Jeremiah 21 FSI - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **Jeremiah 21 Notes** > [[Jeremiah 20 FSI|<Prev]]   [[Jeremiah 22 FSI|Next>]] > [[Jeremiah 21|Verse list view]] > [Jeremiah 21:1](Jeremiah%2021.md#^1) note > > Zedekiah was the last king that ruled over Judah. Historically, he was killed in 587 BC, the year that the temple was destroyed by Babylon as pronounced by God through Jeremiah. And here he sends Pashur the son of Melchiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to Jeremiah with this request in verse 2. ^jer21-1 > [Jeremiah 21:2](Jeremiah%2021.md#^2) note > > The situation is that Judah and Jerusalem are being besieged by Nebuchadnezzar. In fact, in just a very short time they're going to be completely destroyed by him. Jeremiah has been speaking to them year after year after year -- maybe as long as 20 or 30 years already since the days of Josiah -- warning and warning that they are in deep rebellion against God, including their priests and their prophets, and God is going to destroy them. And now comes this committee of 2 from Zedekiah. Zephaniah was the son of a priest and represented the theological wing. And Pashur (this is a different Pashur than the one who put him in the stocks in [chapter 20:1](Jeremiah%2020.md#^2)) was likely one of the princes ([Jer 38:1](Jeremiah%2038.md#^1)) representing the political side. And they come with a directive to Jeremiah to inquire of the LORD that He might deal with them according to all of His wonderful works and that Nebuchadnezzar might leave them alone. > > By this time, they have been warned for years by God through Jeremiah, in the most dramatic language, that God is angry with them and that He is going to destroy them for their rebellion. And yet now they come confidently to the LORD to give them relief as though those warnings weren't really that serious. After all, they are God's people, right? And they have Jerusalem with the temple -- it's the holy city with the holy place. "So surely," they think, "God wouldn't *really* destroy them, would He?" It's much like what we hear from the churches and congregations today as they declare that the church has been established by Christ and will continue until the end, that God would never bring His judgment against all of them. After all, they still have the Bible there so they discount any thought that they might be in rebellion against God to the point of full destruction. They continue to falsely hope that all is well when all is not well. > > Now, the very fact that they're coming to Jeremiah to inquire of the LORD means they at least understand that Jeremiah is a prophet of God. They aren't accusing him of being a false prophet so that they won't even go to him to inquire of the LORD. They knew he was God's spokesman. Yet what God had been declaring to them through Jeremiah didn't register with them, they didn't believe it, they didn't take it seriously, even as Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon were besieging them to bring destruction! They still somehow believe they are in a good relationship with the LORD, even as they sense their danger, with the false hope that God will spare them and send Nebuchadnezzar away. ^jer21-2 > [Jeremiah 21:3](Jeremiah%2021.md#^3), [4](Jeremiah%2021.md#^4), [5](Jeremiah%2021.md#^5), [6](Jeremiah%2021.md#^6), [7](Jeremiah%2021.md#^7) contextual note > > In light of what we've considered in verse 2, Jeremiah responds to them with the most ugly news possible through the remainder of the chapter. It's the most vicious statement imaginable. And that is, God will bring the Chaldeans (that is, the Babylonians), into the midst of Jerusalem ([v4](Jeremiah%2021.md#^4)), and *God Himself* will fight against Judah and Jerusalem through them in anger, in fury and in great wrath ([v5](Jeremiah%2021.md#^5)). God will smite them with the pestilence ([v6](Jeremiah%2021.md#^6)) and deliver them into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and they will find no pity nor mercy -- he will not spare ([v7](Jeremiah%2021.md#^7)). This is exactly the opposite of what the emissaries of the king thought they were going to hear. Not only did God declare that they would be destroyed, but that He would be actively fighting with the enemy against them. ^jer21-3-7 > [Jeremiah 21:3](Jeremiah%2021.md#^3), [4](Jeremiah%2021.md#^4) note > > (Read the note for [verses 3-7↗](Jeremiah%2021%20FSI.md#^jer21-3-7) to get the larger context before proceeding here.) > > Is this how God comes to the churches and congregations today? Notice in [verse 4](Jeremiah%2021.md#^4) God speaks of their weapons and their walls that will not provide them safety as God fights against them through the Babylonians. > > In [Ephesians 6:10](Ephesians%206.md#^10), [11](Ephesians%206.md#^11) God