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Jeremiah 45-48

Calvary Chapel Bible College

November 11, 2020

Homework Review

I hope you took the “quiz” about your reading as well as those for your memory verse and prayer requests.

Would anyone like to try reciting our memory verse for the week?

(Jeremiah 31:34 NKJV) No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Class Project – At our last class of the semester I’m going to ask each of you to present a 5-minute Bible Study on a passage of your choice from Jeremiah. Pick a passage that has meant something to you personally. It can be one of our memory verses.

You have all reserved your passages to teach from. I love the passages you’ve picked.

I want you to teach as if you were doing a devotional to a small home group that has not been in Jeremiah with us.

I want you explain your passage, give one point of application from your passage (ie how can I put this into my life?), and share an illustration about the principle. Explain, apply, illustrate

You can use powerpoint (maybe), but you don’t have to.

Pericope Project Part2

Just a friendly reminder that the last half of Jeremiah is also due on December 9.

Introduction

His name means “Yahweh appoints”

Jeremiah was the chief prophet during the days of the destruction of the nation of Judah. There were other prophets around at the time as well: Daniel, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, but Jeremiah was the main prophet. His ministry began about 60 years after the death of the prophet Isaiah.

Jeremiah was born into a family of priests, but he would function more as a prophet.

His ministry was destined from the beginning to be a ministry of “failure”. The people were not going to pay attention to him. The people were on the way downhill and destined for judgment.

One of Jeremiah’s nicknames is the “weeping prophet”.

It’s possible this nickname comes from the book of Lamentations, also written by Jeremiah.

Lamentations is Jeremiah’s weeping over the destruction of Jerusalem.

It’s not a bad thing to keep in mind though as you read this book. We don’t often hear the “emotion” of the writer as we read.

The prophecies are not in chronological order.

We know this because he dates many of his prophecies.

Today’s chapters were given on the early side.

We have seen the fall of Jerusalem, the murder of governor Gedaliah, and the small remnant head south to Egypt.

Jeremiah is now in his sixties and has been prophesying for over 40 years.

We now jump back in time to get a short message for a friend of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 45

45:1-5 Word for Baruch

:1 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the instruction of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,

:1 Baruch the son of Neriah

Baruch was Jeremiah’s friend and assistant.

He often acted as Jeremiah’s scribe in recording the various prophecies.

:1 in the fourth year of Jehoiakim

This is 605 BC.

This short chapter is connected with the events of Jeremiah 36.

(Jeremiah 36:1–8 NKJV) —1 Now it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: 2 “Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.” 4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote on a scroll of a book, at the instruction of Jeremiah, all the words of the Lord which He had spoken to him. 5 And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, “I am confined, I cannot go into the house of the Lord. 6 You go, therefore, and read from the scroll which you have written at my instruction, the words of the Lord, in the hearing of the people in the Lord’s house on the day of fasting. And you shall also read them in the hearing of all Judah who come from their cities. 7 It may be that they will present their supplication before the Lord, and everyone will turn from his evil way. For great is the anger and the fury that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” 8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading from the book the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house.

Jeremiah had been on house arrest.

God tells Jeremiah to have Baruch write down Jeremiah’s words on a scroll and read it in the Temple to the people.

The scroll was not going to contain nice, pretty things. It was going to contain the warnings that Jeremiah had already been giving to the nation of Judah. It was pretty heavy stuff.

The things in the scroll were so “heavy” that they were going to be considered treason. Later, when King Jehoiakim heard about the things written in the scroll, he had the scroll destroyed. Jeremiah and Baruch would go into hiding to keep Jehoiakim from killing them.

:2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch:

God has a personal word for this friend of Jeremiah.

:3 ‘You said, “Woe is me now! For the Lord has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.” ’

:3 Woe is me now!

Baruch was discouraged when he had seen the contents of the things dictated on the scroll. Things had looked bad enough for the little nation of Judah, but now it looked like Judah was going to be wiped out by the Babylonians.

Baruch wasn’t having “fun” in the ministry, kind of like this pastor …

Illustration

Good News / Bad News For Your Pastor

Good News: The Women’s Guild voted to send you a get-well card. Bad News: The vote passed by 31-30.

Good News: The Elder Board accepted your job description the way you wrote it. Bad News: They were so inspired by it, they also formed a search committee to find somebody capable of filling the position.

Good News: Your women’s softball team finally won a game. Bad News: They beat your men’s softball team.

Good News: The trustees finally voted to add more church parking. Bad News: They are going to blacktop the front lawn of your house.

Good News: Church attendance rose dramatically the last three weeks. Bad News: You were on vacation.

Good News: Your biggest critic just left your church. Bad News: He has been appointed the Head Bishop of your denomination.

and finally....

Good News: The youth in your church come to your house for a surprise visit. Bad News: It’s in the middle of the night and they are armed with toilet paper, Oreo cookies, and shaving cream to “decorate” your house.

:4 “Thus you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land.

:4 what I have built I will break down

God is going to do exactly as He has spoken through Jeremiah.

