Jeremiah 15 FSI - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **Jeremiah 15 Notes** > [[Jeremiah 14 FSI|<Prev]]   [[Jeremiah 16 FSI|Next>]] > [[Jeremiah 15|Verse list view]] > [Jeremiah 15:1](Jeremiah%2015.md#^1) note > > To get the larger context, read [verses 1](Jeremiah%2015.md#^1), [2](Jeremiah%2015.md#^2), [3](Jeremiah%2015.md#^3) and [4](Jeremiah%2015.md#^4). In verses 1-4 God responds to their empty arguments at the end of the previous chapter in [Jeremiah 14:19](Jeremiah%2014.md#^19), [20](Jeremiah%2014.md#^20), [21](Jeremiah%2014.md#^21), [22](Jeremiah%2014.md#^22). God has patiently dealt with them for literally hundreds of years. Repeatedly He has brought judges, kings, prophets and priests to answer to them and to bring them back to Himself. But finally there's a timetable when His judgment upon them will be accomplished. And it's at the point where even if Moses and Samuel were there pleading on their behalf, He would not hear. Why Moses and Samuel? > > Moses was the man God used to lead Israel above all others. He led them out of Egypt and through the wilderness up to the Promised Land. He stood between the wickedness of Israel in the wilderness and the majesty and holiness of God repeatedly. For example, in [Exodus 32:31](Exodus%2032.md#^31), [32](Exodus%2032.md#^32) we see where he besought the Lord on their behalf. And Moses points to the Lord Jesus Christ -- He is the One Who stands between us and the judgment of God. And we find that God continued to bear with the nation of Israel because Moses was there to plead for them. Yet now God is saying that even if Moses were there with all of his leadership and acting as a humble advocate on their behalf, God's mind is made up, He would not even hear Moses and destruction is going to come. The time has come. > > Samuel came into great prominence near the end of the life of Eli. He was apparently the only prophet in the land at that time. And for about 20 years from the death of Eli until Saul became king, Samuel was essentially the head or leader of Israel. In [1 Samuel 8:4](1%20Samuel%208.md#^4), [5](1%20Samuel%208.md#^5), [6](1%20Samuel%208.md#^6), [7](1%20Samuel%208.md#^7), [8](1%20Samuel%208.md#^8) we see that Israel asked for a king like the nations around them, and that represented their rejection of God as their King. But with the 20 years after the death of Eli until King Saul, and then for about another 25 years during the reign of Saul, Samuel was the go-between between the nation of Israel and God. So there was a long period of time, about 45 years, when Samuel was used of God as His spokesman, to speak to Israel on behalf of God. So again, going back to Jeremiah 15, now God is saying that even if Samuel were there He would not change His mind about the destruction of Judah. Even if the marvelous servants of God, Moses and Samuel, were there, it is time for judgment. The die is cast. > > And this is the situation that we find today. At the end of the church age, which coincides with the Great Tribulation, *nothing* will change it. No matter how holy a man you might find to stand between God and the churches, it makes no difference, the die is cast, God's program must move along. ^jer15-1 > [Jeremiah 15:2](Jeremiah%2015.md#^2) - [3](Jeremiah%2015.md#^3) note > > God uses interesting language here that ties into [[Revelation 6]] with the four horsemen. The rider on the *white* horse in [Revelation 6:2](Revelation%206.md#^2) is *Christ*, as we see very clearly in [Revelation 19:11](Revelation%2019.md#^11), [12](Revelation%2019.md#^12), [13](Revelation%2019.md#^13). The riding on a white horse indicates that He is triumphant and victorious, and He is pure and perfectly righteous as He sends forth the Gospel. A direct parallel to this is found in [Psalm 45:1-7](Psalm%2045.md). And just as Christ on the white horse has a *bow* in [Revelation 6:2](Revelation%206.md#^2), so He has *arrows* in [Psalm 45:5](Psalm%2045.md#^5). > > Then the *red* horse in [Revelation 6:4](Revelation%206.md#^4) who takes peace from the earth represents *Satan*, as seen in [Revelation 12:3](Revelation%2012.md#^3), [9](Revelation%2012.md#^9). The peace spoken of here which is *taken away* from the earth is the peace with God that Christ gives. Humanity is at *war* against God, and Christ is the Prince of Peace ([Is 9:6](Isaiah%209.md#^6)) Who brings salvation to His people. But this red horse *takes away* peace from the earth where there is no more salvation. And this red horse uses the *sword* to take away peace -- the Sword typically represents the Word of God ([Eph 6:17](Ephesians%206.md#^17); [Heb 4:12](Hebrews%204.md#^12)), but in this context it is being used to slay and to kill in judgment rather than to bring life as Satan comes through false prophets to twist the Scriptures ([2 Co 11:14](2%20Corinthians%2011.md#^14), [15](2%20Corinthians%2011.md#^15)), as he did when he tempted Christ in the wilderness. > > The third, black horse in [Revelation 6:5](Revelation%206.md#^5), [6](Revelation%206.md#^6) identifies with the warnings in the Old Testament, such as in [Leviticus 26:26](Leviticus%2026.md#^26), where God distributes His Word in sparse fashion so that the hearers begin to suffer from spiritual malnutrition because they aren't receiving enough of it to sustain them. It is weighed out by measure, they're only getting bits and pieces rather than the whole Counsel of God so that they eat but are not satisfied. And this is what happens when people pick and choose certain verses to focus on without reading the entire Bible, including the parts that are unpleasant to them. They are dealt the Word of God by weight and measure. > > This leads to the fourth, pale horse in [Revelation 6:7](Revelation%206.md#^7), [8](Revelation%206.md#^8) which is parallel to what we see here in Jeremiah 15:2. Here the rider's name is Death and Hell followed with