Jeremiah 8:18-9:16

Well, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to coffee and devotion this morning. We are going to be looking at Jeremiah chapter 8 and I got my wonderful Deborah do who loves coffee No, okay, we're gonna have some coffee devotions will get into God's Word By the way, thank you so much for this day We thank you for the opportunity and blessing we have to spend time with each other, reading your word.
And God, we pray that your Holy Spirit would please teach us. Help us, Lord, to read it and understand. To know what you have for us. Lord, let us walk in your ways. Let us be teachable. Lord, help us to actually live out your word. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Alright, here we go. We are at Jeremiah chapter 8 beginning at verse 18.
So we'll go kind of paragraph, paragraph, paragraph, paragraph, paragraph, and we'll just talk as we go. Ready? Wait, paragraph or verse by verse? Paragraph. Like I mean like each verse of poetry. What does that count as a paragraph? Paragraph. Okay. Okay. I would comfort myself in sorrow. My heart is faint in me.
Listen, the voice, the cry of the daughter of my people from a far country. Is it not the Lord in thine? Is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images, with foreign idols?" What do you think that part is talking about? So Jeremiah is going to comfort himself. when he's going to comfort himself with sorrow. And then he says, listen, the voice, the cry of the daughter of my people from a far country. And the people in a far country, those who have been taken exile, those who may already be in Babylon or something like that, they say, is not the Lord in Zion? Is not the king in her?
But what do the people answer? Nope. Well, it's the Lord who answers that question. It's not the people. Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images, with foreign idols? So the Lord himself answers that question. Is he in Zion? You want to read verse 20? So the answer now comes from who? Who's speaking? God. Is it God speaking there? I think so. Well, no, no, these are the Israelites. Yeah, now it's the people on Zion. God's the one declaring, no, hold on, in Israel there's a big problem, right? They have carved images, they have idols.
And the people are answering, saying, the harvest has passed, the summer has ended, and we are not saved. No, we don't have deliverance. Now, you can go ahead and read. For the hurt of the daughter of my people, I am hurt. I am mourning. Astonishment has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why, then, is there no recovery for the health of the daughter of my people? Okay.
So, who's talking here? I think this is God. Yeah, this is one of those tough areas, isn't there? This is one of the things in the prophets, it's the smooth transition often between the parties. They kind of have to wrestle with it, because at first it almost sounds like Jeremiah. But then by the time you get to the end of verse 22, I think it's the Lord, for the health of the daughter of my people. Right, so, but it could be the Lord who's saying that he's hurting, or I hurt of the daughter of my people. I am hurt. I am mourning. Astonishment has taken hold of me. Maybe this is the Lord speaking in, you ready for it?
Anthropomorphic terms. Do you know what that means? No. So, oh, anthropos, human, man. Anthropomorphic, what is morph? Like, speaking like a man. Yeah, so it's like changing his language to speak in man's language. Right, so you think God, like God's saying, like if he was to speak like a man, he's saying, he's hurting.
He's hurting for the daughter of his people, right? Because they're bringing this pain upon themselves. Oh, that my head were waters, that my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people. Oh, that I had in the wilderness a lodging place for travelers, that I might leave my people and go from them, for they are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. This is Jeremiah weeping. over his people, his kinsmen.
But what is his estimation of them? They're all adulterers and treacherous. Pretty big words, huh? But that's what the idolatry is compared to. You want to read the next paragraph? And like their bow, they have bent their tongue for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, says the Lord. Everyone take heed to his neighbor, and do not trust any brother. For every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanderers. What's that section? Oh no, sorry, you can go ahead and keep reading.
Everyone will deceive his neighbor and will not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies, and they weary themselves to commit iniquity. Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit. Through deceit they refuse to know me, says the Lord. Okay, so what's this speaking about? They lie, and they lie, and they commit iniquity.
Yeah, right, the Lord is giving his estimation here, isn't he? They lie, they cheat their brothers, they aren't faithful to one another, they're not loving the truth, committing iniquities, right? Like, the Lord sees their life, and is this, in his estimation and judgment, is it good? So the consequence of this, seven, therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, behold I will refine them and try them.