speaks of the *warfare* between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. (And remember that King Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon represent and typify the kingdom of Satan.) So God gives the true believers the *armor* of God with which we are able to stand over against the wiles and the assaults of the devil. Then in [Ephesians 6:12](Ephesians%206.md#^12) God declares that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against *spiritual* wickedness in high places, that is, against the kingdom of Satan again. And then in [Ephesians 6:13](Ephesians%206.md#^13), [14](Ephesians%206.md#^14), we read that we can only stand if we're girt about with the Truth of God, with the Word of God, with Christ as the Breastplate of righteousness, as our Armor. We are wrapped (armored) in the Truth of God, and remember that *Christ* is the Truth ([Jn 14:6](John%2014.md#^6)), *He* is our Righteousness ([Ro 10:4](Romans%2010.md#^4); [1 Co 1:30](1%20Corinthians%201.md#^30)). > > While it is the case at any time that we must put on the Truth in order to stand, in [Ephesians 6:13](Ephesians%206.md#^13) God particularly emphasizes being able to withstand in *the evil day*, which is the day of Judgment. So once the Truth of God has been abandoned by the churches in the evil day, once Christ has left them and the true believers have been driven out, they remain completely open to every assault of Satan imaginable -- just as Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon assaulted and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. Satan and his kingdom have broken through their wall of protection. What a terrible situation to be in! But this is not what they anticipate. Just like the emissaries of Zedekiah, they wrongly expect that God will never bring them all under judgment as an institution, but that He will deliver them regardless of their sinful spiritual condition. Once they have turned from the true Gospel, from the Bible, and the Holy Spirit has departed from them, then [Ephesians 6:14-18](Ephesians%206.md) no longer applies to them to provide them safety against the onslaught of Satan. > > So, like Judah in the days of Zedekiah, they are left completely unprotected. Every aspect of spiritual strength that we read about in Ephesians 6 has been taken from them, they have no more armor, they have no more defenses, God has taken it all away, Christ is gone (cp [Mt 13:10](Matthew%2013.md#^10), [11](Matthew%2013.md#^11), [12](Matthew%2013.md#^12)). And yet, they expect God to just deliver them and to keep them from evil when they are no longer listening to the Word of God. They instead should be sitting in sackcloth and ashes, beseeching the Lord for forgiveness and to be led back into the Word of God. But the presume upon God's mercy. God has sent them strong delusion to believe a lie ([2 Thes 2:11](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^11)), leaving them in their unbelief. God is not neutral to their rebellion. This is the intense danger they have put themselves in for creating their own methods of Bible interpretation and their own doctrines in which they trust. They have turned from understanding the spiritual nature of Scripture, which is the Sword of the Spirit ([1 Co 2:13](1%20Corinthians%202.md#^13); [Eph 6:17](Ephesians%206.md#^17)). The Bible must be the *only* Authority. See again [Jeremiah 10:19](Jeremiah%2010.md#^19), [20](Jeremiah%2010.md#^20), [21](Jeremiah%2010.md#^21), [22](Jeremiah%2010.md#^22) to read the spiritual situation that we see today. There is none left to spread out God's tent once God is finished with them at the end. ^jer21-3-4 > [Jeremiah 21:5](Jeremiah%2021.md#^5), [6](Jeremiah%2021.md#^6), [7](Jeremiah%2021.md#^7) note > > (Read the contextual note for [verses 3-7↗](Jeremiah%2021%20FSI.md#^jer21-3-7) before proceeding here.) > > God really emphasizes His anger as He fights against Judah and Jerusalem using 3 synonyms: anger, fury and great wrath. And the number 3 has to do with God's *purpose*: it is His purpose that He brings them under such judgment. He is going to destroy them with a great pestilence. And just to make sure we understand just how *complete* this destruction is, God emphasizes that He will carry the remainder of them captive into Babylon where Nebuchadnezzar will not spare them nor show them any mercy. It is the *end* for them. God is completely finished with Judah in its current state and condition and that foretells the situation with the churches and congregations today at the end. But there is still hope for individuals, as we'll see in the next several verses. ^jer21-5-7 > [Jeremiah 21:8](Jeremiah%2021.md#^8), [9](Jeremiah%2021.md#^9), [10](Jeremiah%2021.md#^10) note > > Remember that "this