Jeremiah 22 FSI - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **Jeremiah 22 Notes** > [[Jeremiah 21 FSI|<Prev]]   \[[Jeremiah 23 FSI|Next>\]] > [[Jeremiah 22|Verse list view]] > Intro to Jeremiah 22 note > > In this chapter, spiritually speaking, this is a shift to the beginning of the tribulation period as represented by the end of King Josiah's reign and beginning with the post-Josiah period under the rulership of Egypt and Babylon. Historically, this time period officially began in 609 BC when the last good king, Josiah, was killed in battle against Egypt and his son, *Shallum* (see [v11](Jeremiah%2022.md#^11), cp [1 Chr 3:15](1%20Chronicles%203.md#^15), also called *Jehoahaz* -- [1 Chr 36:1](2%20Chronicles%2036.md#^1), [2](2%20Chronicles%2036.md#^2)), briefly reigned. He only reigned for three months until he was carried away captive into Egypt and died there ([2 Kings 23:34](2%20Kings%2023.md#^34)). And that's what Jeremiah 22:10-12 is speaking about. So this is the setting for this chapter which is parallel to the beginning of the tribulation period, as we'll see. This message is thus to the local congregations during that time of our day which is now already past. ^jer22-intro > [Jeremiah 22:1](Jeremiah%2022.md#^1), [2](Jeremiah%2022.md#^2) note > > (Read the [Introductory note to Jeremiah 22↗](Jeremiah%2022%20FSI.md#^jer22-intro) to get the chapter context before proceeding here.) > > At this time, Josiah has just died in battle. He was one of the finest kings that ever reigned over Judah. He put down all of the high places, restored the temple and so on. He was an enormously wonderful, spiritual king. But then, right at the very height of his power, right when it appeared there was a real turning back to the Lord in the nation of Judah, Josiah was killed in battle at the age of 39 and Shallum, his son, became king. And now God comes to this king Shallum, his servants, and all that enter in through the gates, with this message. > > As before, the palace of the king and the servants and those entering in by the gates all represent the visible kingdom of God to whom this message is coming. God is speaking therefore to those who believe they are citizens of the kingdom of God, and God is speaking to them as if they are truly citizens of the kingdom of God. ^jer22-1-2 > [Jeremiah 22:3](Jeremiah%2022.md#^3) note > > At first read, we might say, "Of course, God is commanding them to obey His Word, and that's what we should be doing at all times." But these phrases in verse 3 are dealing with the situation that now prevails in Judah and represents the churches and congregations at the beginning of the final tribulation period, as we will see again. Remember, up to now in Jeremiah God has been pronouncing His judgments against Judah and Jerusalem -- against the churches and congregations -- declaring that they would be destroyed by Babylon and that God Himself would fight against them. > > "Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness" -- To execute judgment and righteousness is to *do* the Word of God, to obey what God is commanding us to do. > > "...and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor" -- We just saw this phrase in the last chapter, in [Jeremiah 21:12](Jeremiah%2021.md#^12). And what God was commanding them to do was to declare that, in order for them to live, they were to *surrender* to the king of Babylon (as we saw in [Jer 21:8](Jeremiah%2021.md#^8), [9](Jeremiah%2021.md#^9), [10](Jeremiah%2021.md#^10)). That was the choice that God had given them -- if they stayed in Judah and Jerusalem to fight against the king of Babylon, God would destroy them by king Nebuchadnezzar. But if they left and surrendered themselves to the king of Babylon then their lives would be spared. > > In today's terms, that indeed would mean that the leaders, pastors and elders should have warned their congregations to leave in order to spare them from God's judgment -- which also would mean that the congregations would cease to exist. They would have to completely disassociate themselves with being a New Testament congregation. That would truly be the ideal situation because there would be no one left to destroy within the local congregations as Satan comes directly against them. They are to flee to the mountains. As strange as this might sound, had everyone in Judah and Jerusalem fallen out to King Nebuchadnezzar as commanded by God, then all of their lives would have been spared. And this is the same type of situation. > > "...and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow" -- In [Deuteronomy 24:17](Deuteronomy%2024.md#^17), [18](Deuteronomy%2024.md#^18), [19](Deuteronomy%2024.md#^19), [20](Deuteronomy%2024.md#^20), [21](Deuteronomy%2024.md#^21), [22](Deuteronomy%2024.md#^22) God gave laws concerning the stranger, the fatherless and the widow. These represent those who were as destitute as could be, they were the downtrodden and impoverished in need of special care. And this points to those who are in dire need of salvation, and who do become saved, spiritually speaking. They are the poor and downcast who hunger and thirst because there who are need of nourishment ([Mt 5:3](Matthew%205.md#^3), [6](Matthew%205.md#^6)). They are like the beggar, Lazarus, who had no one to care for him, who would have eaten the crumbs from the rich man's table and had dogs licking his sores -- and yet, he had eternal life. > > So God is commanding them in this context, again, that the leaders are to instruct them to leave the churches, to surrender themselves out in order to avoid being destroyed by Satan (typified by King Nebuchadnezzar coming against Judah and Jerusalem) as he comes full force into the churches. > > "...neither shed innocent blood in this place." -- Of course, we're only ever innocent if we're