him. Notice the focus on the number *four* here. The *fourth* seal has been opened, and the rider has power over the *fourth* part of the earth to kill with a *fourfold* death: with sword, hunger, death and beasts of the earth. In [Numbers 23:10](Numbers%2023.md#^10) we read where Balaam speaks of the *fourth* part of Israel. Then in [Exodus 20:5](Exodus%2020.md#^5) we read how those who bow down to other gods to serve them will be under God's judgment unto the third and *fourth* of those who hate Him. And the number four spiritual relates to *universality*, like the four points of the compass, or *all the way to the end, to the extremity*. So the *fourth* represents going to the very end of time, worldwide. God will visit the iniquity of those who hate Him to the very end of time ([Ex 20:5](Exodus%2020.md#^5)). The fourth part of Israel in [Numbers 23:10](Numbers%2023.md#^10), under God's blessing, points to the totality of believers worldwide to the very end of time, all of those who become saved. > > So going back to [Revelation 6:7](Revelation%206.md#^7), [8](Revelation%206.md#^8), the fourth part of the earth represents the entire world to the very end. Once this pale horse, with Death and Hell following with him, comes it will be worldwide to the very end. It is the final action of God upon the local congregations and then the world. And it is in this context that we see parallel language here in Jeremiah 15:2. In Revelation 6 it speaks of death by *sword, hunger, death and beasts of the earth*, whereas in Jeremiah 15:2 it speaks of *death, sword, famine and captivity*. But then God speaks of the beasts of the earth in the next verse, [verse 3](Jeremiah%2015.md#^3), in yet another fourfold judgment context. ^jer15-2-3 > [Jeremiah 15:4](Jeremiah%2015.md#^4) note > > "And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah," -- Why does God speak about Manasseh at this point? In [2 Kings 21:1](2%20Kings%2021.md#^1) we see that Manasseh reined a long time -- 55 years. And in [verses 2-9](2%20Kings%2021.md) we read that he did that which was incredibly evil in the sight of the LORD, going after the abominations of the heathen and even worse. This is particularly grievous because Manasseh's father was one of the good, God-fearing kings, so it's especially disturbing that Manasseh was so wicked and in such total rebellion against God. Finally, God pronounces extraordinary judgments to come in [verses 10-16](2%20Kings%2021.md) (scroll to read). So here, God is singling out Manasseh. He had been dealing with Judah for a long time, for hundreds of years, and now Manasseh is the king doing very wickedly even worse than the heathen round about. So God makes a decree, "I'm going to destroy Jerusalem and Judah." > > Now, God did not destroy them immediately. And, in fact, the most wonderful king of all, Josiah, rose up afterwards. He was one of the most faithful of all the kings, if not *the* most faithful. But, hovering over the land of Judah is this statement God had made concerning Manasseh -- because of his horrible sin, the time was fast approaching that He is going to destroy Judah. So we might wonder why God didn't destroy them while Manasseh was king, when the sin was as great as it could be. Why did He wait another 33 years after the death of Manasseh (after which Amon reigned for 2 years and then Josiah for 31 years)? > > It is because God has a *precise timetable*. Upon the death of Manasseh it was still too early. Then when God took out Josiah during these prophecies of Jeremiah it was in the prime of *his* kingship. He was only 39 years of age and could easily have reigned several more decades. But the time had come according to God's timetable, and since Josiah was such a good king He ended his reign and then brought judgment. And this was after Josiah, who really loved the Lord, had torn down all of the high places of the idols and they observed a tremendous Passover celebration like never before. Nevertheless, God picks up that decree here in Jeremiah 15:4 to declare that now that time has come. God's commitment must be carried out to destroy them. > > Likewise, today God has a precise timeline to bring about the end of the church age and final judgment. And it is coming about according to His perfect timetable and it cannot be prevented. > > ". . .for *that* which he did in Jerusalem." -- What Manasseh did was the final culmination of all the wickedness of Judah over the centuries since they left Egypt. ^jer15-4 > [Jeremiah 15:5](Jeremiah%2015.md#^5) note > > God indicates the awfulness and the certainty of His judgment on them. What happens when someone is in deep distress? Maybe they're in jail because of their own wickedness, because they've done really terrible things. But a loved one may try to give them words of comfort, "How are you doing?" And maybe they're hoping to see some evidence of remorse and repentance in that person they are comforting -- particularly if they're a hardened criminal of some kind. Or maybe someone is suffering on a sick bed and a loved one weeps with them as they feel so much empathy and attachment to them, so they try to give some comfort. Yet here in Jeremiah 15:5 God is saying in rhetorical fashion that there is *no one* to give comfort, and there is no comfort that could even be given. > > Think of it. When God has declared that His judgment has come upon the local congregations, how could we comfort them? We cannot encourage them to just keep going and tell them there is always daylight at the end of the tunnel because God has said not to pray for them for their good ([Jer 14:11](Jeremiah%2014.md#^11)). So there's no way to comfort them. God has decreed that He is finished, the timeline has come, there is no comfort left. We cannot just tell them to bear with it and that somehow maybe it'll be better tomorrow. The only thing they can do is to come out ([Mk 