Jeremiah 5 FSI - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **Jeremiah 5 Notes** > [[Jeremiah 4 FSI|<Prev]]   [[Jeremiah 6 FSI|Next>]] > [[Jeremiah 5|Verse list view]] > [Jeremiah 5:1](Jeremiah%205.md#^1) note > > The idea here isn't that God would pardon Jerusalem if there was just one righteous, saved person available. The idea is that Christ Himself is no longer there -- only if Christ is there will God pardon sin (cp [Is 63:5](Isaiah%2063.md#^5)). So God is saying, "Seek if you can find Jesus," here. But this is a rhetorical statement because He has left, He has absented Himself from them, He has even been cast out by them. And Christ is gone because they have developed their own salvation plan, they are trusting in their own works rather than the Work of Christ. He alone is the Man Who executes judgment and seeks the Truth that we might be pardoned, and if He is not there, there is no salvation, there is no pardon. > > In Ezekiel 22:24-31 we find the same thing. We read in [Ezekiel 22:24](Ezekiel%2022.md#^24), [25](Ezekiel%2022.md#^25), [26](Ezekiel%2022.md#^26), [27](Ezekiel%2022.md#^27), [28](Ezekiel%2022.md#^28), [29](Ezekiel%2022.md#^29) where again God is going through the grievous sin of the churches and congregations where they have mutilated the Gospel -- where they have violated God's law, hid their eyes from His sabbaths, and profaned His holy things and God Himself among them ([v26](Ezekiel%2022.md#^26)). This is the same setting that we are reading here in Jeremiah. And then we read in [Ezekiel 22:30](Ezekiel%2022.md#^30) the parallel to what we read here in Jeremiah 5:1. Again, *only* Christ could keep God's wrath from them, but He is not there. And we see the result of this in [verse 31](Ezekiel%2022.md#^31). In [Isaiah 63:1-5](Isaiah%2063.md) we read where God Himself stood in this gap for His elect, but in Ezekiel 22 there is *none* to stand in the gap, so God's wrath consumes them. There's no Savior once God's judgment falls upon them, they are headed for damnation. And that's the context here in Jeremiah also, Christ and the Holy Spirit have been withdrawn from the midst while the man of sin (Satan) has taken his seat in the temple (cp [2 Thess 2:7](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^7)). > > So this is a dreadful situation, it's an impossible situation -- but it is a true situation and we have to face that because this is the Word of God. ^jer5-1 > [Jeremiah 5:2](Jeremiah%205.md#^2) note > > Let's look at 2 passages. In Matthew 5:33-37 God is teaching that we are not to swear at all ([Mt 5:33](Matthew%205.md#^33), [34](Matthew%205.md#^34), [35](Matthew%205.md#^35), [36](Matthew%205.md#^36), [37](Matthew%205.md#^37)). But then in [Jeremiah 4:1](Jeremiah%204.md#^1) - [2](Jeremiah%204.md#^2) God is teaching that if we are truly under the blessing of God we will swear the LORD lives. > > Now, what God is really teaching in Matthew 5 is that we don't take an oath lightly, it is a very serious matter. Sometimes people will glibly say before God I am telling the truth as proof that they aren't lying. But God declares we are simply to declare the truth. But in serious matters such as in a court of law, for example when Pilate told Jesus, "I adjure thee," he was requiring a legal oath -- and that is a proper place. And in Jeremiah 4 God is saying that the believers will swear that the Lord lives, it's a very solemn matter. > > This is very close to the way God speaks about a vow ([Num 30:2](Numbers%2030.md#^2)). As we read about vows, effectively it's like saying, "Before God I will do this," and the Bible says to pay thy vows ([Ps 50:14](Psalm%2050.md#^14)). So when we sort through this, when we claim to be a child of God, we are saying, "I believe the Lord lives for me, I am truly a child of God, Christ is my Savior," and effectively that's an oath or a vow because we are declaring it before God Himself and it has to *do* with God Himself. And it has to do with the fact that Christ rose from the dead, that He *lives* again, otherwise we don't have a Savior. So to say, "The Lord lives," is the very key to the Gospel ([1 Cor 15:3](1%20Corinthians%2015.md#^3), [4](1%20Corinthians%2015.md#^4)). When we claim to be a child of God we are saying, "I believe Christ is my Savior, I confess Christ, He is the One who came in the flesh and died and rose again for me." And if we are a true believer, as evidenced by the language of [Jeremiah 4:2](Jeremiah%204.md#^2), then as we swear or claim that Christ is our Savior, that He lives, we are doing so in truth, in judgment and in righteousness. > > But now going back to Jeremiah 5:2, we read, "though they say, The LORD lives; surely they swear falsely." This means that though they proclaim, "He lives, He lives!" they aren't truly saved, He does not truly know them. And there are all kinds of people who give testimony and say, "The Lord lives," but they do not truly know Christ at all, they are full of dead men's bones, there is no life in them. ^jer5-2 > [Jeremiah 5:3](Jeremiah%205.md#^3) note > > There are illustrations everywhere where we deal with people that do not have integrity. It's a very disturbing thing. But one would expect that when it comes to the church, to the local congregation which is presumably made up of true believers with a tremendous desire for obedience to the law of God, which includes the desire to be truthful in all that is declared and to conduct themselves with integrity, that we would expect that to be found there. If we can't find truth in the church that claims to follow the Word of God, where can we expect to find Truth? But the shocking thing is that when we look at the church it is shot through with lies, and not just in little things. But to make matters worse, the lies are indeed mixed with some truth, and that's what makes the lies of the church far more difficult because who is going to sift out the truth from the lie? > > "O LORD, *are* not thine eyes upon the truth?" -- But God knows exactly where the lies are, and His expectation is that the Truth be declared. But what does God find? There is no movement, the lies of 400 years ago are the lies of today, plus many new ones that infect them. So we read: > > "thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved" -- The word stricken is a big word. It means God has smitten them, that He has basically killed them. This word is used in [Isaiah 53:4](Isaiah%2053.md#^4) where it is translated "smitten" in the context of Christ paying for our sins. And how did God smite Christ? He smote Him with the equivalent of eternal damnation, the same wrath we would suffer if we were unsaved. So stricken is a very big word that means to come under the terrible judgment of God. And God backs this up with the next statement, "thou hast consumed them," and to be consumed means that we are completely destroyed, we are totally under the wrath of God. So God is saying He has brought this kind of judgment upon those who swear falsely, "The LORD lives" (from [verse 2](Jeremiah%205.md#^2)), when in actuality they are not listening to Him at all. So all of the superficial glory of large membership numbers and musical programs and such like are a deception, they are hollow. The Bible says they are under the wrath of God and have gone away from Truth, but they have not grieved because they aren't reading the Bible, they are looking at their own programs and drawing their own conclusions based on outward appearances. They are not carefully examining their holiness before God in the light of everything the Bible says, so they are not grieved. > > "they have refused to receive correction" -- They believe they are doing well for themselves, they do not want to hear that they need correction or are in trouble with God. > > "they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return" -- There is no impression that is being made upon them, there is no movement of any kind in their thinking. They are not examining where they have gone wrong in light of Scripture, they will not bend to the Word of God, they have it all figured out on their own. They are stubborn, they are obstinate, they refuse to return to God. ^jer5-3 > [Jeremiah 5:4](Jeremiah%205.md#^4) note > > As God pronounces these great judgments against the churches and congregations their for wickedness, He backs up a little bit to say maybe these are just the poor -- that is, the spiritually impoverished, the ignorant in the churches that aren't dedicated members, maybe these are just the attendees that don't really pay attention to the Bible, the laypeople that you might expect wouldn't really understand. They are just the church goers who trust in their pastor