INTRODUCTION • the Leaders of Judah During the Time of Jeremiah

Home , Jeremiah 1, Jeremiah 42, Jeremiah 43, Jeremiah 44, Jeremiah 46, Jeremiah 47

______VANTAGE POINT: JEREMIAH

INTRODUCTION • The leaders of Judah during the time of Jeremiah all had heart problems • Their hearts gave out when it came to standing for what was right • One of those leaders who lost heart was Johanan • In Chapter 41, Johanan was ready to take on Ishmael for killing Gedaliah • But in Chapter 42, Johanan ends up disobeying the Lord… what changed

In Vs. 1-3 it appears that Johanan wants to obey the Lord • He asks Jeremiah to ask God what they should do • So Jeremiah agrees to do it and keep nothing back from him

Jeremiah 42:5–6 (NKJV) 5 So they said to Jeremiah, “Let the LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the LORD your God sends us by you. 6 Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”

• Now Jeremiah seeks the Lord • After 10 days, God speaks to Jeremiah • He calls Johanan and the leaders of the Israeli army to meet with him

Jeremiah 42:10–12 (NKJV) 10 ‘If you will still remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,’ says the LORD, ‘for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. 12 And I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.’

But the Lord says… if you don’t stay and go to Egypt thinking you are going to avoid war… Jeremiah 42:16–17 (NKJV) 16 then it shall be that the sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; the famine of which you were afraid shall follow close

Jeremiah © 2014 Holland Davis ______VANTAGE POINT: JEREMIAH after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die. 17 So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there. They shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. And none of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them.’

God makes it clear what will happen to them if they go into Egypt • The problem is Johanan had already decided to go to Egypt before He even asked Jeremiah • It was all a sham to ask Jeremiah to seek the Lord because they had no intention of obeying the Lord

Jeremiah confronts Johanan’s hypocrisy… Jeremiah 42:19–22 (NKJV) 19 “The LORD has said concerning you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Know certainly that I have admonished you this day. 20 For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the LORD your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’ 21 And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, or anything which He has sent you by me. 22 Now therefore, know certainly that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell.”

God tells them, your insincerity will lead to death • There are times that I know as a counselor that the person I’m speaking to has no intention of doing what they need to do • I’m not sure why they’re even talking to me except to be able to say… I went to counseling and it didn’t work • The truth is, they had no intention of obeying the Lord and they’re really looking for someone to blame for their disobedience • It’s the Johanan syndrome

In Chapter 43… we see Johanan’s rebellion against God • Convinced that God is wrong and they are right • Johanan and his friends call Jeremiah a liar and a false prophet

Jeremiah 43:1–2 (NKJV) 43 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

Jeremiah © 2014 Holland Davis ______VANTAGE POINT: JEREMIAH had sent him to them, all these words, 2 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.’ • You ever been in a situation where you’re trying to help someone and all of a sudden they turn on you and everything is your fault? • That’s what they did to Jeremiah • They came and asked Jeremiah to seek the Lord, to get a word from God • Jeremiah does it and tells it to them and now he’s the bad guy • They even accuse Baruch of influencing Jeremiah to speak lies • Baruch is the scribe that helped Jeremiah deliver God’s Word in the temple while Jeremiah was in prison • Johanan even goes as far as to say that God has never spoken to Jeremiah nor did God send Jeremiah • What a heartache to have your character assassinated when all you’ve ever wanted to do is serve the Lord and love His people • And we read in vs. 7 that they disobeyed the voice of the Lord and went into Egypt… and they took Jeremiah with them • I guess for them that was like insurance… God wouldn’t wipe out Jeremiah

Jeremiah 43:8–13 (NKJV) 8 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9 “Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to 10 Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes; and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them. 11 When he comes, he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword. 12 I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment, and he shall go out from there in peace. 13 He shall also break the sacred pillars of Beth Shemesh that are in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire.” ’ ”

This is Jeremiah’s final “action sermon” • While the Jews are watching, he gathers some large stones • Sets them in clay mortar before Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes • Then he announces that Nebuchadnezzar’s throne would one day sit on these stones while the King of Babylon passes judgment • Nebuchadnezzar would destroy the gods and temples in Egypt, just like he did the temple in Jerusalem • Thus, the very gods that the Jews would worship in Egypt, a man would destroy them • It was to point out how powerless their gods really were

