Jeremiah 43 FSI - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **Jeremiah 43 Notes** > [[Jeremiah 42 FSI|<Prev]]   [\[Bible\]](Bible%20Books%20Navigation.md)   [[Jeremiah 44 FSI|Next>]] [[Jeremiah 43|Verse list view]] > [Jeremiah 43:1](Jeremiah%2043.md#^1), [2](Jeremiah%2043.md#^2) note > > Now Azariah and Johanan, very trusted men and friends of Jeremiah, replied *against* Jeremiah, accusing him here of speaking falsely. And this is in accordance with what the LORD said at the end of chapter 42 that they had already made up their minds. And the secret comes out as to why they did so in verse 2 -- they are all *proud* men. They don't want to listen to God, they know better. And this is the same thing when the churches no longer listen to the Bible but continue on their own path. They think they know more than God even as they claim to love the Lord. When we come to the Lord we are to come broken, we should not trust our own thinking at all but pray for the Lord to show us Truth through His Word. > > So in their pride they accuse Jeremiah of speaking falsely. They're effectively calling him a liar. Jeremiah has been ministering to these people for 40 years, and he has repeatedly and faithfully declared what God has said. And everything he warned them about has come to pass. The Babylonians have destroyed Jerusalem. They have conquered Judah and slaughtered many who remained, they have taken many captive. Everything has been accurate. And now, these proud men, just to show how locked into the world they have become, are ready to call this faithful prophet a liar and a deceiver. > > This is where it comes to when you become so wrapped up in your own deception, in your own hypocrisy, that you think you have the Truth. When this happens then the Truth itself sounds like strange ideas because you have become so blind. Then you are locked in. And this is the nature of the visible churches today. One may come 100% just with the Bible concerning God's judgment and so on but they are completely indifferent to it. Their minds are made up because they are so locked in to their love for the world (their love for Egypt) and to the safety of their religion. It has taken over their lives and they don't realize it. ^jer43-1-2 > [Jeremiah 43:3](Jeremiah%2043.md#^3) note > > Now they make an accusation. Remember, Jeremiah has this very faithful secretary, Baruch. He would write down the words as Jeremiah got them from the LORD. And now they are showing Jeremiah where he got off, where he got mislead, by blaming Baruch. > > One lesson we can learn from this is that if someone doesn't like what the Bible says, if someone is declaring it accurately, they can always pin the blame on the messenger. And Baruch was a scribe, he simply wrote down the words God gave to Jeremiah. He wasn't changing anything or altering the interpretation. People can easily say, "Oh no, that's just what *you* read." But this is how God sifts the wheat from the tares. Although a healthy criticism can indeed be helpful to anyone who brings the Word to check and double-check to make sure they are being faithful to the Bible. But here they are blaming Baruch falsely. Additionally, they are trying to create trouble between Jeremiah and Baruch, to bring division. ^jer43-3 > [Jeremiah 43:4](Jeremiah%2043.md#^4), [5](Jeremiah%2043.md#^5), [6](Jeremiah%2043.md#^6), [7](Jeremiah%2043.md#^7) note > > Remember we emphasized previously that the LORD had said, *"I \[am\] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage,"* ([Exo 20:2](Exodus%2020.md#^2)). So Egypt represents the world. And in this world we are in bondage to sin, in our rebellion against God. That's how the world exists. So when God brings us *out* of Egypt it is a dramatic picture of salvation. We are brought out of bondage to sin and set free to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. So these proud people who are not listening to the Word of God represent those who say, "We want to go back into the world." > > Now, if you were to make an insinuation to someone that they are staying in the church because they love the world, they would say that they serve Christ, that they follow the Bible. They don't realize how the world has become a real part of their life. In this world people feel they are entitled to so much entertainment and to have a certain amount of freedom to get what they want out of the world so that their focus on the Word of God is really very