JEREMIAH 10
Don’t worry about predictions of false gods verse 1- 5
Hear you the word which the LORD speaks to you
O house of Israel
Thus says the LORD
Learn not the way of the heathen
and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven
for the heathen are dismayed at them
For the customs of the people are vain
for one cuts a tree out of the forest
the work of the hands of the workman
with an ax
They deck it with silver and with gold
they fasten it with nails and with hammers
that it move not
They are upright as the palm tree
BUT speak not
they must needs be borne
BECAUSE they cannot go
Be not afraid of them – for they cannot do evil
neither is it in them to do good
LORD is King of nations verse 6- 7
Forasmuch as there is none like unto YOU – O LORD
YOU are great – and YOUR name is great in might
Who would not fear YOU – O King of nations?
for to YOU does it appertain
forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations
and in all their kingdoms
there is none like to YOU
LORD is the only true God verse 8- 10
BUT they are altogether brutish and foolish
the stock is a doctrine of vanities
silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish
and gold from Uphaz
the work of the workman
and of the hands of the founder
blue and purple is their clothing
they are all the work of cunning men
BUT the LORD is the true God – HE is the living God
and an everlasting king – at HIS wrath the earth shall tremble
and the nations shall not be able to abide HIS indignation
LORD is Creator of the world verse 11- 16
Thus shall you say unto them
The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth
even they shall perish from the earth
and from under these heavens
HE has made the earth by HIS power
HE has established the world by HIS wisdom
and has stretched out the heavens
by HIS discretion
WHEN HE utters HIS voice
there is a multitude of waters in the heavens
and HE causes the vapors to ascend
from the ends of the earth
HE makes lightnings with rain
and brings forth the wind out of HIS treasures
Every man is brutish in his knowledge
every founder is confounded by the graven image
for his molten image is falsehood
and there is no breath in them
They are vanity – and the work of errors
in the time of their visitation they shall perish
The portion of Jacob is not like them
for HE is the former of all things
and Israel is the rod of HIS inheritance
The LORD of hosts is HIS name
LORD instructs people to pack their bags verse 17- 18
Gather up your wares out of the land – O inhabitant of the fortress
for thus says the LORD – BEHOLD
I will sling out the inhabitants of the land
at this once and will distress them
that they may find it so
Description of coming judgment verse 19- 22
WOE is ME for MY hurt – MY wound is grievous – but I said
Truly this is a grief – and I must bear it
MY tabernacle is spoiled – and all MY cords are broken
MY children are gone forth of ME – they are not
there is none to stretch forth MY tent any more
and to set up MY curtains
For the PASTORS are become brutish
they have not sought the LORD
THEREFORE they shall not prosper
and all their flocks shall be scattered
BEHOLD – the noise of the bruit is come
and a great commotion out of the north country
to make the cities of Judah desolate
and a den of dragons
Jeremiah’s prayer verse 23- 25
O LORD – I know that the way of man is not in himself
it is not in man that walks to direct his steps
O LORD – correct me – BUT with judgment
not in YOUR anger – lest YOU bring me to nothing
Pour out YOUR fury upon the heathen that know YOU not
and upon the families that call not on YOUR name
for they have eaten up Jacob – and devoured him
and consumed him
and have made his habitation desolate
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. (571 “true” [emeth] means firmness, faithfulness, truth, reliability, sureness, stability, or honesty.)
DEVOTION: Jeremiah continues to relay the message the LORD wants the people of Judah to hear. As we look back at the chapters we have covered in this book we see that the list of sins that the people of Judah were committing are long. The list keeps growing. They don’t want to listen to Jeremiah or the LORD. They are satisfied with the way they are living their life. They are blocking out any negative message from the LORD and only hearing what they want to hear.
We again have a description of how they build their idols and how they have to transport them around on their shoulders or by other methods. We find that they spend a lot of money to build these idols. There are individuals who make a living by building these idols.
Jeremiah states that there is only one reliable God in the universe. HE is the God that created the universe. HE is faithful to HIS people. HE is a living God that doesn’t need to be carried by those who worship HIM. HE is an everlasting King. Those who understand HIS power tremble before HIM. HIS anger is something that those around don’t want to have to deal with in their life.
