JEREMIAH 22 A
LORD gives Zedekiah a message verse 1- 5
Thus says the LORD
Go down to the house of the king of Judah
and speak these words
And say
Hear the word of the LORD – O king of Judah
that sits upon the throne of David – you – your servants
your people that enter in by these gates
Thus says the LORD
Execute you judgment and righteousness
and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor
and do no wrong – do no violence to the
stranger – fatherless – widow
neither shed innocent blood
in this place
For if you do this thing indeed
then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings
sitting upon the throne of David
riding in chariots and on horses
he- his servants – his people
But if you will not hear these words
I swear by MYSELF – says the LORD
that this house shall become a desolation
LORD gives message regarding royal palace verse 6- 7
For thus says the LORD to the king’s house of Judah
You are Gilead to ME – and the head of Lebanon
yet surely, I will make you a wilderness
and cities which are not inhabited
And I will prepare destroyers against you
every one with his weapons
and they shall cut down your choice cedars
and cast them into the fire
Nations will ask why destruction verse 8- 9
And many nations shall pass by this city
and they shall say every man to his neighbor
Wherefore has the LORD done thus
to this great city?
THEN
they shall answer
BECAUSE they have forsaken
the covenant of the LORD their God
and worshiped other gods
and served them
LORD gives message regarding King Shallum verse 10- 12
Weep you not for the dead – neither bemoan him
BUT weep sore for him that goes away
for he shall return no more
nor see his native country
For thus says the LORD touching
Shallum son of Josiah king of Judah
which reigns instead of Josiah his father
which went forth out of this place
he shall not return thither any more
BUT he shall die in the place
whither they have led him captive
and shall see this land no more
LORD has message for King Jehoiakim verse 13- 17
Woe unto him that builds his house by unrighteousness
and his chambers by wrong
that uses his neighbor’ service without wages
and gives him not for his work
that says
I will build me a wide house and large chambers
and cut him out windows
and it is ceiled with cedar
and painted with vermillion
Shall you reign – because you closes yourself in cedar?
did not your father eat and drink
and do judgment and justice
and then it was well with him?
he judged the cause of the poor and needy
THEN it was well with him
was not this to know ME?
says the LORD
BUT your eyes and your heart are not
but for your covetousness
and for to shed innocent blood
and for oppression
and for violence – to do it
LORD gives judgment of King Jehoiakim verse 18- 19
THEREFORE thus says the LORD concerning
Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah
They shall not lament for him – saying
Ah my brother! Or – Ah sister!
they shall not lament for him – saying
Ah lord! Or – Ah his glory!
He shall be buried with the burial of an ass
drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem
LORD states that no help is coming verse 20
Go up to Lebanon – and cry
and lift up your voice in Bashan
and cry from the passages
for all your lovers are destroyed
LORD sent warning to no avail verse 21- 23
I spoke to you in your prosperity
BUT you said – I will not hear
This has been your manner from your youth
that you obeyed not MY voice
The wind shall eat up all your pastors
and your lovers shall go into captivity
surely then shall you
be ashamed and confounded
for all your wickedness
O inhabitant of Lebanon
that makes thy nest in the cedars
how gracious shall you be
when pangs come upon you
the pain as of a woman in travail?
LORD gives message to King Jehoiachin verse 24- 27
As I live – says the LORD – though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim
king of Judah were the signet upon MY right hand
YET would I pluck you thence
I will give you into the hand of them that seek your life
and into the hand of them whose face you fear
even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar
king of Babylon
and into the hand of the Chaldeans
I will cast you out – and the mother that bare you
into another country – where you were not born
and there shall you die
BUT to the land whereunto they desire to return
thither shall they not return
LORD gives reason for judgment verse 28- 30
Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol?
Is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure?
WHEREFORE are they cast out – he and his seed
and are cast into the land which they know not?
O earth – earth – earth
hear the word of the LORD
Thus says the LORD
Write you this man childless
a man that shall not prosper in his days
for no man of his seed shall prosper
sitting upon the throne of David
and ruling any more in Judah
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates! The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). 8085 שָׁמַע, שֶׁמַע [shamaʿ /shaw·mah/] – to hear with attention or interest, listen to, to understand.)
DEVOTION: God instructed Jeremiah to go down from the temple to the king’s palace. His message to the king and to the officials and people who were there was for them to do what is just and right.
