Beulah Baptist Church Rev. Jerry D. Black, Pastor

Sunday School Lesson May 17th, 2020 Rev. Mark A. Seals, M.Div., Instructor/Teacher

Lesson: Practice Justice Text: Jeremiah 21:8-14

I. Aim for Change By the end of the lesson, we will: DISCOVER divine justice described by Jeremiah, EXPRESS gratitude that God is a God of justice, and ENDEAVOR to be just and advocate for justice.

In Focus: John was sentenced to five years in prison for basically being in the wrong place at the wrong time; trusting people he thought were his friends. John had turned his life around, being faithful with his talents, volunteering within his community and with youth. John thought it wasn’t such a bad idea to hang with old friends, but he didn’t know they were planning to steal from a delivery truck. He tried to talk them out of it, but the police showed up in the very moment catching his friends, and also arresting John. His friends did an honorable thing and wrote letters convincing officials of his innocence. He was released after a year and a half, and his record expunged.

Key Verse— (Jeremiah 21:12 KJV) O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

II. People Places and Times It was between 750-586BC that Jerusalem existed as a walled city during the times of the prophet(s). During the time of our text, it featured the prophet Jeremiah, one of the giants of OT prophecy who received his calling in 626BC during the thirteenth year of King Josiah’s reign. Jeremiah resisted his call to prophetic ministry, citing his youth as an obstacle (Jer. 1:6—9). But God’s will cannot be resisted. Jeremiah’s road and work were hard because of the hardheartedness of the people (Jer. 15:10). In spite of all the difficulties, Jeremiah could not resist God’s call to prophesy. It was a compulsion. It was a dynamic, powerful inner motivation that made him prophesy (Jer. 20:9).

III. Background Jeremiah began to prophesy under the reign of King Josiah (639-609BC) and witnessed a great spiritual revival and awakening in Jerusalem. Josiah was killed in a battle against the Egyptians which began the time of a spiritual downturn in Judah, as Babylon would gain control and later exile the people. The people began to listen to false prophets and considered Jeremiah nothing more than a nuisance. Jeremiah cautions the people who claim to be in relations with God but prioritize oppression and self-centeredness. Just as Judah would get their punishment, Babylon and all those that oppress Judah would get their punishment too.

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The Lesson At-A-Glance… Ø The Paradox of the Malpractice of Justice (Jeremiah 21:8-10) Ø The Priority of the Practice of Justice (vv. 11-12) Ø The Price of the Malpractice (vv. 13-14)

IV. In Depth with More Light on the Text In the verses to follow (8-10), because of their evil practices, they had two choices: submit to Babylon or fight unsuccessfully. Judah (the elite and ruling class Jews) would be taken as captives by Babylon; the produce from the land would be burned because it had been over worked, overpriced to the poor, out of reach from those in need so that the wealthy could live even more luxuriously. In 2020 we call this type behavior…______.

Jeremiah 21:8 And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, has come against Judah to destroy it, and King Zedekiah of Judah is hopeful that the Lord will deliver them. But Jeremiah dashes these hopes by saying that the Lord will allow their capture to happen. The deliverance here is that they will live, but only by being taken captive. For those who would choose to fight and remain in Judah, there was certain death.

Jeremiah 21:9 He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. Jeremiah often refers to sword, famine and pestilence to summarize the various ways in which God will judge His people for their unfaithfulness. All three bring about death, but from different sources: 1. Sword—refers to war 2. Famine—refers to the lack of food due to the lack of rain, and 3. Pestilence—refers to diseases and plagues All three are among the covenant curses of Deut. 28, Lev. 26. The people are encouraged to fall to the enemy, for this is the only way they could save their lives. Yes, this is an odd way for God to ensure that the people would be saved, but we have to trust God even in the weirdest ways of escape, and as He brings judgment.

Jeremiah 21:10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. Oddly enough, Nebuchadnezzar is the puppet and ‘servant’ of God. Babylon doesn’t take Jerusalem, but it is “given” into their hand.

Jeremiah 21:11And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD; 12 O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

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In these verses, the Lord provides the last opportunity for the people to escape with their lives. He turns back to address the Davidic lineage of Kings and is in all likelihood speaking to Zedekiah. The message of God begins with one of justice and is to be a top priority for the king. For example, the early eighth century prophets Hosea and Amos warned against the abuse of the poor by the rich. Years later, this type of injustice in Judah (also here and now…) remains unchanged, as the wealthy and powerful continue to take advantage of the lower classes. It is the king’s duty to take care of the under privileged, and to equitably render justice and righteousness. But turning a blind eye to the plight of the poor is such a great evil in God’s eyes that He will unleash his just wrath on them, wrath so great that it is like a raging fire that cannot be put out.

Jeremiah 21:13 Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations? 14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it. God here, address the “inhabitant of the valley” and “rock of the plain,” both unusual descriptions. These are references to Jerusalem, which is surrounded on three sides by valleys and was a relatively strong, rock-like fortress. They, by all accounts, felt as though they were safe and secure. Although they were described as wicked, they were still pious and religious. They just didn’t believe that God would allow their king, the city and Temple to be taken and destroyed. Judah’s misaligned faith led them to the presumption that righteous living did not really matter. But Nebuchadnezzar led the world’s most powerful army, and the diminutive Judah did not stand a chance. Finally, in response to their boastful claim that no one could enter the city, God says He will do it Himself to punish, “the fruit of your doings.” As before (vv. 10-12), God’s judgment will take the form of fire, a fire that will “devour” and consume everything around them. The whole city will be destroyed.

Liberating Lesson & Application for Activation—see Sunday School book

Vocabulary-New Words

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