Even with this description by Jeremiah the people don’t seem to care. HE is the king of nations. HE wants them to learn about HIM and how HE works in the world. HE continually sent messengers to give the people warning of HIS coming judgment. HE continually gives a message of hope to those who will listen.
Today we have the same message. It is a message of hope to those who will listen. HE still is the only reliable God in our world. There are many false gods being presented by false cults and even in some churches that claim to be followers of Jesus Christ but their message is not the message of the Word of God.
God is still speaking. God is still on the throne. HE is working HIS plan for the universe. HE is long-suffering but one day judgment is going to fall on this world and those who reject HIS message will stand in HIS presence to give an answer to the question of why they didn’t listen to HIS faithful servants.
We need to be faithful servants to the LORD. We need to spread HIS message of HOPE in Jesus Christ. We have to believe that HE is the only way to heaven. IF we doubt the message it will be meaningless to those we share it with. Know what you believe.
CHALLENGE: Get hold of the concept that there is only one true God in the Universe. HE is the God of the Bible. HE will save those who will believe. Settle this issue in your heart and it will come alive to spreading HIS message to your world.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 21 For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered. (1197 “brutish” [ba’ar] means behave senseless, turn out to be stupid, dull-hearted.
DEVOTION: This word is used three times in this chapter, in verses 8 and 14 and here. The leaders of the people were leading the people of God astray. They were allowing them to worship gods made with hands, out of wood.
This only scattered the people away from God and caused God to have to come and judge them. These are both the political and religious leaders according to Lamentations 4: 13. They were individuals who didn’t care to consult the LORD regarding what they should do. They were not prospering and didn’t think anything of it.
Their people were moving away from them but they didn’t care. They were dull-hearted. They were plainly only thinking of themselves. They really didn’t care about anyone else.
We need to be sure that we are worshipping only God and not the things that are made with HIS hands. Today we have a people looking for leadership and finding none.
Our theologians are confusing the people in the pews with all the latest fads. Our people are starting to believe in a limited God. They are not sure that Christ’s death on the cross was for our benefit.
We need to teach them the truth of verse ten – Our God is the only TRUE God. HE is the only LIVING God. HE is the only EVERLASTING King. HE made the earth and all that is in it. Any substituting of a limited God is HERESY.
We need people who are willing to work at their relationship with God. They have to study the Word and understand the Bible’s teachings. They have to serve the LORD with their gifts. They have to invite others to come into a relationship with HIM.
Are we all doing these things? Or are we being leaders like those who were leading Israel into captivity and judgment?
CHALLENGE: There are many people in our world who think they are too smart to believe in the One God of the Bible. Realize that they are working for the enemy. Work with all your heart for the LORD. Find a good Biblical leader and encourage him today.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 24 O LORD, correct me, but with justice; not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). Correct – AV translates as “chastise 21 instruct” eight times, “correct” seven times. To chasten, discipline, instruct, admonish.
Devotion: Jeremiah now concludes his temple address with a prayer and pleads with the Lord that His correction be done in justice not in anger. Many times the Psalmist recognized that the Lord was powerful and could reduce man to nothing as well (Ps. 6:1; 38:1; 79:6-7) The people that knew God intimately, repeatedly, feared for their people when the anger of God was aroused. In His justice God would judge the people fairly and with patience and leniency! In his anger He could consume the nation as He threatened to in Exodus 32:10. If not for Moses’ intercession the people would have been destroyed and perhaps here, if not for Jeremiah, the people would have experienced a greater judgment.
Jeremiah stood in the gap between God and the people of Judah just as Moses did in Exodus! We are called to people who will stand in the gap as well. To intercede when wicked and rebellious children of God desire to do their own thing instead of God’s will. Jeremiah prayed with the people as Nehemiah did and accepted the judgment alongside the rebellious and wicked people. Like Jeremiah we have family and friends that claim to be believers but they are not living anything like Christ, but are we praying for or accusing them!