limited. Ultimately, it should not be so focused on planning for our careers, our education and our vacation trips and so on. It should be on how can we live more faithfully before the Word of God. It wouldn't be a bad idea if every morning we pray to the Lord, "Oh Lord, how can I more serve thee." Our life ought to be hid in Christ, not in this world. > > So here God is opening up the true attitude of the churches today. They want the world, they are going to have the world. All of the entertainments and sports, and the ability to buy that shiny new car and a better house once they can afford it and so on. And our children are groomed for college so that they can have a fine living when they grow up and get out into the world. We have all of our plans, we're going to make the most out of this world. And then on Sunday we expect our family to all go to church because that way we are paying our dues to God. And in this they feel that they have done enough, they are safe and secure. And they fail to realize they have it all upside down. This world is number one and God is somewhere farther down. ^jer43-4-7 > [Jeremiah 43:8](Jeremiah%2043.md#^8) note > > Tahpanhes is the city that they came to in Egypt. And, of course, Jeremiah is still with them. But God has Jeremiah remain with them for the purpose that He is still dealing with them, He is still speaking to them even here. And the same is true today in the churches. God is still speaking to them through the Bible giving them warning, even though there is no one there who is listening carefully to the Word of God. ^jer43-8 > [Jeremiah 43:9](Jeremiah%2043.md#^9) note > > So God has Jeremiah hide some great stones in the clay of the brick kiln at the entry of Pharoah's house in Tahpanhes in the sight of all Judah there, saying that Nebuchadnezzar will come and set up his canopy upon those stones. And he will come in to destroy many, including the places of worship, which will include the death of most of this remnant. The end-product of going back into the world is always death. ^jer43-9 > [Jeremiah 43:10](Jeremiah%2043.md#^10) note > > Notice in verse 10 that God calls Nebuchadnezzar His *servant*. This does not mean in any sense that Nebuchadnezzar was a believer. It simply means that he is being used in the service of God to accomplish His purpose to bring judgment and destruction as the instrument of His wrath upon Judah (the churches in our day). ^jer43-10 > [Jeremiah 43:11](Jeremiah%2043.md#^11) note > > Verse 11 speaks of Nebuchadnezzar smiting the land of Egypt. And [Ezekiel 29:2](Ezekiel%2029.md#^2), [3](Ezekiel%2029.md#^3), [4](Ezekiel%2029.md#^4), [5](Ezekiel%2029.md#^5) also points to God's judgment upon Egypt to represent the fallen churches as well as the world at large. Notice there how Pharoah claims the river for himself as his own. The river normally points to the Gospel in the world, it is the River of Life. But any time a church or any kind of religion comes up with their own, altered version of the Gospel program, then they have their own river, it is no longer the true River of Life of the Bible. > > So God will cause all of the fish if *his* rivers to stick to his scales and he will be thrown out into the wilderness to be meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven -- a figure of final judgment. Then, according to [Ezekiel 29:6](Ezekiel%2029.md#^6) they will have a horrible awakening -- they will *know* that God is LORD and that they had been following the wrong god of their choice. They were convinced that they were the ones who were to be raptured, but they will be left behind to suffer judgment and destruction. It will be the most terrible experience that anyone would ever experience to suddenly know they are under the wrath of God (see also [vv9](Ezekiel%2029.md#^9), [10](Ezekiel%2029.md#^10)). ^jer43-11 > [Jeremiah 43:12](Jeremiah%2043.md#^12), [13](Jeremiah%2043.md#^13) note > > Verse 12 continues with the theme of destruction upon Egypt, the churches and the world at large. Judgment begins with the house of God and then the cup of God's wrath is passed from there to the world. And Nebuchadnezzar will array himself with the land of Egypt as its king, as a shepherd puts on his garment. > > In verse 13, Beth-shemesh means "House (or temple) of the Sun." And the sun dominates the world, it is what provides for life, it points to the veil of physical creation in which we live. So God is indicating here that all of the false