Rebuke and Retribution

Memory Text: “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise” (Jeremiah 17:14, NKJV).

Jeremiah was called for a very unpleasant task. God asked him to point out the sins of the children of Israel and call them to repentance. Jeremiah faithfully showed them the cause of their rebellion against God and the consequences that would follow. But unlike the citizens of Nineveh who repented after Jonah’s rebuke, Judah punished Jeremiah for speaking the truth and inflicted him with pain. His own people plotted to kill him. Jeremiah like Job cried out to the Lord for he couldn't understand why he had to go through retribution indicating that he also was a fallible human after all.

The Two Ways

1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.

The Bible has been very clear that there are only two ways of life. Jesus said, He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. (Luke 11:23).

Q. What was the spiritual state of the children of Israel in regards to following God?

The children of Israel had not completely abandoned the worship of God. But they mixed their cult worship with the true.  Archeological discoveries show that this mixing of cult with true worship was widely prevalent from the time of Assyrian invasion of the northern kingdom Israel 21 BC) to Judah’s fall to Babylon (586 BC).

God had been urging his people through the prophets to turn away from these false gods.

The above inscription was found in a tomb at Khirbet el-Kom, eight miles west of Hebron. It read blessed “by Yahweh” and “by his asherah.”            

The Two Men

Jeremiah 17:5-8 contrasts two men, their choices and the consequences of their choices. This difference illustrated by the prophet showed what Judah had been doing and what it could have done.

Q. What is the outcome of the man who puts his trust in the power of other man?

Jeremiah 17:5,6 “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength .... For he shall be like a shrub in the desert” Judah had been putting their trust in alliances with Assyria and Egypt in order to resist Babylonian invasion. God warned them in the above verses that trusting human power over divine would bring them trouble and isolation. Just like a lonely shrub in the desert Judah will be cut off from the blessings that could have been theirs.

Q. What is the blessing for the man who puts his trust in God?

Jeremiah 17:7,8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters.”          A tree by the river receives plenty of moisture and has no worry about the drought. A man who trusts God will receive His blessings and strength for every trial.

This blessing is similar to Psalms 1 where the righteous is also said to be planted by the rivers. In Psalms 1:3 three blessings are pronounced for the righteous:

· brings forth its fruit in its season– Lives a useful life

· Whose leaf also shall not wither– He is in good health

· And whatever he does shall prosper– Enjoys Success 

The Sin of Judah

Q. What is the reason for Judah’s continuous rebellion to God?

Jeremiah 17:1 “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; With the point of a diamond it is engraved
On the tablet of their heart” The sins of Judah were ‘engraved’ on to their heart showing the seriousness of their sins. They had lived a life opposite to what God had commanded them to.

Deut 10:12 “..what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Instead of God in their hearts sin found its place.

Q. Is there any hope for those who have sins engraved on the tablet of their heart’?

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

God pleaded with the captives in Babylon through prophet Ezekiel to repent and change their lives. The above was a conditional promise upon the spiritual and moral correction of the people of Judah. They could have their ‘hearts etched with sins’ replaced with a new heart if they allowed God first place.

But history shows that this did not happen. When they returned from captivity they got involved in self righteousness and rejected God’s grace to change their hearts.

The Anathoth Conspiracy

Anathoth was town three miles away from Jerusalem. This town had been assigned to the Levites (1 Chr 6:60) and thus its residents were priests. Abiathar the high priest was from this town and so was Jeremiah. One of Jeremiah’s worst experiences was in his hometown with his own relatives.

Q. What did the men of Anathoth plot against Jeremiah?

Jeremiah 11:19 But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”

Some scholars think that the men of Anathoth plotted to poison Jeremiah’s food. Jeremiah up to now did not understand the depth of their sins, but as he learned of the conspiracy he understood the attitude they had towards God.