completely covered by Christ's righteousness, if all of our sins have been paid for so that our guilt has been taken by Christ. And these who are innocent are the same as those who are the stranger, the fatherless and the widow. So this phrase is simply giving another reference to those who are saved, and they are to fall out of Judah and Jerusalem at God's commandment. > > So this is what the local congregations should have done right at the beginning of the tribulation period once the church age had come to an end. ^jer22-3 > [Jeremiah 22:4](Jeremiah%2022.md#^4) note > > This, of course, is spiritual language pointing to victory and salvation, of those who conquer -- riding in chariots and on horses ([Rev 6:2](Revelation%206.md#^2), [19:11-16](Revelation%2019.md)). We who are true believers are more than conquerors in Christ ([Ro 8:37](Romans%208.md#^37)). While the unsaved are the plunder and the world will be taken away from them, the new heavens and new earth will be occupied by the true believers. It is the language of victory or conquering. > > "...he, and his servants, and his people." -- It is Christ Who does the conquering, ultimately, as we saw in [Revelation 19:11-16](Revelation%2019.md) above. So Christ is the "he" here -- He, His servants and His people are speaking about Christ and the true believers who will be reigning as kings ([Rev 1:6](Revelation%201.md#^6), [5:10](Revelation%205.md#^10)), with Christ as the King of kings ([Rev 19:16](Revelation%2019.md#^16)). > > Remember again, this is all in the context where God is going to destroy Judah and Jerusalem unless they fall out to the king of Babylon. So likewise, in our day, only if we depart from the churches and congregations as they are being overrun by the angel of light through false ministers of righteousness can we find Truth from the Bible alone in our day. Only in Christ alone can we be victorious, but we must come out from those who are leading the flock astray into the pit. ^jer22-4 > [Jeremiah 22:5](Jeremiah%2022.md#^5) note > > For verses 4 and 5, remember the principle God spelled out in [Jeremiah 18:7](Jeremiah%2018.md#^7), [8](Jeremiah%2018.md#^8), [9](Jeremiah%2018.md#^9), [10](Jeremiah%2018.md#^10)? Throughout history God has warned the people (and us) that they must turn around and obey Him or He will bring judgment. And at times that did happen, such as when Jonah warned Nineveh that God would destroy them. They repented in sackcloth and ashes and God did not bring the judgment that He said He would come. In the same way many times God brought a deliverer to Israel when they were carried away captive by the enemy. And this is how God has worked throughout the church age when things had gotten bad spiritually. God would raise up various people to bring them back toward the Truth and allow the churches to continue as a witness. Conversely, for those who fall away and go their own way God will indeed bring judgment as we see eventually happened with the nations of Israel and Judah in history. > > "I swear by myself, saith the LORD" -- Now, when it comes to our salvation, *God took an *oath* to Himself* that He would save us ([Heb 6:13](Hebrews%206.md#^13), [17](Hebrews%206.md#^17), [18](Hebrews%206.md#^18)). That was an infinite times infinite immutability, an absolute eternal guarantee, that God would provide salvation for His people. It is *not changeable*. > > "...that this house shall become a desolation." -- But here, very frightfully, God swears an oath to Himself that He will *destroy* them, that they will become a *desolation*. When things have finally gotten this bad, when God came to the end of the church age as He came to the end of Judah in the days of Josiah, God swears to Himself that there will be judgment. And it is immutably guaranteed that this is happening, God has absolutely carried out His plan. God is through with the church age and He has so declared it, there is no possibility of change -- none whatsoever. ^jer22-5 > [Jeremiah 22:6](Jeremiah%2022.md#^6), [7](Jeremiah%2022.md#^7) note > > God speaks about 2 areas on the outskirts of Israel: Gilead to the East of the Jordan River and Lebanon to the North. Nevertheless they were closely associated with Israel, and they were particularly profitable to Israel. Lebanon furnished many cedar trees and lumber for the building of the temple which represented the strength of Israel and of the temple, to illustrate the true believers in the spiritual (heavenly) temple of God. And that was a very rich piece of Israel. Gilead produced balm ([Jer 46:11](Jeremiah%2046.md#^11)) which was medicine that was used for healing and served as a picture of what the Gospel is that heals us of our sins. > > But now the choicest offering that they can provide -- the wonderful balm of Gilead and the cedar trees of Lebanon, *normally* representing the healing Gospel and the believers in the temple, are going to be destroyed. The moment Christ and the Holy Spirit abandons them there is no more spiritual value there. The true balm is gone, there are no more cedars, they are dead. And those who remain are effectively cast into the fire as they falsely believe there is still life in their midst. But there is no eternal life, there is no more Gospel there. They are being deluded and deceived into following a dead gospel as the destroyers come against them with their weapons to cut down their choice cedars and cast them into the fire. ^jer22-6-7 > [Jeremiah 22:8](Jeremiah%2022.md#^8) note > > What does it mean that those who pass by and see the destruction of this great city (that used to be God's glorious city) has been destroyed by God Himself? > > We see something that relates to this in Jeremiah 25, where God details His destruction upon the whole world. And as He brings judgment upon the world, we