or in their church doctrines and don't really read the Bible for themselves. They are the average members who have a very limited knowledge. So of course they wouldn't be grieving ([v3](Jeremiah%205.md#^3)) about where they stand. But then we go to the next verse, verse 5. . . . ^jer5-4 > [Jeremiah 5:5](Jeremiah%205.md#^5) note > > The great men are the priests, the pastors, the shepherds, the elders -- they are the leaders, those who have theological training and set the tone for what the congregation is to believe, those who truly say, "We know the Truth." And these great ones are found over the congregations, they are found in the seminaries where the more learned individuals are seated and have written extensive books on aspects of theology and so on. Certainly they search the Bible, they know the Bible, so let's go to them, maybe God will find something there. But what does God say about them? He says with no equivocation and no hesitation, "but these have altogether broken the yoke, *and* burst the bonds." > > What yoke have they broken? See [Matthew 11:29](Matthew%2011.md#^29), [30](Matthew%2011.md#^30). The yoke is the way 2 animals or a team of animals were harnessed together so that the load they pulled were shared by the animals. Typically there were 2 oxen or an ox or a donkey bearing the load, for example. And when we become saved we are eternally yoked to the Lord Jesus Christ -- though, of course, He does *all* of the work for us, which is why His burden is easy and light for us in our salvation. And we can only take His yoke upon us if we have become a believer, if God has saved us. But here in verse 5, God says that they have altogether *broken* the yoke. What God is saying here is that these great ones have decided that they can pull the load their own way, they don't really have to follow the Lord Jesus because they "know" better, they will do it their way. They believe that *the church* of the living God is the pillar and ground of Truth, emphasizing that the church, rather than the fact it's *the living God*, Who is the Pillar and Ground of Truth ([1 Tim 3:15](1%20Timothy%203.md#^15), [Jn 14:6](John%2014.md#^6), [1 Cor 3:11](1%20Corinthians%203.md#^11)). Christ is the ultimate Authority of Truth, not the church. So to say that these great men have broken the yoke means they are no longer yoked to the Lord Jesus Christ, they have modified the truth into a lie, they have set their own rules and their own doctrines rather than remaining altogether faithful to the Word of God. They no longer serve as bond-servants to the Lord Jesus Christ as they have burst the bonds. > > So to be in bonds (or bands) means to be enslaved. For example, in [Leviticus 26:13](Leviticus%2026.md#^13) God says that He broke the bands of the Israelites in Egypt in freeing them from Egyptian captivity, and that's a picture of our salvation from sin and from the kingdom of Satan. God also uses the word yoke there. Before we are saved we are yoked and enslaved to sin, but once we become saved we are freed from that bondage in Christ. And it requires the action of Christ to break that bondage. But also once we become saved we become the servants of Christ ([Ph'p 1:1](Philippians%201.md#^1)), we are His slaves. That is, we are to do *His* will. Now Christ is not a grievous taskmaster like many human slave owners. Rather, He brings us into the most wonderful, intimate relationship imaginable as we also become sons of God, and we are the bride of Christ. > > But here in Jeremiah 5:5 it is the great ones, the leaders of the church and congregations, who have broken the yoke and burst the bonds, as in [Psalm 2:2](Psalm%202.md#^2), [3](Psalm%202.md#^3). They are no longer following Christ, they are not seeking His will, they believe they know better than the Master. Then we see the consequences in verse 6. ^jer5-5 > [Jeremiah 5:6](Jeremiah%205.md#^6) note > > Note: "wolf of the evenings" -- *Evenings* isn't the best translation here, it should be translated *plain, desert,* or *wilderness*, so it should be, "wolf of the plain, desert or wilderness." > > So God returns to declaring His judgments, and He uses the figure of wild animals tearing their prey in a number of places in the Bible to indicate His wrath. And when God uses the figure of a lion coming against them it refers to the *enemy* that is coming to destroy. > > Now sometimes God is speaking of His people who will come with Christ in judgment ([Num 23:23](Numbers%2023.md#^23), [24](Numbers%2023.md#^24)). This is the strength and power of those who are trusting in the Lord. The lion is also speaking of Christ, of God Himself ([Num 24:5](Numbers%2024.md#^5), [8](Numbers%2024.md#^8), [9](Numbers%2024.md#^9); [Hos 5:14](Hosea%205.md#^14); [11:10](Hosea%2011.md#^10); [Rev 5:5](Revelation%205.md#^5)). And, of course, God speaks of Satan going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour along with his false prophets ([1 Pet 5:8](1%20Peter%205.md#^8), [Eze 22:25](Ezekiel%2022.md#^25)). > > The same is true of the figure of a leopard and wolves and of a bear ([Hab 1:6](Habakkuk%201.md#^6), [7](Habakkuk%201.md#^7), [8](Habakkuk%201.md#^8)). Again it is the enemy coming to destroy through the picture of these wild animals. > > And also the false prophets and the unsaved that rise up within the congregations are typified by these wild animals, as seen in [Zephaniah 3:1](Zephaniah%203.md#^1), [2](Zephaniah%203.md#^2), [3](Zephaniah%203.md#^3) and [4](Zephaniah%203.md#^4), as they are the enemy destroying themselves from within. > > It all has to do with God using the enemy to bring judgment through these wild animals. It reminds us of [Revelation 13:1](Revelation%2013.md#^1), [2](Revelation%2013.md#^2), [7](Revelation%2013.md#^7) where Satan wars against the saints. > > So judgment comes directly from God Himself, through His people, through the kingdom of Satan and even from within the churches and congregation from amongst themselves. And the setting here in Jeremiah 5 is that the churches and congregations have not been faithful. > > "every one that goes out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, *and* their backslidings are increased." -- What God is teaching here, along with the other verses where it speaks about the wild animals, is that there those within the churches have no possibility of escape. God Himself is a Lion that tears, the Word of God comes against them, Satan has been loosed and he deceives them as a lion tearing his prey, and even those within the churches who are unsaved as they bring their false gospels are tearing -- the whole setting is one of destruction. Since they have broken the yoke and burst the bonds ([v5](Jeremiah%205.md#^5)), because they have set up their own kind of a gospel and gone their own way, therefore they are being torn to pieces. ^jer5-6 > [Jeremiah 5:7](Jeremiah%205.md#^7) note > > Again we see the patience of God. Remember what we read in [verse 1](Jeremiah%205.md#^1)? The only way God can pardon is if Christ is there. And now as God is pronouncing His judgment He says, "How shall I pardon thee for this?" And we've already seen in the subsequent verses that there is no remedy because Christ is not there, the Holy Spirit has been withdrawn ([2 Thess 2:7](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^7)). So there's no possibility of pardon. The time has come when the work of the church is finished and there is no pardon. It is a time of great danger. And God is saying here, "How shall I pardon when you have become so wicked, when things have become so wicked in the churches?" That is, "thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by *them that are* no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses." > > Now, true, Christ came to save sinners, and He has come to save terribly wicked sinners. And many indeed have become saved. But it is a different situation when you have the churches themselves which have had the Word of God and fall away from Him ([Heb 6:4](Hebrews%206.md#^4), [5](Hebrews%206.md#^5), [6](Hebrews%206.md#^6)). They are normally the custodians and the caretakers of the Word of God. But they have gone more and more in rebellion against God. And those during the church age have had the full revelation of the Word of God as compared to Old Testament national Israel. So if there's any place that should have had an opening and an enlightenment of the Word of God as we progress throughout time it should be in the churches and congregations where the Bible is supposed to be the centerpiece. And remember when looking at [verse 2](Jeremiah%205.md#^2), those who swear falsely, "The LORD lives," are those who take a stand that they