These words are similar to Jeremiah’s original calling:

(Jeremiah 1:10 NKJV) See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”

Heavy things were indeed going to happen to Judah. God is going to do what God is going to do.

:5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says the Lord. “But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.” ’ ”

:5 I will give your life to you

Through all the promised destruction, God will protect Baruch.

:5 do you seek great things for yourself?

God’s Word always tends to get to the heart of the problem.

Baruch was discouraged because he was looking for “great things” for himself.

Lesson

Pride leads to discouragement

(keyword)

When my life’s focus is on “me” and instead of on God, I’m going to get discouraged.

I’m going to expect that things happen for “me” instead of for “God.

But when my focus is on God and I’m simply living for Him, then what is there to be discouraged about?

The opposite of pride is humility. And humility isn’t all that easy.

Illustration

There were two monks in a monastery doing their daily rituals. They were about to bow to their deity. One got on his knees and said, “Oh, Master, I am nothing, I don’t exist, all there is is You.” The next monk bowed down even lower and said, “Oh, great one, I am less than nothing! I don’t exist and I never did. You are all there is!” In the corner, a janitor was sweeping the temple and watching the monks. He thought to himself, “Hmmm, that looks pretty good! I think I’ll try that.” He walked over to the deity and bowed while the monks watched him. He said, “Oh mighty one, I too am nothing, you are everything.” As the two monks looked on with disdain, one said to the other, “Humph! How dare he! Look who thinks he’s nothing!”

Sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking we’re “humble”, but in reality we’re “proud” of our humility.

A real test of humility is when something negative happens to me.

How does it affect me?

Baruch was hearing about all the trouble that was coming and somehow, because of his “pride”, because of his desire for “great things”, he was discouraged.

Humility is all about dying to self and living to God.

(Galatians 2:20 NKJV) I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

If you stick a knife into a dead body, does it cry for pain?

Illustration

Spurgeon writes, “Observe the peculiar characteristics of the grass which adapt it especially for the service of man: humility and cheerfulness. Its humility, in that it seems created only for lowest service, appointed to be trodden on and fed upon. Its cheerfulness, in that it seems to exult under all kinds of violence and suffering. You roll it, and it is the stronger the next day. You mow it, and it multiplies its shoots, as if it were grateful. You tread upon it, and it only sends up richer perfume. Spring comes, and it rejoices with all the earth, glowing with variegated flame of flowers, waving in soft depth of fruitful strength. Winter comes, and though it will not mock its fellow plants by growing then, it will not pine and mourn and turn colorless or leafless as they. It is always green, and is only the brighter and more cheerful for the hoarfrost.”

Humility and cheerfulness.

One other note:

The Bible says that a leader, an elder, should not to be a “novice”, a “new believer”:

(1 Timothy 3:6 NKJV) not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.

Pride is what got Satan into trouble. Pride will get a new believer put into a high position, into trouble.

Perhaps real humility takes time to develop.

Perhaps it takes quite a few knives into the body over the years to find out how “dead” you are to your self and how alive you are to God.

Jeremiah 46

Judah has been first in God’s sight, but God also moves in the affairs of the rest of the world as well. In Jeremiah 46-51, the focus shifts from the nation of Judah to the other nations of the world.

46:1-12 Word for Egypt

:1 The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the nations.

:2 Against Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, which was by the River Euphrates in Carchemish, and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

:2 Pharaoh Necho … Carchemish

Egypt had been Judah’s ally against Babylon. It had encouraged Judah’s rebellion against Babylon, yet when the Babylonians began their campaigns, Egypt was unable to rescue Judah from the Babylonians.

Carchemish is 360 miles northeast of Jerusalem along the Euphrates River in modern Turkey.

Carchemish was the site of one of the great battles of history, resulting in the Babylonians becoming the dominant world power.

For several hundred years, the Assyrians had ruled the world. But in 612 BC, the Babylonians had conquered the capital of the Assyrians, Nineveh. The Assyrians had pulled back to Carchemish and it was there they made their final stand against the Babylonians.

Meanwhile, the Egyptians decided that they didn’t want Babylon ruling the world, so they took their army up north to help the Assyrians defeat the Babylonians. King Josiah of Judah liked the Babylonians and so when the Egyptians came marching through Judah, he decided to try and stop them. A battle occurred at Megiddo, and Josiah was killed in 609 BC. The Egyptians continued on to Carchemish where they faced the Babylonians who had already defeated the Assyrians.

The battle did not go well for the Egyptians. The Babylonians attacked swiftly and surprised the Egyptians. The Egyptians were thrown into panic and the Babylonians slaughtered the Egyptians.

The last chapter’s prophecy for Baruch took place in the same year that this battle took place, 605 BC.

This chapter’s prophecy is going to talk about the battle at Carchemish.

:3 “Order the buckler and shield, And draw near to battle!

:4 Harness the horses, And mount up, you horsemen! Stand forth with your helmets, Polish the spears, Put on the armor!

:4 Harness the horses

The finest horses in the world at that time came from Egypt.

Dripping with sarcasm, God is calling the Egyptians out to battle.

