Jeremiah 11 FSI - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **Jeremiah 11 Notes** > [[Jeremiah 10 FSI|<Prev]]   [[Jeremiah 12 FSI|Next>]] > [[Jeremiah 11|Verse list view]] > [Jeremiah 11:1](Jeremiah%2011.md#^1) note > > This is how God brings His Word to us, through His prophets as they declare it. ^jer11-1 > [Jeremiah 11:2](Jeremiah%2011.md#^2) note > > Jeremiah is to speak what He has heard to the men of Judah and to inhabitants of Jerusalem -- again, to those who visibly represent the kingdom of God, those who should have a relationship with God (see also [v6](Jeremiah%2011.md#^6) and [9](Jeremiah%2011.md#^9)). > > "Hear ye the words of this covenant" -- We are to *listen* to God's Covenant. What is the Covenant? A synonym for the word *covenant* is *testament*. So the Covenant here has to do with the last Will and Testament of God. In [Hebrews 9:15](Hebrews%209.md#^15), [16](Hebrews%209.md#^16) we find more information about this Testament, that a testament has a testator who must die before it becomes effective. And the testator of a will is the one who *writes* the will. So Who is the Testator of the Covenant of God? We find in [Deuteronomy 9:9](Deuteronomy%209.md#^9), [10](Deuteronomy%209.md#^10), [11](Deuteronomy%209.md#^11) that God identifies the 10 commandments that were written with the finger of God as the Covenant, so God Himself is the Testator here, He is the Writer. And this covenant, these 10 commandments, were given when Israel had first come out of Egypt (which is alluded to in the beginning of [verse 4](Jeremiah%2011.md#^4) of this chapter). > > Now, we must understand that the 10 commandments represent the whole Word of God, the Bible. The whole Bible, the Old and New *Testaments*, are the Covenant of God. And we know that God wrote the whole Bible, not just the 10 commandments that were representative of the Law of God. > > Returning to [Hebrews 9:16](Hebrews%209.md#^16), [17](Hebrews%209.md#^17), we find that the writer of the Will or Testament must *die* before the conditions called for in the Will have any force or effect. Before the testator dies, that Will has no legal authority or binding effect of any kind. But once he dies that Will becomes a legal document that cannot be broken. (Of course, in the world today there's a lot of avarice and greed to contest a will. But not so with God.) So in order for the Covenant of God to take effect, *Christ had to die*. Now, a key verse to this is [Revelation 13:8b](Revelation%2013.md#^8) where it speaks of Christ as *the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world* ([2 Ti 1:9](2%20Timothy%201.md#^9); [1 Pe 1:19](1%20Peter%201.md#^19), [20](1%20Peter%201.md#^20)). So legally the Covenant or Testament of God had already taken effect and was binding before the world was created, that is, the entire Law of God stands for humanity throughout time since the very beginning. And the fact that Christ died means that *all* of the terms and conditions of the Law of God must be carried out. And it's why the Bible speaks of the *blood of the Covenant* because Christ *died* in order to give legal effect to His Law ([Hebrews 10:29](Hebrews%2010.md#^29); [13:20](Hebrews%2013.md#^20)). > > So the Covenant is the whole Law of God. It is God's Covenant, it is God's Law, it is God's Will and Testament. And He is the Testator Who has died for it to take effect so that it must be obeyed. He Himself obeyed His Own Covenant by carrying out its terms, as He paid for our sins as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And now He must carry out His plan to save the elect and to bring the rest into judgment and so on. And we as humanity, created in the Image of God, are all under the Authority of this Covenant, we must *listen* to it. > > Looking again at [1 Peter 1:19](1%20Peter%201.md#^19), [20](1%20Peter%201.md#^20), we find that, while Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world, God revealed or manifested the Covenant upon the coming of Christ in 33AD. Throughout history, all through the Old Testament era, it remained hidden within a veil of types and figures, as we see in [Hebrews 9:8](Hebrews%209.md#^8). It was a time of mystery. But once Christ hung on the cross much of it was revealed to His people, we could now see into the Holy of Holies, so to speak. And this is the real difference between the "old" testament and the new -- it is really all one Covenant but it was not yet made manifest until Christ came. The Old Testament was a portrait or a picture of salvation and the New Testament is the actuality of it for those who are truly saved. ^jer11-2 > [Jeremiah 11:3](Jeremiah%2011.md#^3) note > > Here God is speaking about obeying His Covenant lest we come under a curse. Whenever a curse is placed on someone, ultimately it means they are doomed, they are going to die. But to be cursed of God means to come under His wrath and to be subject to the second