13:14](Mark%2013.md#^14)); otherwise, He will send strong delusion upon them to bind them up more tightly in the sins of that local congregation ([2 Thess 2:11](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^11)). ^jer15-5 > [Jeremiah 15:6](Jeremiah%2015.md#^6) note > > "Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD," -- God gets right back to the indictment, "Thou hast forsaken Me." They can argue, "Oh no, God has forsaken us because He has abandoned us." But the fact is that they set up their own ideas and their own methods for understanding the Bible in place of the Word of God. They have their own kind of theology and have abandoned Christ. They are not faithful to the Bible. And God warned them that finally there would be judgment, so judgment has come. > > ". . .thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting." -- God has repeated this many times now. This warning is seen throughout the Bible. They are gone backward away from God, back into their own lusts and into the world and under bondage again to sin and Satan. Now is the time that God will act, He is weary with repenting, with turning away from His wrath on their behalf. He has been so patiently enduring through many centuries, forgiving and turning away from His wrath. And now it is according to His time that it is coming to an end under judgment ([v7](Jeremiah%2015.md#^7)). > [Jeremiah 15:7](Jeremiah%2015.md#^7) note > > "And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land;" -- This isn't the kind of fan that we need when it's hot out. This has to do with judgment. We read in [Matthew 3:11](Matthew%203.md#^11), [12](Matthew%203.md#^12) where John the Baptist, as He directs us to Christ, speaks of this. Normally we think of Christ coming as the Savior, which is certainly the case. But what are we saved from? Unless we are saved we are under the wrath of God. So God is indicating that Christ is also the Judge of all the earth where He will thoroughly purge His floor at the final harvest. When harvesting, as the wheat is brought in, it's thrown into the air where the wind blows the chaff away from the wheat where it is burned up, while the wheat is brought in to the store house. The wheat, of course, represents the true believers whereas the chaff represents those who are judged and cast into the lake of fire forevermore. And that's the idea here in Jeremiah 15 where God says that He will fan them -- He is bringing judgment and blowing out the chaff into the fire. And it is in the gates of the land, that is, *right at the threshold, at the entrance or the door of the kingdom of God*, where they are being fanned. > > "I will bereave *them* of children, I will destroy my people, *since* they return not from their ways." -- These are *God's people*! This is the land He is speaking of here. It is in *their* gates that He is fanning them into the fire. And He is going to bereave them of children and destroy them since they haven't returned from their sin. This message is thus to the local churches and congregations that He has prepared them for the judgment that has come upon them. The curtain of deception and delusion will eventually be stripped away and they will stand before the Tribunal of God and discover that their sins have not been paid for ([Mt 7:21](Matthew%207.md#^21), [22](Matthew%207.md#^22), [23](Matthew%207.md#^23)). How terrible this is! Remember from [verse 1](Jeremiah%2015.md#^1) God said that even if Moses and Samuel stood before Him on their behalf His mind could not be toward them for their good. Then in [verse 2](Jeremiah%2015.md#^2) we saw the finality of His judgment on them. ^jer15-7 > [Jeremiah 15:8](Jeremiah%2015.md#^8) note > > "Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas:" -- Normally widows, along with strangers and the fatherless (orphans), represent those who have become saved ([Ps 146:9](Psalm%20146.md#^9)). They represent the spiritually needy of the world. In [Psalm 146:9](Psalm%20146.md#^9) we see that God sets the widow, the strangers and the fatherless over against the wicked. They are the ones that God *preserves* and *relieves* which represents salvation. (See also [Romans 7:4](Romans%207.md#^4), [6](Romans%207.md#^6) where we have become widows to the Law in order to become the Bride of Christ.) But in [Jeremiah 18:21](Jeremiah%2018.md#^21) we find the opposite situation. There, instead of the widows being relieved as in Psalm 146:9, we find those who were made to be widows and childless as a judgment against them. > > "The sand of the seas" represents a great *multitude* of people. This is sometimes used in the context of those who will become saved ([Hos 1:10](Hosea%201.md#^10)). And in other cases it illustrates the vast numbers of the unsaved or the wicked of the world ([Jdg 7:12](Judges%207.md#^12); [Rev 20:8](Revelation%2020.md#^8)). > > So in one sense God is teaching that the true believers have been increased to Himself at the time He is beginning to bring judgment upon His people here. But the more direct context is that this is a time when the children and the men are being killed off in judgment, leaving these bereaved widows in mourning, spiritually speaking. They have come under the wrath of God, under great destruction. > > "I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday:" -- God is defining the widows earlier in the verse as "the mother of the young men." In [Galatians 4:25](Galatians%204.md#^25), [26](Galatians%204.md#^26) God speaks in allegory about the mother of the unsaved over against the mother of those who are saved. Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, represents the unsaved of the world and Jerusalem, the mother of Isaac, is the mother of the true believers, spiritually speaking. And, interestingly, in [Galatians 4:25](Galatians%204.md#^25) Hagar actually represents the Jerusalem "which now is" -- she points to the earthly, visible Jerusalem -- the visible representation of the kingdom of God in this present world that is still under the Law of God. And she is in bondage with her children (spiritually, in bondage means to be in their sins and under bondage to Satan). Whereas in [Galatians 4:26](Galatians%204.md#^26), the Jerusalem *above*, in Heaven, represents the true kingdom of God made up of those who are saved. And they are all free, meaning they are free from the Law, from their sins and from bondage to Satan, they are in Christ. And it is against Hagar, here, those who are in the visible kingdom of God (the Jerusalem "which now is"), that God has brought a spoiler at *noonday*. > > Normally when we think of the end of time, we think of it as midnight when there is darkness, when there is no more light shining. But God is saying here that while the Gospel is still going out into the world, at *noonday*, the character of the churches is that they are under judgment, they are being spoiled. This is seen also in [verse 9](Jeremiah%2015.md#^9) where it says, "her sun is gone down while *it was* yet day." It was at noonday, while the sun was still high, that the plunderer has come suddenly, as the remainder of the verse reads: "I have caused *him* to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city." ^jer15-8 > [Jeremiah 15:9](Jeremiah%2015.md#^9) note > > "She that has borne seven languishes: she has given up the ghost;" -- "She" is still speaking of the "mother" from [verse 8](Jeremiah%2015.md#^8), the spiritual mother of the local churches and congregations, represented by Hagar, the Jerusalem "which now is" that points to those who are still under the Law of God. And she has born seven, typifying the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3. And they, in turn, typify all of the churches and congregations throughout the church age. And she has given up the ghost, that is, she has died, the Holy Spirit is no longer in her midst and there is no more spiritual life. > > "her sun is gone down while *it was* yet day:" -- As we saw in [verse 8](Jeremiah%2015.md#^8), the spoiler came suddenly at noonday, it was while the Gospel is still shining out in the world. She has given up the ghost, she has died, while it was yet still the day of salvation. > > "she has been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the LORD." -- Those who hear that God's judgment is upon the churches and congregations but refuse to take it to heart and remain there, thinking there is still hope for them in that setting, will be delivered to the sword before their enemies. There is spiritual destruction altogether. ^jer15-9 > [Jeremiah 15:10](Jeremiah%2015.md#^10) note > > "Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth!" -- Here Jeremiah is speaking as an individual under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And he's actually speaking for all those who must declare to the world and to the congregations that God's judgment has come. It is an enormously difficult task to declare this. As he did so, and as we do so, all that happens is that we're stirring up strife and contention because they they don't like this message. They hated Jeremiah and slandered him and put him in a dungeon after a while and wanted to kill him. > > "I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me." -- The word *usury* means with *interest*. In [Luke 6:35](Luke%206.md#^35) we see this principle but in the spiritual context of sending forth the Gospel. As we send forth the Gospel we charge nothing for it, it's under the principle that we expect nothing in return. This is seen again in [Matthew 10:8](Matthew%2010.md#^8), using other metaphors indicating what the Gospel is: It heals the sin-sick souls of the unsaved, it cleanses the lepers meaning those who are diseased with sin are cleansed by Christ, it raises those who are spiritually dead to spiritual life and it casts out devils so that people are free from the tyranny of sin and Satan. The Gospel is completely a gift of God's grace, so, as such, we are to freely give it to others. We should never use the Gospel to enrich ourselves in any way. > > So Jeremiah is effectively saying that He is doing the Will of God -- He is following God's directive to freely give them the Word of God without expecting anything in return. But every one of them curses him. This is exactly what happens to us today -- if we are a true believer and we share the Gospel, however politely, tenderly, lovingly and patiently we do so -- how many people say, "Oh, we are so glad that you are sharing this with us. We're so glad you're in our family so that we could hear the Gospel and you've been doing so so faithfully." No, we are slandered, we're reviled, we're misunderstood, we find that our family looks at us with cold eyes, our friends distance themselves from us -- they don't want to get too close any longer and so on. > > True, Jeremiah's experience was even more direct because he had to speak to the King and to the Princes and other leaders that God was going to destroy them by the enemy. When we speak about God's judgment being upon the churches and congregations and our friends and loved ones are members there, we're effectively warning them they are in danger of the judgment of God. It's not that we ever desire for them to be under God's judgment, we are simply warning them of what God is saying and praying that they might, too, realize what is going on. But they will take it as a direct judgment on our part. So there is great unhappiness within families and between friends. See [Matthew 10:21-39](Matthew%2010.md). In [verse 23](Matthew%2010.md#^23), we find that it will be going on like this all the way until the end. There's never going to come a time when the Gospel is welcomed by all the peoples of the world and the true believers will finally be recognized, "Ah, wasn't