the coming of the day of God. The heavens will be on fire and be dissolved because of it, and the elements will melt with the heat.” 2 Peter 3:10-12 (HCSB)

“I will punish those living in the land of Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem by sword, famine, and plague. Then a remnant of Judah – those going to live for a while there in the land of Egypt – will have no fugitive or survivor to return to the land of Judah, where they are longing to return to live, for they will not return except for a few refugees.”  Jeremiah 44:13-14 (HCSB)

“But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.” 2 Peter 3:13-14 (NIV)

“Now it happened, when Jeremiah had stopped speaking to all the people all the words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, all these words, that Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, ‘You speak falsely! The Lord our 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 into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon.’  So Johanan the son of Kareah, 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.” Jeremiah 43:1-4 (NKJV)

Why do you seek the Lord? A UCLA study on the rise of spirituality on college campuses showed that 87% of college students seek the Lord for what He can do for them. That means only 13% of college students pursue spirituality to learn what God requires of them. Is it any wonder that non-believers perceive Christians as being self-focused and uncaring? Of course, when we become the central focus of our worship, it is impossible to be others-. Self-focused worship is contrary to the teaching of Jesus.

“Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. And He said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called “benefactors.” But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.’” Luke 22:24-27 (NKJV)

When our worship is focused on pleasing ourselves, we cease to please the Lord, who calls us to live selflessly. And self-focused worship causes us to trust in worldly ways & means for protection & provision. (Idolatry)  Selfish believers (oxymoron) refuse to see, forsaking to submit to God’s Word by merely obeying it half-heartedly.  

“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”’” Revelation 3:14-16 (NKJV)

The inhabitants of Judah followed the Lord half-heartedly. They wanted His blessing but denied Him their faithfulness. That led them to trust in worldly sources (i.e., Egypt) to supply a life they believed God was either unwilling or unable to deliver. That NEVER works out well! Rescue is only found in returning to the Lord. Do not seek the Lord vainly (half-heartedly). Deliverance does not come by escaping God’s rebuke; instead, by enduring it. Surrender your whole self to His Lordship. “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up!” (1 Peter:5-6)

“So Jeremiah the prophet said to them, ‘I have heard. I will now pray to the Lord your God according to your words, and every word that the Lord answers you I will tell you; I won’t withhold a word from you.’” Jeremiah 42:4 (HCSB)

We are living in desperate times here in the United States. More and more, the values that built our nation (primarily Judeo-Christian values) are being redefined and presented to us as if they have evolved into something Worldly to become more inclusive and tolerant. And I am amazed at how few followers of Jesus are standing up to lend a prophetic voice to our generation. Sadly, many align themselves with the World, standing against believers who adhere to God’s Word.  

Other believers are so afraid of being rejected by friends, family, and neighbors. So, while they may have Biblical answers, they withhold from sharing the whole counsel of God. In seeking not to offend people, they have no problem offending God by rejecting His directive to be His voice, even amid persecution. It may surprise you to hear that this season of history does not surprise me. The Lord told us this season would come.

“I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of His appearing and His kingdom: Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, be serious about everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:1-5 (HCSB)

The days of Jeremiah were not unlike what we are facing today. The people approached Jeremiah and asked if he would seek the Lord on their behalf, and Jeremiah agreed. But the Word of the Lord will always be at odds with compromise. God does not negotiate unless your negotiation involves surrender. At that point, you are not negotiating as much as you are aligning yourself with His Word with no further resistance.  

God’s response was gracious yet unwavering: If you will repent, I will relent. Does that mean God changed His mind? Absolutely not! God’s intent has always been clear: Follow Him, and He will bless you. Depart from Him, and He will rebuke your rebellion. When people humble themselves and return to the Lord, it is they who have changed, not God.  

Sadly, the people of Jerusalem chose to reject the Lord’s message through Jeremiah. Will the same be said of the United States? In many ways, it all depends on people like you, who must be determined to seek, obey, and share God’s Word.

“In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family one of the king’s chief officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. They ate a meal together there in Mizpah, but then Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with the sword; he killed the one the king of Babylon had appointed in the land. Ishmael also struck down all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Chaldean soldiers who were there.” Jeremiah 41:1-3 (HCSB)

Gedaliah faithfully attempted to bring some order out of the chaos resulting from Jerusalem's fall.

‍“And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath before them and their men, saying, ‘Do not fear to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you. Behold, I will live at Mizpah to serve the Chaldeans who will come to me: But you, gather your wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities which you have chosen.’” Jeremiah 40:9-10 (NKJV)

There was no doubt of the sincerity, loyalty, and wisdom of Gedaliah, but almost immediately, a plot was formed against his life. Johanan and the “leaders of the forces in the open country” reported to the governor that Ishmael, of the royal family, one of the chief officers of the king, had been sent by the ruler of the Ammonites to assassinate Gedaliah. In his naïve trust, Gedaliah did not believe the reports. Johanan even offered to protect Gedaliah by secretly killing the intending murderer. But the unsuspecting victim replied, “You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely about Ishmael.”

Gedaliah did not doubt the loyalty of Ishmael, and no one would have believed the depth of his treachery. Of course, today’s passage tells the story. Ishmael was not a man to be trusted with the life of the governor, nor the Jews in his company or the Chaldeans who were attending to the governor. The slaughter was so overwhelming that no one knew of the “murder of Gedaliah” the next day when a company of 80 pilgrims approached Mizpah.

These pilgrims exhibited signs of deep sorrow and carried offerings with them as they were on the way to Jerusalem, possibly to mourn for the destruction of the Temple. Another slaughter ensues, and seventy pilgrims are killed while the remaining ten beg for their lives, using hidden desert storehouses as bargaining chips.

So, what are we to glean from these tragic events? Desperate times lead to desperate measures. For the ungodly, their desperation leads to evil. Those who choose to follow the Lord become all the more desperate to follow Him.  

It is also important for us to not be so trusting, not just of the non-believer but also of the professing follower of Jesus. There is a simple formula for trust: Trust = Character/Time. Just because a person professes to be a believer doesn’t mean they can be fully trusted to babysit your children, for instance. If they sustain a Messiah-like character over time, then they can be entrusted with more responsibility.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Jeremiah 40. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“At Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all Judah’s nobles. Then he blinded Zedekiah and put him in bronze chains to take him to Babylon. The Chaldeans next burned down the king’s palace and the people’s houses and tore down the walls of Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards deported to Babylon the rest of the people – those who had remained in the city and those deserters who had defected to him along with the rest of the people who had remained. However, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and he gave them vineyards and fields at that time.” Jeremiah 39:6-10 (HCSB)

If we concentrate on God’s judgment of the unfaithful, we only get half of the story. What of His deliverance of the faithful? After all, that is where our hope lies.  Nebuchadnezzar’s treatment of the poor reminds us of Jesus’ words:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 (NKJV)      

“Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, “Take him and look after him, and do him no harm; but do to him just as he says to you.” So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon’s chief officers; then they sent someone to take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he dwelt among the people.” Jeremiah 39:11-14 (NKJV)

Likewise, Jesus’ words remind us of Jeremiah’s deliverance:

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:4-6 (NKJV)

“Now the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah when he was confined in the guard’s courtyard: ‘Go tell Ebed-melech the Cushite: This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill My words for harm and not for good against this city. They will take place before your eyes on that day. But I will rescue you on that day’ – this is the Lord’s declaration – ‘and you will not be handed over to the men you fear. Indeed, I will certainly deliver you so that you do not fall by the sword. Because you have trusted Me, you will keep your life like the spoils of war.’ This is the Lord’s declaration.” Jeremiah 39:15-18 (HCSB)

And what of the Ethiopian who pulled Jeremiah from the muddy cistern?

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:7-9 (NIV) (See also: the rest of Matthew 5)

“So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the guard’s courtyard, lowering Jeremiah with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.” Jeremiah 38:6 (HCSB)

If the Lord asked today, “Do you want to be used by Me?” most of us would answer, “Yes, Lord!” We generally think of “blessings” when we think of people the Lord uses. But what if the Lord wanted to use your suffering to send a poignant message to non-believers? Well, our answers may be different in that light. This is precisely Jeremiah’s situation in today’s chapter.  

It is hard to be faithful when we are called to suffer. In such times, we must strongly rely on God’s promise of deliverance. Surely, down in that pit, Jeremiah was comforted by the words of David’s Psalm 40.

“I waited patiently for the Lord, and He turned to me and heard my cry for help. He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.”  Psalm 40:1-3 (HCSB)

Perhaps Jeremiah remembered the story of Joseph and how his similar circumstances led to his brothers’ deliverance.

“When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off his robe, the robe of many colors that he had on. They took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.” Genesis 37:23-24(HCSB)

The point is we need the truth of the Bible for strength through difficult circumstances: “Faith comes by hearing and hearing from the word of God.” (Romans 10:7). Jeremiah trusted the Lord, spoke the truth boldly, and the Lord eventually delivered him.

“Ebed-Melech the Cushite cried out to Jeremiah, ‘Place these old rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.’ Jeremiah did so, and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern, but he continued to stay in the guard’s courtyard.” Jeremiah 38:12-13 (HCSB)

Later, we find that the Lord allowed Jeremiah’s whole episode of faithful suffering to contrast with Zedekiah’s lack of faith. Jeremiah was saved, but Zedekiah wouldn’t be.

“But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that the Lord has shown me: ‘Now behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be surrendered to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say: “Your close friends have set upon you and prevailed against you; your feet have sunk in the mire, and they have turned away again”’” Jeremiah 38:21-22 (NKJV)

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“The officials were angry at Jeremiah and beat and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison. So Jeremiah went into a cell in the dungeon and stayed there many days. King Zedekiah later sent for him and received him, and in his house privately asked him, ‘Is there a word from the Lord?’ ‘There is,’ Jeremiah responded, and he continued, ‘You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.’” Jeremiah 37:15-17 (HCSB)

One of the downsides of sharing God’s Word is that many people will reject it. For some people, simply saying "no" is not enough. They will seek to harm you. Still, it is incumbent upon us to share the truth in love and with boldness. This is nothing we should be surprised about, for Jesus told us we should expect such things.  

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” John 15:18-20 (NKJV)

While Jeremiah faced severe persecution, the Lord was always with him to ensure his ultimate well-being. Notice God’s grace and provision in the midst of Jeremiah’s trial.

“Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, ‘How have I sinned against you or your servants or these people that you have put me in prison? Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, claiming, “The king of Babylon will not come against you and this land? So now, please listen, my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Don’t send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.’ So King Zedekiah gave orders, and Jeremiah was placed in the guard’s courtyard. He was given a loaf of bread each day from the baker’s street until all the bread was gone from the city. So Jeremiah remained in the guard’s courtyard.” Jeremiah 37:18-21 (HCSB)

Jesus also predicted the same type of persecution and prayed for us that the enemy would not prevail against us. Like Jeremiah, our calling mixes persecution and provision.

“I have given them Your word; and the World has hated them because they are not of the World, just as I am not of the World. I do not pray that you should take them out of the World, but that you should keep them from the evil one.” John 17:14-15 (NKJV)

Not only should we expect persecution for our faithfulness, we should count it as a blessing.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven…” Matthew 5:10-12a (NKJV)

“Now it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: ‘Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.’” Jeremiah 36:1-3 (NKJV)

What a difference a generation makes! Observe how King Josiah reacted when God’s Word was found, and the Law was read to him.

“Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.’ And Shaphan read it before the king. Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the Word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.’” 2 Chronicles 34:18-21 (NKJV)

In contrast to his father’s humble repentance, when God’s Word was read to Josiah’s son Jehoiakim, he took a scribe’s knife, cut it line-by-line, and threw it in the fire. Oh, that America would be a Josiah generation! But when the “Jeremiahs” are banned from the temple, who will take up the Word and preach? (Isaiah 6:8)

“Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote on a scroll of a book, at the instruction of Jeremiah, all the words of the Lord which He had spoken to him. And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, ‘I am confined, I cannot go into the house of the Lord. You go, therefore, and read from the scroll which you have written at my instruction, the words of the Lord, in the hearing of the people in the Lord’s house on the day of fasting. And you shall also read them in the hearing of all Judah who come from their cities. It may be that they will present their supplication before the Lord, and everyone will turn from his evil way. For great is the anger and the fury that the Lord has pronounced against this people.’” Jeremiah 36:4-7 (NKJV)

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: ‘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’. Thus you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land. 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.’” Jeremiah 45:2-4 (NKJV)

“This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Go, say to the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem: “Will you not accept discipline by listening to My words?” – this is the Lord’s declaration. “The words of Jonadab, son of Rechab, have been carried out. He commanded his sons not to drink wine, and they have not drunk to this day because they have obeyed their ancestor’s command. But I have spoken to you time and time again, and you have not obeyed Me! Time and time again I have sent you all My servants the prophets, proclaiming: ‘Turn, each one from his evil way of life, and correct your actions. Stop following other gods to serve them. Live in the land that I gave you and your ancestors. But you would not pay attention or obey Me.’” Jeremiah 35:13-15 (HCSB)

Who are the Rechabites? They are the descendants of Rechab through Jonadab (aka Jehonadab). They belonged to a group of people called the Kenites, who accompanied the children of Israel into the land of Canaan and dwelt among them. They were Gentiles.  God has always shown His grace towards anyone who chooses to follow Him.  

Many people believe that Israel was the only group of people the Lord allowed to enter the Promised Land, along with Joshua. Not so. The Kenites were right there with them.  Why? Well, for starters, Moses married a Kenite wife (Judges 1:16). In the days of Deborah and Barak, because of Barak’s cowardice, it was a Kenite woman who defeated evil king Sisera (Judges 4:17).

Now, the main body of the Kenites dwelt in cities and adopted the habits (and pitfalls) of “settled” life, but Johnadab forbade his descendants to drink wine or live in cities. They were also commanded always to lead a nomadic life. This particular strain of the Kenites adhered to the law laid down by their patriarch, and today, we read of their fidelity to the old-established custom of their family, even up till the days of Jeremiah.

So, what was God’s reason for singling out this small sect of Gentiles in His exhortation against Judah? In full view of soon-to-be-deported Judah, God chose to bless a group of righteous Gentiles, all because of their faithfulness. God was saying, in essence, “These Gentiles will follow the command of their long-dead ancestor, but you will not follow the Word of the Living God! Even after I sent you countless prophets.”

It would not be the last time in the TANAKH (aka Old Testament) that the Lord would bless faithful Gentiles as a means to evoke jealousy among His unfaithful people. It was that approach, in particular, that Jesus took in His hometown synagogue and made the people want to kill Him:

“He also said, ‘I assure you: No prophet is accepted in his hometown. But I say to you, there were certainly many widows in Israel in Elijah’s day, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months while a great famine came over all the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them – but to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. And in the prophet Elisha’s time, many in Israel died of serious skin diseases, yet not one of them was healed – only Namaan the Syrian.’ When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was enraged.” Luke 4:24-28 (HSCB) (See also: Romans10:19; 11:11)

“Then the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, saying: At the end of seven years, each of you must free his Hebrew brother who sold himself to you. He may serve you six years but then you must send him out free from you but your ancestors did not obey Me or pay attention. Today, you repented and did what pleased Me, each of you proclaiming freedom for his neighbor. You made a covenant before Me at the temple called by My name. But you have changed your minds and profaned My name.” Jeremiah 34:12-16a (HCSB)

I love Disneyland. I love the rides, the shows, the parade, the fireworks, and even the food! Another thing I love about Disneyland is how everyone leaves their strollers unattended, rides their rides, and comes back to find everything just as they left it. I don’t know why everyone is so honest at Disneyland, but I guarantee nobody would leave their stroller unattended at the convenience store across the street from Disneyland! It’s like there is some honor code at Disney; people want to believe in a better world. Sadly, much of that community mindset stays at Disney once we leave the parking garage.

There was a time in Israel’s history when they wanted to believe in a better world, where they obeyed God’s Word. They even made a special covenant with Him. It lasted about a day. They may have been sincere in their desire to follow Him, but in the end, the flesh won over. Their will to follow Him was overridden by their desire to enslave their brothers! The whole scenario is a textbook example of what it looks like when we break the third commandment.

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” Exodus 20:7 (NKJV)

The correct understanding of “taking the Lord’s name in vain” has been missed by most people. Quite honestly, many Christians believe that taking the Lord’s name in vain means using His name as a curse word.  

Actually, “taking (or using) the Lord’s name in vain” describes a situation where people declare to have repented, to have become God’s people, bearing His name, yet choose to live as if they still belong to the World. They claim to have received His Name, yet they received it in vain because they never surrendered their trust to Him. His name bears His blessing, and receiving His name is a byproduct of His grace towards our faithfulness when we place our trust in Jesus’ Lordship. (Ephesians 2:8-9) People who receive His name in vain choose to identify themselves as believers yet forfeit the blessing only given to the faithful. God cares about our faithfulness, and His blessing is directly related to our decision to follow Him. Sure, our salvation is secured by His faithfulness towards us, by His grace. But why would we forfeit His blessing just to return to the worldly ways we repented from when we pleaded for His salvation?

This Groundworks Ministries Podcast is coming soon! In the meantime, click the “Read Full Chapter” button above to study Jeremiah 33.

“This is the Word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. At that time, the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the guard’s courtyard in the palace of the king of Judah. Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying. ‘Why are you prophesying, “This is what the Lord says: Look, I am about to hand this city over to Babylon’s king, and he will capture it. Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the Chaldeans; indeed, he will certainly be handed over to Babylon’s king. They will speak face-to-face and meet eye-to-eye. He will take Zedekiah to Babylon where he will stay until I attend to him – this is the Lord’s declaration. You will fight the Chaldeans, but you will not succeed?’” Jeremiah 32:1-5 (HCSB)

It isn’t easy being a prophet! Tell the truth, then get thrown in jail. But that was the job.  With the Word of the Lord comes Responsibility, Accountability, and Liability.  

There is a Responsibility because the Lord has chosen to reveal His Truth to us. When we read the Bible and pray, “Lord, give me something today and someone to share it with,” is He not faithful to answer that prayer to both ends? First, He reveals a deeper understanding, which draws us closer to Him. But He doesn’t simply pour His Word into us so we can be filled and capped off. God reveals His Truth so we can share it with those He leads to us. We are responsible for sharing His revelation. It is why we exist: to know Him and make Him known. That is worship.  (Jeremiah 1:1-10)

In addition, we are Accountable. Along with the responsibility of knowing God’s Word, we are held accountable for how we live up to that responsibility. For instance, you may be convinced of some Biblical Truth and given a Divine burden to share it with a specific individual, yet you may choose to ignore that responsibility. For that, we are held accountable.  (Jeremiah 15:19-21)

Then, there is Liability. Obviously, if the Lord holds us accountable for how we respond to the revelation of His Word, there is a liability (discipline, rebuke, punishment) attached to our disobedience. In today’s chapter, we learn there is also a potential liability connected to our faithfulness. Because Jeremiah chose to be responsible, accountable, and free of divine liability, he was contemptibly held “liable” by Zedekiah. He was put in prison for telling the truth of God’s Word!! Yet, he could not remain silent.  (Jeremiah 20:9)

This is an excellent lesson for us. We should recognize these realities that Jesus is Lord, the Rock of our salvation, but He is also a rock of offense to most who do not believe. That being said, I would rather be persecuted by men for correctly following the Lord than rebuked by Him for cowering before those who can kill the body but not the soul!

“Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 (HCSB)

“There is hope for your future – this is the Lord’s declaration – and your children will return to their own territory. I have heard Ephraim moaning: ‘You disciplined me and I have been disciplined like an untrained calf. Restore me, and I will return, for You, Lord, are my God. After I returned, I repented; After I was instructed, I struck my thigh in grief. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’ Isn’t Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Whenever I speak against him, I certainly still think about him. Therefore, my inner being yearns for him: I will truly have compassion on him. This is the Lord’s declaration.” Jeremiah 31:17-20 (HCSB)

In the days of Joshua, Israel had received her inheritance: The blessing of the Lord, which included the privilege of worshipping Him rightly and living in the land of Canaan. But, beginning with the generation that arose after Joshua’s generation, the young nation of Israel began a long, multi-generational downtrend of moral and spiritual depravity.  

Because of Israel’s idolatry, which had eventually saturated every household, the Lord banished them from His blessing and their land. (Yet, they were never banished from His heart.) After having squandered its inheritance and having found itself bankrupt and enslaved in a foreign nation, eventually, Israel (called “Ephraim” in today’s chapter because “Ephraim” was the name of the Israelite tribal region where idolatry was most highly concentrated) cried out to the Lord for His grace and mercy, repented of their idolatry and were restored to rightness with God. That included their restoration to the land of Canaan. It is precisely the correlation Jesus assigned when He told the parable we know as the “prodigal son.” Keep in mind the “two sons” represent Judah and Israel, and Israel (Ephraim) was the first to embrace idolatry and, hence, the first to be deported.

“He also said: ‘A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.” So, he distributed the assets to them. Not many days later, the younger gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing. Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. He longed to eat his fill from the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him any. When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger! I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to Him, ‘I have sinned against heaven in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired hands.’” So, he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.’”  Luke 15:11-20 (HCSB)

Has your sin led you down a self-destructive dead-end street? Return and repent. The Lord will run to greet you with compassionate, open arms, tears, and kisses. (Matthew 11:28)

“As for My servant, Jacob, do not be afraid – this is the Lord’s declaration – and do not be dismayed, Israel, for I will without fail save you from far away, your descendants from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return and have calm and quiet with no one to frighten him. For I will be with you – this is the Lord’s declaration – to save you! I will bring destruction on all the nations where I have scattered you; however, I will not bring destruction on you. I will discipline you justly, but I will by no means leave you unpunished.” Jeremiah 30:10-11 (HCSB)

In many Orthodox Jewish homes, whenever a family member chooses to follow Jesus as Messiah, the family has a funeral for them. They tear their clothes, weep, and mourn for the required amount of time. They do this because, to the ultra-religious, following Jesus is apostasy. They see a choice to follow Jesus as a choice against God and the Jewish community as a whole, so the community rejects them. This type of funeral communicates more than the death of a person; it signifies that they are dead and will not be seen in paradise. They are gone forever.  It is meant to evoke shame in apostates.

This must have been the way the Israelites in Babylonian exile felt, as if they had rejected following the Lord with their whole hearts by leaving the Jewish community in Jerusalem behind and were suffering the consequences of faithlessness. Many had supplemented proper worship with idolatry, while others completely forsook the Lord. Either way, God is looking for whole-heartedness. Lukewarm faith is not saving faith at all.

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (HCSB)

Today’s passage bears a message of hope. God is telling the descendants of Jacob that they are not cursed; their sin is not so great that there is no longer any means of salvation. If they would turn back to Him and obey His Word, God promised to restore His people to the land of Canaan. It was not their righteousness that would trigger this restoration. Instead, Israel’s return would be by God’s Grace, through their faith in His Word.  

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8 (NKJV)

That said, God’s Grace is seldom extended without His Mercy nearby! Grace is getting something you don’t deserve. Mercy is not getting what you do deserve, to the extent that you deserve it! But mercy comes with pain to remind us not to sin that way again. Israel was not getting a free pass. God said His discipline was just, and “Jacob” would no longer avoid stern discipline. Still, compared to what the other nations underwent, Israel was shown God’s mercy. They were not completely destroyed. Let’s thank God for His grace and mercy extended towards us through Messiah Jesus!

“Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive - to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. (This happened after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon.’” Jeremiah 29:1-4 (NKJV)

It was a tense moment in the courtroom as the judge pounded his gavel, “GUILTY!” and pronounced a 70-year sentence to the defendant, a felon whose case had such overwhelming evidence against him that a grade school child could have levied the proper judgment. But as the guards led the convict to the prison transport, a courtroom intern came running with a letter of encouragement. A pardon, perhaps? No. It was a statement that the judge’s sentence would never be repealed, not even by a single day. So, where was the encouragement? The judge’s note continued to state that the judge would personally ensure the convict’s safety while he was in prison and that at the end of his 70-year sentence, the prisoner would have paid his full debt to society. Then (and only then), the convict could return home and prosper without fear of further judicial recourse. The judge promised not to hold a grudge once the terms of the sentence had been satisfied. Furthermore, the judge would be willing to assist the convict in his restoration in society and already had a plan to financially support the (ex)convict upon release. Oh, yes, and the ex-con will be eternally thankful to the judge for having judged righteously.

If you can understand that story, you understand the essence of Jeremiah 29:11, the often-prayed yet seldom-understood verse of encouragement.

