Jeremiah 18 FSI - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **Jeremiah 18 Notes** > [[Jeremiah 17 FSI|<Prev]]   \[[Jeremiah 19 FSI|Next>\]] > [[Jeremiah 18|Verse list view]] > [Jeremiah 18:1-6](Jeremiah%2018.md) note > > This idea of God making some kind of vessel from a hunk of clay is a theme spoken of in a few other places in the Bible. Similar language and context is found in [Isaiah 64:6-12](Isaiah%2064.md) (particularly [verse 8](Isaiah%2064.md#^8)). Then in [Romans 9:10-23](Romans%209.md) God speaks about the fact that He is in charge of who is going to become saved and who will not become saved -- that is, in God's sovereign Will He answers to no-one as to whom He will save. And there in [verse 21](Romans%209.md#^21) we again find the language that God is the Potter Who makes vessels from clay according to His own purpose, some to honor and some to dishonor. We were all created in the image of God to serve Him, but the human race has fallen into the darkness of sin, having gone their own way to serve themselves and to serve the serpent together. But yet then God remakes some of us anew through the work of Christ to make us vessels of honor unto Him. God has the sovereign power and right to make of us the kind of vessel that He wishes. And this is what we see in Jeremiah 18:1-6 ([vv4](Jeremiah%2018.md#^4), [6](Jeremiah%2018.md#^6)). Of course, everything that God does is in accord with the perfect and righteous Law of God, it is never capricious or erratic because God has absolute integrity. > > This theme is super-important to keep in mind, because as we read verses 7-10 it will begin to sound like God's salvation program is actually dependent upon the obedience of those who become saved (versus those who remain disobedient) rather than upon His sovereign Will. ^jer18-1-6 > [Jeremiah 18:7-10](Jeremiah%2018.md) note > > As stated at the end of the note to verses 1-6, the theme that God saves according to His sovereign Will is super-important to keep in mind, because as we read verses 7-10 it will begin to sound like God's salvation program is actually dependent upon the obedience of those who become saved (versus those who remain disobedient) rather than upon His sovereign Will. > > In [Numbers 23:19](Numbers%2023.md#^19) we read that God does not repent -- that once God has spoken He will make it good. He is the Potter Who is completely in charge. And yet here in Jeremiah 18:7-10 it says that God *does* repent. It sounds like we could even be saved and yet lose our salvation if we turn away from God in verses 9-10. These verses are certainly part of the Law of God that declare what is His right to do. > > In [Matthew 18:23-35](Matthew%2018.md) we find a parallel to this where a king completely forgave his servant of all his great debt once the servant pleaded for patience and compassion. But when that servant was ruthlessly unwilling to forgive his fellow-servant of his minor debt in comparison to the debt he had owed the king, the king cast him into prison for not showing the same compassion. The same principle has come to Judah and Jerusalem, representing the new testament churches and congregations, that once they have turned away from God then He will destroy them. > > On the other hand, we think of the prophet Jonah and the city Nineveh. God commanded Jonah to declare to the city that they would be destroyed in 40 days. But we see in [Jonah 3:1-10](Jonah%203.md) that they repented greatly, so God repented and did not destroy them. > > But in [Hebrews 6:13-20](Hebrews%206.md) we read where God Himself swore an oath to Himself concerning our *salvation*, that once we have truly become saved that it cannot change. So this guarantees that the elect of God cannot come under the Law that God has set down here in Jeremiah 18:9-10 that we can turn away from Him and finally fall under His judgment if we indeed have become saved. We are eternally protected by God from ever being able to permanently fall away from Him and to turn back to our sinful state under the wrath of God if He has truly taken up residency within our hearts. We are born again and have become a new creation in Him. And this is an enormous comfort for us if we have become saved because even after we've become saved we do continue to struggle with and against sin. > > But when it comes to the visible kingdom of God as represented by Judah and Jerusalem here in Jeremiah, and the visible churches during the New Testament, indeed once they fall away from God then they will fall under the judgment of God. And this is all in accordance with the Law of God. And, sadly, as we'll see in verses 11-17, they refuse to turn again to God to follow His ways as a visible or corporate organization and will come to destruction. > > Now, here in verses 7-10 God is speaking to *all* of the nations and kingdoms, not just to the visible kingdom of