Jeremiah 9 FSI - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **Jeremiah 9 Notes** > [[Jeremiah 8 FSI|<Prev]]   [[Jeremiah 10 FSI|Next>]] > [[Jeremiah 9|Verse list view]] > [Jeremiah 9:1](Jeremiah%209.md#^1) note > > This verse sets the tone for the chapter. It's a chapter of woe, pain and sorrow because of the terrible thing that is happening in the churches and congregations as typified by Judah and Jerusalem, called here "the slain of the daughter of my people." > > Remember that Jeremiah is called the *weeping* prophet as he sees the ugly destruction of Judah in his day. But also remember that he is speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so this is really *God* speaking here. We know that God is very righteous as He pours out His wrath, and that's how we view Him as He brings His righteous anger ([Ro 12:19](Romans%2012.md#^19), [Psalm 2:1](Psalm%202.md#^1), [2](Psalm%202.md#^2), [3](Psalm%202.md#^3), [4](Psalm%202.md#^4), [5](Psalm%202.md#^5)). So we might get the false impression that He is vindictive. > > But what we actually see in this verse is that God Himself is weeping, and it is sorrow beyond comprehension, like someone who has had a terrible death in the family, of someone who is special and dear to them. And they just can't stop weeping. And here it is *His people* who are under His wrath, those who should have had a relationship with God. We might recall [Luke 19:41](Luke%2019.md#^41), [42](Luke%2019.md#^42), [43](Luke%2019.md#^43), [44](Luke%2019.md#^44), which is also speaking of the end of the church age when not one stone will be left upon another, where the Old Testament temple represents the churches and congregations as they are eventually destroyed ([1 Cor 3:16](1%20Corinthians%203.md#^16); [1 Pe 2:5](1%20Peter%202.md#^5)). And in that setting where Christ anticipates the end of the church we see that Jesus wept (see also [Mt 23:37](Matthew%2023.md#^37)). > > We also see Christ weeping at the grave site of Lazarus in [John 11:33](John%2011.md#^33), [34](John%2011.md#^34), [35](John%2011.md#^35), where Christ was looking at death even though He knew that He Himself would raise up Lazarus. > > So here God is emphasizing His divine sorrow, upset and reluctance to do what He has done to bring judgment upon the local congregations. ^jer9-1 > [Jeremiah 9:2](Jeremiah%209.md#^2) note > > It's like God is saying in the first half of this verse, "Oh, I wish I could get off by Myself somewhere where I wouldn't have to think of this terrible situation of My people anymore -- those whom I have cared for, and yet now My judgment must be upon them. I am in terrible sorrow and wish I could just forget about it, just erase it from my memory so that my mind would be clear from this terrible thing that has happened." God is speaking in language that we can understand to get some idea of the pathos, trauma and grief that envelops God as He goes through this experience of the end of the church age and into final judgment. > > "Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men" -- This word *lodging* is also seen in [Joshua 4:3](Joshua%204.md#^3) and [8](Joshua%204.md#^8). And, there, this lodging place has to do with the Gospel. Israel had just entered into the land of Canaan, the Promised Land, after living in the wilderness for 40 years. So the land of Canaan represented the kingdom of God that the believers enter into spiritually. And they came through the Jordan River on dry land, taking up 12 stones from the bottom of the river where the priests stood, the Jordan representing the fact we must go through the wrath of God (in Christ, typified by the ark that went before them) to come into the Promised Land. And the 12 stones were put on the bank of the river in the land of Canaan to represent the true believers that were taken out of hell (as Christ paid for it on their behalf) and placed where they first lodged immediately after crossing over into the land of Canaan. So this *lodging place* is identified with the kingdom of God -- a place of security where the Gospel has been victorious. And that is the lodging place that God is speaking about here, the desire to be in that kind of a place. > > The *wayfarers* mentioned in this verse are seen also in Jeremiah 14. In that chapter, again, judgment has come against Jerusalem ([Jer 14:2](Jeremiah%2014.md#^2)). And in verses [7](Jeremiah%2014.md#^7) and [8](Jeremiah%2014.md#^8) there is an admission of sin and a last-minute cry unto God - He is the Hope of Israel, the Savior in time of trouble -- as if to say, "Have mercy and show us our sin and give us the desire to turn away from it!" So as God is bringing destruction the cry goes out that there might be a turning. "Why shouldest Thou be as a Stranger in the land and as a Wayfarer that turns aside to tarry for a night," (see also [verse 9](Jeremiah%2014.md#^9)). So they are crying to God not to leave them -- it's like He has become a Stranger to them and has gone out and left them, He is no longer a part of them, He is like a Wayfarer on the outside just traveling through and there's no more salvation -- but at this very moment He is still there and about to leave. But sadly it is too late. And remember from [verse 1](Jeremiah%209.md#^1) that in this context God is weeping about all of this, He knows that He has to leave them, even though He is absolutely reluctant to do this. > > Why? Back to Jeremiah 9:2: "for they *be* all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men" -- God goes back to the tragedy in the second half of the verse and into the following verses (see through verse 5). What is the nature of adultery and treachery? It all has to do with lies (vv 3-5). > > Adultery has to do with the marriage relationship, especially with God. The true believers are the