:5 Why have I seen them dismayed and turned back? Their mighty ones are beaten down; They have speedily fled, And did not look back, For fear was all around,” says the Lord.

:6 “Do not let the swift flee away, Nor the mighty man escape; They will stumble and fall Toward the north, by the River Euphrates.

:7 “Who is this coming up like a flood, Whose waters move like the rivers?

This is speaking of Egypt, which was conquering the territory much like the Nile flooded every year during the rainy season.

:8 Egypt rises up like a flood, And its waters move like the rivers; And he says, ‘I will go up and cover the earth, I will destroy the city and its inhabitants.’

:9 Come up, O horses, and rage, O chariots! And let the mighty men come forth: The Ethiopians and the Libyans who handle the shield, And the Lydians who handle and bend the bow.

:9 Ethiopians … Libyans … Lydians

These nations were hired as mercenaries to help the Egyptians against the Babylonians.

Ethiopia, Libya – countries in northern Africa

Lydia – a country in Asia Minor (modern Turkey).

:10 For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, A day of vengeance, That He may avenge Himself on His adversaries. The sword shall devour; It shall be satiated and made drunk with their blood; For the Lord God of hosts has a sacrifice In the north country by the River Euphrates.

:10 this is the day of the Lord God of hosts

We often think of this phrase being connected to the events of the last days when God will judge the whole earth.

It is really a phrase connected a bit more broadly to God’s judgment in general.

Here it is referring to a day of God’s judgment on Egypt.

Carchemish was that city on the Euphrates River.

:11 “Go up to Gilead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt; In vain you will use many medicines; You shall not be cured.

:11 Go up to Gilead and take balm

We saw another reference to this “balm” in Gilead (see notes on Jer. 8:22)

Gilead is the mountainous area to the north, east of the Jordan River. There was a type of resin found there, used to make a medicinal ointment.

The Egyptians themselves had developed some types of medicinal practices.

But whether they used their own medicines or if they sent to Gilead for the special “balm”, they would not be healed of the wounds sustained at Carchemish.

:12 The nations have heard of your shame, And your cry has filled the land; For the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty; They both have fallen together.”

:12 the mighty man has stumbled

Lesson

No escape from God

One of man’s greatest fears is of death.

Man does whatever he can to prolong facing of death.

I remember hearing how Michael Jackson had some special oxygen bed that would help him live longer.

It didn’t work did it?

But man will die one day. We will all die.

(Hebrews 9:27 NKJV) And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

Illustration

This 85 year old couple, having been married almost 60 years, had died in a car crash. They had been in good health the last ten years mainly due to her interest in health food, and exercise. When they reached the pearly gates, St. Peter took them to their mansion, which was decked out with a beautiful kitchen and master bath suite and Jacuzzi. As they “oohed and aahed” the old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost. “It’s free”, Peter replied, “this is heaven.” Next they went out back to survey the championship golf course that the home backed up to. They would have golfing privileges everyday and each week the course changed to a new one representing the great golf courses on earth. The old man asked, “What are the green fees?”. Peter’s reply, “This is heaven, you play for free.” Next they went to the Club House and saw the lavish buffet lunch with the cuisines of the world laid out. “How much to eat?” asked the old man. “Don’t you understand yet? This is heaven, it is free!” Peter replied with some exasperation. “Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol tables?” the old man asked timidly. Peter lectured, “That’s the best part...you can eat as much as you like of whatever you like and you never get fat and you never get sick. This is heaven.” With that the old man went into a fit of anger, throwing down his hat and stomping on it, and shrieking wildly. Peter and his wife both tried to calm him down, asking him what was wrong. The old man looked at his wife and said, “This is all your fault. If it weren’t for your blasted bran muffins, I could have been here ten years ago!”

It’s not wrong to take care of your health. It’s not wrong to want to live longer, especially if you want to live longer so you can serve God more.

(Philippians 1:21–24 NLT) —21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. 23 I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.

But instead of trying to “cheat” death, it’s best to simply be ready for it. Be ready to meet your Maker.

God’s desire is that no one perish in hell. That is why He sent His Son Jesus to die on a cross and take the penalty that was intended for me and my sins.

God’s desire is that I trust Jesus. He is God’s only path to heaven.

46:13-26 Nebuchadnezzar will conquer Egypt

:13 The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would come and strike the land of Egypt.

Even though Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians at Carchemish in 605 BC, he wouldn’t come down to Egypt until 567 BC (38 years later), after the fall of Jerusalem and after the small remnant of Jews fled to Egypt.

:14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; Proclaim in Noph and in Tahpanhes; Say, ‘Stand fast and prepare yourselves, For the sword devours all around you.’

These are the same places mentioned in Jeremiah’s prophecy of chapter 44 where the remnant of Jews had fled to. These were three places located in the northern part of Egypt. (See map - Noph is Memphis)

:15 Why are your valiant men swept away? They did not stand Because the Lord drove them away.

:15 They did not stand

Nobody is able to stand before the Lord.

(John 18:3–6 NLT) —3 The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove. 4 Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked. 5 “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied. “I Am he,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) 6 As Jesus said “I Am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground!