worship that occurs under the sun, all of the idolatry of Egypt, along creation itself, will be destroyed. ^jer43-12-13 > [Jeremiah 43:9](Jeremiah%2043.md#^9), [10](Jeremiah%2043.md#^10), [11](Jeremiah%2043.md#^11), [12](Jeremiah%2043.md#^12), [13](Jeremiah%2043.md#^13) note > > Jeremiah 43:9–13 serves as a definitive judicial blueprint for the Immediate Reversal of history. It describes the moment when God uses His *servant* Nebuchadrezzar (the instrument of wrath) to pulverize the physical veil of creation (Egypt) and dissolve all carnal security. > > This passage details the final transition through the following judicial mechanics: > > **1. The Hiding of the Great Stones (Verse 9)** > > Jeremiah is commanded to take great stones and hide them in the clay of the brickkiln at the entry of Pharaoh’s house. > > - **The Iron Furnace:** In the Bible, the brickkiln in Egypt represents the "iron furnace" of human labor, carnal effort, and the bondage of sin. > - **Marking the Foundation:** Placing stones there is a judicial manifestation that God is about to demonstrate His sovereignty over the very "foundations" of worldly power. These stones act as the designated legal marker where the Sceptre of Judgment will fall. > > **2. The Throne of Babylon Established (Verse 10)** > > God declares, *"I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones... and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them."* > > - **The Executive of the Decree:** Nebuchadrezzar represents the "sinful kingdom" and the body of sin used as God’s "battle axe" to perform His counsel. > - **The Termination of Carnal Privacy:** Setting his "royal pavilion" over Egypt signifies the moment the secret things of the world are uncovered. The throne being set at the *entry* of Pharaoh's house identifies the Red Sea execution wall, where carnal privacy and institutional defenses are terminated by the authority of the Word. > > **3. The Smitting of Egypt: Death, Captivity, and the Sword (Verse 11)** > > When the King of Babylon arrives, he smites the land, delivering its inhabitants to *death, captivity, and the sword*. > > - **The End of Neutrality:** This identifies the Final Sifting where those who "returned" to Egypt (seeking carnal normalcy) are judicially handed over to the judgments they fled. > - **Judicial Extinction:** For the unregenerate world, being smitten signifies judicial extinction -- the "second death" where the memory and substance of the rebellion are permanently removed at the removal of the physical veil. > > **4. The Consuming Fire and the Arrayed Shepherd (Verse 12)** > > Nebuchadrezzar kindles fire in the houses of Egypt’s gods and *"arrays himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment."* > > - **Dissolving Made Things:** The fire represents the Consuming Fire of God’s unveiled presence, which instantaneously dissolves "made" religious systems and worldly ideologies. > - **The Folded Garment:** Arraying himself with the land like a garment mirrors the principle that the heavens and earth are a *vesture* that God will "fold up" and change. It signifies that the physical world is merely a temporary covering for the finished spiritual reality of the King's decree. > - **Departing in Peace:** His departure "in peace" signifies the judicial closure of history, where the work of judgment is finished, leaving only the **Eternal Sabbath** for the elect. > > **5. Breaking the Images of Bethshemesh (Verse 13)** > > He shall break the images of Bethshemesh ("House of the Sun") and burn the houses of the Egyptian gods. > > - **The End of Temporal Signs:** Breaking the "images of the sun" signifies the destruction of carnal reliance on temporal signs and natural wisdom. > - **Total Judicial Degradation:** This act proves that the world’s *wisdom* was actually potter’s clay. All "made" idols are crushed to demonstrate that only the resurrected Word has the power to remain when the physical universe is clean dissolved. > > Jeremiah 43:9–13 describes the final revolution of the wheel, where those who retreat into "Egypt" (carnal security) are overtaken by the very judgment they sought to avoid. It confirms that at the absolute *edge* of time, the King’s servant (the Word as Judgment) will fold up the physical world like a garment, reveal the bankruptcy of human wisdom, and establish the **Throne of God** over all that remains. ^jer43-9-13 Tags: #Old_Testament #Jeremiah #Gods_judgment_on_His_people #FSI