read in [Jeremiah 25:27](Jeremiah%2025.md#^27) that they are drinking the cup of the wrath of God and the sword (that is, the Word of God) that He sends among them finds them guilty and executes death. That is what the Word of God does to the unsaved. Then in [verses 28](Jeremiah%2025.md#^28), [29](Jeremiah%2025.md#^29) God declares that just as He brought judgment upon those who were called by His Name, that is the great City that He has destroyed, so will He bring judgment upon the whole world. That is, just as the churches and congregations (those who operate as the visible representation of the kingdom of God in the world) cannot escape the wrath of God, so the entire world outside of the visible kingdom of God cannot escape. > > This ties us back to Jeremiah 22:8 which indicates the perfect justice of God -- that every single sin outside of Christ, no matter how tiny, brings about the penalty of death. The wages of sin is death ([Ro 6:23](Romans%206.md#^23)) so sin *must* be paid for. So when the world spiritually sees the destruction of the great City of God, it is a testimony to them that they, too, are coming under the wrath of God. ^jer22-8 > [Jeremiah 22:9](Jeremiah%2022.md#^9) note > > God is summing up that the visible kingdom of God has fallen into the worship of other gods. They may not know this today, they might declare that they faithfully worship the Lord Jesus. And so they insist that God's judgment cannot be against them. But they do not realize that their eyes have been spiritually closed as they trust in their own doctrines and methods of interpreting the Bible that shuts them up against the Truth. They no longer recognize the True Jesus of the Bible, they have their own kind of a Jesus who is not the God of the Bible. ^jer22-9 > [Jeremiah 22:10](Jeremiah%2022.md#^10), [11](Jeremiah%2022.md#^11), [12](Jeremiah%2022.md#^12) contextual note > > As we saw in the intro to this chapter, spiritually speaking, this is a snapshot to the beginning of the tribulation period as represented by the end of King Josiah's reign and beginning with the post-Josiah period under the rulership of Egypt and Babylon. Historically, this time period officially began in 609 BC when the last good king, Josiah, was killed in battle against Egypt and his son, *Shallum* ([1 Chr 3:15](1%20Chronicles%203.md#^15), also called *Jehoahaz* -- [1 Chr 36:1](2%20Chronicles%2036.md#^1), [2](2%20Chronicles%2036.md#^2)), briefly reigned. He only reigned for three months until he was carried away captive into Egypt and died there ([2 Kings 23:34](2%20Kings%2023.md#^34)). And that's exactly what Jeremiah 22:10-12 is speaking about here. So this is the setting for this chapter which is parallel to the beginning of the tribulation period. This message is thus to the local congregations during that time of our day which is now already past. > > To dive a little more into the detail of the family of Josiah, we read in [1 Chronicles 3:15](1%20Chronicles%203.md#^15) that Shallum was the *fourth*. Normally it would be the firstborn that would reign next on the throne, but in this case God set that aside as He did with Solomon. And we don't read anything more about the firstborn, Johanan, in connection with the throne -- it's possible he may have died young or something of that nature but we don't have that information. But we'll see more about this in a moment. > > When we read through [2 Chronicles 36](2%20Chronicles%2036.md), we find that 3 of Josiah's sons and 1 grandson actually sat on the throne before the kingdom finally came to an end: *Shallum* (or Jehoahaz) reigned first when he was 23 years old ([2 Chr 36:2](2%20Chronicles%2036.md#^2)). Then *Jehoiakim*, his older brother, was 25 years old when he began to reign ([2 Chr 36:5](2%20Chronicles%2036.md#^5)). He was placed by the King of Egypt after Shallum reigned only 3 months and was carried captive to Egypt ([2 Chr 36:4](2%20Chronicles%2036.md#^4)). Next *Jehoiachin*, the son of Jehoiakim, reigned for just 3 months ([2 Chr 36:8](2%20Chronicles%2036.md#^8), [9](2%20Chronicles%2036.md#^9)). And, finally, *Zedekiah* reigned ([2 Chr 36:9](2%20Chronicles%2036.md#^9), [10](2%20Chronicles%2036.md#^10)). And while here it appears to indicate Zedekiah was the brother of Jehoiachin (and thus a son of Jehoiakim), we know from [1 Chronicles 3:15](1%20Chronicles%203.md#^15) that he was actually the son of Josiah. > > The reason Zedekiah may have been considered brother to Jehoiachin is because he was actually much younger than Shallum, even though Zedekiah is mentioned as the third and Shallum as the fourth son of Josiah in [1 Chronicles 3:15](1%20Chronicles%203.md#^15). Zedekiah was only 21 when he finally began to reign after all this ([2 Chr 36:11](2%20Chronicles%2036.md#^11)). So how was Zedekiah mentioned as the third son of Josiah while Shallum was the fourth if Zedekiah was much younger than Shallum? This is where we must be very careful with the Bible, as the Bible doesn't specifically call Zedekiah the third-*born* nor Shallum the fourth-*born*. We know for certain that Johanan was the firstborn because God specifically calls him that. And we know that Jehoikim was the second born because of his age compared to Shallum in 2 Chronicles 36. But then it's very clear that Shallum was older than Zedekiah there. > > So what is the significance of Shallum being the *fourth*? First, keep in mind that the line of Judah from David on down through the end of the monarchy was through David's lineage. It was just one dynasty. But that was not the case with Israel which did not continue through one line. But there was one king of Israel that had a fairly long dynasty by the name of Jehu. God declared that there would be *four* kings from his line that would sit on the throne of Israel ([2 Kings 