JEREMIAH 25A
Timing of message given verse 1
The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah
in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah
that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon
Twenty- three years with no response verse 2- 3
The which Jeremiah the prophet spoke unto all the people of Judah
and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem – saying
From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah
even unto this day – that is the three and twentieth year
the word of the LORD hath come unto me
and I have spoken unto you rising early and speaking
BUT ye have not hearkened
Message: Turn from evil verse 4- 7
And the LORD hath sent unto you all HIS servants the prophets
rising early and sending them
BUT ye have not hearkened – nor inclined your ear to hear
They said
Turn you again now every one from his evil way
and from the evil of your doings
and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given
unto you and to your fathers forever and ever
Go not after other gods to serve them – worship them
provoke ME not to anger with the works of your hands
and I will do you no hurt
YET you have not hearkened unto ME – says the LORD
that you might provoke ME to anger with the
works of your hand to your OWN HURT
LORD sending king of Babylon verse 8- 11
THEREFORE thus says the LORD of hosts
BECAUSE you have not heard MY words
BEHOLD I will send and take all the families of the north
says the LORD
AND Nebuchadrezzar – king of Babylon – MY servant
and will bring them against this land
and against the inhabitants thereof
and against all these nations round about
and will utterly destroy them
and make them an
astonishment – hissing
and perpetual desolations
MOREOVER I will take from them the voice of
mirth – gladness – bridegroom – bride
the sound of the millstones the light of the candle
AND this whole land shall be a desolation – and an astonishment
AND these nations shall serve the king of Babylon
SEVENTY YEARS
LORD promises future judgment of Babylon verse 12- 14
And it shall come to pass when SEVENTY YEARS are accomplished
that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation
says the LORD – for their iniquity
and the land of the Chaldeans
and will make it perpetual desolations
And I will bring upon the land all MY words which I have
pronounced against it EVEN all that is written in this book
which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations
For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also
and I will recompense them according to their deeds
and according to the work of their own hands
LORD gives Jeremiah cup of anger to share verse 15- 16
FOR thus says the LORD God of Israel unto me
Take the wine cup of this fury at MY hand
and cause all the nations – to whom I send you to drink it
And they shall drink – and be moved – and be mad
BECAUSE of the sword that I will send among them
Jeremiah shares cup with many nations verse 17- 26
THEN took I the cup at the LORD’S hand and made all the nations to drink
unto whom the LORD had sent me – to wit
Jerusalem – and the cities of Judah
and the kings thereof – and the princes thereof
to make them a desolation an astonishment
a hissing – a curse – as it is this day
Pharaoh – king of Egypt – his servants – his princes – all his people
all the mingled people – all the kings of the land of Uz
all the kings of the land of the
Philistines – Ashkelon – Azzah – Ekron
and the remnant of Ashdod
Edom – Moab – the children of Ammon
all the kings of Tyre all the kings of Sidon
and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea
Dedan – Tema – Buz
And all that are in the utmost corners and all the kings of Arabia
all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert
all the kings of Zimri – Elam – Medes – north
far and near one with another
all the kingdoms of the WORLD which are upon the face of the earth
the king of Sheshach shall drink after them
Consequences of drinking the cup of anger verse 27- 29
THEREFORE you shall say unto them
Thus says the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
Drink you – and be drunken – and spew – and fall
and rise no more BECAUSE of the sword which
I will send among you
AND it shall be if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink
THEN shall thou say unto them
Thus says the LORD of hosts
You shall certainly drink – for – lo – I begin to bring evil on the
city which is called by MY name
and should you be utterly unpunished?
YE shall not be unpunished
for I will call for a sword upon all the
inhabitants of the earth says the LORD of hosts
LORD is going to judge the wicked verse 30- 33
THEREFORE prophesy you against them all these words
and say unto them
The LORD shall roar from on high and utter HIS voice from
HIS holy habitation
HE shall mightily roar upon HIS habitation
HE shall give a shout as they that tread the grapes
against all the inhabitants of the earth
A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth
for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations
HE will plead with all flesh
HE will give them that are wicked
to the sword– says the LORD
Thus says the LORD of hosts
BEHOLD – evil shall go forth from nation to nation
and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the
coasts of the earth
And the slain of the LORD shall be at the at day from one
end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth
they shall not be lamented- neither gathered
nor buried
they shall be dung upon the ground
Leaders going to weep and howl verse 34- 38
Howl – ye shepherds – and cry
and wallow yourselves in the ashes – ye principal of the flock
for the days of your slaughter and of your
dispersions are accomplished
and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel
And the shepherds shall have no way to flee
nor the principal of the flock to escape
a voice of the cry of the shepherds
and a howling of the principal of the flock
shall be heard
for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture
And the peaceable habitations are cut down
BECAUSE of the fierce anger of the LORD
HE hath forsake HIS covert – as a lion
for their land is desolate BECAUSE of the
fierceness of the oppressor
and BECAUSE of HIS fierce anger
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 8 “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words,…” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). 3651 כֵּן, כֵּן, כֵּן, לָכֵן [ken /kane/] – translates as “so”, “thus”, “like manner”, “well”, “such thing”, “howbeit”, “state”, “after that”, “following”, “after this”, “therefore”, “wherefore”, and “surely”.