“For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.” Jeremiah 29:10-14 (NKJV)

You see, Jeremiah 29:11 is not a promise of pardon from a push-over god. It is a promise of justice from the righteous yet merciful Judge. He is the One who would die for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:7-9), yet He chastens us so we would learn to sin no more! (Hebrews 12:6-11)

“The prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, ‘Listen, Hananiah! The Lord did not send you, but you have led these people to trust in a lie. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: “I am about to send you off the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have spoken rebellion against the Lord.”’ And the Prophet Hananiah died that year in the seventh month.” Jeremiah 28:15-16 (HCSB)

Today’s chapter continues warning us against false prophets, but with the intended message that we should confront and expose false prophets. As a matter of fact, the more we study God’s Word, the more we notice how false messages have even wormed their way into certain Church circles. The distinguishing factor of a false prophet is how far their message strays from God’s Word. The apostle Paul described a community that was adept in distinguishing false prophets from true messengers of God.

“As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Borea. On arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men.” Acts 17:10-12 (HCSB)

God’s Word, the Bible, exposes the false prophet! Since a true prophet’s message is always consistent with the Bible, consider these statements:

“The messenger who went to call Micaiah instructed him, ‘Look, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable for the king. So let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.’  But Micaiah said, ‘As the Lord lives, I will say whatever the Lord says to me.’” 1 Kings 22:13-14 (HCSB)

“Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I have had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said about you that you can hear a dream and interpret it.’  ‘I am not able to,’ Joseph answered Pharaoh. ‘It is God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.’” Genesis 41:15-16 (HCSB)

Even Jesus (one of the three Persons of the tri-unity of God) knew that His message must be completely consistent (and never contradictory) with God’s plan and purpose. He was, after all, God’s Word, made flesh. (John 1:1-14)

“The one who rejects Me and doesn’t accept My sayings has this as his judge: The Word I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commands as to what I should say and what I should speak. I know that his command is eternal life. So the things that I speak, I speak just as the Father told Me.” John 12:48-50 (HCSB)

“But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers who say to you: ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon!’ for they prophesy a lie to you, so that you will be removed from your land. I will banish you, and you will perish. But as for the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, and that nation will till it and reside in it. This is the Lord’s declaration.” Jeremiah 27:9-11 (HCSB)

False prophets are still alive and well in our culture. Sadly, there will be false prophets masquerading among us all the way up to the Messiah’s second coming. By perverting God’s Word and denying its authority, false prophets establish their own “word from God.”  By doing this, they establish themselves as the sole experts of their own “Messianic-themed” false religions.  

“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them and will bring swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their unrestrained ways, and because of them, the way of truth will be blasphemed. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.” 2 Peter 2:1-3 (HCSB)

Since Judah had followed the counsel of false prophets and rejected God’s Word, the Lord allowed Nebuchadnezzar to rule over them. This is so they could know the difference between the “yoke” of the Lord and that of a pagan ruler.  

“By My great strength and outstretched arm, I made the earth, and the people, and animals on the face of the earth. I give it to anyone I please. So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of My servant Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. I have even given him the wild animals to serve him. All the nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until the time for his own land comes, and then many nations and great kings will enslave him.” Jeremiah 27:5-7 (HCSB)

Knowing this era of Israel’s history brings context to Jesus’ statement:

“At that time Jesus said, “’I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because it was Your good pleasure. All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal Him.  Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:25-30 (HCSB)

Serving God’s anointed One leads to peace & deliverance. God chose Nebuchadnezzar to rule for a season, but Jesus is Lord for all eternity, so whose “yoke” would you prefer?

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Jeremiah 26. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel said to me: ‘Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and make all the nations I am sending you to drink from it. They will drink, stagger, and go out of their minds because of the sword I am sending among them.’  So, I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations drink from it, everyone the Lord sent me to.” Jeremiah 25:15-17 (HCSB)

God is the Lord of all creation, the Judge of every nation. As Jeremiah was prophesying the imminent destruction of Jerusalem (at the hand of the Babylonians), he also prophesied global judgment on the nations whose idolatry had enticed Israel to forsake the Lord. We see the same “cup of wrath” imagery in the New Testament.

“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told His disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’  Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is swallowed up in sorrow – to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with Me.’  Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, ‘My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me, yet not as I will, but as You will.’” Matthew 26:36-39 (HCSB)

The “cup” offered to Jesus was mandatory, for sin must be punished justly.

“Then you are to say to them: This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, as a result of the sword I am sending among you. If they refuse to take the cup from you and drink, you are to say to them: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: You must drink! For I am already bringing disaster on the city that bears My name, so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth – this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.” Jeremiah 25:27-29 (HCSB)

Even Jesus’ disciples were unable to remain vigilant. All humanity is sinful and in need of merciful salvation. Jesus loved us while we were yet sinners. (Romans 5:8)

“Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He asked Peter, ‘So, couldn’t you stay awake with Me one hour? Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’  Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done.’  And then He came again and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open. After leaving them, He went away again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Then He came to the disciples and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the time is near. The Son of man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up; let’s go! See – My betrayer is near.’  While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. A large mob, with swords and clubs, was with him from the chief priests and elders of the people.” Matthew 26:40-47 (HCSB)

Only sinless Jesus could have accepted the cup and fulfilled God’s just requirement.

“After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had deported Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, the officials of Judah, and the craftsmen and metalsmiths from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord. One basket contained very good figs, like early figs, but the other basket contained very bad figs, so bad they were inedible.” Jeremiah 24:1-2 (HCSB)

In Biblical imagery, the fig is a symbol of Israel’s Spiritual identity. When the Lord showed Jeremiah two baskets of figs, He was telling him there are only two ways to worship Him: very well or very badly. Consider the prophet Micah’s usage of this imagery:

“How sad for me! For I am like one who – when the summer fruit has been gathered after the gleaning of the grape harvest – finds no grape cluster to eat, no early fig, which I crave.” Micah 7:1 (HCSB)

Jeremiah and Micah help us understand the instance where Jesus cursed the fig tree just before He cleared the Temple.  

“The next day when they came out from Bethany, He was hungry. After seeing in the distance, a fig tree covered with leaves, He went to find out if there was anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. He said to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again!’  And His disciples heard it.” Mark 11:12-14 (HCSB - see also Mark 11:15-27)

“I will gather them and bring them to an end. This is the Lord’s declaration. There will be no grapes on the vine, no figs on the tree, and even the leaf will whither. Whatever I have given them will be lost to them.” Jeremiah 8:13 (HCSB)

“The Word of the Lord came to me: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: Like these good figs, so I regard as good the exiles from Judah I sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. I will keep My eyes on them for their good and will return them to this land. I will build them up and not demolish them; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them My heart to know Me, that I am the Lord. They will be My people, and I will be their God because they will return to Me with all their heart. But as for the bad figs, so bad they are inedible, this is what the Lord says: In this way I will deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, His officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem – those remaining in this land and those living in the land of Egypt. I will make them an object of horror and disaster to all the kingdoms of the earth, a disgrace, an object of scorn, ridicule and cursing, wherever I have banished them. I will send sword, famine, and plague against them until they have perished from the land that I gave to them and their ancestors.” Jeremiah 24:4-10 (HCSB)

The day after Jesus cursed the fig tree, His disciples found the tree withered. In 70 AD, the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, which remains a ruin today. But all who repent and place their faith in Messiah Jesus will be saved.

“This is what the Lord of Hosts says: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are making you worthless. They speak visions from their minds, not from the Lord’s mouth. They keep on saying to those who despise Me. ‘The Lord has said: You will have no peace.’ They have said to everyone who follows the stubbornness of his heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’ For who has stood in the council of the Lord to see and hear His Word? Who has paid attention to His Word and obeyed?” Jeremiah 23:16-18 (HCSB)

When most believers in Jesus think of “prophecy,” our minds generally drift toward “end times” or the prediction of future events, almost like fortune-telling. For most of us, “prophecy” is limited to God’s revelation of His Word by the working of His Spirit when we commit to reading the Bible. But it is not beyond the Lord’s ability to reveal future events to His followers. Consider the apostle Paul’s instructions to the Corinthian believers:  

“Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you would prophesy. For the person who speaks in another language is not speaking to men but to God, since no one understands him; however, he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. But the person who prophesies speaks to people for edification, encouragement, and consolation. The person who speaks in another language builds himself up, but he who prophesies builds up the church.” 1 Corinthians 14:1-4 (HCSB)

When we read God’s Word with the intent to know, apply, and share it with others, He reveals His truth to us. In a sense, we can predict the future because, through Scripture, He has shown us the predictable outcomes of those who choose to follow or reject His Word. But that is a far cry from predicting exact events. The purpose of His revelation of His Word to us is to build up His Church. But there is a problem. Many people claim to speak messages on the Lord’s behalf that He never gave them to deliver. Their “prophecy” came from themselves, not God.

“I did not send these prophets, yet they ran with a message. I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. If they had really stood in My council, they would have enabled My people to hear My words and would have turned back from their evil ways and their evil deeds.”  Jeremiah 23:21-22 (HCSB)

Furthermore, concerning “prophecy” and our shared daily Bible pursuit, I encourage you to gather in groups to discuss what He is revealing to you. This will maximize our potential to see Paul’s words realized in our midst and in our day.

“But if all are prophesying, and some unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, he is convicted by all and is judged by all. The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall down on his face and worship God, proclaiming, ‘God is really among you.’”  1 Corinthians 14:24-25 (HCSB)

“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his chambers by injustice, who uses his neighbor’s service without wages and gives him nothing for his work, who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house with spacious chambers, and cut out windows for it, paneling it with cedar and painting it with vermilion.’ Shall you reign because you enclose yourself in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Was not this knowing Me?” says the Lord. “Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, for shedding innocent blood, and practicing oppression and violence.” Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: ‘They shall not lament for him, saying, ‘Alas, my brother!’ or ‘Alas, my sister!’ They shall not lament for him, saying, ‘Alas, master!’ or ‘Alas, his glory!’ He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.” Jeremiah 22:13-19 (NKJV)

Everyone weeps at the funeral of a good man, but nobody mourns for a tyrant. To paraphrase Forrest Gump, “Kings are as kings do.”  God’s indictment of Jerusalem’s rulers is direct. Just because you have a house fit for a king does not mean you are fit to run God’s kingdom. Simply amassing wealth does not make you spiritually rich. This was all because Judah’s rulers had acquired their wealth and power by exploiting the apple of God’s eye, His people! Instead of God’s hireling shepherds, called to lay down their lives for His “sheep,” the ruling elite considered themselves owners of the flock, intent on slaughtering & shearing the sheep. God may bless us with wealth, but it is not so that we can live lavishly. He calls us to care for even the “least” of His lambs.

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27 (NKJV)

Among Christians, it is widely accepted that homosexuality was the sin for which God judged Sodom & Gomorrah. While homosexuality is an abomination to the Lord, He says (through the prophet Ezekiel) that there was a whole other reason (one much closer to the hearts of every believer) for which He judged Sodom.

“‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done. Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore, I took them away as I saw fit.’” Ezekiel 16:48-50 (NKJV)

Homosexuality was simply an out-working of a culture bent on pride and fullness of food & leisure, all the while neglecting “the least of these.” (Matthew 25:40) Oh, that America would hear this message, turn from their mirrors and seek the Lord!

“But you must say to this people, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, I am presenting to you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live and will retain his life like the spoils of war. For I have turned against this city to bring disaster and not good’”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “‘It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, who will burn it down.’”  Jeremiah 21:8-10 (HCSB)

When I was a young and immature believer, I considered the God of the Old Testament Scriptures to be an angry God who simply could not be pleased. My perception of Him was that He was only judging and never gracious or patient. On the other hand, it seemed like the God of the New Testament Scriptures was very loving and patient and not the kind Who would judge anyone but accepted everyone just as they are. But have you read the Book of The Revelation?

At the outset, it seems like today’s passage from Jeremiah proves my theory. On the contrary, it disproves the idea that God was always judging and never loving and patient. If you read closely, God is presenting His people with a merciful way out of His judgment if they would only turn from their sin and heed His Word. As for patience, He is actually repeating the terms of a covenant He made with Israel soon after they left Egypt, a covenant Israel had been violating for hundreds of years!