it wonderful that they persisted so that all of us can come to Truth?" No, the persecution, reviling and reproach will go right up until the last day. We are looked upon as a pariah, as a false prophet, as a traitor to them just as Christ was ([Mt 10:24](Matthew%2010.md#^24), [25](Matthew%2010.md#^25), [26](Matthew%2010.md#^26)). But we must stand with humility through all of this, not in any kind of accusation or pride. ^jer15-10 > [Jeremiah 15:11](Jeremiah%2015.md#^11) note > > This is God's response to Jeremiah from verse 10, and to all of the true believers (in this verse, the remnant) represented by Jeremiah. Of course, we must remember that Jeremiah's comment in verse 10 is really part of the Word of God also, inspired by the Holy Spirit. So God set this up in order to give this response. > > Now, remember God's wonderful promise in the second half of [Hebrews 13:5](Hebrews%2013.md#^5) and [verse 6](Hebrews%2013.md#^6)? No matter how bad it gets -- no matter how hated or reviled or misunderstood we are by our friends and loved ones, we know that God will never leave us nor forsake us. This is God's promise and commitment! It's something that cannot be changed if we are a true child of God. He is with us, regardless of how we might stand all alone without others or how forsaken we might be by them. So in this verse God is giving us His assurance that it will be well for us if we are saved. ^jer15-11 > [Jeremiah 15:12](Jeremiah%2015.md#^12) note > > This is a curious verse. The word translated *steel* here is a word that means *bronze or brass*, like we see in [verse 20](Jeremiah%2015.md#^20) translated *brasen* (brass or bronze). And God is speaking of its strength here. In [Deuteronomy 28:23](Deuteronomy%2028.md#^23) God uses it to speak of something that is impenetrable in the context of His wrath. There, Heaven is closed up so that their prayers cannot penetrate through. Then in [Job 20:23](Job%2020.md#^23), [24](Job%2020.md#^24), [25](Job%2020.md#^25), we find the related Hebrew word used, also translated there as *steel*. And in both of these passages, along with Jeremiah 15:12, God speaks of both iron and brass (translated steel) to indicate even greater strength than just speaking of iron alone. So the idea here in Jeremiah 15:12 is that Judah is the first iron in this verse. And the northern iron and brass (steel) is the enemy that is doubly strong. And the enemy is going to break Judah, there is no way that they are going to win. And we'll see this emphasized in the next two verses of Jeremiah 15. > > And just as God brought Babylon against Judah in Jeremiah's day, so he has brought the world under the rulership of Satan into the local congregations until it is overrun by the unsaved. No matter what they think their spiritual strength is, they will succumb to the enemy. The next verse continues with this. ^jer15-12 > [Jeremiah 15:13](Jeremiah%2015.md#^13) note > > "Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price" -- When the enemy comes in he gets *everything*, there's nothing that is limited. There's no deal where they could make a compromise or have some kind of a settlement by giving away some of their riches to bring about some kind of a peace. No, Judah is completely devastated, the enemy has even destroyed the temple. Historically this was the temple in Jerusalem and today it is within the churches and congregations. > > "and *that* for all thy sins, even in all thy borders." -- It is within *all* their borders for all of their sins. It's not just within a certain part, it's not just along the fringes, it is within *all* the borders. So there isn't anyone who can say that this might apply to everyone else except for themselves, thinking they are still faithfully following after the Lord. They are all wide open to the enticements and the rule of the enemy and are completely done. Christ has abandoned them and now they are under the authority of Satan. They have become plunder to Satan who has come in as an angel of light and his ministers as ministers of righteousness (falsely so called). And *God Himself* is the One bringing this to pass because they are under His wrath for their sins, as He says, "Thy substance and they treasures *will I* give to the spoil without price...." And we'll see this again in the next verse. ^jer15-13 > [Jeremiah 15:14](Jeremiah%2015.md#^14) note > > "And I will make *thee* to pass with thine enemies into a land *which* thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, *which* shall burn upon you." -- Again, God is the One Who is bringing this to pass. Just as God had said in [verse 1](Jeremiah%2015.md#^1), "cast *them* out of my sight, and let them go forth," now He is saying they will go forth into their enemy's land in His wrath. In the previous verse the idea is that the enemy has come in to take the spoil, and in this verse they are carried away into captivity into the land of the enemy. And God speaks of the fire of His wrath which shall burn upon them. Ultimately this relates to the lake of fire into which all of the unsaved will be cast. ^jer15-14 > [Jeremiah 15:15](Jeremiah%2015.md#^15) note > > God is again giving us His Word from the perspective of Jeremiah in the next few verses, as He did in [verse 10](Jeremiah%2015.md#^10). And He is iterating what we are thinking today to a high degree since we are in this same situation. Jeremiah was going through the misery of that great tribulation that had struck Judah as God's judgment was upon them, just as we are today with the churches and congregations. Jeremiah finds that the going is very difficult -- he is being mocked and ridiculed, he is suffering and at times he almost wonders what is going on. So God gives us this information to comfort us in this situation that He is with us. > > ""O LORD, thou knowest:" -- But, first of all, Jeremiah recognizes here in verse 15 