They might have thought that they had the ability to “arrest” Jesus. But Jesus showed them that they were powerless before Him. He was arrested only because He allowed Himself to be.

Some people say that when they stand before God, they will give Him a “piece of their mind” for all the trouble they’ve had in life.

Nobody will be shaking their fist and cursing God after they die.

:16 He made many fall; Yes, one fell upon another. And they said, ‘Arise! Let us go back to our own people And to the land of our nativity From the oppressing sword.’

:17 They cried there, ‘Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is but a noise. He has passed by the appointed time!’

Pharaoh Hophra had made bold claims about how he was going to defeat Babylon. But his soldiers would realize it was all just words, just “noise”.

He had missed the opportunity to conquer the Babylonians.

:18 “As I live,” says the King, Whose name is the Lord of hosts, “Surely as Tabor is among the mountains And as Carmel by the sea, so he shall come.

Tabor and Carmel are two mountains in northern Israel.

Tabor is inland, Carmel is on the coast.

They dominate the landscape just as the Babylonians would dominate the world.

:19 O you daughter dwelling in Egypt, Prepare yourself to go into captivity! For Noph shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant.

:20 “Egypt is a very pretty heifer, But destruction comes, it comes from the north.

:20 But destruction comes

Some translations have “gadfly”, “horsefly”, or “mosquito” instead of “destruction”

Egypt may be big and powerful like a heifer, but a little horsefly will chase it.

:21 Also her mercenaries are in her midst like fat bulls, For they also are turned back, They have fled away together. They did not stand, For the day of their calamity had come upon them, The time of their punishment.

mercenaries – the soldiers hired to help are only like sacrificial bulls, ready for slaughter.

:22 Her noise shall go like a serpent, For they shall march with an army And come against her with axes, Like those who chop wood.

Egypt would be like a snake chased out of the woods by the lumberjacks. Chopped to pieces.

:23 “They shall cut down her forest,” says the Lord, “Though it cannot be searched, Because they are innumerable, And more numerous than grasshoppers.

The Babylonian army would seem like a swarm of locusts (grasshoppers) invading the land.

:24 The daughter of Egypt shall be ashamed; She shall be delivered into the hand Of the people of the north.”

:25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will bring punishment on Amon of No, and Pharaoh and Egypt, with their gods and their kings—Pharaoh and those who trust in him.

:25 Amon of No

Also known as Amon of Thebes, the chief god of Southern Egypt.

The Babylonian invasion would start in northern Egypt and spread south.

:26 And I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of his servants. Afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old,” says the Lord.

:26 Afterward it shall be inhabited

Egypt would go through a restoration time like Judah would after the Babylonian captivity. It may also refer to a time of restoration at the Second Coming.

46:27-28 Israel’s restoration

:27 “But do not fear, O My servant Jacob, And do not be dismayed, O Israel! For behold, I will save you from afar, And your offspring from the land of their captivity; Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease; No one shall make him afraid.

:28 Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,” says the Lord, “For I am with you; For I will make a complete end of all the nations To which I have driven you, But I will not make a complete end of you. I will rightly correct you, For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.”

:28 I will not make a complete end of you

Jacob is addressed, referring to the whole nation of Israel, not just the southern kingdom of Judah.

Perhaps this would be talking about the restoration of Israel at the time of the Second Coming.

Jeremiah 47

47:1-7 Nebuchadnezzar against Philistines

:1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before Pharaoh attacked Gaza.

:1 against the Philistines

Pharaoh’s campaign against the Philistines took place in 609 BC, 4 years before the first captivity (Daniel’s).

The Philistines were the ancient enemies of the nation of Israel. Later the land would be called “Palestine”, from the name Philistine.

The modern Palestinians are not related to the Philistines at all. They are Arabs.

Even though the David would eventually conquer the Philistines (2Sam. 8:1), they never totally went away. In fact, by the time of the reigns of King Jehoram and King Ahaz (2 Chron. 21:16-17; 28:16-18), they had become strong again.

:2 Thus says the Lord: “Behold, waters rise out of the north, And shall be an overflowing flood; They shall overflow the land and all that is in it, The city and those who dwell within; Then the men shall cry, And all the inhabitants of the land shall wail.

:2 waters rise out of the north

Babylon is coming

:3 At the noise of the stamping hooves of his strong horses, At the rushing of his chariots, At the rumbling of his wheels, The fathers will not look back for their children, Lacking courage,

The invasion would be so terrible that fathers wouldn’t even stop to rescue their children.

:4 Because of the day that comes to plunder all the Philistines, To cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper who remains; For the Lord shall plunder the Philistines, The remnant of the country of Caphtor.

(see map)

Tyre, Sidon – cities of the Phoenicians, but apparently allied with the Philstines.

Tyre and Sidon are north of the Israeli border, on the coast in modern Lebanon.

The Philistines were in the south along the coast of Israel.

No help would be coming to Tyre and Sidon from the Philistines.

Caphtor – an ancient name for the island of Crete, the original home of the Philistines.

