Jeremiah laments over God’s declared punishment of His people
» Oh that my eyes were a fountain of tears; I would weep forever! I would sob day and
night for all the people I love who have been slaughtered. (Deep grief in seeing those
he loved have to suffer.)
» Oh that I could go away and forget them and live in a shack in the desert (what we
wouldn’t do or give up to protect and help those we love), for they are ALL adulterous
and treacherous. (Even though we love them, we must see their sin as God sees it.)
God declared judgment for disobedience
» My people are liars. They refuse to stand up for the truth. (Lies are serious sin!)
» They go from bad to worse. (Sin escalates….”little” lies grow.)
» They don’t care about Me at all. (Not an emotional “me” response. Scripture clearly
identifies characteristics of godliness and sincere love for the Lord. God knows all
things…even the “hidden” things of our hearts.)
» They ALL (no one in the group has been unaffected by the sin) take advantage of one
another and spread slanderous lies. Even brothers and neighbors have to beware of one
another.
» They ALL fool and defraud each other; NO ONE tells the truth.
» With practiced tongues they tell lies (have a heart intent on sin…lies become habit)
» They wear themselves out with their sinning. (Sin becomes a way of life that
continually drags you down.)
» They pile lie upon lie and refuse to come to me. (a process of hardening the heart
against God)
» I will melt them in a crucible and test them like metal (God desires to refine them…
a cleansing to restore them to His image.) There is nothing else I can do. (a revelation
of God’s unchanging character of Holiness and Justice. He must punish sin.)
» They aim lies at people like poison arrows. (not spur of the moment, unintentional lies,
but well prepared lies delivered with evil intent)
» They promise peace to their neighbors while planning to kill them. Shouldn’t I punish
them for this? Should I not avenge myself against such people?
Jeremiah continues to weep
» I will weep and wail for the desolate land that will be empty of life. (The promised
land, God’s original plan for His people, is ruined. It is sad to see so many blessings
gone or missed because of sin.)
God continues to declare His judgement
» I will make Jerusalem into a heap of ruins. (How many lives lay in a heap of ruin
because of sin?)
» Who is wise enough to understand all this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and
can explain it to others? Why has the land (God’s promised plan) been ruined so
completely? (God acknowledges our inability to fully understand His ways. Only the
Holy Spirit can bring us some understanding of the mind and heart of God.)
» This has happened because my people have abandoned (by choice) the instructions I
gave them. (God gives us His instructions through His word-scripture, and through
people called with authority and given wisdom to train us in the way we should
go…pastors, parents, other believers, etc.)
» They have refused (by choice) to obey my law. Instead, they have stubbornly followed
their own desires.
» Now, I will feed them with bitterness and give them poison to drink (consequences).
» They will be strangers in distant lands (out of my protection and provision). Their
enemies will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely. (God
is the one in control – Sovereignty.)
» Think about what is going on. (Learn from this.)
» Call for the mourners to come. (You can be sure that God will follow through with
what He says He will do!) Start weeping. Let the tears flow from your eyes.
» Hear the people crying in despair, “We are ruined! Disaster has come upon us! We
must leave our land because our homes have been torn down. (They still do not seem to
understand that they sinned against God and fully deserve punishment. No desire to be
shaped into God’s image. Their main concern is losing comfort…in a lifestyle of sin.)
» Listen women, teach your daughters to wail; teach one another how to lament. (This
destruction is not fleeting. Sin has ongoing consequences)
» Death has creeped in and has killed off the flower of our youth. Children no longer play
in the streets and young men no longer gather in the squares. Bodies will be scattered
across the fields. NO ONE will be left to bury them. (Sin poisons not only individuals,
but their families, friends, communities, churches, and nations. The consequences
of sin are carried from one generation to the next.)
God declares Who He is!
» Let not the wise man gloat in his wisdom, or the mighty man in his might, or the
rich man in his riches. Let them boast in this alone, that they truly know me and
understand that I am the Lord who is just and righteous, whose love is unfailing, and
that I delight in these things. (No one is exempt from the temptations that led these
people into sin and destruction. But, those who seek to walk with the Lord, truly
desiring to know God and understand His ways, will be under the promised protection
of His unfailing love.)
» A time is coming when ALL who have uncircumcised hearts (hearts not separated unto
God) will be punished.
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