bride or the wife of Christ, of God Himself. But those who are unsaved, even within the congregations, are married to the Law of God ([Ro 7:1](Romans%207.md#^1), [4](Romans%207.md#^4)). And anytime someone sins, it is spiritual adultery against God. > > When it comes to treachery, we might think of Judas. He had been selected to be one of the twelve apostles but betrayed the Lord Jesus. It was treachery of the highest order. Or it's like someone who betrays the secrets of a country to the enemy. They pretend to be a loyal citizen, that they love those whom they are serving, yet their heart is some other place. They are living a lie and their heart is with the enemy. > > So God is leaving them for a lodging place in the wilderness, there is yet a place on the outside of the local congregations as the Gospel continues to go forth during the final harvest to bring in the remaining elect during the latter rain period. ^jer9-2 > [Jeremiah 9:3](Jeremiah%209.md#^3) note > > Lies are the very nature of humanity ([Ro 3:4](Romans%203.md#^4); [Ps 58:3](Psalm%2058.md#^3)), especially as they relate to God. Lies, lies, lies. We see this about Satan who rules over the unsaved human race ([Jn 8:44](John%208.md#^44)). Unsaved people are living a lie, their hearts are utterly deceitful, they believe that somehow they are in charge of their lives and that everything will turn out okay. They have no fear of God, acting in total denial as though He did not exist. But it is all a big lie. > > But remember, God has His people in view here, not the world at large. He is addressing the local congregations. > > "And they bend their tongues *like* their bow *for* lies" -- this will be picked up again in [verse 8](Jeremiah%209.md#^8). What does the tongue do? It is what speaks from the heart and discloses its character. So if they are living a lie they are going to speak a lie. And it is their weapon that they use as they go on in life. And we could weep at the pastors and teachers who teach doctrines that are flatly contrary to the Word of God. They have never taken time to check out what they're teaching against the Bible to see if it's true, they're just blindly listening to their denomination, theologians or church fathers, and that's the strength of their position. It's highly involved in lies. > > "but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth" -- The idea of being valiant is to fight for the Truth. If we're going to be a witness and proclaim the Gospel it requires a lot of work, study in the Bible and prayer. And it is through His Word that He gives us Truth. And it takes courage to bring Truth because you will be slandered and vilified, people will become upset with you when you come with the Truth. But God is faulting them here that they are not valiant, instead of coming with the Truth they are bringing a big lie, even as they say, "God has said," when He has not said, as though they know *more* than God. > > "for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, says the LORD" -- This is a very incisive statement in living color, so to speak, as we see the churches and congregations that have drifted further and further away from the Truth so that the Bible has become less and less their Authority. And as we come with Truth they will return with, "Look, we don't agree with you at all, our theology is altogether different." They've made up their minds that they have the Truth but it is not based upon the Bible, it is based upon what their minds are telling them. And it's because they don't know God. ^jer9-3 > [Jeremiah 9:4](Jeremiah%209.md#^4) note > > "Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust ye not in any brother:" -- The words *neighbor* and *brother* here are significant. It's one thing to have enemies, acquaintances or people out there we don't know who are shooting at us our out to get us. But here God is speaking about neighbors and brothers. A brother can, of course, be a sibling, a relative through family ties. Or a brother can be a fellow church member, someone we are spiritually related to. We see them as someone we can trust, someone we can come to for counsel and advice and so on. But here God is giving us ugly language to take heed of our neighbor, *not* to trust any brother. It has gotten to the point no-one at all is trustworthy, the deception and selfishness of humanity has descended into spiritual delusion and chaos to where it has infected the churches and congregations. > > "for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanders" -- This is the indictment. To supplant and slander is, again, a function of lies. Slandering is idle gossip, it is the spreading of tales, it is not that which is true and trustworthy. And if they are buying into the doctrines of the churches and congregations in this day then they are living in a deceptive atmosphere. This is parallel to what we read in [Matthew 24:4](Matthew%2024.md#^4), [5](Matthew%2024.md#^5), [24](Matthew%2024.md#^24), [26](Matthew%2024.md#^26). And if they themselves are deceived, they are doing the same to you, assuring you that the lie they believe is the Truth. Just because they are sincere and charming and seem to have a knowledge of the Word of God -- don't trust them, no matter how reputable they may be or appear to be faithful in their understanding of the Word of God. We can only trust the Word of God itself. > > Is it really that bad? Is this a fair indictment? What about Brother Smith who is such a wonderful man of God who has been an elder for many years? He has a reputation for kindness, honesty and fairness. And he's a wonderful teacher or pastor. He's such a man of God who prays to God for wisdom, and he's so humble and faithful. How do we know it's that bad? Because they are still there where God's judgment has