Devotion: Many times in ministry I am asked about the faithfulness of God and His word. It seems that believers today have a difficult time with believing that God is a God of His word. We expect things to be microwave fast and instantaneous. That God is to answer as fast as the technology and the passions that we have. But, God in his word is clear that He moves according to His timetable and no faster or slower. Carefully reading His word will assist us in understanding the ways and principles of God. The people of Israel was accused by God of not listening to Him as He spoke to them (v.3, 4, 7 & 8).
In verse 8 God declares with a “therefore” a statement of judgment! The people of Israel would be punished by Babylon because they would not listen! What will it take to make us listen to God’s words? What will be done to help us to see that God is ever true to His word and we can depend upon that principle?
Application: God is true to His word. Regardless of whether it was spoken in Genesis or in the present time, He will be faithful to that word. Like the children of Israel we sometimes take for granted the serious aspect of God’s spoken word! We become callous and indifferent as we listen or read the word of God. He does not waver or change though and we should be mindful of that fact. Read carefully His promises and then discern whether they are for you today or not. Take time to reflect on the context and the New Testament passages that you find through cross referencing. You can depend upon God’s word to be accurate and true as you remain faithful to biblical principles. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. (1984 “mad” [halal] means act like a madman, insane, irrational, to be foolish, and to rave.
DEVOTION: The book of Jeremiah is not in chronological order. This causes confusion sometimes with people who read it for the first time. Sometimes prophets write in themes rather than in chronological order. Here we find that Jeremiah has prophesied for twenty-three years without the people listening to him.
He says that the LORD is going to send judgment as he has been warning. Not only is HE going to send judgment on Judah but on all the nations in the area. HE is showing that HE is sovereign over ALL the world. HE is not just a local god or a false god but the ONLY God.
God promises those who go into captivity that it will only last seventy years. HE promises that the nations that took them into captivity would be judged. HE warned the shepherds of Israel that they were going to be judged for misleading the people.
The nations thought that there was going to be peace. They thought they could continue getting drunk and doing as they pleased and the LORD didn’t care. However, they found out that the LORD was going to send a sword to kill them. God used the heathen nations to judge HIS people but that didn’t mean that they were not going to be judged. They were being foolish.
They were going to be drunk. They were going to be moved. They were going to be irrational. All these actions were going to happen because there was a sword of judgment coming. This sword was the wrath of God.
Sometimes there are people today that think that the second coming of the LORD is not really going to happen or it has already passed. They are wrong. The second coming of the LORD is still going to happen. Remember a thousand years is as one day to the LORD. Two days have passed but remember the THIRD day means something in Scripture all the time. Be prepared.
There is coming a day when all those who are not followers of the LORD will stand before the Great White Throne and the books will be opened and they will be sent to a place called hell for eternity. The Bible promises that it will happen when we least expect it. All the false prophets, false shepherd and false teachers are going to be part of this group.
We are told in the New Testament that we can hasten the coming of the LORD by presenting the gospel to the last person that needs to follow HIM and then the rapture of the church. There is only one problem – only 5% of the followers of Christ are trying to find new followers. We need more workers in the fields. The fields are truly white unto harvest.
Are we out in the fields bringing in the sheaves? If we are not part of a church that visits its neighbors with the witness of the LORD then we need to find one. We need to start a group going out to reach our neighbors for the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Results are the LORD’S concern not ours; it is our faithfulness in spreading the message. Jeremiah preached for twenty three years without results.)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roarfrom on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roarupon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. (7580 “roar” [sha’ag] means groan, shout, loud sound, or thunder.
DEVOTION: TheLORD likes to use object lessons. We use them with children all the time in church. We can take an object and ask them questions regarding the object and present a Biblical lesson.
The LORD uses a cup of wine. HE instructs Jeremiah to take the cup to all the nations he is going to visit. He takes the cup from nation to nation and gives them the message of the LORD.
The message is that they are going to face the wrath of the LORD. However, they are not going to care because they are going to continue in their ways and act like a person who is drunk. They are going to drink until they vomit. They were going to fall down. They don’t even realize what is going on around them. In fact, they don’t even care.
Many drunks are in their own little world and it doesn’t include anyone else. They are only thinking of themselves. The nations are all thinking about how they can get ahead without the LORD. Even Judah thinks they can get ahead without the LORD.
The message is plain. God is going to show HIS sovereignty over the nations but sending Babylon to conquer them all. Then HE is going to conquer Babylon. HE is going to bring back the captives to the Promised Land. HE will again show HIS sovereignty and that HE can do the impossible.
