Read Jeremiah 6
Jerusalem Under Siege
6 “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
Flee from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet in Tekoa!
Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!
For disaster looms out of the north,
even terrible destruction.
2 I will destroy Daughter Zion,
so beautiful and delicate.
3 Shepherds with their flocks will come against her;
they will pitch their tents around her,
each tending his own portion.”
4 “Prepare for battle against her!
Arise, let us attack at noon!
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
and the shadows of evening grow long.
5 So arise, let us attack at night
and destroy her fortresses!”
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Cut down the trees
and build siege ramps against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
it is filled with oppression.
7 As a well pours out its water,
so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence and destruction resound in her;
her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
8 Take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will turn away from you
and make your land desolate
so no one can live in it.”
9 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Let them glean the remnant of Israel
as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
like one gathering grapes.”
10 To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen to me?
Their ears are closed
so they cannot hear.
The word of the Lord is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
11 But I am full of the wrath of the Lord,
and I cannot hold it in.
“Pour it out on the children in the street
and on the young men gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
and the old, those weighed down with years.
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,
together with their fields and their wives,
when I stretch out my hand
against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
13 “From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.
14 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.
15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the Lord.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 I appointed watchmen over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’
18 Therefore hear, you nations;
you who are witnesses,
observe what will happen to them.
19 Hear, you earth:
I am bringing disaster on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,
because they have not listened to my words
and have rejected my law.
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba
or sweet calamus from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;
your sacrifices do not please me.”
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“I will put obstacles before this people.
Parents and children alike will stumble over them;
neighbors and friends will perish.”
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look, an army is coming
from the land of the north;
a great nation is being stirred up
from the ends of the earth.
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
they are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like the roaring sea
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Zion.”
24 We have heard reports about them,
and our hands hang limp.
Anguish has gripped us,
pain like that of a woman in labor.
25 Do not go out to the fields
or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
and there is terror on every side.
26 Put on sackcloth, my people,
and roll in ashes;
mourn with bitter wailing
as for an only son,
for suddenly the destroyer
will come upon us.
27 “I have made you a tester of metals
and my people the ore,
that you may observe
and test their ways.
28 They are all hardened rebels,
going about to slander.
They are bronze and iron;
they all act corruptly.
29 The bellows blow fiercely
to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining goes on in vain;
the wicked are not purged out.
30 They are called rejected silver,
because the Lord has rejected them.”
Go Deeper
The prophets throughout the scriptures reveal God’s heart for His children to come home. Amidst all their corruption and rebellion, God would raise His people to boldly proclaim what God would bring about if they continued in the whoredom after other “gods”. Jeremiah is another example of bold declaration and he is rejected; the people of Judah refuse to return to God.
In Jeremiah 2:13 God says the people have forsaken Him…but how so? They saw “God’s Word as a scorn to them and took no pleasure in it” (v. 10). They had passively “paid no attention to God’s words and therefore rejected His law” (v. 19). At the root of this issue is the belief that God’s Law is to withhold, not protect. Jeremiah shared God’s heart to protect the people–but they simply did not trust God, so they did not trust His messenger.
They are guilty of greed, offering false peace, and growing comfortable with the exact things Gods detest (v. 13-15). How would God respond to this spiritual adultery? He extends an invitation to “find rest for their souls in the ancient paths” (v. 16). The only place where our souls will find rest is in the ways of the Lord. This is possibly what Jesus had in mind in Matthew 11:29. Even when communicating His incoming judgment, God desires them to repent and experience life to the full, both here and for eternity with Him (John 10:10).
God sets Jeremiah as a watchman over them to warn them but they refuse (v. 17). They simply do not want to worship God. They bring “frankincense that comes from Sheba, or sweet cane from a distant land?” (v. 20), but God is not pleased with empty sacrifices. He is after our hearts. David in Psalm 51:16-17 after his sin with Bathsheba writes, “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Judgment is surely coming but not without warning and invitation to fellowship with the Lord.