:5 Baldness has come upon Gaza, Ashkelon is cut off With the remnant of their valley. How long will you cut yourself?

:5 Gaza, Ashkelon

(see map)

These were two of the five main Philistine cities.

Baldness could refer to cutting the hair in mourning, or it could refer to the wiping out of the city of Gaza, like shaving it.

Nebuchadnezzar conquered Ashkelon in 604 BC.

:6 “O you sword of the Lord, How long until you are quiet? Put yourself up into your scabbard, Rest and be still!

:7 How can it be quiet, Seeing the Lord has given it a charge Against Ashkelon and against the seashore? There He has appointed it.”

:6 sword of the LORD

Lesson

What God uses

God would use the Babylonians to bring judgment on the Philistines.

I’m not sure the Philistine version of “Newsweek” had on it’s cover, “GOD JUDGES PHILISTIA”. I’m sure they just thought it was the Babylonians.

Yet Jeremiah was told ahead of time that it was God at work.

Illustration

The Little Things

As you might know, the head of one company survived 9/11 because his son started kindergarten. Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts. One woman was late because her alarm clock didn’t go off in time. One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident. One of them missed his bus. One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change. One’s car wouldn’t start. One went back to answer the telephone. One had a child that dawdled and didn’t get ready as soon as he should have. One couldn’t get a taxi. The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone...all the little things that annoy me. I think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.. Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, the children are slow getting dressed, you can’t seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don’t get mad or frustrated; God is at work watching over you. May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and may you remember their possible purpose.

Sometimes we get to thinking that God is only at work when we see big things happen, like the parting of a Red Sea, or raising a person from the dead. But I wonder if God isn’t more involved in our lives than we give Him credit for.

Break

Jeremiah 48

48:1-5 Moab destroyed

:1 Against Moab. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo! For it is plundered, Kirjathaim is shamed and taken; The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed—

:1 Against Moab

The people of Moab were descendants of Moab, one of the sons of Lot.

When Lot fled from Sodom with his daughters, the daughters were afraid that there were no more men left on the earth. They got their father drunk, had sex with him, and each fathered a son, one of them was Moab.

The Moabites settled southeast from Israel, on the opposite side of the Dead Sea.

The Moabites had a long history of causing trouble to Israel and Judah.

When Israel was getting ready to conquer the Promised Land, the king of Moab hired the prophet Balaam to bring a curse on the Israelites. When Balaam wasn’t able to curse them, they cooked up an idea to send the young Moabite gals into the Israelite camp to seduce the men and cause them to worship the Moabite gods. They caused big trouble.

More recently in Jeremiah’s days, during the days of Jehoiakim, the Moabites had teamed up with the Babylonians and the Ammonites to send raiders against Judah (2Ki. 24:2)

(2 Kings 24:2 NKJV) And the Lord sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servants the prophets.

And yet now word comes that it’s going to be time for judgment for the Moabites.

:1 Nebo … Kirjathaim

It’s not easy finding some of these places on maps. (see map) Some maps are pretty wild, most are pretty incomplete.

Many of these places are “high” in terms of altitude.

Nebo is the mountain where Moses could see the Promised Land from.

Let me say that on one of my trips to Israel, when we took the extension into Petra, we learned that a lot of things that happened in the Bible took place in what is now modern Jordan.

We Bible snobs like to think that the nation of Israel owns the rights to “Holy Land”, but you really need to think about expanding that into nations like Jordan.

:2 No more praise of Moab. In Heshbon they have devised evil against her: ‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’ You also shall be cut down, O Madmen! The sword shall pursue you;

Heshbon is on the map.

Madmen is not a TV show, but a city (not sure of location)

:3 A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim: ‘Plundering and great destruction!’

:4 “Moab is destroyed; Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;

:5 For in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping; For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.

Various cities (Horonaim, Luhith) are weeping because of their destruction.

48:6-10 Flee Moab

:6 “Flee, save your lives! And be like the juniper in the wilderness.

:7 For because you have trusted in your works and your treasures, You also shall be taken. And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, His priests and his princes together.

Chemosh was the chief god of the Moabites

:8 And the plunderer shall come against every city; No one shall escape. The valley also shall perish, And the plain shall be destroyed, As the Lord has spoken.

:9 “Give wings to Moab, That she may flee and get away; For her cities shall be desolate, Without any to dwell in them.

:10 Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully, And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.

:10 he who keeps back his sword from blood

This meant for the Babylonians who are going to be used to wipe out the Moabites. God has determined judgment against the Moabites, and nobody is to stop the Babylonians from carrying it out.

48:11-13 Dregs

:11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth; He has settled on his dregs, And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, Nor has he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remained in him, And his scent has not changed.

:11 He has settled on his dregs

Video: I Love Lucy - Stomping Grapes

https://youtu.be/fUxjOS3g6Uc

In the ancient days, when the grapes were crushed, the liquid often had lots of sediment mixed into it. The wine would be poured into vessels and stored while it began to ferment. After the first forty days, it was necessary to pour the wine from one vessel to another to separate the liquid from the dregs (or, “lees”). If the wine didn’t go through this process, it would become too sweet, too thick, and would eventually spoil.