There is a promise that one day those who are believers will hear the loud sound of a trumpet and those who are dead in Christ will rise first and then we that are alive will meet the LORD in the air.
CHALLENGE: Are we listening for the sound of the trumpet? Are we witnessing to those around us even if they are not responding? Our faithfulness is important.)
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)
Written in this book verse 13
- 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)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 3
Written in a book verse 13
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 3- 5, 7- 9, 12,
15, 17, 27- 33,
36, 37
Word of the LORD verse 3
LORD of hosts verse 8, 27- 29, 32
Recompense according to deeds verse 14
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 15, 27
LORD God of Israel verse 15
God of Israel verse 27
Judgment verse 29, 32
Fierce anger of the LORD verse 37
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)
Nebuchadrezzar – king of Babylon verse 1, 9
Nebuchadrezzar = God’s servant verse 9
Punish king of Babylon verse 12
Chaldeans verse 12
Nations verse 15, 17, 31
Pharaoh – king of Egypt verse 19
Uz verse 20
Philistines verse 20
Ashkelon, Azzah, Ekron, Ashdod
Edom verse 21
Moab verse 21
Ammon verse 21
Tyrus verse 22
Zidon verse 22
Dedan, Tema, Buz verse 23
Arabia verse 24
Zimri verse 25
Elam verse 25
Medes verse 25
All kingdoms of world verse 26
King of Sheshach verse 26
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Not listen to prophets verse 3, 4, 7, 8
Not turn from evil way verse 5
Worship false gods verse 6
Provoke LORD to anger verse 6, 7
Iniquity verse 12
Drunken verse 27
Evil verse 29, 32
Wicked verse 31
False shepherds verse 34- 36
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Prophet verse 2, 4
Speak word of the LORD verse 3
Servants verse 4
Inheritance verse 5
Mirth verse 10
Gladness verse 10
Prophesy verse 13, 30
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jeremiah verse 1, 2, 13
Judah verse 1- 3, 18
Jehoiakim verse 1
Jerusalem verse 2, 18
Josiah verse 3
Serve Babylon for seventy years verse 11
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
QUOTES
25:4–7The people of Judah could not claim they had not been warned about the consequences of their faithlessness. The Lord had sent “his servants the prophets again and again,” but the people would not listen (cf. 7:25b–26a for similar words). Their message was essentially the same as Jeremiah’s—put away your gods and your evil practices and God will not punish you. The people refused to listen. They seemed determined to provoke God’s anger. They did not believe that continued disobedience would bring disaster. (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 224). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
25:4–7. God had also sent other prophets who warned the people to turn from their evil ways and practices. Had the people heeded the prophets’ warnings, God would have graciously let them stay in the land and He would not have harmed them. Unfortunately the people did not listen to God. They continued in their idolatry and brought harm to themselves. (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. 1161). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Chastening for the people of Judah (vv. 1–14). Four times in this message, Jeremiah pronounced the solemn indictment, “You have not listened” (vv. 3–4, 7–8, NKJV). The earlier prophets, many of whom are unknown to us, had warned of great judgment if the nation didn’t repent and turn to Jehovah, but their ministry went unheeded. Jeremiah had preached to the leaders and common people of Judah for twenty-three years and had received the same response. As they disobeyed the Law, worshiped idols, and rejected God’s servants, the people deliberately provoked God to anger, and the day of His wrath was fast approaching. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (p. 112). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
It is to the people of Judah and Jerusalem that the prophet addresses himself—not to the rulers as such. For three and twenty years he had exercised his office among them, declaring the word of the Lord. Since the thirteenth year of Josiah, when the reforms were going on, to the present, when idolatry prevailed everywhere, he had spoken unto them, “rising early and speaking,” but they would not hearken. Other servants and prophets had preceded him, but to them likewise they had turned a deaf ear. The messages of all had been in a great measure alike. They said, “Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever: and go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke Me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.” But there had been no response nor sign of repentance, that He might not be provoked to anger (vers. 2–7). (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (pp. 119–120). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
Nor am I the only prophet whom the Lord hath sent you, and whom you have neglected and despised; God hath sent you many more, and you have despised as many as he hath sent, though the Lord hath made it his business to send you one after another from time to time. This contempt of the Lord’s messengers is made the proximate cause of God’s wrath coming upon this people, till there was no remedy, 2 Chron. 36:16. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 570). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers)
Ver. 4. And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, &c.] Not only him, but many others, as Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, and others: rising early and sending them; not only the prophet, but the Lord himself is said to rise early, and send his prophets to them; which denotes his great care and concern for this people for their good; see ch. 7:25: but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear; which is an aggravation of their sin; that whereas they had one prophet after another sent to them, and sent by the Lord himself; he rising early, and sending them; and they rising early, being sent to do their message; and yet were not hearkened and attended to. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 539). London: Mathews and Leigh.)