Q. How was the life of Jeremiah a prefigure of Jesus’ life?

Jeremiah 11:19 “But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter…” Christ was the lamb that was slaughtered for our sins. Jesus’ ministry was for his own people, but his own plotted and took away his life.

Way of the Wicked

Q. Why do we see the wicked prosper around us?

Jeremiah faced the doubt over why the wicked prospers. He could not harmonize his concept of God with this human experience. Jeremiah 12:1,2 Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind.

Other people in the Bible also had the same question. Why do the wicked prosper?

The answer to this question has eluded many people. Psalms 73 deals with the solution to this question. After a lot of doubts expressed in the psalm, the poet realizes that the wicked do not prosper after all. Their success is exaggerated and may go down any moment. Their prosperity is like a dream; reality returns when the sleeper wakes up (vs 20).

Q. Why do then the righteous suffer?

We see suffering in the lives of many good people in the Bible and this continues even today. Following are possible reasons:

Job 23:10 “When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold”. God allows suffering to refine a person’s character.

Job 33:19,23 “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed….To show man His uprightness. People suffer so that they are restored to righteousness.

Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. This universe is a mystery.

Running With Horses

Q. What was God’s response to Jeremiah when he complained about the troubles that he was going through?

Jeremiah 12:5 “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses?”

God asks Jeremiah to compare his small sorrows with the larger troubles that others might be facing. If an ordinary experience discouraged the prophet so deeply, then how could he withstand greater hardships and troubles. This lesson given to the prophet can also be for us today.

· If we neglect the minor tasks of life, how can we undertake greater responsibilities?

· If we fall to the smaller temptation of this life, how can we withstand the greater crisis of life?

· If we cannot endure the lesser troubles of this life, how can we withstand the terrible tribulations that are yet to come upon us?

A Desperate Situation

There is an indication in the book of Jeremiah that Judah was facing series of drought and their repeated occurrences brought the nation to a national crisis.

Jeremiah 14:3,4 Their nobles have sent their lads for water; They went to the cisterns and found no water… Because the ground is parched, For there was no rain in the land,  

Q. What was the reaction of the people towards this drought?

The people of Judah turned to God during these times of drought. Joel 1:13,14 tells that the people would put on sack clothes and fast so as to think to appease God. Even prophet Jeremiah intercedes to God on behalf of the people.

Q. What did God command Jeremiah to do?

God asked Jeremiah to stop interceding on behalf of the people of Judah. (Jer 14:11)

Q. Why did not God accept the prayer of these people?

· These people had an outward show of religious piety. They fasted and prayed to God to remove the drought. But their prayers were not of genuine repentance but was put on because of their need. Jer 14:12

· They also believed in false prophets who built their hopes on false assurances of prosperity and plenty. Jer 14:13-15

The Last Five Kings of Israel

Memory Text: “He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” (Jeremiah 22:16, NIV).

Q. What did Prophet Samuel warn the children of Israel about when they asked God for a king?

1 Samuel 8:18 “And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves..” Samuel reasoned with Israel that if they had a king he would take away their freedom (1 Sam 8:11-17). These kings through the centuries made them their servants, took their best lands and oppressed them. But the greatest damage they brought to the children of Israel was to introduce heathen gods and turn their hearts away from Yahweh. The national crisis that they found themselves in during Jeremiah’s time was largely because their kings ‘did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord”.

Q. How many kings did Israel have as a nation?

Saul was the first king of united Israel followed by David and his son Solomon. After the death of Solomon the kingdom divided into the northern kingdom Israel comprising of ten tribes and the southern kingdom of Judah. Israel had 19 kings before they were erased as a nation by the Assyrians. Judah had 20 kings before they were defeated by the Babylonians and carried into exile.