“This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach. It is not in heaven so that you have to ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ And it is not across the sea so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it. See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity. For I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow down to other gods and worship them, I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not live long in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan. I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, love the Lord your God, obey Him, and remain faithful to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”  Deuteronomy 30:11-20 (HCSB)

God had told His people they would stay in the Promised Land forever if they would only follow His Word and not stray from it. He patiently, graciously and mercifully guided and forgave them for many generations. However, eventually, God’s judgment must eclipse His mercy, or else He is no God at all. And still, He pleads…

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“You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived. You seized me and prevailed. I am a laughing stock all the time; everyone ridicules me. For whenever I speak, I cry out – I proclaim: ‘Violence and destruction!’ - because the Word of the Lord has become for me constant disgrace and derision. If I say: ‘I won’t mention Him or speak any longer in His name,’ His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones. I become tired of holding it in, and I cannot prevail. Jeremiah 20:7-9 (HCSB)

There is a myth in the Church (by “myth,” I mean “lie”) that teaches that if a person accepts Jesus as Lord and does everything He commands, then everything will go well for that person. This myth has wormed its way into the success paradigms of many ministries. As a result, there is very little room for “Jeremiahs” in our culture, people who do everything the Lord requires but whose preaching is categorically rejected.

Because the myth is so entangled into our vision of “success,” many believers become disenchanted when ministry gets challenging and positive results don’t seem to come as easy as for others. That was Jeremiah’s case. He did everything right, and yet he suffered. Jesus went as far as calling such rejection a “blessing.”

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 (NKJV)

The apostle Paul is a man who could relate to Jeremiah and Jesus’ rejection.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of the experts.’” 1 Corinthians 1:18-19 (HCSB)

After his big “heroes of the faith” speech, where faithful believers were miraculously saved from various disasters, the writer of Hebrews reminds us of another group of “faithful” believers.

“Some men were tortured, not accepting release so that they might gain a better resurrection, and others experienced mocking and scourging, as well as bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, and they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground. All these were approved through their faith, but did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.” Hebrews 11:35b-40 (HCSB)

There is a cost of discipleship. (Luke 14:26-28) But, in the words of Christian martyr Jim Elliot, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep in order to obtain what he cannot lose.” Success is weighed purely in our obedience to God.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Jeremiah 19. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Go down at once to the potter’s house; there I will reveal My words to you.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, working away at the wheel. But the jar that he was making from the clay became flawed in the potters hand, so he made it into another jar, as it seemed right for him to do.” Jeremiah 18:1-4 (HCSB)

The sight of the potter molding, marring, and remodeling his vessels of clay impressed the truth on the mind of Jeremiah that God had absolute power over the nations. If Israel disobeyed, He would punish them; if the people repented, He would restore them. Jeremiah delivered the Lord’s message.

Not only is the Lord interested in “molding” nations. He also molds us as individuals. The New Testament writer of Hebrews commented about Jesus’ ongoing work in the lives of His followers.

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (HCSB)

Some believe that God created the World, set everything into motion, and has been resting ever since. Still, others believe that God is concerned with “big” things (whatever that means) and doesn’t have time, energy, or concern with us as individuals. Today’s passage tells us that the Lord never stops working and shaping us for His service.

Furthermore, if we are rebellious and aren’t “shaping up” to His design, God isn’t against reducing us to a lump of clay. His Church is a collection of His “works of art,” so if we aren’t shaping up as individuals, the whole community suffers. This was Israel’s case. Israelite personal idolatry became collective national idolatry. Eventually, God did what all potters do when a vase isn’t taking shape: He smashed it to pieces.

“Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, ‘He did not make me’? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’”? Isaiah 19:16 (NKJV)

Perhaps your life has felt the spin of the potter’s wheel lately. It could be that He has been building you up & tearing you down, and you are feeling frustrated that He is not following your design. First, we must recognize God’s part (Potter) and ours (clay). Then, we must patiently trust the Lord to finish what He started in us.

“A throne of glory on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.” Jeremiah 17:12 (HCSB)

Today’s passage overlays, almost perfectly, with the New Testament account of Jesus forgiving an adulterous woman; the setting is the Temple in Jerusalem.

“At dawn He went to the Temple complex again, and all the people were coming to Him. He sat down and began to teach them.” John 8:2  (HCSB)

“Hear how they keep challenging me, ‘Where is the Word of the Lord? Let it come!’ Jeremiah 17:15 (HCSB)

“Then the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center. ‘Teacher,’ they said to Him ‘this woman was caught in adultery. In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?’  They asked this to trap Him, so that they might have evidence to accuse Him.” John 8:3-6a (HCSB)

“Lord, the hope of Israel, all who abandon You will be put to shame. All who turn away from Me will be written in the dirt, for they have abandoned the fountain of living water, the Lord.”  Jeremiah 17:13 (HCSB)

“Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger. When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, ‘The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left with the woman at the center.”  John 8:6b-9 (HCSB)

“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, for You are my praise.” Jeremiah 17:14 (HCSB)

“But I have not run away from being your shepherd, and I have not longed for the fatal day. You know my words were spoken in your presence. Don’t become a terror to me. You are my refuge in the day of disaster. Let my persecutors be put to shame, but don’t let me be put to shame. Let them be terrified, but don’t let me be terrified. Bring on them the day of disaster; shatter them with total destruction.” Jeremiah 17:16-18 (HCSB)

“When Jesus stood up, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’  ‘No one, Lord’ she answered. ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus said. ‘From now on, go and sin no more.’”  Then He said to them again, ‘I am the light of the World. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:10-12 (HCSB)

“‘However, take note! The days are coming’ – the Lord’s declaration – ‘when it will no longer be said: As the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt, but rather: As the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites from the land of the north and from all the other lands where He had banished them. For I will return them to their land that I gave their ancestors.’” Jeremiah 16:14-15 (HCSB)

The form we use to re-tell the story of the Passover is called the Haggadah. “Haggadah” is a Hebrew word for “the telling.” The dinner we eat while listening to the Haggadah is called a Seder. “Seder” means “order.” So the Passover Seder Haggadah is literally the ordered re-telling of God’s Passover, His deliverance of Israel’s bondage in Egypt.

In today’s passage, God is telling Israel that, in the future, there will be another “type” of Passover. It will be the story of Israel’s deliverance from their bondage among the nations and re-deliverance back to the land of Israel.

But another deliverance is coming for Israel, and we will read about it in a few weeks. Here is a sneak peek: Israel’s deliverance from the bondage of sin through the New Covenant of Messiah Jesus.

“Look, the days are coming” – this is the Lord’s declaration – “When I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. This one will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt – a covenant they broke, even though I had married them – the Lord’s declaration. “I will place My law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be My people. No longer will one teach his neighbor, or his brother, saying ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know me from the least to the greatest of them’ – the Lord’s declaration. ‘For I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin.’” Jeremiah 31:31-34 (HCSB)

Furthermore, God’s “Salvation” (His “Yeshua” – Jesus’ Hebrew Name means “Salvation”), His “New Covenant” and “New Passover” are also extended to the Gentiles.

“He says, ‘It is not enough for you to be my servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a light for the nations, to be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Isaiah 49:6 (HCSB)

Isn’t it good to know that everlasting atonement has been offered to all mankind, exclusively through Messiah Jesus? Have you entered into Messiah Jesus’ “Passover”?

“For Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us observe the festival, not with the old yeast, or with the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Corinthians 5:7b-8 (HCSB)

“O Lord, You know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In Your enduring patience, do not take me away. Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke.  Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone because of Your hand, for You have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?” Jeremiah 15:15-18 (NKJV)

Why are God’s “chosen” in such trouble? It would be easy to point to their idolatry and the pagan lifestyles they adopted, but those are merely symptoms of a deeper issue. God’s people are in trouble because they have forsaken His Word, the Bible. Now, they are living in the aftermath of how considering God less leads to complete godlessness. Therefore, they suffer His rebuke as if they were pagans simply because they have forsaken God’s Word and adopted pagan values. It is not as though Israel had not been warned. Consider song #1 in their hymnal.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJV)

So, Israel began to downplay God’s Word generations before Jeremiah’s day. First, they departed from His counsel and chose to include worldly secular ideas in their worship. Next, they began to act and think more worldly. Finally, several generations later, Jeremiah is not dealing with a few rebels who sit in the seat of a mocker; he is dealing with the ASSEMBLY (Nation) of mockers! Now, look at the Church at large today. Do you see a similar trend in our pulpits & pews over the past few generations? Of course, you do! Therefore, we can predict a certain judgment from God on our nation…unless we turn back to Him and His Word. And the sad truth is that when carnal “Christians” undergo difficulty, they run to their church. But if the Church has become corrupted, the carnal pastor with his (or her) corrupt counsel is no better than an unreliable stream. Even when they claim to speak on God’s behalf, their so-called “Biblical” counsel is deeply tainted with worldliness and Biblical contextual illiteracy. They are no better than Job’s friends who claimed to speak on behalf of God, yet their counsel was void of wisdom.

“My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook, like the streams of the brooks that pass away, which are dark because of the ice, and into which the snow vanishes.” Job 6:15-16 (NKJV)

Let’s seek God’s Word and obey it. Then, we will be prepared to share wise counsel with the lost, hurting & perishing whom the Lord leads our way! (1 Peter 3:15)

“‘Though our guilt testifies against us, Lord, act for Your name’s sake. Indeed, our rebellions are many; we have sinned against You.  Hope of Israel, its Savior in time of distress, why are You like an alien in the land, like a traveler stopping by for the night? Why are You like a helpless man, like a warrior unable to save? Yet You are among us, Lord, and we are called by Your name. Don’t leave us!’  This is what the Lord says concerning these people: Truly they love to wander; they never rest their feet. So the Lord does not accept them. Now He will remember their guilt and punish their sins.’” Jeremiah 14:7-10 (CSB)

In today’s chapter, the picture of a devastating drought introduces the prediction of another series of judgments upon Judah, and it is a masterpiece of word painting. The prophet uses vivid colors to depict a scene of universal disaster. The whole country is desolate. The city gates are dark with the black robes of mourners. The water cisterns are found empty. The barren fields are seared and dusty. Men and animals together are desperate and dying of thirst.

Jeremiah is appalled by his own vision. He utters a prayer of penitence, admitting that God’s punishment is just and pleading that the Lord, for His name’s sake, will act as in times past and show Himself to be the hope of Israel.

To this, the Lord replies that the penalty has been in proportion to the guilt of the people. Unless they repent, not just with words, but with their whole hearts, He will not accept their worship nor bring them relief. Truly, worse suffering is yet to come.

Jeremiah offers an excuse for the people: False prophets have given assurance of prosperity and peace. To that, God answers that false prophets and common people alike are to perish by famine, the sword, or be led as captives into a land they do not know.

In today’s passage, Jeremiah offers a false assumption/argument that many Christians today also hold true. That is, the assumption that God would allow His children to go unpunished just to protect His reputation as if He needed to impress anyone. God is not in the habit of making Himself attractive to lure people into worshiping Him through a popularity contest. This is a lesson many church leaders would do well to learn! The error of such an assumption is rooted in ignorance of God’s priorities, clearly articulated priorities in His Word. God is Holy, and in Him is nothing impure. He is only and always concerned with what is perfect and true: He hates impurity.

If His children claim to be called by His name yet are living compromised lives, He will allow their reputations and even His own to suffer. This is so that the truth will be known. Unless the child repents and falls back in line with God’s character, He must distinguish the child from Himself. This is so His glory can be ultimately known to be pure. God’s reputation will only temporarily be tarnished by such punishment because, eventually, people will learn the difference between God and His rebellious children. Once sin is punished, God’s holiness is revealed to have remained intact.

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“Listen and pay attention. Do not be proud, for the Lord had spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the mountains at dusk. But if you will not listen, my innermost being will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, for the Lord’s flock has been taken captive.” Jeremiah 13:15-17 (HCSB)

Jeremiah was the obedient servant of our very creative “Creator.”  As such, Jeremiah expressed his prophecies not only in figurative language but also in symbolic acts. God ordered Jeremiah to buy a linen girdle, to bind it upon his loins, and not put it in water. Later, he was told to take it to the Euphrates and to hide it in a cleft of the rocks…the same kind of place where God placed Moses so he could catch a glimpse of Him as He passed by. It is also the kind of place where Elijah was hiding when God appeared in a still, small voice. It suggests the Lord was not simply choosing to abandon Israel. Rather, He would eventually reveal Himself to them, hoping they would repent. The “cleft of a rock” imagery would have stirred up historic solid memories of God’s presence, and “linen underwear” spoke of how the Lord had kept Israel close and intimately so.