God on earth. The Law of God is universally applicable to everyone in the world, to all of the nations across the face of the earth. ^jer18-7-10 > [Jeremiah 18:11](Jeremiah%2018.md#^11) - [12](Jeremiah%2018.md#^12) note > > According to what we previously read in verses 7-10, here in verses 11-12 God is warning that evil is determined against Judah and Jerusalem (the churches and congregations in our day), and to return from their evil ways and to make their ways and their doings good. But they respond with the most dismal statement: "And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart." This is like saying, "We're not able to change and seriously review everything in light of God's Word. This is how we've gotten along for many years, this is what our situation is and we're committed to it. It would cause too much upheaval to turn from our set paths now and which have served us well. These are the principles we've followed and we have no inducement to rethink all of those things from the ground up. So 'We will do after the imaginations of our own hearts.'" Compare with [Jeremiah 7:23](Jeremiah%207.md#^23) - [24](Jeremiah%207.md#^24); [11:7](Jeremiah%2011.md#^7) - [8](Jeremiah%2011.md#^8); [16:12](Jeremiah%2016.md#^12). This is a *repeated* indictment that God is making that they are walking after the imaginations of their evil heart. > > This is the stubbornness of the human race, "We will not obey, we will go our own way. We've laid out the program, we know how we are to live." Their own wisdom has become the authority. And this is the case no matter how desperate things have become, spiritually. There is no trust in God, you see. Ultimately they trust in themselves and the paths they are on. And that is because we *cannot* turn to God of ourselves unto salvation, we cannot obey the command to turn from our sins and to follow Him. Only God can cause us to do so if He has planned to save us. So there is no turning amongst them because this is God's plan for the end of the age. > > We see this within the churches and congregations as well as out in the world in general -- even as they see the futility of the world and there's a sense that things are drawing to an end. There is no repentance, there is no crying out to God. No one outside of Christ is safe from the law that declares if they turn away from God then they will come under the judgment of God. Even though buried very deep in their heart they know they are in trouble with God. But consciously they don't want to even think about judgment and face the reality of their spiritual situation. > > The only ones who are safe from this law are those who are in Christ, where we read in Hebrews 6 that God has taken an oath to Himself to save His people. It is absolutely guaranteed that there can never be a change in His salvation plan for His people. So there is *always* hope for us individually, even though there is no hope for Judah and Jerusalem. And that hope is in Christ alone, there is hope for the *heavenly* Jerusalem above ([Jer 3:17](Jeremiah%203.md#^17); [Gal 4:26](Galatians%204.md#^26); [Rev 3:12](Revelation%203.md#^12), [21:2](Revelation%2021.md#^2), [10](Revelation%2021.md#^10)), not in the visible representation of the kingdom of God in this world once God has finished with His program for them. The Hope is in the spiritual reality, not in the earthly types and shadows, in other words. ^jer18-11-12 > [Jeremiah 18:13](Jeremiah%2018.md#^13) note > > Now God indicates the awfulness of the situation that prevails. God is saying to ask among the heathen who has heard of such things. For example, consider a typical company: If they were to discover that they were in bad financial shape, they would normally begin to have meetings and to make changes here and changes there to correct the situation. Or if someone has a serious disease, they normally aren't just going to sit back and say, "Oh well, I'm sick." They'll be talking to doctors and reading literature wherever they can find it, checking out whether there's something they can do or take. They'll be agitated to find if there's some way they can get past the disease. > > But with Judah and Jerusalem, the churches and congregations in our day, they're specifically being told here that they are in deep and terrible trouble with God. God is giving them warnings and making declarations concerning their pastors and prophets. But virtually no one appears to be concerned. And God is saying that this is the strangest thing, "the virgin of Israel has done a very horrible thing." If the heathen nations really understood what is happening, even they would have to say, "What's the matter with those people who call themselves Christians? They don't understand what's happening at all." ^jer18-13 > [Jeremiah 18:14](Jeremiah%2018.md#^14) note > > "Will *a man* leave the snow of Lebanon *which comes* from the