people" in verse 8 refers to those in Judah and Jerusalem, to the churches and congregations today. And God here gives a choice. God uses this ugly language that Babylon has come against Jerusalem to destroy it. And God Himself will be aiding them as He fights against Judah and Jerusalem for their rebellion against God. But there is a way out of this difficulty. If they remain there and keep fighting against the Babylonians God will make *sure* they will be destroyed. But if they will *surrender* to Babylon then their lives will become unto them a prey, that is, their lives will be spared as plunder so that they can continue to witness the Truth to the enemy. So this is the way of life for them in this situation. > > God is giving us here the mechanism whereby He separates the true believers from the unbelievers in the churches, as we see in [Matthew 13:30](Matthew%2013.md#^30), [24:15](Matthew%2024.md#^15), [16](Matthew%2024.md#^16) and [Revelation 14:14](Revelation%2014.md#^14), [15](Revelation%2014.md#^15) (and the word *ripe* there should actually be translated *withered* or *dried up*, it is when the harvest from the church age is completed), [16](Revelation%2014.md#^16). But then we read in [Revelation 14:17](Revelation%2014.md#^17), [18](Revelation%2014.md#^18), [19](Revelation%2014.md#^19) about another, second harvest which is a gathering together of all those who will stand for judgment. > > So God teaches that the wheat will be separated from the tares. And the mechanism for this is stated right here in Jeremiah 21. Those who remain within the congregations when God is finished with them at the end of the church age are being prepared for judgment day. It is the way to death. And those who obey God's command to come out, giving themselves over outside of the congregations so that they are no longer under the spiritual care and authority of those who have rebelled against God -- those who go out of the city with their hands up, so to speak -- they are still available to share the Gospel with the world in their midst. > > "For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD" -- God is repeating what He has said again and again and again. This is the declaration of Almighty God. When He speaks and says, "I will do this," who will dare argue with God? We listen and obey God, we don't reason against Him. He is eternal in His being -- in His righteousness, holiness and understanding. So we trust Him implicitly and in that way will never be led astray. > > "...it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire." -- Remember again that Babylon is a picture of the kingdom of Satan. And *this city* (in the first part of verse 10) that is being destroyed is Jerusalem, representing the churches and congregations in our day. God is against them and has given them into the hand of Babylon. ^jer21-8-10 > [Jeremiah 21:11](Jeremiah%2021.md#^11), [12](Jeremiah%2021.md#^12) note > > "And touching the house of the king of Judah, *say*, Hear ye the word of the LORD; O house of David, thus saith the LORD" -- God is telling us once more in verses 11-12 to *listen*! The visible kingdom of God isn't just some ordinary organization that was developed out there by some group of people. They are the place where God's Word has been Present, they are the divine organization that He has raised up to bring the Gospel to the world. They were given the assignment to be the custodian of the Gospel, they are the House of David, the beloved one, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself whom David foreshadows. They represent Him into the world and were especially important to Him. So God emphasizes, "This comes right from the very Mouth of God! Listen!" > > "Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver *him that is* spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor" -- God is telling them to obey God (execute judgment) in the morning. That means they are to immediately (early) follow His Law, and His Law is now declaring that we go forth from the city and to surrender to Babylon in verses 8-10. So the leaders should be telling the people that this is God's command, to do it His Way and not their way, and thus they will deliver the people from the wrath of God. If they remain in the city there is no hope, there is no mercy there any longer! God's judgment rests upon any who stay there as He is actively fighting against them, but warning them they can still get out. > > "...lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench *it*, because of the evil of your doings." -- Until finally God's judgment falls upon them in the end. > > This also teaches us that the end of the church age isn't just an incidental matter in the development of God's salvation plan. It was a major change. Just as when