Questions
- How have you benefited from paying attention to the Lord’s Word daily?
- Who has the Lord set you as a watchman to invite into life with God through repentance?
- What are the things in your life that you have grown comfortable with that God detests?
Pray This
Father,
Please reveal to me the ways I break Your heart and empower me through Your Spirit to forsake them. Grow my love for those who do not know You and use me as a “watchman” to the watching world of the hope I have in Jesus. Amen.
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4 thoughts on “Jeremiah 6”
Hard hearts. Jeremiah had a tough audience. They had hardened their hearts against God and were not even willing to see that God was willing to still give His mercy to them. Denying the truth does not change the outcome. He wanted His people to turn to Him, He wants us to turn to Him. We might still have consequences for our actions but not like the people of Judah were going to have but it is only because they were so hard hearted/headed. So what can these verses teach us? There is the word=teachable. Are you teachable, will you stop beating your head against the proverbial brick wall? I found some questions about this unteachable spirit. BUT GOD can help me/you change this (Thank You God that I can see clearly). I pray and humbly ask the Holy Spirit to show me/you if these traits describe me/you.
1.When given time to speak, you almost always talk too much
2.You typically make decisions without asking any questions
3.You almost always ignore or are angered by criticism
4.You can’t remember the last time you admitted you were wrong or said you were sorry
5.When others share the joy of their accomplishments, you can’t resist sharing why yours are equal or better.
What the law could not do Jesus did through the cross for you and I. Verse 29 The bellows blow fiercely to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining goes on in vain; the wicked are not purged out. BUT GOD can refine us in His fire if we allow and we work to make the change.
God thank You today for taking the plank out of my eyes. Thank You for showing, guiding, and loving me through the fire to make a change that is for Your glory. God that You are the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that You may give me the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, (18)having the eyes of my heart enlightened, that I may know what is the hope to which He has called me, and what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints. (Eph 1:17-18). God thank You for more knowledge of You. Thank You for guiding me in this crazy ride of my life. Thank You for helping me see Your people through Your love goggles and speaking Your words out of my mouth so that these words are a glory and honor to You, for this day, in these minutes in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!
The parallels between Jerusalem and the world today are uncanny and eye-opening. Jeremiah tried to warn the people of Jerusalem of how they had faltered from following God. We can see how they’ve forgotten God in verses 13-14. Each time I dive into a chapter of Jeremiah I find myself making connections to today’s world and how history repeats itself.
Each of us has watchmen set before us to remind us of our path and our calling from God. For me I find my LifeGroup challenges me to repent quickly upon confession of sin and to turn back to the One who saved me. These watchmen in our lives should be considered blessings; not ignored like the people of Jerusalem ignored Jeremiah.
The place I never, ever wish to be is “rejected by the Lord” (v30). Every decision whether great or small, points me in a direction that either honors or dishonors Christ. Through scripture preserved for generations we are instructed in exactly what to do, “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” (v16). Notice the verbs given in this verse— stand, look, ask, walk—all calling us to action that leads to rest for our souls. Now while there’s time may we fully repent refusing to coddle sin that leads to hardness of heart which eventually starves our souls. Jeremiah’s words are applicable to us. Let’s be intentional about disciplining ourselves so we can go forth and make disciples to the glory of God.
Eye pop! Amy Chadwick, these questions/statements are revealing the layers of truth we so often do not want to ask ourselves.
1.When given time to speak, you almost always talk too much.
2.You typically make decisions without asking any questions.
3.You almost always ignore or are angered by criticism.
4.You can’t remember the last time you admitted you were wrong or said you were sorry.
5.When others share the joy of their accomplishments, you can’t resist sharing why yours are equal or better.
What the law could not do, Jesus did through the cross for you and I. Verse 29 The bellows blow fiercely to burn away the lead with fire, but the refining goes on in vain; the wicked are not purged out. BUT GOD can refine us in His fire if we allow and we work to make the change. Sanctification!
Thank you for sharing, Amy.