rock of the field?" -- *Lebanon* is found in the context of *salvation* in [Hosea 14:4](Hosea%2014.md#^4), [5](Hosea%2014.md#^5), [6](Hosea%2014.md#^6), [7](Hosea%2014.md#^7). It's a figure of being in the highest *good*, of being under the greatest *blessing* of God. > > *Snow* also relates to this great blessing ([Ps 51:7](Psalm%2051.md#^7); [Is 1:18](Isaiah%201.md#^18)) and even points to the absolute purity and holiness of Christ Himself ([Dan 7:9](Daniel%207.md#^9); [Mk 9:2](Mark%209.md#^2) - [3](Mark%209.md#^3); [Rev 1:13](Revelation%201.md#^13) - [14](Revelation%201.md#^14)). > > The *rock* is also used again and again in reference to God Himself, to the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the Rock of our salvation ([Deut 32:4](Deuteronomy%2032.md#^4), [15](Deuteronomy%2032.md#^15); [2 Sa 22:2](2%20Samuel%2022.md#^2), [32](2%20Samuel%2022.md#^32), [47](2%20Samuel%2022.md#^47), [23:3](2%20Samuel%2023.md#^3); [Ps 18:2](Psalm%2018.md#^2), [31](Psalm%2018.md#^31), [46](Psalm%2018.md#^46), [28:1](Psalm%2028.md#^1), [31:3](Psalm%2031.md#^3), [42:9](Psalm%2042.md#^9), [62:2](Psalm%2062.md#^2), [6](Psalm%2062.md#^6), [7](Psalm%2062.md#^7), [71:3](Psalm%2071.md#^3), [78:35](Psalm%2078.md#^35), [89:26](Psalm%2089.md#^26), [92:15](Psalm%2092.md#^15), [94:22](Psalm%2094.md#^22), [95:1](Psalm%2095.md#^1); [Is 17:10](Isaiah%2017.md#^10), [51:1](Isaiah%2051.md#^1); [Ro 9:33](Romans%209.md#^33); [1 Cor 10:4](1%20Corinthians%2010.md#^4)). And the field from which the rock comes is the world ([Mt 13:38](Matthew%2013.md#^38)). > > So when Jeremiah 18:14 declares, "Will *a man* leave the snow of Lebanon *which comes* from the rock of the field? God is saying, "Will a man leave the beautiful snow of the Gospel of salvation, will a man leave Christ Who has brought salvation into the world and flows from the blessings of God, in order to have the imaginations of his own evil heart? What a terrible thing! How wrong, how deceptive it is when they keep going their own way and will not repent and search out the Word of God!" > > "*or* shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?" -- The Hebrew translated "that come from another place" is actually a word that means *strange or estranged*. Normally cold flowing waters would also relate to the Gospel, as the spiritual water from which we would never thirst again. And in that case, we might read this to mean that, like the first half of the verse, they have forsaken the True Gospel to go their own way. However, in this case, since it is strange water, or water of estrangement, it may point to the gospel that *they* are following, the gospel of their own design that they will *not* forsake in order to follow the True Gospel. Either way we know that they have gone after the imaginations of their evil heart and have forsaken the Truth from the context of this passage. > > So God is again underscoring how it makes no sense whatsoever that Judah and Jerusalem, and the entire human race, continue to go down their own broad paths to destruction and forsake the narrow Way that leads to life. It is genuinely insane if we understand what is actually going on. But it is because we are spiritually dead in our sins before salvation and require for God to give us eternal life. ^jer18-14 > [Jeremiah 18:15](Jeremiah%2018.md#^15) note > > "Because my people have forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity" -- The burning of incense relates to prayer ([Lk 1:5](Luke%201.md#^5), [8](Luke%201.md#^8), [9](Luke%201.md#^9), [10](Luke%201.md#^10); [Ps 141:2](Psalm%20141.md#^2); [Rev 8:3](Revelation%208.md#^3) - [4](Revelation%208.md#^4)). It represents when we are looking to God for our help and when we bring our thanksgiving and praise to Him. But here in Jeremiah 18, they have burned incense to *vanity*, to something that is empty with no substance or value of any kind. That is, it is worthless. So their prayers have no meaning, there is no contact between them and God. They are not coming with a broken and a contrite heart, and we can only do that if God has truly saved us ([Jn 6:44](John%206.md#^44)). Oh yes, they are praying. They have prayer meetings and so on. But since they have their own kind of a gospel that they have designed they are burning incense to vanity, to that which is empty and cannot accomplish anything at all. It is the same as those who pray to their dumb idols that cannot see, nor hear, nor speak, because there is no life in them ([Ps 115:4-8](Psalm%20115.md)). > > "...and they have caused them to stumble in their ways *from* the ancient paths, to walk in paths, *in* a way not cast up" -- The ancient paths and the **right** Way normally relate to Christ and the Gospel. Christ is *the Way*, the Truth and the Life ([Jn 14:6](John%2014.md#^6)). He is the narrow *Way* that leads to Life, whereas the broad way leads to destruction ([Mt 