The Moabites had never been into exile. When the Israelites lived in Egypt for awhile, the Moabites had been kicking back at the old homestead. When the northern kingdom of Israel had been taken captive by Assyria, the Moabites took it easy. When the kingdom of Judah was taken to Babylon, the Moabites were helping the Babylonians.

It was time for the Moabites to be poured from one vessel to another.

:12 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I shall send him wine-workers Who will tip him over And empty his vessels And break the bottles.

:12 Who will tip him over

Bad wine was a picture of complacency. What does God think of “complacency”?

(Zephaniah 1:12 NLT) “I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners to punish those who sit complacent in their sins. They think the Lord will do nothing to them, either good or bad.

Lesson

The blessing of change

(keyword!)

I like to be comfortable. I like it when I can depend on things to happen in a usual, predictable manner.

But God doesn’t want us to be complacent and lazy, especially when it comes to sin.

He wants us to serve Him.

He wants us to be ready and willing to go wherever He would send us.

Years ago, a man named Red Adair learned how to extinguish the most difficult of fires, the oil well fire. His expertise was sought whenever a crisis occurred. When Sadam Hussein set the Kuwaiti oil fields on fire, Red Adair was called on and his team put out 117 oil well fires.

Though I don’t think that life should just be about “putting out fires”, I think the value of the picture is that when God is looking for someone to send on a “mission from God”, He has a few numbers to call. Hopefully mine will be one of them.

And yet that’s difficult when my life gets so comfortable and I get so spiritually sleepy that when God calls, I don’t even pick up the phone.

When the Israelites were in the wilderness, they were being led by a pillar of cloud and fire. Whenever the cloud moved, it was time to pack up the tents and move on. If you decided to settle down and build your farmhouse, you’d miss out. God’s presence would move on and you’d be left behind.

I don’t think it’s healthy to change things just for the sake of change.

But I think there are times when the pot needs to be stirred, when the wine needs to be poured from vessel to vessel.

Can you “let go” of things?

Jesus was teaching about what life would be like in the “latter days”, just before He would return.

(Luke 17:28–33 NKJV) —28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

Jesus told us to “remember Lot’s wife”. What should we remember?

God was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. God sent two angels to evacuate the few righteous people from the city. The angels gave Lot and his family some instructions.

(Genesis 19:17 NKJV) So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”

(Genesis 19:25–26 NKJV) —25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Lot’s wife couldn’t “let go”. She couldn’t let go of her grip on the things of Sodom. She was “settled on her lees”.

Be ready to let go of what might be holding you back from following the Lord.

Sometimes we don’t have much of a choice when it comes to change. Sometimes we’re just suddenly immersed in change. Perhaps God is simply refining the wine in your life. Perhaps He’s working to remove some of the “dregs” from your life.

:13 Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, As the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

:13 ashamed of Bethel

Bethel was one of the two places where King Jeroboam had placed golden calves for the Northern Kingdom to worship, in place of going to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple.

The Moabites would become as ashamed of their “god” Chemosh as Israel eventually became of their golden calf.

48:14-25 Moab will be cut off

:14 “How can you say, ‘We are mighty And strong men for the war’?

:15 Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities; Her chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter,” says the King, Whose name is the Lord of hosts.

:16 “The calamity of Moab is near at hand, And his affliction comes quickly.

:17 Bemoan him, all you who are around him; And all you who know his name, Say, ‘How the strong staff is broken, The beautiful rod!’

:18 “O daughter inhabiting Dibon, Come down from your glory, And sit in thirst; For the plunderer of Moab has come against you, He has destroyed your strongholds.

Dibon – see map of Moab.

This is the site of the famous archaeological discovery the “Moabite Stone” which is an ancient stone engraved with a history of a Moabite king and his battles against the king of Israel.

It dates to 840BC and mentions the nation of Israel and even Chemosh the god of the Moabites.

:19 O inhabitant of Aroer, Stand by the way and watch; Ask him who flees And her who escapes; Say, ‘What has happened?’

:20 Moab is shamed, for he is broken down. Wail and cry! Tell it in Arnon, that Moab is plundered.

:19 Aroer

A town close to the capital of the Ammonites, in the northern end of Moab.

:20 Arnon

A river near the center of the Dead Sea, considered the southern border of Moab.

:21 “And judgment has come on the plain country: On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath,

:22 On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,

:23 On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,

:24 On Kerioth and Bozrah, On all the cities of the land of Moab, Far or near.

:25 The horn of Moab is cut off, And his arm is broken,” says the Lord.

We know where some of these cities are, some we don’t. (see map3)

It seems they are being listed from north to south.

:25 The horn of Moab is cut off

The horn was a Biblical symbol for power.

Why spend time charting out the locations of these cities?

It blew me away to see the extent of Nebuchadnezzar’s war. It wasn’t just a single town or two that he conquered. It was quite an amazing thing.

48:26-47 Moabite wipeout

:26 “Make him drunk, Because he exalted himself against the Lord. Moab shall wallow in his vomit, And he shall also be in derision.