are a child of God, like taking an oath that they follow the Lord, but then here in verse 7 God declares that they have sworn by those that are no gods. Their commitment is not Christ, it is to their own kind of a gospel where they have modified the rules of the Bible to suit themselves. So their vow that they are going to serve Christ is not actually according to the Bible, but to their church or church doctrines and non-divine documents in which they have placed their trust. > > Yet God says they have been fed to the full: "when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses." They had the whole Word of God. But they forsook God and went adulterously after their own gods that are no gods at all, after their own teachings. See again [Hebrews 6:4](Hebrews%206.md#^4), [5](Hebrews%206.md#^5), [6](Hebrews%206.md#^6). God uses the most lurid language to describe how terrible it is when churches go after other gods. They're made up of people created in God's image. They are the congregation that God has assigned the task of sending forth the Word of God and caring for His people to shepherd them. And now God is speaking of them that they are adulterers, "assembling themselves by troops in the harlots." You can imagine a line of men waiting in line, waiting their turn to go into the harlots inside. An absolutely terrible, dirty picture, men panting for their encounter with the harlot. God is not going easy on this, this isn't just a secret harlotry between 2 people, it's out in the open where everyone can see. They have no shame whatsoever. And this continues into verse 8. . . . ^jer5-7 > [Jeremiah 5:8](Jeremiah%205.md#^8) note > > "They were *as* fed horses in the morning" -- This isn't completely translated accurately. In essence, when looking at the original Hebrew, this verse refers to them like stud horses in heat. Normally horses are gelded, that is, they are castrated so they can no longer breed so they can be used in pleasure or for work or whatever. But if you have a stallion that has not been gelded it is still able to unite with a mare. So if there's a mare in heat, she is ready to be bred, and that stallion is going to go after that mare, you can't easily restrain it -- you'd have to put chains on him or put him in a strong corral to keep him from getting at her. And that's the picture here, God is saying they are like a stallion that can't restrain itself, like a wild animal that has to have its mare, it requires its mating. > > "every one neighed after his neighbor's wife" -- So between [verses 7](Jeremiah%205.md#^7) and 8, there are 3 pictures here: There are the troops, the people standing in line to visit the harlots in the harlots' houses (v7); the picture of stud horses in heat that can't be restrained, and now they are neighing after their neighbor's wife like that horse in heat. Terrible, ugly language! And God isn't just speaking about dirty, rotten people "out there," He's talking about the churches and congregations. Now we don't see these actions physically occurring most of the time, God is speaking about spiritual adultery, about where is their desire. They cannot be restrained from their high places, from what *they* want. Those who have their wrong doctrines will not give them up. > > If we were to just make these kind of judgments of ourselves, we would be rightly heavily criticized. It would just be awful to say these kinds of things. But this is *God*'s Word. And we can't remonstrate with God. We can't tell God it's not really that bad. God knows, and He is the One who is setting up these illustrations. So it's something we must listen to. ^jer5-8 > [Jeremiah 5:9](Jeremiah%205.md#^9) note > > The word visit here means it is the time for judgment, "Shall I not bring my judgment for these things ... shall not my soul be avenged?" God has created humanity in His Image to love and to serve Him. And here in the New Testament era He has developed the churches and congregations which He has greatly blessed. And yet as we approach the end these terrible things develop whereby God says He has a right to bring judgment. It is His church. It's not just something that anybody has developed out there. God set up the rules for selecting elders and deacons, He set up the Lord's Day so there's a time for worship and spiritual renewal, but look what they have done to it. So God is emphasizing that judgment will come. ^jer5-9 > [Jeremiah 5:10](Jeremiah%205.md#^10) note > > Now we see a little bit of relief even as Christ comes in judgment against the churches. "But make not a full end" -- Right in the middle of this verse, like a shaft of light that shines through, God makes this curious statement. When all of the language of God's judgment is so final and so terrible there's no hope at all. But here He says, "make not a full end." This statement refers to God's final harvest, the latter rain that comes outside of the churches and congregations as God continues to save those in the highways and byways and hedges through His Word just prior to judgment day ([Lk 14:23](Luke%2014.md#^23)). And even in the dead churches, there are a few names who are yet part of the remnant ([Rev 3:1](Revelation%203.md#^1), [4](Revelation%203.md#^4)) who will come out of the churches and continue to witness to the world during this time as individuals so that God's final harvest of believers can come in. So even though God's wrath is upon His church that has become worse than a spiritual whorehouse (verses 7-8), nevertheless there are a few names and there is still something more. > > "Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy...take away her battlements; for they *are* not the LORD's" -- The Hebrew word translated *walls* is only used here. But the word translated *battlements* is used in two other places that seem to indicate parts of a tree or a vine of some kind, and are also used in the context of God's judgment: In [Isaiah 18:5](Isaiah%2018.md#^5) the word is translated *branches* and in [Jeremiah 48:32](Jeremiah%2048.md#^32) as plants. And we've already seen in previous verses (eg. [Jer 2:22](Jeremiah%202.md#^21)) and from Isaiah 5 how the vine of the Lord, the churches and congregations, will be cut off and destroyed for producing wild, or stinking, grapes ([Isa 5:2](Isaiah%205.md#^2)). ^jer5-10 > [Jeremiah 5:11](Jeremiah%205.md#^11) note > > Here God is picking up another example. The 10 tribes of the north called Israel lasted 222 years and were destroyed by the Assyrians for the same reason God brought Babylon against Judah about a hundred years later. They had set up their high places in Bethel and in Dan just flaunting the worship of God, and not one of Israel's kings were a child of God even though during that time God considered them to be His people. Judah then continued for another almost 100 years until King Josiah died, which was the beginning of the end of the nation of Judah. They lasted 322 years and were taken captive into Babylon. And God is saying that Israel and Judah had dealt very treacherously against Him. > > Now if someone is your friend, you will protect them and not say anything bad or untrue about them, there will be a fidelity toward them. But if you are a treacherous friend you will act like you love them and pretend to be glad they have confided in you so that they feel comfortable trusting you, but as soon as your friend is gone you'll turn around and revile and slander your friend, telling lies and so on about them. Now you have deceived them and are out to destroy them. That's treachery. This is what spies will do, they will go into the enemy country and pretend to be a friend to that enemy and turn around and reveal the secrets they have learned. This is also what it means to commit treachery. This is continued further in the next verse, verse 12. . . . ^jer5-11 > [Jeremiah 5:12](Jeremiah%205.md#^12) note > > It's one thing to be treacherous and lie against someone who can't smoke you out -- you can put on a smile and give the appearance of being a loyal friend. They don't know that in your mind you're thinking about destroying them. But when it comes to *God*, we have to realize, when people claim to be Christian and so blissfully say, "Thus says the LORD, " without any trouble or concern -- but then make statements so contrary to the Word of God, and they don't really care whether they are accurate but are just satisfied with whatever they have been taught, God absolutely knows about this. Whenever someone handles the Word of God, particularly if they're going to be a Bible teacher or an ordained pastor where they make a claim to know the Bible and carry even greater authority as a trustworthy witness with a