fallen, and if they do not obey the command to come out then it means they are rebelling against God, they believe they know better than God and are not listening to these verses in Jeremiah and in other places like Ezekiel and Isaiah which show that God's wrath is there. That is, they are declaring, "Peace, peace" when there is no peace. ^jer9-4 > [Jeremiah 9:5](Jeremiah%209.md#^5) note > > What an indictment! It's like they have done this deliberately. They've set themselves to follow the teachings of their denominations over and above the Bible itself. They deliberately place their trust in these things rather than reexamining every doctrine and every teaching against what the Bible says. > > "*and* weary themselves to commit iniquity" -- The path of trying to get to God by one's own wisdom or on our merits is very wearisome. And they work very hard at it, but it is a fruitless effort that brings no results. See, for example, [Genesis 19:11](Genesis%2019.md#^11), which is a picture of trying to get to Christ in the midst of spiritual blindness. One of the most frustrating things is when you are trying to solve an issue and you work at it and work at it, and you just can't get to the answer. So you are just frustrated. And this is what happens when they have set up their own kind of a gospel, they are not at all close to finding an answer for their sins, they are as far away as possible. And in the process they are committing more grievous sins through their false salvation programs that breeds even more spiritual weariness ([Mt 23:15](Matthew%2023.md#^15)). ^jer9-5 > [Jeremiah 9:6](Jeremiah%209.md#^6) note > > Again, this is a severe indictment, they refuse to know God through deceit and lies, they refuse to know the Truth. The entire setting is deceptive. This is from the mouth of God, these are the charges that *He* is making as He looks directly at the situation. Nothing escapes God. So if we are in a local congregation we have to realize that things really are that bad today. > > There's not even the slightest accommodation here. God is not just saying that He sees a lot of this going on, or that many of them are like this, or sprinkled throughout there are those who deceive others in this manner. He is wholesale condemning everything within their midst. And that is because God knows the whole Truth. He sees things we can't see. Someone may see a nice congregation, but in what are they trusting? By what standard are they measuring? Are they trusting in the standard of their church or of their pastor or in their own thinking? Ultimately none of that is trustworthy. God looks at the local congregation just as He does the heart of the unsaved individual and says they are desperately wicked, and that should shake us to realize there is something dreadfully wrong there. We must only trust the Word of God, in what He is saying here as difficult as it may be for us. If they believe all is well, according to this verse, they are completely deceived. ^jer9-6 > [Jeremiah 9:7](Jeremiah%209.md#^7) note > > When God speaks about melting or refining, we like to think of [Zechariah 13:9](Zechariah%2013.md#^9). As believers, we pass through the fires of Hell (that is, Christ has done so on our behalf) and we are refined, that is, our sins have been paid for, and we come out as pure because all of our sins have been covered. That is the portrait that God is giving us in Zechariah 13. > > But here in Jeremiah 9:7, God is not giving us that kind of a portrait. Rather, God is speaking as He did in [Jeremiah 6:28](Jeremiah%206.md#^28), [29](Jeremiah%206.md#^29), [30](Jeremiah%206.md#^30) where they are not able to be refined, they are so corrupt there's nothing there. When the corruption is melted away there's no silver left, they are totally corrupted. They under the judgment of God. And Judgment Day is a trial -- they stand before the judge to be examined and as they are found guilty then the sentence is passed. So God is saying they shall be judged and found guilty, and He will not be there on their behalf because they are not truly His eternal, redeemed people even though outwardly or visibly in this world they represented the people of God (see [verse 9](Jeremiah%209.md#^9)). ^jer9-7 > [Jeremiah 9:8](Jeremiah%209.md#^8) note > > This picks up the same thread that the hearts of humanity are utterly deceitful. "Their tongue *is as* an arrow shot out" -- This is an arrow that is out to kill, out to murder and slaughter. It's an arrow of death. > > "it speaks deceit: *one* speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in heart he lays his wait." -- He comes laying an ambush for his friends, for those he is speaking to in order to destroy. > > There was a book written years ago about some tribes in the jungles of Indonesia who, upon hearing the Gospel, venerated Judas because they valued those who beguiled their enemies, pretending to be at peace with them to eventually betray and kill them. And they would look upon this kind of thing with excitement, and the more subtly they would deceive them the better. They would fatten up their victims by treating them as kindly as possible and allaying any suspicion. Thankfully, some of those who heard the Gospel eventually understood that Judas was the villain here as they realized that He betrayed the Christ. But at least initially, betrayal of the highest order was considered to be a great feat of honor in these tribes. > > But, sadly, God is not speaking of some stone-age tribes in the jungles of Indonesia here who had been outside of civilization for centuries. He is talking about the local churches and congregations on a spiritual level -- where everyone seems decent and moral and fine, and everyone loves each other and they all smile, and they would never think of betrayal