death, eternal damnation. And this again is the solemn warning God is giving to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to those who identify as the people of God like the churches and congregations today when they go their own way. So here God lays down a fundamental principle: *Anyone* who does not keep and obey the words of this Law, this legal document that became effective when Christ, the Testator, died (in principle from before the foundation of the world), they are under the curse of God and subject to all of the terrible things that come with the second death and eternal damnation. And we find that the entire world of those who are unsaved are under this curse for breaking God's Covenant ([Is 24:1](Isaiah%2024.md#^1), [2](Isaiah%2024.md#^2), [3](Isaiah%2024.md#^3), [4](Isaiah%2024.md#^4), [5](Isaiah%2024.md#^5), [6](Isaiah%2024.md#^6)). It extends to *every* human being by nature, we are all covenant breakers outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet, this message here is directed toward the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (v2, 6), to the visible kingdom of God who normally should have a relationship with God. ^jer11-3 > [Jeremiah 11:4](Jeremiah%2011.md#^4) note > > "Which I commanded your fathers in the day *that* I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace" -- Why is God speaking about Egypt as the iron furnace? The furnace has to do with the lake of fire, of being under the *wrath* of God. And that's what the land of Egypt represented. And if we are like the dross or the off-scouring, the worthless impurities of metal we will be burned up by God's wrath ([Eze 22:18](Ezekiel%2022.md#^18), [19](Ezekiel%2022.md#^19), [20](Ezekiel%2022.md#^20), [21](Ezekiel%2022.md#^21), [22](Ezekiel%2022.md#^22)). The iron of the iron furnace has to do with the fact that it has great strength, it is unbreakable ([Psalm 107:10](Psalm%20107.md#^10)). > > So the iron furnace represents being under the strong wrath of God that we cannot escape from of our own strength. And when Israel was delivered from Egypt by the strong arm and high hand of God it was a portrait or a demonstration of salvation for the elect of God, it required that God perform the miracle of deliverance for them as He brought judgments upon the land of Egypt and brought Israel into the promised land, a type or a figure of Heaven. But apart from that we are completely trapped by our sins under the wrath of God, we cannot get out. We are like the Egyptians if we remain unsaved and go our own way. And, sadly, even most of the nation of Israel remained unsaved even as they served as a picture of salvation through their deliverance from Egypt. > > "Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:" -- God's Law carries a promise, there is a remedy to the fact that we have broken the Law of God and are under His curse. There is grace shining through in this verse whereby we escape from the iron furnace. And it, too, required that Christ die as the Testator in order to make it effective (and, remember, as the great *I AM*, He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, having completed the work in principle from eternity past - [Jn 17:4](John%2017.md#^4)). That is, the only way any of us have any hope to obey God's Voice, His Word, is to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ, to be covered by His righteousness on our behalf so that we are redeemed from the curse of God ([Gal 3:13](Galatians%203.md#^13), [14](Galatians%203.md#^14)). > > This is because we cannot *perfectly* obey the Law of God (we cannot even come close) on our own behalf, and any attempts to do so just bury us further under the wrath of God because our own righteousness is as filthy rags. Likewise, we must remember that even if we have the sign of the covenant (circumcision in the Old Testament, baptism in the New Testament) that also is not the actual substance of salvation, it is not itself the actuality of being eternally in the covenant of God. Rather, we must be *circumcised in heart by God Himself* where our sins have been cut off, we must be *baptized or cleansed of our sins by God* ([Deut 30:6](Deuteronomy%2030.md#^6); [Eze 36:25](Ezekiel%2036.md#^25)). A person might perhaps obey some part of God's law and yet break many, many others ([Ro 2:25](Romans%202.md#^25), [28](Romans%202.md#^28), [29](Romans%202.md#^29); [Ja 2:10](James%202.md#^10)). And thus it is impossible, even if we're super religious, to please God and to fulfill His righteousness by our own works -- if we have committed even just *one* sin (a huge hypothetical, as no one is even that righteous) then we would fall under the wrath of God if we are outside of Christ. > > Only if Christ has become a curse on our behalf and paid for our sins, suffering under the wrath of God in our place, can we find salvation. And when Christ was raised, we, too were raised with Him if we are saved ([Col 2:12](Colossians%202.md#^12)), we He arose we arose to newness of life. And in God's mercy and kindness He has made this provision Himself in eternity and has revealed it to us by making it manifest to us when we become saved. Only then can it be said that we truly obey His voice and do His Will according to all that He has commanded so that we are His people and He is our God. And He receives all of the glory and credit for this outcome. God Himself hung on the cross, taking upon Himself the sins of His people that they might be redeemed as He gave His life on our behalf, as He became a curse for us. Only then are we spiritually washed of our sins and circumcised in heart as we are covered by the Robe of *Christ*'s righteousness, if we have become a true believer by the action of God and not by our own action. ^jer11-4 > [Jeremiah 11:5](Jeremiah%2011.md#^5) note > > The land flowing with milk and honey was the land of Canaan, which typifies Heaven, the kingdom of God. > > In Genesis 22 [God commanded Abraham to offer his son, Isaac, as an offering](Genesis%2022.md#^2). And Abraham faithfully and dutifully obeyed. He took his son [3 days' journey](Genesis%2022.md#^4) to the mount, [he made an altar, put the wood and his son, Isaac, on the altar](Genesis%2022.md#^9). [He raised his knife to kill his son as the offering](Genesis%2022.md#^10)-- he was absolutely ready to perform the act God commanded him to do [when God restrained him](Genesis%2022.md#^12) so he didn't have to literally go through with it. Then we find that God swore an oath to Abraham to bless him greatly in [Genesis 16:18](Genesis%2022.md#^16), [17](Genesis%2022.md#^17), [18](Genesis%2022.md#^18) for his obedience. There, the seed of Abraham is ultimately the Lord Jesus Christ Who will possess the gate of His enemies, a phrase indicating that He will be victorious and rule over His enemies. His seed will be multiplied like the stars of heaven and like the sand on the seashore -- that is, there will be many believers who will come into the kingdom of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. And in Him shall all the nations of the earth be blessed as the Gospel goes forth to bring in many people into the kingdom of God. So this oath or Covenant Promise has to do with salvation. > > Now, here in Jeremiah 11, God is further developing the contents of that oath given to Abraham that He will also give them a land flowing with milk and honey. And when we become saved we are given eternal life and the promise to inherit the Promised Land, which is Heaven itself, which is to dwell in the Presence of God forevermore. He gives us the kingdom of God, in other words. > > Why did God swear an oath? We read about this in [Hebrews 6:13](Hebrews%206.md#^13), [14](Hebrews%206.md#^14), [15](Hebrews%206.md#^15), [16](Hebrews%206.md#^16), [17](Hebrews%206.md#^17), [18](Hebrews%206.md#^18) where God has sworn to none other than Himself to completely assure us that without any question at all He is going to accomplish His salvation on behalf of His people. > > "Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD" -- The word translated "So be it" in this verse is *Amen*. It is saying, "Indeed, LORD, that is the way it is without question. We honor and listen to Your Word." ^jer11-5 > [Jeremiah 11:6](Jeremiah%2011.md#^6) note > > As we saw in [verse 2](Jeremiah%2011.md#^2), this message is declared to Judah and Jerusalem, to those who visibly identify with God as His covenant people representing the churches and congregations during the New Testament period. And God is doubly emphasizing to them to hear the words of this covenant and to do them. Yet we must understand that we *cannot* do them until *God* saves us. So He is actually telling us that we must become saved altogether by His Work and Word, not that we can become perfectly righteous by our own works, we must have the righteousness of God in Christ alone ([Ro 3:22](Romans%203.md#^22), [25](Romans%203.md#^25), [26](Romans%203.md#^26); [2 Co 5:21](2%20Corinthians%205.md#^21); [2 Pe 1:1](2%20Peter%201.md#^1)). ^jer11-6 > [Jeremiah 11:7](Jeremiah%2011.md#^7) note > > Here God is doubly emphasizing what He said in [verse 4](Jeremiah%2011.md#^4), with the additional declaration that He has been diligently protesting to them from the day He brought them up out of the land of Egypt unto this day to obey His voice! We are to *listen* to His Word and to keep it (cp [Rev 1:3](Revelation%201.md#^3))! And here God reminds them of His great blessings to them as He mightily delivered them from the land of Egypt. > > "rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice" -- Now when we read this passage it seems to say that they must *do* something and then God will bless them. So we might take this to mean that we must do something in order to earn God's favor as well today, that you must accept Christ, you must turn to Him first and then you will