10:28](2%20Kings%2010.md#^28), [30](2%20Kings%2010.md#^30)). And they were Jehoahaz, Jehoash (Joash), Jeroboam and Zachariah. So God's Word to Jehu that his sons would reign to the *fourth* was fulfilled, as we see in [2 Kings 15:12](2%20Kings%2015.md#^12). > > Now think about the fourth commandment of the 10 commandments, where God says that He will "visit(ing) the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth *generation* of them that hate me," ([Ex 20:5](Exodus%2020.md#^5)). The number four identifies with the very *end* of whatever is in view, or the 4 points of the compass (North, South, East and West). It signifies the *extremity* of whatever is in view. So when God says that the dynasty of Jehu would reign until the *fourth*, it was to the *extent* of his dynasty. > > So Shallum being the fourth from Josiah emphasizes the end of the dynasty, or the end of the kingdom of Judah insofar as God's purpose is concerned. > > Putting these together, then, the death of Josiah and the carrying away of Shallum into Egypt represents the *end* or the extremity of the kingdom of Judah, which points to the end of the church age, spiritually speaking. It is the time when God is finished with them. So God has introduced Shallum into this account to represent the end of His time for Judah and the church age. > > From that point on, while the other sons and grandson of Josiah reigned on the throne of Judah, they were under the rulership of Egypt and Babylon until they were officially destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC, when he destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and carried out the final captivity of Judah into Babylon. But that brief period no longer counted as part of the actual reign of Judah as a spiritual nation before God. And this is how we can view the official end of the church age. > > Now, the name *Shallum* is a Hebrew word based on *Shalom* which means *peace* -- to be completed/finished and at peace. So his name represents a spiritual principle for this time in Jeremiah 22, and as we read about those at the end who declare "peace and safety" ([1 Thess 5:2](1%20Thessalonians%205.md#^2), [3](1%20Thessalonians%205.md#^3)). Remember, he is also called Jehoahaz, but here God specifically calls him Shallum. And he only reigned for three months, a number that emphasizes God's *purpose*, indicating that it is God's purpose that the kingdom come to its completion. > > ^jer22-10-12ctx > [Jeremiah 22:10](Jeremiah%2022.md#^10), [11](Jeremiah%2022.md#^11), [12](Jeremiah%2022.md#^12) note > > See the [contextual note to verses 10-12↗](Jeremiah%2022%20FSI.md#^jer22-10-12ctx) first to get the larger context for verses 10-12. > > God says not to weep for the dead in verse 10. If someone dies, at least there's a son or a grandson that can take over the throne, maybe it's not the end of the whole story. But here God is saying it is the end, weep for those who have *gone away* (from Him) because they shall never be returned or restored. He shall die as a stranger to God and to the kingdom of God. And then we see in verse 12 that Shallum is *out*. It is *the end*. He'll *never* have identification with Judah as the kingdom of God again. God is using him as a picture of the local congregations that are cast into a land where they will never come out -- Satan rules over them and the Holy Spirit has left them so that there's no hope left, Christ is gone. > > Remember, this is in the context in which God had warned them to fall out to the king of Babylon in order to live, for their lives to be unto them for a prey. But if they did not do so and remain in Judah then they shall be carried away captive and shall die ([Jer 21:8](Jeremiah%2021.md#^8), [9](Jeremiah%2021.md#^9)). And thus we know that likewise the fallen churches and congregations that have created their own gospels, their own theology and methods of Bible interpretation, have become a deadly spiritual trap in our day. They are cast into a land from which they shall never return, and that land is a lake of fire under the wrath of God. ^jer22-10-12 > [Jeremiah 22:13](Jeremiah%2022.md#^13), [14](Jeremiah%2022.md#^14) note > > From [verse 18](Jeremiah%2022.md#^18) we see that now God is addressing Judah in the days of *Jehoiakim*, son of Josiah and brother to Shallum whom he replaced on the throne and who had been carried away into Egypt and shall never return (that we just read about in the previous 3 verses). And in this context, apparently while Babylon was threatening and getting ready to destroy Jerusalem, Jehoiakim, in his pride as king, was building a beautiful new palace for himself. > > Spiritually, when we follow the Gospel, Christ is building *us* up as a *house*. We are part of the spiritual temple of God, if we are saved, with Christ as the Foundation. And He is the Gate through Whom we enter into the kingdom of God. The temple is a royal abode which is fit for Christ Who is King of kings. And thus the temple in the Old Testament that foreshadowed this was built with cedar trees, gold and precious stones and so on that point to the royal kingdom of God made up of Christ and the believers. And the believers who are involved in the building of the temple with Christ are given pay in a spiritual sense. We are workmen with Christ and are given blessing after blessing in Christ's kingdom, and we ultimately benefit eternally from this as His people. > > But here with Jehoiakim we find someone who represents those who come with their own kind of a gospel, building their own kind of a temple that suits themselves in their pride. And God describes it as having huge rooms and beautiful windows and it's painted with vermilion, with beautiful colors. And yet, as the king he presses his citizenry into doing the workmanship but gives them no pay. They are his