or that someone would be a treacherous person leading others into a death trap. Yet that is what God is talking about here. Here is a family that is bringing their children, or their friends, to this local congregation as if it's the best thing for them. They fondly believe this will be the best for them because they're under the hearing of the Gospel, they're in the congregation where God the Holy Spirit is expected to be working, and therefore only good can come out of this. But even though they are unknowingly mistaken, nevertheless, they are preparing their victims for the slaughter. > > This is about as ugly as we can possibly state this. But that's the language of this verse. And God is selecting this language. And remember, all of the unsaved of the world, whether they are in a stone-age tribe in the jungle or in a church or congregation where Christ is absent, are under the power and influence of Satan, the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning. Wherever he is the ruler he works the same in the hearts of the people there. It's the same rebellion even if in some contexts it's much more sophisticated. It's about as ugly as it can get if someone is not bringing the true Gospel -- they are deliberately setting people up for eternal death and destruction when they disobey God and say all is well here when it's not well at all. This is why it is imperative to bring the Truth of the Bible alone. ^jer9-8 > [Jeremiah 9:9](Jeremiah%209.md#^9) note > > The word nation here is the same word He uses for any nation of the world that is under the judgment of God. He is effectively saying they are not His people anymore. ^jer9-9 > [Jeremiah 9:10](Jeremiah%209.md#^10) note > > Now comes the remorse again, returning to the pathos, the trauma, the sorrow of [verse 1](Jeremiah%209.md#^1). Imagine if you were a judge and your son or daughter engaged in some heinous crime and happened to come before you as the judge. And you had to send your son or daughter to the electric chair or to life imprisonment. Would you do it happily and gladly? No, this is super terrible! > > "For the mountains" -- the word mountains in the Bible relates to the kingdoms throughout the world, so this pertains to the local congregations everywhere in the world. > > "and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation" -- Remember in Revelation 12 the woman in the wilderness. The wilderness represents the world that we're going through. And here in Jeremiah 9 the *habitations* of the wilderness is talking about the visible kingdom of God that has come under His judgment as they have become just like the world. And God is again weeping and wailing, lamenting at how terrible this is. And we, too, can only stand in deep sorrow, knowing only God can open their eyes to the situation as we rush ahead toward the rendezvous with Christ on the last day. And we know that won't happen through the gospels that are now being proclaimed within the churches, and they are very confident about where they are in their spiritual blindness, convinced they are true believers when they are on the threshold of eternal damnation. See [Psalm 137:1](Psalm%20137.md#^1) and the rest of that chapter for a parallel. > > "because they are burned up, so that none can pass through *them*" -- This reminds us of [Jeremiah 2:6](Jeremiah%202.md#^6). In the world, apart from Christ, no one can pass through to Christ of themselves. It's impossible. We're in a land of death ([Ps 23:4](Psalm%2023.md#^4)). The whole world is a death trap and there's only one Way out -- through the Lord Jesus. It's only because God was with national Israel as they went through the wilderness that they could live and endure there and that they could finally come out and go into the land of Canaan, and that's because God gave them the Manna from Heaven and water from the Rock. And if God is gone then the world becomes a total desolation like a desert without any water or food because God has abandoned them. So they are burned up without the water of the Gospel, without Christ there, there's no hope left there -- none, none, none. > > "neither can *men* hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone" -- Again this is language that there is total desolation there, it is destined for oblivion, they are abandoned forever. > > We see how much God is hammering this in, in verse after verse, chapter after chapter. That's how serious all of this is! This isn't something that is just incidental, philosophical or interesting. It's not just a curious matter of some kind. It's dealing with the very essence of our being, with the essence of our lives and of our relationships with God and our loved ones and so on. It is a trauma of the highest order. We should be pained to the center of our souls as we think about it. So God keeps driving away at this as we continue into verse 11. ^jer9-10 > [Jeremiah 9:11](Jeremiah%209.md#^11) note > > Jerusalem! God isn't talking about Babylon or the world here. He's talking about Jerusalem, that wonderful city that represented the local congregations throughout the New Testament period where the Gospel has been, those who had the Truth! But God will make them heaps and a den of dragons, and the cities of Judah desolate without inhabitant. Christ and salvation are no longer there, there is no more life. ^jer9-11 > [Jeremiah 9:12](Jeremiah%209.md#^12) note > > This is the question. Are there any true believers left, are there any wise? Those who are wise understand and come out from among them and weep as they consider what is going on: ([Jer 29:4](Jeremiah%2029.md#^4), [5](Jeremiah%2029.md#^5), [6](Jeremiah%2029.md#^6), [7](Jeremiah%2029.md#^7) ... [16](Jeremiah%2029.md#^16), [17](Jeremiah%2029.md#^17), [18](Jeremiah%2029.md#^18), [19](Jeremiah%2029.md#^19)). As