:27 For was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him, You shake your head in scorn.

:27 was not Israel a derision to you?

One of the reasons that Moab would be judged was because of its attitude toward Israel.

Lesson

Enemy Treatment

To be honest, Moab and Israel never got along very well. They were often enemies.

Yet God cares how you treat your enemy. Solomon wrote,

(Proverbs 24:17–18 NKJV) —17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him.

God might change the way He treats your enemy if you are gloating when they fall.

Jesus said,

(Matthew 5:43–45 NKJV) —43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

With our current American political climate, we need to be careful about how we treat those who don’t see things the way we see them.

:28 You who dwell in Moab, Leave the cities and dwell in the rock, And be like the dove which makes her nest In the sides of the cave’s mouth.

:29 “We have heard the pride of Moab (He is exceedingly proud), Of his loftiness and arrogance and pride, And of the haughtiness of his heart.”

:30 “I know his wrath,” says the Lord, “But it is not right; His lies have made nothing right.

:30 I know his wrath

Isaiah had a prophecy that was very similar a few hundred years earlier:

(Isaiah 16:6–7 NKJV) —6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— He is very proud— Of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath; But his lies shall not be so. 7 Therefore Moab shall wail for Moab; Everyone shall wail. For the foundations of Kir Hareseth you shall mourn; Surely they are stricken.

One of the characteristics of the Moabites was their “pride”.

Lesson

Pride – Anger - Lying

They’re all tied together (vs. 29-30)

It’s pride that makes you think that you’re the best.

Illustration

A young woman went to her pastor and said, “Pastor, I have a besetting sin, and I want your help. I come to church on Sunday and can’t help thinking I’m the prettiest girl in the congregation. I know I ought not think that, but I can’t help it. I want you to help me with it.” The pastor replied, “Mary, don’t worry about it. In your case it’s not a sin. It’s just a horrible mistake.” (ouch!)

-- Haddon Robinson, "Good Guys, Bad Guys, and Us Guys," Preaching Today, Tape No. 80.

Its pride that fuels your anger at people when they don’t do things the way you think they ought to.

Illustration

The head of one large company recently told me about an incident that occurred as he and his wife waited in line to get his driver’s license renewed. He was frustrated at how long it was taking and grumbled to his wife, “Don’t they know who I am?” She replied, “Yeah, you’re a plumber’s son who got lucky.”

-- Fortune (6/26/96). Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership.

Its pride that makes you lie to others to keep up the crumbling front that says you’re the best.

Illustration

A mayor who was very proud of his city was asked how the recession had affected it. He answered, “We don't have a recession here, but I will admit we are having the worst boom in many years.”

Might your anger go away if you would humble yourself? If we would humble ourselves, perhaps we’d find it easier to tell the truth.

:31 Therefore I will wail for Moab, And I will cry out for all Moab; I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.

Sounds just like Is. 16:7

:32 O vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of Jazer. Your plants have gone over the sea, They reach to the sea of Jazer. The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage.

Kir Heres … Sibmah, Jazer all cities of Moab

:33 Joy and gladness are taken From the plentiful field And from the land of Moab; I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses; No one will tread with joyous shouting— Not joyous shouting!

:34 “From the cry of Heshbon to Elealeh and to Jahaz They have uttered their voice, From Zoar to Horonaim, Like a three-year-old heifer; For the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate.

More cities that will be weeping.

Zoar is the city that Lot ended up settling in after he fled from Sodom. (Gen. 19:30)

(Genesis 19:30 NKJV) —30 Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.

Video – Sodom map video

We are pretty sure we now know where the site of ancient Sodom is. It was discovered just a few years ago. It’s in modern Jordan about 7 miles east of the Jordan River. They found some minerals there that can only be formed by intense heat, usually a nuclear blast.

:35 “Moreover,” says the Lord, “I will cause to cease in Moab The one who offers sacrifices in the high places And burns incense to his gods.

:36 Therefore My heart shall wail like flutes for Moab, And like flutes My heart shall wail For the men of Kir Heres. Therefore the riches they have acquired have perished.

:36 My heart shall wail

God is not happy about the judgment coming on Moab.

God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked.

:37 “For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped; On all the hands shall be cuts, and on the loins sackcloth—

:38 A general lamentation On all the housetops of Moab, And in its streets; For I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the Lord.

:38 a vessel in which is no pleasure

no pleasure – chephets – delight, pleasure; that in which one takes delight

(NLT) like an old, unwanted bottle.

(NASB) like an undesirable vessel,"

Lesson

Vessel of honor

There is a sense in which God simply delights in us, His people.

But there is also a sense in which we are encouraged to not be a vessel of “dishonor”, but to be a vessel of “honor”. It’s a choice we make.

(2 Timothy 2:20–22 NKJV) —20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

You don’t serve desert to your guests in the dog’s dish. You serve it in something a little nicer.

When we “flee youthful lusts” and follow after the things of God, we are being a vessel of “honor”, something useful to the Master.

