Jeremiah 5

Okay, well good morning, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions where I'm dehydrated. It's late at night. We're trying to get this done. It's not in the morning. It's holiday week. We have birthdays, anniversaries, birthdays of our country, frog hunting. We got a lot going on this week, but we wanted to stop and have some devotions with you.
So let's have some coffee or in our case some water. We'll pray and we'll get into God's Word. All right, you ready to pray? You want to pray or you want me to pray? Yeah. Okay. God, thank you so much for the blessing it is to get to spend time together in your word. Thank you for Just what a joy it is to stop amongst all the busyness and to remember still that you are our God, that you are good. Help us, Lord, to love you and follow in your ways. In Jesus' name, amen.
All right, Jeremiah, chapter five. Here's how this is gonna work, okay? Do you see how it goes? And then there's a blank spot? That's a paragraph. So we're gonna read a paragraph and talk about it. And then we'll read the next one and we'll talk about it. So how about- We're reading two paragraphs. No, we're going to read all of chapter five and we'll just talk about each paragraph a little bit as we go through it, okay? You ready? All right, here we go.
Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem. See now and know and seek in her open places. If you can find a man, if there is anyone who executes judgment, who seeks the truth, and I will pardon her. Though they say, as the Lord lives, surely they swear falsely. All right, so God is telling him to run through the streets and find what? A man who is exegetically Executes judgment. Yeah, it should yeah, like if anybody tells the truth if anybody loves justice and judgment and does he think you're Jeremiah's gonna find anyone?
Nope All right, verse three down here. Ready? Oh Lord Are not your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, but they have not grieved You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction They have made their faces harder than rock. They have refused to return. What's Jeremiah think about the people? Stiff-necked. Yeah, that's exact stiff-necked, right? All right, verse four.
Therefore I said, surely these are poor. They are foolish, but they do not know the way of Yehovah, the judgment of their God. I will go to the great men and speak to them, for they have known the way of the Lord, the judgment of their God, but these have altogether broken the yoke and burst the bonds. Therefore, as I am from the false shepherds..." Well, hold on.
First, let's talk about verse 4 and 5. What's he say about about the people and their leaders. Step back, too.
Yeah, the people are foolish, but does he think amongst the leaders that they know the Lord? Sure seems that way. Or maybe they don't. But then he says, I will go to the great men and speak to them, for they have known the way of the Lord. Who are these gadol men, these great men? I think it's like the elders or the priests or something?
Maybe. But what's it say about them at the very end of verse 5? All together. Burst. The bonds. Do they want to be under the Lord's sovereignty? No. The Lord's rule? They think they're higher than Him. Okay, let's go to verse 6. Do you want to read verse 6? You can. Okay.
Therefore a lion from the forest shall slay them, a wolf from the deserts shall destroy them, a leopard will watch over their cities. Everyone who goes out from there shall be torn in pieces because their transgressions are many, their backslidings have increased. What's he saying there? They can't not go out because they can't go out or they'll get destroyed.
Yeah, right. Or is God's judgment on them? Make sure you try to speak loudly so I can hear you, OK? All right, verse 7. How shall I pardon you for this? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by those that are not gods. When I had fed them to the fool, then they committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlot's houses. They were like well-fed lusty stallions, everyone neighing after his neighbor's wife. Shall I not punish them for these things, says the Lord, and shall I not avenge myself on such a nation as this? Did they love the Lord like their husband alone?
Mm-hmm. They were like wild animals going crazy like like animals and heat That's not good Go up first and go up on her walls and destroy Do not but do not make a complete end Take away her branches for they are not the Lord's For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt treacherously with me says the Lord.
What's he saying there? Oh Israel and Judah have sinned against God, but He hasn't destroyed them yet. Yeah, good. they have lied about the Lord, and said, It is not he, neither will evil come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine. And the prophets became wind, for the word is not in them, thus shall it be done to them." What's he saying there?
I get destroyed Well completely destroyed. Well, they're gonna become destroyed. Yeah, that's but what were the false prophets and the elders and stuff saying Okay verse 12 They have lied about the Lord, and said, It is not He, neither will evil come upon us, nor shall we see sword or flame. Famine. No food, and getting so hungry that you would eat your children. So, what did they say? What did these people say about the Lord? He's another. He's not going to judge us. Is that the truth? No. So Jeremiah is talking to the great men, but the great men seem to have lied. Okay, verse 14.
Now this is a big part. I'm going to read this whole part, okay? Behold, I will make my words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them. Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel, says the Lord. It is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation. A nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. Their quiver is like an open tomb, and they are all mighty men.
They shall eat up your harvest and your bread, which your sons and daughters should eat. They shall eat up your flocks and your herds. They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees. They shall destroy your fortified cities in which you trust. with the sword, and they will catch all your frogs and kill them."
I'm just kidding, that last part's not in there about the frogs. But what's God saying about these lying guys saying the sword's not going to come against them? They're going to get destroyed. Yeah. Do you think this was a popular message for Jeremiah to say? Probably not.
Verse 18, "'Nevertheless, in those days,' says the Lord, I will not make a complete end of you. And it will be when you say, why does Jehovah our God do all these things to us? Then you shall answer them. Just as you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve aliens in the land that is not yours.