holy calling to declare God's Word, if they then just teach what they teach without a deep concern for whether it is really true, God knows every word that is being spoken. They ought to be *really* careful what they are saying is true and has been carefully checked out in the Bible. > > "and said, *It is* not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:" -- Now here they are declaring, in direct contradiction against God's Word here, not to worry that God's judgment is actually upon them. "Isn't this Christ's body, isn't this the bride of Christ? The gates of hell will not prevail against it. Don't worry for a moment that we have to be nervous about this, God would not destroy us, we are safe until the end because we are God's special people." And so they continue on very serene and very happy as they go along with their own kind of a gospel because they have bought into these lies. The gates of hell will indeed not prevail over the elect, the invisible church of God made up of all true believers, but that is not the case for the visible churches and congregations that rebel against the Lord as we see very clearly in passages like Revelation 2 and 3 and other places. Likewise, the visible church is not the bride of Christ, the eternal, invisible church made up of all of the redeemed elect are the bride of Christ. So these are just lies that are brought by the churches. So God is emphasizing the kind of lies that we see today, "neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine." This is parallel to what the princes and priests were saying to the populace of Judah in Jeremiah's day that Jerusalem and Judah would not be destroyed by Babylon, that they were safe and secure in God, all the while Jeremiah warned them they would be destroyed. ^jer5-12 > [Jeremiah 5:13](Jeremiah%205.md#^13) note > > "And the prophets shall become wind, and the word *is* not in them" -- If someone makes a lot of empty statements today that have no substance to them we say that he is full of hot air. It's the same idea that we read here. Wind and the whirlwind is also a reference to destruction in some cases in the Bible ([Isa 17:13](Isaiah%2017.md#^13), [Jer 51:1](Jeremiah%2051.md#^1)). They are speaking thus vanity, the Word of God is not in them. It is their own, vain word with their own spin, with their own doctrines, that brings destruction upon themselves. And even when they do speak *some* truth it is no longer with any life, it is no longer the living Word of God. Their gospel has become a dead gospel because the Holy Spirit is not there to apply it, Christ is not among them. They are now under the direction of Satan. > > "thus shall it be done unto them" -- What they have declared in [verse 12](Jeremiah%205.md#^12), that evil shall not come upon them nor shall they see sword nor famine, will indeed be done unto them. The fact is that what they say won't happen will happen and has happened in our day, there is a famine of the Word of God in their midst and the judgment of God, the sword of God, is upon them. ^jer5-13 > [Jeremiah 5:14](Jeremiah%205.md#^14) note > > "Because ye speak this word" -- That is, because they say in verse 12, "*It is* not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine" -- then, "behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them." > > As we faithfully declare what the Bible teaches, God's judgment is upon the hearers, just as when Jeremiah declared these things to Judah in his day. It's like we are coming with fire, there's a fire burning that will get them if they are not or do not become saved. God is a consuming fire. And those in the churches who refuse to hear this Word and be warned, those who refuse to look into God's Word and be ready to obey it, will be under the wrath of God, just as ancient Judah was under the wrath of God. God is not mincing His Words, these are terrible statements. They will be burned like wood and the fire shall devour them. And only a remnant will hear and come out. The very Word of God that ought to be their salvation, eternal peace and happiness will bring judgment upon them. ^jer5-14 > [Jeremiah 5:15](Jeremiah%205.md#^15) note > > God first used this kind of language just before Israel was about to cross over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan. In Deuteronomy 28-31 God speaks to them through Moses ([Deut 31:1](Deuteronomy%2031.md#^1), [2](Deuteronomy%2031.md#^2)) just as they are about to go into Canaan. And these are very significant words as God declares in [Deuteronomy 29:1](Deuteronomy%2029.md#^1) that He is making a significant addition to the covenant. In Horeb, or Mount Sinai, about 39 years earlier (which was about a year after Israel had come out of Egypt), God set forth the 10 commandments and all kinds of other laws concerning burnt offerings and blood sacrifices and a lot of moral law and so on. And now He is giving additional information to the covenant He had given on Mt Sinai. So God is telling us that this is very, very important what He is teaching. > > Now going back one chapter to Deuteronomy 28, in this very context, in verses 1-14 God first gives us the blessings for obedience. And ultimately these blessings are reserved for the elect remnant, those who are truly saved. But then beginning in verse 15 and all the way to verse 68, God says, "But" and describes the curses that will come for disobedience. And as He gives these warnings He uses language that indicates that this is what He expects will happen with them as a corporate nation, that the people will not obey and that these curses will come upon them and that He will destroy them. And included amongst these verses we read in [Deuteronomy 28:48](Deuteronomy%2028.md#^48), [49](Deuteronomy%2028.md#^49), [50](Deuteronomy%2028.md#^50), [51](Deuteronomy%2028.md#^51) parallel language in verse 49 to what is seen here in Jeremiah 5:15, "a nation whose tongue you shall not understand." And remember that this set of passages describes how God is going to bring *judgment*. We will see that God fulfills this both historically as well as spiritually, and it is through the historical setting that we can understand the spiritual fulfillment how God brings this to pass. > > Historically and significantly, this happened at least two times. In Isaiah 28 we see the *first* fulfillment of this prophecy where God is ready to destroy the nation of Israel, the 10 tribes to the North, by the Assyrian nation because Israel lusted after the gods of the Assyrians. See the important notes under that chapter for more detail. And the second time was when Babylon destroyed the temple in Jerusalem and carried away the (mainly) 2 tribes to the South (plus the remnant of the 10 tribes from the North), the nation of Judah, by King Nebuchadnezzar. > > On a spiritual level, today we're right in the very center of this activity. In the previous generation and in our generation, the tongues movement has become so dominant that you cannot go into any city in the world without being confronted with tongues in a very high percentage of churches. It is the dominant false gospel within so-called Christianity whereby people of all stripes experience false miracles and spiritual activity which is actually of Satan and a judgment of God. ^jer5-15 > [Jeremiah 5:16](Jeremiah%205.md#^16) note > > The quiver is where the arrows are kept, and arrows are used to kill and to destroy. And the language here is of a quiver that can't miss for winning, it's going to bring people to the grave (a sepulchre is a grave). > > "they are all mighty men" -- The tongues situation, which has devastated the churches and is under the command of Satan, does not mean that Satan has become so wise and powerful that he's figured out how to rule in the churches. God reassures us in the Bible that it's because Christ has loosed Satan as a judgment ([Rev 9:1](Revelation%209.md#^1), [2](Revelation%209.md#^2); [20:3](Revelation%2020.md#^3), [7](Revelation%2020.md#^7)). He has been set free because God is using him in His plan, so it is God who is undergirding this. And that is why they have such strength to succeed. All this time Satan has had a passion to destroy Christ so that he can rule over the entire human race, and during the New Testament period he has not been permitted to rule with such freedom, he has been restrained, the Gospel was being sent forth and the churches were generally protected. But now he has been loosed, God has opened the pit and allowed Satan to come out and to bring a massive assault right into the churches. And then God Himself has abandoned them, He has dispossessed them so as Satan comes in it's an open field for him. There's no battle