[The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 1156.] We are now in a time in our country (USA) of beginning to select the next president. As primaries and debates begin to take place people are listening and being attentive to the words that the different candidates are saying. We are living in a culture right now where the public is very skeptical of our leadership, not only in the White House but also, in almost every elected position. The unwillingness by elected officials to do the message of what Jeremiah instructed the king of Israel is also impacting our elected officials. When the principles of truth and integrity become optional and lies and deceptive practices become normal it also becomes normal for the public to doubt and no longer believe leadership. For Israel, God spoke clearly that a conqueror would come and gave his name. We may not have that information but God’s ways do not change! If leadership executes proper judgment and righteousness then the people will respond with submission and respect. When the oppressor and wrong doer is punished then government will be stable. May our leadership listen and learn from Jeremiah’s words to the king of Israel.
CHALLENGE: We need to intercede for all forms of leadership today. From the lowest level to the elected officials in Government all need to examine and execute what Jeremiah outlines. Pray for your church, community, state and federal leadership. Pray for the police, school, employers and other leaders that you are familiar with as well. Also pray for the attitudes and emotions of those that threaten to overstep their authority.
(Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 13 Woe unto him that build his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that uses his neighbor’s service without wages, and gives him not for his work; (2600 “without wages” [chinnam] means without cause, for nothing, careless, without cost, freely, gratis, or without compensation.
DEVOTION: The kings of Judah could force people into labor for free. They built fancy homes at the expense of the people they were supposed to be protecting from evil doers. The problem was that they were the ones doing the evil.
The LORD warned these kings through HIS prophets. They were building their houses on sand. They would not stand up in the times of trials. They were not obeying the LORD. They were not protecting HIS people. They were only thinking of themselves.
The LORD told them to execute proper judgment which protected the poor and needy. HE also told them to act righteously. They only wanted to do what was pleasing in their eyes.
The warning was issued again and again. The kings established the worship of false gods. They had forsaken God’s covenant. They only wanted big houses and a lot of money.
It is sad that a parent can raise a son and he dishonors his father by worshiping a false god. The chapter covers four sons who became king but didn’t honor the LORD.
Now we find that good parents can have bad children. We are raising a generation of children that have been given very little if any discipline in their life. Their teachers tell them they don’t have to obey their parents. The system is teaching the opposite of God’s Word. They want to cause the children to believe that the Bible is an ancient book that doesn’t apply today. We have matured beyond the Bible.
It is a lie that will bring judgment on each nation that teaches these lies. The problem is that the majority of people are blinded by the fact that they are dead in trespasses and sins and can’t see truth when it is presented to them. Jeremiah was presenting truth to the kings but they would not listen. God pronounced judgment and it will happen.
CHALLENGE: Obey the LORD’S commandments regarding our treatment of others. Our ministry is to be encouragers of others.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. (776 “earth” [’erets] means to be firm, country, field, ground, land, or world.
DEVOTION: This chapter challenges four of the kings of Judah. Jeremiah is warning the sons and grandson of the righteous king Josiah. Each one has to answer to the LORD for his actions. Each one didn’t lead his people to follow the LORD. Instead they followed the example of the ten tribes that went into captivity.
The LORD said their captivity was coming. HE advised them to change their ways. They made the choice to not follow HIM. They oppressed their neighbors. They oppressed the fatherless and widows. They did the opposite of what the LORD wanted.
In reading this chapter, we find that the LORD is longsuffering toward HIS people. This verse uses the word “land” three times for emphasis. Some think this is in regard to the three kings that were before Zedekiah. Some think that the LORD is warning the people regarding their leadership. Others think that the LORD is emphasizing HIS reason for judgment on the land. They would not hear HIS words through Jeremiah but nevertheless; they were going to come true.
This is still true today. HE wants us obey HIS word. HE wants us to listen to what has happened because of disobedience in the past. HE wants us to see that if we repent and turn from our wicked ways as a nation, HE can bless us. Our country needs to listen to the LORD. Are our ears open to the LORD? Are we hearing HIS warnings???
The land was promised to the children of Israel since the days of Abraham. It was a land that flowed with milk and honey. The children of Israel had to wait until the iniquity of the Amorites was full before they could take over the land. God judged the land through the nation of Israel. Now HE was judging the land through the king of Babylon because the iniquity of Israel was full. However, there is a promise of a future return of the land to Israel during the Millennial reign of Christ.
CHALLENGE: As we read through the historical books of the Old Testament we are to learn how God works and why HE does what HE does to HIS people when they sin. If we learn, we can avoid judgment. Be a learner.