with Jeremiah 19:16ff, those who refuse to come out are under the wrath of God as they are left to stand for judgment. > > "for what the land perishes *and* is burned up like a wilderness, that none passes through?" -- This repeats what was seen in [verse 10](Jeremiah%209.md#^10) except now it is in the form of a question: "What is the reason the land perishes and is burned up like a wilderness that none passes through?" And this question is answered in the next 2 verses that follow. But then the larger question is, "Who is wise that can understand this that he may declare it?" ^jer9-12 > [Jeremiah 9:13](Jeremiah%209.md#^13) note > > The language of the next 4 verses through verse 16 could not be any more plain than this. This explains why God's judgment has come upon the local congregations -- and upon anyone at any time for that matter. They have forsaken God's Law. God has created man in his Image and Likeness, and therefore humanity is accountable to God to obey His laws. And His laws are carefully set forth in the Bible and even in the heart of humanity ([Ro 2:14](Romans%202.md#^14), [15a](Romans%202.md#^15)). Intuitively the entire human race knows there is a God to whom they are accountable. Intuitively they know it's wrong to murder, to steal, to commit adultery and a lot of the other hideous things that people do when they freely sin. And it is therefore why God's wrath comes. But this is why it's particularly bad for the local congregations because they have the Bible, they have the written Word of God so there is no excuse. > > So in this verse comes the indictment, "Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein." -- We could say, "Look, this is not just a piece of paper. This isn't just a curious Book that you put on a pedestal and say, 'Oh look at this holy Book that we tiptoe around, isn't it wonderful.'" No, it is God's Word that is to be carefully read and to be assimilated into our conscience, something that we are to pray for understanding so that we can begin to obey it. The Bible is a very big book and is written in a way that can be easily misunderstood. Christ spoke in parables to keep those in unbelief from understanding. But this verse indicates they are not listening to the Bible, they have forsaken it and, in the process, God Himself. By fallen nature humanity does not want to have the Bible as their Authority, they want to have their own authority to determine right and wrong and what is fair or not, as we see in verse 14. ^jer9-13 > [Jeremiah 9:14](Jeremiah%209.md#^14) note > > This continues the indictment of verse 13. As we see what has happened in the theological world today, candidly and objectively they have missed the mark by a long distance. We can understand why God's judgment is on them. > > Baalim is a plural word that means "lords" (plural). It indicates a plural of false gods. No, you aren't going to find many churches, if any, that open worship a false god named Baal. But Baalim represents what they are actually worshiping as they have twisted the Bible to fit the imagination of their own hearts. Any time someone says, "Thus saith the Lord" and claims that it's from the mouth of God, if it is not actually from the Bible then effectively they are worshiping another god. They are saying it is true when it is not true. But if it is not actually from the Bible, then it has come from another source, from their own sin-infected mind. And so they have set up their own god. So any doctrine that is contrary to the Word of God does not honor God, it honors a false god. And God speaks of this as the worship of Baalim. > > If we are a true believer we have an intense desire in our heart to repeatedly check out what we believe and teach, to burn the midnight oil and compare Scripture with Scripture to be sure that we are as faithful as possible to the Word of God. We know that we have feet of clay, we know we don't come to Truth immediately and perfectly down the line. But we also know that we're ready to make correction and to keep searching out the Bible to make sure we have the Truth. But if we come to a point where we have simply accepted certain doctrines that we were taught, then we're like what we see in this verse, "and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them." If you look at modern theology today, it comes from what their fathers and theologians taught. Now that doesn't mean that those fathers or theologians weren't true believers. But we cannot just hold onto what they believed and taught as God continues to teach from His Word. We are still to constantly search the Bible and to learn from it independently from what someone else has said to make sure we have the Truth. ^jer9-14 > [Jeremiah 9:15](Jeremiah%209.md#^15) note > > Wormwood was a very bitter tasting herb that was used for de-worming a person, as a medicine. But if you ate it as a food then it would be the most terrible kind of food you'd ever want to eat, and it can be toxic in excess. And to emphasize that God associates it with the water of gall to drink, and gall is poison -- the water of poison to drink. And where does poison water come from? > > God speaks of the Gospel as the pure, living *water* from the fountain of life ([Jn 4:10](John%204.md#^10); [Rev 21:6](Revelation%2021.md#^6), [22:1](Revelation%2022.md#^1)). It is the Truth and *only* the Truth. So poison water, water of gall, would be anything that claims to be of God but is not of God (see also [Rev 8:11](Revelation%208.md#^11) which speaks of the same thing). It is false, it is a lie. This is parallel to what we read in [2 Thessalonians 2:11](2%20Thessalonians%202.md#^11) where God sends them strong delusion to believe a lie. God opens the door for Satan to come in as an angel of light to invade them with all kinds of