that goes on, he simply goes in very quietly and takes possession very deceptively as an angel of light so that the people don't even realize that he has taken control. And it's not even as though God has left the churches as an open prey, but that He very specifically loosed Satan to bring him into the churches for judgment. > > This also means that judgment day is just around the corner and Satan will be the first one cast into the lake of fire. But at present he has come in with all of his mighty men and he can't miss. God has certified, He has guaranteed that he *will* be successful, he will bring death and destruction. And that's why it's such a time of great tribulation. ^jer5-16 > [Jeremiah 5:17](Jeremiah%205.md#^17) note > > This again illustrates how successful Satan will be as he comes in with his tongues, signs and wonders ([Mt 24:24](Matthew%2024.md#^24)). Here God emphasizes both *who* He is destroying as well as the *totality* of the destruction. The harvest and bread, flocks and herds, vines and fig trees, and fenced cities are all terms and phrases that normally relate to the Gospel which was found in the churches and congregations, as well as the people themselves. Christ and His Word is the Bread of Life ([Jn 6:35](John%206.md#^35), [48](John%206.md#^48)), the harvest refers to the believers at the end of the world ([Mt 13:39](Matthew%2013.md#^39)) and so on. But the mighty men in verse 16 shall (and have) come in to eat these up completely, they come in to destroy. It is a very dominant methodology by which God has brought His judgment upon the congregations. And they are locked in because they earnestly trust their churches and their church fathers and doctrines and so on. On the other hand, there are so many pastors and leaders that just cannot see that the signs and wonders coming in is of Satan. All they can see is that these are dear and wonderful people who love the Lord, and that's the serious deception of Satan as he comes with such an assault. Through these false gospels Christ is emasculated in place of experiences and manifestations, the Bread of Life is no longer there, it has become a gospel of death, they are deprived of the Truth. > > God uses the phrase "eat up" three times in this verse. God uses this phrase in the context of locusts and cankerworms -- [Joel 1:4](Joel%201.md#^4). Before the days of insecticides and such a swarm of locusts could come through and completely destroy the crops. And Joel 1:4 is the language of *complete* destruction. And that is also the idea here in verse 17. The vines and the fig trees representing Christ's vineyard is eaten up. > > "they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword" -- This is a very insightful, pertinent statement. The word *fenced* relates to a walled city, one that is fortified and protected to sustain a siege. This was made even more secure if a city was built upon a hill, it made it even more difficult to scale the wall. And the fenced cities they are trusting in here are the churches and congregations, but not in the city of God itself. They have built up their own protective devices when they say, for example, that the church is the pillar and ground of truth. They put themselves in the place of God, placing too much import on the church or denominational practices rather than being a caretaker of the Word of God and sending forth the Gospel into the world. They should emphasize to trust only in Christ and the Word of God, not in their doctrines and sacraments (signposts that point to the spiritual substance) and such. They should not put any real confidence in themselves and in what the church is. So God is saying here that their walled cities in which they trusted -- their practices, their doctrines, their confessions, etc -- have become spiritually impoverished, they have become completely bankrupt, there is no substance whatsoever. ^jer5-17 > [Jeremiah 5:18](Jeremiah%205.md#^18) note > > When the end of the church age has come, God still has a final harvest period called the latter rain in which each true believer is mandated to bring the Gospel into the world outside of the churches. So here, like a brilliant shaft of sunlight, God says that He will not make a full end, meaning that salvation is not quite over in the world during this time. ^jer5-18 > [Jeremiah 5:19](Jeremiah%205.md#^19) note > > God is speaking again to the local congregations who are aghast at the idea that they are under judgment with Satan at the helm, as they ask, "Why is He doing this? It doesn't make any sense." And God answers here: "Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land *that is* not yours." This is an awesome statement. God is bringing the indictment like a prosecuting Attorney, "This is the crime that you have committed. You have been in the land, the kingdom of God, the churches and congregations, and you have forsaken Me to serve strange gods." In every congregation there's a whole series of doctrines that are from the minds of people rather than from the Bible, which haven't been carefully developed by comparing Scripture with Scripture. And whenever there is an erroneous doctrine that is not from the Bible it is the same as serving other gods. And these are the seeds that over time have become the basis of an imitation gospel that is no longer the true Gospel. And thus they will no longer be the kingdom of God, they will instead serve *strangers* in land that is not theirs, it will be a land where Satan (and the world) rules because they were not faithful to His Word. Strangers in the Bible have to do with those who are not citizens of the kingdom of God ([Jn 10:5](John%2010.md#^5); [Eph 2:12](Ephesians%202.md#^12), [19](Ephesians%202.md#^19)). ^jer5-19 > [Jeremiah 5:20](Jeremiah%205.md#^20) note > > Here God has another law to be declared to those who are associated with His people, to the house of Jacob and published in Judah, to the local churches and congregations in our day. And this is a mandate, it's an imperative to proclaim this information that God is finished with them so that they become aware of it, as we read in [Revelation 14:6](Revelation%2014.md#^6), [7](Revelation%2014.md#^7) -- the hour of His judgment is come! ^jer5-20 > [Jeremiah 5:21](Jeremiah%205.md#^21) note > >God is indicating here that He has closed up their spiritual understanding so that they will not actually hear, so that they cannot be converted, though He declare this to them ([Mt 13:13](Matthew%2013.md#^13), [14](Matthew%2013.md#^14), [15](Matthew%2013.md#^15); [Acts 28:27](Acts%2028.md#^27), [Heb 5:11](Hebrews%205.md#^11)). They are under judgment. They can quote the Bible with a flourish, the know mechanically a lot of verses from the Bible, but they have no understanding of what God is really saying. Their heart is closed, they're blind. And so, as we see in [verse 22](Jeremiah%205.md#^22), there is no fear, there is no trembling before God. > > This is again a very ominous verse, particularly as it relates to Matthew 13:13-15. It is an integral part for how God binds the tares in [Matthew 13](Matthew%2013.md):24-30, 36-43 in the parable of the wheat and the tares. The tares, or the weeds, look so much like the wheat that it's virtually impossible to tell them apart so that you have to wait for the harvest to separate them, as you don't want to mistakenly root out any of the wheat in the process before that time. The good seed sown by the Son of Man are the true believers in the local congregations, as seen in [Matthew 13:38](Matthew%2013.md#^38), "the good seed are the children of the kingdom." And they, of course, become the wheat. But then the enemy comes, the devil, and sows bad seed amongst them which are the tares or the weeds, the unbelievers in the congregations ([Mt 13:38b](Matthew%2013.md#^38), [39](Matthew%2013.md#^39)). > > God is giving us here an understanding of how Satan has worked within the local congregations throughout the church age. This even reaches back to the synagogues. Even as Christ preached for 3 1/2 years, very few people became saved and Satan was very active. This is illustrated in [Luke 8:12](Luke%208.md#^12) in another parable where seed is sown, where some seed falls by the wayside and never penetrates the hearts of the hearers because Satan takes it away from their hearts. In this case [it is the Gospel, the Word of God](Luke%208.md#^11) that is being sown. And this is exactly why the Holy Spirit had to be poured out -- the Gospel requires that God apply His Word to the hearts of His elect, otherwise Satan comes along and takes it away so that it doesn't take root. During the New Testament period Satan was spiritually bound, or cast