In Chapter 44 we have the last recorded message from Jeremiah to the people • It was probably given in Egypt around 580 B.C. • Jeremiah has been faithful for 46 years at this point • His entire life has been spent warning Judah of the consequences of their idolatry only to be falsely accused of bringing down the morale of the nation • Now, he’s being falsely accused of not hearing from or sent from God

Jeremiah 44:1–10 (NKJV) 44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Noph, and in the 2 country of Pathros, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, 3 because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they went to burn incense and to serve other gods whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers. 4 However I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, “Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate!” 5 But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods. 6 So My fury and My anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as it is this day.’ 7 “Now therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain, 8 in that you provoke Me to wrath with the works of your hands,

Jeremiah © 2014 Holland Davis ______VANTAGE POINT: JEREMIAH burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to dwell, that you may cut yourselves off and be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not been humbled, to this day, nor have they feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers.’

You have to ask yourself… why was God against them going to Egypt? • If you remember, God delivered them from Egypt • God destroyed the gods and goddesses of Egypt • But as soon as they arrived in Egypt, they began to worship the local gods and goddesses • Going back to Egypt was like slipping back into an old comfortable pair of shoes and they slipped back into their old ways of living • That’s what happens when you go back to Egypt • And the Lord asks them… why are you putting yourselves back under condemnation, back under judgment, back under the control of the very gods that I delivered you from?

Have we forgotten our history? • One of the dangers of our generation today is our loss of memory loss • We’ve forgotten the principles that our nation was founded on • We’ve forgotten that the reason why the Pilgrims came to America was to be able to worship the Lord without interference from the King of England • We wanted to be a nation founded on God’s Word, Freedom of Worship, Freedom to live for God • Today the ACLU is trying to strip God’s Word out of our schools, courtrooms • The Freedom of Worship is now the Freedom from worship. • Freedom to live for God is now the Freedom to practice every other faith but Christianity • We’ve forgotten our history

Judah didn’t learn their lesson and now they were jeopardizing their future

Jeremiah 44:11–14 (NKJV) 11 “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will set My face against you for catastrophe and for cutting off all Judah. 12 And I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to dwell there, and they shall all be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine. They shall die, from the least to the greatest, by the sword and by famine; and they shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse and a reproach! 13 For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone into the land of Egypt to dwell there shall escape or survive, lest they return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return and dwell. For none shall return except those who escape.’ ”

• As the people of Judah are listening to Jeremiah, they begin to defend their choice to sin using a pragmatic approach • When they lived in Judah and secretly worshipped the Queen of Heaven, everything went well • But when King Josiah made them give up their idols, things got worse

Jeremiah 44:18 (NKJV) 18 But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”

• Now, it seems that the women were the ones bringing idolatry into their homes, but the husbands approved of what they did • According to the law, if a husband approved of a wife’s vow (Numbers 20) then it was valid

So the wives were blaming their husbands… Jeremiah 44:19 (NKJV) 19 The women also said, “And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?”

• Regardless of their attempts to justify their actions, Jeremiah says enough • You are going to be judged twice for the same sin

Jeremiah 44:23 (NKJV) 23 Because you have burned incense and because you have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD or walked in His law, in His statutes or in His testimonies, therefore this calamity has happened to you, as at this day.”

• Jeremiah gives them a sign • Pharaoh Hophra, who they were trusting to care for them, would be handed over to his enemies like King Zedekiah

Jeremiah 44:30 (NKJV) 30 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.’ ”

• History tells us that a part of the Egyptian army revolted against Hophra and eventually executed him

Chapter 45 • Chronologically, this chapter belongs with Jeremiah 36 • But it is placed here because this chapter introduces the prophecies Baruch had written as dictated by Jeremiah when he was in prison • Chapter 45 also gives us insight into Baruch, who chose to help Jeremiah and do the will of God

Jeremiah 45:1–3 (NKJV) 45 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the instruction of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, 2 3 “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.” ’ • Even though Baruch was serving the Lord by helping Jeremiah, he apparently was discouraged Jeremiah © 2014 Holland Davis ______VANTAGE POINT: JEREMIAH

• It says that he wanted to quit… he fainted in my sighing • But the Lord gives Baruch a word of encouragement

Jeremiah 45:4–5 (NKJV) 4 “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. 5 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.” ’ ”