be saved. But remember from [Deuteronomy 29:4](Deuteronomy%2029.md#^4), [1 Kings 8:58](1%20Kings%208.md#^58), [Psalm 119:36](Psalm%20119.md#^36) and other places that God must incline our hearts to obey Him. So we might get a little confused, and many theologians have fallen on the wrong side of this equation. In [Galatians 3:17](Galatians%203.md#^17), [18](Galatians%203.md#^18) we see that God had given the Covenant to Abraham by *Promise* (the covenant was confirmed before of God in Christ), that is, according to the *oath* that He *swore* which we read about in [verse 5](Jeremiah%2011.md#^5). It was based altogether on the work of Christ before the foundation of the world ([2 Ti 1:9](2%20Timothy%201.md#^9); [1 Pe 1:19](1%20Peter%201.md#^19), [20](1%20Peter%201.md#^20); [Rev 13:8b](Revelation%2013.md#^8)). > > But later, after Israel had been brought out of the land of Canaan, God gave them the Covenant in the form of the 10 commandments, representing the Law of God, on Mount Sinai, telling them that they *must* obey or be subject to judgment. And they could not obey perfectly, it was not possible, it was hopeless. So Old Testament Israel is an *example* to us that we *cannot* perfectly keep the Law of God unto salvation, we cannot obey the Covenant or the Word or the Law of God to find a place in His Kingdom. It is not possible because we are fallen into corruption, sin and death -- we cannot work our way into a saved relationship with God outside of Christ by anything that we do whatsoever. We can only become saved through the action of God in saving us through the work of Christ in confirming the Covenant from the foundation of the world. Only then can we truly begin to turn away from our sins and to obey God in some measure as we become a new creation in Christ, as the Holy Spirit takes up residency in our heart and soul. It is all to the credit and glory of God in *causing* us to be born from above, or born again through His Word. All we can do, like the Ninevites of old who were warned that God would destroy them in 40 days, is to wait upon the Lord. ^jer11-7 > [Jeremiah 11:8](Jeremiah%2011.md#^8) note > > How did they not obey? Actually they failed to obey by believing they were being so obedient to the Law of God by their own self-righteousness, not by waiting upon God to save them, not by recognizing they were destitute of their own righteousness in their sinful condition and needed a Savior in order to have the infinite righteousness of God ([Ro 10:3](Romans%2010.md#^3)). They were the visible or corporate covenant people and presumed upon God that they were righteous. And thus they didn't truly listen to God's Word but walked in the imagination of their evil heart. And this is how it is for many churches and congregations where they trust in their sacraments or their doctrines and practices and so on. We must personally wait upon and pray to God very specifically for His salvation, praying that He might be merciful to us. And if someone remains unsaved, they remain in their sins and God will bring upon them all of the words of the covenant, that is, He will bring judgment and death upon them. ^jer11-8 > [Jeremiah 11:9](Jeremiah%2011.md#^9) note > > Yet again God emphasizes that this pertains to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. This isn't directed first of all toward those out in the world, but to those who have a visible, corporate relationship with God like the churches and congregations in our day. And He is going so far as to say there is a conspiracy among them, there is treason. That's when a group of people get together to conspire to overthrow their ruler. In our day, one way we might see this is in how they agree together to go away from Truth, such as when they turn away from a faithful Bible translation like the King James version for the NIV or some other version. Or when they loosen the rules of marriage to allow for divorce, or marriage after a divorce, and so on. And then that goes from one congregation to another, to an entire denomination and then across denominations. They come up with their own methods of Bible interpretation that allows for themselves to have the authority and so on. And the next thing you know tongues and signs and wonders have proliferated. > > It's like they are ganging up on God -- as long as we all believe this or enough of us are in agreement with that then all is well: "We have all of the theologians and teachers and pastors with their degrees on our side. We have all of the votes and the enlightened, learned individuals with their credentials." They operate by consensus and think that as long as enough of them agree together then they are right and they are safe, that that has enormous value. It's like the 450 prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel against the lone prophet Elijah. The conspiracy of the prophets of Baal thought they were in the right, but it