Tentative Chronology of the Divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah

Kings of United Israel	Years of Reign
Saul	1050-1011 BC
David	1011-971 BC
Solomon	971-931 BC

Kings of Judah	Years of Reign	Kings of Israel	Years of Reign
Rehoboam	931-913 BC	Jeroboam I	931-910 BC
Abijah	913-911 BC
Asa	911-869 BC	Nadab	910-909 BC
		Baasha	909-886 BC
		Elah	886-885 BC
		Zimri	885 BC
		Omri	885-874 BC
Jehoshaphat	872-848 BC	Ahab	874-853 BC
Jehoram	854-841 BC	Ahaziah	853-852 BC
Ahaziah	841 BC	Joram	852-841 BC
Athaliah	841-835 BC	Jehu	841-814 BC
Joash	835-796 BC	Jehoahaz	814-798 BC
Amaziah	796-767 BC	Jehoash	798-782 BC
Azariah	790-739 BC	Jeroboam II	793-753 BC
Jotham	750-731 BC	Zachariah	753-752 BC
Ahaz	735-715 BC	Shallum	752 BC
Hezekiah	729-686 BC	Manahem	752-742 BC
Manasseh	697-642 BC	Pekehiah	742-740 BC
Amon	642-640 BC	Pekah	752-732 BC
Josiah	640-609 BC	Hoshea	732-722 BC
Johoahaz	609 BC
Jehoiakim	609-598 BC
Jehoiachin	598-597 BC
Zedekiah	597-586 BC

Source: SDA Bible Commentary Vol 2, pg 77

Q. What was the role of the kings in bringing judgment to the nation?

Throughout the history of Israel and Judah we find with few exceptions that the kings did evil in the sight of the Lord. They oppressed the poor and introduced idolatry. These two sins eventually led to their nation’s destruction.

Under the Rule of Josiah

Josiah was 8 years old when he ascended the throne from his father Amon and grandfather Manasseh . The meaning of his name is ‘Yahweh heals’ “and he did what was right in the sight of the Lord “ (2 Ki 22:2)

Q. What was the prophecy concerning Josiah 300 years before his birth?

1Kings 13:2 “O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’” God foretold Josiah’s name and his reforms centuries before he was born. Josiah fulfilled the prophecy when he broke down idolatry and defiled heathen places of worship “with the bones of men”. (2 Ki 23:14)

Q. Why was Josiah known as a reformer?

In the 18th year of Josiah’s reign, a scroll of the Law of Moses was found from the temple that had been neglected for years. God’s words read from the scroll deeply impressed the young king and he concluded that his fathers did not live according to God’s command and a great curse would fall on the land. So he went out to bring a reformation in the entire kingdom. Josiah’s reformation had two parts: First, he started with crushing idolatry and removing heathen gods from his kingdom. (2 Ki 23). Second, he made a solemn vow to follow the Lord, and “to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, [and] to perform the words of the covenant..” 2 Chronicles 34:31

Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim: Another Descent

Josiah was killed in a battle with Pharaoh Necho and Jehoahaz was put on the throne by popular demand even though he wasn't the eldest prince. He ruled for just three months before Pharoah Necho replaced him with his brother Jehoiakim. But even in his short reign Jehoahaz “did evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Ki 23:32).

Since the death of good King Josiah, those who ruled the nation had been proving untrue to their trust and had been leading many astray. Prophet and Kings, pg 412

Q. What was the geo-political situation during this time?

Egypt and Babylon were in a struggle to gain supremacy. Jehoahaz like his father Josiah was anti-Egyptian and was deposed from the throne by Pharoah Necho. His elder brother Jehoiakim who was politically pro-Egyptian became the next king of Judah in 609 BC. When Babylon defeated Egypt, Jehoiakim surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC (It was at this time when Daniel and his friends were carried captive). Later he rebelled against Babylon and he was killed by them.

Q. How did Jehoiakim fare as a king?

·         Jehoiakim discriminately taxed the whole population. (2 Ki 23:35)

·         He build magnificent palaces using forced labor. (Jer 22:13)

·         Persecuted and killed prophets (Jer 26:20-24)

·         Permitted pagan rites to flourish again in Judah

The Short Reign of King Jehoiachin of Judah

Jehoachin became the 19th king of Judah and ruled for 3 months and ten days (598-597 BC). He came to the throne when he was 18 years old. Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem in 597 BC and carried him along with his mother, wives, courtiers and some 10,000 captives including prophet Ezekiel.