God began to use the nation of Israel as the custodian of the Word of God and the representation of the kingdom of God on earth -- then there was a major change after Christ's crucifixion, after He had gone back to Heaven, when God shifted from the nation of Israel to the church age. But then once their task has been finished it is another major shift. So God reminds us again and again of why this is happening and how and when. ^jer21-11-12 > [Jeremiah 21:13](Jeremiah%2021.md#^13) note > > "Behold, I *am* against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, *and* rock of the plain, saith the LORD" -- The *valley* is a place in the Bible where there can be intense cultivation, and a place where most people live. So it is a picture again of the local congregations where the Gospel has been cultivated and from which it has been sent. The *rock of the plain* identifies with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and His salvation plan. He, the LORD, is our Rock ([Ps 92:15](Psalm%2092.md#^15), [95:1](Psalm%2095.md#^1); [Mt 7:24](Matthew%207.md#^24); [1 Co 10:4](1%20Corinthians%2010.md#^4); [1 Pe 2:6](1%20Peter%202.md#^6), [7](1%20Peter%202.md#^7), [8](1%20Peter%202.md#^8)). And throughout the church age God utilized the local congregation as the place where Christ worked from because corporately they were identified with the salvation plan. > > The word *plain* in the phrase *rock of the plain* also identifies with Christ. A plain indicates something that has been leveled out -- it is made straight or, spiritually, made *righteous*. So it, too, has to do with salvation. In [Isaiah 40:4](Isaiah%2040.md#^4) God anticipates the sending forth of the Gospel and speaks of "the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain" (See [Isaiah 40:1-5](Isaiah%2040.md) and cp with [Lk 3:5](Luke%203.md#^5), [6](Luke%203.md#^6)). Then again in [Psalm 45:6](Psalm%2045.md#^6), the word translated *right* is again this word translated *plain* in Jeremiah 21:13. It is a straight scepter, a righteous scepter, a perfect scepter. > > So when God says in Jeremiah 21:13, "O inhabitant of the valley, *and* rock of the plain," He is saying, "O you who have been exalted with the kingdom of God, where Christ was held forth and has made things righteous." And that was the purpose of the congregation. It was made the holy place where the Rock of righteousness should be found because they had been assigned the task of evangelizing the world, they had become the custodian of the Bible so that in each congregation was the perfect statement of the Will of God. God is not just speaking to those "out there" who are not acquainted with God's Word, but to those who had the knowledge of His righteousness and of the consequence of sin. It is where the Rock of righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ, has been operating and where the Holy Spirit applied the Word of God to those He planned to save. God is speaking to those who ought to know better because they had been entrusted with the Word of God. And yet, what is their argument? > > "which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?" -- They don't believe God would ever actually destroy them, that God would release Satan so that he would come into their midst in judgment against them. They do not believe God will end the local congregations -- after all, they are Christ's church! They were set up and designed by the Living God so they believe He will perpetually remain their Head. They have the Bible, they have the holy table of the Lord's Supper and so on. Doesn't the Bible teach that the gates of hell will not prevail against Christ's church? But that is completely opposite from what God is warning and declaring here. Yes, the gates of hell will not prevail against the eternal church, but God indeed will bring final judgment upon the visible churches as He has done throughout the New Testament age as they have fallen away from Truth. And God completes this idea in verse 14. ^jer21-13 > [Jeremiah 21:14](Jeremiah%2021.md#^14) note > > "But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD:" -- Once again, God reiterates that *He* will punish them. Why? According to the fruit of their doings. According to the way they have handled the Bible creating their own methods of interpretation and introducing their own doctrines so that effectively they are worshiping other gods than the God of the Bible. "I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it." -- God is speaking very directly in the face of their statement in verse 13, "Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?" God Himself shall destroy them because they have not been faithful to the Word of God. ^jer21-14 Tags: #Old_Testament #Jeremiah #Gods_judgment_on_His_people #FSI