was Elijah who was the true prophet of God. ^jer11-9 > [Jeremiah 11:10](Jeremiah%2011.md#^10) note > > From this verse through verse 13, God speaks about the fact that they went after other gods, which, of course, were false gods. We can see just how bad it got in [2 Kings 23:4-16](2%20Kings%2023.md) (scroll to view those verses) where the last King of Judah, Josiah, did away with all of the false gods and high places in Judah and Jerusalem -- even though it was too late by that time so that upon his death God delivered Judah into the hands of Egypt and Babylon. But all through the existence of Israel and Judah there had been these terrible high places and false gods. > > And those in churches and congregations today might declare that they only serve Christ, they don't serve Baal or some other heathen god. But what they don't realize is that a false god is simply a human-made or human-devised god, they come from the minds of people. So any doctrine or gospel that doesn't come from the Bible comes from the minds of some person or group of people, they are effectively worshiping a false god based upon their worldly thinking. And then those who would set up their own kind of doctrines or gospels are ultimately worshiping Satan. And they are worshiping him thinking they are worshiping the God of the Bible because it is deceptive idolatry, it is there under the Name of Christ but it is in actuality a false christ of Satan. ^jer11-10 > [Jeremiah 11:11](Jeremiah%2011.md#^11) note > > Why will God not hearken unto them? Compare this with [verse 14](Jeremiah%2011.md#^14) where God says not even to pray for them. Remember in [Hebrews 10:26](Hebrews%2010.md#^26) we read that once the churches and congregations have willfully fallen away in total after having had the Truth, there will be no return to God. He is no longer there so there is no more sacrifice, no more Christ, in their midst and thus no more repentance. ^jer11-11 > [Jeremiah 11:12](Jeremiah%2011.md#^12) note > > None of the churches and congregations will be able to save those that are still involved with them, their human-devised doctrines and gospels will not be able to deliver them from judgment and eternal death in the time of their trouble. ^jer11-12 > [Jeremiah 11:13](Jeremiah%2011.md#^13) note > > In today's parlance we might say, "According to the number of your churches, according to the number of your denominations, according to the number of your doctrines you have been setting up your worship against God." But as we see them today they don't have any concern. They believe they are faithful to the Bible with their confessions and theology and so on. They are content with where they are in their rebellion against God just like ancient Judah because they don't believe it's that bad. ^jer11-13 > [Jeremiah 11:14](Jeremiah%2011.md#^14) note > > See also [Jeremiah 7:16](Jeremiah%207.md#^16) and [14:11](Jeremiah%2014.md#^11), [12](Jeremiah%2014.md#^12). Does this mean we shouldn't even pray for our friends and loved ones who are entrapped in these false gospels or in these congregations? No, God is not teaching here that we should not pray for our individual loved ones. Rather, God is teaching that once a church or congregation, or all churches and congregations, have fallen away, He has absented Himself from them and He is finished with them. They are under judgment and that cannot change, therefore there is no value in praying for them whatsoever. It is too late at this point. But of course we might still pray for our loved ones and individuals that they might come out and that they might come to Christ through the Word of God outside of that environment. But insofar as praying for a continuation of the church age or a specific congregation, no, that cannot be once God has finished with them. That's why this is a time of great tribulation just before Christ returns. ^jer11-14 > [Jeremiah 11:15](Jeremiah%2011.md#^15) note > > "What has my beloved to do in mine house" -- Are these who are in rebellion against God called "beloved" by Him? And the answer is yes, because when God established them (whether it be Old Testament national Israel or the New Testament churches and congregations) it was out of the love of God's heart. See [Jeremiah 12:7](Jeremiah%2012.md#^7) for a direct parallel to this. This is His house, this is His people in a visible, corporate sense. And in that sense they are beloved even though they have rebelled against God and fallen under His judgment ([Eze 16:8](Ezekiel%2016.md#^8), [15](Ezekiel%2016.md#^15), [16](Ezekiel%2016.md#^16)) -- even to the point as we read in [Jeremiah 9:1](Jeremiah%209.md#^1) that God greatly weeps for them. And the greatest aspect of His love is that He gave them the Word of God, the most precious thing they could ever have, that they might do the will of God in His house. And yet they are working lewdness in the house of God as we see them burning incense