The Prophet Jeremiah
Monday, July 8 Jeremiah 25:1-14
“You would notlisten to me”
Fortwenty-three years Jeremiah has been preaching the Word of God to the people ofJerusalem and Judah. The refusal of thepeople to heed the prophet’s warnings and calls for repentance has now led tothe brink of judgment. Babylon, and moreparticularly, Nebuchadnezzar, are identified as a foe from the north. Verse nine describes Nebuchadnezzar as God’s“servant.” This is a shocking term touse but fully consistent with Jeremiah’s message.
The prophet portrays the historical judgment to come on Judah as God’swork against his sinful people, and an exile in Babylon of seventy years isprojected. During this time,Nebuchadnezzar is not acting independently of God’s design but as an agent inthe employ of God. In the book of Danielwe learn that Nebuchadnezzar himself bore witness that God is sovereign (Daniel4:1-37). The fact that the king isserving God’s will does not make him morally superior and does not make him andhis kingdom immune from God’s standards of justice. Babylon too will be judged for its sins.
We listen and repent, Lord, for you are ajust and holy God. Amen.
Tuesday, July 9 Jeremiah 25:15-29
“Judgment on theNations”
Jeremiahwas originally commissioned to be a prophet to the nations (1:5), and it is tobe expected that some of his declarations would concern nations other thanJudah. God’s judgment of the nations islikened to a stupefying draught which the nations are compelled to drink. Such a cup, which results in the staggeringof someone inebriated and out of control, is a metaphor for the turmoil to comeamong the nations when God’s sword of judgment is unleashed. As a prophetic symbol of judgment, God’s cupof wrath is seen not only in Jeremiah but also in other prophets such asHabakkuk (Habakkuk 2:16), Ezekiel (Ezekiel 23:32-34) and Isaiah (Isaiah 51:17,21-22), as well as in the sixteenth and seventeenth chapters of the book ofRevelation.
Thelong listing of states and rulers comprises a summary for “all the kingdoms onthe face of the earth” (25:26). God isdepicted as a cosmic Judge, and the imagery employed suggests a type ofsweeping judgment beyond the circumstances of the late seventh/early sixthcentury BC. The face of the earth isstrewn about with the effects of destruction.
You are sovereign over all nations, Lord,and they will be judged by you. Amen.
Wednesday, July 10 Jeremiah 25:30-38
“The Lord willbring charges”
Godroars like a lion. His voice is heardfrom his holy dwelling, from on high, that is, from heaven. He brings his case against all peoples, likea lawsuit being brought against those who have disregarded him and his commands. They are filled with the guilty who will behanded over to the judgment of the sword. The disaster is vast, spreading from nation to nation like a mightystorm blowing up from the farthest ends of the earth.
The shepherds or lords of the flock are the rulers of the variousnations who are called upon to howl, cry aloud, and roll in the dust/scatterashes upon themselves as a sign of mourning, grief and humiliation as theirtime for the slaughter comes. They willfall like the finest rams brought for killing. There will be no escape for these rulers and kings of the nations, norfor their lands. The lion has gone forthfrom his lair, and their territories have become a wasteland before the blazinganger of God.
Your anger againstsin is great, Lord, and we must not ignore it. Amen.
Thursday, July 11 Jeremiah 26:1-24
“I will destroy this Temple as I destroyed Shiloh”
Jeremiah warnsthe people that if they fail to follow the instruction of the Lord, they willbring calamity on themselves. AsJeremiah will argue in the debate with his audience, he stands in the line ofprophets sent by the Lord because, like them, the Lord has also sent him. He prophesies that the temple will bedestroyed in the coming judgment, just like the destruction of the worshipcenter at Shiloh during the days of the judges and the prophet Samuel. Jeremiah’s words about the temple anger manyof his listeners. It is God’s “house,”and the assumption of many in the audience is that God will protect it nomatter what. For some, to speak againstthe temple is tantamount to speaking against God himself. This is blasphemy.
Jeremiah defendshimself as one of the prophets whom the Lord has sent to warn his people aboutthe consequences of disobedience to his instruction. He recognizes that he is in their hands –that is, he is on trial – but he warns them that if they execute him, they willincur the judgment of bringing innocent blood on themselves.
Your word callsus to faithful living, Lord, and we obey. Amen.
Friday, July 12 Jeremiah 27:1-22
“Make a yoke, andfasten it on your neck”
Jeremiah reportsthat the Lord commanded him to make a yoke and to wear it as a sign of the Lord sending him to prophesy thatNebuchadnezzar has been granted sovereignty over nations (includingJudah). God has given Babylon ahistorical period of time in which she will rule over Judah and over the statesof Edom, Moab, and Ammon (all on the eastern side of the Jordan River), as wellas the city-states of Tyre and Sidon (on the Mediterranean coastline). To oppose Babylon at this time is to opposeGod’s will as Creator and Lord.
The work ofother prophets who oppose the message of Jeremiah, telling their respectiverulers not to place themselves under the yoke of Babylon, is repudiated. They are not to be listened to. The end of Babylon’s supremacy is alsoacknowledged, as is God’s intent to restore the temple vessels taken byNebuchadnezzar. Babylon did not takethem away because God was impotent – Nebuchadnezzar is God’s servant, notvanquisher. The vessels will be returnedwhen God is ready.
The purpose of the yoke of discipline,Lord, is that we might return to you. Amen.
Saturday, July 13 Jeremiah 28:1-17
“Hananiah theprophet”
Hananiahprophesies that God will soon restore to Jerusalem the temple vessels taken bythe Babylonians and bring back the exiled Judean king. He performs a prophetic symbolic act inbreaking the wooden yoke that Jeremiah is wearing; this was Hananiah’sillustration of his prophecy that the Lord will break the yoke of Babylon,which is constraining and humiliating Judah. Jeremiah’s first reaction to the Hananiah’s prophecy (“Amen”) seems toindicate that the prophecy impresses him. This reaction is in spite of the fact that Hananiah’s proclamation goesagainst what he himself has prophesied.
WhenHananiah breaks the yoke worn by Jeremiah, Jeremiah does not replyimmediately. This is another indicationof the seriousness with which he takes Hananiah’s words. Subsequently, the word of the Lord comes tohim, and he confronts Hananiah with the message that Babylon rules with God’sexplicit assent and that Hananiah has made the people believe a lie. Indeed, Hananiah’s words are a rebellionagainst the will of the Lord.
Youwill act in your time, Lord, and we will wait patiently. Amen.