that God knows everything. This is good for us to remember in our prayer life and in all that we do, that God knows everything and He knows best. Of ourselves we don't know anything. And this is a blessing for us if we ever feel in despair. We know that He will never leave us nor forsake us if we are saved so we can press on with the difficulty. So Jeremiah recognizes that what he is declaring here are all true statements from God. > > "remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors;" -- How does God visit us? Through His Word. We must be in God's Word and in prayer for Him to speak to our hearts and to undertake for us and to be our Strength. We, along with Jeremiah, plead to the Lord to remember us and to visit us. And the word *visit* here has the connotation of "please come and do something" like when God visited Sarah once the time had come for her to bear Isaac. It's not meant as something like a social visit, although it can be for the purposes of comfort. But it's a plea where Jeremiah (and ourselves) feel we are in deep trouble. And here Jeremiah states, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "revenge me of my persecutors." Now, we have to be careful here because God says that we are not to avenge ourselves but to wait upon God ([Ro 12:19](Romans%2012.md#^19)). We should not be asking the Lord to bring judgment upon others but to have mercy upon them. So why does Jeremiah say this? We have to read this in the narrow context that Jeremiah is an agent or a spokesman for God, so He is simply stating "out loud" what the Bible teaches that vengeance will eventually come upon his persecutors even as he must persevere while his enemies come against him continually. We recognize this as a principle that this will happen even as we desire the salvation of others. > > "take me not away in thy longsuffering:" -- The word *longsuffering* in the original Hebrew means *slow to anger, patience*. It was after several hundred years of the rebellion of Israel and Judah that He finally brought them under judgment. Similarly, the church has been rebellious for so much of the New Testament period. God is so patient. And so Jeremiah is pleading with the Lord to continue to preserve and protect him through these dire circumstances, realizing that those to whom he is declaring the Word of God want him silenced and killed and that God's judgment is coming. > > "know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke." -- This is the situation of all the true believers, we are persecuted by the world ([Mt 5:10](Matthew%205.md#^10), [11](Matthew%205.md#^11), [12](Matthew%205.md#^12)). It is the expectation of the true believer for being true to the Word of God. You will be reviled, vilified and slandered. Others will engage in character assassination against you and you will be called names of various kinds. But make sure this is happening because you are being faithful to the Word of God, not because you truly deserve to be told this due to selfish arrogance or spiritual pride or whatever. It must be for the Name of Christ and for the sake of the kingdom of God in humility. And this can be a cause for self-examination as to whether you're really living according to the Will of God. And remember, of course, that Christ Himself is the ultimate example of this as He went to the cross all alone on our behalf, there was none who could bear any of the burden for Him ([Jn 16:32](John%2016.md#^32); [Mt 27:46](Matthew%2027.md#^46)). > > As we progress to [verses 17](Jeremiah%2015.md#^17) and [18](Jeremiah%2015.md#^18) we will see that this task of declaring judgment is getting to Jeremiah. There's almost a sense of confusion on his part and he says some things (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) that we will wonder about. In [Jeremiah 1:4](Jeremiah%201.md#^4), [5](Jeremiah%201.md#^5) and [6](Jeremiah%201.md#^6) we saw that Jeremiah was already hesitant about the task God had assigned him as His prophet. Jeremiah knew he was being ordained a prophet when things were bad and that the message he was going to bring was not a happy one, it was a message of judgment. He was a child of God and he knew things were not right in Israel. So he was already nervous, anticipating what he would be called to say. And in [verses 14-19 of chapter 1](Jeremiah%201.md) God indeed confirmed this. And now that the situation has gotten more tense after several years here in chapter 15, Jeremiah begins to weaken. So he has begun to complain beginning in [verse 10](Jeremiah%2015.md#^10) and over the next several verses. But for the moment here in verses 15 and 16 he is supplicating before the Lord. ^jer15-15 > [Jeremiah 15:16](Jeremiah%2015.md#^16) note > > "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart:" -- Right in the midst of Jeremiah's despair, in the midst of his fear and the testing of his faith that is beginning to appear, he has to admit that the Word of God is *everything*. And as Jeremiah speaks of eating God's Word we must remember that Christ is the Bread of Life ([Jn 6:35](John%206.md#^35), [48](John%206.md#^48), [49](John%206.md#^49), [50](John%206.md#^50), [51](John%206.md#^51)). We get our spiritual strength from Him. And the Word is identified with the Lord Jesus Christ ([Jn 1:14](John%201.md#^14)). So as we devour the Word of God, as we read it and it becomes a part of our personality, we have gained spiritual strength from Christ. > > Ezekiel, a contemporary of Jeremiah who was also called to prophecy to Judah, uses similar language in [Ezekiel 3:1](Ezekiel%203.md#^1), [2](Ezekiel%203.md#^2), [3](Ezekiel%203.md#^3). We see that for Ezekiel the Word of God was like honey for sweetness. Sadly, God informed Ezekiel, too, that they would not listen ([Eze 3:4-9](Ezekiel%203.md)) as he had warned Jeremiah in [Jeremiah 1:17](Jeremiah%201.md#^17), [18](Jeremiah%201.md#^18) and [19](Jeremiah%201.md#^19). > > "for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts." -- Jeremiah happily declares that He belongs to the LORD God, He is a citizen of the kingdom of God. He is not his own, he was bought by the price of Christ's blood. Therefore it's not for him to decide what he needs to say or what he has to declare, or what part of the Bible to bring, but only to be faithful to the whole counsel of God. And this is the testimony of every true believer. We eagerly read the Word of God, it's our spiritual nourishment that strengthens us and gives us life. And we're filled with joy as we read it. > > Granted, it's easy to say that when we're amongst fellow believers and all is fine. It's wonderful that we can talk together about the whole counsel of God. But then we come to those who ought to know better, to those who know the Bible to some degree but refuse to hear the warnings of judgment for sin. You would think that they would listen since they claim to have a relationship with God and to love the Word of God. You'd think they would welcome you for bringing Truth. But instead they turn around as an enemy and they hate you. And since they can't physically see and perceive that the situation is spiritually dark -- they can only see the physical things like a growing, happy congregation with many people making confession of faith, or a lot of money flowing in and so forth -- they can easily brush it all aside. So there is opposition. We're given the cold shoulder even by our closest family members and we can't talk about the Bible together. It's like we are estranged and we can get very discouraged. > > So when we get discouraged we should look at Jeremiah here. He was in a much worse situation that we are, at least physically speaking. It's a very difficult time where he is being punished, chastised and put through the mill of trouble of one kind or another so that in perplexity he is effectively asking why it must be so (see again [v10](Jeremiah%2015.md#^10)). But God had made promises and commitments to him -- and those same commitments apply to us if we are faithful to the Bible. ^jer15-16 > [Jeremiah 15:17](Jeremiah%2015.md#^17) note > > "I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand:" -- Jeremiah returns to his complaint from [verse 10](Jeremiah%2015.md#^10). There is this loneliness that attends to being called into God's service for much of the time in history, but particularly today as it was in Jeremiah's day. Jeremiah hasn't been mocking God or rejoicing in the things of this world along with all the others. So he sat alone and it became more and more lonely. And this is the painful situation when we find our loved ones and friends and others detach themselves from us because we stand for the Word of God. And they are in the majority and we are in the tiny minority as we are essentially swept aside. Remember Elijah when he confronted the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and he was all alone. We might think that he was such a strong, brave man as he vanquished the foe. But we find just a short time later Elijah is sitting under a juniper tree asking the Lord to take his life because he's all alone ([1 Ki 19:4](1%20Kings%2019.md#^4), [10](1%20Kings%2019.md#^10)). This is a lesson to us that in these days God's judgment is against the churches and congregations just prior to the end of the world that we will be reviled and scoffed and isolated. And this is a burden that we have to face and it's not easy even though in our hearts we have a great delight in the Word of God ([v16](Jeremiah%2015.md#^16)). > > "for thou hast filled me with indignation." -- If we go back to Jeremiah's original calling and mandate that God gave him -- to bring the Word of God during this terrible time when God's judgment was against Judah -- Jeremiah had said in [Chapter 1, verse 6](Jeremiah%201.md#^6) that he cannot speak for he's just a child. And we are in the same situation today. We must remember that we all stand before Christ as a child. This simply means that our trust isn't in our own ability, strength or wisdom -- it is altogether in our heavenly Father. So God said in [Jeremiah 1:7-10, 16-18](Jeremiah%201.md) that He has made Jeremiah His spokesman, that God would be speaking *through* him to declare His judgment against Judah. That is, as we see here in Jeremiah 15:17, God has filled Jeremiah with His *indignation* to declare God's judgment. And this is how God utilizes all of us who are true believers as we see in [2 Corinthians 5:18](2%20Corinthians%205.md#^18), [20](2%20Corinthians%205.md#^20). As we bring the Gospel, we must declare the judgment of God as His spokesman, and it is the reason why people must be reconciled to God. But the consequence of that is that we find ourselves very much alone as we faithfully stand for God as we are assailed and vilified and so on. ^jer15-17 > [Jeremiah 15:18](Jeremiah%2015.md#^18) note > > "Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, *which* refuses to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, *and as* waters *that* fail?" -- The situation is so dire that Jeremiah almost questions God as to whether He is really using him at all as His spokesman. It almost sounds like an accusation against God, but it isn't. Let's first walk in the shoes of Jeremiah. In [Jeremiah 30:12](Jeremiah%2030.md#^12), [13](Jeremiah%2030.md#^13), [15](Jeremiah%2030.md#^15) God uses parallel language with regard to Judah being under the judgment of God that Jeremiah is applying to himself in this verse. It is the language of there being no more hope -- there is no cure, there is no Physician, there is no Gospel balm, there is no Christ to heal them of their sin-sick souls. And this is what happens to the churches and congregations when they are being prepared the judgment day. And here we see Jeremiah in his depression, in