unto Baal in [verse 17](Jeremiah%2011.md#^17), which represents worshiping anything above God Himself, even trusting in the very house itself over God ([Jer 7:14](Jeremiah%207.md#^14), [15](Jeremiah%207.md#^15)). > > "*seeing* she has wrought lewdness with many" -- The word *lewdness* in the Hebrew is also translated in other places as *devices or thoughts*, such as in [Job 21:27](Job%2021.md#^27); [Psalm 10:2](Psalm%2010.md#^2), [21:11](Psalm%2021.md#^11), [37:7](Psalm%2037.md#^7) and [Proverbs 12:2](Proverbs%2012.md#^2). It's not always used in a negative sense, as it can also be translated *discretion* and so on. It has to do with the intent. And they have brought in many wicked ideas from many directions to the point that the holy flesh is passed from them. > > "and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest." -- The holy flesh points to Christ as represented by the bread of communion ([1 Cor 11:24](1%20Corinthians%2011.md#^24)). And when a church is no longer under the Authority of Christ, when Christ has abandoned them spiritually, there is no holy flesh left there, there is no salvation. They can continue to partake of the Communion service each week but it doesn''t mean a thing because God is absent, they are in rebellion against God and the holy flesh is passed from them. > > "when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest" -- This illustrates their total spiritual bankruptcy ([Gen 6:5](Genesis%206.md#^5)). See [Revelation 11:8](Revelation%2011.md#^8), [9](Revelation%2011.md#^9), [10](Revelation%2011.md#^10) where many rejoice over the fact that the Truth of the Gospel has been silenced, it has been cast down as represented by the death of the 2 witnesses. And the same is true in the churches and congregations. They seek after more and more members so they try this and that, and in order to succeed they compromise more and more with the world, driving out the true believers who want to follow the Bible. The true believers are even a nuisance to them as they protest these changes that have been introduced to please the human audience rather than God. So they are glad that there's no one left there to oppose them in their objective to turn away from God. ^jer11-15 > [Jeremiah 11:16](Jeremiah%2011.md#^16) note > > The green olive tree identifies with the true believers who have great blessing from God, and their root is Christ Himself ([Ps 52:8](Psalm%2052.md#^8); [Ro 11:17](Romans%2011.md#^17), [18](Romans%2011.md#^18), [19](Romans%2011.md#^19), [20](Romans%2011.md#^20), [21](Romans%2011.md#^21)). And the warning of Romans 11 that they could be broken off again just as the natural branches were broken off means that the same warnings given to Old Testament Israel apply to the New Testament churches and congregations. Just as they started off as a green olive tree but were broken off under the judgment of God, so can the churches today. And that's exactly what we find happening here in Jeremiah 11:16, our present verse. God has "kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken," a reference to the fact they are under the judgment of God. ^jer11-16 > [Jeremiah 11:17](Jeremiah%2011.md#^17) note > > "For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee" -- God is the One Who gave them their spiritual privileges and drew them close to Him, He is the One Who set them up to hear Truth, He is the One Who planted them even in a corporate, visible sense. It is His church, they are His people, even if they are not eternally saved as an eternal possession. This was true of Old Testament national Israel and it is true of the New Testament churches and congregations. He gave them His Law that they might know Him. > > God has pronounced evil against them for the evil that they have committed. And the evil that God has pronounced is judgment, it is to be cut off, to come under damnation under the wrath of God. This evil He has pronounced is not a sinful thing like they have committed, but it is in direct accord with the righteousness of God that decrees the wages of sin is death and if there is no payment for that sin they will be cut off. > > Notice that the evil which they have done is *against themselves*. We like to think that our actions are beneficial. We don't typically try to do something against ourselves, our goal is to benefit ourselves. And any time we sin, we might think that we are helping ourselves. Maybe we tell a half-truth or something and rationalize that it's the wise thing to do. Or maybe we believe we're far better off if we divorce an unsaved spouse. But in reality it is against ourselves. So this evil that is being done in the churches and congregations, that they think is helpful to them, is actually against themselves. Any time we sin and go against the Lord Jesus Christ, we sin against God and are destroying ourselves, setting ourselves up for the wrath of God, as He says here, "to provoke me to