• He tells Baruch, nothing is going to happen to you so don’t try and strengthen your position by seeking great things for yourself • They go into self-protection mode • A crisis doesn’t make a person, a crisis reveals what a person is made of • In the middle of a crisis, I want to get out of crisis and protect myself • So I start looking for a way out or a way to strengthen my position so I will be unharmed by the crisis • God says… stop worrying about yourself… I’ve got your back

The remaining chapters deal with the rise and fall of the surrounding rulers and nations • As God is judging the nations He is actually judging the gods of these nations

The first nation mentioned is Egypt Jeremiah 46:1–2 (NKJV) 46 The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the nations. 2 Against Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, which was by the River Euphrates in Carchemish, and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

• Pharaoh Necho defeated and killed King Josiah at Megiddo in 609 (2 Chronicles 35:20-27) • But Nebuchadnezzar defeated Necho at the Battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C. (the fourth year of Jehoiakim) • This defeat made Babylon the supreme power in the Near East

• (Vs. 3-12) Jeremiah describes the Battle of Carchemish from Egypt’s view • (Vs. 13-26) He describes Babylon’s invasion of Egypt

Jeremiah 46:13 (NKJV) 13 The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would come and strike the land of Egypt.

Historians tells us this occurred in 568-567 B.C. • (Vs. 15) We read that the mercenaries that were hired to fight were leaving the battle… probably because they were overwhelmed by the Babylonians • (Vs. 17) The Babylonians refer to Necho as a noise… suggesting he was all talk and no action • (Vs. 23) We read that the Egyptians were outnumbered by the Babylonians

But in vs. 25 we read that Egypt’s defeat was really for spiritual reasons Jeremiah 46:25–26 (NKJV) 25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will bring punishment on Amon of No, and Pharaoh and Egypt, with their gods and their kings—Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 And I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of his servants. Afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old,” says the LORD.

• The defeat of Egypt was the defeat of Egypt’s gods • However, this didn’t mean that the gods of Babylon were stronger than the gods of Egypt • Egypt lost because God said they would lost • But then God also says that He will restore Egypt to the land • Not only that, But God promises to preserve and restore Israel

Jeremiah 46:28 (NKJV) 28 Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,” says the LORD, “For I am with you; For I will make a complete end of all the nations To which I have driven you,

But I will not make a complete end of you. I will rightly correct you, For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.”

Chapter 47 speaks of God’s judgment on the Philistine people Jeremiah 47:2–4 (NKJV) 2 Thus says the LORD: “Behold, waters rise out of the north, And shall be an overflowing flood; They shall overflow the land and all that is in it, The city and those who dwell within; Then the men shall cry, And all the inhabitants of the land shall wail. 3 At the noise of the stamping hooves of his strong horses, At the rushing of his chariots, At the rumbling of his wheels, The fathers will not look back for their children, Lacking courage, 4 Because of the day that comes to plunder all the Philistines, To cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper who remains; For the LORD shall plunder the Philistines, The remnant of the country of Caphtor.

The Philistine people probably came from Crete • They built a wealthy nation by developing a merchant marine that sailed the Mediterranean and acquired goods from many places • Tyre and Sidon had joined Judah in trying to stop Nebuchadnezzar • As a result, Babylon would flood over the land • The invasion would be so brutal that parents would flee for their lives and leave their children behind

Jeremiah 47:6–7 (NKJV) 6 “O you sword of the LORD, How long until you are quiet? Put yourself up into your scabbard, Rest and be still! 7 How can it be quiet, Seeing the LORD has given it a charge Against Ashkelon and against the seashore? There He has appointed it.”

• The people would ask the Lord to put His sword of judgment back into his scabbard, but the sword would continue until God’s Work of judgment was finished. • At this point in Jeremiah’s ministry, he has been speaking for over 40 years • God has judged Judah, but God is also judging the nations… more specifically judging the gods of the nations • Jeremiah 1:5 tells us that Jeremiah’s ministry was to be a prophet to the nations… • This final section demonstrates Jeremiah fulfilling his ministry Jeremiah © 2014 Holland Davis ______VANTAGE POINT: JEREMIAH

• NOTE: Our focus is to fulfill the ministry that God has entrusted to us • For some it is our families, some it is our work, but for all of us it is to make disciples of all people