My early career was spent as a songwriter. Whenever I write a song, a Bible devotional, or put together some other teaching moment, my deepest desire is to connect with people in such a way that they believe the gospel. In our innovative multi-media culture, one would think that Jeremiah’s extreme creative methods of communication would have connected with Israel and brought them to repentance. Not so.

God led Jeremiah to use drastic measures to go out on a limb and make himself a spectacle. Furthermore, God knew Israel would not repent, regardless of Jeremiah’s extremely demonstrative methods. But why would God call a person to such a humiliating and (seemingly) fruitless mission field? So Israel would be without excuse: they had been warned. About this time, you’re probably thinking, “Stinks to be Jeremiah!”  That’s pretty much how Jeremiah felt. Not only was he asked to participate in prophetic performance art, but he was also the laughing stock (and hated son) of Jerusalem. As a communicator, I can empathize with the prophet. Can you imagine finishing a concert and everyone throws tomatoes or wants to lynch you?

Whenever analogies of “linen underwear” and “full wine jugs” break down, creativity gets thrown out the window. Jeremiah continues with a direct approach. Jeremiah has been rightly chosen, not just for his obedience to the Lord but also for his passionate love for his people!

Today’s passage has a great lesson for us. It is good to be obedient to God, but we must match that obedience with LOVE for those He sends us, even the unrepentant ones.

“Now, these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 (HCSB)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Jeremiah 12. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying “Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God.” That I may establish the oath which I have sworn to your fathers, to give them a “land flowing with milk and honey”: as it is this day.’ Then I said, ‘So be it Lord.’ Then the Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: Hear the words of this covenant and do them.”’” Jeremiah 11:2-6 (NKJV)

CURSED. As we examine Jeremiah’s rebuke/exhortation to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, we cannot ignore its direct opposition to Psalm 1.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV)

Why was Judah/Jerusalem facing such imminent destruction? Because they had turned away from God’s Word. Now, they were not as blatant (initially) in their idolatry as the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Israel had gone straight into idolatry, full-on. Israel’s decline and destruction (at the hands of the Assyrians) was swifter. Instead, Judah did not run straightway into idolatry. Judah began by redefining and re-prioritizing God’s Word to the point where they elevated worldly, secular values over the Bible’s articulated standard.  

And this is the case with the Church in our day. When people (including church leaders) step away from God’s Word as the ONLY authority and counsel, they establish a system of so-called “righteousness” apart from God’s will. But God does not want us to take our cues from the world. He wants everyone to KNOW, TRUST, and OBEY His Word and to let it guide every moment of every day.

“This is the command—the statutes and ordinances—the Lord your God has instructed me to teach you so that you may follow them in the land you are about to enter and possess. Do this so that you may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life by keeping all His statutes and commands I am giving you, your son, and your grandson, and so that you may have a long life. Listen, Israel, and be careful to follow them, so that you may prosper and multiply greatly, because YHWH, the God of your fathers, has promised you ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.  Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:1-7 (HCSB)

“I know, Lord, that a man’s way of life is not his own; no one who walks determines his own steps. Discipline me, Lord, but with Justice – not in your anger, or You will reduce me to nothing. Pour out Your wrath on the nations that don’t recognize You and on the families that don’t call on Your name, for they have consumed Jacob; they have consumed him and finished him off and made his homeland desolate.” Jeremiah 10:23-25 (HCSB)

In the face of the punishment that is coming upon Judah and the surrounding nations, the least of all lessons Judah should have learned is that trusting in false gods will not deliver them. Moreover, since all the other nations were being judged along with Judah, it made no sense to trust in the nations who trust in false gods!

What are these “gods” after all? They are pieces of wood carved by skillful workmen, decked with silver and gold, clothed in violet and purple, and put together with a hammer and nails so they cannot move. In striking contrast is the “True God,” the “Living God,” and the “Everlasting God.”

“But the Lord is the true God: He is the living and everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.” Jeremiah 10:10 (NKJV)

Yet, Judah will not trust in this living God; therefore, punishment is about to fall. The call comes to the besieged “daughter of Israel” to gather a few necessary articles in preparation for a hasty flight and the painful journey to the land of exile. She cries out in anguish and remorse because her suffering is grievous, but she has brought it upon herself, and now it must be endured. It reminds me of America’s current economic, moral, and spiritual season.

Disaster is the result of the faithless rulers (shepherds) whose “flock” is now “scattered.” But long before the rulers were corrupt, the individuals were enticed to idolatry, to the point where virtually all of Israel was looking down the “business end” of God’s judgment. National idolatry always begins with personal idolatry. Likewise, national holiness begins when we, as individuals, set ourselves apart to know God’s Word, obey it, and walk with Him daily.

In today’s passage, the prophet speaks for his people as he confesses that more than human wisdom is needed to guide Israel’s course. He prays that the coming judgment would be just, but ONLY just. That is, Jeremiah pleads that God’s judgment may not be in wrath to utterly destroy but in a spirit of punishment with the intent of restoration.

Ah, if they (i.e., “WE”) would have only remembered the children’s Proverb:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:5-7 (NKJV)

“This is what the Lord says: The wise must not boast in his wisdom; the mighty must not boast in his might; the rich must not boast in his riches.  But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me – that I am the Lord, showing faithful love, justice and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things.  This is the Lord’s declaration.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 (HCSB)

Today’s passage reminds me of Caleb in the book of Joshua.  Caleb was about 80 years old, yet he boasted, “I’m as strong as I ever was.”  I have heard preachers proclaim that living a clean, Godly life kept Caleb physically fit.  The way I see it, Caleb’s strength was in his acknowledgment that God was his strength!  When he was young, Caleb didn’t trust in his youthfulness, and when he was old, he didn’t cower in his frailty.  His strength was always and only in the Lord.  

This is precisely what the Lord is communicating to Judah.  Furthermore, it is what God was communicating to the Corinthian church through His messenger, the apostle Paul.

“Brothers, consider your calling: not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth.  Instead, God has chosen the World’s foolish things to shame the wise, and God has chosen the World’s weak things to shame the strong.  God has chosen the World’s insignificant and despised things – the things viewed as nothing – so He might bring to nothing the things that are viewed as something, so that no one can boast in His presence.  But from Him you are in Messiah Jesus, who for us became wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (HCSB)

“Our boast is in the Lord.” Consider that statement through the lens of God’s grace.

“For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is God’s gift – not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

Today’s passage tells us that God delights in showing His faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth.  But what does God NOT delight in?

“Tell them: As I live – the declaration of the Lord God – I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live.  Repent, repent of your evil ways!  Why will you die, oh house of Israel?” Now, son of man, say to your people: The righteousness of the righteous person will not save him on the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked person cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. The righteous person won’t be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.” Ezekiel 33:11-12 (HCSB)

God is just, and He will, by no means, clear the guilty.  But if men will turn from their sin, recognize and follow Jesus as Lord, they will be saved!  No man is so bad that he cannot have God’s grace, and none is so good that he doesn’t need it.

“‘How can you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us'? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; so what wisdom do they have? Therefore I will give their wives to others, and their fields to those who will inherit them; because from the least even to the greatest everyone is given to covetousness; from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, 'Peace, peace!' when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed, nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; in the time of their punishment they shall be cast down,’ says the Lord.” Jeremiah 8:8-12 (NKJV)

It should not surprise us that Israel departed from God’s Word and followed after the “god-themed” messages of men, which were designed to minister to men’s fleshly imaginations of God as they sought after liberty without accountability. It should not surprise us because that kind of god-themed “theology” (which denies God’s standard by stressing His grace while ignoring the certainty of His judgment) pervades the church culture of our generation. And it should not surprise us because the apostle Paul warned that such a culture would arise in the last days.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NKJV)

Surely, as we read about the “last days” of Jerusalem, we must perceive that we are living in the last days. At least these surely must be the last days of America, for God must apologize to Jerusalem (and Sodom & Gomorrah) if we exhibit the same blasphemies yet remain un-judged! Beware of the pastor who promises the peace & prosperity of God (His grace) yet disregards His holiness and judgment.

“Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Matthew 15:6b-9 (NKJV)

“‘I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,’ Says the Lord, ‘And I will heal him.’ But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. ‘There is no peace,’ Says my God, ‘for the wicked.’” Isaiah 57:19-21 (NKJV)

The peace that “passes understanding” (Philippians 4:7) is not the absence of conflict or accountability. It is the peace of knowing the Messiah and obeying His Word.

“But look, you keep trusting in deceitful words that cannot help. Do you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known? Then do you come and stand before Me in this house called by My name and say, ‘We are delivered, so we can continue doing all these detestable acts!’ Has this house, which is called by name, become a den of robbers in your view? Yes, I too have seen it.”  Jeremiah 7:8-11 (HCSB)

One cannot read today’s passage without thinking about Jesus clearing the Temple.

“They came to Jerusalem, and He went into the Temple complex and began to throw out those buying and selling in the Temple. He overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the chairs of those selling doves and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the Temple complex. Then he began to teach them: ‘Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,” but you have made it into a den of robbers!”  Mark 11:15-17 (HCSB)

So, what is the source of such evil in the Lord’s house? The people had abandoned God’s Word and chosen to trust in deceitful words…words that please the listener with false promises and infuriate the Lord. When Jesus cleared the Temple, He was harkening to Israel’s past apostasy and God’s judgment of it, addressing their present-day apostasy and prophesying that the Temple would once again be destroyed unless the people repented.

When I travel to Israel in the summers, I always visit the “old city” of Jerusalem. A visit to Jerusalem is never complete without some time at the Western Wall. Perhaps you have seen pictures of that site, hundreds of Orthodox Jews (and tourists) praying. The place where they are gathered is actually part of the remains of the support/foundation for the Temple Mount. None of the actual Temple remains; it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

Many visitors at the Western Wall ask, “Why would the Lord allow for His Temple to be destroyed?” I’m always soberly reminded of today’s chapter, especially verses 12-15.    

“‘But return to My place that was at Shiloh, where I made My name dwell first. See what I did to it because of the evil of My people Israel. Now, because you have done all these things’ – this is the Lord’s declaration – ‘and because I have spoken to you time and time again, but you wouldn’t listen, and I have called to you, but you wouldn’t answer, what I did to Shiloh I will do to the house that is called by My name – the house in which you trust – the place that I gave to you and your ancestors. I will drive you from My presence, just as I drove out all of your brothers, all the descendants of Ephraim.’” Jeremiah 7:12-15 (HCSB)

Oh Lord, as we search Your Word each day, teach us what You require of us, that we may be a people who are holy and pleasing to You!

“Who can I speak to and give such a warning that they will listen? Look, their ear is uncircumcised, so they cannot pay attention. See, the Word of the Lord has become contemptible to them – they find no pleasure in it. But I am full of the Lord’s wrath; I am tired of holding it back.” Jeremiah 6:10-11a (HCSB)

For all of my adult life, I have been in the Christian music business. Writing songs leads to recording; recording leads to touring, and touring has led me through the doorways of over 1000 churches in all 50 of our United States. The Lord has given me a privileged survey of the “church-at-large” in America, and one consistent trend I have noticed is a departure from the Bible. More and more, I see preachers who use the Bible to teach lessons but have no strategy to comprehensively teach the whole counsel of God to their congregations. Less and less does a pastor even carry his Bible to the pulpit. So, is it any wonder that today’s Church strives for cultural relevance more than Biblical adherence? They are more preoccupied with “not offending” non-believers than with offending God. When did systems & processes replace soul-winning and proclamation?

What is sad about today’s chapter is how it seems to describe the present-day Church in America as much as it describes ancient Judah and Jerusalem. Why wouldn’t people accept Jeremiah’s message? They could not distinguish Jeremiah’s words from those of the false prophets and wicked priests.  

“For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the brokenness of my people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace.” Jeremiah 6:13-14 (NASB)

And why couldn’t they distinguish truth from falsehood? Because they had abandoned the Word of the Lord, the ancient path which leads to what is good.