false ideas and doctrines as a judgment of delusion. > > This is why around the 1950's and 60's there began to be an increase in all kinds of tongues, signs and wonders in many churches. While people think they are getting tighter into the Bible, instead they have been led farther and farther away from it because they're trusting in a gospel that has a different authority than the Bible alone. There are a few exceptions yet, but this has swept through a great many churches in every nation, no matter where you might go -- it has become that pervasive. God has allowed this to come in and to become poison water because they have rejected God's laws. And through this, God has been setting the stage to bring judgment upon the local congregations as we read about here. It is super horrible. ^jer9-15 > [Jeremiah 9:16](Jeremiah%209.md#^16) note > > This is typical language that God repeats again and again about the devastation and the total destruction for those within the congregations. The only hope is for those who leave and remain outside. ^jer9-16 > [Jeremiah 9:17](Jeremiah%209.md#^17), [18](Jeremiah%209.md#^18), [19](Jeremiah%209.md#^19) note > > "Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come" -- In this verse through verse 19, this is very curious language that isn't really found elsewhere in the Bible. The idea may be seen in [Matthew 9:23](Matthew%209.md#^23), [24](Matthew%209.md#^24) and in [Mark 5:38](Mark%205.md#^38), [39](Mark%205.md#^39) where the ruler's daughter had died and Christ came to raise her up. We see the minstrels and the people who were weeping and wailing and making a tumult. In the historical setting, when there is something very sad such as a funeral, there are professional wailers -- women who make it their business to assist with the weeping for the situation where death has come. And the weeping that they do induces others to weep also, the mourners break the tension and the reservation in the lives of the others there so that they also may break open with tears, as there is a certain relief in shedding tears. It helps to settle our emotions down, so there is a value in all of this. > > This verse ties back into [verse 1](Jeremiah%209.md#^1) of this chapter. What God is saying here is that the tragedy of the wrath of God coming on the congregations is so terrible and so awful that, "Oh, I could weep beyond anything I can imagine just to relieve the enormous grief that I have. Oh, that the tears that I have would just be pouring down my eyes." So that theme is picked up here in verse 17, "Call for the wailing women and let them help you so that the tears will run down your face like buckets of water as you recognize the awfulness of this tragedy." It is a recognition of grievous sorrow. > > "and send for cunning *women*, that they may come" -- The cunning, or wise, women here represent the true believers who will have an understanding of what is happening here. We see this in [verse 20](Jeremiah%209.md#^20). It's talking about these wailing, cunning women. Only the true believers will hear the Word of the LORD and teach their daughters wailing and their neighbor lamentation. God gives the true believers the true analysis and understanding of what is happening. So they are the mourning, cunning women spoken of here in this verse. ^jer9-17 > [Jeremiah 9:20](Jeremiah%209.md#^20) note > > As stated in the comment under verse 17, only the true believers will hear the Word of the LORD and teach their daughters wailing and their neighbor lamentation. God gives the true believers the true analysis and understanding of what is happening to declare it to the world and to the congregations. > > If you go to any local congregation today and try to detect if there's anyone there who has a sense of unhappiness because they know God's judgment is upon them, you won't find any. They have no sense of the tragedy they are under. The only ones who have any idea of the enormous tragedy that has happened in our day at the end of the church age are those who are spiritually wise, the true believers, as they read this in the Bible. So we are the ones who have to do the teaching and get the message out into the world, "You should be weeping, you should be sorrowing there!" It's a terrible truth but it must be taught. The church age has come to an end and God's judgment has come upon them, they need to know they are under the wrath of God and tears should be running down their faces as well as ours. We have no happiness whatsoever, no glee to feel about this because it is super terrible. ^jer9-20 > [Jeremiah 9:21](Jeremiah%209.md#^21) note > > God describes why this wailing (of vv17-20) is going on here. "For death is come up into our windows, *and* is entered into our palaces" -- That is, the death that is come is something that cannot be stopped, it is coming in every place there is an opening. It is the death of the judgment of God, the judgment of hell fire, the fact God is preparing these local congregations for the burning. And it's happening exactly as God declared that it would happen that He would send them strong delusion to believe a lie. ^jer9-21 > [Jeremiah 9:22](Jeremiah%209.md#^22) note > > The word *handful* in this verse isn't the best translation. It's really *sheaf* or *sheaves of grain*. > > Here again is the message that we must carry to the world and to the churches. God is instructing us to speak about this. > > There's a double picture here. What happens when someone dies? We quickly try to put the body out of the way because it is a rotting corpse and a reminder that death has come. And here the carcasses of men are out on the open field like manure, they're just spread around with no one to bury them to indicate that they are under the wrath of God, no one has the Truth that