slaves, it has no benefit for any of them -- no blessing, no payment of any kind. It's all going to accrue to the glory of Jehoiakim. And that is a picture of how Satan builds his kingdom through those who are enslaved to him. He wants to be great, he wants to be the king and to be adulated as he comes as an angel of light through false ministers of righteousness so that they are all involved in their glorious false gospels. And they think they are receiving blessing after blessing due to their success in gaining more people and more money and power and so on. But actually they are being set up for judgment and eternal damnation. There is no pay-off, no blessing, no salvation whatsoever for them insofar as Christ is concerned. And after all of their efforts to make their gospel work -- with all of their activity, all of their thinking and all of their ambition -- that's how it winds up with false gospels and false religion, under the wrath of God. > > So as God is using earthly language here, through this He is speaking of very serious spiritual matters. It all looks so wonderful and pleasant to them -- a wide, airy house with beautiful painting and gorgeous windows -- but it's all man-centered so that there's no blessing of God. It is a trap altogether based on their physical senses and earthly wisdom. > > The word translated *large* here means spacious, roomy, airy, it's a place where it's easy to breathe, the wind or the air can come through to make it a very refreshing place to be. And it's from the same Hebrew word that is translated *spirit*. And the Spirit in the Bible is indeed related to wind, or to the breath of God. We say that the Word of God is God-breathed, it is His spiritual Word. Interestingly, many false gospels today put a particular, and yet very false, emphasis on the Holy Spirit and on false spiritual gifts and miracles. The spirit this, the spirit that -- it is the character of the house that Satan has been building. > > Related to this, God speaks of this house as having windows cut-out. And a window is something that you can open up to let the wind and the air to come in, of course, to bring refreshment to the room, to air things out. In [Joshua 2:18](Joshua%202.md#^18), [21](Joshua%202.md#^21) we read about the spies sent to Rahab in Jericho escaping through a *window*. And she was to bind a red cord to the window that she used to let them down by as a sign to the Israelites not to destroy those who were in her house. It was the means whereby it signified those who were within that home were to be spared. So the window in this case, with the scarlet cord bound to it, represents the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that spares us from judgment. But in a false gospel, they offer various false ways by which you can come into the kingdom of God. And they claim that it is the Lord Jesus Christ, but in actuality they are completely human devised as they come up with various methods and certain rules whereby they say that you can become saved based on their doctrines and formulas. > > Notice, too, that this house was ceiled, or covered, with cedar. And as mentioned before, cedar was used throughout the building of the temple. The cedars of Lebanon were a picture of the true believers who make up the temple of God. And the evidence of a false gospel that makes it appear like the true Gospel is that they have all kinds of cedars. They present themselves as being cedars (true believers) of God, as being part of the true spiritual temple, but they are a counterfeit as represented by this palace Jehoiakim is building. > > Lastly, the word translated *vermilion* refers to the color of something that is very glorious, very wonderful and exciting. And it is only found in one other place, in [Ezekiel 23:14](Ezekiel%2023.md#^14), [15](Ezekiel%2023.md#^15), [16](Ezekiel%2023.md#^16), [17](Ezekiel%2023.md#^17) where God is speaking about the spiritual whoredoms (the adultery) of Israel as they went after the pagan gods of the Chaldeans (the Babylonians). And the Babylonians represent the kingdom of Satan, again, as he brings his false teachings as an angel of light, through false ministers of righteousness, causing his followers to worship all kinds of false gods and idols that deceptively mimic the true Gospel but are not of the God of the Bible. So all of the false gospels that exist all over the place are *painted with vermilion* -- they look very wonderful and pleasant to the physical senses, but they are a trap. They are Babylonian, they are of Satan, it is spiritual whoredom. And this is a very serious matter. ^jer22-13-14 > [Jeremiah 22:15](Jeremiah%2022.md#^15), [16](Jeremiah%2022.md#^16) note > > "Shalt thou reign..." -- Every true believer *reigns* spiritually with Christ in the heavenlies when we become saved. Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, and we are raised and seated with Him ([Eph 2:6](Ephesians%202.md#^6)). So God is asking Jehoiakim here, and all the churches and congregations today that have set up their own kind of kingdom, "Shall you reign? (Shall you be of the kingdom of God) ...*because you closest yourself in cedar?