out from heaven, so that he could not hinder the progress of the Gospel in the hearts of the elect ([Lk 10:17](Luke%2010.md#^17), [18](Luke%2010.md#^18); [Rev 12:9](Revelation%2012.md#^9); [Rev 20:1](Revelation%2020.md#^1), [2](Revelation%2020.md#^2), [3](Revelation%2020.md#^3)). That is, his power to deceive the nations was limited to some degree until such time that he was loosed for a season as the end approaches. > > But even though Satan had been bound in a sense, he was not just standing idly by in the churches, as we see in [2 Corinthians 11:13](2%20Corinthians%2011.md#^13), [14](2%20Corinthians%2011.md#^14), [15](2%20Corinthians%2011.md#^15); [1 Timothy 5:15](1%20Timothy%205.md#^15) and [Revelation 2:9](Revelation%202.md#^9). He could not *frustrate* the Word of God to save His elect throughout the world, but he was nevertheless very busy deceiving many through his falsehoods as an angel of light, as the master deceiver. So he was able to place into the congregations his false "ministers of righteousness" who are not saved, those whose allegiance was actually to Satan. This is Satan's methodology attempting to conquer Christ by introducing usurpers into the leadership of the churches and congregations. And as this congregation or that denomination became filled with more and more unbelievers it would become more a synagogue of Satan until it is altogether a different gospel with a different authority than the Bible alone and in its entirety. See [Rev 2:14](Revelation%202.md#^14), [15](Revelation%202.md#^15), [20](Revelation%202.md#^20). And this is so devastating because it is a deep deception, you cannot easily discern the difference outwardly between the true believers and the imposters because we cannot accurately read the hearts and minds of individuals, and Satan is in it for the long haul. And indeed, Satan is *warring* against Christ and the body of believers, as seen in [Daniel 7:21](Daniel%207.md#^21); [Eph 6:11](Ephesians%206.md#^11), [12](Ephesians%206.md#^12) and [Revelation 12:17](Revelation%2012.md#^17). The churches and congregations are where the battle is joined. > > In response to [Ephesians 6:11](Ephesians%206.md#^11)-[12](Ephesians%206.md#^12), God says in the verses that follow, ([13](Ephesians%206.md#^13), [14](Ephesians%206.md#^14), [15](Ephesians%206.md#^15), [16](Ephesians%206.md#^16) and [17](Ephesians%206.md#^17)), that we are to be girt about with *truth* and our feet shod with the preparation of the *Gospel* of peace, and the sword of the Spirit which is the *Word of God* -- it all has to do with the Word of God. Notice it does not say with our church doctrines. As Satan is at war in the local congregations they could only defend themselves with Christ and His Word. This is how serious this warfare is. We must trust the Bible over any person, no matter how reputable or how holy, or over any set of doctrines, period. > > This brings us back to the current verse here in Jeremiah 5: "Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not." As Satan has been sowing the tares in the churches and congregations, he has done so as they have been spiritually *asleep* ([Mt 13:25](Matthew%2013.md#^25)). That is, they did not have enough understanding from the Word of God to know what was going on *at the time*. And God equates the bringing of understanding of His Word at the appropriate time with being awakened. See, for example, [Daniel 8:18](Daniel%208.md#^18), [19](Daniel%208.md#^19). To awake from sleep equals beginning to understand the truth that God wants us to know from His Word. And we know from [Daniel 12:9](Daniel%2012.md#^9) that many truths are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Remember the 2 on the road to Emmaus who didn't recognize Jesus for the duration of the trip until Jesus broke break with them, and then their eyes were opened ([Lk 24:31](Luke%2024.md#^31)), that is, they were spiritually asleep until that moment. God has a timetable to reveal Truth. He even uses this illustration with regard to Himself, that when the appropriate time comes He will act -- see [Psalm 78:65](Psalm%2078.md#^65), [66](Psalm%2078.md#^66) where it is now the time for judgment and God awakes to perform it. So during the church age the churches did not have full awareness of the intensity of the attacks by Satan within them as he planted false ministers of righteousness. Not only that, it would not have been profitable to second-guess everyone as a false prophet as it could create a witch hunt within the churches so that the wheat would be rooted out with the tares. > > So Satan is the man of sin who is revealed being seated in the temple in [2 Thessalonians 2:3](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^3), [4](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^4) and worshiped as if he were God as we approach the end ([vv1](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^1)-[2](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^2)). But, as we've seen, Satan has been working all along in the churches, sowing the tares amongst the wheat, but it was a *hidden mystery* of iniquity at work until God revealed it in our day ([vv6](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^6), [7](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^7), [8](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^8)). ^jer5-21 > [Jeremiah 5:22](Jeremiah%205.md#^22) note > > Restated, God is telling them that they do *not* fear Him, they do not fear the Law of God nor the penalty for breaking it. And they of all people ought to fear and tremble before Him because they have His Lawbook, the Bible, that speaks about His wrath and the serious need for salvation in Christ. Even after we're saved we're told to work out our salvation with *fear* and trembling ([Ph'p 2:12](Philippians%202.md#^12)). Some wrongly believe that 1 John 4 teaches that we don't need to fear God anymore because perfect love casts out fear ([1 John 4:16](1%20John%204.md#^16), [17](1%20John%204.md#^17), [18](1%20John%204.md#^18)). But the problem is, in this life we never have perfect love, and thus, as Philippians 2:12 teaches, we should work out our salvation with fear and trembling. And love toward God is expressed by obedience to His Word in fear ([Jn 14:21](John%2014.md#^21), [23](John%2014.md#^23)). But, as seen in [verse 21](Jeremiah%205.md#^21), they cannot see nor hear the Word of God, their heart is closed, they're blind and without understanding so that they cannot fear God. There's no worse place to be than under the hearing of the Word of God and yet still unsaved ([Lk 12:47](Luke%2012.md#^47)). > > See [Job 28:28](Job%2028.md#^28). The fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding. Until we fear God, we have no wisdom. The more wisdom we have from God Himself the more we'll be sensitive to the fact that sin is heinous, per [Ph'p 2:12](Philippians%202.md#^12). We should be continually pleading with God to help us to live according to His will and good pleasure, and only trust in Him. > > "...which have placed the sand _for_ the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?" -- This is a picture of enormous power. The strength of the sea and its waves are stopped by the demarcation line of the sand along the ocean. Creation itself is governed by natural laws by which nature exists according to God's design. Yet humanity does not obey the Law of God because they do not fear Him. That is the thought in this verse, that especially amongst those that should be found following the Word of God, they have instead come up with their own doctrines. This continues in the next verse, verse 23. . . . ^jer5-22 > [Jeremiah 5:23](Jeremiah%205.md#^23) note > > There finally comes a time when God is finished. They are revolted and gone. This is why the great tribulation is a time so grievous that nothing has occurred like it up until this time. ^jer5-23 > [Jeremiah 5:24](Jeremiah%205.md#^24) note > > The Hebrew word translated *appointed* here is normally translated *statute*. It is the Law of God. And the word *reserves* could also be translated keeps. This could be translated, "He keeps unto us the lawful weeks of the harvest." The word keeps has to do with obedience, it is something that must be done -- the law must be kept. And here it is God Who keeps the lawful weeks of the harvest. And the latter rain spoken of here has to do with the final harvest, the end-of-the-world harvest that occurs at the last part of the great tribulation period. So this is a signpost that points right to our day. > > In Leviticus 23 we read of 3 events. The first one is the Passover ([Lev 23:10](Leviticus%2023.md#^10), [11](Leviticus%2023.md#^11), [14](Leviticus%2023.md#^14)). Now