What's he saying there? They're going to be like... They're going to be like... They're going to be under the rule of the aliens. Yeah, so eventually the Babylonians are going to come, aren't they? And they're going to conquer them. And what are they going to ask? Lord, why'd you do this, right? They're going to ask, why does the Lord our God do all these things to us? And he's going to say, look at that.
Just as you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve aliens in the land that is not yours. He's saying they're going to go into exile. I brought you into my land. I was your God, but you went after other gods. You're going to get alien gods. Now you're going to get sent to a strange land, an alien land, and serve them.
They wouldn't serve the Lord. So he's going to exile them. Notice here, God, is God like really, really absolutely cruel? No. How is God not cruel here? He says they're going to go into exile and people are going to die. He could destroy them. He could. Wouldn't that be mean though to destroy them? He could destroy everything.
Yeah. But doesn't that just make God cruel and mean? But he's doing less. What do you mean he's doing less? Not destroying them. Oh, you're right, yeah. I will not make a complete end of you. God, even then, is going to show compassion, isn't he? Do you know who one of the exiles is going to be? What's your name?
Daniel. Daniel. Oh yeah! Yeah, Daniel is going to be one of those guys who go into exile. Daniel will be one of the highest people. Yeah. Yeah, isn't that amazing? God is still got a plan and he's still going to be gracious. And then Belshazzar's son will be destroyed. But the point is, right, even here in God's judgment, is he absolutely destroying everyone? No, Daniel will be God.
Yeah, exactly. Well, let's go ahead and finish this up. I'm going to read this big part. Declare this in the house of Jacob, and proclaim it in Judah, saying, Hear this now, O foolish people, without understanding, who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not.
Do you not fear me, says the Lord? Will you not tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea? by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it. And though its waves toss to and fro, yet they cannot prevail. Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over. But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart. They have revolted and departed.
They do not say in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, who gives us rain, both in the former and the latter in its seasons. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest. Your iniquities have turned these things away, and your sins have withheld good from you. For among my people are found wicked men.
They lie in wait as one who sets snares. They set a trap. They catch. Men, verse 27, as a cage is full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore, they have become great and grown rich. They have grown fat, they are sleek, yet they surpass the deeds of the wicked. They do not plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper. and the right of the needy they do not defend. Shall I not punish them for these things, says the Lord? Shall I not avenge myself on such a nation as this? What's he saying in all that? What do you think? Should I not do this?
Yeah. Are they righteous men? No. Right, are they taking care of the oppressed? Are they caring for the poor? No. An astonishing and horrible thing. Verse 30, we're almost done. An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely. And the priests rule by their own power. And my people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end? What's he saying?
Do the people look at this and go, oh, we shouldn't do this. We don't like this. We don't like these priests who rule over us, not by God's rule, not by God's law, but by their own power and might. Do they go, we don't want that. Nope, they don't care. No, they love it. The prophets prophesy lies and do they care? No, they don't care. They like it that way. They like it that way. So what's God going to do because they love this type of sinfulness so much?
Punish them. Do you like being punished? No way, Jose. Oh, I thought every time you got disciplined I had to rebuke you or admonish you or take something away. I thought you loved that. It wasn't fun. It's not fun? Why would I do it to you? Is it because I'm a big, mean, cruel dad who hates you? Yeah, is it because I actually love you? Yeah, is this what God is doing as a Heavenly Father to His children? Yeah, He's leading them, guiding them, directing His people, even though it's hard. Yeah, it's not easy going through punishment, is it?
Nope. Okay, so let's go ahead and talk about last... We'll just jump real quick to calling. We've read a big, huge chapter. The whole thing is kind of about God's just judgment against his people. Yet, he's going to show kindness. He's not going to completely destroy them. So what do you think you are called to do? You've read this. You kind of know what it's about. So how does this show you Jesus Christ, or call you to do things?
Um, not if, um, not be mad if you get punished, or if, or don't, um, don't rebel against God. Yeah, maybe humble ourselves under the mighty hand of the Lord. I don't think anybody enjoys chastisement or discipline, and yet the Lord does it because He loves us, right? Now here's the thing. Are we any better than these people here in this chapter? No, I think our hearts love that type of wickedness. And yet, when would God ultimately judge all that type of horrible sin? He knows we're not perfect. Well, if we're not perfect, then we can't stand before Him. But He sent His only Son. Yeah, He sent His only Son. And did Jesus take on all this pain for us? Yeah, He did. He was crushed for our iniquities, bruised for our transgressions. By His stripes we're healed. You ready to pray? Yep. Okay. God, we pray that we would not despise your discipline. You lead us in the paths of righteousness, and your rod and your staff, they do comfort us, even though they're not always comfortable.
But Lord, we trust that you care for us as a good Heavenly Father. And we know that you have shown us your love, because you have not spared anything from us, but even gave up your own son. so that we might be with you forever. God, please care for us today. Please, Lord, let us not despise you, but let us walk in your ways because you have loved us. And so we love you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, may you walk before the Lord. May you love him, knowing that all his discipline is for your good. You're one of his children. We'll see you next time.