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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)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1, 2, 29
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1- 3, 5, 6, 8,, 9, 11, 16, 18, 24, 29, 30
LORD says to king verse 3
Execute judgment and righteousness
Deliver the spoils out of the hand of the
oppressor
Do no wrong
Do no violence to the stranger, fatherless,
nor the widow
Neither shed innocent blood in this place
Judgment of God verse 5- 9
You are Gilead to ME
I will make you a wilderness
and cities which are not inhabited
I will prepare destroyers against you
everyone with his weapons
and they shall cut down
and cast them into the fire
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 9
LORD their God verse 9
Thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakem verse 18-19
the son of Josiah king of Judah
they shall not lament him
he shall be buried with the burial of an ass
drawn and cast forth beyond the
gates of Jerusalem
LORD says concerning Coniah
son of Jehoiakim – king of Judah verse 24- 28
I will pluck you away
I will give you of them that
seek your life
Into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar
king of Babylon
Into hand of the Chaldeans
I will cast you into another country
and you will die there
called him a despised broken idol
Word of the LORD – O earth, earth, earth verse 29
Thus says the LORD verse 30
write you this man childless
man shall not prosper
no man of his seed shall prosper
not sit on the throne of David
not rule any more in Judah
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)
Stranger verse 3
Fatherless verse 3
Widow verse 3
Lebanon verse 6, 20, 23
Neighbor verse 8, 13
Wherefore has the LORD done this
to this great city?
Bashan verse 20
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon verse 25
Chaldeans verse 25
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Oppressor verse 3, 17
Doing wrong verse 3, 13
Violence verse 3, 17
Shed innocent blood verse 3, 17
Not hear God’s Word verse 5
Forsaking God’s covenant verse 9
Worship false gods verse 9
Served false gods verse 9
Build house in unrighteousness verse 13
Build chambers by wrong verse 13
Not paying wages to workers verse 13
Covetousness verse 17
Shed innocent blood verse 17
Love wrong verse 20
Obey not verse 21
False pastors verse 22
False lovers verse 22
Wickedness verse 23
Fear verse 25
Idol verse 28
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Execute judgment verse 3, 15
Execute righteousness verse 3, 16
Deliver out of oppressors verse 3
Do no wrong verse 3
Do no violence verse 3
Hear the Word of the LORD verse 5, 21, 29
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jeremiah verse 1- 30
Go down to the house of the
king of Judah
Say: Hear the word of the LORD
I swear by MYSELF
that this house shall become
a desolation
Told to not weep for the dead, neither
bemoan him- but weep sore for
him that goes away: for he shall
return no more, nor see his native
country
Told to go and cry against Lebanon
Lift up voice in Bashan
Cry from the passages
for all your lovers
are destroyed
I spoke of to you in your prosperity
but you would not hear
Throne of David verse 2, 4, 30
King’s house in Judah verse 6
Reason the LORD has done this to Judah:
Because they have forsaken the
covenant of the LORD their God verse 9
Shallum the son of Josiah – king of Judah verse 11, 12
He shall not return to Jerusalem any more
He shall die in the place where they
take him and not see this land again
Message to Jehoiakim verse 13- 22
father judged cause of poor and needy
his eyes and heart are not but for your
covetousness
shed innocent blood
oppression and violence
told Jeremiah he would not hear
wind will eat up all your pastors
lovers shall go into captivity
shall be ashamed and confounded for
his wickedness
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
As people from other nations saw the destruction of this magnificent structure, they would ask … why God had done such a thing. The answer was simple. God had judged the city because the people had forsaken the covenant and had worshiped … other gods. God had judged the people with His promised curses because of their disobedience. (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Jeremiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1156). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Ver. 9. Then they shall answer, &c.] Or, it shall be answered; by some in company, acquainted with the history of this people: because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God; the Lord was the God of these people; he chose them for his peculiar people, and distinguished them by his favours from others; a covenant was made with them, in which many good things were promised them upon their obedience; this was kept by him, but forsaken and broken by them; they forsook their covenant-God, his law and his worship; and that was the cause of their ruin: and worshipped other gods, and served them; the idols of the people, as the Targum; they left the true God, who had done great and good things for them, and worshipped those who were only gods by name, and not by nature; and served stocks and stones, the vanities of the Gentiles, who could not bestow one good thing on them; such were their stupidity and ingratitude, and therefore very justly given up to destruction. This seems to refer, as Cocceius thinks, not to the first destruction of the city by Nebuchadnezzar, when it had not so clear and full an accomplishment; but to the second destruction of it by the Romans, and the times following that; when the Gospel being preached among the Gentiles, they had a better understanding of the true God, and of his covenant, and of the vanity of idolatry, and of the state of the Jewish nation, and the religion of it, and of the true causes of their ruin. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, pp. 520–521). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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6–9. Nothing can be more tender and endearing on the part of God, to shew his reluctancy to punish. Comparing his city, and his people, to Gilead, and Lebanon, are striking expressions. Gilead and Lebanon were very lovely and flourishing: but the most lovely places, if brought under God’s displeasure, soon become a wilderness. Reader! think what a Gilead and Lebanon was our nature before sin marred it. Oh! what a desolation by sin! The world, the Lord saith, shall look with astonishment, on the change wrought on his people and city: is this Zion whom no man regardeth? Precious Lord Jesus, what an eternal state of ruin to our nature must have taken place, hadst thou not interposed for our recovery, by the sacrifice of thyself! Reader! who would believe the possibility of Israel changing their glory, had not scripture declared it, and for the love and reverence of Jehovah, have given their affection to dunghill idols? (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: Proverbs–Lamentations (Vol. 5, p. 604). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
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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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Because Christ extended His grace to us, we are warned not to have a haughty opinion of ourselves. It is important that we have the right evaluation of ourselves, recognizing that we all have different functions within the body of Christ. And we are not in competition; we are member of one another, just as the various parts of the human body do their individual tasks for the good of the whole body.