Application: Today take a moment to remind yourself where you have been in life. Were you rebellious and insensitive to the Lord and His word? Have you, in the past, turned your back to the ways of God? I am thankful that you have returned but take a moment to be sensitive to where your brother or sister is and pray for them instead of being critical! Sure they should know better but don’t be their judge just their prayer warrior! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Jeremiah prays for Judah verse 23- 24
Jeremiah prays for enemy’s judgment verse 25
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Tabernacle verse 20
Tent verse 20
Curtains verse 20
Pastors verse 20
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word which the LORD speaks verse 1
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 2, 6, 10, 16, 18, 21, 23, 24
Name of God is great verse 6
King of Nations verse 7
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 10
True God verse 10
Living God verse 10
Everlasting King verse 10
Wrath of God verse 10
Creator verse 11- 13, 16
LORD of hosts verse 16
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Heathen verse 2, 25
Tarshish verse 9
Uphaz verse 9
Nations verse 10
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Way of the heathen verse 2
Signs of heaven verse 2
Dismayed verse 2
Customs of the people verse 3
Building false gods verse 3- 5, 9, 11, 14, 15
Afraid verse 5
Evil verse 5
Brutish verse 8, 14, 21
Foolish verse 8
Doctrine of vanities verse 8
Confounded verse 14
Falsehood verse 14
Leaders not seeking the LORD verse 21
Leaders scattering their flocks verse 21
Way of man verse 23
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Hear the LORD verse 1
Do good verse 5
Fear of the LORD verse 7
Wise verse 7
Inheritance verse 16
Pastors verse 21
Seek the LORD verse 21
Correction verse 24
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
House of Israel verse 1, 16
Jacob verse 16, 25
Cities of Judah verse 22
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
Jeremiah placed a major share of responsibility on the rulers (“shepherds”) for Judah’s calamity. It is unlikely that “shepherds” here are false prophets, even though it was said that they did “not inquire of the Lord,” a function of prophets. Rulers also inquired of the Lord (3:15; 21:1–2; 38:14). Their failure to seek the Lord would result in the scattering of the people, like a flock without a shepherd (Ezek 34:5–6; Zech 10:1–3). Invasion was already on its way from the north. Shepherds of Christ’s church who attempt to lead without seeking the Lord’s guidance and help are not only foolish but harmful to their flocks (Acts 20:27–32; 1 Pet 5:1–4). (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 129). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
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Jeremiah pointed out the reason for this disaster: the shepherds (political and spiritual leaders; KJV “pastors”) didn’t seek the Lord but instead led the people astray (Jer. 10:21). The judgment came “for the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests” (Lam. 4:13). A nation went into captivity because their leaders forsook the true and living God. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (p. 51). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Ver. 21. “The pastors are become brutish,” &c. “As sheep must either starve or be led to filthy and poisonous pasture, if their shepherds are fools, who do not know how to manage sheep; so is this much more the case in the spiritual pastorate.”—Cramer.
“The cause of this calamity is that the shepherds, i.e., the princes and leaders of the people, are become “brutish,” have “not sought Jehovah,” i.e., have not sought wisdom and guidance from the Lord. And so they could not “deal wisely,” i.e., rule the people with wisdom. “Prosper” is not here, have prosperity, but show wisdom, deal wisely, securing thus the blessed results of wisdom.”— (Keil (Jellie, W. H. (1892). Jeremiah (p. 223). New York; London; Toronto: Funk & Wagnalls Company.)
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How graphic is the language of ver. 21, descriptive of the decimating plague following the horrors of war: “Death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without and the young men from the streets.” In such a world as this, how strange that a man should glory in the fleeting things of time and sense! Yet how needful to our souls ever to keep in mind the verses following: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might; let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exerciseth loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord” (vers. 23, 24). (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (p. 53). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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21 For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord:
therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.