anger...." There is *never* anything good in sin. The ends do not justify the means when it comes to sin. > > Again, their offering incense to Baal has to do with the worship of any false authority, any wrong doctrine, anything other than the Bible. No matter how we might cloak it with polite words of "Jesus" and "God" and "Holy Spirit" and all the other nice words we might find in the Bible, if our doctrines and our authority is from any source than the Bible then it is the worship of Baal. ^jer11-17 > [Jeremiah 11:18](Jeremiah%2011.md#^18) note > > Here Jeremiah again calls attention to himself. We saw this initially in the first chapter in [Jeremiah 1:18](Jeremiah%201.md#^18), [19](Jeremiah%201.md#^19) where God warns Jeremiah that the people will come against him for declaring the Truth that God is against the people of Judah. And as we bring the Truth, like Jeremiah here and in chapter 1, we'll find many people who come against us as they did against Jeremiah. They don't want to listen. We don't win more and more friends over if we are faithful to the Word of God. We might even find someone we thought was a real friend becomes very angry and doesn't want anything to do with us. > > So verses 18 to the end deals specifically with Jeremiah who represents those who understand the truth of what is going on and the consequence that comes for declaring it. The Lord had given Jeremiah knowledge that God's wrath was on Judah and that the Babylonians would overrun them and destroy them and the temple. And God opened up Jeremiah's understanding that he would also know *why* this was going to happen: God showed him *their doings*. And how will Judah deal with Jeremiah? He has been ordained a prophet, one who *declares* the Word of God. And that's a task every true believer has been given. When we know something from the Bible it is God's mandate that we must share it. ^jer11-18 > [Jeremiah 11:19](Jeremiah%2011.md#^19) note > > "But I *was* like a lamb *or* an ox *that* is brought to the slaughter" -- We must first consider Who was *truly* brought as a *Lamb to the slaughter*. It was the Lord Jesus Christ as we see in [Isaiah 53:6](Isaiah%2053.md#^6), [7](Isaiah%2053.md#^7) as Christ serves as our Atonement if we have become saved. And even though Christ went to the cross completely alone on our behalf, we were in a sense with Him as He did so in our stead. But in this context it is really speaking about how they reacted to Jeremiah for bringing the Word of God. They responded with the desire and plan to kill him as they did Christ, Who IS the Word of God in the flesh. > > "and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, *saying*, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered." -- Again this is language that could be readily applied to Christ Himself. Christ is the Tree of Life that they want to destroy ([Lk 23:21](Luke%2023.md#^21)), Whose fruit they want to cut off. They want Him permanently dead and removed from them so His Name might never be remembered, they do not want to even *think* about God. And not only do they want Christ removed, but anyone else who brings the Truth of the Word of Christ such as Jeremiah in this context. And as we'll see in verse 21, it was Jeremiah's own people, a priestly city, that sought his life. And this applies to any of us who might bring the Truth, the message of the Gospel that begins with the wrath of God against sin. ^jer11-19 > [Jeremiah 11:20](Jeremiah%2011.md#^20) note > > Jeremiah says, "for unto thee have I revealed my cause" -- he has revealed his case or his plea. This is a situation in which God's justice must be done. In other verses God tells us to love our enemies because vengeance is His, He will repay. And this verse might seem like Jeremiah is seeking vengeance upon his family, on those who want to kill him (as will be seen in verse 21 that Jeremiah is from Anathoth where they wanted to kill him), like he can't wait to see them come under the wrath of God. But that is not how we're to look at our loved ones (or even our enemies, for that matter) at all, of course. We're not to lash out and say, "Yeah, you just wait and see, God is going to bring His vengeance on you, He'll take care of you for the way you're treating me." That is the wrong attitude. We are to love those who revile us and pray for them that they, too, might have salvation. Remember how Jesus Himself wept over Jerusalem, a figure of the churches and congregations in our day, that they would come into destruction under the wrath of God. It is not an easy thing even for God, it is a terrible thing ([Jer 9:1](Jeremiah%209.md#^1)). > > God is rather establishing the fact that He is a just God, His justice will be done. There will be vengeance upon those who remain unsaved. It's not because we want or desire God's vengeance, it's because God's Law demands it, it demands the payment for sin. God's Law will not be perfectly worked