*" That is, just because you have this beautiful spiritual house that *looks* like the real thing but is actually completely made up by yourselves -- it comes from the mind of Satan, not from the mind of God -- do you think that will save you? Shall you reign with Christ? > > "...did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, *and* then *it was* well with him?" -- As true believers, we hunger and thirst after righteousness ([Mt 5:6](Matthew%205.md#^6)), we then eat and drink of Christ, spiritually ([Jn 6:35](John%206.md#^35), [51](John%206.md#^51), [53](John%206.md#^53), [54](John%206.md#^54), [55](John%206.md#^55), [56](John%206.md#^56), [57](John%206.md#^57)). And this is what God speaks of Josiah here, Jehoiakim's father. And he did judgment and justice, that is, he did the law and righteousness *by eating and drinking of the Word of God*. And this speaks of someone who has become saved by grace. So God is setting this over against the first half of the verse (and the previous 2 verses) where Jehoiakim has built this beautiful palace for himself in his pride, pointing to what the false gospels of Satan are like in our day. The true way to come to Christ is that we eat and drink of Him, of His Word ([Jn 6:63](John%206.md#^63)), and that can only come as He draws us unto Himself. *Only then can it be well with us* so that we are saved. > > "He judged the cause of the poor and needy" -- Again, this has to do with the true Gospel. If we have become saved, we desire that others, too, hear the Word of God and come into the kingdom of God. The Gospel goes forth to save the poor and needy from their sins. And so Josiah, as a figure of Christ or of someone who was saved, had a spiritual concern for the souls of his people. And again, this is in contrast to the glorious, wonderful house that Jehoiakim was building for his own glory, pointing to how all the false gospels which have proliferated in our day are so centered on the person's selfish physical satisfaction and gratification (as we'll see in verse 17) rather than their spiritual, eternal welfare. ^jer22-15-16 > [Jeremiah 22:17](Jeremiah%2022.md#^17) note > > The word translated *violence* here has to do with *crushing* and oppression, which fits in connection with the other words of this verse. And it's the product of covetousness. This is the problem with false gospels and false religion. There's an intense desire for recognition, money, and so on. And the Bible is a very convenient vehicle that they can insert into their false gospel in order to make money or to promote themselves even though they don't follow it accurately at all. And it causes people to come under the shedding of blood, under the wrath of God. When they are asking and encouraging families to come under their preaching, but the Bible says that they should no longer be there, they are setting up those families for spiritual murder because there's no more possibility of salvation there. And to maintain their denomination or their position as a pastor and all the things they have set up in their local congregation they have to have people present. So they are telling them, "We have the Truth. Don't listen to anything else." So they go away feeling happy that they are the children of God and that God is blessing them, believing all is well, when God isn't there. The whole activity is man-made so that it's no different than any other false religion and there is no salvation outside of the Word of God. And this is worse in the congregations now because the Holy Spirit is no longer working through them, as we see here in Jeremiah 22. So this becomes a matter of oppression, of crushing, of destroying them. ^jer22-17 > [Jeremiah 22:18](Jeremiah%2022.md#^18), [19](Jeremiah%2022.md#^19) note > > "They shall not lament for him, *saying*, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, *saying*, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!" -- We get an idea of what God is teaching here from [Jeremiah 25:33](Jeremiah%2025.md#^33). You see, when Judgment Day comes, who is going to lament those who are going into eternal death? If one is unsaved, they will be one of them, going into the lake of fire. But if one is a true believer, they will be caught up with Christ to be with Him in the new heavens and new earth. So there's nobody left to lament them as when someone dies today and there is mourning, grief and shared memories. It is the end of the world. So this is a picture of judgment. > > "He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem." -- This probably relates to [Exodus 13:13](Exodus%2013.md#^13). A donkey was an unclean, stubborn animal, and in Exodus 13:13 we read where a firstling of a donkey shall be redeemed with a lamb. Now the lamb points to the Lord Jesus, and to be redeemed means to become saved. So that donkey represents us who are rebellious, stubborn, unclean sinners before salvation. And we must be redeemed by the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we see this association in this verse where God also speaks about redeeming the *firstborn*, which also points to the believers who become saved ([Heb 12:23](Hebrews%2012.md#^23)). > > But if that donkey is not redeemed, then its neck was to be broken. And what happens if your neck is broken? It means you're dead. And when an unclean animal like this donkey died, it did not get a burial. So that's what God is tying into here in Jeremiah 22 about the burial of a donkey. The unsaved are unclean, they have no lamb to redeem them, they have no one to protect them from the wrath and judgment of God. And they are cast *outside* the gates of the eternal Jerusalem, the eternal kingdom of God where Christ Himself is the Gate or the Door. So this has to do with the second death that is outside of the kingdom of God. ^jer22-18-19 > [Jeremiah 22:20](Jeremiah%2022.md#^20) note > > Here God is looking over the whole kingdom of God as it is typified by the land of Canaan. First He says to go up to *Lebanon*. Now Lebanon was to the north where there were many cedar trees (alluded to in [v23](Jeremiah%2022.md#^23)) and so on. It represented Israel in its best situation, emphasizing this is where the true believers came from ([Ps 92:12](Psalm%2092.md#^12)). > > Then God says to lift up thy voice in *Bashan*. To learn about Bashan we have to go back to [Deuteromony 3](Deuteronomy%203.md) where Moses is recounting the journey of Israel and we read about King Og of