For how shall I deal with the daughter of my people? Their tongue is an arrow shot out. It speaks deceit. One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lies in wait. Shall I not punish them for these things, says the Lord? Shall I not avenge myself on such a nation as this? So what's he saying there? Should I get rid of them? Well, punish them, right? Try them and punish them. Is this a just thing for God to do? Mm-hmm. Ready? Want to go with verse 10?
I will take up weeping and wailing for the mountains, and for the dwelling places of the wilderness a lamentation. because they are burned up so that no one can pass through. Nor can men hear the voice of cattle. Both the birds of the heavens and the beasts have fled. They are gone.
I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a den of jackals. I will make the cities of Judah desolate without an inhabitant." Alright, so what's it saying there? He's gonna kick them out? Yeah, he's telling them judgment's coming for their sin. He's going to depopulate the land. Their cities are going to be like ghost towns.
Who is the wise man? who may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? Why does the land perish and burn up like a wilderness, so that no one can pass through? And the Lord said, Because they have forsaken My law, which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice, nor walked according to it, but they have walked according to the dictates of their own hearts after the Baals, which their fathers taught them.
Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink. I will scatter them also among the Gentiles, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them."
Judgment again. Yeah, judgment again. But notice why. Because they have forsaken him. Notice in verse 14, they've not gone according to God's law, but according to what? Their own hearts and after the bales. Yeah, which their fathers taught them. This is generational sin. Following their own hearts and the bales and what their dads taught them.
That's why God's done this, so he's gonna bring judgment on that. Alright, so now we've talked through this whole section. How would you summarize this in one sentence? What's this about? Judgment because they were sinful. They are sinful. Yeah, so God's going to bring judgment upon them because they were sinful.
Right? Unfaithful to Him. Right? Yeah. What do you think you would underline as the best verse to summarize this? You can even grab one of those pens up there if you wanted to underline it. I don't know. Huh? Look it over. What do you think you would underline? 13 13, okay. Yeah, I have 14 and 15 underlined in my Bible.
Maybe you guys would underline something else Well, what do you think for see calling What does this see call you to do or what does it tell you the covenant of grace or what about maybe even How does it point you to Jesus Christ and I don't know. Well, is there any application from this in your life that you can think of?
Oh, don't listen to Disney movies. Don't just follow your heart? Okay, you're sounding like a pastor's daughter. So you'll never watch a Disney movie again? No. No? We can still watch them, we just can't. Follow everything they're saying. Oh, okay. Yeah, right. It's a dangerous thing to follow your heart. Do you like when daddy just follows my heart? Does mom like when I just follow my heart? No. Impulsive and stupid. We follow after the Lord. What did God say in his word? And I think it drives us to Jesus Christ, though. Because without Christ, what would we deserve? Have you ever lied? Have you ever tricked or treated your brother or sister poorly? Have you ever forgotten God's Word and done something your way instead of His? Have you ever coveted somebody else's stuff?
So, why should you be treated any different than the people in Judah that he's making this declaration to? Because we have Jesus. Yeah, Jesus was made to drink the gall, wasn't he? Jesus suffered that sin for us. Does that mean that now we get to follow our own hearts? Because, well, Jesus paid the sin, so if grace couldn't abound, I'll do whatever I want.
No. Why not? We still have to try to do what He tells us to. Yeah, we have the blessing of getting to put off the old man, don't we? And to put on the new woman. And to not live according to the flesh, but live according to the Spirit. So, Jesus paid for our sins, died for our sins, that we might live to righteousness. You think we're good? No. We're done? Yeah. Yeah, that's what I meant by we're done. Oh, you little... Alright, would you like to close us in prayer? Or would you like me to? I'll pray, okay.
God, thank you so much for blessing us with time together in your word. Father, we are not good, but you have sent us your son who is perfectly good. Thank you for the hope that we have in him. Lord, we know that judgment is real and talking about it isn't popular, but Lord, you have saved us from your wrath. by your Son. So, Lord, we pray that we would live under righteousness. Please, Lord, let us hear these things with humble hearts and walk in your ways. In Jesus' name, Amen. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May you walk in the joy and peace of Jesus Christ, and we'll see you next time. Bye.