the Hebrew word translated *firstfruits* in verse 10, reshiyth, is not the word that identifies with Pentecost, it always identifies with the Passover (cp v10 with [Josh 5:10](Joshua%205.md#^10), [11](Joshua%205.md#^11)).Then in [Leviticus 23:15](Leviticus%2023.md#^15), [16](Leviticus%2023.md#^16), [17](Leviticus%2023.md#^17), the word translated *firstfruits* in v17 relates to the Pentecost. This is the 2nd harvest mentioned here. > > Now, looking at [Levititus 23:14](Leviticus%2023.md#^14) and [23](Leviticus%2023.md#^21), with regard to Passover and Pentecost, we find the word *statute*, as it is found here in Jeremiah 5:24, where it is translated *appointed*. These 2 feasts were celebrated in the first and third months respectively and were to be a *statue forever*. Then in the seventh month there were 2 more important feasts, the Day of Atonement ([Lev 23:27](Leviticus%2023.md#^27)), where we again read that it was to be a *statute forever* ([Lev 23:31](Leviticus%2023.md#^31)), and the Feast of Tabernacles ([Lev 23:34](Leviticus%2023.md#^34)), also called the Feast of Ingathering, which also was to be a statute forever ([Lev 23:41](Leviticus%2023.md#^41)). So all four of these feasts were to be a statute forever. > > In [Deuteronomy 16:16](Deuteronomy%2016.md#^16) we find that all the males in the land were to appear before God in Jerusalem during three of these feasts: The Feast of Unleavened Bread (during which the Passover was held), which was actually observed for 7 days. The Feast of Weeks is identified with the feast of Pentecost as it was celebrated 7 weeks after the Passover (so 7 times 7 days plus the day after for a full 50 days). And then the Feast of Tabernacles which again was a 7-day feast held in the seventh month. So all 3 of these feasts in Deuteronomy 16 are identified with *weeks* and with the number 7. They are all lawful weeks of harvest, they identify with harvest, as our present verse Jeremiah 5:24 indicates, "Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that gives rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserves unto us the appointed \[statute] weeks of the *harvest*." > > Now all of these feasts were pointing to the work of Christ and redemption in God's salvation plan. Christ was crucified exactly on the day of the Passover. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost to initiate the plan of salvation into the world to save God's elect. That was the beginning of the harvest of firstfruits. And these feasts, remember, are to be a statute forever, that is, the redemption that Christ brings to His people is everlasting, it is eternal. So the spiritual reality of what the symbolic feasts were pointing to has everlasting purpose, salvation is an eternal matter. > > But then that brings us to the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Ingathering which anticipates the end of the harvest. Looking again at our present verse in [Jeremiah 5:24](Jeremiah%205.md#^24), we see that God speaks of the former and the latter rain. The former rain points to the beginning of the harvest period which was during the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, the beginning of the harvest period when the Holy Spirit was poured out. So the Feast of Tabernacles or of Ingathering identifies with the latter rain, or the end of the harvest feast. And that, too, in its spiritual fulfillment began on the exact same day and time of year as the physical observance, as did Passover and Pentecost. > > Sadly, however, looking at our present verse, [Jeremiah 5:24](Jeremiah%205.md#^24), God indicates that they do *not* "say in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God...." That is, those who were of the household of God have rejected the Word of God, they do not even pay any attention to God as they have created their own kind of gospels that they are happy with. The latter rain, therefore, is something that is taking place outside of the churches and congregations as God brings in His final harvest, His lawfully appointed week at the end of time: [Mt 22:1-10](Matthew%2022.md); [Lk 14:16-23](Luke%2014.md); [Jer 3:2](Jeremiah%203.md#^2), [3](Jeremiah%203.md#^3). ^jer5-24 > [Jeremiah 5:25](Jeremiah%205.md#^25) note > > Cp [Gen 4:6](Genesis%204.md#^6), [7](Genesis%204.md#^7). When good is withheld from us, we can only blame ourselves, it is because of our sin and our iniquities. ^jer5-25 > [Jeremiah 5:26](Jeremiah%205.md#^26) note > > These wicked men, the tares that Satan has been sowing in the churches and congregations (those who are "among my people"), have unwittingly set a trap whereby those within the congregations cannot grow in truth and understanding from the Word of God. They set a lock upon their understanding through man-made rules of Bible interpretation and confessions. See [Mt 13:10-17](Matthew%2013.md) \[scroll to those verses in the popup], [34](Matthew%2013.md#^34), [35](Matthew%2013.md#^35). If we are a true believer, we are truly open to the Word of God, we don't follow man-made rules that prevent us from comparing spiritual things with spiritual according to God's Word ([1 Cor 2:13](1%20Corinthians%202.md#^13)). Christ's purpose in speaking in parables is for His people to have a growing understanding of Truth while keeping the rest in blindness. So we understand that Christ spoke in parables while we are studying and reading through the Bible, realizing that the Bible is *not* perspicuous, but spiritual. It is His declared method of teaching. > > But for those who do not understand that the historical context in the Bible has deeper spiritual import, they are locked out from understanding its spiritual, Gospel intent. In fact, according to [verse 12](Matthew%2013.md#^12), even what they did understand erodes from their understanding as they fall away, as they insist upon their kind of interpretation such as the historico-grammatical method, or "if it makes sense (in their minds), seek no other sense." And we see this as churches and congregations fall away from Truth, they become more and more blind to it. What understanding they did have is taken away. The man-made "protections" that theologians of the past placed upon the interpretation of the Word of God have become the seeds of death. > > So God is saying here that anyone who comes into that congregation or denomination is trapped or snared by the rules of that denomination as they sadly trust in these wicked leaders to guide them properly. This is why God says in the next verse it's like a cage full of birds. ^jer5-26 > [Jeremiah 5:27](Jeremiah%205.md#^27) note > > "As a cage is full of birds" - What's the nature of birds? It is to fly, to be free. But when they are caged they are trapped so that they cannot fly. And this is exactly what is happening in the churches and congregations as they are, as [verse 26](Jeremiah%205.md#^26) declares, trapped and ensnared. They are locked in. See [Revelation 18:2](Revelation%2018.md#^2) where God also uses this picture in describing the end of the church age. Babylon is fallen and has become the citadel of Satan, a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. They are unclean, meaning they have not become saved, their sins have not been washed away by the blood of Christ. > > "...so *are* their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich." - From an outward appearance, the churches of today could not be doing better. They're able to build beautiful buildings, they're able to expand their facilities and so on because of the great many people coming in who are deceived by their false gospels, being told they are right with God while they trust in what they are being taught. But it is deceit, their earthly riches are a result of their deceit leaving them in spiritual poverty. ^jer5-27 > [Jeremiah 5:28](Jeremiah%205.md#^28) note > > "They are waxen fat, they shine:" - Fat is used in the Bible to describe opulence and excess, it's that which is the best from an earthly perspective. Fat also makes foods tasty. From the eyes of the world this is a tasty and wonderful situation, they are waxen fat. The word *shine* here is a Hebrew word that is perhaps better translated think, as found in [Jonah 1:6](Jonah%201.md#^6). So the idea is that they *think* they are grown fat, that they are sleek and happy and prosperous and have all the best things of this world. This is a reflection of their thoughts. > > "they overpass the deeds of the wicked:" - This is like the idea some promote that some Christians are saved but Christ has not actually become the Lord of their lives, they are carnal Christians (so-called) who show no evidence of being a true