7:13](Matthew%207.md#^13), [14](Matthew%207.md#^14)). So to speak of a path or a way represents the way that we live, spiritually -- good or bad, straight or crooked ([Ps 1:1](Psalm%201.md#^1)). And the ancient way of the way of the Bible. So God is saying here that they have stumbled far away from the ancient paths. They have gone down a crooked path that they want rather than the Way of God ([Is 59:8](Isaiah%2059.md#^8)). > > "...in a way not cast up" -- In [Isaiah 57:14](Isaiah%2057.md#^14), [15](Isaiah%2057.md#^15) God speaks of *casting up to prepare the way*. And God Himself must prepare the Way, and that Way is the Lord Jesus Christ. But they don't like that Way, they like their own way that hasn't been prepared properly so that they are on the path to destruction, as we'll see again in verse 16. ^jer18-15 > [Jeremiah 18:16](Jeremiah%2018.md#^16) note > > "To make their land desolate, *and* a perpetual hissing" -- The word *hissing* could be translated *whistling*, and it signifies *shame, scorn or derision*. It will be seen again when we get to [Jeremiah 19:8](Jeremiah%2019.md#^8); [25:9](Jeremiah%2025.md#^9), [18](Jeremiah%2025.md#^18); [29:18](Jeremiah%2029.md#^18); [51:37](Jeremiah%2051.md#^37) and is found in a few other, similar places in the Bible. It is used positively in [Zechariah 10:8](Zechariah%2010.md#^8) where God uses it in the context of salvation, like when a shepherd whistles for his sheep. But ordinarily it is used in the context of shame and scorn. > > "...every one that passes thereby shall be astonished and shake his head." -- This is so astonishing that those who pass by shake their heads in disbelief. This, like the hissing or whistling, represents the scorn of those who pass by ([Ps 109:25](Psalm%20109.md#^25); [Mt 27:39](Matthew%2027.md#^39), [40](Matthew%2027.md#^40); [Mk 15:29](Mark%2015.md#^29), [30](Mark%2015.md#^30)). > > In [Ezekiel 28:18](Ezekiel%2028.md#^18), [19](Ezekiel%2028.md#^19) we find the same theme where God's people (that is, the visible representation of the kingdom of God, not the actual elect of God) are under judgment for their iniquities, and they have become *an astonishment and a terror* to those around them. This is parallel to [Revelation 18:9](Revelation%2018.md#^9), [10](Revelation%2018.md#^10) when God destroys Babylon and all the world looks upon her in dismay. These were His people, they were His established institution assigned to evangelize the world as the custodian of the Bible! And now God is finished with them, and this is horrifying. That's why this time is called the great tribulation, as a time of trouble, and we stand utterly astounded that they are under the judgment of God. > > In [Jeremiah 25:27](Jeremiah%2025.md#^27), [28](Jeremiah%2025.md#^28), [29](Jeremiah%2025.md#^29) God declares as He brings judgment upon the rest of the world at the end, that even as He brought judgment upon the city that was called by His Name (those who visibly represented the kingdom of God in the world), so certainly must they, too, drink of the cup of His wrath. And this is in accordance with [1 Peter 4:17](1%20Peter%204.md#^17) that judgment must begin at the house of God before it is executed upon the world. ^jer18-16 > [Jeremiah 18:17](Jeremiah%2018.md#^17) note > > This again, like verse 16, is a statement of scorn. If you've ever seen a meeting, say a political meeting of some kind, where there are those who want to put shame on the speaker, what do they do? They turn around with their back toward the speaker. It's a sign of total disgust with what the speaker is saying. This idea is found in [Luke 4:8](Luke%204.md#^8) and [Matthew 16:23](Matthew%2016.md#^23) where Christ turns His back upon Satan and then Peter for their comments. And here it is indeed God Who turns His back against His institution, He is not going to assist them in any way, the Holy Spirit is gone from them. So they are receiving no guidance and no wisdom whatsoever from the Scriptures any longer. No longer is there the hope of [Psalm 80:3](Psalm%2080#^3) and [2 Chronicles 30:9](2%20Chronicles%2030.md#^9). God is deliberately turned away from them. ^jer18-17 > [Jeremiah 18:18](Jeremiah%2018.md#^18) note > > This statement is so cogent and in evidence in our day. They are saying, "We hear you, Jeremiah. But we priests, we who are the spiritually wise, we who are the prophets of God -- do not agree with you. We all agree together against you concerning what is the Truth and we are the spiritual authority. And you are coming with heresy, with something we must destroy." And that is what is being said today if you suggest that God is speaking to the churches and congregations here in Jeremiah 18 through the example of Judah and Jerusalem. But these warnings are for *our* day. > > > > Study in progress (8.2025) > > ^jer18-18 Tags: #Old_Testament #Jeremiah #Gods_judgment_on_His_people #FSI