“This is what the Lord says: Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths: Which is the way to what is good? Then take it and find rest for yourselves. But they protested, ‘We won’t!’ I appointed watchmen over you and said: Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn. But they protested, ‘We won’t listen!’” Jeremiah 6:16-17 (HCSB)

Notice that Jeremiah alludes that there is more than one “ancient path,” but only ONE leads to what is good. Jesus says,

“…I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (HCSB)

Why do we believers study God’s Word every day? To honor, worship, and obey Him, to nurture our personal relationships with Him so we won’t get fooled again!

“Listen, earth! I am about to bring disaster on these people, the fruit of their own plotting, for they paid no attention to My Word. They have rejected My instruction.” Jeremiah 6:19 (HCSB)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Jeremiah 5. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“If you return, Israel – this is the Lord’s declaration –you will return to Me, if you remove your detestable idols from My presence and do not waver, then you can swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in truth, in justice and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him and will pride themselves in Him. For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up the unplowed ground; do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, men of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it because of your evil deeds.” Jeremiah 4:1-4 (HCSB)

Today’s chapter begins with a solemn call to repentance but quickly moves to an arresting prediction of judgment. Judah’s repentance must not be superficial; it must be sincere. “Break up the unplowed ground; do not sow among thorns.”

It is a matter of fact that people do not surrender their lives to Jesus out of convenience.  Rather, they surrender out of desperation. Salvation is not an arbitrary decision. Nobody says, “I could go fishing today, or maybe I’ll follow Jesus.” Consider my salvation story. I grew up around Christians and heard the gospel hundreds of times but never responded. I felt I was doing just fine on my own and didn’t see where I needed to change anything.

But the Lord allowed difficult circumstances in my life, which “plowed my ground,” so to speak. My unresponsive, rebellious spirit was broken, and that season of broken desperation created the perfect “soil condition” for new seed. Before God’s “plowing,” my heart was full of deep-rooted cynical thorns. He prepared good ground for the good seed of His gospel, the perfect conditions from which to choose Him.

This is precisely what God does with Judah and Jerusalem in today’s chapter. He is commanding them to look past their outward religious appearance (or what’s left of it) and focus on the internal: their hearts. It is possible for one to go through the motions of religion: learn to speak, act, and serve in the manner of a true believer, yet to do so without having surrendered their heart to Jesus. As pertains to being a follower of Jesus, the “heart of the matter” is a matter of the heart. A true believer is, first, one inwardly. Their inward transformation motivates good works. The non-believer may do good works, but eventually, their core motivation will be exposed to be selfishly motivated, to be seen as righteous by men instead of pleasing the Lord.

Judah was beyond trying to appear righteous; they were openly idolatrous. They had abandoned God’s command for their lives to be consumed with His Word.  

“These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (HCSB)

The over-arching lesson today is that God is holy. He will righteously judge sin - even among His children - and He commands our hearts to be separate, undivided, and completely devoted to Him. “Echad” (One) as He is Echad.  Deut 6:1-5; John 17:21

“Return unfaithful Israel. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will not look on you with anger, for I am unfailing in My love. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt – you have rebelled against the Lord your God. You have scattered your favors under every green tree and have not obeyed My voice. This is the Lord’s declaration. ‘Return, you faithless children’ – this is the Lord’s declaration – ‘for I am your master, and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. I will give you shepherds who are loyal to Me, and they will shepherd you with knowledge and skill.’” Jeremiah 3:12b-15 (HCSB)

Unlike the discourse of denunciation in Chapter 2, this second prophecy is one of repentance with a message of hope for all who would return to the Lord. First, though, it also contains a solemn warning in the form of an object lesson.  

Judah knew the Lord had given Israel a “decree of divorce” (verse 8) for her idolatry. Yet she imitated Israel’s evil examples. Judah’s sin was worse because she had seen God’s punishment for Israel’s idolatry. Therefore, Judah could expect a similar discipline.

An attempt at reform had been made under the leadership of good king Josiah, yet Judah had not returned to the Lord with her “whole heart,” only in pretense. Certain outward forms of religion had been established, but there had been no true repentance and obedience. (verses 6-10)

While Judah awaited her fall and exile, the Lord turned to Israel with an offer of mercy to all who would return to Him.  Israel had been deported for many long years, but to His “wife” whom He had “put away,” there came a call to repentance and a promise of restoration. The Lord’s message is addressed to the wretched remnant of a fallen nation, but it constitutes a direct message of hope to Israel and an implied one for Judah. (and to us!)  She, too, might be restored to divine favor if she should return to the Lord.

It is important to note that restoration would be granted to a purified remnant. From this remnant, a new people of Israel would be developed and brought to Zion: one person from a city and two from a family. Not ALL Israel (or Judah) would repent, which is the crux of the apostle Paul’s statement:

“Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” Romans 9:6 (HCSB)

The kings of this remnant would “shepherd” the nation “with knowledge and understanding.” Religion, for them, would not be a matter of forms and symbols but an experience of the heart. Even the sacred Ark, which stood in the Holy of Holies “would neither be remembered nor replaced.” (Jeremiah 3:16). Jerusalem would be called the “throne of the Lord,” and all the nations would be gathered to it.

Interestingly, there is no record that the Ark ever returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exiles returned. Therefore, at Jesus’ crucifixion, when the curtain was torn in the Holy of Holies, it quite possibly revealed the Ark’s absence, as well as ushered in a new era where the Holy Spirit would reside in the hearts of men, teaching them the truth of God’s Word. Luke 23:45; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Mathew 23:8-10

“Has a nation ever exchanged its gods? (but they were not gods!)  Yet My people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols. Be horrified at this, heavens; be shocked and utterly appalled. This is the Lord’s declaration. For My people have committed a double evil: they abandoned Me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:11-13 (HCSB)

The Samaritans were “half-breeds”: part Jewish and part Gentile. When Israel returned (from their 70-year exile), the Samarians were not considered “Jewish,” and they were prohibited from worship at the Temple. Why? They were the living proof of Israel’s past apostasy. That is why the Jews hated them. The Samaritans were a constant reminder of Israel’s national sin of inter-marrying, which led to their idolatry. Today’s chapter is very similar to the first half of John, chapter 4: The Samaritan Woman at The Well. Compare Jeremiah’s (above) “living water” with Jesus’ use of the same imagery.  

“A woman from Samaria came to draw water. ‘Give Me a drink,’ Jesus said to her, for His disciples had gone into town to buy food. ‘How is it that You, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ she asked Him. ‘For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.’ Jesus answered, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, “Give Me a drink,” you would ask Him, and He would give you living water.’” John 4:7-10 (HCSB)

Furthermore, consider Jeremiah’s imagery of “virgin-turned-harlot” Israel in relation to Jesus’ revelation of the Samaritan woman’s five husbands...the same number of nations who had controlled Israel between Jeremiah and Jesus.

“Can a young woman forget her jewelry or a bride her sash? Yet My people have forgotten me for countless days. How skillfully you pursue love; you also teach evil women your ways.” Jeremiah 2:32-33 (HCSB)

“‘Go call your husband,’ He told her, ‘and come back here.’  ‘I don’t have a husband,’ she answered. ‘You have correctly said, “I don’t have a husband.”’ Jesus said. ‘For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.’”  John 4:16-17 (ESV)

Jesus and this woman have a verbal exchange (John 4:19-24) about the Samaritan forefathers’ digging the well and commanding them to worship on a mountain other than Mt. Zion in Jerusalem. But Jesus tells her how, in the future, it won’t matter what mountain people worship on. Rather, they should worship in “spirit and in truth .”When we place our faith and trust in Jesus at the moment of salvation, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, whose ministry is to reveal the Word of God. Literally, we worship Him in “Spirit and Truth” when we read His Word, enabled by His Spirit, who reveals more and more of God to us each day.

“The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us?’  ‘I Am He,’ Jesus told her, ‘the One you are speaking of.’” John 4:25-26 (HCSB)

“Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.’ Then said I: ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.’ But the Lord said to me: ‘Do not say, “I am a youth,” for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.’” Jeremiah 1:4-10 (NKJV)

We all have excuses for why we cannot follow God’s calling.  

Moses had an excuse.

“Then Moses said to the Lord, ‘O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.’” Exodus 4:10 (NKJV)

Isaiah had one.

“So I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 6:5 (NKJV)

Gideon had one:

“And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!’ Gideon said to Him, ‘O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, “Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?” But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.’ Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?’ So he said to Him, ‘O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’”  Judges 6:12-15 (NKJV)

Do you struggle for the right words to share the gospel? Not a problem for God! (Luke 12:11)  Sinful lips? God has a fix for that. (Ephesians 4:22-24) Are you weak? His strength is made perfect in weakness! (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)   Too young in the faith to be taken seriously? Faith has no age limit. (1 Timothy 4:12-15)

So, let’s cut to the chase. What is your excuse for not faithfully responding to God’s call? I am not talking about the call to salvation. I am talking about how, now that we are saved, we must be willing to follow His leading: all day, every day. Let’s be about the tasks He ordained for us when He formed us in our mother’s womb!

“For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make will endure before Me” – the Lord’s declaration – “so will your offspring and your name endure. All mankind will come to worship Me, from one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, says the Lord. As they leave, they will see the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against Me; for their maggots will never die, their fire will go out, and they will be a horror to all mankind.” Isaiah 66:22-24 (HCSB)

Having begun his prophecy with a statement of Israel’s sinful and apostate condition, Isaiah closes with a vision of the new heavens and the new earth.  

“Comfort, comfort My people, says your God.” Isaiah 40:1 (HCSB)

The word of “comfort” promised in chapter 40:1 has by now reached its climax. Throughout the exile, the true Jew lived inwardly as an inhabitant not so much of a foreign prison but of his own broken heart. The healing of that broken heart has come through the prophet’s evangelical insistence on the centrality of Messiah in the redemption of God’s covenant people. Jesus came to provide the atonement necessary for sinners to be reconciled to God.  

Isaiah portrayed God as the sovereign Lord of history and as the supreme Creator of the universe, powerful and majestic. He made the very planets that ignorant men were worshipping. He knows the end from the beginning, determining the outcome of the universe. In short, Israel’s exile was no accident but part of His plan. It was God’s punishment for Judah’s apostasy, but He arranged a way back for the remnant, those who remained faithful and believed through it all.  

Yet for all God’s power and holiness, He is also tender and gracious. This reality of God is lost on many “New Testament” Christians. That is, many people believe there are two “Gods” in the Bible. To them, the “Old Testament” God is angry and unappeasable. Their “New Testament” God is loving and gracious. Isaiah describes God in both terms. He is obviously holy and powerful…but also Israel’s Lover (43:4), their Mother (49:15), and their Husband (54:5). It is inconceivable – blasphemous even – to think that He would abandon his own people. “His people,” Isaiah is quick to point out, are those whose righteousness is counted to them when they believe, by faith, in Messiah. Nobody expects to see Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:25-33), Korah (Numbers 16:32-33), or Judas (Matthew 26:23-25) in Heaven…even though they are all Jews. Simply being Jewish does not ensure salvation. Only those who lived in faithful expectation-of (pre-advent) and faithful belief-in (post-resurrection) Messiah Jesus will be saved.

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6 (NKJV)

The good news of the gospel is that while salvation comes exclusively through Messiah, it is offered to men of all nations who will believe in Jesus by His grace through faith.

“I was sought by those who did not ask; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said: Here I am, here I am, to a nation that was not called by My name. I spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people who walk in the wrong path, following their own thoughts. These people continually provoke Me to My face, sacrificing in gardens, burning incense on bricks, sitting among the graves, spending nights in secret places, eating swine’s flesh, and polluted broth in their bowls. They say, ‘Keep to yourself, don’t come near me, for I am holy for you!’  These practices are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.” Isaiah 65:1-5 (HCSB)

The prayer for revival in chapter 64 is answered in the opening verses of chapter 65. God’s answer to Isaiah’s prayer for revival is of such magnitude that we are meant to learn from it and be thankful. Israel’s near-dead condition would not last long – at least, not as God measures time.

God’s answers to our prayers are sometimes in terms that surpass our understanding. Even though we struggle to think His thoughts (based on our comprehension of what we have read in the Bible), we must understand that His ways and thoughts are so different than ours, to the point that unless He reveals His thoughts, we could only guess them, at best.

It is possible to see the remaining two chapters (65-66) as the answer to the prayer of Isaiah 64.