Bashan. And in [Deuteronomy 3:11](Deuteronomy%203.md#^11) we read that his bed that was about 13' by 6' -- indicating that this man was a giant. He was particularly fierce and strong and had strong cities. And this land went all the way to the whole eastern side of the Jordan river. Yet his country was taken over by Israel ([Deut 3:4](Deuteronomy%203.md#^4), [5](Deuteronomy%203.md#^5)). And this teaches us how the world, no matter how strong, cannot stand over against God and His plan for the world. > > And then God speaks about the *passages*. And the word translated passages here is actually the name *Abarim*. In [Deuteronomy 32:48](Deuteronomy%2032.md#^48), [49](Deuteronomy%2032.md#^49) we see that Abarim is Mount Nebo where Moses was to look out over the *whole* land of Canaan, the whole land of Israel which represented the whole visible kingdom of God, before his death there. > > So as God is saying to go up to the north, to Lebanon, and cry, and to lift up the voice in Bashan, the whole eastern side of the Jordan river, and to cry in Abarim, representing the whole kingdom of God, it points to the destruction of the *whole land of Israel*, or the churches and congregations in our day, as the kingdom of God. It is *all* under the wrath of God. > > "...for all thy lovers are destroyed." -- What are their lovers? Money, prestige, pride -- all of the things that *they* want -- their false doctrines, their false security. Their lovers are *anything* that they love over the God of the Bible and over the Truth of His Word. And God uses the language of spiritual adultery in the Bible. Whenever someone lives in sin or follows other gods or other gospels they are committing spiritual adultery against God. But ultimately, all of those things come to nothing, they are destroyed. There is nothing there that they can put their trust in. ^jer22-20 > [Jeremiah 22:21](Jeremiah%2022.md#^21) note > > "I spoke unto thee in thy prosperity; *but* thou saidst, I will not hear." -- The word *prosperity* here is translated 3-4 times in the Bible as *peace*, and other times as prosperity as we see here. A passage that helps us to understand this is [Daniel 8:23](Daniel%208.md#^23), [24](Daniel%208.md#^24), [**25**](Daniel%208.md#^25) where Satan comes into the congregations with his false gospels and has become the spiritual ruler. Satan comes as an angel of light and his ministers as ministers of righteousness. So he comes in with false gospels that mimic the true Gospel to a high degree so that they believe they have *security* -- they have the Bible, they have the heritage, they have the blessing -- and yet it's a deceptive sham with no blessing from God. So in this false security they believe they have *peace*, Satan destroys them through means of a false sense of peace. And that's what keeps people locked in. And ultimately this is God's purpose to bring them into judgment ([2 Thess 2:11](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^11), [12](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^12)). And notice that God says that He spoke unto them in *thy* (or their) prosperity. It wasn't *God*'s peace, it's not His prosperity, it was altogether their own, false prosperity that they thought was the truth. So they are effectively saying, "I will not hear." They do not want to listen to the Word of God, they are happy with their own gospel version that ultimately leads to eternal death, it fits in with the mindset of the world, with what they want and find acceptable. > > "This *has been* thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice." -- This is extraordinarily sad. They may be longstanding, devout members of their church or congregation. But they do not want to hear what the Bible really has to say. They are content with what they have learned in their church, with their creeds, with what their pastor tells them, with what their denomination sets forth concerning salvation and so on. They are not hungering and thirsting after righteousness, they are trusting in their own authority over the Bible. A true believer should be constantly reexamining what they believe over against the Bible and making corrections where they are in error. There's an intense desire to know more and more, they delight in the Word of God. > > Yet God is saying here that "this has been thy manner from thy youth that thou obeyedst not my voice." He's going all the way back to the beginning, like we find in Revelation 2 and 3 when they were already deviating from the Truth and Satan was seated in some of them. Some were already dead and lukewarm and listening to Jezebel just a few decades into the church age when God threatened to spew them out and to remove their candlestick. And finally there does come an end when they have all fallen, lock, stock and barrel, for false teachings over the Bible. But they cannot really claim to have ever been so faithful and trustworthy based on heritage according to what God tells us here. ^jer22-21 > [Jeremiah 22:22](Jeremiah%2022.md#^22) note > > "The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity:" -- The word *wind* here refers to the Holy Spirit. God is using language that He will eat them up, He will devour them like a lion eating the prey. And their lovers will go into captivity unto utter destruction, as we saw in [verse 20](Jeremiah%2022.md#^20). > > "...surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness." -- This is happening in our day as God says that judgment must begin with the house of God. Those who remain in the local congregations are being prepared for their time before the judgment throne, as we'll see in verse 23. ^jer22-22 > [Jeremiah 22:23](Jeremiah%2022.md#^23) note > > "O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars" -- Remember Lebanon is a picture of Israel in its