The pastors are become brutish; not that the prophet takes off all blame from the people, but that he layeth it chiefly upon the rulers of church and state; for so is pastor taken frequently. See chap. 23:1–3. And have not sought the Lord; not sought unto him, and taken him into their counsels. Therefore they shall not prosper: the prophet gives the reason why nothing went well with them, namely, because there was no regard had to godliness, without which we cannot expect a blessing upon any thing. All their flocks shall be scattered, i.e. all that have been committed to their care shall be carried unto Babylon, and divers of them dispersed abroad into several countries for their sakes. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 532). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
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Ver. 21. For the pastors are become brutish, &c.] The kings of Judah, so the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, as Jehoiakim and Zedekiah; though it need not be restrained to these only, but may include all inferior civil magistrates, and even all ecclesiastical rulers, who were the shepherds of the people; but these being like the brute beasts, and without understanding of civil and religious things, and not knowing how to govern the people either in a political or ecclesiastical way, were the cause of their ruin. And have not sought the Lord; this is an instance of their brutishness and stupidity, and opens the source of all their mistakes and misfortunes; they did not seek the Lord for counsel, by whom kings reign well, and princes decree justice; nor doctrine from the Lord, as the Targum, as the priests and prophets should have done, in order to instruct the people, and feed them with knowledge and understanding; nor did either of them seek the glory of God in what they did, but their own interest, worldly advantage, or applause: therefore they shall not prosper; in their kingdom, and in the several offices and stations in which they were. Some render the words, therefore they don’t act prudently; not consulting the Lord, nor warning the people, nor giving them notice of approaching danger: and all their flocks shall be scattered; the people of the Jews that were under their government, civil or ecclesiastical, should be dispersed in several nations, and especially in Chaldee; wherefore it follows: (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 462). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Matthew 6 Jesus teaches His followers concerning prayer and personal treasures.
INSIGHT
We cannot fool God. It is impossible to put something over on Someone who is omniscient. We can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time. But not God. Jesus says, “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them”(Matthew 6:1).
It is easy for us to fall into the trap of living our Christian lives for the sake of other Christians. We should be living it for the sake of our relationship with the Lord. We may find ourselves going to church, singing the songs, and going through the motions but spending no time cultivating a personal relationship with the Lord. Such a relationship does not come easily. It requires commitment and time.
But we must not fool ourselves, either. The Lord does not want merely our church attendance or other external actions. He wants us! (Quiet Walk)
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LOVED BY THE FATHER AND THE SON
I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world.
John 17:6
Consider the place we occupy in the interest and love of the Father and the Son. I confess that I am almost overwhelmed when I think of this. I so often spend my time, as I am sure many of you do, wondering why it is that I do not experience more of the love of God; why God does not, as it were, love me more and do things for me. What a terrible thing that is! The trouble is that I do not realize His love for me—that is my difficulty. People often say, “I feel my love for God is so small.” Quite right, I say the same thing myself:
Lord, it is my chief complaint,
That my love is weak and faint.
William Cowper
That is true, but the best cure is not to try to do things within yourself and work up some love from the depths of your being. The way to love God is to begin to know God’s love to you, and this doctrine is the high road to that love. Before time, before the creation of the world, He set His eye upon you, He set His affection upon you; you were marked, you were already put among His people. And all that has been done, all the person and the work of Christ, all this manifestation of His ineffable love, was done because of God’s love to you. Therefore, realize His interest in you. The God who has loved you to the extent of sending His only begotten Son to endure and to suffer all that for you loves you with a love that you will never understand, a love that passes knowledge. If we but knew God’s love to us, it would revolutionize our lives.
A Thought to Ponder: The way to love God is to begin to know God’s love to you.
(From Safe in the World, pp. 41-42, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Messages from the Messiah’s Life: The Paralytic at Bethesda
“Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.” (John 5:2-3)
Bethesda combines two Hebrew words to mean “house of kindness” or “house of mercy.” The pool was famous for an angel who supposedly infused healing in the waters. Lying among the many afflicted people was a man who’d had an infirmity for 38 years (John 5:5). After Jesus healed him, he was told to “sin no more” (John 5:14), which may indicate he had injured himself and become socially outcast and friendless.
When Jesus asked him if he wanted to be “made whole,” he told Jesus, “Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me” (John 5:7). From all appearances, he was abandoned, helpless, and hopeless.
Then, without any further questioning to see if this man had faith, had any civic value or religious inclinations, in simple grace and mercy, “Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked” (John 5:8-9).
Paralysis is usually the result of serious damage to the nervous system, not repairable in most cases. Muscles atrophy, weaken, stiffen, and lose material. Christ’s healing involved an instant creation, overriding the first and second laws of thermodynamics and restoring full function and strength.
Rather than rejoicing, the leaders of Judah wanted to kill Jesus “because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God” (John 5:18). HMM III
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