“After all this, O Lord, will You hold Yourself back? Will You keep silent and punish us beyond measure?”  Isaiah 64:12 (NIV)

The answer, in part, is as follows: God will show Himself to a multitude larger than you can imagine. His people, though they may be in a pitiful condition at present, will be restored to prosperity. Even though Israel was chosen as God’s special nation, not everyone in Israel chose the Lord. (i.e., not every Israelite was a true believer)

“For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” Romans 9:6b (NIV)

What distinguishes the true community of God is not the division between Jew & Gentile but between those who “seek” God and those who “forsake” Him.  (65:10-11)

When the apostle Paul saw that far more Gentiles than Jews believed in Jesus, he faced a problem for which he needed a Scriptural answer. He found it in Isaiah’s prophecy, and he said so in Romans 10:20-21, where he quoted Isaiah 65:1-2. The obstinate Jews of Isaiah’s day (who were intent on pursuing their own ways) were cut off, whereas Gentiles – a nation who did not call on God – were grafted in. (Romans 11:22-24). Salvation has always come by grace, through faith, whether the believer is Jew or Gentile. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Matthew 21:43; Deuteronomy 32:5-6, 21)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Isaiah 64. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Look down from Heaven and see from Your lofty home – holy and beautiful. Where is Your zeal and Your might? Your yearning and compassion are withheld from me. You are our Father, even though Abraham does not know us and Israel doesn’t recognize us. You, Lord, are your Father; from ancient times, Your name is our Redeemer.” Isaiah 63:15-16 (HCSB)

At the heart of Isaiah’s prayer is Israel’s need for revival. But what is revival? Today’s chapter brings out some important aspects of it.

First, the Lord makes His presence and power known suddenly and dramatically. All revivals are marked by a mysterious, irresistible sense that God is near. His power is felt in an awesome way – like the way He had shown Himself at the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. Someone who witnessed a revival in the 1800s said, “It was so evidently the work of God that not a dog dared move his tongue!”

Secondly, revival has a sense of holy fear. When God comes down, the nations tremble. Pride and arrogance are humbled. Unbelievers are convicted of their sins; believers are humbled and worship the majesty of God. During the Great Awakening in the eighteenth century (in Britain and New England), entire nations were affected; leaders were raised up, laws were changed, patterns of life were altered, and places of sin were abandoned. When God moves, everything is affected by it.

Thirdly, revival is a display of God’s righteous rule. It is the “impotence” of the Church-at-large that necessitates the cry for God’s coming. Revival is the sovereign work of God. By that, I mean that unless God comes and comes powerfully, there can be no revival. George Whitefield made thirteen trips to America in his lifetime, but only on one occasion (1740-1742) did revival break out. On the other hand, after a period of unparalleled blessing in his preaching in Scotland, William Charles Burns went to China and labored faithfully for twenty-one years with little fruit. That is why we must pray for revival instead of solely working toward it.

Fourthly, revival is a display of God’s mercy. God had withdrawn from Israel, but only for a season. He was angry, and He stood outside the door of the Temple, so to speak. The people’s hearts were hardened, and they had grown insensitive to the demands of the Lord. Things had reached the point where it was hard to distinguish Israel from the other nations. Can the same be said of us believers today? You see, when we act as the nations, we are rebuked as the nations. Were it not for God’s mercy (not giving the fullness of the punishment deserved), we would be utterly destroyed in His presence!

Lastly, during revival, there is a sudden conversion of sinners in great numbers. Most recently, the “Jesus Movement” of the 1960s and 70s is an excellent example of such a rush of new believers. Could the Lord be leading us to read His Word daily (literally, thousands of people are reading the Bible w/us daily) because He is sowing in us the seeds of readiness for such a coming revival?

“I will not keep silent because of Zion, and I will not keep still because of Jerusalem until her righteousness shines like a bright light, and her salvation like a flaming torch. Nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You will be called by a new name that the Lord’s mouth will announce. You will be a glorious crown in the Lord’s hand, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God. You will no longer be called ‘Deserted,’ and your land will not be called ‘Desolate’; instead, you will be called ‘My Delight is in Her,’ and your land ‘Married’; for the Lord delights in you, and your land will be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.” Isaiah 62:1-5 (HCSB)

Chapter 62 opens with yet another poem in verses 1-5 in today’s passage. Commentators are divided as to who the “I” is. Some think it may be Isaiah himself. If that were the case, it would mean that the prophet would not rest until the things predicted came to pass. Of course, we know that was not the case.

Others argue that the Lord is speaking here, which is my belief. That means that God Himself will not rest until what He has promised is fulfilled. Having spoken, He is eager to bring it to pass. God is always like that, anxious to show us He can be trusted. He is utterly dependable. He will not rest until the salvation that He promised for His people is accomplished.

The righteousness of Zion alluded to in the last verse of chapter 61, will shine out like the dawn. This is what Jesus does for sinners:  He makes them shine. (Ephesians 4:18; 5:8) The counterpart of this picture is Malachi’s description of the coming of Messiah.

“…the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings…” Malachi 4:2 (HCSB)

The Church-at-large is Messiah’s bride. The wedding gown and jewelry of 61:10 now make way for her change of name. We are familiar with the concept that new wives change their names. So, it is here in Isaiah’s prophecy. She will be called “Hephzibah”. (My delight is in her), as opposed to “Deserted,” and the land in which she lived will be called “Beulah” (married) as opposed to “Desolate.” Any wonder that faithful believers pray earnestly the Lord will bring forth the wedding day?

This whole “change of names” theme is very much like the story of the prophet Hosea.

“When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, He said this to him: Go and marry a promiscuous wife and have children of promiscuity, for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity by abandoning the Lord.” Hosea 1:2 (CBS)

Two of Hosea’s children’s names were: “No Compassion” and “Not My People.” Of course, Hosea’s God-commanded adulterous marriage (and its subsequent offspring) was a greater metaphor for Israel’s spiritual adultery. Isaiah’s message is similar to Hosea’s: When we repent, our identities change. Hence, God changes our names.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord, to glorify Him.” Isaiah 61:1-3 (HCSB)

In today’s chapter, the covenant is referred to as “an everlasting covenant” (61:8). Isaiah has mentioned it before in chapter 55:1-5. Jeremiah and Ezekiel also use this same phrase and call it “the New Covenant.”

“‘Look, the days are coming’ – this is the Lord’s declaration - ‘When I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt – a covenant they broke even though I had married them’ – the Lord’s declaration. ‘Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days’ – the Lord’s declaration. ‘I will place My instruction within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be My people. No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying: Know the Lord, for they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them’ – the Lord’s declaration. ‘For I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin.’” Jeremiah 31:31-34 (HCSB)

It is important to note that (what we refer to as) the “New Testament” is translated in Hebrew as “B’rit Hadashah” (New Covenant). The close connection between “everlasting covenant” and “new covenant” in today’s chapter reminds us that the “newness” of the New Covenant is the quality of freshness and fulfillment. It is not that God abandons what He had been doing with Israel in the “old” and begins afresh with the Church in the “new.” Instead, He brings to the forefront what had been there all along in the “old” yet was not understood. Several features of the everlasting, or “new,” covenant are underlined in today’s chapter; together, they lead to the conclusion that all who believe in Messiah Jesus and follow Him by faith alone are “a people the Lord has blessed.” (61:9)

Jesus took the Passover cup and said,

“This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you,” Luke 22:20b (NKJV)

Jesus declared Himself (and His ministry) to be the consummation of a historical process of prediction and preparation. He saw today’s passage as a crucial one in setting the terms and mandate of His own mission. Following His baptism and temptation in the wilderness, Jesus entered His hometown synagogue, where, armed with Isaiah 58:6, He declared himself as the fulfillment of today’s passage. (Luke 4:17-21). Strangely, these bold words did not make people want to kill Jesus. It was His recalling to their memory how God had shown mercy to faithful Gentiles and not to unfaithful Israel.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you. For, look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the Lord will shine over you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your radiance. Raise your eyes and look around: they all gather and come to you; your sons will come from far away, and your daughters will be carried on the hip. Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will tremble and rejoice, because the riches of the sea will become yours, and the wealth of the nations will come over you. Caravans of camels will cover your land – young camels of Midian and Ephah – all of them will come from Sheba. They will carry gold and frankincense and proclaim the praises of the Lord.” Isaiah 60:1-6 (HCSB)

We are, of course, familiar with the fact that Gentiles (non-Jews) comprise the majority in the Church today. But in Isaiah’s day, this was not so. For many of Isaiah’s generation, it was unthinkable that Gentiles could be counted among God’s people. The historic precedence of Gentile believers is clearly articulated in the Torah yet almost completely overlooked by the Jewish community, even today. It is true that Ruth, Tamar, Rahab, and Bathsheba were all accounted for as righteous. (See also: Matthew 1)  But they were an exception, not a rule. I say this to help you feel the gravity of Isaiah’s insistence on the coming influx of Gentiles, counted among God’s people, by faith in Messiah.

The closing chapters of Isaiah depict this Gentile influx but go beyond it. The language is exalted. It depicts things that transcend even our own era. For us, the “Gentile believer phenomenon” is commonplace. Much of the shock of Isaiah’s message is lost on us because we are literally living in an era of fulfillment (in part) of Isaiah’s prophecy.   In our day, the uncommon thing is to find JEWS who believe Jesus is Messiah, although Jewish believers are growing in number. Isaiah points beyond our understanding of his generation’s “things to come.”  

We should keep in mind the fact that Revelation 21, with its picture of the New Jerusalem, draws heavily on Isaiah 60. So much so that the apostle John is considered the “Isaiah” of the New Testament. The nations will walk by the light of the holy city, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. (Revelation 21:24)  This may also be an allusion to the star that appeared over Bethlehem at the birth of Jesus. (Matthew 2:1-12)  Further references to the wealth and riches, including “gold and incense,” together with “camels” from far-away places, maybe an even clearer reference to wise men who came “from the east” to present their gifts to Jesus. (See also: Psalm 72:10-11)

Clearly, today’s passage is an announcement of God’s intention to gather a worldwide harvest through the gospel. The “sons and daughters” are of every nationality. The nations, islands, and foreigners comprise a large part of those who “honor the Lord .”They are pictured as doves coming home to their lofts. Have you come home yet? There is still time to place your faith in Him, who draws all men unto Himself. So, have you come home to roost, or have you flown the coop, still looking for a safe place to land? (Matthew 11:28)

“Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil is plundered.  The Lord saw that there was no justice, and He was offended.  He saw that there was no man – He was amazed that there was no one interceding; so His own arm brought salvation and His own righteousness supported Him.  He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and He wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak.”  Isaiah 59:15-17 (HCSB)

When God’s patience runs out, He puts on His clothes and weapons of war.  The well-known imagery of the Christian soldier in Ephesians is based on today’s passage.

“Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil.  For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the World powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.  This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day and having prepared everything to take your stand.  Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandals with readiness for the gospel of peace.  In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word.”  Ephesians 6:10-17 (HCSB) - (see also Psalm 18:9-15)

This vision is the same one that John gives of Messiah in Revelation 19:11-21 when he depicts Him as a Warrior who comes to judge the World on the last day.  Put simply, God is displeased with injustice.  Sin is at the root of injustice, and Satan is the root of all sin.  

Our duty, to go into battle against His enemies, equipped with the full armor of God, is merely a reflection of Jesus Himself.  His enemy is our enemy…and that enemy is a spiritual one.  In fact, the armor the Bible commands us to don is spiritual in nature.  Each piece is designed to protect in a specific way…but no one part can comprehensively defend.  That is, our breastplate does not protect our head or feet; hence, the command to put on the FULL armor.

Notice that among all these defensive items, there is only one piece of armor that is used for offense: The Sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word.  And Who is God’s Word?  Jesus.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with him in the beginning, and apart from Him, not one thing was created.  Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men.  That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.”  John 1:1-5 (HCSB) - (see also: John 1:14)

The believer is equipped for defense, but our power to OVERCOME is the same source as Isaiah describes today.  We go through the motions of obedience, but Jesus provides the victory.  Where we cannot defend against sin and Satan, Jesus completely destroys!

“At that, when you call, the Lord will answer; when you cry out, He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you get rid of the yoke from those around you, the finger pointing and malicious speaking, and if you offer yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.” Isaiah 58:9-10 (HCSB)

Humility shows itself in a willingness to turn away from sin and toward God. This is a spirit that is obviously lacking in the Southern Kingdom of Judah’s attitude to worship in Isaiah 58, a chapter that contrasts true and false worship.  