brings Life. > > On the other hand, as the reapers go through the field they bundle up the grain in sheaves so they can be thrown on the wagons and brought into the barn. You never leave them out on the field because it's our food supply, it's the first thing to bring into the barn once they're gathered. But here God is saying there's no one to gather them. > > So both from the standpoint of life, like the sheaves of grain would emphasize the bringing of life, there is no one to act on that behalf. And from the standpoint of death, where the bodies lie on the open field, there is nobody to act there either. It's a picture of total destruction and desolation. It's just another figure God is developing to emphasize the complete desolation that occurs and how awful it is when we are confronted by the wrath of God. ^jer9-22 > [Jeremiah 9:23](Jeremiah%209.md#^23) note > > What is the reaction of the theologians, the Bible teachers and anyone else who is not following the Word of God as the warning goes out that judgment has come upon the local congregations -- that God's wrath is being visited, that they they are on the way to judgment, that Christ has left them and they are now ruled over by Satan? They reply, "Now wait a minute. We have the wise in our congregation and in our denomination. We have theologians and the confessions." They just shake their heads in denial. They're mighty in their knowledge, standing, and in their reputation, so they are the ones they will listen to. And look at the riches that are coming in. They're able to build beautiful buildings and bowling alleys and all kinds of things for the family with all the funds that they have. But what does God say about all of this in [1 Corinthians 1:18](1%20Corinthians%201.md#^18), [19](1%20Corinthians%201.md#^19), [20](1%20Corinthians%201.md#^20), [21](1%20Corinthians%201.md#^21). > > It's very significant how in the days of Jesus, the wise were the Pharisees and the scribes, they were the theologians. The high priests and all the other priests were the ones that really knew theology. They supposedly knew where the truth was. But poor Mary, Martha, Lazarus and Mary Magdalene, and the fishermen: Peter, James and John. None of them had ever gone to school, they didn't have theological wisdom of any kind. Where were the wise? The answer is blatant, is it not? In the eyes of the world and the church of that day, the wise were the scribes and the Pharisees, yet they had no wisdom. They were so bad off that Christ Himself, the very Essence of the Gospel walked amongst them and they didn't have the slightest recognition of Who He was, they had no idea of any kind that He was truly the Messiah. Yet here is Martha cumbered about with much serving, she wasn't a great theologian at all, and yet by the grave of her brother, Lazarus, she knew that Christ would raise him up at the last day. She knew the Gospel, she was really the wise. > > And this is the problem today. When the congregations seek answers they go to the wise, to the rich, to the powerful, to those with the high reputations to direct them to truth, but they are getting no truth of any kind. ^jer9-23 > [Jeremiah 9:24](Jeremiah%209.md#^24) note > > The *only* way we can understand and know the Lord Jesus Christ is to read carefully and meditate constantly on the Word of God. It is the Bible that reveals Christ, not our theological arguments and books theologians have written. The Bible is the Fountainhead and Source of Truth. We don't have to go through anyone's filter in order to find Truth, we go directly to God in His Word. Even a little youngster who knows that God created the world understands more truth than all of the books, articles and periodicals written by scientists trying to figure out the big bang and when it occurred and all of those things to determine where the world came from. > > Of course, to know Christ means that you are a true believer who has become saved. Many people study the Bible and understand some things intellectually, but it's not really a part of their life, they are still in rebellion against God. But once we know Christ as our Savior so that we have been given a new resurrected soul in which we are energized and indwelt by God Himself, so that we have been given eternal life, only then do we truly understand and know Him. The glory is not in ourselves, it is all in Christ, God receives all of the glory. > > So here in this verse, God is saying this is the way it ought to be. While in the [previous verse](Jeremiah%209.md#^23) He is declaring that's not how it actually is -- they are trusting in their intellectual savvy and knowledge. They should be trusting and glorying in Him and in His Word alone and realize that they are bankrupt in wisdom of themselves. The only wisdom that matters is the wisdom of God. > > "I _am_ the LORD which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth:" -- A similar passage with some differences is found in [John 16:7](John%2016.md#^7), [8](John%2016.md#^8). In both instances the focus is on righteousness and judgment. But then here in Jeremiah 9:24 God focuses on His loving-kindness, whereas in John 16 the focus is on our sin. So here in Jeremiah 9:24 God says that *HE exercises* loving-kindness (or mercy), judgment and righteousness. But then in John 16:7-8 it says *He will reprove* the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. The opposite of sin is the loving-kindness and the mercy of God. And salvation is completely a free gift of His grace and mercy upon us. He exercises His loving-kindness toward those that He reproves of sin. And that's also why He says, "I am the LORD" which exercise these things. The word LORD is *Jehovah* that indicates that He is the Savior ([Is 43:11](Isaiah%2043.md#^11)) -- so He is saying, "I, your