his difficulty, that even as he rejoices in the Word of God ([v16](Jeremiah%2015.md#^16)) he is thinking, "Maybe I'm not really saved. I'm as one with an incurable wound. This itself must be a judgment against me because I am the one who is really suffering here." So Jeremiah isn't accusing God of being a liar in any sense. Rather, he is expressing his confusion and distress in the situation that seems so contradictory between the spiritual reality and what he is experiencing in his life. > > So if our situation has gone super-bad, we must look at Jeremiah and what he had to go through as God has shown him as an example. Jeremiah was right on the edge, it was *like* God had lied to him, even though he knew God was not actually lying to him. It was like the waters of the Gospel had failed him, as it says at the end of the verse, "*and as* waters *that* fail." The Gospel eternally brings serenity, peace, joy, strength, happiness and so on. But all it has brought during this time is suffering so it is like waters that fail. > > But then God responds in His patience, kindness and tenderness in the next verse. ^jer15-18 > [Jeremiah 15:19](Jeremiah%2015.md#^19) note > > "Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, *and* thou shalt stand before me: . . . thou shalt be as my mouth:" -- God is saying here, "Jeremiah, listen to Me! You've departed a long way in your thinking, you've gone wrong, you're not listening to the Word of God. You're only thinking about 'poor me.' And if you will return from that kind of a mindset then I will bring you again and you shall stand before Me ... and be as My mouth." So in this context, to stand before God is to be as His mouth. And this is the position of every true believer as we witness to the world what comes from the mouth of God. This reminds us of Ezekiel in [Ezekiel 2:1-5](Ezekiel%202.md) where he was commanded of God to stand upon his feet as God sent him forth to speak to rebellious Israel. And again we see Paul in [Acts 22:10](Acts%2022.md#^10) and [26:16](Acts%2026.md#^16), where he is commanded to arise and stand upon his feet as he is commissioned and sent forth by Christ to declare the Gospel. > > "and if thou take forth the precious from the vile," -- Something that is precious is something that is *scarce*. And this is speaking about the Truth of God's Word which was scarce in that day as it is in our day. And Jeremiah was to take the precious from the vile, that is, his own thinking here with regard to being troubled by God and his situation in these verses has been vile, but ultimately Jeremiah does know and acknowledge the Truth. So he is to separate the Truth from the vile thoughts, to take that which is precious and to just focus on the Word of God. So Jeremiah must stop feeling sorry for himself and thinking about all of the negative circumstances and to listen to God and do things His Way. God is on the Throne, He is in charge, He will never leave us nor forsake us if we are His. And in so remembering can we be used of God. > > "let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them." -- God is commanding Jeremiah not to become like those to whom he is declaring God's judgments. Hopefully some of them will return to Jeremiah and to the Truth, and ultimately to God Himself, but he is not to go down the path toward them nor to become one of them or like them. ^jer15-19 > [Jeremiah 15:20](Jeremiah%2015.md#^20) note > > "And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall:" -- God will make Jeremiah like a fenced or a fortified brazen wall. And we saw in [verse 12](Jeremiah%2015.md#^12) that the word translated steel there is really this word for brass, and it has to do with superior strength. > > "and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I *am* with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD." -- God repeats what He had told Jeremiah years earlier when he was first assigned the task to be His spokesman ([Jer 1:18](Jeremiah%201.md#^18) - [19](Jeremiah%201.md#^19)). When we come with the Truth of the Gospel we need not fear, we can stand against all of the arrows shot at us and the fiery darts Satan will throw against us to intimidate us, to get us silenced, to confuse us, to make us angry so that we'll lash out or whatever. If we have the Word of God we have the absolute Truth and that's where we take our stand. And if we are saved we have the indwelling Presence of God to strengthen us as well. So as we are being intimated, reviled, slandered, hated, cut off and so on -- remember that we are *never* cut off from God as long as we keep our eyes on the Word of God. And today we have a tremendous advantage over Jeremiah because he didn't have the entire Word of God to fall back on and to encourage him. He didn't even have the entire Old Testament in his day. Wonderfully, we *have* the whole Word of God today to comfort us ([Ph'p 4:6](Philippians%204.md#^6), [7](Philippians%204.md#^7)). God is Everything so we can lean back on His almighty arms and recognize that He is in charge, so we are safe and secure in His hands. > > ^jer15-20 > [Jeremiah 15:21](Jeremiah%2015.md#^21) note > > God finally is the One Who is in charge. This is a faithful commitment and an absolute promise that He will follow up and He is capable because He is infinite God, King of kings and Lord of lords Who is perfectly able to perform what He has promised. So as we have gone through this chapter and seen some of the trauma that Jeremiah has experienced, and that we experience when our loved ones and friends assault us, cut us off, isolate us and indicate that they despise us and what have you, we can find our comfort in knowing that God will never leave us. And if God is with us we have Everything ([Mt 10:28](Matthew%2010.md#^28); [Ro 8:31-39](Romans%208.md)) ^jer15-21 Tags: #Old_Testament #Jeremiah #Gods_judgment_on_His_people #FSI