God accuses His people
» Look around at this group of people (Judah). This group of people are ALL liars.
Jeremiah acknowledges God’s reason for punishing the people He loves
» Lord, you searched their hearts for honesty and didn’t find it.
» Even though you struck them (warning), they didn’t pay attention. They refused to turn
from sin. They determined in their hearts (choice) NOT to repent.
» These people whom you love are poor and ignorant concerning your ways, Lord. They
don’t understand what you expect of them. (They haven’t been listening!)
» I’ll try to talk to their leaders. Surely they will know what you require of them.
» The leaders also rejected you, Lord.
» Their rebellion is great, and their sins are many. So, now, I understand that they must
be punished. Just as you said, Lord, their enemies lurk nearby and will pounce on
them. Just as you said, Lord, they will be attacked (SNEAK ATTACK!).
God confirms Jeremiah’s understanding of why He must punish these people
» How can I pardon these people?
» I took care of them, meeting ALL their needs, yet they responded by living in sin.
» They do not belong to the Lord.
» They are full of treachery against me (purposeful sin).
» They lied by saying, “God won’t bother us.” (They deceived self and others by
believing and teaching that God would not do what He said He would do.)
» They said that God’s leaders were “windbags with no divine authority.” (They
dishonored God’s leadership…pastors, parents, etc. and did not acknowledge
God’s sovereignty and authority.)
» Because of this sin, I will bring destruction on them. They will lose my protection
and provision. They think they are safe, but powerful enemies (which they don’t
even recognize) will overtake them.
» Yet, in my mercy, I will not blot them out completely. (I still love them.)
God tells Jeremiah what to say to the people
» When they ask why I am punishing them like this, you must tell them that it is
because they rejected God and chose sin. Now, they will have to become slaves
to people they don’t even know…who don’t care about them, instead of being
at home with me, their father, in a protected place where they would be cared for.
» Tell them: You are a foolish and senseless people who have eyes but do not see, who
have ears, but do not hear.
» Ask them: Don’t you know who God is? You should have respect for the Lord and
tremble in His presence. God is the one who defines the ocean’s shoreline. The waves
can never pass the bounds God sets. (God is all-powerful. The boundaries He sets are
for your protection.)
» Tell them: Your hearts are stubborn and rebellious. You have turned against God
and have chosen to put other things (pleasures) before God. You have NOT purposed
in your heart to live in awe of the Lord who is sovereign and provides all your needs.
» Tell them: Your wickedness has deprived you of God’s wonderful blessings. Your sin
has robbed you of the good things God has for you.
» Even among people who claim to be Christians, there are wicked men who lie in wait
for victims. They continually set traps for other people. They plot evil. Because of
their successful deception, they are considered by many to be great or rich. They
may appear well fed and well groomed. There is no limit to their wicked deeds. They
don’t really care about other people. Shouldn’t I punish people like this?
» It is horrible and shocking how easily my people can be deceived by lies…and how
much my people like it that way. What will these deceived people do when the end
comes?
Next
Jeremiah 1-2
Jeremiah 3-4
Jeremiah 5
Jeremiah 6
Jeremiah 7
Jeremiah 8
Jeremiah 9
Jeremiah 10-11
Jeremiah 12-13
Jeremiah 14-15
Jeremiah 16-17
Jeremiah 18