Since we have all received spiritual gifts according to the grace given to us, we are called to exercise our gifts in agreement with the faith. In other words, we should be building up one another. (July 24, Living The New Testament by Paul Enns)
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Research shows that only 1 in 5 people use a monthly budget. Unfortunately, that has resulted in some sobering financial problems. For example, U.S. families today carry $2.1 trillion in debt, up from $351.9 billion in the late 1970s. In fact, about 50 percent of families spend $2,500 to $5,000 a month on debt payments. And savings are at an all-time low, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Analysis. We tuck away only 1.2 percent of our income. (Focus on the Family)
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Jesus tells three parables to demonstrate the quality and quantity of God’s love for sinners.
INSIGHT
Many things about God are difficult to understand. But there is one thing about God which is easy to understand. He earnestly longs for the lost to be saved. In the parable of the lost sheep, we see a God who is willing to leave the multitudes to seek just one which is lost. In the parable of the lost coin, we see a God who will move heaven and earth to find a prized possession. In the parable of the prodigal son, we see a God who rejoices with great joy when a lost one comes home.
As Christians, we should not let that which we don’t know cloud that which we do know. We must focus on the roses rather than the thorns. God loves the sinner, and on that, we can rest.
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“FOR THEIR SAKES”
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
John 17:19
This wonderful statement tells us what led Christ to do all He did for us. It is all here! “For their sakes I sanctify myself.” If only we could see this. This is the thing that leads to sanctification. “For their sakes,” He says, He is going to do all this. Who are these people for whom He does it? Enemies of God and therefore enemies of Christ, self-willed creatures, people who listen to Satan rather than to God, people who deliberately believe the lies against God, people who have set themselves up and put their own wills and desires against the will of God, people who delight in evil, who are full of malice, envy, lust, and passion—you and I, as we were in sin and in evil, as the result of the Fall.
“For their sakes.” We must recognize, guilty sinners as we are, that it is for us that He has done all this. “I sanctify myself,” says the eternal Son of God, the holy and pure One, the blameless and spotless One, the One whose supreme joy was to do the will of His Father. Can you imagine a greater contrast than that between “they” and “I”? And yet He says, “I sanctify myself,” which not only means the totality of His personality, but also that He did it voluntarily and willingly.
There was nothing in us to recommend this; there was no motive that could arise from anything in us. Man in sin is so condemned and hopeless that he does not want to be saved or even ask to be. No request ever went out from man to God for salvation; it has come entirely from God. “Here am I,” says our Lord.“Send Me.”
A Thought to Ponder: Man in sin is so condemned and hopeless that he does not want to be saved or even ask to be. (From Sanctified Through the Truth, pp. 42-43, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Everlasting Mercy of God
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalm 136:1)
God’s mercy is a monumental theme in Scripture. The English word appears some 341 times in the Bible. The four Hebrew and three Greek words appear a total of 454 times and are also translated by “kindness,” “lovingkindness,” “goodness,” “favor,” “compassion,” and “pity.” Of the 66 books of the Bible, only 16 do not use one of the words for mercy. Even though “mercy” is an important concept, it is somewhat difficult to prescribe a definition for it, especially since “grace” is occasionally coupled with it.
In the first reference where “mercy” is used, Lot has just been expelled from Sodom by the angels of judgment. In spite of the command by the angels that Lot and his daughters “escape to the mountain,” Lot begs: “Oh, not so, my Lord: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life, . . . this city is near . . . Oh, let me escape thither” (Genesis 19:17-20). And later, the New Testament saints are told to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). In these and other such passages, the two terms appear to address similar subjects.
However similar they may appear to be, these words are not synonyms. “Grace” is most often associated with the sovereign dispensation of totally undeserved favor, and it is specifically connected to salvation. “Mercy” is more often connected to the withholding of judgment: “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment” (James 2:13).
Set aside some time today to read and meditate on this psalm. You will find the day less wearisome if you do. (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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