Q. How can we see God’s grace amidst all the calamities falling on Judah?

The children of Israel were captives without homes in a foreign land. They seemed desperate and they could not find any hope in this situation. In spite of their rebellion, God would not forsake them. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

God extended this promise even to king Jehoiachin. Nebuchadnezzar’s son Evil-Merodach released him from the prison and granted him permission to eat at his table. He could also wear his kingly robes (2 Ki 25-37). He was also given a regular ration of food everyday. Archeology confirmed this biblical fact by the discovery of a clay tablet in ancient Babylon mentioning Jehoiachin’s name and the daily ration details.

Jehoiachin's rations tablets dated from the 6th century BC found at the Babylonian site displayed at the  Pergamum Museum in Berlin

At the End of the Dead End

2 Chronicles 36:11-14 “Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king...He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God…. Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the Lord which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.”

Like the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah cried up to God, Judah too had gone too far in sin. “They have filled the land with violence”, said prophet Ezekiel(Eze 8:17)

Q. What were the sins Judah committed in the Temple of God?

·         Ahaz removed the brazen alter in the temple and placed an idolatrous alter (2 Ki 16:10-16)

·         Manasseh built alters in the house of the Lord (2 Ki 21:4)

·         Ezekiel in his vision saw people with their backs to the temple worshipping the sun (Eze 8:16). Sun worship had crept into Judah (2 Ki 23:5)

Q. What was God’s command to Zedekiah to prevent the complete destruction of Jerusalem and the nation?

Jeremiah 38:17 “If you surely surrender to the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live.”

Jeremiah had been pleading with the kings of Judah not to rebel against Babylon. But due to their weakness in character they followed the anti-Babylonian party to disobey God. The result of their disobedience brought complete destruction of Jerusalem.

The Dark Years

Q. How did the destruction of Jerusalem come?

Nebuchadnezzar’s army laid siege (a military operation in which enemy forces surround a town or building, cutting off essential supplies, with the aim of compelling those inside to surrender) to Jerusalem on  approximately Jan 15, 588 BC (see Jer 52:4). This siege continued for two years when the Babylonians broke the walls on approximately July 19, 586 BC (see Jer 52:5). The Babylonian army demolished the temple and all prominent buildings in Jerusalem. King Zedekiah was captured after he fled the city. His sons were killed in his sight and later his eyes were put out and he was transported to Babylon were he later died. (2 Ki 25:1-7).

Q. Who were left in Jerusalem after its destruction?

Majority of its citizens were carried away as captives to Babylon and only the poorest of the poor were left behind to tend to the fields and the vineyards.

Q. Did the inhabitants of Judah have any hope of coming back to their homes?

Jeremiah 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

Jeremiah’s prophecy predicted that they would return to their homes after a period of 70 years in exile. The people of Judah could draw hope to restoration. God provided grace throughout his judgment on Jerusalem. 

The Remnant

Jeremiah 23:3 “But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.”

Throughout the Bible God has provided grace along with judgment. God has always preserved a remnant after every calamity. Be it Noah’s family after the flood or the remnant in the final history of the church. God’s remnant from Judah were scattered yet preserved throughout the nations and God promised to bring them back.

Q. What is the greatest hope God promised to the remnant of Judah?

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,

“That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper,

And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

In His days Judah will be saved,

And Israel will dwell safely;

Now this is His name by which He will be called:

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Jeremiah 23:5,6

This is a Messianic prophecy (prophecy that points to Jesus) in the center of the book of Jeremiah. Throughout the judgment brought on Judah, God gave them hope and showed grace. And the greatest hope he promised to them was Jesus who would walk among them, heal them and deliver them from sin.