(2 Timothy 2:20–21 The Message) —20 In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. 21 Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.

Illustration

“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.”

-- Abraham Lincoln,

I think God wants to make “sharp” men and women, tools that are useful in His hands. Being a vessel of “honor” is being a tool that is sharp and useful.

Illustration

Gardener Needed

In First Things First, A. Roger Merrill tells of a business consultant who decided to landscape his grounds. He hired a woman with a doctorate in horticulture who was extremely knowledgeable. Because the business consultant was very busy and traveled a lot, he kept emphasizing to her the need to create his garden in a way that would require little or no maintenance on his part. He insisted on automatic sprinklers and other labor-saving devices.

Finally she stopped and said, “There’s one thing you need to deal with before we go any further. If there’s no gardener, there’s no garden!”

There are no labor-saving devices for growing a garden of spiritual virtue. Becoming a person of spiritual fruitfulness requires time, attention, and care.

Becoming a useful vessel to the Lord doesn’t just magically happen while you sleep. You have a garden to tend to. You make decisions that affect the output of your life. Yes, there are things in our lives that only God can take care of, but there are things that we clearly have a choice about.

Illustration

Preparation for the ministry is nothing less than the making of the man.

-- Warren Wiersbe

Ministry isn’t just for professionals who have “Rev.” in front of their name. Ministry is for all of us.

God wants to work in our lives to sharpen us, to cleanse us, to help us stay “useful”.

His purpose is to “make the man”.

:39 “They shall wail: ‘How she is broken down! How Moab has turned her back with shame!’ So Moab shall be a derision And a dismay to all those about her.”

:40 For thus says the Lord: “Behold, one shall fly like an eagle, And spread his wings over Moab.

:40 spread his wings over Moab

This is speaking of the Babylonians invading Moab.

I wonder if there couldn’t be a future fulfillment as well. It is not uncommon for a prophecy to have more than one fulfillment.

We mentioned the tie to Isaiah 16, a passage about Moab and it’s pride.

But Isaiah 16 is also a passage that seems to open up the door of possibility of talking about the future Tribulation period, and that the Jews would be seeking refuge from the antichrist by fleeing to Moab and Edom, or more specifically, the city of Petra.

John describes this time period through a vision he saw, a vision filled with symbols.

(Revelation 12:13–16 NKJV) —13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child.

The dragon is Satan who will be indwelling the antichrist. The woman is the nation of Israel, which had given birth to the Messiah, Jesus.

14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

The Jews will flee to the wilderness, we think to the city of Petra. They will hide there for the last 3 ½ years of the seven year Tribulation period.

15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

Satan, through the antichrist, will try to destroy the Jews, but they will have some sort of miraculous deliverance.

:41 Kerioth is taken, And the strongholds are surprised; The mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.

:42 And Moab shall be destroyed as a people, Because he exalted himself against the Lord.

:42 Moab shall be destroyed as a people

The Nabataeans were Arab merchants who moved into the area around three hundred years before Jesus, and they were still in control of the area at the time of Jesus. The “Treasury” at the rock city of Petra was built by the Nabataeans. (see slide)

Petra was not built by the Moabites.

:43 Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you, O inhabitant of Moab,” says the Lord.

:44 “He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit, And he who gets out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For upon Moab, upon it I will bring The year of their punishment,” says the Lord.

There will be no escaping from God’s judgment.

:45 “Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon Because of exhaustion. But a fire shall come out of Heshbon, A flame from the midst of Sihon, And shall devour the brow of Moab, The crown of the head of the sons of tumult.

:45 stood under the shadow of Heshbon

Sihon – the king of the Amorites that Israel conquered before they crossed the Jordan and conquered the land of Canaan. The Moabites were occupied much of the land that used to belong to Sihon.

Heshbon – this was the old original capital city of Sihon.

Jeremiah ends this section on Moab by quoting an old song that had been sung in Heshbon. When the Israelites originally conquered the land of Sihon, Moses wrote:

(Numbers 21:27–29 NKJV) —27 Therefore those who speak in proverbs say: “Come to Heshbon, let it be built; Let the city of Sihon be repaired. 28 “For fire went out from Heshbon, A flame from the city of Sihon; It consumed Ar of Moab, The lords of the heights of the Arnon. 29 Woe to you, Moab! You have perished, O people of Chemosh! He has given his sons as fugitives, And his daughters into captivity, To Sihon king of the Amorites.

This ancient song was a taunt against the Moabites. The Amorite king, Sihon, had earlier taken this territory from the Moabites as a “fire” coming out of his city.

And in Jeremiah’s prophecy, there would be Moabites fleeing for help to Heshbon, but a fire would again come out and consume them, this time from the Babylonians.

:46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh perish; For your sons have been taken captive, And your daughters captive.

:47 “Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab In the latter days,” says the Lord. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

:47 I will bring back the captives of Moab

There will one day be a restoration of Moab.

It sounds like it would take place after Jesus returns (in the latter days).

Homework

Read Jer. 39-52 in ESV (each week a different version).

Memorize 32:17

(Jeremiah 32:17 NKJV) ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.