glory with its cedar trees and olive orchards and so on. It points to the local congregations in all of their glory. The cedars used in the building of the temple normally represent the true believers in the eternal, spiritual temple of God ([Ps 92:12](Psalm%2092.md#^12) -- as do the gold, silver and precious stones -- [Zech 13:9](Zechariah%2013.md#^9); [1 Pe 2:5](1%20Peter%202.md#^5)). But in the context of Jeremiah 22, they are no longer in this glorious situation. > > "how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!" -- What kind of grace will they have when they come under the judgment of God? If you do not have the gift of salvation by grace alone, there is only judgment. This language of a woman in travail is found in [1 Thessalonians 5:3](1%20Thessalonians%205.md#^3). The idea is that the pangs or travail increase until the time of the birth, and there is no stopping it, it is going to come. So while they have *their* kind of a peace and safety in which they are trusting, it is a false peace and safety and they will suddenly come under destruction. The churches and the world think they are getting along just fine without God, all is happy and well for the most part, or they can find solutions to their own problems and for their own happiness -- but they have to reckon with God, they have to answer to Him, and there's a timeline to this. And we've come to that time when we're right near the end while they are in complete denial. ^jer22-23 > [Jeremiah 22:24](Jeremiah%2022.md#^24), [25](Jeremiah%2022.md#^25), [26](Jeremiah%2022.md#^26) note > > "_As_ I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand" -- Now we come to the third king mentioned in this chapter, Coniah. First there was *Shallum* ([v11](Jeremiah%2022.md#^11)) who reigned for just 3 months before he was carried away captive into Egypt, never to return. Then there was *Jehoikim* ([vv18](Jeremiah%2022.md#^18), [19](Jeremiah%2022.md#^19)) who reigned for 11 years before he was taken into captivity into Babylon. And then his son, *Coniah*, also called Jeconiah ([Jer 24:1](Jeremiah%2024.md#^1)) and Jehoiachin ([2 Chr 36:9](2%20Chronicles%2036.md#^9)). *Jeconiah* means "God appoints (or establishes)," and here God is just calling him *Coniah* by removing the "Je" prefix, which is effectively removing "God" from the meaning so that "Coniah" just means "Appoints." It's a veiled way of showing that God's curse is on Coniah. > > In one passage the Bible says Coniah was 8 years old when he began to reign and another says he was 18 years old. The solution to this is that he was a co-regent with his father Jehoiakim for 10 years and assumed the throne himself as the sole king when Jehoiakim was killed. Then he only reigned for 3 months and 10 days before he was removed. > > "...though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;" -- God's curse was really on Coniah, as we see in verses 24-30 of this chapter. The signet represents the authority. Though God had given him the authority of being the second in command, He is going to cast him out ([v26](Jeremiah%2022.md#^26)) -- He is throwing him out like "Away with you, Coniah." > > In order to get the picture of what's going on here, we go to [Jeremiah 36:2](Jeremiah%2036.md#^2), [3](Jeremiah%2036.md#^3), [4](Jeremiah%2036.md#^4) where God instructed Jeremiah to write all His Words of warning in a book, and Jeremiah appointed Baruch to do the writing. This was then later read before the king, Jehoiakim (Coniah's father), who took a penknife and cast the book into the fire ([Jer 36:22](Jeremiah%2036.md#^22), [23](Jeremiah%2036.md#^23), [24](Jeremiah%2036.md#^24)). And when we read this, this is probably the most despicable thing that anyone could do with the Word of God -- to hear the Word of God and to throw it into the fire as though it has no value at all. Talk about taking on God. And yet, that's what we do with the Word of God when we don't hold it forth as THE WORD OF GOD. If we claim there are errors in the original Hebrew or Greek or claim there's more to the Word than the Bible or read it with some kind of human interpretation, or discard it altogether. It has become a tool for the publishers where they can produce a lot of translations and make a lot of money, and so on. The Bible isn't just any book. It is THE WORD of eternal, almighty God and we should tremble before it because it is God speaking to us. > > And so, since Jehoiakim has done this, God's wrath is really upon him. And so He's saying to Coniah, his son, that he will give him to king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who represents Satan, spiritually -- God is going to put him right into Satan's hands. And ultimately this represents or parallels the local congregations in our day for the utter disrespect they have had for the Word of God as Satan comes into deceive and rule over them. > > "And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bore thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die." -- This is the ominous language of eternal damnation where God will cast them out into a strange land and there shall they die. It is the second death, eternal judgment, in the spiritual sense. ^jer22-24-26 > [Jeremiah 22:27](Jeremiah%2022.md#^27) note > > Once judgment day comes there is no more grace. Once they are cast out they shall die and never return, the possibility of salvation is over. ^jer22-27 > [Jeremiah 22:28](Jeremiah%2022.md#^28) note > > God is calling Coniah an idol that is cast out. And it's not just Coniah but he and his seed. It's like God is saying that all Israel, the churches and congregations today, have made themselves idols as they go after their own doctrines and gospels. > > Study in progress 10.2025 > > ^jer22-28 Tags: #Old_Testament #Jeremiah #Gods_judgment_on_His_people #FSI