out unless and until it brings the wrath of God on those who continue to disobey. When Christ became sin for us, God's Law *demanded* that God's vengeance come upon Him, that He pour out His wrath upon Him. The question is not whether God liked it or not, it *had* to be done. And the joy for God was that in so doing the Law of God was maintained in all of its integrity. And that is the sense in which we are to read these kind of verses. We are to have a joy in His perfect righteousness that His will be done. > > And this is what's emphasized in the beginning of this verse, "O LORD of hosts, that judges righteously, that tries the reins and the heart. . ." Our confidence is in God altogether that He will do what is right. We love those who would kill us if they could and pray that God will perhaps save them, too. But then we rejoice that God's perfect justice will indeed be done ([Is 66:44](Isaiah%2066.md#^24)). So even though we truly and earnestly desire the salvation of others, *above that* we desire that God's will be done whatever that may be. And this is a great encouragement to us, for example, when we have unsaved loved ones because we know that God is perfect in all that He does. Even in the deep sorrow of losing a loved one that shows no evidence of salvation, there's an umbrella over that where we desire God's perfect will above all else. This is our desire, but *not* for vengeance' sake -- we must never take the position in anger and retribution that God will make someone pay. Rather we feel for their souls that they are on their way to eternal death and pray for their salvation while ultimately wanting God's will to be done which will include the day of vengeance. ^jer11-20 > [Jeremiah 11:21](Jeremiah%2011.md#^21) note > > Anathoth was the home town of Jeremiah ([Jer 1:1](Jeremiah%201.md#^1)), which was a few miles outside of Jerusalem. And it was a city of priests. This is the seriousness of Jeremiah's position as a prophet that they would seek his life. His own family, his own people, his own priestly clan wanted to kill him, because in their eyes he had become their enemy and a traitor by declaring that they were to surrender to the Babylonians rather than to fight against them. And that's the first reaction that people have against a traitor, they are looked upon as the lowest of the low, just as they wanted to kill (and did kill in a sense) Christ Himself. And people look upon us the same way as we've come to the end of the church age and tell them they need to come out. We are effectively traitors to them as they're convinced they are still under the blessing of God when they have replaced the Word of God with their own doctrines and practices and have come under the judgment of God. And as with Babylon, the kingdom of Satan has come into the temple, the churches and congregations, to destroy it and the people of Judah along with it, those who are in it. They have effectively played into the hands of Satan as they've allowed their own methods and teachings and practices to become the rule in God's church. > > So just as Christ had to suffer persecution, so the true believers must endure persecution, even from their own families, as they bring the truth of the Gospel as the spiritual body of Christ ([Mt 10:16](Matthew%2010.md#^16), [17](Matthew%2010.md#^17), [18](Matthew%2010.md#^18), [19](Matthew%2010.md#^19), [20](Matthew%2010.md#^20), [21](Matthew%2010.md#^21), [22](Matthew%2010.md#^22) . . . [25](Matthew%2010.md#^25)). We must remember that the hatred of those who reject the Truth are really lashing out against God, the animosity is against Him. But they can't actually attack God so they attack the messengers, we will be ostracized and criticized as they feel like we have betrayed them. And God encourages us to do it His way no matter how difficult it may appear to be, we're to stand for Christ ([Mt 10:27](Matthew%2010.md#^27), [28](Matthew%2010.md#^28) . . . [34](Matthew%2010.md#^34), [35](Matthew%2010.md#^35), [36](Matthew%2010.md#^36), [37](Matthew%2010.md#^37), [38](Matthew%2010.md#^38), [39](Matthew%2010.md#^39); [Jn 16:33](John%2016.md#^33)). ^jer11-21 > [Jeremiah 11:22](Jeremiah%2011.md#^22) note > > God is emphasizing again in these final 2 verses of Jeremiah 11 that His perfect will will be done. He must keep the demands of the Law, that the penalty called for by the Law will be paid. ^jer11-22 > [Jeremiah 11:23](Jeremiah%2011.md#^23) note > > The year of visitation is talking about Judgment Day, the day of vengeance ([Is 10:1](Isaiah%2010.md#^1), [2](Isaiah%2010.md#^2), [3](Isaiah%2010.md#^3), [4](Isaiah%2010.md#^4); [Jer 23:11](Jeremiah%2023.md#^11), [12](Jeremiah%2023.md#^12)). That is when God's justice will be perfectly satisfied. As Isaiah 10 and Jeremiah 23 declare, they will be in the lowest parts of hell for bringing the wrong gospel altogether. ^jer11-23 Tags: #Old_Testament #Jeremiah #Gods_judgment_on_His_people #FSI