“The Lord does not see as man sees;. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b (NKJV)

There are indications in today’s passage of formal religion, but it is a religion with which God is displeased. Both negative and positive aspects are highlighted. We learn that “formal religion” is not (in and of itself) “true religion .”When a transformed heart is absent from worship, good works are meaningless and void of proper Biblical motive and Spirit-leading. The evidence of Israel’s distortion of proper worship is “doing as one pleases” and is a hindrance to prayer.  

True religion is a “heart religion,” leading to true joy and true happiness.   The outworking of heart religion expresses itself within formal religion but places good works in proper perspective. Of course, we know this is a message that Jesus saw as important to teach us. The same yoke (burdensome religious ways) that Isaiah exposed as “false religion,” Jesus offers to relieve us of if we will repent from our sin and come under His “yoke” through a personal saving relationship with Him.

“Come to Me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Place My yoke over your shoulders, and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble. Then you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (GNT)

Furthermore, James, Jesus’ half-brother, also felt it was important to point out the hypocrisy inherent in Israel’s worship and distinguish between false and true “religion” among people who professed to be believers.  

“If anyone thinks that he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James 1:26-27 (ESV)

Perhaps you have spent much time in or around Church. But are you certain that you are truly following Jesus? Many have bought into “Jesus-themed” religion, clinging to a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. (2 Timothy 3:1-5) Of such, Jesus will say, “Turn away, I never knew you!” (Matthew 7:22-23)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Isaiah 57. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“No foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord should say, ‘The Lord will exclude me from His people’; and the eunuch should not say, ‘Look, I am a dried-up tree.’  For the Lord says this: For the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold firmly to My covenant, I will give them, in My house and within My walls, a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters. Will give each of them an everlasting name that will never be cut off.”  Isaiah 56:3-5 (HCSB)

In today’s chapter, once more, Isaiah raises expectations that Messiah’s coming is near:

“…my salvation is close at hand and My righteousness will soon be revealed.” Isaiah 56:1 (NIV)

Consequently, those who have received God’s blessing of salvation should be serious in their concern to be holy. “Doing what is right” and keeping one’s “hand from doing evil” involves a concern for the fourth commandment: Remember the Sabbath day. In fact, three different types of “Sabbath keepers” are mentioned: Repentant Jews, foreigners, and eunuchs. All three had a burden that needed to be lifted, a barrier between them and worship. Knowing the word “Sabbath” translates as both “seven” and “rest,” consider Jesus’ words.

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (HCSB)

The eunuch was burdened because he was barred from worshipping in God’s temple because of his physical deformity.  

“No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 23:1 (NKJV)

This makes the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch in the Book of Acts even more powerful. Most likely a dispersed Jew and obedient pilgrim, the Ethiopian eunuch had traveled to Jerusalem to worship and most likely had stayed over for Shavuot (Pentecost) and heard of the strange happenings there. He was faithful despite being barred from entering the Temple complex. Now, on his way home, he was reading the Isaiah scroll (not readily available to non-Jews) in Isaiah 53. That is when God sent Philip to him.  

“So he (Philip) got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem and was sitting in his chariot on his way home reading the prophet Isaiah aloud. The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go and join that chariot.’”  Acts 8:27-29 (HCSB)

I have no doubt that Philip continued reading all the way to Isaiah 56, where this eunuch would have learned that Jesus had made him “kosher,” so to speak. Through Messiah, this eunuch was given a memorial and a name. See, eunuchs had no name to pass on because they were unable to father children. But this eunuch’s name was now “The Lord’s son,” and his memorial would be his spiritual children who would come forth because of his gospel testimony. So, what is your name and memorial?

“‘Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.’”  Isaiah 55:1-2 (NIV)

Isaiah 55 is a gospel call. It is an urgent and passionate call to the lost. Isaiah 55 has been called God’s own gospel sermon: the entire chapter is in first person singular. The offer is universal and sincere, directed to all who are hopeless.

It immediately reminds us of a similar expression used by Jesus in His encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.

“Jesus said, ‘Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I give him will never get thirsty again – ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life.’” John 4:13-14 (HCSB)

Relieving hunger by supplying bread reminds us of Jesus’ words on the occasion of feeding the 5000.

“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” John 6:48-51 (HCSB)

Three matters are worth noting in today’s passage:

1) The recipients of the call are needy. They have no money; they have nothing with which to bargain with God for their salvation. Jesus’ parable of the great banquet ends with an invitation:

“‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and lame!’” Luke 14:21b (HCSB)

2) God genuinely desires the salvation of all sinners. Isaiah began his prophecy with these words:

“‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)

3) Salvation is by grace, alone:

“For it is by grace that you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God - not of works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) (see also: Romans 3:24-28)

“‘Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; don’t be humiliated for you will not be disgraced. For you will forget the shame of your youth, and you will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood. For your husband is your Maker – His name is YHVH of Hosts – and the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth. For the Lord has called you like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,’ says your God. ‘I deserted you for a brief moment, but I will take you back with great compassion.’”  Isaiah 54:4-7 (HCSB)

It is essential to understand that you are reading a prophecy. God is telling His “Bride” that He will take her back, even before He has sent her away. It is important to understand that because otherwise, God seems wishy-washy, as if He cannot make up His mind or is an emotional wreck.  

So, what is the value of this knowledge? It restores our trust in the Lord. It reminds us that He will “never leave or forsake us,” which is the core of the security of our salvation. Essentially, the Lord tells His “Bride” that while He will put her out for a season, His intention is not to leave her forever. There are times when, because of our personal sins, believers feel distant or even forsaken by God. If you are indeed a believer, even though you are a disobedient believer, the Lord is only intent on your restoration and not your damnation. Repent and approach the Lord. He is our faithful “Husband”.

The idea of “union and communion” lies at the heart of the Old Testament understanding of God’s relationship with his people. The Bible describes this relationship in four terms: Father/Son, Master/Slave, Shepherd/Sheep, and Husband/Wife.  

One of the most charismatic phrases that Paul uses in the New Testament is “in Messiah (Christ) Jesus .”(1 Corinthians 1:2; Eph 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1)  Parallel this with another emphasis: “Messiah is ‘in’ the believer .”(Romans 8:10; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27)  Together, these two concepts indicate the closeness of the “marriage” bond between Messiah and His people. Jesus expands this idea even further:

“I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message. May they all be one, as You, Father are in Me and I am in You.  May they also be one in Us, so the World may believe You sent Me.” John 17:20-21 (HCSB)

Jesus desires that just as He is in the Father and the Father is in Him, we should share in that relationship: in the Father and Him.   Furthermore, that is how closely we believers should be with each other: One. Truly, the “Bride of Messiah” (singular) is actually the sum of all believers. As a husband and wife become “one,” so is the relationship of Jesus to His Bride. That means He is completely devoted and intimately concerned with the Church at large and with us as individuals at the same time. He cares for his “Bride” corporately, and He cares for you personally.

“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:10-12 (NKJV)

There are certain Bible passages that were of great importance with respect to understanding Jesus. Perhaps no other passage from the Tanakh (Old Testament) is as crucial as Isaiah 53. Jesus Himself quoted Isaiah 53:12 and applied it to Himself.

“For I say to you that this which is written must still be [a]accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.” Luke 22:37 (NKJV)

On other occasions, when Jesus declared that He “must suffer many things” and that He had not “come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 8:31; 10:45), He was also alluding to Isaiah 53.

Of great significance is the fact that the major contributors to the New Testament refer to at least eight different verses from Isaiah 53. Verse 1 is quoted by John and applied to Jesus (John 12:38); Matthew cites verse 4 about how Jesus healed (Matthew 8:17); and verses 5, 6, 9, and 11 are picked up by Peter (1 Peter 2:22-25).

Others have suggested that the various statements in the New Testament, to the effect that Jesus should be “rejected” and “taken away,” are taken from Isaiah 53. His being “buried” like a criminal without any preparatory anointing, the parable of the stronger man who “divides up the spoils,” His silence before the judges, His intercession for the transgressors, and His laying down His life for others – all these are rooted in Isaiah 53.

Every verse of today’s chapter, except verse 2, is directly applied to Jesus in the New Testament, some verses several times. There is good evidence that Jesus’ whole public ministry: His immersion, healing, teaching, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension - are all seen as a fulfillment of the pattern foretold in Isaiah 53.

Today, if I were to share the gospel with a Jewish non-believer, I would begin with Isaiah 53 (then move to Micah 5:2, Psalms 22 and 69) before entering the New Testament.

I chose today’s passage because many of us are facing struggles during this difficult season. God is not ignorant of our suffering; nor is He a sadist, as some have put forth. He does not take pleasure in our pain. Rather, He is pleased when we are faithful to honor and worship Him despite the pain. Seasons come and go. This one, too, shall pass. True shalom is not the absence of conflict; it is peace from and with God in the midst of it.

“‘So now what have I here’ – the Lord’s declaration – ‘that My people are taken away for nothing? Its rulers wail’ – the Lord’s declaration – ‘and My Name is continually blasphemed all day long. Therefore, My people will know My Name; therefore they will know on that day that I am He who says: Here I am.’  How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”  Isaiah 52:5-7 (HCSB)

Chapter 52 begins with a repetition of the cry to awaken. God throws back at Israel her own cry (51:9), repeating the same words. Zion, God’s people, is in danger. She is drunk with her sins. Foreigners (the uncircumcised) are at present occupying the streets of Jerusalem. But all of this will change. (52:1)  She is to arise and sit up in a dignified royal manner. (52:2)  Zion will be redeemed; God has promised it.  They have not been sold for money. God owes no one anything in Zion’s redemption. (52:3)  He is a debtor to no one. (50:1)  God’s saving work is to glorify his own name.

“Therefore My people will know My Name; therefore they will know on that day that I am He who says: Here I am.”  Isaiah 52:6 (HCSB)

Peter uses the same analogy:

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”  1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV)

Or how about the words of Paul?

“They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:24 (HCSB)

Put simply, Israel did not fall into captivity because God owed some foreign god a debt. They were taken into captivity because they transgressed against the Lord. Furthermore, nobody has helped God in His act of deliverance. God does not owe any mention to the merits of men: He alone saves!

The way of salvation is being made clear, and all mankind should take note of it. It is not exclusive to any particular ethnic group; it is free to all who will believe and follow. But it comes exclusively through God’s “Servant” Messiah Jesus.

“Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness, who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain. When I called him he was only one; I blessed him and made him many. For the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places, and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and melodious song.” Isaiah 51:1-3 (HCSB)

The previous chapter ended by expressing concern for the spiritually depressed. Chapter 51 continues the application of a remedy. The two “servant songs” (49:1-6; 50:4-9) are undoubtedly meant to encourage true believers, captive in Babylon, to “turn their eyes upon Messiah.”

Chapter 51 elaborates by a threefold use of either “listen” or “hear,” all of which urge tired believers to continue living faithfully. Three sections of Isaiah 51 (1-3, 4-6, 7-8) advocate that believers look backward, forward, and to the present, carefully observing God’s promises surrounding each perspective. Now, on to today’s passage.

God encourages us first to remember what He has done in our past, rescuing us from sin and assuring us of His promise of love and abiding presence.

Isaiah uses the image of a “piece of rock” (shapeless and black) and the quarry from which it is taken – dirty, dark, and dismal. The sculptor has fashioned it into a work of great beauty and design. “look back at your roots,” God urges. “Think of what I have done for you.”

Taking Abraham (the father of the faithful) and his wife Sarah as examples, Isaiah reminds his hearers how God took these two people and multiplied them. God blessed Abraham and his descendants. Out of one couple (and an old one at that), God miraculously formed a great nation. No matter how small and difficult things may be, God can transform our situations beyond recognition. Nothing is too difficult for God. Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. It begins where man’s power ends.

In place of gloom and despair, God promises comfort, compassion, paradise (He will make her wilderness like Eden), and joy. The desert-like experience of Babylon will give way to restored paradise. We already saw the use of a garden (Eden) as a symbol of what God intends for His children in Isaiah 35:12

When the dying thief asked to be remembered by Jesus, he was promised to experience “paradise” that day. (Luke 23:43)  Paul momentarily experienced it (2 Corinthians 12:4), and the last book of the Bible takes up the word again, holding out the prospect of Heaven. (Revelation 2:7)  If you were to die tonight, do you know for certain that you will enter eternal life, “paradise” with Messiah Jesus?