Savior, exercise loving-kindness..." > > When it comes to righteousness and judgment, God *exercises* righteousness and judgment, but He also *reproves* humanity of righteousness and judgment. Now the word judgment has to do with the law of God. The word translated judgment is a word that means law, ordinance and justice. The law demands that God's justice be done and this eventuates in the final judgment before God and it is why the Bible is the law of God with His commands, precepts, testimonies and so on. That is why the last event in the history of the world is the completion of the carrying out of His law when the unsaved are judged and found guilty before His throne and are cast into the lake of fire. It is the environment of the law and of judgment. > > And the third point is that God is absolutely righteous. He does not have 2 sets of laws, one for God and one for humanity. Christ came to fulfill the law of God and to bring judgment and justice to the world ([Jn 12:31](John%2012.md#^31)) that He might be the righteousness of God for His people. Christ was absolutely righteous or we could not have had a Savior in Him. And this is a great and wonderful blessing that identifies with God's loving-kindness and with His perfect justice. They all go together. But God reproves the world by indicating that same righteousness applies to everyone. We cannot find an escape of some kind outside of Christ. We cannot set up our own ideas of what is good or not. Not one person can have eternal life in heaven with even one sin that hasn't been accounted for in Christ or God would not be 100 percent righteous. But because Christ has made full payment on behalf of those He came to save we are absolutely assured that we are safe and secure forevermore with Him if we are His. > > "for in these *things* I delight, saith the LORD." -- God has an absolutely delight in His righteous perfection. And even as we look into the mirror of the Word of God and see that by nature we and our works are a stinking corpse of sin in comparison, we can know if we are a child of God and delight in His Word that we are safe and secure in Him. We delight to know more and more about this wonderful salvation. ^jer9-24 > [Jeremiah 9:25](Jeremiah%209.md#^25) note > > God is saying that there is a judgment day coming. And here He is saying He will pushing *all* them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised. Normally those who are circumcised represent those who sins have been covered, they have been circumcised in heart by God Himself ([De 30:6](Deuteronomy%2030.md#^6)). So once again, God isn't actually speaking about those who have become saved, but those who identify with the visible kingdom of God, the churches and congregations. > > God cannot punish those whose sins have actually been covered by Christ because Christ has already been punished on their behalf. But those who just *claim* to have a relationship with Christ but are not actually saved will indeed come under judgment. So just because you are a part of a congregation or a church indeed does not mean that you have become saved, and you cannot place your trust in that at all. And once they have fallen away from God as a visible organization as they have today and He has brought them under judgment then He is bringing the circumcised under judgment. We will see this as typified by ancient Israel in the next verse. ^jer9-25 > [Jeremiah 9:26](Jeremiah%209.md#^26) note > > When we contemplate this, it's one thing to look at Egypt who were a picture of Satan's kingdom under Pharoah. But Judah? That is the nation that Christ came from, they were the special nation of God. And they identify with the local churches and congregations, those who claim to be true believers. > > Edom, Ammon and Moab were relatives to the nation of Israel, they had a shirttail relationship to Israel. Edom is another name for Esau who was the firstborn son to Isaac and Rebekah. Ammon and Moab were sons of Abraham's nephew, Lot. In [Deuteronomy 23:2](Deuteronomy%2023.md#^2), [3](Deuteronomy%2023.md#^3) God uses Ammon and Moab in a particular way to illustrate someone who is an illegitimate son. Now, this doesn't mean that a literal illegitimate child cannot become saved at all. God is speaking spiritually here, that someone who is spiritually illegitimate is someone who is not truly saved. They are types or figures of those who remain unsaved even though they claim to be the children of God, they will be eternally outside the kingdom of God. So God is underscoring that these who have a special relationship to the kingdom of God because they identify with Abraham (a figure of God Himself) shall be punished. > > "for all *these* nations *are* uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel *are* uncircumcised in the heart." -- If we were to read this as-is we would have to conclude that nobody can become saved. If all the nations and *all* of the house of Israel -- all those who claim to be believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, spiritually speaking -- are uncircumcised in heart then there is no one that is saved. An expansion of this is seen in [Jeremiah 25:15](Jeremiah%2025.md#^15), [16](Jeremiah%2025.md#^16), [17](Jeremiah%2025.md#^17), [18](Jeremiah%2025.md#^18), [19](Jeremiah%2025.md#^19), [20](Jeremiah%2025.md#^20), [21](Jeremiah%2025.md#^21) ... [26](Jeremiah%2025.md#^26), [27](Jeremiah%2025.md#^27). There we see God's judgment on the world, first beginning with Jerusalem and Judah before going out into the other nations. And we see now how long ago God has taken His restraint off of the churches and off of the world, as He has given them over to delusion and all kinds of unspeakable wickedness. ^jer9-26 Tags: #Old_Testament #Jeremiah #Gods_judgment_on_His_people #FSI