child of God. They overlook the deeds of the wicked, they don't press holy living and having consistency in living for God throughout the life of the true believer. When they are around they may be on their best behavior, but when they are alone where no one else can see them they begin to entertain the many temptations out there. One can overlook wickedness in their own private life, and there is an overlooking of sin within the congregation because they want to be fat, they want all the good things this world can provide. And if they were too rigorous about it, those for whom they are overlooking wickedness might give up and leave, "This is just too much, I'll go to this other church down the block." > > "they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge." - Remember what great event happened on the same evening that Israel was freed from bondage to Egypt (which represents salvation, when we are released from bondage to sin and Satan). God killed all the firstborn of Egypt, He sacrificed all the firstborn of Egypt in order for salvation to come to Israel. There had to be the death of the firstborn, representing the death of Christ that was required for our deliverance ([Rom 8:29](Romans%208.md#^29); [Col 1:15](Colossians%201.md#^15), [18](Colossians%201.md#^18)). In [Numbers 3:12](Numbers%203.md#^12), [13](Numbers%203.md#^13), the tribe of Levi became a picture of this firstborn in place of the firstborn in Egypt. Then in [Deuteronomy 14:29](Deuteronomy%2014.md#^29), the stranger, the fatherless (orphans) and the widow are put in the same category with the Levites (and, by extension, the firstborn). They all typify or represent those who become *believers*, the firstborn ([Heb 12:23](Hebrews%2012.md#^23)), the fatherless and widows ([James 1:27](James%201.md#^27); [Ps 10:17](Psalm%2010.md#^17), [18](Psalm%2010.md#^18), [68:4](Psalm%2068.md#^4), [5](Psalm%2068.md#^5), [6a](Psalm%2068.md#^6)). The fatherless are those who have no inheritance in this present world, we are disenfranchised, we live here as strangers and pilgrims, we are poor and needy, spiritually speaking. Our inheritance is eternal in heaven, not on this sin-cursed earth. And that's just like the Levites, they were not given an inheritance. So God draws the tie between the Levite, the firstborn, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow in Deuteronomy 14:29 and Numbers 3:12-13. > > And in our present verse here in Jeremiah 5:28 God faults them for not judging the cause of the fatherless and the needy, which ultimately points to the fact they are not faithfully declaring the Word of God to those in the congregation, they are not taking care of them spiritually by providing for their souls, for their eternal inheritance. ^jer5-28 > [Jeremiah 5:29](Jeremiah%205.md#^29) note > > This now is the result of the conduct that has been going on in the previous verses. God is setting forth in very reasonable terms -- How much does He have to take of the insolence, rebellion and reviling of humanity? How long does He have to put up with preachers who say, "Thus saith the Lord," when the Lord has not said? That is, they come in the Name of the Lord with their doctrines that aren't altogether faithful to the Word of God so that they set a trap and a snare for the people in the congregations ([verse 26](Jeremiah%205.md#^26)). And they are doing all this in the Name of the Lord, they are in a place where they represent God as though God has declared what they are saying when He has not declared it. So here God is effectively saying, "Isn't there an end to this? Is this just going to keep going on and on? Shouldn't I finally bring judgment?" Sin brings death, it brings judgment, it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God ([Heb 10:31](Hebrews%2010.md#^31)). But they just go on as if God hasn't warned at all. But here it is in Jeremiah 5:29. The justice and integrity of God demands there *has* to be retribution. So the answer to this verse, to this rhetorical question, is, "Of course God will visit, of course God's soul will be avenged for these things." > > It's actually amazing that God has taken so long. He has been infinitely patient and merciful. Things have been bad for a very long time, if we are honest with ourselves, where we have been a long way from Truth. Even with the Reformation and the major correction that came along with that, things have deteriorated far beyond. Even what they did have has been taken away as we see the churches and congregations fallen away from Truth. So the time finally comes when God says, "Shall I not visit for these *things*? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" God has now brought His judgment. So if there's ever a time that we should be trembling in abject fear before God, it is now. ^jer5-29 > [Jeremiah 5:30](Jeremiah%205.md#^30) note > > The word translated wonderful here is not a good translation, at least as it's used in our day. It's a Hebrew word normally translated *desolate, desolation, desolating, astonishment*: "A desolating and horrible thing is committed in the land..." And remember, this is the land that represents the kingdom of God. > > Representing the kingdom of God is not just an incidental thing like having a boy scout troop or running a business. It is of the highest importance because it is supposed to be the representative of Christ on earth, of His eternally glorious and infinite kingdom. It is the locale where the ambassadors for Christ are normally found that go out with the Gospel. And this applies to every single congregation no matter how large or small or where it may be located throughout the world, wherever they might meet. Yet God is saying, "A desolating and horrible thing is committed in the land," that is, in the local congregations that represent the kingdom of God. He then makes the indictment we read about in verse 31. ^jer5-30 > [Jeremiah 5:31](Jeremiah%205.md#^31) note > > What a terrible, terrible indictment. The prophets are those who are commissioned by God to declare the Word of God. And ultimately this applies to everyone in the congregation as all are to be ambassadors for Christ sending forth the Gospel. But it particularly applies to the leaders: the pastors, the priests, the elders, the teachers -- those who bear rule, those who have been given the spiritual oversight of the congregation. And the Bible must be the *only* Authority, faithfully comparing Scripture with Scripture. If they bring any other authority than the Bible then it is a false authority, or if they declare any conclusion that does not square or harmonize accurately with the Bible then it is a false doctrine. And the more false doctrines that are taught, the more falsehoods God indicts them of until He declares here that the prophets prophecy falsely. > > The word translated "rule" is normally translated "hand," which has to do with the will. This means that they willingly prophesy falsely, as God says the people, "...love to have it so." This is what they *want* to do. And even with this verse, if you tell them they are under God's judgment according to this passage, well, "No, we don't buy that, it doesn't fit our rules." They use the historico-grammatical method, or the "if it makes sense, seek no other sense" method of interpretation and reject the spiritual message being taught here. Or maybe they say that the Old Testament is only for the Jews and not for us today. They are ruling by their will, by their desires, by what they want to have happen and they can't get out of the particular box that they are in. As a result of their rules they are blocked from understanding Truth because the rules are from the minds of men and not from the Bible. > > Now when God speaks of them as "His people" here He does not mean in an eternal sense, but those who are in the visible representation of the kingdom of God on earth. They are in rebellion against God, they love to hear the prophets prophesy falsely and for their rulers to rule by their means. They want to identify with Christ but to have their own kind of food and apparel ([Is 4:1](Isaiah%204.md#^1)), which just multiples the sin as they say, "Thus saith the Lord," when He has not said. > > And then we see the warning in verse 31, "and what will ye do in the end thereof?" We should take note and ask ourselves the question, How are we doing? Where are we? Where do *I* stand? MANY will be deceived and falsely hope that they are in Christ, but He will declare unto them, "Depart from me, I never knew you" ([Mt 7:21](Matthew%207.md#^21), [22](Matthew%207.md#^22), [23](Matthew%207.md#^23)). ^jer5-31 Tags: #Old_Testament #Jeremiah #Gods_judgment_on_His_people #FSI